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Club Penguin Island | |
---|---|
Developer(s) | Disney Canada Inc. |
Publisher(s) | Disney Mobile |
Engine | Unity |
Platform(s) | iOS, Android, Windows, macOS |
Release | Android, iOS
|
Genre(s) | Massively multiplayer online role-playing game |
Mode(s) | Single-Player, multiplayer |
Club Penguin Island was a massively-multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG) and the 'successor' to Club Penguin.[1] The game was released worldwide on March 29, 2017 and was created by Disney Canada Inc. in order to keep the Club Penguin franchise alive as closing its predecessor, Club Penguin, was necessary.[2][3]The game's public beta testing period took place in Australia and New Zealand from December 15, 2016 to its worldwide release, and in Canada from January 13, 2017 to its worldwide release.[4][5] The game was discontinued on December 20, 2018.[6]
The gameplay is similar to that of the original Club Penguin, though it runs on the game engineUnity rather than Adobe Flash Player.[7][8]
Club Penguin Island received mixed reviews from critics[note 1] and many negative reviews from some of the original game's old players upon its worldwide release for lacking many features of the original version at launch.[2]
The 1.8 updates, released on November 30, 2017, received positive reviews for adding fan-requested features and launching a PC and Mac version of the game.[9]
On September 27, 2018, Disney confirmed the imminent discontinuation of Club Penguin Island in a letter obtained by the website Kotaku,[10] as well as in an official blog post.[11] It was removed from Google Play and the App Store on November 20, 2018. Downloading for Desktop was also removed on December 20, 2018.[12]
On November 5, 2018, the final update, version 1.13.0, was released, which included an offline mode, effectively making the game still available as a single-player experience. At 10:00 AM PST on December 20, 2018, Club Penguin Island had shut down their servers. All users that were playing Club Penguin Island at the time received an error message telling them that the connection was lost. Offline Mode was activated on December 21, 2018. Most of Club Penguin Island's URLs redirect to the official Disney website.[13]
History[edit]
The game was originally known under the code name of Project: Super Secret, first used in 2014 and teased with sneak peeks in June 2015. However, Project: Super Secret was initially said to be Disney Mix, with the game's actual development confirmed to have started in 2015.[14] On November 17, 2016, the project was revealed to be Club Penguin Island.[7] The official website for the game was released and pre-registration began allowing players to pre-register their account for the game. By pre-registering, players would receive a Beta Hat, a set of six emojis, and 100 coins. Additionally, players had the option of connecting their Club Penguin accounts with their Club Penguin Island account. If this was done, they would also receive the Alumni Jacket, with a number on the back displaying how many years the connected Club Penguin account has existed. The pre-registration was ended on March 29, 2017.
The game's closed beta took place between its announcement and December 2016 in North America.[15]
A semi-private 'geo-beta' took place in Australia and New Zealand between December 15, 2016 to its worldwide release.[16] This beta was extended to iOS users in Canada on January 13, 2017.[5]
The original Flash game's servers went offline on the day of the game's release on March 30, 2017 at 12:01:39 AM PDT (7:01:39 AM UTC).[citation needed]
On November 13, 2017, it was announced in a live stream on the official Facebook page of the game that a desktop version of Club Penguin Island would be released the same day the 1.8 update releases at.
On November 30, 2017, the desktop version was launched as an open beta, allowing players to report bugs in preparation for a full release at a later date.
On September 27, 2018, Disney confirmed in a letter to Disney Canada, obtained by the website Kotaku, that Club Penguin Island would be shutting down and that everyone left would be let go.[10] Disney HR cited 'global competition' as a factor in their decision.
In addition to the shutdown, the entire Club Penguin team, based out of Kelowna, British Columbia, was laid off, despite being greenlit for two more years of work only three weeks prior to the announcement of the shutdown
On October 12, 2018, the shutdown date was confirmed to be December 20, 2018. Two last parties were also announced, being the Halloween Party 2018 and Waddle On Party.
The Mobile App was removed from the Google Play Store and App Store on November 20, 2018, one month prior to the server shutdown.
The game was shut down on December 20, 2018 and is no longer available to play online.[6]
Offline mode was launched on December 21, allowing the player's account/penguin to be saved after the shutdown.
Plot and gameplay[edit]
Club Penguin Island is divided into various zones and distinct areas and contains a variety of features. Each player has a penguin level that is a measurement of their progress. Progress increases as the player completes Adventures and Daily Challenges. Every time a player reaches a new level, they receive a reward in the form of a pack, containing various items, such as emojis or blueprints. All rewards apart from emojis in these packs require membership to use.
Clothing customization[edit]
The Clothing Customizer, referred to as The Designer in loading screens, is a feature in Club Penguin Island that players can use to create clothing, utilizing blueprints as bases, and optionally, fabrics and/or decals as well for design. All players can use the Customizer, although only members can wear the resulting clothing. Members have the ability to sell their clothing and buy clothing submitted by other players. Each day, there is a different type of catalog, with a theme. The theme of the catalog determines which blueprints, fabrics, and decals can be used. The theme resets at midnight in Penguin Standard Time. (PST)
Adventures[edit]
Adventures, also known as quests, and prefixed with ep. (short for episode) are activities in Club Penguin Island that players may partake in, and are received by talking to specific quest characters. Adventures involve players traveling around the island, completing tasks, and solving problems. Completing adventures yields coins and XP, and often various other rewards as well, such as a unique item or blueprints. Members are able to take part in every adventure. However, non-members are limited to taking part in one adventure from each character.
Daily Challenges[edit]
Daily Challenges are activities in Club Penguin Island that players may partake in daily. Each challenge requires players to perform certain actions in order to complete, and each yields a reward in coins and XP, although some community challenges do not yield XP. There are a set of four challenges per day, and these challenges change every midnight in PST but are always in the same set of four. They can be accessed through the Island Live Phone, which displays a tab of the day's challenges. Completing challenges is one of the ways players can gain levels.
Collectibles[edit]
Scattered throughout the island are collectible items that can be exchanged for coins at the Beacon Boardwalk. Each collectible has a certain coin exchange rate, location where they are available, amount available per area, and respawn time after collecting.
Igloos[edit]
Each player is provided with an igloo for a home which both members and non-members are able to customize. Members have the ability to choose from many variants of igloos as well as purchase items from a full catalog of furniture, landscaping, terrain, interactives, and more. Non-members are able to purchase two types of igloos and non-member items from the catalog. Items can be bought with virtual coins that are earned by playing mini-games, collecting coins throughout the zones, and trading in collectibles at the exchange. Like its predecessor, Club Penguin, anyone can access a players igloo on Club Penguin Island by clicking the igloo icon on their profile, provided the player has selected to make their igloo public.
Gear[edit]
Gear is a type of item that members can use to perform various actions. Gear that is obtained through leveling-up or adventures is portable and can be used anywhere on the island. There is also gear that can be found in certain locations and can be used even if the player has yet to obtain it. Non-members can only use the jackhammer gear.
Events[edit]
Several events were held on Club Penguin Island. In most cases, one or more free items were made available for everyone to obtain. Some events came with quests that all players were able to participate in. One example of this was the Halloween party. Like its predecessor, the game also hosted some sponsored events.
Party Supplies[edit]
Party Supplies are consumable items that can be bought at shops by members, and can be used, each with varying effects. Party Supplies include items such as fireworks, edible items, and party games.
Games[edit]
Club Penguin Island contains a variety of games, eight of which are available for all players. Most of these games reward the players with coins and XP upon completion. Both members and non-members are able to purchase and use the party games Marble Hunt, Ink or Swim, and Fossil Four. There are also games that are built-in to the Club Penguin Island zones. Team Dance Battle is a multiplayer memorization game that everyone is able to play with the maximum limit of players in each round being a total of twenty, and at the minimum, one player in each team. Tube racing is a multiplayer racing game that is played by everyone on the top of Mt. Blizzard every couple of minutes. Other games for everyone include the Sea Caves Race Course, the Crate Co. Target Game and Tilt-o-Tube, which involves players trying to knock their opponents off a floating platform.
Island Live[edit]
Island Live is a feature added in the 1.8 update of the game. It's the successor of the CPI Phone that was added in the 1.2 update. It can be accessed by clicking on a Phone icon. It shows information about live events taking place on Club Penguin Island, displays Daily Challenges and contains a variety of apps, like a Friends menu, Island News, and Settings.
Membership[edit]
Club Penguin Island's revenue was raised predominantly through paid subscriptions, cheaper than its predecessor, of a one-week, one-month, three-month, six-month or twelve-month paid membership, although free access of the game is available. Membership allows players' access to a range of additional features. This includes designing all clothing, wearing all clothing, buying Party Supplies, playing all adventures, completing all Daily Challenges, the ability to use all gear and more. Penguins with a paid membership are called 'members', whereas players who do not have a membership are referred to as 'non-members'.
Although members gain additional features, players without a membership can obtain all event items whether they're a member or not, obtain wearable event shirts, customize certain items in the Clothing Customizer, play the first adventure of every quest giving character, use Party Supplies given to them by members, customize an igloo (of which anyone is able to visit) with any quantity from a selection of non-member igloo items, play all mini-games, use the jackhammer gear, buy and play party games, join tube races, waddle around anywhere on the island, chat with other players, reach the maximum Penguin Level, and take part in non-member Daily Challenges. After the 1.10.1 update, non-members who signed up during the pre-registration period are now able to wear the beta hat, and if they connected their Club Penguin usernames for use in Club Penguin Island, their alumni jacket too.
All players automatically received a free, unlimited membership on November 5, 2018, which would carry over to Offline Mode. Refunds were processed for memberships extending beyond November 6, 2018.[6]
Offline Mode[edit]
Offline Mode was added to Club Penguin Island in the game's final update, and it was activated on December 21, 2018. It allowed players to login to a limited version of the game, which stored your penguin on your device. You cannot see or interact with any other penguins in the game.[17]
A new feature called Debug Mode was also added, which is a tool that Club Penguin Island's developers used to test the game.[18] It allows players to teleport to different locations in the game, add a custom number of coins to their account, and import/export their player data - among other tweaks. A network menu appeared in Debug Mode on December 25, 2018.[19] The network menu allows players to create their own private server using SmartFoxServer (similarly to private servers from the original Club Penguin), however there is no documentation on how to do so. A content submenu also appeared on March 28, 2019 - which allows players to customize the game.
Accolades[edit]
The game was nominated for 'Best Music in a Casual/Social Game' at the 16th Annual Game Audio Network Guild Awards.[20]
Notes[edit]
- ^Results calculated by averaging these reviews:
- Review By Club Penguin Mountains (Positive)
- Review By Polygon (Negative)
- Review By AppAdvice (Negative)
- Review By LaughingPlace (Positive)
References[edit]
- ^Perez, Sarah. 'Club Penguin is shutting down'. TechCrunch. Retrieved February 28, 2017.
- ^ abFrank, Allegra (March 30, 2017). 'No one's feeling Club Penguin's replacement'. Polygon. Vox Media. Retrieved April 3, 2017.
- ^'Club Penguin's response to people angry about Club Penguin's closure'. Club Penguin. September 6, 2017. Archived from the original on September 8, 2017. Retrieved December 7, 2017.CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
- ^'Club Penguin Island: Now Available in Australia and New Zealand!'. Club Penguin. December 15, 2016. Archived from the original on January 31, 2017. Retrieved April 18, 2017.CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
- ^ ab'Club Penguin Island Geo-Beta: Now Available in Canada!'. Club Penguin. January 13, 2017. Archived from the original on March 26, 2017. Retrieved April 18, 2017.CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
- ^ abc'Club Penguin Island Support'. Club Penguin Island. Archived from the original on July 6, 2019.
- ^ ab'Project: Super Secret.. Revealed!'. Club Penguin. November 17, 2016. Archived from the original on March 26, 2017. Retrieved April 18, 2017.CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
- ^'License Credits | Club Penguin Island'. Club Penguin Island. Archived from the original on May 25, 2018. Retrieved May 24, 2018.
- ^'Club Penguin Island Launches New Fan-Requested Features'. The Disney Driven Life. December 4, 2017. Retrieved December 29, 2017.
- ^ abD'Anastasio, Cecilia. 'Club Penguin Island To Shut Down, Marking Final End Of The Beloved Children's MMO'. Kotaku. Retrieved September 27, 2018.
- ^'Thank You, Penguin Family | Club Penguin Island'. Club Penguin Island. September 27, 2018. Archived from the original on September 27, 2018. Retrieved September 27, 2018.
- ^JoeDermo [@JoeDermo] (November 7, 2018). 'The Club Penguin Island app will be removed from mobile stores on November 20' (Tweet) – via Twitter.
- ^JoeDermo [@JoeDermo] (November 6, 2018). 'It won't activate until after 21 December 2018' (Tweet) – via Twitter.
- ^Spike Hike [@SpikeHikeCP] (August 6, 2016). 'Disney Mix is what I meant when I announced Project Super Secret. But then somehow that became the name of the new CP' (Tweet) – via Twitter.
- ^'Club Penguin Island Closed Beta Q&A'. Club Penguin. December 7, 2016. Archived from the original on March 26, 2017. Retrieved April 18, 2017.CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
- ^'Club Penguin Island: Now Available in Australia and New Zealand!'. Club Penguin. December 15, 2016. Archived from the original on March 26, 2017. Retrieved April 18, 2017.CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
- ^'Offline Mode | Club Penguin Island'. December 5, 2018. Archived from the original on December 5, 2018. Retrieved December 12, 2020.
- ^'Debug Mode | Club Penguin Island'. December 20, 2018. Archived from the original on December 20, 2018. Retrieved December 12, 2020.
- ^'Debug Mode'. Club Penguin Wiki. Retrieved December 12, 2020.
- ^'2018 Awards'. Game Audio Network Guild. Retrieved April 14, 2018.
External links[edit]
Greetings All!
This marks my first post that is not associated with CP whatsoever. Instead, I will be talking about which devices I'm currently using in certain categories. The major focus will go on the 3 main categories; smartphone, tablet and computer.
Smartphone: HTC One (M8)
I've always been a fan of Android ever since I first experienced it – when a relative of mine purchased the original Samsung Galaxy Note. The huge, vibrant screen was overwhelming. Up until then, I was using old phones simply for the text/call factor, not to download games and browse the web. The Note itself is what booted my love for smartphones. I've been obsessed with smartphones for years now, one is always on my person wherever I go. The plethora of possibility in such a portable, personal device is probably my favourite thing about them. Music? Apps? Games? Reading? Browsing? Watching videos? Taking photos? Emails? No problem!
My first Android device was a Samsung Galaxy III – a phone in which made me question how I lived my life without a smartphone in the first place. It was an amazing device for its' time. The size of the screen was perhaps one of the most attracting factor, combined with Samsung's famous Super AMOLED screens – praised for their saturated colours. I used this thing for everything. It came with me everywhere. Being an Android user, I eventually decided to install a custom ROM to replace Samsung's stock TouchWiz UI (which can be a little laggy sometimes). Regardless, I ran several ROM's including Liquidsmooth and CyanogenMOD. Both of which being great alternatives.
Since then (Late mid 2012) I've owned several other phones, including the Galaxy Note and the Google Nexus 4. The Note I found to be a little awkward to hold at times, whereas the Nexus 4 was fantastic due to its' build quality and pure Android – though it did lack several features I missed from Samsung's versions. After another relative purchased the original HTC One (M7), I was immediately curious. I hadn't used a HTC Android phone before, but wow what a beast that thing was. Combining exceptional design, build quality, software, hardware and of course those famous front-facing speakers – the M7 rightly won the Phone of the Year award from T3. Sense, HTC's version of Android, was particularly impressive. HTC had taken Google's Android and included features and an interface that was beneficial for the user – and not just a bloatware marketing gimmick that TouchWiz seems to offer.
With this in mind, I got my HTC One M8 this year. Thus far, I love the device. The BoomSound features are perhaps my favourite feature. The full aluminium unibody design rivals anything Apple has brought to the table. One could say the new iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus have been influenced by HTC's design standards – particularly when both are compared to the M8. I use this device a lot every day. It's always with me. I also use it for music purposes – rather than those people who instead like to carry a MP3 Player and a smartphone at the same time.
Scratch Mac Os
As rumours hot up regarding the M8's successor – codenamed ‘Hima' – I instead look forward to Android 5.0 Lollipop and HTC's next version of Sense (Sense 7.0). Will I become increasingly jealous over the M9 as time goes on? I hope not. My bank wouldn't appreciate buying out my contract which has over a year left!
Tablet: iPad Mini 2
I bet readers didn't expect that. 'But you love Android?' Yes. But I also enjoy iOS. There are plenty of people whom possess one or the other and therefore begin to hate on the one they don't own. I instead prefer to own several devices in which run on different operating systems – thus getting the best of all the worlds. Android I prefer for its' customisation, rich features and the fact that devices aren't limited to one manufacturer. Don't like Samsung but like Android? No problem! Go with HTC. Or LG. Or Moto. And so on.
I've always used iOS for tablets. I love the seamless way iOS seems to simply just work. iOS 8 is a great mobile OS that serves its' purpose incredibly well. It's simple and easy to use for everyone, contains a great App Store and of course updates come straight to your device direct from the manufacturer. The tablet-optimised apps are also a huge factor when selecting a tablet. Android has been guilty of having scaled-up smartphone apps on the Google Play store many times before.
After owning an old preowned iPad 1, I instantly felt the need for more power in a thinner, lighter, more attractive package. The iPad 4 then replaced my dated iPad 1 which couldn't run many apps without force closing. The Retina Display has become the industry standard today – with several even surpassing Apple's efforts by including a Quad-HD screen into their smartphones (LG G3 for example). Revolutionary in 2010 (2012 for tablets) perhaps, but the quality of the screen still remains great to look at even today.
I did originally intend on getting an iPad Mini. The rumours of a thinner, lighter yet smaller and more affordable iPad sounded perfect to me. Particularly the more affordable part. Of course, the first generation iPad Mini came with too many limitations for me to be convinced. A two year old A5 chip with a non-Retina screen and 512MB RAM for a not-so cheap price when compared to its' then competition? No thanks. With that in mind, I went for the iPad 4 and never looked back.
.Until a few months ago. My friend got an iPad Mini 2. After trying it out, I was slightly jealous. I became aware of how large and heavy the iPad 4 seemed. The performance improvement and overall better design were also tempting. Of course by this point the most recent iPad Mini – the iPad Mini 3 had been released. All that changed was the addition of a new gold colour and the Touch ID fingerprint sensor on the home button. No A8X chip or increase in RAM like the iPad Air 2. Heck, not even a A8 chip like those found in the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus. I was hugely disappointed with Apple's efforts. Ignoring the Mini after the 2 was so successful? Frustrating.
The big decrease in price for the Mini 2 meant I was too tempted to resist. I ultimately sold my iPad 4 and purchased an iPad Mini 2. It's a fantastic device that I use a lot more often than I did with my iPad 4. The added portability really does make a difference. Maybe not so much anymore with the Air series, but definitely compared to the older iPads.
Computer: MacBook Pro (Late 2011)
I've always been a Windows user. I enjoyed Windows. Sure it was slow after a while and viruses were much more common on the Microsoft OS, but it served its' purpose as my everyday OS. Being familiar with several versions; XP, Vista, 7, 8 and even the Technical Preview of 10 – I was never bothered about Apple's efforts. Why? Because Macs are expensive. Everyone knows this. Nuclear powered toaster mac os. Some argue you pay more for a all-round better machine, others state that you can purchase a much better spec'd Windows machine for the same price.
It was until I discovered a cheap MacBook on a selling website that I was content with Windows. Noticing that it had an Intel Core i7 processor (quad-core) rather than an i5 – even if it was an older model – I gave in. I'd never even properly used a Mac before, and there was I purchasing a still somewhat expensive couple-year old machine running an OS I had no idea how to use. Many people questioned my spontaneous, admittedly hasty decision.
Over a year later and I can say without hesitation that it is the best computer I've ever used. Mac OS X is a real pleasure to use. It makes the often slow, clunky OS that is Windows something that I don't plan on using on a personal computer – unless of course Windows 10 is mind-blowing. I realise many dislike Macs due to their weaker gaming efforts, or simply because of their pricier nature. The keyboard, the trackpad, the screen, the OS, the build quality, the MagSafe charger, the speakers – everything oozes quality that I've yet to use on a non-Apple computer. I'm not necessarily a fanboy, I just appreciate Macs for what they are – outstanding computers. I hope, my bank depending, that I can continuously use Macs for good. This computer has served me incredibly well already; though I hope there's many more years to come.
Reserve Computer: Samsung RV515 Laptop
My previous laptop before it was replaced by my MacBook. Now its' used as a backup, and often an attempt to see if certain Mac-created content works on Windows. Currently it's enjoying life running Windows 10 Technical Preview which is already a big improvement when compared to Windows 8. Its' slowness has began to show however, thus resulting in it rarely been used for anything other than tests.
Consoles: Nintendo 3DS & Sony PS4
I'm a huge Pokemon fan as I'm sure some know. I also enjoy many other games Nintendo offers like the Super Mario Bros franchise. I've owned Nintendo handheld consoles since the Game Boy Colour – and will continue to do so as long as great games – particularly Pokemon – are being released.
Download Scratch For Mac Os
In terms of the powerhouses, I've always owned the PlayStation consoles rather than Xbox. Purchasing a PS3 and indeed recently a PS4 was another one of my more easily-convinced-by-people hasty decisions. Regardless, I don't regret either. The likes of FIFA, Skyrim and several others keeps me entertained for hours.
Conclusion
And thus wraps up the main tech I use on a regular basis. Of course, there's other devices such as a Nintendo Wii, TV and all that jazz but I decided to instead focus on the main 4 categories. I hope you all enjoyed this first non-CP-related post and look forward to more. Of course you can also expect the Star Wars Rebels critical review within the coming week too. Stay tuned1
My first Android device was a Samsung Galaxy III – a phone in which made me question how I lived my life without a smartphone in the first place. It was an amazing device for its' time. The size of the screen was perhaps one of the most attracting factor, combined with Samsung's famous Super AMOLED screens – praised for their saturated colours. I used this thing for everything. It came with me everywhere. Being an Android user, I eventually decided to install a custom ROM to replace Samsung's stock TouchWiz UI (which can be a little laggy sometimes). Regardless, I ran several ROM's including Liquidsmooth and CyanogenMOD. Both of which being great alternatives.
Since then (Late mid 2012) I've owned several other phones, including the Galaxy Note and the Google Nexus 4. The Note I found to be a little awkward to hold at times, whereas the Nexus 4 was fantastic due to its' build quality and pure Android – though it did lack several features I missed from Samsung's versions. After another relative purchased the original HTC One (M7), I was immediately curious. I hadn't used a HTC Android phone before, but wow what a beast that thing was. Combining exceptional design, build quality, software, hardware and of course those famous front-facing speakers – the M7 rightly won the Phone of the Year award from T3. Sense, HTC's version of Android, was particularly impressive. HTC had taken Google's Android and included features and an interface that was beneficial for the user – and not just a bloatware marketing gimmick that TouchWiz seems to offer.
With this in mind, I got my HTC One M8 this year. Thus far, I love the device. The BoomSound features are perhaps my favourite feature. The full aluminium unibody design rivals anything Apple has brought to the table. One could say the new iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus have been influenced by HTC's design standards – particularly when both are compared to the M8. I use this device a lot every day. It's always with me. I also use it for music purposes – rather than those people who instead like to carry a MP3 Player and a smartphone at the same time.
Scratch Mac Os
As rumours hot up regarding the M8's successor – codenamed ‘Hima' – I instead look forward to Android 5.0 Lollipop and HTC's next version of Sense (Sense 7.0). Will I become increasingly jealous over the M9 as time goes on? I hope not. My bank wouldn't appreciate buying out my contract which has over a year left!
Tablet: iPad Mini 2
I bet readers didn't expect that. 'But you love Android?' Yes. But I also enjoy iOS. There are plenty of people whom possess one or the other and therefore begin to hate on the one they don't own. I instead prefer to own several devices in which run on different operating systems – thus getting the best of all the worlds. Android I prefer for its' customisation, rich features and the fact that devices aren't limited to one manufacturer. Don't like Samsung but like Android? No problem! Go with HTC. Or LG. Or Moto. And so on.
I've always used iOS for tablets. I love the seamless way iOS seems to simply just work. iOS 8 is a great mobile OS that serves its' purpose incredibly well. It's simple and easy to use for everyone, contains a great App Store and of course updates come straight to your device direct from the manufacturer. The tablet-optimised apps are also a huge factor when selecting a tablet. Android has been guilty of having scaled-up smartphone apps on the Google Play store many times before.
After owning an old preowned iPad 1, I instantly felt the need for more power in a thinner, lighter, more attractive package. The iPad 4 then replaced my dated iPad 1 which couldn't run many apps without force closing. The Retina Display has become the industry standard today – with several even surpassing Apple's efforts by including a Quad-HD screen into their smartphones (LG G3 for example). Revolutionary in 2010 (2012 for tablets) perhaps, but the quality of the screen still remains great to look at even today.
I did originally intend on getting an iPad Mini. The rumours of a thinner, lighter yet smaller and more affordable iPad sounded perfect to me. Particularly the more affordable part. Of course, the first generation iPad Mini came with too many limitations for me to be convinced. A two year old A5 chip with a non-Retina screen and 512MB RAM for a not-so cheap price when compared to its' then competition? No thanks. With that in mind, I went for the iPad 4 and never looked back.
.Until a few months ago. My friend got an iPad Mini 2. After trying it out, I was slightly jealous. I became aware of how large and heavy the iPad 4 seemed. The performance improvement and overall better design were also tempting. Of course by this point the most recent iPad Mini – the iPad Mini 3 had been released. All that changed was the addition of a new gold colour and the Touch ID fingerprint sensor on the home button. No A8X chip or increase in RAM like the iPad Air 2. Heck, not even a A8 chip like those found in the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus. I was hugely disappointed with Apple's efforts. Ignoring the Mini after the 2 was so successful? Frustrating.
The big decrease in price for the Mini 2 meant I was too tempted to resist. I ultimately sold my iPad 4 and purchased an iPad Mini 2. It's a fantastic device that I use a lot more often than I did with my iPad 4. The added portability really does make a difference. Maybe not so much anymore with the Air series, but definitely compared to the older iPads.
Computer: MacBook Pro (Late 2011)
I've always been a Windows user. I enjoyed Windows. Sure it was slow after a while and viruses were much more common on the Microsoft OS, but it served its' purpose as my everyday OS. Being familiar with several versions; XP, Vista, 7, 8 and even the Technical Preview of 10 – I was never bothered about Apple's efforts. Why? Because Macs are expensive. Everyone knows this. Nuclear powered toaster mac os. Some argue you pay more for a all-round better machine, others state that you can purchase a much better spec'd Windows machine for the same price.
It was until I discovered a cheap MacBook on a selling website that I was content with Windows. Noticing that it had an Intel Core i7 processor (quad-core) rather than an i5 – even if it was an older model – I gave in. I'd never even properly used a Mac before, and there was I purchasing a still somewhat expensive couple-year old machine running an OS I had no idea how to use. Many people questioned my spontaneous, admittedly hasty decision.
Over a year later and I can say without hesitation that it is the best computer I've ever used. Mac OS X is a real pleasure to use. It makes the often slow, clunky OS that is Windows something that I don't plan on using on a personal computer – unless of course Windows 10 is mind-blowing. I realise many dislike Macs due to their weaker gaming efforts, or simply because of their pricier nature. The keyboard, the trackpad, the screen, the OS, the build quality, the MagSafe charger, the speakers – everything oozes quality that I've yet to use on a non-Apple computer. I'm not necessarily a fanboy, I just appreciate Macs for what they are – outstanding computers. I hope, my bank depending, that I can continuously use Macs for good. This computer has served me incredibly well already; though I hope there's many more years to come.
Reserve Computer: Samsung RV515 Laptop
My previous laptop before it was replaced by my MacBook. Now its' used as a backup, and often an attempt to see if certain Mac-created content works on Windows. Currently it's enjoying life running Windows 10 Technical Preview which is already a big improvement when compared to Windows 8. Its' slowness has began to show however, thus resulting in it rarely been used for anything other than tests.
Consoles: Nintendo 3DS & Sony PS4
I'm a huge Pokemon fan as I'm sure some know. I also enjoy many other games Nintendo offers like the Super Mario Bros franchise. I've owned Nintendo handheld consoles since the Game Boy Colour – and will continue to do so as long as great games – particularly Pokemon – are being released.
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In terms of the powerhouses, I've always owned the PlayStation consoles rather than Xbox. Purchasing a PS3 and indeed recently a PS4 was another one of my more easily-convinced-by-people hasty decisions. Regardless, I don't regret either. The likes of FIFA, Skyrim and several others keeps me entertained for hours.
Conclusion
And thus wraps up the main tech I use on a regular basis. Of course, there's other devices such as a Nintendo Wii, TV and all that jazz but I decided to instead focus on the main 4 categories. I hope you all enjoyed this first non-CP-related post and look forward to more. Of course you can also expect the Star Wars Rebels critical review within the coming week too. Stay tuned1
Until next time!
– Jimbobson