The Straits Times has a report about the launch of the iPad tablet in Wellington today and the frustration experienced by those in the grip of "iPad mania"
Why people bother queuing overnight for a piece of technology that will be superseded within the year by a later version, is beyond me?
Evidently Apple have gone to the extreme with the latest launch of not wanting to reveal in advance where people can buy an iPad. Surely a basic tenant of marketing is that a sale can only take place when one can discover the product?
The launch seems a classic case of hype over substance and I for one will not be beating a path to my local retailer to purchase an iPad.
Singaporeans are into the latest techno-fads as this video demonstrates.
Not that I am opposed to technology, far from it. Since returning from Singapore a couple of weeks ago we have been busy buying a house lot of electronic wizardy.
One such purchase has been a Samsung full HD television. I was surprised to discover that thanks to the recession, the prices for the latest sets here in New Zealand compare very favourably with those in Singapore.
Within three years New Zealand is moving completely to high definition and away from analgue television so it makes sense to get full HD now. Coupled with a simple UHF aerial, this new set will allow me to pick up all of the free to air channels. We made sure we did not purchase an "HD Ready" model which is not full HD and needs a decoder box.
When we left in 2006 there were fewer options but now the channels seem to have spawned several more. The content is a lot better than what was on offer on the Mediacorp free channels and of course the global news broadcasts are far more comprehensive and less controlled.
There is even a dedicated Chinese Channel which is Auckland based so Cantonese dramas and variety shows will be on the menu.
Prime Television is my personal pick and is Australian controlled. It has good sports coverage (albeit often delayed) and old favourites such as the Antiques Roadshow.
One free channels I will be giving a miss is the parliamentary channel which is about as exciting as watching paint dry. Watching the PAP MPs answering prepared questions on Singapore's Channel Five of an evening was enough to put me off for life and our parliamentarians are no better.
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