Apple Upgrade
So, I've been thinking for a while now about the IT kit that I use and own and whether it needs to be upgraded. I've not upgraded any of my main hardware for a while and I'm just starting to see that it will at some point cause me a problem.
My main unit is my late-2007 MacBook with a 2.2Ghz C2D processor and 4gb of ram. Still going strong this laptop when connected to my 22" monitor and wireless Apple keyboard & mouse gives me a decent set up to do what I need it to do.
My laptop needs have diminished to the following -
- using Excel to run our home finances
- iTunes and iPhoto to act as libraries for our home media;
- Connecting my SnapScan document scanner to DevonThink Pro as our key document library manager;
- a widescreen web browsing experience;
- remote access to my work PC so I can work from home.
Until that announcement I was not concerned. If my laptop is fast enough to do what I need on the software I want to use then I am ok. But if the software will not be supported in the future as I am on an 'ageing' operating system then I will hit a wall. No, I know it won't happen tomorrow. But it will happen at some point. And the Apple announcement means that it will happen sooner rather than later.
Attached to my MacBook is my iPhone 4, a really nice device that I use every day. I have had each iPhone model since my first iPhone 3G but stopped at the 4S as it was not enough of a push forward for the cost I would have to cover. There's nothing my 4 cannot do that causes me a problem. Siri would be nice but only that, nice. The extra speed and battery equally so. But that doesn't justify the cost. Yet.
My third device, and the one that is causing me the most thought, is my iPad 1 3G with 64GB. I bought this unit 3 months after launch and it has slowly taken over the other items in terms of use. I take it in my shoulder bag everywhere and use it constantly. The unit is still very powerful but I am aware that apps are starting to struggle a little, crash out due to ram too often and pauses waiting to happen getting longer as iOS gets more complex.
I avoided the iPad 2 upgrade again due to costs. I would have liked the extra speed but that was all it would offer. That wasn't enough to justify the cost. But the rumoured iPad 3 sounds like a big upgrade with the retina screen and even more speed. Rumours are also out about iOS 6 which must be designed with the iPad 3 in mind.
So I am at the point where a big purchase is looking on the near horizon. If the iPad 3 does feature every thing that expected so far, a few extra surprises and comes in at a similar cost to the iPad 2 (also rumoured) then I will be spending some money.
Roll on the announcement. I'm at the point of making the decision. I need to know what I am deciding about!
