Apple introduced its newest tablet style product called the Apple iPad on 27th of January at San Francisco. I watched the Keynote; everybody was dead silent when Steve Jobs ran through all the features available on the iPad, unlike the cheers and applauses on the iPhone during its first debut.

When I looked through Facebook, tonnes of disappointed Apple fans updated their status with “iPad, a gigantic iPod Touch”. Myself on the other hand think the Apple iPad is “the future” if Apple would be bothered to revise it.

Apple has always focused on user interface to redesigned our lives. On the Apple iPhone, Apple redesigned the way we use mobile phones.  On the iPad however, Apple have done a superb job focusing on user interface, but has it redesigned our lives?
From the looks of our many Facebook colleagues, not quite.

If Apple thinks that enlarging the iPod Touch and introducing the iBookStore would mean anything near to “redesign lives”, Apple is dead wrong. It is simply not going to work. Look, the iPad will be mostly used in offices or at home. We have high speed laptops and desktops at these places, why should we the iPad instead?

Here are the questions.

1. Is the iPad better at web surfing?
   I doubt so, can it open 30 tabs to work with?
2. Is the iPad worth $499 to share & view pictures with?
   Highly doubt so.
3. Does the iPad score better at watching movies?
   Definitely a no if you’re a fan of big screens and an audio freak.
4. Is the iPad better at listening to music?
   I already have an iPod touch mate.
5. How about email (Apple hyped a lot at this)?
   I can definitely reply email faster with my workstation.
6. But how about reading books with your iPad?
   Sounds like a future to me.

I beg to differ what Steve Jobs has explained in the keynote. He said the iPad is far better at doing some important things than the iPhone and the Macbook. From the questions I have asked above, I’d say the iPad failed at doing everything. It is just another “Improved Netbook” that fails at everything.

So the only reason I think anybody would use to persuade themselves to get the iPad is the book reading feature. But does that justify the need to get another $499 gadget ($829 at its best spec)?

I personally think the iPad was mixed with the hype of iPhone thus blinded Apple’s development team from searching an identity (or a specialty) for its newest product.

The Apple iPhone has an identity, a revolutionized mobile phone. The Apple iPod also has an identity as well, iPod revolutionize your music. The iPad? Let’s just say as things stands now, the iPad has yet to have an identity of its own.

Apple iPad, Revolutionize Your Home

When I first saw the size of the iPad, what came to me was that this is something I would love to play with when I am taking a break away from my workstation (a laptop or a desktop). Ultimately a gadget perfect for a home, where I can do whatever I do in the living room all in that one piece of metal.

A Library at Home

Apple has done this and I would say this is the biggest step to the future. Many kids have always read story books under a shade which could cause eye problems later in life, same goes to reading books in the iPhone, I can barely see the texts. Reading books in a laptop or desktop however, does not give you the sense of satisfaction.

Therefore the new iBookStore for the iPad in my personal opinion is a huge step forward. Apple iPad has the size of an average book size and is perfect for reading, in any position.

Of course, Amazon’s Kindle has done it before Apple, but is it as user friendly as the iPad?

Built-in Home Telephone

Home phones has run its course in human life now, it is old technology and should be replaced. I irk every time the telephone rings (especially the old ring noise) and how unfitting it is to room spaces and usefulness.

Sometimes it is even more nerve breaking when you are to jot down notes through your phone. You just couldn’t find the pen and paper! While iPad does it all with just a flick of a finger.

Built-in TV

While revolutionizing a home, a built-in TV should not be missed in the iPad. Build the iPad in such a way that it becomes a second TV at home, wirelessly. This way, parents and children would not fight for the favourite TV channels and end up with cold faces at dining tables.

I believe with all these built into the Apple iPad, it will give Apple targeted customers a reason to replace household things (especially the telephone) with the iPad regardless of its price.

What’s the point of creating a product when any older product can easily outdo it? Create one that is made to substitute older products. That is what triggers human nature to change, in which we call revolution.

Have you ever wondered how much dust could be stuck inside your laptop? Dusts collect and grow, and can be damaging when it completely blocked your laptop’s air ventilation. Dust is laptop cooling system’s worst enemy, but how would you know how much dust has been collected and when should you clean your laptop?

What can dust do?

First, let’s talk about how heat is dissipated from laptops. An effective heat dissipation system would be a fan blowing on a lot of copper plates called “Heat Sink”. If you increase the number of copper plates, you have a better cooling system.

However, there is a pitfall if you introduce too many copper plates. If a clump of dust is bigger than the ventilation hole (the distance between copper plates), then dust will stuck and accumulate. It is just a matter of time before a sponge of dust emerges and blocks the ventilation holes.

Dusts have clogged the air vents

When that happens, air blown out from the fan can never reach the heatsink. And your laptop overheats, as the temperature reaches its maximum threshold, your computer will shut itself down to avoid damaging the electronic components.

Dust collecting around the fan would also damage the fan, resulting in an extremely loud and inefficient laptop fan.

Symptoms of a Dirty Laptop

Laptop gets very hot earlier than expected

If last year your laptop wasn’t hot at all when you are using word processing software and now you can feel the heat while doing the same thing, there could be dust accumulating inside your laptop.

No Air coming out from the heatsink

Occasionally feel for released air coming out from the heatsink (usually located at the back) of your laptop. The air could be very little, but enough for your hands to feel it.

If you can’t feel anything coming out, chances are the air ventilation is blocked.

Testing Method

A very good method to check for dust is to test your laptop with your favourite 3D game that sucks up a lot of resources from the laptop. Then compare it with the performance when your laptop was still new.

Play the game for 30 minutes, if the game lags and your laptop gets extremely hot, it is time to clean your laptop. This is how I determine when to clean my laptop

Clean your laptop once a year

A rule of thumb I often use before was to clean my laptop once a year. I’m not talking about wiping the screen and keyboards. I am talking about disassembling the laptop and cleaning it from the inside.

Would Cooler Pads Help?

This is one of the most popular questions asked by anybody before disassembling their own laptop. Since disassembling your laptop comes with a little risk, seeking an alternative way could be a solution for some people.

The answer for the question is of course yes, it helps. It’s just that the downside is if your laptop rely on cooler pads to cooldown, it has lost its portability.

So here’s a suggestion, if you are afraid of risking your laptop due to the disassemble operations, get a cooler pad. Otherwise, disassemble the laptop yourself.

I have compiled some laptop disassembling guides at the Laptop Disassembly page. I am doing my best to expand the guide, so if you live in Sydney, don’t want to buy a cooler pad and want somebody to disassemble your laptop, I can volunteer to help.