Bucket Tech: Apple Event 2020

Many who watched the Apple Event last night anticipating the iPhone 12 were left unsatisfied after the event was over as there was no work or mention of the next generation of Apple smart phones but there was a whole lot of other stuff they introduced at last nights event. Like two new Apple Watches, this forms Series 6 and a cheaper SE version with the the Series 6 being priced at $399, it comes with a pulse oximeter for measuring blood oxygen saturation as well as an always-on screen. The SE priced at $279 is basically a Series 5 in a new slimmer body. Apple has launched a new Family feature which allows parents to setup a cellular watch for kids who don't have an iPhone. 

Two new iPads were also launched, with the iPad Air getting a new square bezel free design to match the iPad Pro as well as the A14 bionic chip which are rumoured to be in the upcoming iPhone 12. The iPad does not have FaceID but rather makes use od a new Touch ID sensor which is located in the iPad's power button. The RRP for the new iPad Air is $329. 

Apple Fitness+ service was also featured at the Apple event, its a fitness service that is custom made for the Apple Watch. It will feature guided workouts and activities for a monthly subscription of $9,99 a month, it will also be included in the Apple One subscription service which is a cross platform service which includes Apple Arcade, Apple Music, Apple TV+, Apple News as well as Apple Fitness, it also includes iCloud storage space ranging from 50GB up to 2TB. 

Windows Surface Pro

Last year I had the opportunity to view and play around with the Windows Surface RT as I said its an awesome device, definitely a major threat to other tablet devices in the market. Whilst it was pretty good, the RT wasn't the range topper in the for the Surface. This is where the Pro comes in, a few weeks back I attended a presentation which showcased what the Surface Pro was capable of.

Firstly its size, the dimensions are pretty much the same as the RT apart from the thickness. It is a little less than double the thickness of the RT which isn't really that bad. Obviously with it being thicker the weight would increase but again, I've used tablets or slates that were heavier. The build quality like the RT is pretty good, the magnetic snap on keyboard works well and because its so thin one hardly notices it. 

One might get put off with the Pro by it being ticker and heavier but it is with good reason. The Pro is powered with an Intel CPU and is basically a fully functional ultrabook. If one has to compare it to any of the ultrabooks in its range, the Surface Pro would probably be better. Portability for many is a key factor and many with ultrabooks like myself often find the need to have a tablet when moving around, yet if one had a tablet, because its limited in many aspects they would find them self wanting a notebook/ ultrabook. 

The Windows Surface Pro provides the user with the best of both. It can be a hand held tablet when need be and if the occasion arises where you need to do work that requires a keyboard, within a matter of seconds you can setup the keyboard which doubles as a cover and open the stand at the back and you're good to go!

Now the Microsoft Surface isn't yet available in South Africa but as I learnt during my time at TechEd 2013, there are plans of it being introduced to the market in both the RT and Pro versions in the second quarter of the year. It will be interesting to see how the consumers react to this device, seeing that Apple has dominated the market especially with FNB's promotion of the iPad. Personally I would love to own one, Windows 8 does take some time to get used to but with the touch interface it works brilliantly.

Vote for me!

I'll be honest, I cringe when I see people begging others to vote for them in some random competition but now that Im in such a competition and desperatley want to win, I NEED you guys to vote for me! You see, the guys at SportingbetSA had a "caption" competition where by people were asked to caption selected sports images. One of mine was selected into the top 20 and so the voting process begun, and here is where I need your help!

Please click this link: https://www.facebook.com/SportingbetSA/app_439198066102725

Scroll down to my comment and click "VOTE"

I really want to win, as over the past mont I've had horrible luck with my bets on Sportingbet so Im hoping this competition will balance things out for me. The prize is the new Apple iPad. I need this gadget in my as my laptop is confined to be plugged in at all times due to this dumb battery. So please spare a minute, Gracias