Unboxing: iPad 3rd Generation (Black 64GB Wi-Fi + 4G) & Smart Cover (Green)

Finally, just under a month of the New iPad being released, I have finally got my hands on one. 

I went with the Black 64GB 4G Model, I felt that this model suited my needs more than the other models. I was very excited to finally receive it! 

There is only so much I can say about the third generation iPad's Retina Display - it is simply amazing. The screen is so good that it looks fake. The 2048x1536 resolution is magnificent. 

Coming from a first generation iPad user, I wanted to see how the speeds have improved. It seems to be a lot more snappier compared the the first generation iPad (obviously). I was particularly impressed whilst playing Grand Theft Auto III on the super-slim tablet. It was a very pleasant experience over all. 

As you all know, the camera's on the iPad 2 where horrific, both front and rear facing camera's where less than 1 mega pixel each. Apple bumped up the quality in the third generation iPad to a 5 mega pixel camera on the rear, also capable of full 1080P HD Video Capture, however, the front facing camera remains of VGA quality, which is a small disappointment. Pictures are reasonable, but not on par with the iPhone 4S (8 mega pixel). But when you think about it, who is going to take a photo or video on their tablet?! 

Photo taken with the third generation iPad:

In the UK, we don't have 4G LTE, yet. But, we do have 3G. Speeds have been great and actually faster than Wi-Fi at some points. Great experience, so far. 

Dictation is the Siri equivalent found on the iPad, so you can write an email, send a text, search the web, tweet a thought, and more. And do it all with only your voice. 

The green Smart Cover that I purchased along side the third generation is great, although I did order myself a Maroo Awanui II case for my iPad for more protection. The green Smart Cover seems to be a lot more vibrant in real-life compared to some pictures where the colour looks extremely washed out. I have not had a problem with the Smart Cover, this is certainly an excellent accessory. 

So, what do I think of the new third generation iPad? It is amazing! I don't doubt for one minute that it is the best tablet on the market. The screen is amazing, speed is great and Dictation is fun. Would I recommend it? Definitely. 

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Windows 8 on MacBook

Whilst Microsoft's new operating system Windows 8 is still under development, it's hard to resist a sneak look and feel for it. I decided to install the consumer preview of Windows 8 onto my white MacBook. Is it usable on a laptop? What works and what doesn't? The results are surprising. I found Windows 8 to run great on my Late-2006 White MacBook. In some instances, it runs faster than Mac OS X Lion. All my IO worked and wireless worked out of the box. The only issues I did have, however, was the iSight webcam and the graphics. Following the Boot Camp instructions, I used a set of drivers given by Apple for Windows 7. All those drivers did work with the exception of graphics and the webcam. I later found the driver for the graphics later but have not tried the iSight webcam driver. My GPU is the Intel GMA 950, the Windows 7 driver worked like a charm. Want to see more of Windows 8 running on my MacBook? Check out the video below. If you have any questions, make sure to leave a comment and I'll gladly answer them for you. 

Power Mac G5: Is It Worth It?

I made this video due to a common question I kept getting asked, which was “Is whether or not the Power Mac G5 is worth the cash or not.”  Now I asked myself this same question when I first considered buying this beautiful machine for the first time. After using the Power Mac G5 for almost a year, I can finally say I can answer this question for sure this time. Although there are some pros and cons, one out-weighs the other in this case.

I hope I answered some of the questions that are commonly asked about the Power Mac G5, and I hope you guys enjoyed the video. Thank you for watching and if you want to stay up to date on new upcoming videos, then subscribe!  

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My Thoughts: The New iPad

Yes, I know that I am VERY late at uploading this video, everyone. My apologies. But, the new iPad has been announced (iPad 3/iPad HD/iPad 2S). Apple launched this bad boy on March 16th and was no disappointment. The event took place in the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts. Tim Cook took to the stage as CEO of the multi-billion dollar company and started of by talking about the Post-PC World and the mass amount of products that Apple have sold. Tim then started to talk about the Apple TV. Unsparingly, there was no announcement of an Apple Television Set but in fact an updated Apple TV Box. The Apple TV now streams movies in 1080p HD resolution. A new user interface for the new Apple TV, although owners of the 720p Apple TV box has the get the new look by software updating. 

Tim Cook then went on to speak about the iPad 2 and how it has changed things in so many ways. He compared the iPad user interface to a Samsung Galaxy Tab's user interface and said how the iPad 2 user interface was better. And, roughly 17 minutes into the keynote, Tim Cook announced the New iPad. Not the iPad 3, iPad HD or the iPad 2S. Simply just "The New iPad." Personally, I think Apple has done this because it looks like the iPad will be sticking around for a good while now and it would be stupid to announce and iPad 6/7/8 a few years down the line. So, Apple, I give you props for that. 

Phill Schiller, who is Senior Vice President of Worldwide Marketing at Apple took to the stage to announce some of the new features that will be coming to the The New iPad and these features were: 

• 2048x1536 PPI Retina Display (3.1 Million Pixels All Together), 44% More Saturated
• Apple A5X Duel Core Processor with Quad Core Graphics
• New Battery (10 Hours of Battery Life, Instant On) 
• 5 Megapixel iSight Camera with Auto Focus and Face Detection (Front Facing Camera is VGA Qaulity)
• 1080P HD Video Capture
• 4G LTE on AT&T and Verizon 
• Personal Hotspot 
• Dictation (Siri equivalent)
• iPhoto for iPad (as well as iPhone and iPod Touch) 

Later, Phill invited some Game Developers up to the stage to demonstrate their new game for the iPad. Demoed was Infinity Blade, as well as others. 

iPhoto was also demoed by one of the high-up members of Apple. (Unfortunately, I can't recall his name). The app looked great with lots of simple features such as Auto-Enhance and Crop tools.

Lastly, Tim Cook came back onto the stage to say a few final words before the keynote ended. A slide appeared in the background that said: 

2012. There is a lot to look forward to. 

Tim went on to thank everyone for their attendance and said that "it is a privilege of a lifetime to work with so many of the most innovative people one Earth."

Mr. Cook walked of stage and the keynote had finished. 

So, what is your thoughts on The New iPad? Are you happy with the improvements? Could Apple have done any better? Are you going to buy The New iPad? I certainly am! Please comment down below!

Please feel free to have a look at my YouTube Channel, kieransmithtech, for all you technology news! Please also Follow Me on Twitter! @ksmith1810. It means a lot!

Dark Grey iPad Smart Cover Unboxing

In this video I unbox the Apple Smart Cover in preparation for the delivery of my iPad 3. The design of the iPad 3rd Generation is no different than the iPad 2, so all the accessories you bought for your iPad 2 will fit fine.

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