Apple Day - NOT amateur radio

 

As mentioned before (I think!) our neighbour had an apple picking day last weekend as he has so many. 

I went with my wife and grandson.

It was a good, happy, day in glorious weather.

The resulting chutney was great and my wife has asked me to make more!

Apple iPad software change?

My wife has had an Apple iPad for some years, but just recently the battery life has suddenly got dramatically worse. It was always very good. Now it seems to flatten the battery far more quickly.  I am pretty sure this is not the cells. Also, she could always send photos from her gallery by Gmail. She has plenty of room in her account on Gmail.

It is almost as if the latest software has somehow been "doctored" so the battery runs down faster and some Gmail things don't work any longer, so you are tempted to buy a new one! I am not saying this is so, just that this is how it appears.

Any whistle blowers know the facts?

Apple: whiter than white? - NOT amateur radio

Apple has admitted slowing down older iPhones saying the reason is aging batteries. As an owner of older iPod Touch devices and my wife has an old wifi-only iPad, this really annoys me. Now, this may be a legitimate move, but many suspect Apple's motives, allegedly. I cannot possibly judge. Based on personal experience I do not like built-in batteries and slowing down older devices. Others may be happy.

See http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-42508300 .

Trying to get you to buy new? - NOT amateur radio

For some years I have owned an Apple iPod Touch 4g. It runs iOS V6.1.6 and this software is fully up to date for this particular device. I checked only a few hours ago.

Recently, FaceBook is even slower to connect than normal, even though it is almost instant on the PC. It is almost as if Apple is forcing an upgrade. Now, I am not saying this is the case, although that is how it makes me feel.  If software only works properly with a newer OS, which I can only get for newer devices, I think this is wrong.

It seems bizarre that I can no longer get reliable connection (if at all) on my device that has given me good service for years. And, yes, I have tried the old trick of turning the device fully off, then on.

Rotten apple - NOT amateur radio

Rotten Apple

Our neighbour has a large garden with an orchard of apples and plums. This rotten apple was on the ground under one of his apple trees.

Apple - Panorama documentary

Last week, BBC's Panorama programme did a frightening documentary on factories used by Apple in China and on their tin supply chain in Indonesia. If such poor conditions are used by Apple, many other products will be produced in even worse conditions. As a user of Apple products I am appalled.

See Panorama, Apple's Broken Promises .

Of course, we in the West milk the low costs that such poor working procedures/conditions permit. With time, conditions will improve and the West will look to other low cost manufacturing areas for our low cost products. Sadly, our greed feeds this process.

Frighteningly, other products we buy are probably made in places that are far worse.

Andrew G6ALB tells me of a friend in the automotive industry who visited a Chinese supplier where he found workers using ordinary sun glasses to protect eyes from welding gear. After 6 months  the workers were totally blind. So they just got fresh workers to replace them!

Thanks to Steven G7VFY for most of this information.

UPDATE 1740z:  Sadly many (most?) of our electronics components will be made in sweat shops in the Far East. It is very hard to get away from this problem.

WSPR for the iPod Touch

Like many these days, I've an Apple iPod Touch and use it every day for web browsing. When watching the TV or reading the paper it is handy to be able to check my WSPR spots with a quick look at the iPod Touch.

The Apple iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch do not have that many amateur radio apps. There are a few very useful ones like an audio spectrum analyser, an oscilloscope, Echolink and a repeater database, but what I would really like is a full WSPR interface for the iPod Touch.  Does anyone know if such an app has/is being developed for Apple or Android products? Even Apple OS PCs seem to be less well catered for with regard to amateur radio software.

Steve Jobs - RIP

Today is a sad day for the electronics and computing world with the death of Steve Jobs of Apple. Not too many years ago Apple looked like simply fading into obscurity. Then Jobs came back and turned it all around. All my family have Apple products - PCs, iPads and, in my case an iPod Touch 4g. All work perfectly and are a credit to an innovative and creative company led by people with inspiration and vision. We need a few more people like this in the UK rather than giving credit to idiots in the banking and "investment" world who simply gamble our pensions and reap huge bonuses as a result.

RIP Steve.

iPod Touch 4g

Recently I upgraded my pocket PC - I used a Dell Axim for 7 years - to a new iPod Touch 4g purchased at a good price from Amazon. It really is an amazing piece of kit in a tiny size with an incredibly pin-sharp screen which is so good that individual pixels cannot be seen: the resolution is better than my TV. I've already downloaded the Echolink app (free) so I now also have a 2.3GHz pocket ham transceiver too. I hope to use it for some other ham radio applications including datamodes and VLF reception.

If you want to see what is inside the iPod Touch 4g look here for a tear-down analysis: there is a lot in this small package!

Apple iPad tablet launched

Apple has finally revealed its new killer product - the iPad. My son has an iPhone and is very pleased with it. I doubt I will be persuaded to buy either. I have been tempted with the Apple iPod Touch which is a very desirable product.