MacMenders is my newsletter that I send to my mac customers from time to time!
I’ll also post them here for all to read 🙂
Thoughts on the Iphone6 – and the Samsung Galaxy
I’ve had a 5S for some time – as has Alex – but we had a Galaxy S4 walk in the door a few months ago – and Alex swears he’s never going back to
the iphone!
The S4 and the S5 both have bigger screens than the iPhone5S – and they have all kinds of nifty new features – and – mainly – they let you use your phone in ways that Apple decided in their wisdom not to permit!
For example, the S4/S5 both have a micro ssd port so that you can add 64gb or 128gb worth of storage on your own!
And since these cost about $30 – compared to the iPhone charging $200 for an extra 16gb of ram!
Also – both S4 and S5 have a back that pops off and you can replace the battery yourself. No more running out of juice at some critical time!
Batteries cost all of $15 as well!
Also – the S5 was the first – they are – pretty much – liquid resistant. You can spill on the phone and you wont damage anything – as long as the little port doors are closed (they are normally). This is rather impressive!!!!
Now along comes the iPhone6 – and Alex has been considering it – just as my wife and I (both have our 5S’s still) are considering a potential upgrade.
what to do??
the iPhone6 does have a bigger screen. but its not as big as a Galaxy S5. and yes its faster – but the S6 is faster still. And – lets remember – the iPhone6 comes out after YEARS where Apple poo-pooed the ‘big’ screen phones said no one wanted them – and that Apple would never build one!
What to make of all this? Well – I evaluated a Galaxy S5 and I am (with some reluctance) sticking with the iPhone – and the reason really comes down to the difficulty transferring data – and the lack of an S5 version of Notes (and no ability to move data to it). Sure there are lots of Notes-like apps but none have the simplicity and ease of the iPhone Notes app.
Sure the extra drive the S5 offered is great – and – also unlike the iPhone – the Samsung microSSD card is externally available as a hard drive. you can load it up with stuff and plug it in via usb cable (and a USB3 cable works just fine on the Samsung as well!) – and your PC or Mac simply sees a 64gb hard drive and you can address it just as you would any flash drive. iPhones do not allow the internal storage to be used like this and THATS a big negative in my mind.
But – to be honest – the Androids started off as jokes. but the S4/S5/S6 are truly worthy competitors to the iPhones.
And before you cry out I’m being a traitor – no – I’m not. But also remember that the iPhone1 and 2 were jokes as well. The iPhone 3GS was the first iPhone worthy of serious adoption. the S4/S5/S6 are serious – if not superior – competitors to the iPhone!
Note – the S6 that was just released – has some real problems in my mind – they are going more towards the Apple model – they have eliminated the user-replaceable battery – and the internal microSSD slot. And they are no longer waterproof! I have no idea why as all of these seemed to be super nice ideas!
Thoughts on the iWatch
I’ve been wrestling with this as it seems like a weird combination of conspicuous consumption and not very great features!
Imagine spending $17,000 for a watch. and the actual technology is IDENTICAL to the $400 version – you are simply paying for the $400 watch in a gold case!
Also – it seems to have as its selling point that you don’t need to take out your iPhone that often. This is weird as I love my iPhone and in now
way is it a problem to take it out! I’m not sure what the value of seeing an alert on a 1 inch screen would be vs pulling out my iPhone.
Still scratching my head!
Windows 10 – to the rescue!
Windows 8 has been such a disaster at this point (only Vista is comperable) – that the next version of windows will be called Windows 10 – and will look a lot more like windows 7. Microsoft has abandoned all further development on windows 8 and the team that designed it has probably been relegated to garbage detail for the next two centuries. Woopie!!
ALSO – and this is a BIGGIE – it will be a free upgrade for windows 8 users. That – truly – speaks volumes!!
The Mac Shelter – Systems for Adoption!
We have a number of good Macs and iMacs on hand ready for homes! All come with a 6 month warranty.
Macbook Pro Retina 15in i7 – a 2013 model with 8gb ram and a 256gb solid state drive. $1500.
Macbook Pro 15in i5 (non-retina) – 4gb, 500gb drive. $950
Macbook Pro 15in i7 (non-retina) – 4gb, 500gb drive. $1150
Macbook (unibody white) 2009-2010, can run Yosemite! 2gb ram, 320gb hard drive $450
Ask me for further information!
Craig Baker
The Eldest Geek
703-401-3806
8332 Richmond Highway #205 Alexandria VA 22309
Inside the Mt Vernon Antique Center – and upstairs! (yes I’m a bit of an antique my own self!)
Open 11-7 Mon-Sat and 12-5 Sunday (closed TUESDAYS)