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Professional Photography
The newest iPads come equipped with a decent 8-megapixel iSight digital camera. This can actually take acceptable photographs. The camera software bundled with iOS 8 provides features that enable great photography. Professional photographers, however, still use a DSLR camera. Phil Schiller, Apple’s SVP of Marketing, uses a Canon digital camera, and he isn’t even a professional photographer.
Apple does tend to oversell the camera capabilities. At their keynotes, they will try to convince customers that professionals use the cameras on Apple devices. They put the spotlight on a National Geographic photographer who used an iSight camera to capture an amazing photo. I can believe that, but it is like saying a MacBook is as powerful as a massive server because a system engineer uses a MacBook at home.
Professional photographers are still using dedicated, high-end cameras. As Apple execs mention at the keynote — sometimes the best camera is the one you have with you. Yes, and a professional photographer will have a better camera on hand. Even paparazzi use dedicated DSLR cameras. The iPad camera is just fine for taking photos of your cats.
Restore Bricked iPad
While this has never happened to me, some Apple customers are the unfortunate owners of bricked devices. This means that the device doesn’t turn on at all. It is, essentially, as useful as a brick. Typically, there is no permanent damage to the device. Something in the operating system or file system has corrupted and it can no longer operate.
With virtually any computer, one can typically insert an emergency start-up disk or thumb drive to bring the computer back to working order. I have a Linux netbook that has a full backup of the base operating system built-in to the device. I can restore it simply by booting it up in recovery mode. This cannot be done with an iPad. Anyone with a bricked device will need to connect it to a computer and use iTunes to get the device working again. If you don’t own a Mac or PC, the Apple store can probably fix it. Of course, they will use a Mac to do this. The point is — you cannot fix a bricked iPad without using a computer.
Can’t Use Multiple Monitors
Professional computer users often require multiple monitors to get the job done. Recording engineers often like to have the tracks displayed on one monitor, with the virtual mixer displayed on another. Software developers will often display code in one monitor while using another display for source control or defect tracking. Multiple monitors are used by professional video editors. Even a lot of gamers also use multiple displays. I have seen gamers playing Battlefield 4 on three monitors. This cannot be accomplished on the iPad.
At best, an iPad can mirror its screen using AirPlay or a HDMI cable. AirPlay Dual Screen mode allows the iPad to show a different screen than the television or monitor. This is close, but it lacks the flexibility of true multiple display technology. Few developers have embraced AirPlay’s Dual Screen mode. Unfortunately, it is not something a user can configure. On a Mac or Windows PC, multiple screen setups are easily accomplished. (continue…)