Tablet purchasing timeline

It's clear that tablets are here to stay, and will be my primary consumer computing technology for some time to come.  Therefore, it's never too early to start a tablet purchasing timeline.

4/2010 - iPad (16g)
4/2012 - iPad 3 (16g) and refurbished iPad2 (for the family)
11/2012 - iPad Mini (16g with cellular)
??? - iPad Mini retina (128g with cellular)

Will the iPhone 5 be my last smartphone purchase?

My last computer purchase was in 2007, and back in 2010, I confidently predicted that I would not buy another computer for a long time, if ever.  In fact, I knew computers as a consumer device were out in 2008, after the purchase of my first iPhone (3g).  How did I know this?  Well, the details are summarized here*.

Well, today in 2012, I am confidently predicting the iPhone 5 will be my last smartphone purchase ever.  Just as the smartphone made the consumer PC obsolete circa 2008-2009, tablets will make smartphones obsolete very soon.  This process has just begun, but the carnage to the existing incumbents will be just as dramatic as it was to the PC companies over the last 2-3 years.

So what's so great about a tablet?  Well, I just recently purchased an iPad mini with a 1GB data plan from Verizon ($20/month), and I find this tablet to be actually "mobile."  By mobile, I mean the device leaves the house on shopping trips, walks, when running errands, etc., unlike the iPad 3 which was relegated to a home device only.  The mini is providing direct competition to my iPhone 5 in terms of usage, and with the larger screen, computing tasks are just easier on that device.  However, even more impressive is that the cost of the data plan is so much less than a smartphone contract($20 vs $85), that I canceled cell service for my iPhone 5 and paid the early termination fee.  I'll recoup the ETF in 6 months ($65 * 6 = $390) through the monthly savings.  Yet, iMessage, FaceTime, Skype, and Google Voice (through Talkatone), will allow the same functionality that Sprint, AT&T, and Verizon was provides.  So in summary, the 7 inch tablet factor with a data plan provides a better mobile user experience at a lower cost compared to a smartphone.

Except the 7 inch tablet isn't quite there yet.  Despite the revolutionary new form factor, the screen resolution is too low, and processing power is not as powerful as an iPhone 5, and the camera is worse.  Most won't accept those tradeoffs yet, but Moore's law will insure that this difference will become negligible over time.

* I actually think a home computer purchase is inevitable, but it could be a long time from now.

Cell phone timeline updated

Below is my updated cell phone purchasing timeline, after my recent iPhone 5 purchase. However, I can confidently say, this will be my last cell phone purchase.  Why do I say that?  That is a topic for another blog post.

• Samsung SCH-1000 - 1997
• Neopoint 1000 - 1999
• Sanyo SCP-5000 - 2000
• Treo 300 - 2002
• Treo 600 - 2003
• Treo 650 - 2006
• iPhone 3g - 2008
• iPhone 4 - 2010
• iPhone 5 - 2012

Current computing inventory

Below is my current computing inventory at home, including smartphones and tablets.

• MacBook Pro 15 inch (circa early 2007)
• MacBook Pro 15 inch (middle 2009) 
• MacBook Pro 15 inch (late 2011) 
• MacBook Pro 13 inch (early 2011) 
• Lenovo T610 (2009?) 
• Dell Latitude D400 (2007?) 
• iPhone3g 
• iPhone4 (16 gig) 
• iPhone4 (32 gig)
• iPad2 
• The new iPad (2012)

I have excluded the Apple TV, Tivo, and the Wii as computing devices.

For a 4 person household (2 adults/2 kids) - this is excessive. However, not all of the computers belong to me. Some are old computers give to me from previous employers, while others computers that have been given by my or my wife's current employer. Still, this inventory needs to be consolidated as the above list is excessive.

Cutting the wireless cord

During the fall of 1997, I signed up for cell phone service with Sprint PCS. I continued service with Sprint until the iPhone 3g was released, in the summer of 2008, at which point I promptly switched over to the dark side (AT&T). I have stayed a subscriber to AT&T largely due to Apple's exclusivity, but 6 weeks ago (June 30, 2012), I canceled my cell phone service with AT&T, and ended my run as a consumer of cellular service at 15 years. The experience so far has been surprising, as the lack of cell phone service has not hindered my life as much as I though it would. To be clear, I have kept my iPhone4 with me as a wifi connected device, which is always connected at home, at work, and at various free wifi hot spots that exist in a surprising number of locations. Additionally, the talkatone app along with google voice and google talk allow me to make and receive calls when in wifi range, though generally using iMessage and FaceTime is preferable if the other user has iOS. So while, I've cut the (wireless) cord, most of the services that were provided by AT&T (voice minutes, SMS, data) are still being provided. So far, life without AT&T has been great. When do I miss it? There are 2 scenarios, where AT&T's services have been missed. Scenario 1: You need to pick someone up. Once you arrive, how do you tell that person that you've arrived? This happened to me only once in the last 6 weeks. Luckily I found a free wifi hotspot at the workplace of the person I was picking up, so I fired off an iMessage, and life was normal. Scenario 2: Killing time when you are participating in an activity that is boring. This can happen often during such activities as shopping, riding in a train, etc. Again free wifi spots can often come to the rescue, but when those aren't available, I simply borrow my wife's iPhone. Other than those scenarios, I do not miss cell service at all. This might change if the Sprint, Verizon, or AT&T decide to innovate, or price their plans more cheaply, but until then, I'll be without cell service.