Snarky.

Apple is notoriously tight-lipped about products that haven't shipped yet. Unless your friends usually keep you informed of Apple's upcoming announcements, then the fact that they haven't spilled the beans to you is evidence of nothing.

I've been watching Apple and the Apple rumor mill for years now, and I feel like there's a tipping point when you cross over from a rumor that could be nothing more than idle speculation to a rumor that has enough traction to likely be true. While a redesigned dock connector is definitely still a rumor, it's gained a lot of traction in the past month or so, and it wouldn't surprise me at all if it ends up on the next iOS device to be released. That doesn't mean it's confirmed. But it also doesn't mean it's unlikely. Apple generally confirms nothing until they make their own announcement, but it would be far from the first time that unconfirmed, but still accurate, details had leaked in advance of a product release.

That said, I don't see it as being a huge issue in the context of the current discussion: choosing your touring electronics. When I carry my iPad with me for anything longer than a day trip, I usually carry a couple of items to make it more useful on the road: a keyboard, a charging cable, and my camera connection kit. The keyboard is bluetooth, so should connect to anything, regardless of dock connectors. The other items are small and relatively inexpensive. If I were dropping hundreds of dollars on new equipment, replacing my camera card reader and charging cable would be a minor issue. Even though we have several Apple devices in the house that use the current dock port, there are still many peripherals that only work with some or one of our Apple devices. It's the nature of changing technology. Even if the next iOS product or iPod includes the same, old dock connector, there may still be compatibility issues. When I buy new tech, I pretty much assume that it will be out of date in a couple of years, but if you buy knowing that a device meets your current needs, it should continue to do that for quite a while. If you can ignore the allure of the latest, shiny thing to come out, your gear should continue to serve you regardless of what next month's stuff will do.

Newspaperguy, tell us what you actually use this computer for. After I know what you want to do, then I can make a reasonable suggestion. Until then everyone is going to continue to suggest their favorite computer.

I've been using the computer so I can be connected when I'm on the road. Often, electronic communication becomes the easiest way for me to do this. Also, since I make my living as a writer and since I also do writing on the side, I need the ability to use the machine for writing. The ability to edit photos is useful too. Gaming is not a high priority for me.

Durability and good construction are important, especially when I'm touring over rough roads, which I've done on more than one occasion.

As far as a lot of storage, this is to be a second device. My primary computer is my iMac. This one is to be for bike trips or on-the-road uses at other times. Work saved on this machine can later be copied to the iMac, which is where I have everything.

Because I've used Apple products for years, I've been looking closely at the iPad and the Macbook Air. Right now, the iPad seems to be winning out, but fortunately I'm not in a rush to make a decision.

So Newspaperguy is a Mac user...

I can't help much on that front. My bride uses Apple stuff. I like to tinker too much so it is Linux and Android for me.

Aaron

Remember: almost all Apple-related rumors end up being false! Are you still waiting for your iPhone 5? Apple-branded TV set? iMac with Retina display? iPhone with a 4" screen? iPhone without a "Home" button? 7" iPad? Those are all "products" that got a ton of traction on the rumor mill and, so far, haven't materialized... just like the new dock connector. Some or all of these things might show up at some point in the future... but I wouldn't hold my breath, or make buying decisions, based on the speculation of a few desperate journalists!

I used to tinker quite a bit - more from necessity than preference. It wound up turning into a job. Now I'm a Linux guy. It does everything I need it to do. I don't have to do much tinkering at all w/ the systems I opt for using myself. The procedure is pretty straightforward at this point.

1. Check online to make sure install is a snap. I hate chasing down driver issues. I also become annoyed w/ non-functioning hardware.

2. Install some flavor of *buntu. "sudo apt-get install" the apps I like.

3. Make dinner.

I can't see spending the dough on the pretty hardware (Mac), and I've developed a distaste for Microsoft. Given the disposable nature of IT gear, I can't see spending much dough on it. Of course, I should be grateful for MS. If everyone used Mac or Linux, I'd likely have a harder time finding work.

I get my basic software installed then play with plug ins and such. I am not an IT guy, and I DID NOT stay in a Holiday Inn Express last night I am much the amateur, but it keeps me out of bars and off of street corners and I make a bit of pocket money cleaning viruses and malware out of people's laptops. My biggest ***** is with MS when you have to do a clean install and it takes damned near 8 hours to download all the "necessary" security updates on a 5.0 DSL line. That is freaking insane. If MS built cars you would have a Prius that weighed 7,000 # from all the patches added on.

I used Knopix or Debian for several years. I have one Ubuntu 10.1 machine right now that I love.

Aaron

Road use
Email
edit photos
Durability and good construction are important
Minimal storage for the road

I don't subscribe to the Apple religion, but I am familiar with some of their products. Based on what I have seen, since you are an iPerson, I would suggest sticking with the iDevices.
I liked the Macbook Air I played with. I found the one I played with to be very durable.

I would suggest that you backup your important data on SD cards.
I would also suggest getting an iWarranty.

I love the display on the new iPad, but like all tablets the issue is the lack of keyboard.

You could get a collapsible bluetooth keyboard to use with the iPad for writing. With iPhoto now available on the iPad it does give you some ability to edit photos.

https://www.apple.com/ipad/from-the-a...le/iphoto.html

I think there is also a limited "photoshop" app available.

I think it'd be a stretch to call me an "IT guy". I work at a refurbishing shop. I set up my own little subnet (IPCop rocks) and I'm running some Debian-based file servers to house images, handy apps, and temporarily house customer data when I'm repairing their systems (read: reinstalling Windows after a self-inflicted wound).

I am no MS fan. +1 on the "8 hour download" thing. Of course, if you have MS on your own system and a NAS available (or even an external HDD) you can use Acronis to image the drive and speed things up dramatically when Windows dies. Which it will. For Sure. Eventually.

What really amazes me is that people don't seem to realize that MS is a zombie company. It's still going - and will be for some time to come - but it's on borrowed time as we speak.

Have you been reading about the Nexus 7? I might have to revise my earlier post and suggest that the Nexus 7 might be the way to go (w/ a fold up bluetooth keyboard).

I use a program called Photogene. Possibly the addition of iPhoto to the iPad will do whatever you need it to, but I had already become used to Photogene before iPhoto for iPad was released. I know it's not a full-blown photo editor, and for some image work, I still need to fire up Gimp on my desktop, but for basic photo editing, I use Photogene more than any desktop solution. It crops, adjusts light and color levels, make collages, and uploads photos directly to Facebook and other services. I used to use iPhoto on my Mac for basic photo editing, but now I find it easier just to use my iPad.

Maybe you'd like to start licking that egg off your face, now:

https://www.news.com.au/business/brea...-1226473054431

And I quote:

But the new iPhone will also demand more of its users, forcing them to invest in adaptors for every old Apple cable or speaker dock to fit the iPhone 5’s new 80 per cent smaller connector.

Pretty crappy friends you have working at Apple who didn't give you a heads-up on this that everyone, except you and your Apple mates, saw coming.

Please: feel free to quote any post in this thread where I claimed that Apple wasn't working on a new dock connector.

Remember: my only claim was that you were not privy to Apple's confidential product plans three months ago and were posting unsubstantiated rumors as if they were fact. Unless you have proof that you had confidential knowledge of Apple's product plans when this thread began, I stand by that claim.

Nice to see that you're still trying to mislead people about Apple's products:

I'm not sure why anyone would need to purchase one adapter per cable or speaker dock. One adapter per device would seem to be more than sufficient...

Got a Nexus 7 on order

Found an interesting gadget called AirStash.

Aaron

Just got a Nexus 7 for touring and general travel. bluetooth keyboard and you have yourself a portable laptop for most needs (you can get on the internet and shoot off email, etc.) if you want to transfer pictures and things like that on tour, you'll need a netbook or something more substantial.

Nexus 7 is going for 200 right now, and may even drop by christmas.

Amazon Kindle Fire just came out in a few sizes (the new ones) that go for 200 - 400 depending on the screen size.

Nice try, but you were pretty definitive in your post.

I make my buying decisions based on what I need/want at the moment and what I have reason to believe will be available in the near future. So far it's worked out for me. A few years ago I was on the verge of buying a Kindle, but the rumor mills, which had been churning for years about the possibility of an Apple tablet, began to take a more serious tone. I postponed my Kindle purchase because I thought the rumored Apple Tablet would suit me better, and a couple of months later the iPad showed up. So, yes, rumors are not facts, but you can use them to make educated decisions. Am I still waiting for my iPhone 5, my iPhone with a 4" screen, my new dock adapter? Yes, for about 2 more weeks.

Rumors on a smaller iPad have definitely gained a lot of traction as well. I won't be surprised at all if one shows up before the end of the year. I will be surprised if we don't have one by next spring, but it could happen. As you point out, not all of the rumors bear fruit. I haven't heard a specific rumor about the retina display iMac, so it hasn't gotten a "ton" of traction in my circles, but there has been speculation based simply on the fact that Apple has started moving its retina displays from it's iOS devices to its OSX devices. I wouldn't call that a rumor, but rather a reasonable extrapolation based on current trends.

But this only marginally ties into the original point of this thread. If you want a computer to take touring, there are lots of options. I like the iPad, but there are certainly other ways to go. As far as I can tell, a change in the dock connector only affects you if you're already a user of Apple products, and if that's the case, your satisfaction, or lack thereof, of your Apple devices will probably inform your purchase more than a change in your power cord or the need for an adapter. If you're buying your first Apple product, the odds are you don't have any accessories to worry about compatibility issues.

The only thing that interest me, comparing existing products to rumored products, is the possibility of a smaller iPad. There are existing smaller tablets, so if the Android tablets suit your needs, they may be the way to go. But as someone who likes iOS, and already has a set of touring tools based around the operating system, I might consider waiting for a smaller Apple tablet if I was going to use it mainly for touring. But, while I expect to see a smaller tablet from Apple, it is entirely possible that it will lack the features that make the iPad such a useful touring tool to me: GPS and cellular data. Without those features, a smaller tablet wouldn't appeal to me. And really I am not in market to buy several tablet computers. It's not in my budget. And since I spend a lot more time on my couch than I spend touring, I would likely stick with the larger form factor of the current iPad, which seems to be the perfect size for most of my uses even if it does take up more than the ideal amount of space in a pannier.

Should be easy for you to quote me then! Why haven't you? Oh, right: because you're full of s**t, as usual. Put up or shut up, as they say...

I love it when people try to have fights on forums, or try to act real tough on the Internet. Your not impressing anyone but your own ego or just trying to fix the one that is damaged in real life. Good luck on everything

Good to know you're the holier-than-thou type who wouldn't get involved in something like that! Thanks for your valuable contributions to this discussion

Mac vs. PC is the polarization in our society.
And I thought it was politics , or Grant Petersen .
Peace to you , all .

While I haven't yet gone touring, let alone touring with a computer [I plan to soon-ish], I do commute 11 miles each way 4 days a week to college/ work with a computer and other various stuff. I typically bring one of my lighter computers, either my newer HP Slate 500 [8.9" atom based N-trig pen and touch device], or my Fujitsu P1620 [8.9" ULV Core 2 Duo based resistive touch convertible], or my heavier HP 2730p [12.1" LV Core 2 Duo based Wacom pen equipped convertible].

If I was touring and I was bringing a computer with me I wouldn't hesitate to bring the P1620 with me because its cheap [easily under $200 from ebay], runs pretty fast, has an excellent keyboard, a pretty great little screen [not really outdoor viewable though -a good AFFS+ screen is what you'd want there], near perfect tracking on the resistive panel [it even works acceptably well in One Note -hand written note books and SO much more], good battery life [5hrs to 7hrs of use depending], is light [~1170g and 327g for the power adapter -so just at 3.3lbs], and it is versatile in that it can be used like a netbook or you can put it in slate mode and use it in situations where it needs to be used differently [like reading a book/ comics/ manga, or viewing photos or I suppose a map from some program or online], and it is a full computer that can do anything I might need to do while on a longer self supported tour [Windows 7 runs just great on it, it has 2 fully powered USB ports, headphone and mic port, a SD card slot, VGA out, Ethernet and modem, and a PC card slot]. Below are a few photos so you see what it looks like





I wouldn't consider using an apple product or one of the 'entertainment tablets' as their functionality just isn't there and they are delicate, other netbooks are typically kinda bulky, and of lower quality than the P1620 [I am not too surprised, it had a $2,000+ list price, and people paid it gladly!]. I'm sure it wouldn't be for everybody, but it works great and is defiantly worth pondering, or even picking up and trying it out.

I am not very computer literate so take what I say for grain of salt. But I like to camp and tour on a bike, and sometimes I have to take a computer, which always left me a bit concern with vibration and jarring and possible getting wet could damage a computer. So instead of taking risks unnecessarily I opted to get a Panasonic Toughbook S10, this bad boy can take a 30" drop and anything spilling on it's key board, the battery will last 12 hours so you don't have to worry about charging it as much, and the weight isn't bad at just a tad over 3 pounds. Panasonic makes even tougher ones, but they cost more and weigh more. They also make a Tough Tablet but why? I like key pads.

I use Internet Cafes or some personal computer at the destination I'm travelling to. Computers have started to become a security issue when travelling internationally and I don't want the extra hassle. Internet access when travelling internationally is dependent on local access to WiFi or a hard wired connection anyway.

I have travelled with just a 500G external hard drive with reference documents, programs and storage space for photos, and that was a lot more compact than a full computer. About the size of an iPhone in fact and no batteries to charge. But for people that spend more time on their computer than their bike - that wouldn't work.

I am not sure what you mean by this. Do you mean having to put it through the scanner on boarding, or whether it contains inappropriate content?