Category Archives: iPad

iTone-Deaf

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I hate to keep telling people I’m a big fan of Apple, just before I criticize them. For one thing, it sounds so fake; for another, it’s just not as true as it used to be.

Yes, at one time, almost every media device I owned had the Apple brand on it, and I was a happy camper. iPhone, iPod, iPad, iTunes, MacBook; you name it and I had an Apple device that did it. However, over the past few years, I drifted away from the Apple fold and discovered other devices and other platforms.

Yes, I’m talking about Android.

Do I believe Android is better than iOS? No – and yet, the Android operating system had made great strides. Let’s be clear – Apple basically invented the successful Tablet and mobile computing platforms. However, with Google Play and Amazon, the Android user can find most of the content of the Apple iTunes store (many times at a slightly lower price!). You can’t find much in the way of older content – those classic or, perhaps, cult classic movies and TV shows, but new movies are released in Google Play at the same time as on iTunes.

So why am I now criticizing the very platform and ecosystem to which I was so happily devoted? I have three basic reasons;

  • Failure to incorporate the Micro SD:
    • I have a 16GB Apple Mini Retina. It is a beautiful tablet, but after loading the ever-growing iOS and the default applications, I have 10.8GB left.
    • The average HD movie is approximately 4GB in size. For example, “The Avengers” weighs in at 5.93GB, “Big Hero 6” is 3.21GB, and “Les Miserables” wins the prize at 6.05GB.
    • I can load 2, perhaps 3 of these movies if I want to watch them away from the friendly confines of a wireless internet network (like when flying on an airplane). That leaves little space for music or other apps.

Without the ability to use a Micro SD expansion card, I’m stuck with loading a few movies, apps, and music files for my trips. Oh, I have a few other options; load the Standard Version (SD) movie format, which is far less in size, but then why buy a Retina display? I could use an expensive wireless hard drive, but the iPad won’t play iTunes purchases movies or music (Purchased MPEG-4 video and AAC music format – Apple proprietary) from such a drive – I’ve tried!  I could also buy an iPad with more memory – but that is another expensive option.

The iPad Mini 3 with 16GB of memory and a 2048×1536 resolution screen costs $399. The Samsung Galaxy Tab S 8.4” with the same 16GB of memory and a 2560×1600 resolution screen costs $349. It also has a Micro SD card slot that can handle up to a 64GB card. That’s 4 times the base memory, all available for content – no operating system files. Plus you can switch out the SD card – tailor a card with the content for specific moods or purposes and change them on the fly, accessible from the SD card slot on the side of the device.

Let me see – better resolution, the ability to add substantial memory (SD card prices have plummeted, a class 10 64GB SD card will now cost you less than $35), a growing ecosystem of movies, TV shows, and apps, and for less money! Hmmm, let me think about that one!

  • iTunes just keeps getting worse – I don’t know who designs iTunes, but he or she really doesn’t like me! The new interface with iTunes 12 (and now with 12.1) is confusing, frustrating, and is confusingly frustrating!

I work with computers every day and have for the last 25 or so years – I’ve even designed software interfaces. The rule of thumb is to make it simple to use. iTunes used to be, but someone sneaked into the kitchen and added needless complexity to the cookie dough.

The result is not user friendly; in fact is looks like someone us just trying to tick me off! Finding a movie or a song is more difficult than before. Why? Don’t look at me. And the competition is gaining. While Google Play or the Amazon Music store is not iTune’s equal, they are getting better. The apps still trail in number and quality – the most glaring proof is no Amazon Instant Prime app for Android (yet), but watch out, Apple. That sound you hear is their footsteps gaining on you.

  • Justifying the cost is getting more difficult: I know, I know, Apple is a premium brand and one must expect to pay more for a premium brand. However, have you looked at a Samsung Tablet, or the Amazon Fire HD? Others are producing high quality products that cost less and do more (re: my Micro SD rant).

With profits soaring through the roof and its bank account bursting at the seams, Apple is flying high right now. And while I fully support capitalism with all its warts and freckles, there is a limit to what people will continue to pay for a product not that much more advanced than the alternative. And while I am also not an Android acolyte, I enjoy seeing them succeed – competition is good for everyone.

Will Apple listen? The new larger-sized iPhone 6 proves that it can. With its superiority in hardware, operating system, and ecosystem fading, Apple needs to listen more.

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Sorry Gertrude!

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The GERD has his share of maladies – a bad knee, a Thyroid that went AWOL several years ago, Sleep Apnea, and a condition known as ShortFatUgly-ness.  All that is bad enough, but there is one condition that really bugs the GERD.  Way up, way, way up, inside my right ear sits a lady (I call her Gertrude) who plays an organ.  This is a special organ – it has only one key, a real high key, and Gertrude plays it ALL THE TIME!  I went to an audiologist last year and he had a name for it, Tinnitus, also known as “ringing in the ears”.  Only mine isn’t a ringing, it’s that real high-pitched key that Gertrude plays ALL THE TIME.  My audiologist was very nice; he gave me a very useful piece of advice.   He said, “GERD, silence is the enemy”.  Once I finished giving him that strange look that only the GERD can (ask my daughters), it started to make sense to me.  When I’m in a really quiet environment, Gertrude really goes to town on her organ.  The quieter it is, the louder she gets.  Ever tried sleeping with that going on in your head?  What my Audiologist told me was to go to sleep at night with some noise, any noise, to take my mind off of Gertrude (he doesn’t really call her that, only I do).  Otherwise she keeps me up all night with her one note song of torture. 

But wait a minute; the GERD’s wife doesn’t have Tinnitus!  How unfair would that be; “sorry dear but Gertrude demands that I play music so I can sleep.  What’s that, you need sleep too??”

To every problem in life there is a technological solution (OK, that’s not really true but it’s fun looking for one).   Like many of you I have used, from time to time, a blue tooth headset with my cell phone.  These tend to be large, expensive, and weak on battery life.  When looking for a technological solution to Gertrude I found a blue tooth headset that is not large, not expensive, and not weak on battery life.  The Plantronics Marque M155 Bluetooth Headset is small in size and fits comfortably and securely in the GERD’s offending ear, and lasts for several hours on a single charge.  It syncs easily and rapidly with my Samsung Galaxy S3, my iPad Mini, and every other blue tooth capable device I have.  I wear it to bed (don’t laugh; I have a condition, after all!).  I play a movie or a music playlist from my Nexus (in its docking station on my night table).  Once the movie/playlist is done, the Plantronics stays unobtrusively in my ear.  Sleeping on my back or on my left side helps.  Even if it pops out during the night, no harm is done.  The best thing is that this beauty only costs around $30.  That’s a deal in the GERD’s book of technological solutions to life’s problem!

 I wear it driving to work (listening to my favorite book from Audible).  I wear it at work listening to Pandora.  Since it’s in only one ear I can still hear conversations, the phone, and my email alert.  I wear it while shopping, doing chores around the house; I even wear it on the airplane.  Having one ear available to hear things is an advantage in every situation, except where certain relatives are concerned.

 The sound quality is really good, if only in one ear.  Sound controls are easy to use; it’s so small and light that I forget it’s there.  And yes, you can also use it to make phone calls!  Call quality is quite good (so I’m told by those who call me), and when the call is concluded the music/Audio book takes up where it left off.  I have 5 of these things and I use them everywhere.  They recharge (quickly) with a standard micro USB connector.

So my audiologist was correct, silence may be my enemy, but with my Plantronics blue tooth headset, I’ve made peace with Gertrude.  She’s not really a bad person, but I wish she would learn to play a new note!

Did the GERD Leave Apple – Part 2

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Wait a minute! Am I having a mid-life tech crisis? Have I considered wondering away from my true love, Apple, towards a flirtatious encounter with Android? I’m feeling flush and a little dizzy…I need to sit down and think about this. It’s all so dangerous and yet exciting!

Will the GERD leave Apple for Android? Will leaving make the GERD happier or would he regret leaving? What would happen to the kids (all that iTunes content)? Tune in next time to see if the GERD leaves Apple!

The GERD has taken his summer break to consider his options, for he has much to think about.  Apple or Android; the walled garden of iOS or the wild wild west of Android.

When last we left our Technological Hero the GERD was facing a mid-life tech crisis.  He had flirted with Android; he had winked and smiled at a pretty face other than his faithful Apple.  What exactly happened and what are we to learn from this experience.

The GERD obtained the iPhone 5 as soon as it hit the streets and while it is an improvement in every way over the 4 and the 4S, the GERD came to a startling realization.  The iPhone had become STALE!  “Did he just say the iPhone 5 was STALE?” – oh yes, he did.  There is nothing wrong with the iPhone; there is just nothing really new or exciting about it.  Yes, they did make it a bit larger, but not large enough.  Most of the other (ah hem, Android Phones), are larger.  The iPhone 5 has a 4” screen, newer Android screens  run from 4.7”to 5” in size, even up to 6.3”  (Ok, that may be too large!).  Remember when smaller phones were all the rage?  Now everyone wants to watch things on their phones and that takes a larger screen.  The Android OS is maturing as is the Play Store (Android’s version of iTunes).  Android tablets are getting better; better screens, more power, expandable memory (something Apple refuses to do!).

There were two watershed moments that swayed the GERD more towards Android. (1) the price of the new iPad Mini, and (2) the new Samsung Galaxy Phone.  When the iPad Mini was announced it was supposed to compete with lesser priced smaller tablets like the Nexus and the Kindle Fire HD.  To compete with those offering, one would think that the price would be similar – somewhere in the $200-$250 range.  It came it at $329 (more for higher capacity units).  That decision really confused me; however, the Minis flew off the shelves.  But I never truly believed anyone could compete with Apple in the Tablet arena.  However, I grew impatient with my iPhone 5; the touch accuracy was a little off (maybe it was just my phone, but others have complained about the same thing), there was nothing really new about the thing and the screen seemed too small, especially after looking at the Galaxy S3.  So, I got one, and I have not regretted it.

So the GERD has left Apple, and yet he has not.  No one makes a Tablet like Apple (My iPad 4 and iPad Mini speaks to my opinion of Apple tablets).  However, the iPhone needs a serious jolt.  Come ‘on Apple, give me a bigger screen, expandable memory, and maybe something new (a stylus?). Give me a reason to get excited about the iPhone again!

Did the GERD leave Apple?

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For those who know the GERD, you know I’ve been a big fan of all things Apple since 2003. You see, I’ve loved books on tape for years (hang with me, I’m going somewhere here); back to when they were only available on cassette tapes (hundreds of them!). Then I discovered Audible.com; away with you tapes and CD’s, its digital content for me! The problem was MP3 players in 2003 either didn’t have a large enough hard drive, or couldn’t handle the proprietary Audible format. Then I found out that this new iPod thingy achieved both of these lofty goals; I left a vapor trail to the nearest Best Buy and purchased one (I still have it!). That led to a procession of iPods, iPads, and even iPhones. I love the engineering, the innovation, and the ecosystem that Apple brings to the table.

Then a funny thing happened – others started to catch up. If imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, then Apple got an awful lot of flattery. While most of the attempts came up short (anyone remember the HP Slate?), slowly but surely the quality improved, and ecosystems caught up. I wrote last August about Android’s improvement (https://techgerd.com/2012/08/14/apple-or-android-ive-used-both/). Google Play and Amazon have stepped up with great content and more apps. The hardware is getting better as well. Better cameras, better processors, better screens, and bigger screens! People wanted bigger screens and the new Android phones have ‘em. Apple has yet to embrace these shifts in design, stubbornly clinging to its strive for a smaller product. I find the larger screens offered by Samsung very appealing; very appealing indeed! In fact…

Wait a minute! Am I having a mid-life tech crisis? Have I considered wondering away from my true love, Apple, towards a flirtatious encounter with Android? I’m feeling flush and a little dizzy…I need to sit down and think about this. It’s all so dangerous and yet exciting!

Will the GERD leave Apple for Android? Will leaving make the GERD happier or would he regret leaving? What would happen to the kids (all that iTunes content)? Tune in next time to see if the GERD leaves Apple!

Battery Up!

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Did I mention that the GERD travels?  Did I mention that when he does he HATES to run out of juice for any of his technological friends?  Is there anything more sad that an iPhone, iPad, or Galaxy (fill in the blank here) that’s as dead as Julius Caesar?  Don’t you hate it when I ask a bunch of questions to start a blog?  Sorry!

The answer to your power grid-less needs is a good external battery.  Now these things can be expensive, heavy, and not very good so pay attention to the GERD and he will steer you straight.  There are two batteries I recommend for the serious Tech Geek who either travels or lives in fear of zombie attacks during power outages. The first is for your typical phone or media device; the second is the “Mother-of-all-batteries” to meet any need you may have, including laptops.

First, the Anker® Astro3E External Battery Pack Charger.  My go-to external battery for my iPhone and hotspot device, the Anker packs 10000mAh in a battery just a bit larger than your Samsung Galaxy S3.  That will give you 4-5 full charges or 40 hours of talk time to iPhone 5 / 4S / 4 / 3GS, 3 full charges for Samsung Galaxy S3, or a full charge for iPad / iPad 2.  It has 2 USB output connections (marked “Apple” and “Android”) and charges via a micro-USB connection (thus fulfilling the GERD’s requirement for standardized connectors).  It comes with a spring USB power cable with 4 interchangeable connectors (including micro/mini-USB and 30-pin Apple adapter).  If you are using the iPhone 5 or new iPod MP3 players, bring your own Lightning cable or adapter!

Second is a battery I would marry if I were not already a happily married man!  The Tursion Ultra Capacity High Quality 33600mAh Portable Charger External Battery Pack Power Bank Charger for Laptops and Notebooks packs a lot of power in a surprisingly small (pink) package.  About the size of a paperback book, albeit a heavy one (8.4 x 0.8 x 5.1 inches; 1.8 pounds), this jewel has a USB and proprietary plug; it comes with a variety of tips (14 to be exact) for all your devices including laptop computers!  If anyone makes a device that one of these tips won’t fit, let them be banned from the Kingdom, ever to roam the wastelands, unloved and unmissed. I used this on my trip to Hawaii last month; 11 hours in the air each way and I never tapped it out.  This battery ends your need to recharge anything!

Listen to the GERD!  If you need power for your phone or MP3 player, go with the Anker – if you need enough power to fight off zombies, the Tursion will do it for you; both for a reasonable price!

With all apologies to Clement Clarke Moore…

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Twas the night before Christmas and all through the house
all my gadgets were whirling, including my mouse.
My hard drives were stuffed full of data with care
in hopes that my backup plan, if needed, would be there.

With iPad and iPhone nestled snug in their docks,
Glimmering with displays of Retina fresh from the box
my Wife with her 4S and I with my ‘5
Thankful that our data plan (unlimited) is alive

When on the Amazon site there arose such a clatter
Chromebooks for sale! Get one while they still matter!
Away to my keyboard and my browser (with flash),
Clicked on the bookmark and gave up my cash.

The FedEx truck arrived, the driver was grinning
He knew it’s for me the package he’s bringing
“Good Morning to you GERD”, he says with great pep
With a gleam in his eye and a spring to his step

“Now GERD it appears I have for your consideration
a package from Amazon; could it be another piece of automation?
Another iPad, the new nook reader?
The Fire, the Acer, I know it’s not a heater!

“A Chromebook!” I cry with overstated pride,
“to compute where I want, no matter what I ride!
On airplanes, on cars, on big boats and small
It weighs just 3 pounds; it’s really easy to haul!”

“I see” he says as he turns away to leave
“yet another laptop…doesn’t now that make three?”
“Perhaps” I replied in response to his mock,
“But these were going fast – there was only one left in stock”

Away to my office I rushed with such haste
To rip open the package with time not to waste
A press of the button the screen it alights
And takes me to Google, its app store to delight

My eyes are a’glitter, my mouse works with fury
As selected apps to my hard drive they hurry
On Google, on Gmail, on Pandora and Cloud Reader
On DropBox, on Sugar Sync, on Maps and RSS-Feeder

App after app I download, my hard drive was filling
My excitement was real, my credit card a ’billing
When finally I saw, my Chromebook was set
For that road trip next time I’ll be ready I bet

So value your Gadgets, to each one give a mention,
and always remember; to my blog, pay attention.
And hear me exclaim, although I’m out of sight,
“Merry Christmas to all, and to all a GERD-night!”

Travel Tech

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Sometimes the GERD has to travel.  In fact the GERD is on an airplane right now (at least while he’s writing this); on his way to San Diego from my super-secret East Coast electromagnetic fortress for a meeting.  So on those infrequent occasions when he has to leave his GERD-dom, he wants the right kind of tools to play and work with.  These tools must have certain characteristics; they must be small, they must have good battery life; they must have a common plug for recharging; and of course, they must be really cool!

So, you may be asking yourself what is the GERD’s favorite travel tech (go ahead and ask, I’ll wait). Naturally, it’s my iPad, I mean not only do I never leave home without it, I rarely leave the room without it.  I have a 64GB Wi-Fi iPad 2 (insert audible gasp).  I know, I know, it’s old but believe me the thing is still a tech marvel and tops in my tech travel locker (that’s my back pack).  It meets all my requirements; (1) it’s small enough to slide into place with no fuss, no unsightly bulge; (2) it has a great battery life.  Even though it’s getting older the battery life remains terrific, almost 10 hours per charge.  (3) As for the common plug, while it’s not a USB, mini USB, or micro USB, the 30 pin Apple plug has become so commonplace it’s almost its own category.  I know the new Apple connector is very different (I like it by the way), and in time they too will become commonplace; (4) what’s cooler than an iPad, anyone, anyone?  The cool is still there and I’m never embarrassed to drag out the old iPad and start geeking out (that’s not true with my entire tech line, can you say Acer Iconia Tab? That thing can stop a bullet but takes 10 minutes to boot up!)

There is, however, more to Heaven and Earth than the iPad.  The Kindle Fire HD makes an excellent travel companion.  My stereo Bluetooth headphones are always with me (Rocketfish High-Definition (RF-MAB2)  https://techgerd.com/2012/08/11/my-favorite-bluetooth-headsets/).  A good laptop is always a plus; my new ASUS U46e (http://www.asus.com/Notebooks/Superior_Mobility/U46E/) packs 8GB of RAM and 750GB hard drive on a Windows 7 64-bit OS with excellent results.  Add 6+ hours of battery life and you’re got a toy to blog away on during those long flights.  Need to add more content without buying a new system?  Add a Wi-Drive that allows you to stream data from it to any one of several devices over its own Wi-Fi signal.  (http://www.kingston.com/us/usb/wireless#wid).

So the next time you leave your Fortress on a trip, taking along the right tools will help you get away without actually being away.

Did You Hear That?

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There have been several technology bombs dropped in the past month or so. If you haven’t been paying attention, please allow me to summarize;

1. Amazon introduced a new line of Kindle products, including the very awesome Kindle Fire HD 8.9″ and 7″.

2. Apple introduced both the new iPhone 5 and the iOS 6, both also totally awesome.

I haven’t seen this many bombs since the last time I watched Saturday Night Live (well, those were just really lame jokes and we’re talking metaphorical bombs, but you get my point, I hope). The key here is that a little competition is finally taking place between Apple and Amazon.

While the original Kindle and Kindle Fire were fine products, there were some glaring shortcomings (limited, non-expandable hard drive space, no Bluetooth, etc). The new Kindle Fire HD’s memory is still not expandable, but has been bumped to 16 or 32 GB. Combined with the cloud storage available through the Amazon Prime service, this is very acceptable. The physical size of the 7″ Fire has always appealed to me; add the HD display, increased memory, terrific battery life, and the low price point of $199 or $249, and Amazon has me standing up and paying attention. $299 for the 8.9″ model is even more appealing. If i didn’t already own an iPad (or if I was independently wealthy) you would have to arrest me to keep me from buying one. I was very skeptical of their semi-Android operating system that acted primarily as a pathway to shop at their web site, but in practice this has proved a successful approach. I loath advertisements and the new Fire HD comes with advertisements (you can pay Amazon $15 to turn these off), but I find these unobtrusive and even sometimes helpful. I’m field testing my new 7″ Fire HD during my business trip to England this week. It makes an excellent tool to watch movies & TV shows, listen to music & audiobooks, and view the web.

Have I drunk the cool-aid? Has this Apple fan-boy defected to the other side? Do I ask questions on a blog site that no one can answer? No, no, and probably. The iPhone 5 and iOS 6 introductions that followed Amazon’s big day was just as impressive; I’ve not laid hands on the new iPhone yet, but by all reports it is a thing of beauty. iOS 6 is proving a good update (maps issue aside), and has made the existing iPhone 4S even better.

My point is not that Amazon is beating Apple or the other way around; my point is that the competition is getting closer, and that’s good for all of us tech-heads. The more Apple and Amazon compete, the better the products will get and the lower the price will be.

The next anticipated technology bomb to be dropped is the projected release of the new Apple Mini-iPad. IF this happens, pay particular attention to the price. I bet a friend of mine a soda of his choice that the price of a basic mini-iPad will be less than $250. Actually, I believe it will be $199 or close to it. Why? To compete with both the hardware specs and price point established by Amazon. Did you hear that? To compete with an established product – something Apple has not needed to do for some time – never in the field of tablets.

I think Apple will drop a sizable weapon for mass distribution when it introduces the mini-iPad. Apple will feel the need to compete and when highly successful, very competitive companies like Apple and Amazon compete head to head, we are the ones who win. Stand by, the fuze on that next technological bomb is ticking…..

Why iOS 6 will revolutionize Computing

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The gap between the computer and the tablet as a capable work platform has been shrinking – and the pace of this shrinkage is accelerating.  With the original iPad introduction on 3 April 2010 Apple changed the game, giving us geeks a new toy unlike any since the invention of the laptop.  Many called the first iPad a “large iPod” (yep, so did I).  It was cool, but how useful was it going to be?  I used mine to watch movies and listen to music (just like an iPod!).  However, the overwhelming number of apps developed since changed the iPad into a useful platform for writing (Pages), tracking finances (Pageonce, Mint.com), travel (Flight+ Tracking, Weather Channel), along with all the social media integration (Facebook, Twitter, etc).  In fact, about half of the GERD’s blog entries are started or finished on my iPad (thanks to WordPress) and I follow my daughter’s web comic on my iPad when I’m on the road.
Now Apple has taken the next step – data sharing run amok!  Starting with the iCloud (that giant data center in North Carolina), iPad and iOS users now enjoy data sharing among different platforms.  Contacts, notes, calendar events, even Reminders created on one platform (iPad) show up on all your other platforms (iPad and Macs).  The GERD does most of his blogging using the Notes application, starting on the Mac Mini, continuing on the iPad, reviewed on the iPhone, and eventually publishing from the Mac Mini again.  Since I’m working on from 6 to 10 blog subjects at any one time, this data sharing is a tremendous advantage.
iOS 6 will continue and accelerate this trend.  Yes, Apple has updated many of the core features including Mail, Safari, and even Siri.  But Apple has also ramped up data sharing with the unification of your phone number and Apple ID – meaning that any iMessage sent from any iOS device can be seen on any other iOS device;  FaceTime calls will follow suit.  I must admit that the inability to see iMessages sent to my phone on my iPad has been disappointing.
Others are attempting to follow Apple – Amazon and Google were among the first with cloud storage and web-based media stores.  Dropbox and SugerSync offer terrific cloud storage for data sharing.  However, Apple combines the best in breed; superb media content, apps, cloud storage, combined with unmatched hardware to run it all on.  When iOS 6 hits the streets this fall, it will all get better.  Perhaps one day we will wonder whatever happened to the windows-based laptop…
Next Time: Why I 8’nt upgrading

Why the GERD didn’t buy the new iPad

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If you’ve been reading about the GERD you know the saddest he ever gets is when he walks out of Best Buy without buying anything.  So when the new iPad (aka the iPad 3) went on sale it was a forgone conclusion in GERD-dom that a shiny new Retina Display would adorn his desk in no time flat.  Except that it didn’t – the GERD didn’t buy the new iPad.  Why not?

The day the first iPad came out, I took off from work to be home when the delivery man (actually it was a very nice lady) placed that prized pad in my eager hands.  When the second one came out, I stood in line outside Best Buy for over an hour…blah, blah, blah.  You get where I’m going, I really like the thing.  So when news of the new iPad came out, I eagerly scooped up the details in anticipation of owning one.  That beautiful Retina display, the faster processor, the better camera…

So why didn’t I buy the new iPad?  It was not the money, I could have traded in the iPad 2, taken a second job, or sold most of my blood to get one (I’ve done it before).  It wasn’t the lack of improvements; the retina display is truly groundbreaking in a tablet (or even a laptop).  It wasn’t any one thing I could put my finger on, it was just that the iPad I had was enough for me.  Yes friends, the old GERD, who tries to buy every new thing out there, was satisfied.

So, what am I saying?  If you have never owned an iPad, then by all means get the new iPad – and I envy the experience in store for you.  If you have the original iPad and are looking to upgrade, get the new iPad – you will be blown away by it.  But if you have the iPad 2, think long and hard about an upgrade. As good as the Retina display is, the iPad 2 also has an excellent display.  If you are as happy with your iPad 2 as I am, the need to upgrade is not very great.  This may be a case of Apple making something so good (iPad 2), that following it up is very difficult.  Having said that, however, I will be paying close attention to any rumored specifications of the NEXT iPad!

Next Time: Why iOS 6 will revolutionize computing