Apple iPad Event - 16 Oct 2014

[HarryT]

Originally Posted by xendula

The iPad has never been SIM locked, and I can swap SIM cards as I please. When I travel internationally, I just pop in a different SIM card, and I've been able to do that since the iPad 1. SIM cards can range between 0 and maybe $15, depending on the carrier, so it's not a huge expense either way.

iPads sold in Europe are not SIM-locked, but those sold in the US are, I believe.

[Prestidigitweeze]

Originally Posted by xendula

Simple solution: don't buy your cell or tablet from a carrier or on a plan. Pay the manufacturer up front full price, and have the freedom to switch carriers. Or pay whatever fee they charge you to unlock your device. All new GSM devices are already multiple-band.

You're preaching to the converted, my good friend. With the exception of the first one I ever owned, every cellphone I've bought subsequently has been unlocked.

You already can choose freely in the US. Apart from still having CDMA carriers like Sprint and Verizon, the problem is that GSM carriers in the US lock phones even if they are bought on contract, while in Germany, only phones sold with prepaid SIMs have a SIM lock.

The problem with locked phones also could be solved by Apple's approach (if Apple implemented their SIM in a version of the iPhone and the ability to switch carriers remained under users' control). But the main advantage -- being able to switch between Sprint and T-Mobile/AT&T -- is bigger for some of us than you might think.

Economically, locally (in terms of coverage) and even politically, there are always reasons to support one carrier (or smaller company that uses the same network) rather than another. I'd love to be able to switch to Credo from time to time, and a quick glance at Mr. Money Mustache's site will reveal that Sprint-compatible services like Republic Wireless can be more cost-effective than, say, T-Mobile (or even MetroPCS). To be able to take a Sprint-compatible device to Europe and use it is no small thing. Besides which, Verizon and U.S. Cellular plan to drop CDMA and move to pure LTE. If competition makes it impossible for Verizon to demand customer fealty, then perhaps it, too, will have to abandon the strategy of exclusivity.

The iPad has never been SIM locked, and I can swap SIM cards as I please. When I travel internationally, I just pop in a different SIM card, and I've been able to do that since the iPad 1. SIM cards can range between 0 and maybe $15, depending on the carrier, so it's not a huge expense either way.

But it becomes an expense if you live in the States, buy a Sprint-compatible iPad (if that's your cheapest carrier option) and then plan a trip to Europe.

[xendula]

Originally Posted by HarryT

iPads sold in Europe are not SIM-locked, but those sold in the US are, I believe.

No, they're not.

[xendula]

Originally Posted by Prestidigitweeze

But it becomes an expense if you live in the States, buy a Sprint-compatible iPad (if that's your cheapest carrier option) and then plan a trip to Europe.

Oh, agreed. There are Verizon phones with a SIM card slot (like my work Blackberry) that you can use overseas, but, as you said, the best that could happen to US customers would be for carriers to just drop CDMA. I think there are only a handful of countries in the workd that even use it.

[frahse]

Originally Posted by Prestidigitweeze

Still, I'm sure you can see why the ability to switch to any carrier but Verizon would appeal to someone who lived Stateside.

-----.

Verizon has the best Coverage is a strong buying point for me.

[WillAdams]

Originally Posted by xendula

I was really hoping for an iPad witn stylus support.

Me too, or better still a MacBook.

Still debating about picking up an Axiotron Modbook, or trying harder to get a Tablet PC running as a Hackintosh.

[HarryT]

Originally Posted by xendula

No, they're not.

I stand corrected. Perhaps I'm thinking of iPhones? I know it certainly used to be the case that you couldn't buy a SIM-free iPhone in the US.

[xendula]

Originally Posted by HarryT

I stand corrected. Perhaps I'm thinking of iPhones? I know it certainly used to be the case that you couldn't buy a SIM-free iPhone in the US.

I remember hearing about issues with the 5 or 5s when bought from T-mobile for the same exact price as from the apple store. T-mo was selling them locked, which is not only completely crazy (again, same exact price), but screwed people over who bought them for overseas use. If bought from Apple directly, they were unlocked (I bought one for someone in Germany who still uses it).

I just read on MacRumors that the new Mac Mini now comes with RAM soldered into the MB. Apple also did away with the quad-core i7 option. So there goes the one less expensive option for a decent Mac that doesn't cost as much as a second mortgage. I think I'll go back to a crappy Windows box next time I need to update. I need power and lots of RAM and storage for photography, and I'm not going to pay Apple 3 or 4 times more than what it will cost me to build or buy that in a Windows box.

[tubemonkey]

Originally Posted by jswinden

I just read on MacRumors that the new Mac Mini now comes with RAM soldered into the MB.

But it's $100 cheaper

Originally Posted by tubemonkey

But it's $100 cheaper

The $100 cheaper model comes with an i5 1.4 GHz processor as opposed to the i5 2.5 GHz low end model from 2012. Just 1.5 years ago I bought a Mac Mini with 4GB RAM and i5 2.5 GHz processor and upgraded it myself to 16 GB RAM for about $700 total cost (before taxes). Today you can buy a Mac Mini with 16GB RAM and i5 2.6 GHz processor for $900! So $200 more for a very slight increase in processor speed. Hardly worth the increase IMO.

[tubemonkey]

Originally Posted by jswinden

The $100 cheaper model comes with an i5 1.4 GHz processor as opposed to the i5 2.5 GHz low end model from 2012. Just 1.5 years ago I bought a Mac Mini with 4GB RAM and i5 2.5 GHz processor and upgraded it myself to 16 GB RAM for about $700 total cost (before taxes). Today you can buy a Mac Mini with 16GB RAM and i5 2.6 GHz processor for $900! So $200 more for a very slight increase in processor speed. Hardly worth the increase IMO.

And here I thought Apple was being nice by cutting the price on an aging model. Instead, they crippled it and then cut the price.

[tubemonkey]

How much RAM does the Air 2 have? The only thing I can find are rumors.

[Jessica Lares]

Originally Posted by tubemonkey

How much RAM does the Air 2 have? The only thing I can find are rumors.

We don't know yet.

I'm holding out for refurbs on the new Mac Mini.

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by mycurlylocks

I got an email from Sony. Apple should definitely update their iPods.

You can even use an SD card with this Walkman Digital.

http://store.sony.com/64-gb-hi-res-w...ll-MP3-Players

The only way for Apple to update their iPods to compete would be to scrap what they have and totally redo them. But then, the iPhones would also have to be scrapped as well and redone from the ground up. Prices would also have to be lowered. Apple just cannot do it. When it comes to music, the iPod/iPhone is just so-so.