2018 - The iPad range is now 4 sizes, mini, iPad, iPad Pro and iPad Pro with the big screen.

For those of you considering which iPad to buy your loved one or yourself this Christmas, you may be wondering which of the multiple iPads now available you should decide on.  Here are the key differences and some facts that you may find helpful when deciding.

Weight and dimensions - the new iPads are thinner and lighter than the previous versions as you would expect. 

Camera - The front facing camera is either 8 or 12 megapixels, the rear makes full use of the Retina display for video chatting with a 1.2MP HD camera.

Processor - The iPad packs Apple's  processor, which Apple says "doubled the performance of CPU tasks," the Pro features the new xx processor - faster again.  The iPad mini has been similarly upgraded to

Battery - Same for both, around 10 hours depending on usage type.

iOS 12 - Apple's latest operating system was launched in Autumn 2018 so it's featured, or can be downloaded on all new iPads.

Price - The cheapest iPad is around £330 and the most expensive is over £1,000 - depending on the amount of storage you choose, and whether is Wi-Fi or Wi-Fi and Cellular.

Connectivity - All recent iPads use the lightning connector.

iPad cases are now much more advanced than they were.  If you need a full sized keyboard because your fingers are too big for the onscreen version, you can buy a folio type case in which sits a removable keyboard.  Very neat at a cost of £65 +, reasonably priced by Apple standards.

iPad Mini - so why buy smaller?

Apple was quick to point out at the product's debut, the iPad mini has 35% percent more screen space than a Nexus 7 thanks to its 4:3 aspect ratio, and Safari offers a viewport that's 49% larger than Chrome on a Nexus 7 (although that stat is helped considerably by interface differences between mobile Safari and Chrome).

Apps is where Apple has always differentiated itself from competitors. The iTunes Store is full of more than 700,000 apps, including 275,000 apps designed specifically for the iPad. The mini does a good job running all sorts of business-related apps—and with that many apps the chances are there are several apps to choose from for whatever you need to get done on your iPad.

Putting the iPad mini to work:  According to reviewers, using the iPad mini on its own is a pleasant and entirely workable experience.

Decision time: At the core, deciding between a mini and standard or large iPad really comes down to size and price. Which do you need more, the larger 9.7-inch screen, or a more portable device that weighs about half as much?

If you plan to use an iPad as a substitute for your notebook computer, you should probably opt for one of the larger models. But that doesn't mean the iPad mini is shut out of the office. Particularly for mobile workers, the increased portability of the iPad mini makes an extremely strong case in its favour. 

The smaller screen does make for slightly smaller touch targets in apps, but on the plus side, the screen is as sharp as the full sized version. The new iPad mini starts at £319, the older version is now priced at £249.  They go up in similar steps to the iPad Air, and there is also a Cellular wifi version.

Upgrading your iPad - you may wish to consider the following:

Q: Can I sell my current iPad to put the money towards a newer one?
A:  Yes, you can and they keep their value well.  If it is not scratched, and you have been keeping it in a case, and if you have the original box so you can pack it up properly, you will be in a good position to get the best price for it.

Q:  How much storage do I need?
A:  I recommend at least 64 Gb if you like taking photos with your technology.

Q:  Is there a period in which I can take it and test and return it if I have purchased the wrong one?
A:  Yes there is.  Ask when you purchase it for the details.

Q: Do the new ones come in different colours?
A:  Yes Space Grey, Silver and Rose Gold.  Buy a coloured case to customise yours.

Is it safe to use High Sierra operating system on your iMac, Macbook Air or Macbook Pro?

I have downloaded it onto my Apple products and have not found any issues/glitches.  The security issue was fixed on 30th November.

In August, a new Windows Update was issued - 10.  Users were allowed to join the queue to download it for free.  Those in the know could go straight to the download area on the Microsoft website and download it at will as long as their current copy of Windows was genuine.  For the less than expert Windows user, installing a major system upgrade is not always a straightforward process.

The recent 10 update was much quicker to install in comparison with Windows 8.  Initially the reports were good.  Unnecessary "improvements" that Windows 8 had introduced had been consigned to history, much to the relief of many users - charms, hidden icons that had to be "found" in the corners of the screen, changes to the start menu etc, and the number of re-starts required was considerably less. The overall appearance of the system is more similar to the familiar desktop from Windows 7 and previous versions, and the system uses tiles in a helpful way, not at the expense of everything that people had ever learned previously.  The fact that not everyone has a touch screen has been recognised.  

Microsoft have stated that Windows 10 will be their final operating system - there will not be an 11 or 12, and for some mysterious reason, there was no Windows 9!  However, it became apparent that the system had several bugs including a real issue with email.  Sent email simply disappeared for a lot of users. Despite users being told that running sfc/scannow from the command prompt would fix the problem, although it did for some, it did not for all.  There were many disgruntled users on forums all over the internet expressing their anger.  A recent update seems to have fixed the problem for some, but at this moment we do not know how many people are still affected.  One of the changes made by Microsoft was that for Home Users updates would be installed in the background, without control from the user being required, and that the content of the updates would not be disclosed.  

The Windows Media Centre is no longer part of the operating system and has been replaced by various apps.  The game Hearts is no longer part of the operating system.  Solitaire was reinstated after it disappeared from Windows 8.  There is also no direct DVD playback software loaded.  Users will have to download VLC player or something similar.

Since April, the Windows XP operating system, one of their most stable ever, has no longer been supported by Microsoft. This means effectively that if you are running a laptop or desktop with XP it will be vulnerable to attack, and if there is a problem, no-one will be able to fix it. Make sure you transfer all your important documents and pictures to a cloud based application, memory stick or an external hard drive as soon as you possibly can. 

Memory sticks are sold by all the major supermarkets and are not expensive. If you have a lot of photographs taken at high resolution, you will need a decent capacity stick to hold them all. Right click on your pictures folder to find out how much memory it is using.


If you need help with this, give us a call on 07788 985764.

If you have an iPad or a Google or Android tablet, and you want to print documents, it is quite possible, but you will need a wireless printer that is enabled for tablet printing.  Delta 9 have a good selection of Canon printers that are usable with all tablets.  Stroud Computer Training can pick them up and deliver them if you have problems with transportation.  (They are not the easiest thing to carry!)  Set up assistance is also available if required.  Remember to purchase a USB printer cable, if it is not supplied with the printer, and some paper at the same time.

It is a very good idea to buy a case for your tablet to avoid accidental scratching in your handbag or briefcase, and to keep the screen safe if you drop it.  You may also wish to purchase an HDMI cable to enable your tablet to be played via your TV.  Especially useful if you have downloaded a film, or want to watch catch up TV.  If you buy an iPad, you might wish to buy a camera connector to facilitate easy transfer of you photographs from your digital camera to your iPad for viewing either individually or as a slideshow.

The Asus Memo Smart is an Android Tablet, with the same screen size, 9.1 inches and camera, 5 megapixels as the latest iPad Air, the Apple tablet.  The Asus will set you back about £200, the iPad £320 upwards depending on the amount of storage you choose, 16, 32 or 64 gigabytes.  They are both easy to use - with touch screen technology and it is worth having a look at both before you make a decision.  The iPad 4 has the same camera and screen size, but is slightly heavier.  You may find one a bit cheaper as the iPad Air is now their new mainstream product, especially in the January sales.

The essential difference, apart from the operating systems, is connectivity.  iPads have no connectivity apart from wireless.  They do not have a USB slot included.  The ASUS has a mini USB port and an HDMI port so you can connect it directly to your TV with the appropriate cable.  Apple sell all the connectors to give you this ability as extras at between £25 and £35 each.

Cases, stands, bluetooth or wifi keyboards and extra cables are all available separately, online and via John Lewis, PC World, Amazon, Apple Stores to name a few.

This table makes interesting reading.  Android is tackling the Apple operating system tablets head on.

Latest figures regarding tablet sales indicate that Apple's market share is falling whilst Android table manufacturers are growing their share very fast, as can be seen in the table above.

iOS 7 - Should you download iOS 7 the upgraded operating system for your iPad or iPhone?  We have done our research and have safely and quickly downloaded it to an iPad 4 with absolutely no problem whatsoever.  There are a few cosmetic changes which some people will take a few minutes to get used to, but the core functionality is the same, with some extra useful things added in.   On balance we think this is a useful upgrade.

Key differences are the appearance of the icons and colour schemes on the home screens, the quick access settings that pops up from the bottom of the screen if you swipe upwards (very helpful) and extra options on some apps for example the camera settings and options have been improved.  Safari has been improved so that it is now the same as iMac Safari with unlimited tabs and the ability to search from the address bar.  We will add in extra comments over the next few days.