The Traveller's Magazine
The news of Steve Jobs’ death at a shockingly young 56 spread this morning in Europe like wildfire. You saw it in your Twitter stream as soon as you turned on your iPhone. Disbelief comes first and then astonishment. Here are three products, whether intentionally or not, that were made with travellers in mind!
There’s no doubt in anyone’s mind that Steve Jobs created a continuous revolution in the tech world that spanned from the 1970s to today and hopefully still into the future. He was a visionary unmatched by anyone in the world of computer development. In the twenty-first century, travellers can’t help but stay connected on the road! Whether it be to communicate on Twitter, post your latest travel shots on Facebook, send emails back home or use Skype to make a hostel booking… tech makes travel a whole lot easier, that much is true.
We’re not saying you need to rush out to the nearest Apple store and buy all three of these products but at least one will take a big strain off your travelling shoulders! Which one suits your travel style the best? Let’s take a closer look!
iPhone 4 (S)
There are a lot of reasons why the iPhone is a great travel tool and it all comes down to the apps you can put on it! There are tons of apps out there to help travellers in just about every was possible. Wondering what our essential apps for travellers are? Just click the link! On top of the apps, you can connect to Wi-Fi and do everything you need to do online if you’re near a hotspot. Forgot your camera at the hostel? Don’t worry, this little built-in camera takes some pretty decent shots for its size. There has been plenty of buzz around the newest iPhone and while we were also hoping for a new iPhone 5, the iPhone 4S has still got some great features for travellers: 8MP camera, HD video in full 1080p, GSM + CDMA antennas for global travellers plus Siri the voice assistant for finding the nearest Italian restaurant to feed your hunger pangs.
iPad
The iPad, as many travellers have found out, has it’s definite pros and its definite cons. If you’re an avid reader on the road (or love to use guidebooks), carrying heavy books is not really an option. You have two solutions, the Kindle or and iPad with the iBooks app. On top of being a reader, you can surf the web, upload your photos, watch movies and more. The iPad isn’t a replacement for any travel gadget as much as it’s a great toy to have on the road with you when you’re stuck on a 12+ hour flight or train ride with little to occupy yourself with. While maybe not recommended for RTW travellers (backpack space is of the essence), this is an excellent choice for holidays! Here are our recommendations for travel apps for iPad.
MacBook Air
Getting a little bigger in size, the MacBook Air is great if you’re the kind of traveller who needs to either do work while on the road or has their own travel blog to keep updated with your most recent adventures. Just the sheer size of it is amazing, fitting into a standard office envelope and weighing a measly 1.35 kg. It’s slim enough to fit just about anywhere, has a built-in camera and microphone for more intimate Skype calls home and comes with all the usual MacBook bells and whistles. Connect to Wi-Fi and you’re laughing.
Steve Jobs took simple designs that work in our societies and culture to create products that change the way we interact with each other and world around us. To end, here is a quote that might inspire you to do what you’re passionate about (be it travel or something else) and do it with excellence,
“We don’t get a chance to do that many things, and every one should be really excellent. Because this is our life. Life is brief, and then you die, you know? And we’ve all chosen to do this with our lives. So it better be damn good. It better be worth it.”
Do you travel with any Apple products on the road? Which ones are your favourite?
