RIP Steve Jobs. Visionary, World Changer, Magic Maker

(picture taken from Disney-Pixar FB)

R.I.P.

STEVE JOBS

(1955-2011)

Personaly, my favorite Steve Jobs contribution is not Apple, but Pixar. He was the one who gave Ed Catmull and John Lasseter the backing to start the company. Without Steve Jobs, we might not have had movies like Toy Story, WALL-E, Finding Nemo, The Incredibles and so on. And the world would have been a less happy place for me.

As for Apple, I used to be so anti-Apple it hurt. Then I got an iPod shuffle, then iPod Touch, then iPhone, then iPad.... Yup, iConverted. Anyway, here's my personal history with Apple, through a rundown of the devices I've owned:

Apple II: I remember countless hours playing Karateka on the Apple II my dad bought for us. Back then, computers were so awesome. Our dad had to limit the time we were on it to an hour a day.

iPod shuffle (Gen 1) I bought this off Erna after she got it from a lucky draw, and I was instantly hooked. An over-glorified thumbdrive it may be, but it changed the way I listened to music. Used to abuse it a lot too.

iPod Nano (Gen 2): Again, bought it off someone who got it free. All of a sudden, I had a SCREEN! I could see what I was listening too! Didn't last long though, because not soon after I got this, I got the...

iPod Touch (Gen 1): This was the breakthrough. This was the one that got me hooked. I was in love. Since then, I've not been able to get used to any other touchscreen. Unfortunately, after almost two years, it drowned in an unfortunatel flooding incident at my apartment. Sigh...

iPod Touch (Gen 2): LL bought this for me for our anniversary after I'd lost my last one. It was slimmer, more canggih than the last one, and best of all, it's got our names and anniversary date engraved on the back. :-)

iPhone 4: After YEARS of using a Nokia E71, it finally died and I wanted to get a touchscreen phone. At first I tried out some Android phones, but somehow, I didn't quite like it. I didn't understand why until I bought LL an iPhone 4, and realized that I'd become so used to the touch screen and the interface of the iPod Touch that I simply could not get used to the Android ones at all. So yeah, and that's the story of how I got an iPhone 4 eventually.

iPad: I got this slightly cheaper than normal from a friend. After lugging my laptop around for so long when I travel, the iPad turned out to be a godsent. It was AWESOME for long haul flights, I could watch videos, read books, comics, and play games, AND the battery didn't run out halfway through the flight.

So yeah, that's how I evolved into an Apple geek. No, I still don't use a Macbook though. I like change, but not THAT much. :-p

Thank you Steve Jobs, for changing the world. Rest in Peace.

Presenting... Apple's Next Post-iPad Products, with EVEN BIGGER TOUCHSCREENS!!!

It all started out with the iPod. Then it got smaller (iPod Nano) and even smaller (iPod Shuffle). Then they started getting bigger, and cooler with the iPod Touch, and then when the iPhone was released, all hell broke loose.

Now EVERYONE wants a touchscreen, and the iPhone has lost it's cool factor because EVERYONE has one. So what does Apple do? Make it BIGGER of course!

Don't get me wrong, despite the stupid name, the iPad looks damn cool, but really, I can't see beyond it being just an over-glorified iPod Touch. Sure, specific people will have great use for it - photographers who want to show-off their portfolio, marketing people who need to do presentations and so on. But me? My current laptop's already damn small, is a tablet, and also has a touch screen. So what's the big deal about the iPad, huh?

Yeah, I'll pass for now. At least until it gets cheaper, or someone gives it to me free. Heh heh.

Besides, at the rate Apple is going by making their touch screen devices BIGGER and BIGGER, I reckon their next products will be the following:

--------------------------------------------------

The iTable



Throw out your clunky desktop and turn your DESK into your personal computer! Instead of using your fingers, use your PALMS to work the iTable!

Special apps:

• iPhone Table: Never use your hands to answer the phone again! Now you can answer all your calls by simply laying your ear down anywhere on the iTable!
  
• iArm: Eliminate the risk of carpal-tunnel syndrome when you use the iTable with this faulous app that massages your arms when you rest them on the iTable!
  
• iCup: An app that detects your cup anywhere you put it on the iTable, and automatically keeps it warm for you! A future upgrade will have a 'freeze' mode that allows you to keep your beers chilled as well!
  
• iMahjung: Never lose a mahung tile again! Using this app, the iTable can be converted into a virtual mahjung table, complete with almost real sound effects!
• iSmoke: Can't stop smoking at work? Well, this app is for you. just flick your ash anywhere on the iTable and the touchscreen immediately absorbs the ash and converts it into renewable energy to power the iTable! Comes with built-in lighter!
• iTypewriter: For long-serving workers who miss the days when "We had none of these hocu-pocus PC or iPiss shit! We had good old typewriters!". Provides authentic typewriter sounds, and the all-familiar DING! when the user finishes a line.
  

---------------------------------------------------

The iBoard



Throw out your old school black/white boards and use the iBoard intead! Even Einstein would approve! Comes with a metal stand to wheel around for easy transport, for teachers and mathematicians on the go!

Special Apps:

• iPhoto: Turns your iBoard into a picture frame; and decorate it by downloading your favorite paintings by famous artists like Picasso, Van Gogh and more! (Screensavers? What are those?)
• iChalk / iMarker: Turns your iBoard into a digital blackboard or whiteboard, depending on your preference. Comes with authentic chalk-on-board sounds. Even includes authentic annoying screeching sound when you run your fingernails over it!
• iMath: automatically loads and displays any famous or obscure mathematical formula (written in chalk) when you need to impress people with your intellectual prowess.
• iTeach: When used for classrooms, this app will ensure you never embarrass yourself in front of your students with typos, grammatical errors or wrong calculations; by automatically correcting the mistakes as you make them. Suitable for English teachers who are not very good at English.