Overview of iPad Mini and iPad 4 reveals

I'm by no means an Apple Fanboy... I like their products, but I can still bash them when required.
Today I want to write a bit about their keynote this Tuesday and specifically their reveal of the new iPads

Their Tuesday reveal of their new iPads left many to question many decisions on their new products not because they are  bad, but because they are at all.

iPad 4

Having released the iPad 3 only 6 months ago, it puzzles me why they would release a new one so soon. Usually they have a yearly release of products, iPhones for the most part follow the yearly release for major updates, and a 6 month release for and versions such as the 3Gs and the 4s.

iPads have been pretty good at keeping a yearly release until now. but that's not really the puzzling thing. What is more intriguing is the decision to discontinue the iPad 3 in favor if the iPad 4 but leave the iPad 2.
Looking at the specs, it seems the iPad 4 is really only a very minor improvement over iPad 3. So it makes sense that they would not need two extremely similar products competing with each other. However that leaves the question of why release an iPad 3 at all 6 months ago. They could have simply kept the iPad 2 for those 6 months, and release the iPad 4 as the iPad 3 along side the iPhone 5. Then it would have been a major upgrade.

For those fearing the iPad 3 will no longer receive upgrades, I find that extremely hard to believe. Just because they aren't making the device anymore doesn't mean they'll stop supporting it with upgrades. At least one more major update so it gets 2 major updates total like the iPad 2 had.

iPad Mini

This release is the one I have to question more. The iPad mini is not only not a real good competitor in terms of specs in the 7 inch market niche, but its also the more expensive alternative.
Personally I don't think the 7 inch tablet market is the way to go. Nor do I think a 5 inch iPhone is the way to go either. The intermediate sizes make it too cumbersome for a phone and not large enough for a good tablet experience. If I want to watch movies, look at pictures, read books, I want to do it in a larger screen rather than a smaller screen. The 10 inch screen is a good size for a handheld device without sacrificing detail or size. For this reason the 7 inch tablet market is one I'm not particularly interested in. Nor do I think many people are. Walking around places like Starbucks, Libraries, museums etc... People carry 10 inch tablets with them. Very very few opt for the smaller 7 inch ones. Even then more people are going for the 4.x inch screen phones. Samsung even has a niche all its own with the 5 inch Galaxy Note. How many galaxy notes have you seen around? Again the size makes it cumbersome for a phone, and limits the features a tablet can provide.
With 7 inch tablets as low as 150 bucks, what are you getting in the mini for the extra 200 dollars that warrant it. Yes tons of apps and games are available in the store, but the display is a standard display well below other tablets resolutions, the processing power is also not to par with other tablets in the range.
At the time of writing, the Google Nexus 7 beyond its manufacturing issues, still offers the best bang for the buck. Its even more surprising when Steve Jobs himself outlined 5 reasons why 7 inch tablets where not viable options.

Only time will tell if the Mini really is as successful as they hope it is. Personally 7 inches is not enough for me on a tablet and I don't think the mini will get a version 2.

iTunes Survival Tips Part 2

Usage of an AppleID

As I said in part 1:

# 3. Keep a single Apple ID.

Yes as annoying as it sounds, the best practice is to keep a single Apple ID. Why because you can never merge the extra accounts, and you'll have content in one you won't in the other...

However this should only apply to your Apple ID and devices. If your girlfriend or boyfriend also have an iDevice (particularly an iPhone) you really need to have separate ID's.

Don't use the same Apple ID in 2 or more iPhones

When setting up an iPhone use the apple ID of the person the phone belongs to. Why? Because otherwise both phones are setup as belonging to one Apple ID. What that means is that Apple's servers then think they are supposed to send all notifications, all messages and all events to both devices.  Like if you had a iPhone and an iPad and wanted both to get the iMessage notifications. While it may be interesting to read other people's messages it can get a annoying, cumbersome, and obtrusive. Each individual iPhone should have its own individual Apple ID.

Don't use the same AppleID for iCloud backups of different phones.

You should never share an Apple Id for iCloud backup as that can cause issues with the backed up data. This is specially problematic as the backed up contacts of one iPhone can merge with another, or in worst cases overwrite them. So you get either a mess of contacts, or none of your own. I'm sure I don't have ti explain the problems you get from having merged contact lists, or having yours overwritten by your girlfriend's.

Don't share an Apple ID for iTunes purchases

As much as you'd want to, or think its a good idea, it isn't. While having purchased content across the your own devices is good, having purchased content across devices owned by different people is not. Even if its your girlfriend or wife and you want to share the content avoid it. Why because it invariably comes down to having content you don't want downloading to your device. I for instance don't need to have the complete set of Sex & the city episodes downloading to my iPhone because my wife decided she wants to watch them. Also I don't need it using up space in my iPhone or iPad.

With that said, I can appreciate the need for a shared AppleID when purchasing content and being able to use it across everybody's devices, however the iTunes platform is not set up for it, and while you can use say a House Apple ID where you purchase movies and Tv shows to watch at home through an Apple Tv or even an iPad connected through HDMI to the TV it come back to the original issue. The account is independent, and its purchases cannot be merged with Apple ID's iTunes library.

All in all, iTunes, and Apple's platforms were designed for personal Apple ID's sharing was never intended because they first and foremost wanted to prevent piracy, and content copying. So while you may feel inclined to share an Apple ID, don't. In the long run it will only cause more issues than it will solve.