This is the iBook G3, a blast from 1999

Not to be mistaken with iBooks, the e-book reader that debuted with the iPad.

Nostalgia is a weird thing really; these colourful clamshell machines were quite revolutionary when they came out.
There are some out there that still believe this little machine changed the game; It was the start of the fun and bubbly consumer laptop

Here’s the 1999 introduction video from Macworld 1999.
It’s kind of cute watching that video over a decade later; the crowd went wild at the mention of the handle.
And the specs… wow, technology has come a long way, and costs much much less.

Ten years from now, today’s shiny new gadgets are going to be vintage!
I still can’t get over the fact that it was considered lower priced at $1,599.00

So I went from being a non-Apple person to visiting two different Apple stores in two days while in New York.

I bought the iPad from the famed cubed store on Fifth Avenue; which is open 24 hours a day.

Upon activation I realized that the device was seriously limiting in content and Apps when logged in through my iTunes Canada account.

I couldn’t even download iBooks which is a free and major part of the whole iPad experience.

The iPad is currently only available (and supported) in the US; it doesn’t come to Canada (and the rest of the world) until late May.

While Apple isn’t discouraging folks in other countries from purchasing them (like it did initially with the iPhone) access to iPad Apps and content is limited to the US only.

A way around this is to open a US iTunes account (while in the US) using iTunes gift cards.

This isn’t exactly a secret; people do this all the time in order to get access to awesome US content.

During our time at the Apple store,  there were two guys from the UK, another guy from Canada and a couple from Germany all buying iPads, some were buying two each.

While in Chelsea the next day we skipped over to the Apple store to get our gift cards.

And since our hotel was unfortunately having some bizarre Wi-Fi issues, we set up our US iTunes account too.

Some Danish guy at the store bought a $1000.00 worth of gift cards, this is because you can’t buy US iTunes gift cards outside of the US.

Well, you could on Ebay and other questionable sources, but that’s another thing altogether.

So I guess the idea is to load up, fortunately for me I’m down in the States at least once a month.

The set up itself was easy and quick; then I downloaded a few more Apps, bought some books and just hung out at the store.

For a while I considered what it’ll be like to use the iPad exclusively, like this guy who is using it wholly for a month.

A lot of people consider it more of a consumption device rather than for production.

Which is true in a sense unless more production Apps become available, imagine having a full-feature Lightroom on the iPad.

I do almost everything on the iPad these days, emails, read blogs, books, videos, etc.

The only times I use my laptop is to edit pictures or write longer blog posts.

You know I didn’t know that Apple really had a ‘Genius Bar’?

I’d like to work in a place where my job title includes ‘genius’ even if I’m not necessarily a genius.

That way I can tell people at dinner parties that I’m a ‘genius.’

Everyone at the Apple store looks so happy, maybe it’s something in the hardware.

Did I mention how amazing the battery life is?

I can go two to three days of constant use before I get a low battery warning.

The battery life alone could count as magical and revolutionary.

I think it was Leo Laporte who said (during the iPad’s launch) that the real test of the iPad would be whether we’re still using it a month later, or reverted back to our netbooks or whatever device it’s meant to replace.

Two weeks on I’m still actively using my iPad, and I’m reaching for it more than I thought I would.

Oddly enough, I never intended to get the iPad…

I’m not fan of Apple by any means, I don’t have an iPhone, and I’ve never owned an iPod.

I toyed with an iBook G1 (remember those?) during the turn of the century and passed it on to Paul, who is a real fanboy.

Yet, I got the iPad on the day it came out.

I blame it on unusual circumstances – happenstance perhaps. It was an unusual day.

I’d spent the day traversing the city; I had breakfast in Soho, spent an unreasonably long time trying on clothes at Topshop and Madewell.

My sister and I joined the masses at Union Square Park, went to Macy’s to see the Flower Show and MoMA to explore.

We were on our way to Central Park when we came upon the Apple Store.

It was chaotic, people, news crews with vans, tall antennas and equipment everywhere!

I think we just wanted to stand still for a moment, because my sister agreed when I jokingly suggested we stand in line.

The line moved quickly, and the respite was nice.

Soon we found ourselves descending the glass spiral stairs into the store, inside was depressingly crowded.

I was peering over about a dozen people to try and catch a glimpse of the iPad.

My sister wanted to leave immediately, she said it was madness.

“This place is utterly nuts!” she said in her faux British accent mimicking my aunt Y.

I laughed and insisted that we at least touch it before we leave.

We stand around for a while, we’re almost about to give up and leave…

I make eye contact, smile and make a sad face at one of the blue-shirted employees; he smiles and makes a sad face back.

Moments later, he comes by and guides us towards a device that’s just sitting there, alone… crowd-free. “Enjoy!” he says.

Now, there’s something about the iPad that makes you really want one once you start playing with it.

It’s sleek, beautiful, feature packed yet so uncomplicated.

A few minutes browsing the web, iBooks, Apps, pictures, turning it at all sorts of angles;

I saw potential, beautiful potential – it was a different kind of computer and I wanted it!

I looked at my sister half-ashamed and I said forlornly, “I want one!”

She looked like she was about to cry, “Me too!”

My mind began racing… should I, can I? There’s minor panic, this isn’t budgeted!

I think about my ‘splurge fund’ – I was going to get a classic Burberry trench in Bicester on my next vacation to the UK.

I could skip a few meals, cut back on whatever…

“Yes, yes…” my sister chimes in “you could starve, and then you’d be known as the ‘skinny black girl with the iPad!”

I’m determined; I walk up to one of the blue-shirted employees and tell them I want one of those ‘magical revolutionary’ machines.

He walks me to the counter and we grab two 32GB iPads, it was a fast and satisfying transaction.

The first blue-shirted employee finds us, and we high five each other.

The End… for now

In my next iPad post I’ll discuss using the iPad in Canada or any place where it hasn’t officially launched, my thoughts on the lack of Flash, multitasking (for now), and a camera, Wifi vs 3G, blogging on the iPad and the curse of the early adopter.

I’ll also answer this pertinent question… has it replaced my netbook?

For months now, I’ve been looking for the perfect bag for my ‘gear’.

I was looking for an alternative to the typical camera bag, a stylish alternative, if you would.

I find that the typical camera bag is either bulky, ugly or screams “rob me; I have thousands of dollars worth of equipment in here”. Most of these camera bags are geared towards professional photographers, and most of the ones for consumer use are a weird triangular shape or looks like a bucket.

I’m going on vacation on Saturday and I’m bringing with me; my camera (with lens attached) and two other smaller lenses.

I don’t want to carry two bags; I want a bag/case that fits inside my (large) hand bag.

Like I said, I spent months looking for the perfect bag. It became a bit of an obsession, I looked and looked desperately. I’d sneak away in the afternoons browsing shops. I looked in seedy places. I couldn’t tell anyone because even I knew I was being ridiculous.

I googled “alternative to camera bags” and ‘met’ thousands of people like me. Most of the alternatives suggested were messenger bags.

I learnt about luxury camera bags like the Bellingham and the Brady Bags.

I considered getting a cosmetic bag, I actually got a cosmetic bag, I hated it but my camera and lenses fit.

About a week ago I went to camera shop at Aberdeen Centre and saw the Lowepro Terraclime 100.

It wasn’t love at first sight; it’s still a messenger bag – what had me looking was the padded wrap it comes with.

It’s also eco-conscious, made of recycled PET bottles, a portion of sales of each bag goes to Polar Bear International.

It’s spacious enough for my camera, an extra 50mm lens and my wallet.

I don’t mind carrying my stuff in it if I’m going somewhere specifically to take pictures. It comes in green, black and plum, I chose green.

I like it so far after several days of light use; I guess we’ll see how it performs on vacation. I’ve used the wrap more often than the actual bag.

He knew he was going to get one even back when it was just a rumour, he was over the moon the day it was officially announced.

He didn’t mind that his current phone was just under a year old.

That’s the kind of fanboy he is – recently when I was excited about my new 50mm camera lens, he looked on with mild interest and said wryly “Yeah well, I guess I could be that excited too… if you slapped an Apple logo on it ”

He claims Apple changed his life, there’s a long story (I’ll spare you the details) about his final year in high school in a small farming town in northern California.

He ordered it the minute it became available.

The wait seemed the longest; he checked the mailbox daily, which soon became an obsession after a week.

He called several times, left notes for the mail man and generally sulked. It eventually arrived and we were all grateful.

It arrived unceremoniously one day, a small black box in a large brown one – carrying hopes of ease and efficiency.

He opened it,

It looked exactly the same as the one he had before,

but to him, this was so much more – this is going to make his life so much easier than the last one.

Makes and receives all right out of the box.

Paired it with his Bang & Olufsen EarSet 2

Then it was time to transfer all data from the old phone to the new shiny one.

Dude has over a million songs and apps so it took a while.

Good thing it has 32gb of space.

While waiting for the files to transfer, I deliberated slapping the logo (over the Rogers logo) on my phone – but decided I don’t hate the Rogers logo that much!

And this is his “I’m quite pleased with myself” pose.

All set up and ready to go! And that was the last we saw of him.

If you see him, he’s not hard to miss; he’s the guy with his face buried in his iphone – tell him his family said hello.