My technology configuration was, for many years, best characterized by bleeding edge. I was an early adopter with computers, cell phones and and PDAs. I’ve had several (no where near as many as some) digital cameras, and I have even had a few iPods even though I am less music-oriented than most. Because I was using computers in my workplace (even before they were formally provided my employer), I tended towards the more commercial Microsoft platforms from MS-DOS, into the full range of Windows operating systems. I, like most people, saw Apple as mostly for artists and educators. Needless to say, that changed with the advent of the GUI systems starting with Lisa and into MacIntosh and MacOS. By the time the original Apple mouse was a standard feature (morphing into the track pad), Apple was far less distant from the business platform I felt I needed to use. There was a point in time when Windows and Mac systems became more or less compatible while never being “completely compatible”. To this day, they still maintain distinct operating systems with different architectures and approaches, however, they have significantly improved cross-platform compatibility. A major shift in that direction occurred in 2006 when Apple switched from PowerPC to Intel processors, making it possible to run Windows natively on Mac hardware through Boot Camp. This was a watershed moment for compatibility. Another significant development was the rise of cross-platform technologies and cloud services. For most of us, cloud storage services like Dropbox and OneDrive enabled seamless file sharing and standard file formats (like .docx, .pdf), which became widely supported on both platforms.
But I, for one, snuck up around the PC by going to the iPhone and its ever-expanding array of functionality and applications. Gone (for me, anyway) were the digital cameras, the PDAs and the iPods. The iPhone did it all and then, when the iPad came out in 2010 it was game over. I had been testing various brands of tablets for a long time since there was something so very appealing about the tablet form-factor. What’s strange about that is that as the iPad has gradually replaced the laptop in my tech configuration (I still have a PC laptop, but hardly ever use it), it became less and less tablet-like and more and more laptop-like with the detachable and super-thin and convenient keyboards. Now my tech configuration consists of an iPad Pro (13-inch laptop-size), an iPhone-15 Pro Max and even an Apple Watch Series 9. The iPhone launched in 2007 and I was on it right away. The iPad launched in 2010 and I was on it right away. The Apple Watch launched in 2015 and I was also right on that, but a week later I gave it away and declared it useless only to come back to it eight years later after everyone else had been using one for a long time.
I never seem to worry too much about being behind the iPhone tech curve, but seem never to be more than two or three series behind the latest greatest. But once I switched from the regular sized iPad to the larger iPad Pro in 2015, I have found little reason to worry about the latest greatest. I have a Third Generation iPad with 1 Terabyte of data storage (I’ve only used 300 Gigabytes) and I use and recharge the unit multiple times each day. It has a few dings, but nothing seriously wrong with it. It has been a noble beast of burden for me day-in and day-out, though I have noticed that it doesn’t quite hold a charge as long as it used to. Then, I was somehow sent a promotion for a new iPad Pro (this time from some reward point plan that I inadvertently belong to). It caused me to wonder how old my IPad was. I looked it up and found that it is almost eight years old. That shocked me for several reasons. It used to be that a slow turnover of technology in the corporate world was four years and here this iPad was twice that age. It was also a testament that the device is still satisfying my needs very well (I am typing this on it right now). I ran a comparison test on the Apple website between their latest 11th generation iPad Pro and mine and found there were some differences (mostly in the processor and camera, and a bit in the screen sharpness quality). Things like storage and chart-holding seemed little changed, but they did feel the need to alter the magnets on the “magic” keyboard so that they were not interchangeable between units.
Apple also has a trad-in protocol that was able to give me a price for my unit based solely on its serial number and a few basic questions as to its functionality. I determined that I only needed 500 Gigabytes of storage (up to 2 Terabytes available). I don’t generally use Apple Care, so this whole package was pricing out at about $1,400 with my unit trade-in value at $265. When I explained all of this and my quandary about whether to buy anew or not to Kim, she mentioned that she needed to go back to using an iPad for her music because she was one of the few performers who did not use an iPad at this point. That set my course since there was no reason to buy Kim a new iPad and at $265 the best arrangement was to give her this one and buy the new one I was considering. One of the great beauties of the Apple platform these days is that literally everything on my iPad and iPhone (and for that matter, my Apple Watch) is in the Cloud and is instantaneously transferred onto my new machine with a few keystrokes. That is one of wonders of our modern world that cannot go unnoticed.
So, on Thursday evening, I bought the new iPad and the new matching keyboard online. The keyboard would arrive the next day (Friday) and the iPad, configured as ordered and even engraved with my name on the back, would be delivered today (Saturday). The keyboard arrived as ordained and then today, my friends at FedEx taped a notice to my front door that we were not home for the delivery (Apple required a signature for an iPad delivery…presumably due to its value). Of course, we were here, but apparently knocking on the door was not part of the Fed Ex delivery protocol. Try as I might, FedEx was unable or unwilling or both to get me the new iPad today or to have it available at their terminal for pick-up, which I was prepared to do. They said unequivocally that they would deliver it on Monday. That was wholly unsatisfying to me, but there was nothing to be done about it. Given my initial ambivalence about a new iPad altogether, I am unclear why I am so troubled by the delay. I guess I am guilty of the same need for immediate gratification that epitomizes my entire generation and those that follow mine. We are spoiled to thing we can buy bespoke products like a custom iPad and get it delivered in 48 hours.
I have now taken a deep breath and will spend tomorrow on other things than playing with my new iPad, but by Monday night I suspect I will be right back at it. Every upgrade has a downside to manage and I think I may have now overcome mine.