Apple : In Depth: Hands on: iOS 4.2 review |
- In Depth: Hands on: iOS 4.2 review
- Buying Guide: PC or Mac: which should you buy next?
- More kids want iPads than consoles this Xmas
| In Depth: Hands on: iOS 4.2 review Posted: 23 Nov 2010 07:33 AM PST  Apple's iOS 4.2.1 update for its mobile devices arrived on 22 November 22 and we've been trying it out. If you've not yet installed the update, ensure you first do a manual back-up of your stored back-up files, in case of problems. Apple provides the locations of said files in a technote. Catch-up for iPad Although iOS 4.2.1 brings updates to all iOS devices, the iPad benefits most, finally catching up with the iPhone and iPod touch in important areas such as multitasking and folders. Multitasking works as per Apple's smaller iOS devices: apps are 'paused' in the background, bar Apple-approved tasks (such as playing audio); a double-click of the Home button brings up a multitasking bar, enabling you to switch apps or tap-hold to access quit buttons; a left-swipe of the multitasking bar provides access to iPod controls and the orientation lock. The main advantage the iPad brings is in providing brightness and volume sliders in addition to the iPod controls; you also get more apps in the multitasking bar (six in portrait, seven in landscape). Annoyingly, the orientation lock is now the only mechanism to stop the iPad's twitchy accelerometer from rotating the screen when you're using it - Apple has turned the easily discoverable hardware control into a pointless mute switch. On the plus side, while multitasking initially made our test iPad feel sluggish, everything was fine after a reboot.
MULTITASKING: Multitasking comes to the iPad, but the orientation lock is now software-only Folders work as per the iPhone - drag an app icon on top of another to make a new folder. The iPad again makes use of its generous screen space, enabling you to store 20 apps within a single folder. Since folders can be placed in the iPad's six-item Dock, this potentially provides rapid access to 120 apps from any Home Screen page. As on the iPhone, folder icons display miniature icons of nine enclosed apps.
NEW FOLDERS: Folders on the iPad can store up to 20 apps Along with Mail's unified mailbox, this update brings Game Center to the iPad. The back-and-forth nature of Game Center navigation is awkward and annoying on the iPhone, but on iPad the spacious two-pane layout makes it simple to compare scores with friends. Additionally, iOS 4 on iPad means your scores are now accessible and saveable for Game Center-compatible universal apps on any device you're using.
GAME ON: Game Center for iPad makes good use of extra screen space Cross-device updates The biggest two updates for all iOS devices are perhaps the most disappointing. AirPrint initially promised printing to compatible and shared printers; but support for the latter recently vanished, leaving AirPrint currently compatible with only a handful of HP printers. This is a pretty pathetic state of affairs, and Mac users for the time being should seriously consider Ecamm's excellent Printopia for sharing printers to iOS devices. Windows owners should instead march on Cupertino. AirPlay is also problematic: while it largely works fine for streaming content from Apple's own media apps to the Apple TV, it's audio-only for (some) third-party apps, and it's unknown when or if this situation will improve. A major update that isn't a disappointment is Find My iPhone. This free universal app works in conjunction with iOS 4.2.1 and a free MobileMe account to provide location and remote-wipe services for your iOS devices - things that previously required a fully paid $99 per year MobileMe account. Apple's wording regarding support isn't entirely clear, suggesting the service only works with its latest devices. However, you instead need - for some reason - to use a 2010 iOS device to create the free MobileMe account, after which point you can add whatever devices you like. For example, we got everything working fine on an iPhone 3GS. (Ironically, the terms and conditions Agree button twice crashed the Settings app on our iPad, but all was fine post-reboot.)
FREE TO FIND: Find My iPhone, working on our iPhone 3GS - for free As with Snow Leopard on the Mac, it's actually many of the smaller tweaks that turn iOS 4.2.1 into a success. For example, if you regularly hand your device over to a devious toddler whose favourite game is 'delete all of daddy's apps', you can now lock down app installation and deletion (along with Game Center requests and, importantly, in-app purchases) in the Restrictions portion of Settings. We're not sure how discoverable this feature is (our guess: not very), but when unearthed it's easy to use and intuitive. Just make sure the Mini You doesn't figure out your four-digit passcode…
SAFE: If your toddlers delete all your apps, you can now disable app deletion in Settings Elsewhere, Notes gets a choice of fonts (the hideous Marker Felt, the hideous Chalkboard and the non-hideous Helvetica), Photos enables multiple-item selection prior to a share (seemingly restricted to five items on our iPhone 3GS, but not on the iPad), you can define specific ringtones and SMS tones per contact, and Safari gets enhanced sharing options and in-page search. The share button replaces the old '+' bookmarks one, and essentially adds access to AirPrint, and so it's unlikely to be of much use to many until Apple 'unbreaks' that feature. In-page search works nicely, despite the bonkers workflow - you use the search box (yes, the one marked 'Google') and if any in-page matches are found, the last option in the list tells you. Tap it and the first instance of your term is highlighted. You can then use the Next button to access more matches, or, on the iPad, start another search by using the toolbar's built-in search field. The workflow and baffling lack of a Previous button suggest this is very much a 1.0 (or, perhaps, 0.1) version of this feature, but it works well enough, despite its quirks.
NEW BUTTON: Safari gets a new share button; on the iPad, the number of open pages is now also displayed Future plans Apple of course remains tight-lipped about future plans for iOS, but numerous features remain notable by their absence: a decent notifications system; wireless sync; multi-user capabilities; no streaming media to your iOS device from a networked Mac or PC. Despite these shortcomings and AirPrint and AirPlay being less than hoped for, iOS 4.2.1 is a must-have upgrade for iPad owners. For iPhone and iPod touch owners, the reasons for upgrading are fewer, but the revisions still make iOS 4.2.1 compelling, since you're getting improvements for no investment aside from a little of your time. |
| Buying Guide: PC or Mac: which should you buy next? Posted: 23 Nov 2010 06:30 AM PST  Ever thought about switching from PC to Mac, or from Mac to PC? If you're considering a new or additional computer there are plenty of things to consider before deciding which platform to pledge allegiance to. Does the Mac's lower cost of ownership make it a better long-term bet? What's the best platform for modding, tinkering and tweaking? Can you really compare a PC or Mac laptop on price alone? Let's find out. PC or Mac: price If PCs were made to the same standard, from the same materials, with the same profit margins as Macs then they'd be just as expensive as Apple kit. Most of them aren't, however, and as a result most of them are much cheaper than similarly specified Macs (it's a completely different story in tablets, phones and MP3 players, but that's another article).
NOT CHEAP: Macs are many things, but they aren't cheap: the most affordable Mac starts at £599 PC vs Mac: reliability and total cost of ownership The standard response to "Macs are expensive" is that Macs offer lower total cost of ownership (TCO). That's true, but that's more relevant to businesses where reliability and security dictate the amount a company spends on IT support. Macs are more secure than PCs - they don't get viruses and malware is almost unheard of - but Microsoft has been closing the gap for years, and a savvy PC owner's Windows 7 box is very secure, too. Security is just part of the equation, however. Windows 7 is pretty solid, but we still find it crashes more frequently than Snow Leopard does. There are two reasons for that. The first is that OS X Snow Leopard is based on BSD, a flavour of Unix that's been around for decades and which is famously reliable. The second is that where OS X only needs to support a very small group of computers - Apple ones - Windows has to support so many possible PC manufacturers, models and configurations that it's a miracle it works at all. In our experience misbehaving drivers, mysterious freezes and other irritants are much less common on the Mac. As a result, for demanding tasks where time is money and hardware gets hammered such as when you're using a PC or Mac for graphic design or a PC or Mac for video editing, we'd choose a Mac over a similarly specified PC.
SAFE: It doesn't take much effort to make Windows perfectly secure. Windows 7 is the safest Windows yet PC or Mac: ease of use Windows 7 is the friendliest Windows yet, but given the choice between otherwise identical machines running Windows 7 or Snow Leopard we'd go for Snow Leopard. The difference in ease of use is particularly apparent when you use additional apps such as Apple's iLife (free with new Macs) and Windows Live Essentials (free from live.com): the Apple apps are more welcoming and considerably more polished. Windows vs Mac OS is like the difference between, say, a Ford Mondeo and a top-end BMW: the Ford does the job perfectly well, but the BMW's nicer to sit in.
EASY: We think Macs are easier to use than PCs, especially when you compare applications such as iLife with Windows Live Essentials PC vs Mac: desktops Mac desktops bear little relation to PC desktops: they're more like laptops, cramming entire computers into impossibly small sizes. PC desktops, on the other hand, are usually based on standard form factors, standard components and standard cases. That keeps their prices down - for the "how much?" £599 Apple wants for a basic Mac Mini you could get a very decent desktop, while the £999 Apple wants for an entry-level iMac would pay for a PC so fast it travels through time - and it means PCs are usually much easier and cheaper to upgrade. Apple does do an easily upgradeable desktop, the Mac Pro, but that starts at £1,999. Once you start getting happy with the options list you can easily crack the ten grand barrier.
BIG BOX: £599 gets you a Mac Mini - or the uglier, faster HP Pavilion P6655 with more storage, more RAM and better graphics PC or Mac: netbooks The closest thing to a netbook Apple does is the MacBook Air, which is approximately £600 more than a typical PC netbook - so if you need a netbook and price is key, then it's a PC for you. However, netbooks are compromise devices, designed to be as cheap as they are portable, and they're not designed for demanding tasks; the Air is a proper Mac, designed for proper work and priced accordingly.
NOT A NETBOOK: The MacBook Air is small enough to be a netbook, but there's a proper computer inside that ultra-slim case PC vs Mac: laptops Should you buy a Windows or Mac OS laptop? MacBooks and MacBook Pros are beautifully engineered devices with impressive battery life, but if sheer horsepower is more important than build quality or battery life Windows laptops often offer better specifications for less cash than Mac OS ones - so for example the Samsung R780 offers a better specification than Apple's fastest, biggest MacBook Pro. Is as pretty, as well screwed together or as solid? Nope, but at the time of writing it's £600 cheaper.
BETTER PRICE: Is this as pretty as a MacBook Pro? Nope. Is it six hundred quid cheaper? Yes PC or Mac: software Big-name software packages - Office, Pro Tools, Lightroom, Ableton, AutoCAD, Photoshop, InDesign - are available for both platforms, but the Mac also benefits from some OS X exclusives: Final Cut Studio, Logic Studio, Aperture, iLife and so on. If you're a creative type, Apple has an edge here. Price wise, Apple and PC software tend to be priced similarly - Office Home & Student is around £70 at the moment, compared to £71 for Apple's rival iWork - while free software such as Google Docs, OpenOffice.org, Picasa and so on are available for both platforms. One of the most interesting software developments is the forthcoming Mac App Store. Its iPhone and iPad equivalents are packed with programs, and if it works on the desktop it could herald a new age of interesting Mac apps. Apps are what differentiate iOS devices from their rivals, and a bustling Mac App Store could make Apple's platform more attractive when you're considering whether to go with Windows or Mac OS.
MULTI-PLATFORM: Most big-name packages are available on both platforms, so for example Pro Tools is available for both Mac and Windows PC vs Mac: games The arrival of Valve's Steam has given Mac gaming a welcome kick into the 21st Century, demonstrating that there's more to Mac gaming than The Bloody Sims, and the Mac App Store may bring a catalogue of new and interesting titles. http://www.techradar.com/news/computing/apple/steam-for-mac-now-open-for-business-688953 For now, though, the PC is still miles ahead. Call of Duty: Black Ops? PC. Fallout: New Vegas? PC. Medal of Honor? PC. Farming Simulator 2011? OK, maybe that one isn't such a big deal. True, you can run these games on a Mac via Boot Camp, but that means buying Windows.
PC FIRST: Blockbuster games such as Call of Duty: Black Ops turn up on PC long before they make it to the Mac PC or Mac: customising and modding PCs are much more customisable than Macs, even at the operating system level: if you're mad enough to want Comic Sans as your system font, Windows will let you have it. OS X lets you change the background picture and that's pretty much your lot; even its Dashboard widgets are hidden away until you ask to see them. It's a similar story with the hardware, although that's for practical rather than aesthetic reasons: the Mac Mini and iMac are unique designs, so customising or modding them is considerably more complicated than it is for PCs with their industry standard motherboards and cases. That doesn't mean it can't be done, of course. It just takes a bit more effort [http://mashable.com/2010/03/23/imac-steampunk-mod/] - and with the laptops you can always go to town with a laser engraving machine [http://cutlasercut.com/engraveyourtech.html/].
MOD-READY: Questions of taste aside, PCs' standard form factors make them easy to modify and upgrade PC vs Mac: upgrades and repairs Unless you buy something unusual, upgrading or replacing a component in a desktop PC couldn't be easier: unscrew the case, pop the old bit out, stick the new bit in. Macs are more fiddly: on a 2010 iMac, for example, the only bit you're encouraged to upgrade yourself is the RAM [http://support.apple.com/kb/ht3918]. Replacing other components, such as hard disks, isn't for the faint-hearted [http://forums.macrumors.com/showthread.php?p=4130605].
NEW PARTS: Upgrading Mac memory: easy. Upgrading Mac anything else: not so easy PC or Mac: and finally There's one other key factor to consider in the PC vs Mac debate, and that's your current set-up: if you've invested in expensive software packages, the cost of replacing them - assuming they can be replaced - and the hassle of converting files could be the decider. It's less of an issue on the Mac than the PC, because you can boot into Windows via Boot Camp or run Windows inside OS X with Parallels Desktop. Both options cost money, though: you'll need a Windows license for either and an additional £65 if you want to buy Parallels.
EXTRA COSTS: Don't forget to factor in the cost of replacing software if you're planning to switch - or seek out free open source alternatives |
| More kids want iPads than consoles this Xmas Posted: 23 Nov 2010 12:28 AM PST  A recent Nielsen poll shows that the Apple iPad is this Christmas' most-wanted gift amongst American kids and teens, beating games consoles. The iPad tops the most-wanted charts in the Nielsen poll, which reveals that 31 per cent of all six to 12 year olds surveyed were also 'interested in buying' an iPad in the next six months, compared with only 12 per cent wanting to buy an Xbox 360. Leaving aside the questions over how a six-year-old is going to save up for an iPad, in terms of other gaming consoles desired, 18 per cent said they wanted a Wii, while 14 per cent wanted a PSP. Black Friday approaches "With Black Friday rapidly approaching, parents may want to get up early Friday morning to find deals, as a recent survey shows their kids are eyeing some wallet-stretching electronics this holiday season," reads the NielsenWire blog. "Across a multitude of electronic offerings, the Apple iPad leads all devices (31% interest in future purchase) among American kids ages 6-12. Apple's iPod Touch is also popular choice among kids, generating similar levels of interest as computers. Of note, the iPod Touch outpaces the perennial handheld gaming favorites Nintendo DS and Sony PlayStation Portable – though look for the Nintendo 3DS to make a splash with young gamers when it releases in Spring 2011. "Among gaming consoles, kids indicate they will be requesting the Sony PlayStation 3 the most this year; however, the platform will be competing with a variety of equally-popular mobile devices." |
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