MacBook Pro has some issues

Source: http://www.wired.com/gadgetlab/2012/06/opinion-apple-retina-displa/   

After waiting with baited breath (yes, I'm an Apple devotee) and sitting through live blogging reports of the various announcements at the recent developer's conference, I came across the above article in WIRED magazine today.

Referred to as "the least repairable laptop" on the market currently - needless to say, my vision of owning one of these slick new machines has dimmed somewhat.  Which, considering my budget, is probably a good thing.

What's really annoying though, and is quickly pushing me away from Apple, is the fact that this battery is GLUED into the machine. You can't simply buy a replacement: you have to ship the thing to Apple to have them work on it. This is getting ridiculous (and is also the reason behind my potential decision to drop the iPhone and move to a Samsung or HTC option when it comes to smartphones).

Really, guys?

I understand your desire to keep control over your product: but not being able to simply replace a battery? On a $2,300 machine? You are pushing my limits.

What do you think?

Read up on it: The New MacBook Pro: Unfixable, Unhackable, Untenable | Gadget Lab | Wired.com:
'via Blog this'

iPhone 4s -your thoughts?

Ok, I admit that I was glued to the Apple event on 10/4 regarding the new iPhone announcement. I've held onto my iPhone 3 for almost a year past my contract expiration, in the hopes of a shiny new communication toy debuting the day after my birthday. 

What did we get? Largely some basic upgrades, an piece of 'AI' called Siri that will allow you to control your phone via voice commands - but no physical changes. Probably the best news was that I could get an iPhone 4 for the reduced price of $99 when I renew my contract with AT&T. 

Apparently the pre-sales on the new 4s are pretty astounding (reportedly around 200,000 already sold via AT&T alone) - but I don't understand the excitement over what are largely "geek-y" upgrades and no radical physical change. I can stand next to the owner of an iPhone 4s with a lower-price iPhone 4 and you'd be hard pressed to tell which one of us has the newest iteration. 

Got to admit that I'm an Apple fan - but I'm seriously considering a Galaxy SII because i really like the larger screen (maybe its my eyes telling me that it's time to quit straining on those smaller screens...)

Samsung Infuse Goes Head to Head with iPhone

iPhone vs Infuse comparison

The new Samsung Infuse coming from AT&T is an amazing piece of work - 

a bright 4.5" Super AMOLED Plus screen with Gorilla Glass display, TouchWiz 3.0 UI, accelerometer sensor for UI auto-rotate,  proximity sensor for auto turn-off, and Swype text input.

This little powerhouse will blur the lines between a tablet and smartphone - just look at the comparison to the iPhone in the accompanying photo (to the left). 

This is one I've been waiting to get my hands on - just to see how it handles... at $199.00 list (with a 2yr contract) it's definitely in the pricier range I'd like to avoid. But damn, it's cool... 

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