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Ever wonder how much money you could have made, if you had only bought Apple stock, rathat than that Apple product? Maybe you don't want to know. That old 900MHz PowerBook G3, with the bad logic board, gathering dust in the closet, could have been $60k in stocks by now!

Labels: Apple, money, stocks

We knew that our iPad Disassembly video was going to get a lot of attention, based on the hundreds of thousands of views that our other videos have had, over the past weeks and months - like the iPhone 3Gs and the PSP Go. However, we never would have guessed that we'd get over a quarter of a million views in just one week, rating as high as the #7 top viewed science & technology video in places!

Check out the stats below to see just how popular our iPad Disassembly video is. If you agree that it's awesomesauce and want a copy of your own, you can now download our latest stop-motion video in iPhone/iPod format, iPad/AppleTV format, or full 720p HD for your computer.

Labels: Apple, disassembly, download, iPad, podcast, take apart, video

Greetings!

Yes, I'm in a good mood, even on the day after we send all those checks off to the big slush-fund in Washington...but we'll set that story aside and chat about something that I am truly excited about, TechRestore, the Mac, iPad - you get the picture.

First, the iPad:

I was fortunate enough to spend last week on Maui with family and friends with the only frustrating part of the trip being that I had to wait until Monday, April 4th to get my iPad delivered to me - what's the deal with no Saturday delivery on the island? Oh, I forgot about "island time" - I guess that's why we go over there in the first place, to relax and forget about things like overnight shipping. Anyway, after spending a week with this new device, I have a few comments, but I'll leave the extensive reviews to all the pundits and fanboys on the Internets.

iPad comment #1 : You will want one.

iPad comment #2 : Wait for the 3G version. Being limited to WiFi defeats the purpose of owning one.

iPad comment #3: If you can't wait and you buy (or bought) a WiFi only version - at least you can enjoy being treated like a rock star when you use one in a public place. But still, wait for the 3G if you can.

iPad comment #4: Get a case

iPad comment #5: You will break it. It's super shiny, super slippery and you will have it in your hands all the time...until it hits the floor. See comment 4 to help avoid breakage. We got our first iPad repair request within 48 hours after the iPad was released.

iPad comment #6: We will fix it. Of course we will – we have parts in stock now and once the dust settles on our move we will be announcing a full lineup of repairs.

Final iPad comment: It's just the beginning. Love it or hate it, the iPad contains the future of computing, today. The touch interface is immersive and the always on connection to the net is addictive.

Be sure to check out our iPad disassembly video below - Brian and Ivan have done a great job putting together over 1600 photos in an entertaining and informative 3 minute video.

TechRestore - the evolution of a brand

Back in 2004, I had the fortunate chance to take the team of experts that I had worked with since 1994 and startup TechRestore. We were excited about new opportunities and we quickly blew through all of our projections and our expectations about what our business could achieve. Now, as we get ready to perform our 54,000th repair (that's fifty-four-THOUSAND) , we continue to evolve into a company that is focused on exceeding your expectations, creating a great work environment for our team and giving back to the community - especially the Mac community. We are currently outfitting a new facility to better serve our local clients in the San Francisco Bay Area, we're expanding into some new branded product lines, building a new website and Customer Relationship Management application, developing a new iPhone and iPod Touch app and more - in other words, we are BUSY and excited about the future.

Since we're all about change, today we're rolling out an evolution of the TechRestore logo that you will soon see on our website and in our advertising over the next month or so. I wanted to give my closest 20,000 subscribers first look! :-) Originally, we had a different logo for each service that we offered, but we soon realized that our primary logo was the most popular and we stuck with it.

Let me know what you think about the new logo, I would love your comments!

DiamondGlass

When Apple first released the Unibody MacBook Pro series back in 2008, my first comment, upon seeing the glass cover that is installed on top of the LCD screens was "We are going into the glass business". And we have done that with a vengeance. Not only are we repairing the broken glass on hundreds of Unibody MacBook and MacBook Pros each month, we also currently supply repair companies all over the world with glass replacement panels. One problem we've seen in the glass panel replacement market is cheap, thin, fragile glass panels being offered as replacements for the original glass. These panels seem to make their way from China and other countries and they are of such poor quality that they can break by just handling them. After seeing consumers and businesses getting duped into buying this poor quality glass, from other companies, we decided to put together a video showing just what junk is out there in the marketplace.

Today, we are thrilled to announce the launch of our premium Unibody MacBook & MacBook Pro glass replacement panels - DiamondGlass by TechRestore. DiamondGlass panels are the strongest and highest quality replacement glass screen covers available for your Mac - period. You don't have to take our word for it - join me in watching the destruction:

As I mentioned in the video, we are currently using DiamondGlass panels for our glass repairs and we will soon have self-install glass panels available with video instructions on our website.

FUTURESHOCK

Hello again!

It's been a crazy couple of weeks, with the iPad release, beginning the move to our new building, the iPhone OS 4.0 announcement, etc... And now that Shannon's back from Maui (the real reason he's in such a good mood (c; ) we can get back to our regular schedule of Buzz e-mails.

Video

This time around, we have a new stop-motion animated disassembly video of - you guessed it - the iPad! Check it out:

1675 frames of high-definition unboxing, take-apart and reassembly, in under 3 minutes - all set to a wicked beat, TechRestore style! HD quality, iPad/AppleTV, and iPhone/iPod versions will be posted on our video downloads page soon!

Photos

If you'd prefer to just peep some photos, we have still-frames of the iPad disassembly posted on our Flickr page.

Music

If you like the music in our iPad Disassembly video, you're in luck, because I'm offering it as a free mp3 download, called iPadrone! Since I ran out of appropriately electronic sounding canned music, I created a new track, in Garage Band. You can listen to iPadrone, or download a copy, to enjoy on your i-device of choice

iPhone App Pick

Here's another great game that doesn't get much attention: Blastination. The gameplay is unique but intuitive and the 2D graphics are quite artful. In fact, this app seems like the type of thing you'd find at the gift shop, in the Museum Of Modern Art..if they sold iPhone apps, that is. Check it out here or go directly to the iTMS app store and get the free version.

Enjoy!

Brian Northway
Designer/Animator

Buzz Specials

These coupons are valid through 4/30 at Midnight Pacific Time. You can use the coupons and order via the links below, or call 1-888-572-7372 to speak to one of our friendly humans. Coupon codes cannot be combined, but you can use them on separate orders, if you are so inclined.

Labels: DiamondGlass, iPad, video

Well, we're at it again - opening a new facility for our local customers on April 22nd. The new building is being prepped as I type these words with an army of contractors making the changes we need and getting ready for move-in day.

Move's are always fun...or they can be. While there's a tremendous amount of work to be done, we have a great logistics staff that are easing us into these new digs as smoothly as possible. I'm looking forward to the new space since it will put us much closer to our local customers in Concord, Walnut Creek, Pleasant Hill and the rest of the East Bay as well as expanding our repair capabilities for our nationwide customer base.

Look for photos and more info during the next week as we get settled.

Here's the brief:

• Multitasking!
• App Folders
• Bluetooth Keyboard Support
• Spellcheck
• iBook reader
• Tap to focus video camera
  
• 5x digital zoom for video camera
• Quick Look
  
• Online Game Center
  
• In-app advertisement system (read: more free apps)

iPhone OS 4.0 also allows developers more access to the camera, photos, calendar, GPS, etc. so we should expect some cool apps that were never before possible!

FYI - multi-tasking is only supported on the iPhone 3Gs and 3rd gen iPod touch

via Engadget

Labels: 4.0, Apple, iPad, iPhone, iPod Touch, Mac OS X

Labels: airport, Apple iPad store purchase experience, security

OK, I know that everybody and their brother is blogging their opinions of the new iPad and this sure ain't no Wall Street Journal or USA Today but, if you want the perspective of a long-time computer geek, graphic designer, and Apple enthisiast, here ya go.


Uncluttered

My first impression of the iPad is that it feels like a computer, without the clutter. I'm sure that someone will create an app or OS update that will allow you to litter your desktop with randomly sized windows that waste space just as efficiently as a desktop computer but, for now, the neat rows of app icons and full-screen only operation feels like the computer equivalent of having a maid that follows your around, cleaning up after you, so that your space never has a chance to get messy.


Detailed

Being an iPhone user made the iPad experience both familiar and alien at the same time. Of course the basic set up is the same but, unlike the tiny iPhone apps, each app on the iPad is so amazingly detailed that it's every bit as useful as a program on a "real" computer. Even apps that don't have a limitless amount of data to display (like maps) benefit from the extra screen space by enhancing their offerings with texture, shading and other subtle elements that add a welcome richness.


Apps

Forget everything that you've heard about the thousands of iPhone apps that already work on the iPad. It's true - they work fine, and it's nice to see them bigger, but this bit of backwards-compatibility is about bit as handy as having a VCR hooked up to your HDTV. Apps that look great on the iPhone's little screen either look blurry or blocky on the iPad (the 1x mode, that puts tiny iPhone apps in the center of the screen, is far too awkward to be useful, in my opinion). Not having to do without your favorite app is great but, once you've enjoyed full-resolution iPad apps, they're the only apps that seem appealing in the store.

Sadly, the app store experience is just as tedious on the iPad as it is on the iPhone. Each time you download an app, you're kicked out of the store and, when you launch again, you go back to the first page of the category that you were browsing. You might want to use iTunes, on the computer, to download multiple apps at once (eg. to get all of the free apps, when you first start loading up your iPad).

Beware of the difference in app prices - programs that sell for $1 for the iPhone start around $5 for the iPad and there aren't nearly as many free "lite" versions available. Still, they're far cheaper than apps for desktop or laptop computers.


e-Books & iBooks

Lacking an e-ink display (and the amazing battery life that comes with it) precludes the iPad from being a true Kindle killer but the stale, page-sliding interface of the Kindle app, on the iPad, leaves much to be desired next to the iBook reading experience, with it's book-like pages, life-like 3D page-turning, and other animated effects.


User Interface

After having used the iPad, I remain as convinced as ever that multi-touch screens will replace mice and keyboards, though I'm not convinced that the note-pad form-factor is the ultimate in ergonomics. Just as prolonged use of a laptop can cause discomfort, you can expect neck cramps from staring down at your iPad (it's heavy enough that it will eventually end up flat on the table, couch or floor). Though it may lack the convenience and mobile sex-appeal of the iPad, I can't wait to see a multi-touch 27" iMac and the amazing touch-screen apps that could run on a full power desktop computer!


Typing

I don't really type, but my two-finger hunt-and-peck works much better on the iPad than the iPhone, to the point that I no longer feel like typing is a chore. I'd be far more likely to write an e-mail or blog post on the iPad than it's smaller antecedent. That said, an external keyboard (attached or bluetooth) would still be essential for serious writing, since typing a whole paper or story with an on-screen keyboard is just asking for an RMI.


Conclusion

All the things that you love to do on your iPhone or computer are more fun on the iPad. It can't do everything that a laptop can but, if your mobile computing needs are modest, the iPad's smaller size, easier access and longer battery life give it the potential to be your device of choice - especially when traveling. Since an iPhone (or other smart-phone) is basically a pocket computer, you can't beat it's convenience, but the luxuriously large screen of the iPad (and the high definition apps it runs) is simply a joy to use.

If you remain skeptical about the iPads allure, then all you have to do is try one, and you'll understand why people are so in love with it.

Brian Northway
Designer, Animator
TechRestore

Labels: Apple, iPad, observation, opinion, review, thoughts

For those of you who ordered iPads online, are waiting for the 3G model, or just plain don't have one yet, here's what it was like picking one up, the day they were released...

Saturday morning, I went to our local Apple store (in Walnut Creek, CA) to pick up an iPad. Originally, I had planned to come stand in line for a while and experience the communal anticipation of the iPad's arrival here on Earth, but the cold, damp weather convinced me to wait until the store was open.

When I arrived, there was still a long line outside - unless you had a reservation. An Apple Store employee was telling the crowd that the iPads had sold out, but another shipment had just arrived. No one would be admitted in to the store until the newly arrived stock was checked in to inventory - unless you had a reservation.

As I strolled to the front of the empty line for those with reservations, the guy at the head of the non-reservation line pleaded that his son just needed a screen protector for his iPod (wow, he picked the wrong day to shop for that) and then, once my reservation was confirmed, he complained that I was being led into the store, bypassing the line. I imagine that committing to a $500 purchase in advance will get you past a lot of different lines.

Stepping inside, from the cold, was like arriving at the threshold of heaven. In the immaculate, white glow of the Apple store, employees smiled at me as though it were my birthday while I was led past a table of customers who were giddy with excitement, as they experienced the most fabulous object in the universe. The paper iPad Notepad that I carried, got quite a few laughs and I gave away a couple of pages on my way to the sales counter. The whole experience was a bit of a blur, like receiving an award or diploma - a moment so full of joy and pride that it's over before you know it.

Walking back to the parking garage, I felt very self conscious, as the Apple bag clearly marked me as a person carrying the most coveted device of the twenty-first century. It's hard to believe that the iPad is basically the same price as an iPhone (without a contract) and only half the price of a respectable laptop - and that, in my opinion, is the greatest thing about the iPad. It's not Kindle killer, it's a laptop killer. There's no way that I would ever give up my iPhone, but who needs a bulky laptop, when you can browse the web, write emails and create documents an iPad, all in multi-touch style?

Stay tuned for my observations on the iPad experience!

Brian
Designer/Animator
TechRestore

Labels: Apple iPad store purchase experience

Here's the tear-down video you've all been waiting for! No, not that one, we're still working on the iPad Disassembly video but, in the meantime, here's what the Barnes & Noble nook looks like inside.

It's no iPad, but the nook's color touch screen works well in conjunction with the monochrome e-ink screen. For a in-depth look at the nook's features, and how they measure up to the Kindle and iPad, check our e-reader video review.

Labels: Barnes, e-book, e-ink, e-reader, Noble, nook