Van's RVers -- the New AppleHeads?

Jay Honeck said:
IMHO, the immense cost of the Apple products attracts a certain type of person. It's the same phenomenon we see in the hotel biz -- those who pay more are actually LESS likely to complain.
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Well the problem with that analyses, is no single demographic buys Apple products. Everyone buys Apple products. The entry price to own an iPod, is $49. They are the biggest company in the world, because they appeal to everyone, and every demographic buys there products.

The most shocking part about them being the biggest company in the world, is they make absolutely nothing that anyone needs. They make toys.

This false image that Apple product owners are some elitest group of image seeking tools, is just so outdated, and woefully inaccurate. For example, I am a Microsoft .NET Software Engineer, who is currently wearing shorts I bought 9 years ago, and a shirt that's about as old as me.

Image is something I have never been accused of. I buy whatever product is the best in it's class (if I can afford it). In the technology space Apple plays in (excluding the Apple TV), they are the best.

When someone comes along better, I will purchase there products, and never give Apple a second thought.

I am still waiting.
 
I think Jay is a little out of touch what it costs to build a slate computer. The subsidized (lead loss) price of the competitor's product isn't covering costs, by the numbers I've read. Everyone is using slave labor in China, that's a given.

But how much did it cost for simple items like drywall and bath tile to renovate a room at the hotel, Jay? Was it more than the subsidized slate computer in your hand?

I buy Apple products and use them for years and years. The iPad 1 is Karen's now, and was upgraded just for Foreflight slowness. The original Black MacBook (true original) is the garage computer for looking up things, and the newer MacBook Pro wasn't purchased until the previous machine wouldn't load a modern OS. I put my own SSD/Hybrid drive upgrade in it and a tray to hold the original in the optical bay. And RAM. Anyone who pays Apple prices for RAM is a fool.

My original iPod Color is still in daily use in the Yukon, plugged into the add-on GMC iPod adapter that stuffs it into the second XM channel.

About the biggest "splurge" was an AppleTV when we cut off Dish. It works so well for $99 we've talked about putting a second one upstairs, but don't really need it.

The only machine not in daily use anymore is the graphite original iMac sitting upstairs. It still runs, and I have put Linux on it before, but it's too slow to be useful at this point and the internal monitor fly back transformer is dying. It's well over a decade old, so who cares? It's about time to recycle it.

Maybe one could call the phones a splurge but they're just phones. We started with iPhones long before anything else even usable worked, so the investment in Apps and whatnot just meant we stayed on the platform when switching carriers due to coverage problems with AT&T. Didn't even own until iPhone 3.

Don't know where Jay gets this impression Apple folks aren't frugal. The stuff costs roughly 20% more than junk that doesn't last as long. That doesn't bother me at all.

I get a kick out of Android announcing that it's "almost there" every year. They just might have caught up after almost a decade. In the meantime Imwas doing stuff. Haha.
 
denverpilot said:
Maybe one could call the phones a splurge but they're just phones.
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I started with an iPhone 3 when it came out back in 2008. I bought the top of the line, and paid $399 for it on contract.

Along the way, I have upgraded to every new top of the line iPhone that has come out (3G, 4, 4S).

For each of those, I resigned my contract, paid $399, and then sold my old phone for $50 more then the cost to buy a new one on contract.

This has lead to a total investment of about $250 to own the lastest iPhone out for the last 4 years.

When the next one comes out in a few months, I will sell mine for at least $500 (under the going rate right now in eBay), and spend the $400 it cost to upgrade (and lower the initial cost down to $150.

I buy the latest iPhones, because I am too cheap not to.
 
The big question, Jay, is whether you know how to fly an overhead break?
 
flyingron said:
The big question, Jay, is whether you know how to fly an overhead break?
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Why, yes. Yes, I do. :D

Apple products are just 20% overpriced? Wait, what? 20%?

My current laptop -- an Acer -- cost $300, used. It's still going strong a year after buying it. Meanwhile, a top of the line Apple laptop costs $2790, new.

$2790!

Both do the internet, photos, video, email, and Pilots of America equally well. One looks pretty, and says "MacBook Pro". The other says "Acer", and has a few dings. Now, if that's not an IQ test, I don't know what is. :rolleyes:

Of course, there were a few guys willing to pay over $700,000.00 for a Beech Bonanza last year, too. :lol:
 
Jay Honeck said:
Why, yes. Yes, I do. :D

Apple products are just 20% overpriced? Wait, what? 20%?

My current laptop -- an Acer -- cost $300, used. It's still going strong a year after buying it. Meanwhile, a top of the line Apple laptop costs $2790, new.

$2790!

Both do the internet, photos, video, email, and Pilots of America equally well. One looks pretty, and says "MacBook Pro". The other says "Acer", and has a few dings. Now, if that's not an IQ test, I don't know what is. :rolleyes:

Of course, there were a few guys willing to pay over $700,000.00 for a Beech Bonanza last year, too. :lol:

Note: This post was written by a guy who thinks Cherokee 235's are the greatest airplane ever built.
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FTFY:rofl:
 
Jay Honeck said:
Why, yes. Yes, I do. :D

Apple products are just 20% overpriced? Wait, what? 20%?

My current laptop -- an Acer -- cost $300, used. It's still going strong a year after buying it. Meanwhile, a top of the line Apple laptop costs $2790, new.

$2790!

Both do the internet, photos, video, email, and Pilots of America equally well. One looks pretty, and says "MacBook Pro". The other says "Acer", and has a few dings. Now, if that's not an IQ test, I don't know what is. :rolleyes:

Of course, there were a few guys willing to pay over $700,000.00 for a Beech Bonanza last year, too. :lol:
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If that's all you do with a computer, I agree. You could have bought a Netbook for those wimpy uses. That's just background noise on monitor 2 here, most days.

Multiple VMs, audio and video production, backing up whole servers to the laptop during triage, etc.
 
Jay Honeck said:
My current laptop -- an Acer -- cost $300, used. It's still going strong a year after buying it. Meanwhile, a top of the line Apple laptop costs $2790, new.
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Wow... I don't even know how to debate with that...

How about this:

I paid $7,000 for my used Honda, and it gets me everywhere I need to go. A new Peterbilt rig costs $150,000 new.

That's so over priced!

If you bought a $2,700 Apple laptop to browse the web and send email, your the problem, not the piece of equipment you shouldn't have bought.

If that's not clear to you, I don't know where to go from here.
 
Mafoo said:
Wow... I don't even know how to debate with that...

How about this:

I paid $7,000 for my used Honda, and it gets me everywhere I need to go. A new Peterbilt rig costs $150,000 new.

That's so over priced!

If you bought a $2,700 Apple laptop to browse the web and send email, your the problem, not the piece of equipment you shouldn't have bought.

If that's not clear to you, I don't know where to go from here.
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Of course it's clear. The MacBook is a far more capable machine. If I was doing anything more than running a business on it, or email, or Facebook, or PofA, or photography, or basic videography, or my family tree, or...wait.

I was going to say if I was doing anything more than what I'm doing, I might consider a Mac. After I add up everything I do on my $300 laptop, I'm reconsidering even that caveat. There really is nothing I want on the Mac that isn't on this little laptop.

Bottom line: The MacBook simply isn't worth NINE TIMES what my very capable machine cost. THAT is the point. Apple makes gorgeous products with features that I don't need at a price point that weeds out the riff raff. In that regard it's rather like staying at a Hyatt -- it's cool to be seen in the lobby, but once you're in the room it's just another motel.
 
denverpilot said:
If that's all you do with a computer, I agree. You could have bought a Netbook for those wimpy uses. That's just background noise on monitor 2 here, most days.

Multiple VMs, audio and video production, backing up whole servers to the laptop during triage, etc.
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With your needs, a MacBook Pro makes sense. With the majority of users, however, spending $2700 on a laptop is just silly.

And you're talking to a guy who spent $3800 for a Compaq 386SX in 1989 -- and actually managed to network it with ANOTHER 386, successfully, to run my first business.

I think my watch has more computing power than that thing did. :lol:
 
Jay Honeck said:
Of course it's clear. The MacBook is a far more capable machine. If I was doing anything more than running a business on it, or email, or Facebook, or PofA, or photography, or basic videography, or my family tree, or...wait.

I was going to say if I was doing anything more than what I'm doing, I might consider a Mac. After I add up everything I do on my $300 laptop, I'm reconsidering even that caveat. There really is nothing I want on the Mac that isn't on this little laptop.

Bottom line: The MacBook simply isn't worth NINE TIMES what my very capable machine cost. THAT is the point. Apple makes gorgeous products with features that I don't need at a price point that weeds out the riff raff. In that regard it's rather like staying at a Hyatt -- it's cool to be seen in the lobby, but once you're in the room it's just another motel.
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Your still missing the point.

You have a specific user profile. For your profile, Apple doesn't make a suitable product. You are a light computer user.

That has absolutely nothing to do with the price performance of Apples products for the user that do fit there profile.

I run 4 operating systems on my 27" iMac i7 desktop. OSX as the base, and windows 7, 8, and Vista in virtual machines. I use all of the 16 gig or ram I have in this rig.

I also run quite a bit of software in those operating systems. I use all this computer, and your $300 laptop could not remotely do what I need to do.

I travel a lot, and sadly, when I do, my work performance suffers because I can't take this computer with me. Every tip I go on (once a month or so), I probably lose $300 in work productivity a trip.

That's $3,600 a year in lost performance.

Here is the amazing part... That Apple laptop, in every way, is far more powerful then this desktop.

Myself, and the tens of thousands of workers like me in the world, are the users who benefit from that computer. They built that machine for me, not you, and they don't expect you to buy it.

That however, doesn't make it overpriced. Just wrong for your needs.
 
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Mafoo said:
Your still missing the point.

You have a specific user profile. For your profile, Apple doesn't make a suitable product. You are a light computer user.

That has absolutely nothing to do with the price performance of Apples products for the user that do fit there profile.

I run 4 operating systems on my 27" iMac i7 desktop. OSX as the base, and windows 7, 8, and Vista in virtual machines. I use all of the 16 gig or ram I have in this rig.

I also run quite a bit of software in those operating systems. I use all this computer, and your $300 laptop could not remotely do what I need to do.

I travel a lot, and sadly, when I do, my work performance suffers because I can't take this computer with me. Every tip I go on (once a month or so), I probably lose $300 in work productivity a trip.

That's $3,600 a year in lost performance.

Here is the amazing part... That Apple laptop, in every way, is far more powerful then this desktop.

Myself, and the tens of thousands of workers like me in the world, are the users who benefit from that computer. They built that machine for me, not you, and they don't expect you to buy it.

That however, doesn't make it overpriced. Just wrong for your needs.
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All true, and I concede your points.

I submit, however, that most MacBook Pro owners do not fit the profile you have outlined. More likely, they are the college professor who grades papers on it, or the corporate executive who views quarterly reports.

In this regard, it's just another status symbol. Nothing wrong with that -- it's a beautiful machine -- but it's closer to the Range Rovers being driven by the 60 year old women than it is to the Swiss Army knife being used to cut your way out of the wreck.
 
Jay Honeck said:
All true, and I concede your points.

I submit, however, that most MacBook Pro owners do not fit the profile you have outlined. More likely, they are the college professor who grades papers on it, or the corporate executive who views quarterly reports.

In this regard, it's just another status symbol. Nothing wrong with that -- it's a beautiful machine -- but it's closer to the Range Rovers being driven by the 60 year old women than it is to the Swiss Army knife being used to cut your way out of the wreck.
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I am sure there is a large percentage of users who buy more computer then they need, because they want it.

I would say 95% of all people who own SUV's or Pickup trucks fit this category. You could just buy a small efficient car, and then rent a truck or SUV for the few times a year you need it.

However aside from that one laptop, Mac Book Pro's are not that expensive. They are just expensive to get into.

Apple's pricing model has stayed the same for years. They never really change the price of the computer. They just update it. A 15" Mac Book Pro starts at $1,800. An equally speced HP is $1,200.

A 2 year old HP today, sells for around $400. That's a cost of ownership of around $800.

A two year old 15" Mac Book Pro will sell for over a thousand, but even if you sold it at $1000, the cost of ownership in the end is the same. Around $800.

If you plan to use it until it dies, then you are probably better off with the HP.

But I just really want to focus on what you said right here:

I submit, however, that most MacBook Pro owners do not fit the profile you have outlined. More likely, they are the college professor who grades papers on it, or the corporate executive who views quarterly reports.

I agree there are probably some douchebags who buy an Apple computer, and think it means something about who they are, but they are very much the minority. In the last quarter of 2011, they sold 5.2 million units, and more then any other single manufacturer. That would be a lot of corporate execs and professors.

It's like saying:

I submit, however, that most likely all GA pilots are doctors who get there PPL so they can feel superior to everyone else.

I am sure 1 or 2 percent of PPL owners fit that widely made fun of stereotype, but you and I know it's not true.
 
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Jay Honeck said:
I submit, however, that most MacBook Pro owners do not fit the profile you have outlined. More likely, they are the college professor who grades papers on it, or the corporate executive who views quarterly reports.
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Most car drivers don't need anything other than a Geo Metro either. What's your point? That people tend to spend money they earned on things they want?

LOL!

Just take a look at the mortgage market (it's not a housing market... let's be honest) if you want to see stupid money spent on things people don't "need".

An Apple laptop here and there is nothing compared to 30 years of mortgage interest. Not even in the same ballpark, numbers-wise.
 
Most car drivers don't need anything other than a Geo Metro either. What's your point? That people tend to spend money they earned on things they want?
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Wait. First the Apple is the greatest computer, ever. Then, when I submit that the price and features are well beyond the requirements and needs of most users who buy them, you switch to the "people buy 'em cuz they want 'em" argument. :dunno:

I have nothing against Apple -- hell, I'm glad they're American -- but arguing that they are a good "value", or a "better" computer is just silly. They are nice pieces of equipment, perfect for people who don't want to tinker, but they're not nine times better -- and that's the price differential between my ol' laptop and a MacBook Pro.

Of course, we're far afield from the original topic -- which is RVers. The parallels aren't perfect, but the absolute loyalty to the brand is certainly the same. I like that in an airplane, but it makes ascertaining the varying qualities of the different models difficult when all you hear is "They're great."
 
Jay Honeck said:
but they're not nine times better -- and that's the price differential between my ol' laptop and a MacBook Pro.
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You picked the most expensive Mac Book Pro. And for what it is, there is not a laptop in the world as fast as it. Not one. So for the person that NEEDS it, it's worth far more then the sum of it's parts.

If you NEED the fastest laptop in the world, it's worth 50 times as much as yours, because 50 of your laptops won't get the job done.

I used to do blast analysis in the field, where we would put in all the variables for a given day, the ordinance we were going to use, and calculate the expected results. This took hours, and sometimes by the time I was done, the variables had changed. The only times we could go, is when the weather was about the same when we were ready, as when we started.

We would sometimes go days before we could do what we needed to do. Each day cost tens of thousands of dollars.

If I had a $50,000 laptop that could do what I needed in half the time of what I had, it would have saved us many many thousands of dollars. I had the fastest laptop made at the time (not an Apple), so I was stuck with what I had. You could have given me a million dollars worth of $300 laptops, and it would have bought me nothing.

Speed matters, and is worth a lot to the very few that need it.

For the people who should by a Mac Book Pro, the cost if your laptop is irrelevant, because it's useless for there given tasks.
 
By the way, you can go to Dell and spec out a $5,500 laptop, if you're interested.

It's not like the Mac Book pro is the only expensive laptop out there.
 
Another example:

When I worked for the Air Force Test and Evaluation Center, we always had the same guy come out and film our tests. At the end of the last day, we would usually end, take a 30 minute break, have a 1 hour briefing, and end with a professionally made video on DVD to watch, that had footage from as soon as an hour and a half ago. This video would be watched, and then handed to whomever was paying us millions of dollars for the test, to take back with them.

The reason this guy was paid many thousands of dollars per deployment, is it allowed our commander to look like a rock star to his customer (some Senator or General). The faster his laptop is at making video, the better the end product is, and the more impressed the commander was.

How much do you think that Mac Book pro is worth to him? Should he just get a $300 one?
 
Mafoo, you're making a really great argument....unfortunately it's in Jay's favor.
 
A used low-spec laptop simply can't compete against the top of the line MacBook Pro any more.

Jay, spec out an identical machine from another major manufacturer and see if my original 20% holds true.

Probably better. Especially after installing legally licensed software.
 
Jay Honeck said:
All true, and I concede your points.

I submit, however, that most MacBook Pro owners do not fit the profile you have outlined. More likely, they are the college professor who grades papers on it, or the corporate executive who views quarterly reports.

In this regard, it's just another status symbol. Nothing wrong with that -- it's a beautiful machine -- but it's closer to the Range Rovers being driven by the 60 year old women than it is to the Swiss Army knife being used to cut your way out of the wreck.
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And what about that 60 yr old man driving the corvette (or any other high performance sports car)?
 
Wait a minute - I thought this thread was about Mary's height?
 
Jay Honeck said:
Wait. First the Apple is the greatest computer, ever. Then, when I submit that the price and features are well beyond the requirements and needs of most users who buy them, you switch to the "people buy 'em cuz they want 'em" argument. :dunno:

I have nothing against Apple -- hell, I'm glad they're American -- but arguing that they are a good "value", or a "better" computer is just silly. They are nice pieces of equipment, perfect for people who don't want to tinker, but they're not nine times better -- and that's the price differential between my ol' laptop and a MacBook Pro.

Of course, we're far afield from the original topic -- which is RVers. The parallels aren't perfect, but the absolute loyalty to the brand is certainly the same. I like that in an airplane, but it makes ascertaining the varying qualities of the different models difficult when all you hear is "They're great."
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So what you’re saying is Apple makes a great product and has built strong brand loyalty amongst its users..... Just as in the GA world, Vans has been able to do the same.... You are absolutely correct. Also, you should know that both Apple and Vans are superior to their competitors. Think bang for buck. Your example of other manufacturers finally putting out a product that competes with apple is typical in a competitive market. It is very hard to stay #1, someone is always gunning for you!!!!
 
denverpilot said:
A used low-spec laptop simply can't compete against the top of the line MacBook Pro any more.

Jay, spec out an identical machine from another major manufacturer and see if my original 20% holds true.

Probably better. Especially after installing legally licensed software.
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Don't forget the value of running OS X vs windows.

A crappy tool that has a low initial purchase price is still a crappy tool.
 
Bob Noel said:
Don't forget the value of running OS X vs windows.

A crappy tool that has a low initial purchase price is still a crappy tool.
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Yea, I bought my first Mac in 2007 (17" Mac Book Pro). I sold that in 2010, and got this iMac.

I used the utility that came with the computer, and migrated over. I have gone from Tiger -> Leopard -> Snow leopard -> Lion -> Mountain Lion, all with one click upgrades.

I have yet to reinstall the OS.

P.S. Not that it matters from day to day use, but I like that my phone and computer, run the OS that was the influential start to the World Wide Web.

If you don't know the history of the web, NeXT, and OSX, it's worth reading.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NeXT
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_OS_X
 
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A joke came in e-mail this morning that seemed appropriate...

"I was visiting my daughter-in-law and son last night
when I asked if I could borrow a newspaper.

'This is the 21st century, old man,' he said.
'We don't waste money on newspapers.
Here, you can borrow my iPad.'
I can tell you, that bloody fly never knew what hit it..........."
 
Jay Honeck said:
I submit, however, that most MacBook Pro owners do not fit the profile you have outlined. More likely, they are the college professor who grades papers on it, or the corporate executive who views quarterly reports.

In this regard, it's just another status symbol. Nothing wrong with that -- it's a beautiful machine -- but it's closer to the Range Rovers being driven by the 60 year old women than it is to the Swiss Army knife being used to cut your way out of the wreck.
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Jay,

I use a Mac because it helps me work faster, and because I can spend less time being a computer administrator and more time being a user and getting work done.

When I owned a computer consulting business, I used to get this all the time: "But... But... You're a computer guy! You use a MAC?!?" And I'd tell them that the last thing I wanted to do after reinstalling Windows all day at clients was to have to go home and do it for myself. Our average time between calls for our Windows clients was three weeks, average time between calls for our Mac clients was six months. Anything the Windows clients saved on initial purchase prices of their machines was more than made up for by the money they paid us to keep them running.

I have to use Windows for work. My primary software for work is a specialty product that only runs on Windows. I can't believe the things I have to put up with when using Windows sometimes.

I think for most users, it's not a status symbol, it's just the tool that gets the job done with the least amount of hassle. There are certainly those that get a Mac, iPad, or iPhone as a status symbol just like there are those who buy an airplane as a status symbol, but they're the exception rather than the rule in both cases.

I think what RVers and "AppleHeads" have in common is that they've found a product that they truly love. I think the reason both can come across the way they (uh, we) do is that for many of the aspects that we love about our respective machines, there is no easy way to explain why they're so nice - You just have to experience it for a while yourself. I don't know a heck of a lot about RV's, but I do know that the one flight I took with Chris in the 7A gave me a glimpse of why RVers love their airplanes - Fast, efficient, and FUN due to the well-harmonized, sporty control feel. Add on that you can build one exactly the way you want, and it's no wonder people are gaga over their RV's.

If you get your own RV, chances are you will turn into an "RV fanboy". If that keeps you from buying a product that so many people LOVE, consider that you may simply be pushing yourself towards an inferior product for fear that you'll love the other one that much yourself. Wouldn't you rather end up with the better airplane?
 
flyingcheesehead said:
I think what RVers and "AppleHeads" have in common is that they've found a product that they truly love.
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While you are correct, there is also the matter of the amount of personal investment put into the product. For Apple, that's generally money (whether it be the machine or the apps or both). For the RV, part of it's money but most of it's sweat equity.

If you just built something (or paid a lot of money for something) you're not exactly going to go trash-talk it. Status may be part of it, but the personal pride of accomplishment is important, too. That's intertwined with "true love".
 
So... Having invested in reading this entire thread, I come to this possibly flawed conclusion:

The RV crowd (at OSH) love their RV's so much that if you expect them to try to accommodate a potential new member of their society, they don't necessarily think they have to be nice doing it. The CFI who did my last flight review has built a very nice RV, and admits he really doesn't like many of the other RV'ers attitude about certificated planes and the owners of same. When the Jehova's Witness people come to my door about three times a year, they are extremely friendly, even though I dissuade them from coming back in the most polite way I can imagine. They still keep coming though.

My wife's cousin is probably Apple Head Numero Uno (well except for Flying Cheesehead :wink2:). He paid $600 at midnight for the first iPhone in Athens, Ga. He works for the University of Georgia as a techno geek, and has now converted his whole department to Mac Book/ iPads. When he saw my Droid phone, I got a lecture on it's inferiority and how Apple products were the be all and end all.

If Jay's description is accurate, and I have no reason to doubt it, then I do see how he could draw a parallel in these two groups.

If you love something, and want others to experience what you love as well, then for God's sake bend over backward to help them do it. Don't be snobbish about it or take a superior attitude. Here at work we struggled along for years with cheap data acquisition gear until I finally got a project that bought us the best available. We have probably sold a few of those systems we praise it so much. But if somebody else doesn't like it, that's ok. No criticism on our part.
 
I have watched with amazement as this thread has progressed, and have truly enjoyed the evolution and diversity of the opinions expressed here.

I sit in further wonderment, as I am currently sitting at my hangar, posting from my Nexus 7 Android tablet -- now the fastest selling tablet in history. What makes this remarkable is that the N7 doesn't have 3G. I have therefore had to set up a wireless hotspot using my cell phone in order to connect to PofA.

This has been no mean feat. You see, I have an old unlimited data plan grandfathered under Verizon. This means that I could not simply activate Verizon's hot spot app for my phone, since to do so would change my data plan -- and force me off of "unlimited" data.

The work around has involved two free apps -- PDANet and Foxfi -- which have ultimately allowed me to stream my unlimited data to my Nexus 7 via Bluetooth, making it possible to use my Verizon unlimited data on my Nexus 7.

I tell you all this for one reason: Technology is amazing, and we live in wondrous times. Whether its Apple, Android, or Windows, I am thankful that, at age 53, with a 31 year old liberal arts education, I can figure this all out and make the internet sing from virtually anywhere!

And I still want an RV-8! :)

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk 2
 
Jay Honeck said:
now the fastest selling tablet in history.
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You know this to be false, as it was explained to you in the other thread, yet you post it again.

I gave you the benefit of the doubt the first time, now you're just lying.
 
Jay is cracking me up.

You know the rest of us have been tethering to our phones for data since the Blackberry days, right? ;)

Long before iPhone existed, and data usage caps. 1xRTT baby!

It has always been the only way for an on-call sysadmin to gain any freedom from some doofus who needs to print his GANTT chart that will be inaccurate for the entire lifespan of his project (so why print it?) on a Saturday. (He will print ten more copies of it before his big presentation in front of the Bobs on Monday. It could have waited. Instead I'm pulled over in a parking lot, restarting the print queue on some server via phone data connection at 14.4 modem speeds, back then.

Nowadays, I don't leave the house without the 4G iPad ("free" tethering for up to five devices) and the company-paid Sprint USB data card (have to have carrier diversity for dead spots). Hell, I had them in my tent at OSH. (VZ 4G was incredible in the North 40 this year, by the way. 20M download speed, consistently. VZ really stepped up.)

I experimented one week and tried to do my entire job with only my iPad. It's was darn near do-able. Not fun, but do-able. A Bluetooth keyboard helps. I can now leave the house with only the iPad and stand a reasonable chance of being able to fix anything remotely. Even Windows servers. Ticketing system, VPN access, SSH, RDP, VNC, you name it.

Tethering to the phone has been a requirement for anyone working in remote tech support for many years. :)

Seeing someone just trying it now is kinda like how you feel reading a first solo thread... proud of them, love reading the story again, etc. ;)
 
I remember being at a trade show some years ago and teathering my blackberry to the work computer to gain VPN access to work network. Some vp of our company sees me doing this and we strike up a combo about how I came about this and how long I've been doing this. Months later, the company get the entire sales force air cards. Fast forward six years and now we are adapting iPads into the sales force. I now leave the laptop at the home office when I travel and work exclusively off the iPad when I'm out and about. It's just amazing where we have come. It even reminds me of the old days when pagers were the must have. :-)
 
Sheesh, is this POA or the Apple Addicts Anonymous 12 step program?
 
denverpilot said:
Jay is cracking me up.

You know the rest of us have been tethering to our phones for data since the Blackberry days, right? ;)

Long before iPhone existed, and data usage caps. 1xRTT baby!
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Back in the days where T-Mo's unlimited international blackberry email service didn't segregate "data" from "email" (and hotel wifi was limited and/or VERY costly, and dial-up incurred expensive local-access charges by the click), tethering provided a very inexpensive way to get internet/laptop access in foreign locations without a g*d-awful data bill.
 
Jay Honeck said:
With your needs, a MacBook Pro makes sense. With the majority of users, however, spending $2700 on a laptop is just silly.

And you're talking to a guy who spent $3800 for a Compaq 386SX in 1989 -- and actually managed to network it with ANOTHER 386, successfully, to run my first business.

I think my watch has more computing power than that thing did. :lol:
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Sounds like you are not arguing that the Mac is not loads more capable than the Acer, only that the cost/benefit ratio does not work out *for you*. That doesn't mean it doesn't work out for others, and don't they get to decide this for themselves?

Sounds a lot like the "most people don't need SUVs" or "most people don't need a twin-engine airplane" arguments, which leads to an erroneous conclusion that the product is somehow unnecessary or overpriced. Can't individual consumers make that judgment for themselves, with their own money, instead of some busybody telling them what they "need" and how much they should be willing to pay for it?

I'm thinking that's how markets are *supposed* to work. Just a thought.

Full disclosure: I own both an iPad 3 ($699) and a Nexus 7 ($199), and I think they are both wonderful, and slightly different, devices. But I'm sure I'm wrong about that somehow too.
 
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