Thursday, January 28, 2010

Apple Coolness: The iPad


This article originally appeared on Jake's Rolex World Magazine


Apple Coolness: The iPad
A Revolutionary Step in Digital Publishing
This Changes Everything!!!!

Yesterday Apple officially showed off their revolutionary all-new tablet form-factor known as the iPad. Some people say it is a huge iPhone, and others say it is like a small laptop.

I think it is much, much, much more than just an oversized iPhone. I believe it will completely revolutionize digital publishing and if you are a fan of Jake's Rolex Watch Blog it will revolutionize the way you enjoy it.
The coolest part about the iPad form factor is that is only weighs 1.5 pounds and is a half-inch thin. It also has a 1024 x 768 screen with 132Pixels per inch on its IPS LED backlit LCD panel which means it will look great!!!

In my mind, Jake's Rolex Watch Blog is the only real online magazine on the web. I did not say I thought it was the only Rolex magazine online, I said it is the only actual online magazine. Most online magazines have tiny images you have to click on and reading a detailed story requires you to click through many, many pages.

Jake's Rolex Watch Blog is the only large format photo magazine I know of on the web. To me it is like combining the best of the old LIFE Magazine with National Geographic and People Magazine, all with huge colorful photos that tell the story well. Readers ask me all the time if I intend to do print books and the answer is NO!!!!!!!! You can't update books with new information and books don't allow you to listen to podcast interviews or watch high-resolution movies. Books are also expensive and terrible for the environment.

Don't get me wrong, I like books, I just personally prefer to view content digitally and that is what is so great about the iPad. You can sit in front of the fireplace on a cold winter evening and surf the web, or read about great Rolex history on Jake's Rolex Watch Blog.

Steve Jobs Showing Off The All-New iPad in San Francisco

So let's take a closer look at the all-new Apple iPad. It starts at just $499 for a 16GB version which is amazing!!! Depending on how you spec it, you will be able to spend up to $829 for one with 3G and 64GB of Storage. All iPad models come with 802.11n wi-fi which is fine for people who don't travel much, but if you commute or travel a lot, you can get an unlimited 3G data plan for only $30 per month, or if you don't need that much bandwidth, they offer a 250MB plan for $15 per month.

The cool thing is that neither plan requires any kind of contract, so you can turn it on and off whenever you want. ATT is also offering free WiFi spot access for iPads. On of the unanswered questions is how much is ATT going to charge for iPhone tethering? I imagine it would be close to the same pricing as the options for the iPad, so if you already have and iPhone, when ATT begins offering 3G Data tethering it might make more sense to use your iPhone 3G connection for the iPad, because you could also tether it to a Macbook or other laptop.



The iPad works just like an iPhone in the sense that you use your fingers to do just about everything. As you can see from the photo below, the form-factor is stunningly cool, simple and elegant. The iPad measures 7.5 inches wide x 10 inches tall x .5 inches thick.


The side view below really shows off how cool the all-new iPad is:
As you can see in the following images, the all-new iPad should be the ultimate web-surfing device.


One of the obvious question is whether or not the iPad can really replace a laptop? I think the answer is simple. It really depends on what you do. I would never try to publish Jake's Rolex Watch Blog using an iPad, but if you just surf the web and do light email, it should be great.

I believe among other things, the iPad will slaughter the Netbook market and a good part of the laptop market, including Apple's own Macbook line. I think the iPad will be really popular with guys, but also very popular with women because they can easily travel with it in their purse. This is a huge benefit for the ladies because they no longer have to carry around a separate goofy laptop bag.

I think it will also be great as a digital book and magazine reader. In other words, the Amazon Kindle book reader just got blown to smithereens!!!! Just one of the amazing advantages the iPad has over the Kindle is that it has a vivid color backlit screen v. the Kindle having a stupid, small, black and white screen with ZERO backlighting.

In other worlds, if you want to read in bed at night in the dark with the Kindle, you can't because it has no backlight, whereas the iPad has an ultra-bright, super-high-contrast screen with strong LED backlighting. Not to mention, the iPad is black with a fine chromed edge with an aluminum body and real glass where the Kindle is all plastic and beige!!! Beige is so 1995!!!

In this next Sizemodo comparison from Gizmodo, you can see a great size comparison between the Apple iPhone, Amazon Kindle and Apple iPad, which obviously speaks volumes.


Also, if you are a serious photographer, you can use the iPad as a portable digital photo viewer and storage device, so you can travel light, but still be able to check out your images as well as be able to upload or email them.

In the future I will write a review of the iPad to share my real-world observations with you, but I think the iPad is going to revolutionize computing and digital publication. Apple has a great overview movie and you can also watch the Steve Jobs iPad Introduction Keynote with took place in San francisco. The iPad also runs almost all of the 140,000 currently available iPhone apps!!!!!!!



Here is a video from Engadget that shows how blazingly fast the iPad is. Apple brough a company that made its own chips so Apple could design their own chips and the fruits of that effort are in the iPad. Namely the all-new Apple i4 Processor, and man does it fly!!!!!!!

By the way, for anybody that complains that the iPad lacks cameras or any other significant features, remember that Leonardo da Vinci said that "Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication" and I argue it's smart of Apple to make the 1st generation version as bullet-proof and simple as possible. They can, and will add additional functionality in future generations.

PC Magazine
"What this thing can do is Mind-Boggling!!!"

Tim Gideon, from PC Magazine reviewed the iPad and said "First off, what this thing can do is mind-boggling!!!" He continues: "New apps and games developed specifically for the iPad do amazing things with the additional screen real estate, but if you think it's just a toy, you're wrong."



A Serious Game Changer

The iPad heralds in a whole new generation of computing. Basically, in the world of computing and publishing, the ceiling just became the new floor. It is almost difficult for me to express in words how profound the impact the iPad will have on the world will be!!!

No, the iPad is not just another Microsoft Tablet, or a netbook killer. The challenge in the past, the iPad overcomes is with the ultra-simple and fun user-interface, coupled with an extremely cool looking aesthetic and a lightning fast processor that allows everything happen in real time.

For instance, in the book reader, you go to turn the page, and it turns just like a real book–in other words, there is zero delay. Not to mention, there is almost zero learning curve and if you have an iPhone or iPod touch, there is zero learning curve.

The Ultimate Learning Tool

First, let's examine the impact it will have on education. There is or was a movement in the world named One Laptop Per Child. The idea, is that if somebody could figure out a way to make a very simple laptop that was indestructible and dependable, and would cost only $100 to make, that if every child on planted earth received one, it would not only level the playing field, but significantly improve the overall education level or humanity, in the short and long term. The notion that a rising tide should lift all boats. The idea was noble, but the actual product left much to be desired.

Fast forward several years to the iPad. I argue the iPad delivers on the dream of 1 Laptop Per Child, except it will be 1 iPad Per Child, not only in wealthy countries but it will also become the standard in third world countries. Why? Because the iPad will replace ALL school textbooks, and even paper for taking notes, and even using as an art tool for doing things like finger-painting and drawing.

The current iPad with 16GB of RAM and Wi-Fi is only $499 retail, and with a student discount it will probably be $449. With Moore's law, and a very-high adoption rate, the same model a year from now will be half the price. In two years, following Moore's law and with economies of scale, the same machine will probably retail for around $125 and eventually $100.

Instead of children breaking their backs with a backpack full of heavy, expensive books, and notebooks, they will carry just an iPad. Teachers will be able to create and distribute coursework digitally over the internet.

Probably the most important thing, is all students gain the ability to simply educate themselves with extremely powerful tools like Wikipedia. Pretty soon, for the first time in history, we will have a level playing-field where the only limitation to anybody's education will be their curiosity and desire to learn.


Tremendous Green Environmental Impact

Imagine all the paper and toxic ink that will be saved by distributing books and magazines so they can be read on an iPad!!! Also, you can't read a book, or magazine or newspaper in bed in the dark in bed, or on a dark airplane, but you will be able to with the iPad.

Leo and I are in the process of significantly overhauling every aspect of Jake's Rolex World and we will be optimizing EVERYTHING around being as easy as possible to use on the iPad. Think about the possibilities!?!


The iPad Potential For Rolex Enthusiasts

Today, I know many Rolex Authorized Dealers send their employees and sales-people to Jake's Rolex World to educate them about Rolex history which gives them many excellent stories they can pass along to customers, not to mention it allows them to speak more intelligently, insightfully and passionately about Rolex. AD's also have their sales-people listen to our podcasts to improve their understanding and knowledge of Rolex.

We are also underway with an extremely ambitions project to build a world-class database and Rolex Reference Library that will contain high-resolution photos of every Rolex ever made, all shot in 3-D, so you as an end-user will be able to spin them around and examine all the great detail.


As and end-user you will be able to view Everything Rolex however you wish. So as an example, you will be able to view all the Rolex historical ads, by model, or in chronological order. The coolest aspect is that, we will be taking an open-source approach, so anybody will be able to contribute to or benefit from the library.

What does this have to do with the iPad? I imagine the Apple iPad as being the ultimate tool for exploring all this rich Rolex History. If we get half-way, where we intend to go with this project, everybody, including AD's, Vintage Rolex Dealers, and Collectors and Enthusiasts will all be able to access everything from one kindergarden-simple User-Interface, from the web, on an iPad.

And yes, it has crossed my mind to bundle this all as an iPad application that can be accessed on the iPad without a persistent internet connection, and of course, whenever you wished to update the app data, so long as you have an internet connection, you would be able to.

The greatest challenge is that I am absolutely committed to keeping all this rich history and data free to everybody. If it is not free to everybody, it is not worth doing. The days of exclusivity are over. Taking an inclusive approach is where the best days ahead will be found.

The online Rolex community is still very-much in its infancy, if not still in the incubator, but it never ceases to amaze me how powerful a tool the internet has become as a mechanism for sharing valuable information and making new friends who share our interests. These are truly amazing times to be living in, and I believe the Apple iPad will go down in history as the most revolutionary platform that completely transformed and delivered on the promise of the internet and computing in general, as well as the helping humanity achieve much higher levels of knowledge, understanding and education!!!!


Captain Piccard on iPhone Love

Sir Patrick Stewart who was the Captain on the Star Trek does not like Twitter, but Methinks he will love the iPad!!! It is fascinating to consider the dude who played the captain of the Enterprise on TV had all these tech-toy props that showed how cool the future would be, then fast-forward a few short years later and he is an iPhone junkie and he is talking about how the iPhone is so much more powerful than anything from Star Trek!?! Live long and prosper!!!!



Charlie Rose On iPad

Walt Mossberg, Michael Arrington & David Carr had the chance to sit down with Charlie Rose and discuss the implication of the future for the iPad.


Update: On February 10, 2010 Interview Magazine put together this video to show what its magazine would look like on the iPad:



Wired Magazine's Wired Reader

Update: Here is Wired's idea of how their magazine will look on the iPad using software named Wired Reader which uses Adobe Air. I am not certain how they plan to run this application on an iPad, since Apple does not appear to intend to support Adobe Flash on the iPad. On Jake's Rolex World Magazine we intend to use the exact same user interface for the Desktop/Laptop version as well as the iPad. It does not make sense to me to have to have 3 or 4 different versions of the same "Experience."





Reinventing The Book & Magazine

In the next two videos we see the CEO of Penguin books, John Makinson talking about the future of his books and in the video below he shows off just how amazing an ebook can be on the ipad!!!



Friday, January 1, 2010

SAFE Wallet 6 Plus First Production Shipment Tracking


SAFE Wallet 6 Plus
First Production

Shipment Tracking



First Production Update — SAFE Wallet for iPhone 6 Plus

Read More: Production Updates for SAFE Wallet 6 Plus 

Looking for SAFE Wallet for iPhone 6?
 


Greetings, BulletTrainers!

It's been a long time in the making, but the SAFE Wallet 6 Plus is just a matter of days away from your iPhones! 

We are very excited to report the First Production of the SAFE Wallet 6 Plus is currently in transit from our factory!

I will be updating this page with relevant information on delivery of the First Production as it develops. I'll be checking in every day to share any new information I can!





Friday, October 2, 2015 

(Latest Update)

We've received reports that shipments have begun to reach customers!!! 

If you have any questions or concerns regarding your new SAFE Wallet 6 Plus, please contact us by email Help@BulletTrain.com, or give us a call at (415) 440-1400.



Wednesday, September 30, 2015 


12:40 PM — First shipment has taken place! This morning, EVERY pre-order and Kickstarter reward for the SAFE Wallet 6 Plus was dispatched from our warehouse!!!

I was CC'd on a massive email with a series of order numbers and corresponding tracking numbers. This data will be emailed to your email address on file this afternoon!

We're so pumped to be shipping the SAFE Wallet 6 Plus!!!

-Alex (BulletTrain)



Tuesday, September 29, 2015


4:21 PM — I was just CC'd on an email from our warehouse account manager. The email confirmed shipment for all "backorders" (that's their term for pre-orders etc.) to ship tomorrow!!!

I wanted to share this great news with everyone, that the SAFE Wallet 6 Plus will be dispatching from our warehouse tomorrow :-)

Thanks everyone!




(earlier today)

1:00 PM — We have received confirmation that the merchandise has been received, and is being unpacked!

It doesn't look like shipment will commence today, unfortunately, BUT everything is being broken down now and prepared for dispatch to start tomorrow!

We're almost there, everyone!






Monday, September 28, 2015 



The first production was supposed to reach the warehouse today!

Our cargo was on the truck, en route to the destination, but the truck was delayed in L.A. area afternoon traffic and ultimately did not arrive at our warehouse before the Receiving Department was closed for the day.

We're VERY surprised to have one more day of unexpected delay fall into place, but we are still 100% stoked to deliver the best wallet case your iPhone 6 Plus could ever ask for!!!

Here are our latest projections with today's events taken into account.

  • Tuesday, 9/29/15 — First Production checked into warehouse inventory. POSSIBLE some shipments will dispatch.
  • Wednesday, 9/30/15 — First Production shipment processing and dispatch. All pre-orders shipped!
  • Friday, 10/2/15 — U.S. Recipients begin receiving their SAFE Wallet 6 Plus!!!

That should be it! We're really excited to get this case into your hands!!! Thanks for hanging in there, everyone!

- Alex (BulletTrain)





Saturday, September 26, 2015

10:00 AM — We received confirmation that, since Customs clearance wasn't posted earlier in the day on Thursday, it was not scheduled in Friday's delivery routes.

Good news though, a delivery appointment with our warehouse has been set on Monday! Dispatch to customers should commence by Tuesday :-)

We wish inventory were delivered sooner, but we are excited nonetheless to have the First Production shipping out to customers this coming week!





Friday, September 25, 2015

9:00 AM — U.S. Customs is clear!

This morning, we received confirmation that IN FACT, our pallet cleared U.S. Customs yesterday (9/24/15) at 4:15 PM!!!

THIS IS VERY GOOD NEWS!

If everything goes as planned, the product will arrive at our warehouse today, and be checked into inventory for dispatch on Monday 9/28/15!

I'm so pumped up to see everyone get their SAFE Wallets!!!!


***UPDATE***

10:38 AM — I just received confirmation that local parties are now communicating to schedule the delivery to our warehouse! This is a big day, everyone! More to come soon!





Thursday, September 24, 2015

5:00 PM — We expected today to be the day we received confirmation of dispatch from LAX, but our freight handlers are STILL waiting on the final sign-off from U.S. Customs to release the cargo.

Our freight rep believes this should be cleared up as early as tomorrow morning (Friday), or as late as Monday.

We wish we knew more, but will report tomorrow as soon as possible!!
-Alex (BulletTrain)




Wednesday, September 23, 2015

9:00 AM — We haven't gotten a decisive update to our delivery date from U.S. Customs, and the delivery date to our warehouse is still stated as 9/23 - 9/25 by our freight handlers :-)

We were notified that one piece of documentation needs to be updated. The necessary updates have been made to these documents, and they've been re-submitted.

We are expecting a solid update to clearly indicate when the cargo is leaving LAX by truck, and will share it as soon as possible!

***UPDATE***

10:17 AM — We've received some critical confirmations in the past hour!!!!!


  • Our freight handlers have reported the First Production is now in a "Checked-In" status, which is a precursory status to *official* clearance by Customs. Delivery to our warehouse by truck could commence as early as today!!! We will know more early this afternoon.
  • I had a conference call with our warehouse manager, and they are 100% prepared for our incoming cargo! This means we should see no delays between processing and shipment once the inventory is received!!! All shipment data has been confirmed on hand with our warehouse as well (Kickstarter backers, then BulletTrain.com customers).

Basically, it's starting to look more and more certain the First Production will be shipping from our warehouse very soon!!!





Tuesday, September 22, 2015

10:49 AM — Additional documentation has been added to our case with U.S. Customs! I am working on getting a hold of the contained information, and I should know more before the end of the day!

Our official "estimate" according to freight handling is 9/23/15 for delivery to the warehouse, but the information today should either confirm that date, or at the very least provide further clarity!




Monday, September 21, 2015

11:17 AM — U.S. Customs has opened our case! More to come soon as it develops.

***UPDATE***

5:08 PM — We've received confirmation via tracking that our First Production cargo has been inspected by U.S. Customs, and that the file has "remarks" for review. 

This is a good sign, although I am yet unclear if there is further inspection, or if this means the cargo will be offloading as early as tomorrow... but a good sign nonetheless!!!

I have a call in with our freight handling agent for an update, and plan to share as much as I can by tomorrow.

Thanks for hanging in there with us, everyone!

If you have any questions, please contact us via email or post it in the comments :-)

-Alex (BulletTrain)



Sunday, September 20, 2015

6:22 PM — We just received confirmation from our freight handler that the first production has been assigned to a case for U.S. Customs, and is on schedule for inspection to commence tomorrow morning!!!

So far, things are looking good for delivery in the next week!

Based on the lead-time in U.S. Customs right now and the pre-freight inspections by our freight handler, we have reason to believe the Customs inspection could take as little as 2 days!!!

Here is a best-case scenario from today's perspective:

  • 9/21/15 - Processing in US Customs
  • 9/22/15 - Clearance w/ US Customs
  • 9/23/15 - Delivery to our warehouse in Southern California, unpacking into inventory
  • 9/24/15 - Dispatch to Customers!!!

And here is a little more cushion on the same timeline of events:
  • 9/21/15 - Processing in US Customs
  • 9/24/15 - Clearance w/ US Customs
  • 9/25/15 - Delivery to our warehouse in Southern California, unpacking into inventory
  • 9/28/15 - Dispatch to Customers!!!


It's going to be pretty close whether the shipments will dispatch from our warehouse this week or early next week, but we will stay on top of it any keep everyone up to date!!!

Thanks for your support!
-Alex (BulletTrain)




September 17, 2015

This morning, our First Production was assigned to a case for U.S. Customs compliance checks.

Our freight handler has let us know that U.S. Customs is currently backed up until Monday due to the beginning of a busier time of year in terms of cargo conveyance and clearance.

This means we might not have too much to share tomorrow (9/18/15), but we'll be checking in with our handlers in the morning nonetheless to share whatever we can :-)

Thanks everyone!




September 16, 2015

The First Production has been confirmed as received in a holding warehouse at LAX! 

For clarity, this is NOT the warehouse shipment will take place from, but a warehouse for holding cargo for inspection at Los Angeles International Airport :-)

There will be a number of steps taking place behind the scenes for the next few days. We'll be doing our best to keep updates coming every day!

In the meantime, here is a photo of our First Production shipment in holding at LAX. It's a mighty fine pallet!



I don't know that I've ever been so stoked to see a pallet!

More soon! Thanks everyone!





September 15, 2015

We received confirmation over the weekend that the First Production was in transit, and are awaiting confirmation that the freight has arrived at Los Angeles International Airport. 

We are hoping to receive confirmation a little later today!







Thanks for checking in. This page will have LOTS of new information entered between now and delivery of your SAFE Wallets. 

Check back soon for more news on the first shipments of the SAFE Wallet 6 Plus!

In the meantime, feel free to get caught up on our other posts about the SAFE Wallet 6 Plus!

For instance, have you read our latest news about the iPhone 6s Plus?


Thanks for being a BulletTrain customer!
-Alex (Director of Operations)

If You Enjoy The BulletBlog by JAKEe Be Certain To Check Out Jake's Other Blogs: