Apple released it's newest iPad called the Air...very thin and very light with a hell of a screen resolutiion and faster chip, etc. But I wonder if Tablet users will upgrade like they do their phones? I have a Samsung Tablet and for what I use it I wouldn't invest the money in a new Tablet. I use it as an e-reader and to read email, the web, and movies when I fly. It does all of those thing very well. When it craps out on me I'll appreciate the newer lighter faster machines but I don't see the payback for upgrading now. Phones are a different story, I chafe under the 2 year contract with regards to phones. A faster phone, with a better camera, and a better screen (I like bigger) are powerful incentives for me to upgrade to the latest and greatest as soon as my contract runs out. Actually my Laptop which is a 2009 generation of Lenovo ThinkPad is due for an update and I'm seriously thinking about either a Microsoft Surface Pro 2 which runs Windows 8.1 RT and comes with MS Office or the Lenovo Yoga Pad 13, which is a ultrabook that converts to a tablet and runs Windows 8.1. The difference is that regular windows apps don't run on Surface so you can't put a regular version of Quicken on it if you wanted. But the Lenovo ultrabook convertable runs regular windows so all your programs will run.
I'm with you Terry, as nice as that sounds its just hard to justify unless my ipad takes a dump. We go back and forth between her iMac and my laptop and then she hogs the ipad in bed to stay tuned to facebook...I love'em all but after a while how many do you need...And I totally agree with bigger is better especially with my fat fingers and degrading eyesight, I'm 49 now and my arms are no longer long enough...I use the Samsung Galaxy currently for my phone and it syncs with my mega TV set so I can instantly play videos or pics at the touch of a button... Gotta love tech... Here is a review of the iPad Air http://arstechnica.com/apple/2013/10/hands-on-with-the-new-ipad-air-and-retina-ipad-mini/
Terry, picked up the ipad air and have been pleased with the improvements from our version I ipad. For me the nicest thing is no more hooking up to a computer to upgrade the pad. It's much lighter in weight, faster, better graphics and as most apple items easy to use. I still hate itunes and don't use it. I would rather download from Pirate Bay to my Samsung galaxy 3 phone and hit the play button to watch whatever on my Samsung TV set...
Terry, I was reading an article describing what people don't like about their tablets, and there were comments about the iPad Air that you may or may not find informative. I thought I'd pass them along: If you're interested, here is the link to the entire article: http://news.yahoo.com/everyone-hates-most-tablets-170049955.html
I'm not sure where I'm going in the future. Gave up the desktop for a laptop with a portable keyboard and mouse (the mouse goes on trips but the keyboard stays home.) Laptop is too heavy...going to try and get another year out of it (3 years old) but not really ready to give it up for tablet computing (even the ones that "double up" as small laptops). May just try to find a lightweight but powerful laptop. My wife uses her iPad for most everything. I'm not big into tablet computing. I have a mini tablet Nexus 7 that I mostly use for eReading and some browsing. Biggest thing keeping me away from Macs and Surface is, like Terry, I use Quicken for most everything.
One of the great things about having a 22 year old son is when he shares his tech experiences I come close to keeping up with alternative programs and apps. He hates Safari as well and recommended a browser app called mercury that works much better.. Stu I use a laptop as my main personal computer and use my iPad mostly to surf the web. Still use a desktop at work though, I still enjoy a full size keyboard. I use mainly Samsung tech for everything else because it's easier and easy to share within the systems but the iPad air reviews were just too good to pass up....
I've got a desktop I use at home and a laptop at work. I travel with my IpadI which holds my music and digital books. When we travel abroad, I take my work laptop and hook it into TVs with an HDMI cable so I can watch home TV with slingbox. Mary gave me an Ipad mini which I don't use that much. Reading off it is not much better than reading off my phone. I think I would have prefered the Ipad Air.
FWIW, I just made my initial entry into the world of Apple by upgrading to an iPhone 5s. I've had it for about a month. My initial reaction is that it is very user friendly and easy to navigate. I like it.