-
šāļø2ļøā£. š Letās go and put all this behind us: get vaccinated.
-
Since I began extensively testing iPadOS 15, my idea of upgrading my 2018 11ā iPad Pro to a 2021 12.9ā version is suddenly less temptingā¦ what does this even tell about the very nature of iPadOS 15 for the iPad Platform?
-
On design trends ā sadness
While reading a recent article from Basic Apple Guy about News+, there is this illustration that shows how far Apple News icon has come since its beginnings. I have included the illustration here. It shows how bad design has become in the last five to ten years. That is really depressing to see. As much as things like AR and LiDAR technology help bring real world and virtual world closer together, UI design seems to go the opposite direction. Why is that? When will that trend stop and maybe revert a bit? Why canāt we get visually joyful icons anymore? Is it a matter of design costs being too high?
-
A few observations on my iPadOS 15 beta2 experience so far
So, I took the plunge and installed iPadOS 15 beta2 on my iPad Pro. A few observations. Itās beta and it shows. Home screen and widgets placement is janky. One springboard crash so far. All my apps are working just fine. Battery life is taking a hit. Text recognition in pictures is jaw breaking and open up all sort of new use cases. The QuickNote feature is a nice addition that will complement my blogger workflow. QuickNotes appear as regular notes on iOS 14. The loupe is back, thanks god, but I think refinements are needed: it is hard to distinguish from the surrounding text. I completely redone my home screen arrangment. I didnāt setup Focus modes yet as Iām not done with home screens setup yet, both are tied together. I love the new notifications design. Iām really liking iPadOS 15 so far. I use App Library a lot, much more than on my iPhone. 1x1 Widgets are replacing application icons on my first home screen page and I love it! Reordering of home pages is alone enough to justify upgrading! Didnāt use the new multitasking a lot yet, just played a bit with it and itās a good improvement. Alt-tab in split-view will switch focus between the apps, welcome in 2021. Unpopular opinion: I kind of like Safariās new design, not sure if this will hold true on the iPhone, though. I love the new keyboard overlay at the bottom of the screen; it is no longer as wide as the screen. I like the refreshed design of the shortcuts editor and the suggestions. Thatās it for now. Back to home pages setup.
-
When hackers strikes personal NAS-type devices
Pool Western Digital My Book Live NAS ownersā¦ many of them woke up to find out that their content was gone from their devices. Apparently, hackers came in by using an unpatched vulnerability on devices where the last update was issued in 2015 by Western Digital. This brings me to ask the following questions: were those devices directly connected on the internet? If yes, that dumb. If this was a known vulnerability, why WD didn’t issue a patch? Companies should be required to publish security-only fixes for far longer than they do right now. I’m sorry but 2015 isn’t that old for such a type of devices. Finally, I personally own a Synology NAS, obviously not directly connected on the Internet, yet, I have to wonder if it is still secure. I’m planning on enabling 2FA to add another layer of protection, though.
-
iPadOS 15 beta 2: install or not, that is the question (#ipados15 #ipadod15beta2)
Iām on vacation. I have some time to spare. My vacation time is spent between my home and a rented chalet. The iPad Pro and my iPhone 11 Pro are my main devices. Beta 2 came late this week and reports are starting to come in. In summary, lotās of fixes, a bit faster and apparently no big show stopper. Iām mostly using Craft these days and Appleās stock apps like Reminders and Notes. What could go wrong?
My situation is similar to James Rogersā from iPadInsight. Last year, I went all in with iOS 14 betas on my iPad and iPhone. This year? Iām a bit more caution. Iām looking to test iPadOS more than anything. As I write this, I get a feeling that Iām trying to convince myself of either waiting for the public beta of simply live dangerously and make the plunge. But what happens in Photos memories on non-upgraded devices? What about Messages in the cloud? What if I create a new reminder item on iOS 15 but want to check it off on a non-iOS 15 device? So many questionsā¦ Help me with this.
I know that I should put some time in writing my next issue of my monthly newsletter instead of writing this microblog post. š¤·š»āāļø
Just got an idea: have a look at the release notes and see if there are any deal breaker in there. Stay tuned. š
-
Are Facetime Links Enough to compete against Zoom or Teams?
Benjamin Mayo on FaceTime 15 in the landscape of collaboration tools like Zoom and Teams:
FaceTime is more like an add-on of Messages, competing against WhatsApp and traditional phone calls if anything. You also see this in how each service handles identity; Zoom and Teams have abstracted user accounts, whereas on FaceTime you connect by sharing your personal phone number or email address ā information that you only want to give out to close friends. Source: FaceTime in iOS 15 āĀ Benjamin Mayo
Surprisingly, to use FaceTime, you need to give very personal information like your phone number of your email addressā¦ while other competing platform has abstracted that account information a long time ago. FaceTime links represent a step in the right direction, as sharing a link is enough for others to get onboard. Time will tell if this proves to be enough in the enterprise.
-
One design doesnāt fits all device sizes ā Safari in iOS 15
This Safari redesign concept misses the point of Appleās decision to redesign Safari on iPhone. Appleās intention was two-fold: provide a better navigation on the iPhone with the thumb and bring the navigation model of switching across open websites closer to switching between apps. Appleās intention were good but where they fail is to provide the exact same design for things like opened tabs the same across all screen sizes. Itās probably not needed on the Mac, itās good on the iPad but messy on the iPhone. I wonder how Apple will backtrack on this one and when.
-
On Gruberās annotating Appleās latest white paper
This blog post by Gruber is probably one of its best. He annotates Appleās publication regarding Anti-Sideloading White Paper. You may disagree with him (I do agree with him), he points to very solid arguments.
By having side-loading available, I can already see a bunch of lazy-scammy developers who will skip the App Store because, you know, itās a pain in the ass to deal with these app reviewsā¦ so letās drop a bin file with a download link on a Facebook page, that should be just āgood enoughā. Oh and clusless IT guys who will require those apps to be downloaded because, you know, they are mandatory for this or thatā¦ schools would probably be the first in lineā¦. wake up guys, we donāt need this shitty world.
-
Apple and Architecture
This is one of the many reasons why I love Apple. They put so much money into this building restoration, it is mind blowing. The amounf of efforts that went into renovating this historic site is beyond any public-founded projects could have done. This brings me to this interesting question by Basic Apple Guy:
(ā¦) should corporations be allowed to get their hands on this historic architecture and turn them into private businesses? Rightly or wrongly, the fact of the matter is that many governments don’t prioritize or have the means to prioritize the extensive work required to take on this scale of restoration.
I tend to have a polarizing view on anything related to architecture. My father was an architect and so Iām profoundly sensitive on the subject. Yes corporation can take over abandoned historic buildings as long as they do it under the supervision of an urbanism council or something like it. Here, Apple transformed a building into a store but each time Apple chose to do it in a gentle way. I mean, it is barely noticeable from the outside that this is an Apple Store. Itās a very respectful way to do it.
-
Appleās Shortcuts and Photo processing
Now that Darkroom officially supports iOS Shortcuts (and will support Shortcuts on Monterey this fall), I canāt wait to get Pixelmator to do the same, as this is my go-to alternative to Lightroom CC for photos editing on the iPad. I like Darkroom by the way but I do have to make choices. Screenshot from MacStories.
-
Let me repeat it: we donāt need another Android platform (#apple #privacyprotection)
As I wrote in this essay, we donāt need another Android platform. I understand Apple being on a PR blitz. I know Apple is holding a contradictory position when talking about the iPhone and the Mac. It is well documented that side-loading doesnāt fix the lack of choice issue, quite the opposite actually. I donāt accept the idea of weakening a platform in the name of āchoiceā for a minority of techy guys.
-
Reinventing my usage of the iPhone ā A start
Iāve been working hard in recent days to reinvent the way I use my Apple devices. The idea being to focus more, be more efficient, increase my experience quality and better grasb how and where I spend time as a blogger and content creator. Tools involved? Toggl, Timery, Shortcuts and Automation. The trigger? iOS 15. š¤š¤·š»āāļø
-
Never looked at soooo many YouTube videos on upcoming iOS releases. Iām very excited for what is coming. Canāt wait for the public beta.
-
People are underwhelmed by Appleās updates, yetā¦
According to a survey by SellCell, people arenāt too much excited for iOS 15 and iPadOS 15. Without trying to read too much in these numbers, I think the next major revision of Appleās flagship operating systems will grow on people when they start to use them.
There are some profound changes like focus modes that has the potential to change the way we use our iPhone or iPad. Itās hard to judge this feature just by looking at YouTube videos. The new focus mode certainly requires a bit of setup and tuning but me feeling is that it will have a much profound impact on users than what multi-users support could have brought to the table.
-
Full iOS 15 Beta Schedule Revealed! (#apple #ios15beta2)
As we are probably getting iOS 15 beta 2 this week (today?), here is a probable schedule for this summer betas. RED colour is for developer betas, blue is for public betas. We should get 8 betas for developers, first public beta set for July 7th. Letās see if these guesses are good or not.
-
Finally on vacation for two weeks. Been a long time. For the second summer in a row, we rented a chalet which happens to be real nice. But there is one thing: internet access is flaky at best. Good time to disconnect and spend more time writing I guess. š
-
On Antitrust legislation and Apple iPhone experience
I always thought that politicians and their aides donāt really have clues about technology in general. If you want to fuck up something in tech, ask the politicians. This is exactly what could happen if these antitrust legislation proposal become laws.
Imagine that: you take out your brand new iPhone out of its box, turn it on only to be welcomed with an empty screen, no builtin apps, just a simple āHelloā. In the name of what: competition. Developers like the one behind Basecamp and HEY would be so happy, because in this hypothetic world they would feel in better position to compete against Apple. What a bunch of retards.
I just wish this type of legislation would be in effect in the US, so that here in Canada, we would continue to get the standard iPhone experience.
-
On Safari 15 redesign
Great Safari 15 critic here. I didnāt test the new Safari design yet, but eventually I will (probably when public beta is released). Apple made bold moves with this new design. Iām afraid that, if they change something or revert some of the design decisions, it will come in iOS 16, and present it as the next big thing in internet browser experience. Thatās typical of Apple.
-
iOS 15 brings a lot of tweaks, additions, changes. This YouTube video presents 500 of them. Itās massive. Probably the most ambitious release to date. Canāt wait to test it when the public beta comes out. Probably at beta3, beta2 coming next week.
