Ok, so for those of you that I haven’t told, I am currently
a sales associate at Staples. When I say that, you’re probably thinking
“OOOOOHHHH! Zaq must know a lot about tablets and laptops and computers and
Windows 8 and yada yada yada……” Nope. You are wrong. I specialize in pens and
paper and envelopes and calendars and thermal paper and yada yada yada. BUT, I
am “required” to know what tech associates “supposed” to know, which is
technology products. Occasionally, I’ll have a customer come up to me in the
back of the store while I am stocking paper products and ask me technology
questions. I don’t know everything about our technology products, but I know a
lot more than the average technology consumer. This is because I am required to
take certification tests on new tech products. SO……. I’m no tablet or Windows
guru (because I own a Mac and do not own any sort of tablet), but I do know a
thing or two about tablets and (more recently) Windows 8.
At work,
I’ve heard some chatter about the Microsoft Surface, but all I knew was that we
were going to start selling it soon. After watching the short review of it on
cnet.com, I couldn’t help but think about how innovative Windows 8 is going to
be. It seemed like the reviewer had a lot to praise regarding the operating
system, but the only good things he had to say about the tablet itself were
physical factors (which I believe to be very beneficial for a tablet). I still
didn’t catch why Microsoft left the desktop interface still on the tablet; IT’S
USELESS ON TABLETS! THAT’S WHY THEY CHANGED IT IN WINDOWS 8! After a review of
Windows 8 at work, there was only one thing I concluded from it: It will be
very useful on tablets, helpful (but also kinda hindering) on a cell phone, and
an absolute nightmare for PCs. Will I tell my customers that? Never. I think,
as a whole, the Surface is going to be an all-around different and (better?)
tablet than what’s out there presently. Does that account for the price? You
betcha. (Actually, off the record, I want to point out that when certain
companies debuted their tablets including Samsung, Asus, and HP, prices for
these items would range between $299-$699, excluding Google’s Nexus’ $259 price
since it’s a piece of shit. So I think that the Surface’s $499 price is worth
it).
As I said
earlier, I own a Mac (to be specific, I own a MacBook Pro, and an iPod Touch,
?g). The funniest part about this is that I own an HTC Surround phone (aka
Windows phone). Doesn’t that just blow your mind? Anyway, when I checked out thehuffingtonpost.com and read about the
newest member of the Apple family, the iPad mini, I became a bit puzzled. Now,
Staples does not sell Apple products (something about bad corporate relations),
so if I need to find something new in the Apple world, I consult the World Wide
Web, or just visit my buddies next door at Best Buy. So, after reading about
the mini’s specifications, I couldn’t help but think: Well, for that price, why
don’t I just upgrade to a regular iPad? Apple said it's upgrading its full-size
iPad, “doubling the speed of the processor. The fourth-generation iPad will
have a better camera and work on more LTE wireless data networks around the
world. Apple is also replacing the 30-pin dock connector with the new, smaller
Lightning connector introduced with the iPhone 5 a month ago.” That sounds like
a better deal, right? I’m not hating on Apple or their newest product, but I
just think that if I really wanted one, I’d either save my money and get an
iPhone, or take a hit and spend a little extra and get an iPad 3 or 4.
In
conclusion, if you have the need for a tablet, I find them to be very helpful
devices. Personally, I do not have the need or (currently) the desire to own a
tablet. Or even an e-reader, for that matter, but that’s a different story to
be told at another time!
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