Abdul Rashid's Blog

7hb Jun 2011, hari Selasa -- Cuti persekolahan Penggal 2 bagi sekolah-sekolah di Negara Brunei Darussalam bermula pada hari ini iaitu 7hb Jun 2011, hari Selasa hingga 19hb Jun 2011, hari Ahad. Sekolah akan dibuka semula pada 20hb Jun 2011, hari Isnin.

Sehubungan dengan ini, saya  mengucapkan "Selamat Bercuti" kepada semua murid dan guru (yang bercuti), khususnya kepada murid-murid dan guru-guru tempat saya bertugas.

(Grafik: Abdul Rashid bin Haji Tahir)

13th May 2011, Friday—You have an Apple iPad 2 tablet and you want a case to protect your expensive toy. Something that you are looking for i.e Otterbox Defender Series for Apple iPad 2 is available for order starting from today. I have checked every hour in order to be the first know about its availability.


The Otterbox Defender Series gives some rugged protection to your iPad i.e its provides protection against bump, shock, drop and dust intrustion. However, it is NOT protective against water. If you want a case that protect your iPad 2 against water, you can check a case from LIFEPROOF (not available yet).


The Otterbox Defender Series for Apple iPad 2 costs USD89.95. Delivery to Brunei Darussalam is through Fedex from Otterbox Distribution Center, Colorado USA. The shipping charge is USD21.49. Therefore, you have to pay USD114.44 to have the required rugged protection for iPad 2. From my previous experience, per unit cost will be less if you order more than one unit or item. Better have a number of friends to make a group order.


For futher details about Otterbox Defender Series for iPad 2, you can visit Otterbox website. 

30hb April 2011, hari Sabtu—Apple iPad 2 telah dijual secara rasminya dalam pasaran Negara Brunei Darussalam bermula pada 29hb April 2011, hari Jumaat. 


Orang ramai mula berbaris pada sekitar pukul 8.30 pagi di luar AV Electronics Kiulap. Saya pula mula masuk berbaris pada sekitar pukul 9.oo pagi. Barisan semakin panjang ketika menghampiri pukul 10.00 pagi. 


Pukul 10.oo pagi bermulalah waktu perniagaan AV Electronics. Sebahagian pelanggan (termasuk saya) mula masuk ke dalam. Kami  disambut meriah oleh warga AV Electronics. Sebahagian lagi masih menunggu di luar sehingga keramaian pelanggan di dalam berkurangan. 


Ada yang memilih 'accessory' iPad 2 dahulu sebelum ke kaunter. Ada yang terus berbaris untuk mendapatkan Apple iPad 2. Saya terus berbaris kerana tidak mahu tidak ampit model iPad 2 yang dihajati. Giliran saya tiba. Pada pukul 10.19 pagi, rasmilah saya menjadi pemilik sebuah Apple iPad 2 yang diidamkan.


Sejak saya mula berbaris sehinggalah selepas saya mendapatkan iPad 2 yang dihajati, saya berkesempatan mengambil gambar  untuk dikongsikan bersama di blog ini. Sebahagian dari gambar-gambar itu  seperti berikut ini:

(Gambarfoto: Abdul Rashid bin Haji Tahir. Diambil pada 29 April 2011, hari Jumaat)




Dua gambarfoto di atas menunjukkan 2 muka surat artikel di akhbar The Brunei Times yang dikeluarkan pada hari ini, 30 April 2011, hari Sabtu. (Sila klik pautan ini: The Brunei Times, 30 April 2011 - Scores sold as iPad 2 hits Brunei untuk membaca laporan akhbar ini)

Di samping itu, AV Electronics juga menerbitkan gambar-gambar pelancaran iPad 2 ini  di Facebook Page mereka.

Berikut ini pautan berkenaan pelancaran Apple iPad di Brunei Darussalam pada 29 April 2011 dan isu berkaitan yang timbul:

• The Wheatfield: iPad 2 Launch in Brunei
• Just Aliya: The iPad 2 Fiasco at AV Electronics (with a response from AV Electronics)

28th April 2011, Thursday -- Apple iPad 2 will be officially launched in Brunei Darussalam through Apple Premium Reseller, AV Electronics, at their store in Kiulap and The Mall Gadong on 29th April 2011, Friday (tomorrow) at 10am.

Advertisement by AV Electronics that is posted in their FB Fan Page. Everyone is invited.

At the time of writing this posting, the price of Apple iPad is not yet announced by AV Electronics. But according to the press release (Available through this link), the suggested retail price for iPad 2 in Singapore will be as follow:


Historically, the pricing scheme of iPad 1 in Brunei Darussalam is the same as in Singapore. I expect this will also happen to Apple iPad 2.


The following is the PRESS RELEASE about the iPad 2 availability and pricing:

iPad 2 Arrives in Japan, Hong Kong, Korea, Singapore and Eight Other Countries This Week

Wi-Fi Version Available in China on May 6


SINGAPORE, Singapore—April 27, 2011—Apple® today announced that iPad® 2, the second-generation of its breakthrough post-PC device, will arrive in Japan on Thursday, April 28 and Hong Kong, Korea, Singapore and eight additional countries on Friday, April 29. iPad 2 will be available in Singapore at select Apple Authorised Resellers, and online through the Apple Store® (www.apple.com/sg) beginning at 1am local time. Additionally, iPad 2 with Wi-Fi will be available in China beginning Friday, May 6.


iPad 2 features an entirely new design that is 33 percent thinner and up to 15 percent lighter than the original iPad, while maintaining the same stunning 9.7-inch LED-backlit LCD screen. iPad 2 features Apple’s new dual-core A5 processor for blazing fast performance and stunning graphics and now includes two cameras, a front-facing VGA camera for FaceTime® and Photo Booth®, and a rear-facing camera that captures 720p HD video, bringing the innovative FaceTime feature to iPad users for the first time. Though it is thinner, lighter, faster and packed with new features, iPad 2 still delivers up to 10 hours of battery life* that users have come to expect.


Pricing and Availability
iPad 2 with Wi-Fi will be available in Japan on April 28 and Hong Kong, India, Israel, Korea, Macau, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, South Africa, Turkey and UAE on April 29. In Singapore, iPad 2 will be available for a suggested retail price of S$668 for the 16GB model, S$798 for the 32GB model and S$928 for the 64GB model. iPad 2 with Wi-Fi + 3G will be available in Singapore for a suggested retail price of S$848 for the 16GB model, S$978 for the 32GB model and S$1108 for the 64GB model. iPad 2 with Wi-Fi will be available in China on May 6, and further international availability will be announced at a later date.


iMovie® and GarageBand® for iPad apps are available for US$4.99 each from the App Store℠ on iPad or www.itunes.com/appstore The Smart Cover is available in a range of colors in vibrant polyurethane for S$54 or rich leather for S$98.


*Battery life depends on device settings, usage and other factors. Actual results vary.


Apple designs Macs, the best personal computers in the world, along with OS X, iLife, iWork and professional software. Apple leads the digital music revolution with its iPods and iTunes online store. Apple has reinvented the mobile phone with its revolutionary iPhone and App Store, and has recently introduced iPad 2 which is defining the future of mobile media and computing devices.


Press Contact:
Malini Mitra
Apple
malini.mitra@apple.com
(65) 6480-7660


© 2011 Apple Inc. All rights reserved. Apple, the Apple logo, Mac, Mac OS, Macintosh, iPad, Apple Store, FaceTime, Photo Booth, iMovie, GarageBand and App Store are trademarks of Apple. Other company and product names may be trademarks of their respective owners.


For further details about Apple iPad 2 and other Apple products for Brunei market, you can visit AV Electronics (Apple Premium Reseller in Brunei Darussalam) through their Facebook fan page HERE.

p/s: At the time of writing this posting, Otterbox Defender Series for Apple iPad 2 is not yet released. Hmm... I hope it will be released by next week...


Update (12.38am, 29th April 2011)


AV Electronics has announced the official pricing for the iPad 2. It is the same pricing scheme as in Singapore. But, you have to pay more if you pay using credit card. The following is the advertisement (which including the price list) that is posted in the AV Electronics Facebook page less than an hour ago:

Advertisement by AV Electronics that is posted in their Facebook page.

The price list is available for download (in pdf format) HERE.