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  • I thought I was done with the “macOS user interface isn’t touch-friendly” debate but tonight, I’m reading this piece from Jack Wellborn (emphasis is mine):

    The Mac was also built for a mouse, and while I would argue macOS is more usable than Windows, there is no getting around the fact that controls optimized for pointers are inherently unfriendly to touch input. It’s foolishly optimistic to think that Microsoft or even Apple can make pointer interfaces as touch friendly as iPadOS without also destroying the very thing that makes them more productive than iPadOS — information density. Smaller controls means these platforms can disclose more information and interactivity to their users at once. That’s why a bunch of windows on even a 11″ MacBook Air feels natural while only four windows on a “large” 13″ iPad feels ungainly. Source: Touchability, Productivity, and Portability — Pick Two – Worms and Viruses

    And

    Conversely, it’s impossible to make iPadOS more information dense without sacrificing the very thing that makes it the best tablet OS — touch friendliness. iPad users want more information on screen because that will help them be more productive, but the only way to present more information in iPadOS without sacrificing touch friendliness is a larger display. Not only is a larger display not portable, iPadOS’s support for larger displays still sucks. There’s nothing Apple can do about large displays not being portable, but better support for larger displays? That’s a problem Apple can solve.

    I don’t agree with the author’s suggestions at the end, but it shows that the debate about macOS being touch-friendly or not is still raging and far from being settled.

    → 8:48 PM, Feb 8
  • I digg the updated design of Apple.com. The drop-down menus remind me of the Mac in its early days.

    → 9:40 PM, Feb 7
  • A mockup of a possible iPhone 15 Ultra

    No. Great mockup design but no, I don’t want to get an Apple Watch Ultra in the form of an iPhone. First, I prefer flat edges over rounded ones. They make the iPhone easier to grab from a table and hold for taking pictures. Second, I want the rumoured rounded glass surface on the screen edges which would make the phone a little bit more organic.

    What I would LOVE ❤️ to get though is a dedicated multipurpose button, like on the Ultra. Yet, the probability that Apple add another button is low in my opinion. They would rather prefer to get rid of all physical buttons if they could without compromising usability (which I don’t see how this could be done). A less prominent camera assembly would be welcomed too, even if this means a thicker device (and bigger battery along the way).

    → 1:27 PM, Feb 7
  • TechCrunch interview with Apple’s exec Millet:

    One rationale for shipping M2 is also that Apple wanted to establish the line in a regular cadence. It was important, Millet says, to make sure people didn’t see the M1 as a “one and done.” Source: Apple execs on M2 chips, winning gamers and when to buy a Mac • TechCrunch

    The Mac has never been this thriving, thanks to Apple Silicon. Specs bumps and general redesign when needed are moving the Mac forward. Next stop: Macs with touch screen with an Apple twist.

    → 12:38 PM, Feb 7
  • Matt makes a compelling case for the feasibility of touch-based macOS:

    I think Apple should add touch to Macs, and I think that this will allow them to not only make current form factors better, but it will allow them to create Macs that are more flexible, more powerful, and more accessible than any Macs before them.

    That said, there are people in the Mac community who disagree with me here, and their number one concern is that macOS has a UI that is simply unusable with touch. It’s the ace-in-the-hole argument, and it’s honestly something I haven’t pushed back on because it feels true.

    Yeah, I’m one of them. 🫣

    There’s a narrative out there that touch is just so incompatible with macOS and that in order to make it work, the macOS UI would have to get blown up to comical proportions, but I don’t think that’s the case. Changes will be made, but I think macOS is more touch-friendly today than many people give it credit for. Source: macOS Isn’t as Small As You Think

    I’m happy to report that I’m convinced that macOS is closer to being touch-friendly than I originally thought. Matt spent the required time to demonstrate that 90% of the job was already done. I’m happy to change my mind on this. Would I jump to use a touchscreen Mac? I hate fingerprints on any screen except on the iPad. 🫳🏻😵‍💫

    No more questions, your honour.

    → 7:35 AM, Feb 7
  • Microsoft Authenticator for Apple Watch to be retired:

    The Microsoft Authenticator app for Apple Watch joins a long list of third-party watchOS apps that have been discontinued over the last few years, either because of perceived redundancy or lack of user uptake. Other notable Apple Watch apps that have been discontinued include Twitter, Instagram, Target, Trello, Slack, Hulu, and Uber. Source: Microsoft Authenticator Discontinues Apple Watch App - MacRumors

    There is a clear trend.

    → 2:13 PM, Feb 6
  • I really hope we get iPadOS 16.4 beta this week because right now, I never experienced so many weird behaviours on my iPad since iPadOS 16. Stage Manager is one problem, weird keyboard placement is another, rotation bugs, etc.

    → 12:08 PM, Feb 6
  • Continuing with this usability musing on possible touch-based MacBook, Jack Wellborn writes in response to an article by Federico Viticci:

    The Mac was also built for a mouse, and while I would argue macOS is more usable than Windows, there is no getting around the fact that controls optimized for pointers are inherently unfriendly to touch input. It’s foolishly optimistic to think that Microsoft or even Apple can make pointer interfaces as touch friendly as iPadOS without also destroying the very thing that makes them more productive than iPadOS — information density. Smaller controls means these platforms can disclose more information and interactivity to their users at once. That’s why a bunch of windows on even a 11″ MacBook Air feels natural while only four windows on a “large” 13″ iPad feels ungainly.

    Conversely, it’s impossible to make iPadOS more information dense without sacrificing the very thing that makes it the best tablet OS — touch friendliness. iPad users want more information on screen because that will help them be more productive, but the only way to present more information in iPadOS without sacrificing touch friendliness is a larger display. Not only is a larger display not portable, iPadOS’s support for larger displays still sucks. There’s nothing Apple can do about large displays not being portable, but better support for larger displays? That’s a problem Apple can solve. Source: Touchability, Productivity, and Portability — Pick Two – Worms and Viruses

    I couldn’t put my finger on it (pun intended), but this article brings up an interesting point that might explain something I couldn’t do myself: The size of controls in a user interface largely dictates information density. Many longtime Mac users decry the iPadification of its UI. I’m not one of them but I value information density a lot.

    → 7:53 PM, Feb 5
  • Benjamin Mayo commenting on laptops with touch screen:

    All the time, I see people swipe up and down on their vertical laptop screens to navigate webpages and zoom into photos with a pinch gesture. The ergonomics of this are naturally poor. Stretching your arm out forwards to reach the laptop screen quickly becomes uncomfortable. And yet, people still do it frequently. The touch screen is used as an accessory to primary mouse input. They swipe around a bit, then they go back to the mouse. They read a screenful of content, then they swipe to the next page, and put their arm back down. It’s a surprisingly subconsciously natural thing to do. Source: Apple Working On Touchscreen Mac Laptops — Benjamin Mayo

    I wonder if Apple could get away with only supporting minimal gestures on their touchscreen Mac. I’m thinking about things like “pinch to zoom” or “swipe” but nothing else… I could imagine using my left hand for a vertical swipe and the right hand on the trackpad to click on a button or text field. This way, I see only a need for a minimal macOS user interface rework.

    → 1:56 PM, Feb 5
  • In the “Competition in the Mobile Application Ecosystem” report published by the NTIA recently:

    Pre-installed apps, default options, and anticompetitive self-preferencing should be limited, including in search results. Source: Biden Administration Report Recommends Sweeping Changes to Apple’s Ecosystem - MacRumors

    Can you imagine unboxing your brand-new iPhone, powering it up, and after completing the initial setup process, you end up on a mostly empty home screen? What should the user do next? Could Apple provide a single icon pointing to their App Store to download “The Full iPhone Experience” package? Would Apple even be allowed to do just that? Reading the recommendation again, I think it would go against it. It there a more effective way at killing a product?

    → 1:50 PM, Feb 5
  • Rumours and articles like this one about Apple’s upcoming headset, supposedly called “RealityPro” is simply getting out of hand. I wish we could put an end to them. I mean, this is ridiculous.

    Even if Apple actually comes out with something this year, I’ll consider this as a technological proof of concept, nothing compared to the actually useful and usable iPhone we got back in 2007.

    Use cases for a headset are not what the tech pundits would like us to believe. Family reunions with everyone wearing these things on our heads will not happen. Office meetings with people wearing them don’t make sense either. We can barely stand meetings in hybrid modes where some employees are working from home and appearing on the big screen while others are “present” in the meeting room staring at their laptop or tablet screen and doing something else.

    The Apple headset could be the next HomePod or the next iPod HiFi. Set your expectations accordingly and better pay attention to what will come out from Hu.ma.ne, instead. Something that looks to be much more natural and less rebarbative.

    → 8:01 AM, Feb 4
  • Tim Cook’s introductory comment on Apple’s latest quarter:

    “As we all continue to navigate a challenging environment, we are proud to have our best lineup of products and services ever, and as always, we remain focused on the long term and are leading with our values in everything we do,” said Tim Cook, Apple’s CEO. “During the December quarter, we achieved a major milestone and are excited to report that we now have more than 2 billion active devices as part of our growing installed base.”

    How many devices count as being active if a user has an iPhone and two Apple Watch, two HomePod and an Apple TV? Six. That’s a lot of devices but not as many users.

    → 8:18 PM, Feb 2
  • DHH’s concluding words about testing an Android phone:

    I’m no fan of Google in general. And I still prefer the fit and finish of iOS over Android, but there’s something deeply appealing about having a phone where at least it’s actually possible to install Forbidden Software, like Fortnite, without wild interventions like jailbreaking. The fidelity gap is real, but the freedom gap is bigger. Source: Another Android

    His post is a reminder for me that I never tried or used an Android device for real. Never ever. Should I? Why would I? But then I read this article from Gruber commenting about his perception of the Android app landscape:

    Android enthusiasts don’t want to hear it, but from a design perspective, the apps on Android suck. They may not suck from a feature perspective (but they often do), but they’re aesthetically unpolished and poorly designed even from a “design is how it works” perspective.

    After all, I might never waste my time testing an Android phone. Life is too short.

    → 8:05 PM, Feb 2
  • Highly Troubling—Ops are Taking Over Apple My Friends

    Don’t bother reading too much into the latest Apple financial numbers. They’re not too bad. What you should be paying attention to is this:

    Apple is eliminating one of its most high-profile executive positions. According to a new report today, Apple is eliminating the role of “industrial design chief” as part of a broader shake-up. This role was once held by Jony Ive, and most recently held by Evans Hankey.

    More specifically:

    Under this new structure, the design team will report to Apple’s chief operating officer Jeff Williams. Source: Apple is eliminating its iconic ‘industrial design chief’ position

    This comment by one of the 9To5Mac staff members is not reassuring at all:

    I think it’s important to keep in mind, however, that Williams has been involved with the design team for several years at this point. Hankey has reported to Williams since 2019. The difference now is that the middle ground between Williams and the rest of the design team is being removed.

    Maybe Hankey saw this coming and couldn’t adhere to this direction. Here’s my take: ops are taking over Apple, and design is no longer the top priority. It is utterly troubling to read rumours of Williams possibly replacing Cook which looks like being more of the same if you ask me. Maybe Williams has more design experience, but not as a first-party involvement. Troubling.

    → 6:50 PM, Feb 2
  • CarPlay in 2023 will see its most significant upgrade since its launch. I don’t know when we’ll actually be able to get this in a real car, but I certainly look forward to it.

    I recently spent some travel time in a high-end Mercedes. The Dashboard was very impressive. Still, the future CarPlay version seems a bit pale in comparison.

    Why did Apple choose to make this early announcement?

    → 1:38 PM, Feb 1
  • It is so slow to recharge an Apple Magic Mouse. Considering how we need to connect this thing for a recharge, Apple should have made it much quicker to recharge. 😒

    → 11:44 AM, Feb 1
  • Wow, I spent 10 minutes searching for “how to save an email into a .EML file on the iPad”. It’s not in the action menu. The only way is to do a “drag & drop” of the mail into Files.app (or any app that understands this file format, for that matter). Who knew it could be that hard to discover such a simple thing. It should really be in the action menu too.

    → 11:19 AM, Feb 1
  • Apple every second. Mind blown. Source.

    → 7:29 AM, Jan 27
  • 9to5Mac reporting about a short Financial Times article on a silent war between Apple and Google:

    Former Apple engineers say that Apple still holds a grudge over how Android allegedly copied iOS, and is steadily working to remove Google from the iPhone. Source: Apple is engaged in a ‘silent war’ against Google, claim engineers | AppleInsider

    If there is something that I’d like to see Apple do: Apple (oops, Siri) Search for the web. No user tracking, no ads, full integration within Apple’s ecosystem. Imagine the possibilities.

    → 7:17 AM, Jan 25
  • More details are emerging about the rumoured Apple’s headset… and this is troubling…

    Using the headset will “feel familiar to Apple users,” with an interface that is close to identical to the look of an ‌iPhone‌ or an ‌iPad‌. There will be a Home screen with app icons that can be rearranged, as well as customizable widgets. Source: Apple’s Mixed Reality Headset to Feature iOS-Like Interface, Advanced Hand Tracking, and Will Work as Second Display for Mac - MacRumors

    Oh boy… I would expect a brand-new metaphor for the brand-new form factor. Otherwise, by using a familiar interface, it’s as if Apple is locked into their own creation.

    Likely to be named “Reality Pro,” the headset will be able to switch between augmented reality and virtual reality. Augmented reality will overlay virtual objects on the real world, while virtual reality is an entirely virtual environment that shuts out the wearer’s surroundings. Augmented reality functions will work through a pass-through mode that will use the exterior cameras on the headset, and swapping between AR and VR will be done with a Digital Crown-like control knob.

    “Reality Pro”!!!?? Someone must be kidding about that one, right? What an awful name! What about “viewPod”? Or something less “Macintosh Performa 620”-type of thing, please.

    For those who wear glasses, Apple will provide custom lenses that are able to sit within the enclosure, and Apple is expecting users to wear AirPods to get an audio experience on par with the visual experience that the headset provides, though it will have built-in speakers.

    I do.

    As previously rumored, the headset will have an external battery pack to prevent it from overheating on a user’s face due to the high-end Mac chips used for the device. The battery is approximately the size of two iPhone 14 Pro Max models stacked on top of one another, and it will power the headset for around two hours. An external battery will allow users to swap one battery and charge another to use the device for a longer period of time.

    No. Just no. It’s a proof of concept sold to consumers.

    → 4:33 PM, Jan 23
  • For 2023, Apple is reportedly working on a larger 15-inch MacBook Air to join its Mac lineup. The new MacBook Air will feature the upcoming M3 chip, according to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman. The 15-inch MacBook Air is expected to feature the same design as the current 13.6-inch model but with a larger display and longer battery life thanks to the efficiency of the M3 chip and the inclusion of a larger battery. Source: What’s Next for the Mac: M3 iMac, 15-Inch MacBook Air, Mac Pro, and More - MacRumors

    The possible 15-inch MacBook Air makes a lot of sense from a product line perspective (non pro machine with high portability but a larger screen). Where I disagree with Gurman is the possibility of the device getting an M3 chip. This is way too early. The rest of the product line is still on the just-released M2. When the Mac Pro finally makes the switch, then the M3 is a higher probability. In other words, I expect to see the 15-inch MacBook Air to get the same M2 chip as the current but smaller ones.

    → 11:39 AM, Jan 23
  • The new HomePod, as well as the mini, can measure room temperature and humidity. I don’t want to sound cynical but, what a clever way for Apple to trigger more HomePod sales. I want temperature and humidity readings in all my house!

    → 7:56 AM, Jan 19
  • The new chips are yet another example of Apple’s chip division being so far ahead of the rest of the company. The reason iPad suffers is not that it isn’t good; it is because it is too good, and very few applications take advantage of its hardware to the maximum. Source: Apple launches new (M2) chips – On my Om

    As an owner of an M1 Mac mini, I’m pretty much sure that none of the software I depend on would take advantage of the M2 or M2 Pro. Lightroom? Nope. Screenflow? Nope. Teams? Nope. What else? The same goes for my aging 2018 iPad Pro.

    Is there such a thing as a local version of ChatGPT?

    → 9:34 PM, Jan 18
  • I won’t upgrade my original HomePod pair but I thank Apple for bringing new features to a product that I thought was done. I’m happy to learn that release 16.3 will enable dormant sensors of the HomePod mini.

    → 9:00 PM, Jan 18
  • “With the popularity of HomePod mini, we’ve seen growing interest in even more powerful acoustics achievable in a larger HomePod. We’re thrilled to bring the next generation of HomePod to customers around the world.” Source: Apple introduces the new HomePod with breakthrough sound and intelligence - Apple

    What?? Am I dreaming? It really seems to be the same device from the exterior. Still expansive. Still wireless only. Old Bluetooth (5.0).

    → 11:07 AM, Jan 18
  • One of the nice surprises about this morning’s announcements is the addition of two more USB-C ports to the Mac mini and the addition of a configuration with M2 Pro in a small package like the mini. This narrows the gap between a Mac Studio and a Mac mini. Oh, and up to three monitors are supported!

    An M1 Mac mini owner. 🤔

    → 8:32 PM, Jan 17
  • I kind of forgot in my previous post to include the link to my Apple Rumours Hub that I maintain (using Craft). It’s not only about tomorrow’s product releases but everything Apple is working on. Enjoy.

    → 8:19 PM, Jan 16
  • Krugman said that Musk’s behaviour had shown that he’s nothing like Apple cofounder and former CEO Steve Jobs – who was famed for his high level of discipline and focus on Apple’s products.

    And

    “I don’t think even if Musk had been as disciplined as Steve Jobs was, that Tesla was ever going to be a sustained profit machine the way that Apple has been,” he added. “It’s just — it’s not his fault. It’s just not that kind of industry.”

    And

    “But then, you know, I don’t know anyone who’s done as much to hurt his image of cool in as short a time as Musk has done.” Source: Paul Krugman says Elon Musk’s Tesla can never be a ‘profit machine’ like Apple, because there’s no scope for that in the car industry

    Comparing Musk to Jobs is tempting, but Musk a so few traits of Steve. Jobs didn’t hurt Apple’s brand when he was at Pixar. Musk, at Twitter is hurting Twitter… and Tesla. Poor guy.

    → 8:01 PM, Jan 16
  • So, Apple is rumoured to release new products through press releases tomorrow. I don’t expect exciting news (M2 MacBook Pro — specs bump). In fact, besides the iPhone 15 Ultra, I think 2023 could be the most boring year in a long time. Since Apple is known to be working its product lines many years in advance, does this reflect the COVID era, where it was hard for Apple to keep the momentum while everyone was enduring the pandemic from 2020 to 2022? Are we paying the COVID price?

    → 7:51 PM, Jan 16
  • Arstechnica’s Jackqui Cheng:

    “One way to look at the MacBook Air is as the largest and most capable iPod in Apple’s line—think of it as an iPod touch Extreme with a built-in keyboard.” “I found the Air’s size and weight to be nothing less than absolutely delightful.” “Despite all of the Air’s (sometimes glaring) flaws, I plan to keep it and use it as my notebook from here on out (maybe with a hard drive upgrade in the near future, and definitely with a battery upgrade when they become available).” Source: MacBook Air: The past, the present, and the future

    The M1 MacBook Air is, I think, the culmination of the original Air design with a definitive fix for performance and battery life. I’m grateful for owning one.

    → 9:08 PM, Jan 15
  • There are a lot of rumours surrounding the upcoming Apple headset. I call them noise at best. I’m afraid Apple is losing focus on other areas, which would require much more attention to benefit this project. Maybe I’ll eat my words when this thing finally comes out. Maybe I’ll say “OMG, now I understand what the fuss it was all about”. In the meantime, this conclusion from John Gruber is pretty much in line with my view: what is the point?

    This headset project is very much real and, I believe, very much shipping this year. But the fundamental question remains: What’s the point? Think back to Steve Jobs’s presentation announcing the original iPad — the nut of the whole keynote was Jobs explaining where the iPad might fit between an iPhone and MacBook. If it didn’t serve some tasks not just a little but a lot better than either an iPhone or Mac, there was no point to the iPad. The same is true for this headset. And if it costs $3,000 and/or requires a tethered battery strapped around your waist, the “this better be an awesome experience” bar is raised even higher. Source: Daring Fireball: Knee-Jerk Reactions and Thoughts Regarding The Information’s Latest Report on Apple’s Upcoming Headset

    Disclaimer: I’ll never buy such a thing. We’re already too much sucked into tech, I won’t accept putting a headset on my face and pretending that this is cool. It is not.

    → 9:09 AM, Jan 14
  • As we can see, while there are definite improvements in Windows 11’s design consistency, they are somewhat superficial (but still more thorough than those that were introduced with Windows 10), and there still is plenty of room for improvement. However, compared to Windows 10, at least most of the “casual” UI is somewhat consistent.

    In 2023 Windows 11 will reportedly get 3 of the new “moment” updates, which are supposed to bring in new features and UI fixes. Not only that, but Microsoft is thought to be working on decoupling the UI elements from the rest of the OS even further, so we should probably see more improvements more quickly. Source: State of the Windows: How many layers of UI inconsistencies are in Windows 11? – NTDEV

    The conclusion of this excellent article about Windows 11 UI design inconsistencies is a bit off compared to the rest of the article. You really have to have a look for yourself. Windows, as it is shipping today, contains a plethora of previous-generation UI design languages, all packed together. When I look at macOS, I fail to find any similar example. Now, my question: why can Apple change everything in the UI (like when they introduced macOS BigSur) and not keep old UI designs? What is Apple doing differently? Is macOS easier to maintain than Windows? Or is it because Microsoft simply doesn’t care enough?

    → 7:12 AM, Jan 12
  • And the Mac and the iPad continue to move closer together… Source: Gurman: Apple working on touchscreen Macs – Six Colors

    Jason Snell reacting to an article on Bloomberg about a possible new development for the Mac in 2025: touchscreen. I’m unfazed about this rumour at all. Touching the screen will probably represent 10%-20% of user interaction use cases, while the touchpad or the mouse will grab the rest.

    There is one thing that I wonder if it would be possible: can you imagine the macOS UI reacting to the finger coming closer to the screen without actually touching it, something along the lines of the hover gesture with the latest iPad and the Apple Pencil? That could be interesting to watch. Apple will need to increase the size of UI elements, right now, many things are way too small to interact with the fingers. So yeah, the Mac is getting closer to the iPad.

    One last thing: I would have thought that Apple would start with the iMac instead of a MacBook Pro, though. The bigger screen and the lack of a touchpad on the iMac would make the touchscreen a helpful option.

    → 8:24 PM, Jan 11
  • A pivotal year for AR/VR? Hu.ma.ne are set to announce their thing this year. Apple is reportedly set to announce their AR/VR headset this year. Other than that, it is expected to be a quiet year for Apple, helping to set the stage for a focus on the headset. BYW, the updated Mac Pro, a niche product, won’t make much noise in the grand scheme of things. What else will bring noise on the line? The iPhone 15 switching to USB-C? Then what? Nothing that I can think of.

    → 12:46 PM, Jan 11
  • Why is it so slow to read content in Apple News in general? Opening an article in News takes 2 to 3 times longer to render than its equivalent through the RSS feed in News Explorer (my RSS reader). Another case for RSS feeds.

    → 6:54 AM, Jan 10
  • I cannot count how often I select an image, thinking it will look nice as wallpaper. Most of the time, it sucks. Would it be cool if Apple added a smart album with selected photos based on their potential to be great as wallpaper? This could be something done using on-device AI, just like face recognition.

    → 7:43 PM, Jan 9
  • With the introduction of an always-on display in the iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max, many users have wondered how much impact the feature has on battery life. A new video takes a careful look at just how much battery drain there is with the always-on display and whether turning off the wallpaper reduces that drain.

    And

    it was found that by having the wallpaper enabled for the always-on display, an iPhone 14 Pro will drain around 0.8% per hour, compared to 0.6% an hour for the wallpaper disabled on the always-on display. Source: Test Shows How Much Battery Drain Your Wallpaper Causes on the iPhone 14 Pro’s Always-On Display - MacRumors

    People asked for an always-on display because Android had it for a long time, and they got it. Be careful for what you wish for. This is something that Apple could improve with a more power-efficient A17 this coming fall in the iPhone 15 Pro line.

    → 7:04 AM, Jan 9
  • If reports and rumors about Apple’s upcoming products this years are to be believed, 2023 looks to be pretty boring. I’m ok with this only if Apple spend more time fixing things instead of constantly adding up and pilling up unfinished features. What worries me is that Apple’s Reality Pro (what a weird and uninspired name) becomes a resources draining hole within the company for a product that is so niche.

    Personally, I’m 99% sure to upgrade to the iPhone 15 Ultra. The next possibility is the 15-inch MacBook Air.

    → 5:49 PM, Jan 8
  • Should Apple Offer AI-based Services at the OS Level?

    In recent months, we’ve seen the addition of many AI-based features in apps like Notion and Craft, two apps that I know pretty well. Now I’m wondering if it would be a good idea that Apple integrates such features at the operating system level. Just like we can double tap a word in a text and get its definition from the dictionary, wouldn’t be cool if we could select a whole text and ask for a summary or anything involving the selected content? Apple would have to decide which AI sources to use or provide users a choice, just like for search engines. Any apps manipulating text would instantly benefit from this added capabilities. Your thoughts?

    → 9:32 AM, Dec 29
  • Remembering Sad Souvenirs With Great Words and Images

    Here’s a great visual recollection of a trip to Italy back in 2011, when Steve Jobs died. Great images. Gentle words. It’s not only about the iPhone as a great camera, but about Italy, a place I visited last summer, and how it felt to be there when Steve death made the news. Must see and read.

    → 9:11 PM, Dec 26
  • On Making Apple Lovable Again

    The DMA holds the promise to return Apple to an earlier age without these gluttonous service and tax aspirations driving seemingly every major decision at the company. The EU just might make Apple lovable again by outlawing their monopolistic excesses. What a twist. Source: Apple’s big monopoly loss comes curtesy of the EU

    For once, I agree with David Heinemeier Hansson. Apple’s arrogance is slowly killing all the magic.

    → 11:07 AM, Dec 26
  • 30 Years of Platforms Learning

    To celebrate my calculator app PCalc turning 30 today, I've written up all the history I can still remember:

    http://pcalc.com/thirty

    There's also a rare 30%-off sale, which runs until midnight tonight, PST:

    Mac:
    https://pcalc.com/store/pcalcmac

    iOS:
    https://pcalc.com/store/pcalc

    A big thanks to everybody who has used PCalc during the last three decades!

    James Thomson https://mastodon.social/@jamesthomson/109562907458479500

    I never bought PCalc but for as long I’ve been following the Apple story, PCalc always was somewhere to be seen in a magazine, on the web or an App Store. What a great way to learn, explore over the years.

    → 10:29 AM, Dec 26
  • A Few Observations on Apple's Latest AirPods Pro

    I got a pleasant surprise under the tree for this Christmas🎄: AirPods Pro 2. Some observations: I would say the clicking sound when closing the lid is different, with a bit lower tonality. The setup experience is top-notch, of course. Sound quality is definitively upgraded with more present bass and deeper sound. Noise cancellation is better too. I’ll have to experience it in a noisy place like an airplane tomorrow. For my next trip, I will leave my AirPods Max behind (they are too big for sleeping on the plane) and use the new, much lighter ones and easier to travel with.IMG 4393

    → 11:56 AM, Dec 25
  • An iPhone + a Belkin iPhone Mount + macOS Ventura + FaceTime Call

    I finally tested a FaceTime call with my iPhone 13 Pro and the Belkin iPhone mount with my M1 MacBook Air running macOS Ventura. The setup was easy. iPhone automatically detected as a possible camera source within FaceTime. The image quality was obviously top-notch. The sound was great too. The tabletop feature required a bit of tweaking but eventually led to good (but not “top-notch”) results.

    The only problem is the weight of the combined iPhone 13 Pro with a case and the Belkin mount: the screen panel of my MacBook tends to move back during the call. Oops. 🤣

    → 8:07 PM, Dec 22
  • Assign to All Desktops - A Must Know macOS Stage Manager Trick

    Updated my last Mac to macOS Ventura and discovered something super useful when using Stage Manager. Craft Post Highlights From my Microblog 2022 12 21 19 56 47 2x If you want to have an application always visible, make sure to select “Assign To: All Desktops” from the application icon in the Dock. This is particularly useful with the Finder so we can easily do drag & drop of a file into the active window; the Finder needs to always be available for this to be possible.

    → 8:01 PM, Dec 21
  • Found a great place for my Tidbyt.

    → 7:08 PM, Dec 21
  • IMG 4058 2 Back in the nineties, I tried drawing a few things, like this Apple's Newton MessagePad. Not bad, hen!?
    → 9:13 AM, Dec 16
  • Nobody Cares Apple Missed Their Apple Silicon Timeline birchtree.me
    Matt Birchler https://birchtree.me/blog/nobody-cares-apple-missed-their-apple-silicon-timeline/

    Matt is right, we don’t care. I don’t care. The big enigma, though, is the Mac Pro. What is it going to look like?

    → 9:16 PM, Dec 15
  • Eyeing the Rumoured 15-Inch MacBook Air

    Apple’s rumored 15-inch ‌MacBook Air‌ is expected to feature the same general design as the 13-inch ‌MacBook Air‌ that was released in 2022 with flat edges, a large Force Touch trackpad, a keyboard with function keys, and more. It will also likely include a MagSafe charging port, upgraded speaker system, and a 1080p camera. Source: 15.5-Inch MacBook Air Expected to Launch in Spring 2023 - MacRumors

    This year, as an M1 MacBook Air owner, I decided to skip the M2 MacBook Air. The differences aren’t significant enough for me to upgrade, performance and design-wise. But getting a bigger display in a light package without going to the Pro line is a different story. It won’t come cheap, for sure. Count me in the line up.

    → 6:31 PM, Dec 15
  • On Rumours of Apple Working on Its App Stores Overhaul

    Bloomberg:

    Apple to Allow Outside App Stores in Overhaul Spurred by EU Laws.

    Boom. If true, it’s massive. I can imagine Apple's engineering efforts to make it happen for WWDC 2023. I wrote earlier this year that I  changed my mind about sideloading apps on the iPhone. I still stand with my change of heart. I expect the iPhone experience to suffer with increased complexity for ordinary users. Not by much, but somehow, things will have to change to accommodate new workflows. It’s not an easy task to keep things simple. I trust Apple to find a good compromise. 

    I don’t expect to use apps installed from other sources, except if there is a significant pricing difference or if it’s a unique app not available otherwise. 

    → 8:18 PM, Dec 13
  • On Apple's Freeform and Tools Palettes

    Freeform, the visual and collaborative application from Apple, is finally out for the iPad, the Mac and… I spent some time with it on the iPad and found it enjoyable and deceptively minimalistic. On the Mac, once updated to Ventura 13.1, Freeform can be used to continue working on the content, albeit with a different set of tools, since there is no Apple Pencil support over there. One question is, why is the tools palette on the iPad different from the one with Apple Notes? I mean, there are pencils or crayons that I prefer on Notes over the available choices in Freemform’s palette. Following is a comparison of both. At the top is the Apple Notes tools palette. At the bottom is Apple’s Freeform. The latter seems a bit childish, too simplistic. I really wish there were more pencil types. 

    IMG 8775

    IMG 8776

    Other than that, I didn’t test the collaborative work with someone else. I see Freemore as more for individualistic creative work. I’m not sure yet if I’ll ever make good use of it. Certainly not at work, as we’re more of a “Microsoft” business. Time will tell. 

    → 7:49 PM, Dec 13
  • Isn’t that weird that we need to jump to an external website to enjoy the 2022 Replay? Why not have it within Music.app itself? 🤔

    → 5:27 PM, Dec 10
  • The Most Divisive Mac Pro Is a Thing of Beauty

    This week, a new Mac joined the family. The 2013 Mac Pro. I always dreamed of owning one. It’s probably one of the most singular Macs Apple has ever designed. Yes, it has limited expansion. Yes, it is not the Pro Mac that the pros wanted back in 2013. Yes, you need to unplug everything from the machine to open it up. It’s borderline baffling. But this hardware piece, just like the monolith in the 2001 Space Odyssey movie, seems to come from an alien planet, far from earth. Once plugged in and turned on, you can hear it barely humming, just like in any space station depicted in science fiction movies. 

    I’m starting to use this Mac Pro for a project that requires an Intel processor. You can read about it here if you are curious.

    The 2013 Mac Pro

    → 3:15 PM, Dec 10
  • Clear Thoughts on a Confusing iPad Lineup

    There we have it, a new iPad, a new iPad Pro, joining a growing and more confusing iPad lineup than ever. I won’t repeat the best comments from MacStories (“Apple Announces Strange New iPad and iPad Pro Lineup“) and Six Colors (“The iPad’s erratic odyssey continues”). How are this week’s announcements influencing my buying decisions?

    I’m currently using a 2018 11-inches iPad Pro. Going to the 2022 M2 iPad Pro would be a significant step, at least from a processing power perspective. Should I stay on the 11-inches size or go to the 12.9-inches version and get a big screen upgrade? Using this new iPad as a photo-processing machine and as a second screen to any of my Mac would undoubtedly support the bigger iPad. But what a weird setup this would make to use a much-better secondary screen like the 12.9-inches iPad Pro on a 2020 M1-based MacBook Air machine. There is no comparison to be made.

    In its video clip of fewer than five minutes, Apple is positioning the latest iPad Pro weirdly and surprisingly: the best machine to experience the “exciting” Stage Manager. What a strange way to present the iPad Pro. It will undoubtedly help but having to buy an expensive iPad to get a different and questionable way to multitask on a tablet is doubtful.

    Oh, and what a missed opportunity to have Freeform ready simultaneously and present it as the best way to collaborate in a creative environment! We will have to wait until “later this year” to come to get a sense of Apple’s vision of collaborative work. Oh, and Final Cut is still MIA. Instead, Apple continues to rely on third-party apps to show how powerful the iPad Pro actually is. Thanks to DaVinci Resolve or Affinity, when they ship their new beast of software. Later. Eventually.

    I don’t know why but my feeling is that the 2022 iPad Pro is only a transition machine, and the real deal will be next year’s update. Oh, and these keyboard choices are as strange as all the rest.

    I’m unsettled. 🤔

    → 6:21 AM, Oct 19
  • When the iPad Is No Longer a Novel Device

    As I write this, rumours are pointing to an imminent release of some updated iPads today. What is novel this time is not the CPU to be used, the screen attributes, or the long-awaited app called Freeform. What is novel is the fact that there won’t be an Apple event for the announcement but a few well-crafted press releases. Apple judges the updates as not worth tech pundits’ time, flight to Cupertino, or even a secret press briefing.

    I would argue that we are officially entering the iPad commodity era. Thanks to Apple, who neglected to show the iPad’s true potential with a ported version of powerful apps like Final Cut Pro, a real multitasking experience, the iPad is becoming a mundane device. Putting an M2 processor in it won’t change the story here. Freeform, a low-profile app that Apple quickly demonstrated at the WWDC conference last June, won’t probably appeal to many, being late in the game of collaborative work and creativity. Even long-time bloggers and iPad believers like Matt Birchler are no longer waiting for the iPad to ignite the personal computing segment.

    We will see shortly if Apple has a few surprises in-store today.

    Photo credits: Photo by Niklas Hamann on Unsplash

    → 5:44 AM, Oct 18
  • The Waiting Game

    In case you didn’t know, I’m a big fan of Apple (from the corporation, the products to the company’s history). Here’s a little secret: I maintain a document of possible upgrade paths for all my current Apple products. It’s fun. Yes, I’m a bit crazy.

    Each year, during the fall, Apple releases a slew of new products. Each year, I spend some time updating my document to reflect my analysis of possible product upgrades. Take the iPhone for example. I’m currently using last year’s iPhone 13 Pro. I’m super happy with but I’m pondering the idea of upgrading to the iPhone 14 Pro Max. So, I list all the reasons why I should do it and all the reasons why I should refrain from doing the upgrade. It’s the same drill for my aging 2018 11-inches iPad Pro. Or my Apple Watch Series 6. It’s quite fun and educative because for each product, I spend quite some time studying it and pondering their technical advances over my current product. It’s really fun. And crazy.

    This year, it’s a bit different for some reasons. There’s still nothing in the Apple tech landscape that could trigger a purchase. Not yet. Rumours about an upcoming iPad Pro refresh and a more powerful Mac mini with an M2 are aplenty. Things could change in a few weeks.

    But, seriously, what is more fun than anything else is the waiting game. Pleases come while waiting for something to happen. I read somewhere that people who wait patiently to get something are more happy in life than those who succumb rapidly to fill their immediate needs. I must be quite happy then.

    Header photo credits: Photo by Zhiyue on Unsplash

    → 2:37 PM, Oct 16
  • On the Dynamic Island Inception and Possible Future

    A recent Twitter thread about the possible iPhone Dynamic Island inception by Matt Birchler caught my attention a few days ago but couldn’t find the required time to write my take.

    How long could Dynamic Island have been in gestation at Apple? A few weeks, a few months? I think this has been in the works for quite some time. Besides the visual appearance, the API goes with it and needs a design period too. I’m sure Matt understands and knows about that. I would argue that Apple worked on this way before this year’s announcement. Best integration between hardware and software takes time because of how Apple is internally structured. Secrecy plays a significant role in making things longer to achieve too. Apple plan’s for the long run, and I think the pill shape was set in stone last year.

    The second thing that caught my attention is this: How long will Dynamic Island be with us? What if Apple can make the camera disappear under the iPhone’s display? Would this make Dynamic Island pointless? No. My take is that the feature is here for the long run, even though the camera and all other sensors could disappear entirely. Apple is training us to accept Dynamic Island as a fundamental part of the iPhone experience. We may even expect the feature to be the de facto standard of the best iPhone user experience. I don’t think we will revert to the previous design that Dynamic Island is taking care of. The black pill share could be dynamically removed when not required but could then pop up to respond to the current context dictated by the user interaction.

    The Dynamic Island is such a terrible name but the feature in itself is brilliant, so Apple.

    → 5:39 PM, Sep 26
  • Press Releases it will be — Next Round of Apple Products Releases

    The way I see it, there is nothing in an updated MacBook Pro line with M2 processors and a tweaked iPad Pro line to warrant a keynote. There has to be something special, really special. iPadOS 16.1, macOS Ventura aren’t enough. The rumoured Mac Pro? Maybe, but no signals on its imminent release either. An updated Apple TV hardware? Nah. A larger MacBook Air (like 15")? Why now? That is why I agree with Gurman’s view and the next product release will go through a set of press releases later in October.

    → 4:23 PM, Sep 26
  • Let Apple Fix All Bugs, Will Ya?

    MacRumors in iPhone 14 Pro Owners Complain of ‘Slow’ Camera App - MacRumors:

    Affected users are seeing the Camera app take four to five seconds to activate after the Camera app icon is tapped, with the problem occurring after the camera has been opened once already.

    Coupled with other issues related to the camera and AirDrop, even though I’ll probably upgrade to the 14 Pro Max, I’ll gladly wait a few months before taking the plunge. But, fixes are coming very soon, apparently.

    → 7:30 AM, Sep 20
  • On iPhone Internal Design - as Important as the External Design

    iFixit writing about the internal redesign of the iPhone 14 in “The iPhone 14 Feature Apple Didn’t Tell You About”:

    This is the most substantial iPhone redesign since the X. It’s hard to understate how big a change this is. For a reference point, Samsung hasn’t changed their phone architecture since 2015.

    So, with the biggest update in years, we’re upgrading the iPhone 14 to a repairability score of 7 out of 10. That’s the best score we’ve given an iPhone since the iPhone 7. This is the most repairable iPhone in years.

    Who wrote that smartphones, iPhone in particular, have peeked? A fundamental redesign of the iPhone to make it more repairable seems not only a good move but a much-needed change of thinking. If Apple is serious about environment protection and carbon footprint, they not only have to think about the choice of materials but also the way iPhones are built so they are more easily fixed. Kudos to Apple. Why this design is only for the iPhone 14, not the Pro, is a mystery to me.

    → 7:00 AM, Sep 20
  • The more I think about it...

    The more I look at reviews, watch YouTube videos and visit Apple.com, the more I realize that considering my current hardware setup, there aren’t many reasons to upgrade to the iPhone 14 Pro (currently with 13 Pro), the Apple Series 8 (currently with Series 6) or the AirPods Pro 2 (currently the original Pro version). The Apple Watch Ultra could be a reason, but I’m not the target customer for that one.

    Waiting for October releases and going to the Apple Store tomorrow. Just for fun.

    → 5:45 PM, Sep 15
  • The Unexpected Pain That Comes With Lock Screen Customization

    So, I’ve been testing iOS 16 since its early beta stage, and I love it so much. One of the best features is the customizable Lock Screen. But it also creates an issue, the same with Apple Watch watch faces: how to decide which widgets to use and place in those limited slots. There are more and more widgets available each day, but the space is so constrained. I cannot find a strategy to create a Lock Screen that I’m fully satisfied with. I end up creating many of them, but switching among them isn’t smooth, except if they are linked to a focus mode. It’s not a first-world problem, but it is annoying. I’m left with a sense of constant dissatisfaction.

    → 6:11 AM, Sep 14
  • What's Hot in Italy? Android or iPhone? My Observations

    Here’s an interesting post by Gruber about Android vs iPhone’s relative popularity in different places around the world. I have some observations to share from my experience.

    After spending three weeks in Italy for vacation, from what I could see, there was a lot of iPhone around me independently of the place I visited. Sure I saw many Android phone users too. But a majority were iPhone users. Regarding Android’s relative popularity in Germany and France, I would consider the possibility of an aversion for what Apple represents (an “American icon”) in those countries as a partial explanation. Maybe it’s not cool to support an American company like Apple?

    Another interesting fact: WhatsApp is THE messaging service app people seem to use the most. iMessage isn’t popular in Italy, it seems.

    → 2:30 AM, Sep 7
  • Away from Apple's Far out event

    Next week, Apple will release a bunch of new iPhone and Apple Watch. I think it’s the first time I feel so detached from this media event. I’ll still be in Italy on vacation. The “Far out” event will happen at 19:00 local time. I’m not sure I’ll be able to watch the keynote live since I’ll probably be having dinner or visiting a village. I don’t want to impose a stay at the apartment for that. I’ll watch the YouTube video when I’m back at the apartment.

    → 3:43 AM, Sep 3
  • M2 MacBook Air — Not Going To Happen

    I paid a quick visit to the Apple Store yesterday to get a pack of AirTags and give another look at the M2 MacBook Air, especially the Midnight colour version. In principle, this colour is gorgeous, but in practice, I don’t think I would go with this colour if I were to upgrade to the M2 MacBook Air. It’s really a fingerprints magnet. I know my fingers can be “oily” at times, which would be even worse than in this picture. I like the idea of having black keyboard keys on a dark frame (like the MacBook Pro). Too bad. Another reason to postpone any upgrade plans.

    → 5:57 AM, Aug 19
  • How Apple Is Encouraging Developers to Have Their Own Identity

    Telegram’s CEO, M. Pavel Durov, complains that Apple is making his life harder than necessary by having to wait for the review process to complete its job. When Apple finally accepts the update but requires him to remove the Telemoji package, he goes on to say:

    … this will motivate Telegram to make Telemoji even more “unique and recognizable.”

    He sounds like a whining baby. Thanks to Apple, Mr. Durov now gets the idea and his team will have to return to their drawing board and be more creative.

    → 9:29 AM, Aug 13
  • Less Colour Options at First, Introduce More Later

    Color Options for All iPhone 14 Models: Everything We Know - MacRumors If iPhone 14 colour options are reduced compared to the iPhone 13 lineup, I think it’s because Apple is trying to reduce manufacturing options in a time of highly constrained manufacturing capacity. New colours could later be introduced like they did for the purple option this year.

    → 6:19 AM, Aug 9
  • On Apple Silicon Macs and lack of Windows Support

    Regarding the lack of Boot Camp on Apple Silicon Macs: I think that the lack of Windows support on Apple Silicon machines is hurting some buyers, me included. I’d like to be able to run Windows on a Mac, because of my job in IT. I came close to buying a Mac Pro to run VMware stuff. But who’s really at fault here, Apple or … Microsoft? Linux is another story, though. I’m not fully aware of current Linux compatibility with Apple Silicon, but I think it’s slowly coming. Oh, and don’t even try to mention Windows ARM to me. This thing won’t run on Apple Silicon Macs unless Microsoft and Apple actively cooperate on this.

    → 5:49 AM, Jul 29
  • The Lost of the Nobs

    About the updated design of the media player on the iPhone with iOS 16 beta 4: this enhancement in iOS 16 illustrated by Six Colors is real. At first, I didn’t like the loss of the little and reassuring nob, but now the interface feels cleaner and yet shows some affordance as we now know what these lines are for.

    → 8:16 PM, Jul 28
  • On The Myth of Lack of Mac Management Tools

    Recently, during a discussion in a meeting at work, a colleague of mine was expressing his frustration about the fact that one of our customers was using Macs in its business. He went on saying the Mac is such a pain to manage and is an immature platform in the business world compared to Windows PC. I couldn’t help myself to tell him he couldn’t be farther than the truth.

    Here’s the thing: of course, management tools and services are aplenty on the Windows platform. Why is that? Well, because it needs so much attention, so they can keep working! Just think of security-related software needed to keep hackers away from your machine full of security holes, thanks to Windows.

    It was a “🙄” moment for sure. I think I’m on earth on a mission: to debunk false perceptions about the Mac.

    → 5:35 AM, May 26
  • I’m Not Publishing an iOS 16 or iPadOS 16 Wish List This Year

    WWDC is around the corner. It’s usually the time of the year when tech pundits will work hard on their wish list for the next major revision of Apple’s iOS 16 and iPadOS 16. I typically do that myself. This year, though, I’ll skip the whole thing. Apple’s core operating systems are mature, low-hanging fruits are scarce. At this maturity stage, it seems that expressing our desires is more and more a matter of preferences, or interpretation of what could be better user experiences. I may sound bored. Maybe I am. Sure, I’d like improvements to the iPad like full external monitor support, but then what? Apple owns the agenda, decides how to move the needle and protect its bottom line. The rest is pure noise.

    → 6:04 AM, May 24
  • Today was a special day. So many memories.

    → 8:43 PM, May 10
  • Notes of interest from Apple’s Q2 2022 earnings report and conference call | AppleInsider

    The last seven quarters have been the best ever for Mac

    What a difference a few years make on the Mac. I’m happy to see the Mac thrive like this.

    → 8:48 PM, Apr 28
  • Interesting Ideas for iPadOS 16

    I recently wrote an article about where the iPad should go from here. On the subject of iPadOS, looking at this article on Behance from Parker Ortolani, here are the few interesting ideas that caught my attention:

    • The updated Dock with the ability to move an application window to an external display.
    • Still on the Dock, the frequently used applications replaced with standard folders (like downloaded items).
    • Stacks in the Dock, just like on macOS.
    • Home Screen icon placements can include things like Shortcuts, or files.
    • Studio Mode for external display full support. My number one request.
    • Addition of Preview from macOS would be super useful for more pro-like workflows. Same with the addition of Dictionary. It would be super useful for content creators like me.

    WWDC 2022 is around the corner, starting another round of updates for iPadOs over the coming year.

    → 5:52 AM, Apr 26
  • When Apple Pivoted

    Thanks to MacRumors, as reported today, I didn’t know today was the fifth anniversary of a special meeting between Apple’s top brass and select journalists to talk about Apple’s plans with the pro users and their commitment to the Mac.

    At the time, we didn’t know how serious Apple’s upcoming pivot would be. In retrospective, Apple delivered and then some. It is simply a tour-de-force to flip the Mac product line upside down and bring power efficient, mighty and beautiful Mac designs. The Mac transition to Apple Silicon is probably the most important change to come to the Mac line since its inception in 1984.

    I can’t wait to see what the next ten years will be made of.

    → 8:27 PM, Apr 4
  • It’s Was So Fun

    This weekend I did some cleanup in my old papers and documents. I found an old bank account statement where I can see a withdraw transaction to help me pay for my Macintosh 128K in 1985: 3460.75 CAN$. 🤑 Ouch. I did some research to better document the time when I had a Macintosh SE while studying at the university and remembered about using Think Pascal, Prototyper and ResEdit to build a floppy disks indexer. That was before the Internet. It was so much fun. It’s gives you an idea how old I am. 😜

    → 9:06 AM, Apr 3
  • Pausing My Apple Studio Display Buying Decision

    Well, after a promising start, following reviews of the Apple Studio display, it seems that I’ll put my buying decision on hold. As I wrote, one of the reasons why I’m considering this display is the integrated camera and speakers for a better video conference experience. It appears image quality is not good at all, judging by the examples posted online. It’s close to being a deal breaker.

    Apparently, the Apple Studio display is running a version of iOS 15.4. Yep, sounds overkill, and yet, it’s the case, according to Gruber. Apple is promising a software update to fix the problem and bring image quality on par with the iPad Pro equipped with the same camera and essentially using th same software to enable Center Stage.

    Here’s something: when we look at preview integrated cameras in MacBook Pro or the iMac and find the image quality to be bad, we try to excuse Apple of fitting a camera in a too-thin enclosure. But we know it’s not enough to explain the issue of image quality. Software is the problem. Look no further than the iPhone for an example.

    As soon as:

    1. I can go to an Apple Store to see the Apple Studio display for myself;
    2. Normal people are publishing their reviews and comment on their experience with the display;
    3. Apple fixes the camera image quality with an update to the display operating system;

    Then, I’ll make a final decision. Now, I can’t wait to see in action the software upgrade process on this thing.

    → 6:46 AM, Mar 18
  • ”The Mac Studio contains radical innards in a plain exterior”

    Benjamin Mayo in Apple Introduces Mac Studio:

    “…the introduction of a brand new model of Mac is precisely the best time to do something entirely new.”

    And

    “The Mac Studio is a boring box with rounded corners, and has no party tricks to speak of. The trashcan was a truly wild, out-there, design.”

    I share the same sentiment. A new form-factor is a rare thing from Apple. An elongated Mac mini doesn’t do justice the Mac Studio interior, even less to its name. Another missed opportunity. I guess “real pros” doesn’t give a damn about all of this.

    → 6:33 AM, Mar 15
  • Peek Performance, Low Interest

    It’s now official. Apple will host another virtual event next week, on March 8th. It’s the first Apple event of 2022, but it’s far from being the first real event of 2022. Current events happening in Ukraine are troubling and make me pause on a lot of things. Apple-related stuff is one of these. I’m not in the mood for that. My thoughts and energy are diverted, seized. I don’t care if it’s a new iPhone SE, a beefed up Mac mini or whatever else. These look so irrelevant in this incredible and terrible era. Low interest indeed.

    → 8:00 PM, Mar 2
  • Apple is Finally Showing Courage

    I asked for this since the beginning of the Ukrainian war (on Twitter: first here, then here, then here), and today Apple delivered. Apple’s products are no longer being sold through its online store. While the App Store is still working apparently, I’m ok with their decision. On top of that, Apple will donate money, twice the amount that employees will give to help Ukrainians. It’s a good move, the only move, without using real arms, to make an impact. It’s even more powerful when many companies are doing exactly the same.

    Yep, finally.

    → 7:30 PM, Mar 1
  • On Time Machine Backups Over Network

    If you own a desktop Mac, you probably use an external drive for Time Machine. If you use a portable Mac, most likely not, and according to the Tidbits article, you’re not alone. The portability of the Mac is hindered by having an external drive hooked permanently. I, personally, have a different strategy: I use a Synology NAS DS720+ with Time Machine enabled to do my backups over the wireless network. It works perfectly, but I don’t do a full backup of my MacBook Air. Files that are part of iCloud Drive are excluded (read more here, you’ll find out why it’s a good idea). In fact, most of the files are excluded, except a few critical folders, outside the scope of any cloud syncing services. Applications aren’t backed up either (easy to recover in case of lost). Backups are small but are just what I need to protect my work.

    → 8:48 PM, Feb 22
  • Old Computer-Related Memories

    From 1993 to 1994, I owned a PowerBook Duo 210 sporting a trackball, a low-profile keyboard and a grayscale screen. I didn’t like the trackball as the pointing device. The keyboard wasn’t that great either. But, it was small, highly portable. Coupled with the Duo Dock and an external monitor, it was a cool and novel setup. It’s been a long time ago. This article was written using a M1 MacBook Air, in a coffee shop.

    → 2:52 PM, Feb 19
  • Health of Developer Relations with Apple in Free Fall

    According to this year’s Six Colors Report Card, relationships between Apple and its developers' community is in terrible shape. The trend isn’t looking good either.

    Marco Arment said, “Apple’s tightening grip on App Store fees, attempts to reach into other parts of businesses that they don’t deserve, and extremely entitled and galling statements on the matter continue to be distasteful and extremely damaging to their reputation. It seems like a huge strategic blunder to inflame developer relations, generate bad PR, invite more regulatory scrutiny, and risk governments imposing much worse changes for such a small percentage of their revenue.”

    Is Apple still able to read the room temperature, or it is blind because of its financial successes? For once, I think Apple should copy Microsoft’s leadership.

    → 7:50 AM, Feb 10
  • On Sideloading on iPhone — It’s OK, I’m Changing My Mind numericcitizen.me
    Numeric Citizen https://numericcitizen.me/2022/02/09/on-sideloading-on-iphone-its-ok-im-changing-my-mind/

    I’d love to get feedback on this subject, from this community, here on MB…

    → 12:29 PM, Feb 9
  • Apple is clearly crossing the red line here IMHO. They are being disingenuous.

    These guidelines from Apple about external payments are even worse than I expected. So many hoops to jump through, and a ridiculous 27% fee. No one is going to go along with this, which means it doesn’t relieve any regulatory pressure on Apple. Burning more developer trust.

    Manton Reece https://www.manton.org/2022/02/04/these-guidelines-from.html
    → 11:06 AM, Feb 4
  • Replacing (Another) Aging AirPort Extreme With…

    In mid-2020, I wrote about my experience of replacing an aging Apple AirPort Extreme with an Ubiquiti’s Dream Machine. Today, I’m kind of repeating the experience, but this time with the Amplify HD router, also from Ubiquiti, for my sister. Don’t expect a complete review, but expect a post with a few observations. My sister is having weak WiFi issues in her house and I suggested her to get the kit to form a mesh network. I’ll be taking measure before and after to see if it brings meaningful improvements in her big house. Stay tuned.

    → 9:25 AM, Jan 30
  • Universal Control — Finally!

    I’m a big fan of Apple’s Sidecar. I frequently use it for work. When Apple announced Universal Control at the 2021 WWDC keynote, I was blown away by the technical challenge it might have represented for Apple’s engineers. It really makes for great demos. Then, I started to wonder if this feature would enable new workflows, and I failed to find meaningful ones. With Sidecar, the iPad acts like a passive device most of the time, and I’m happy with this configuration. Then, following the release of iOS 15.4b1, videos (like this one from MacRumors) demonstrating Universal Control in action started to pop up. I changed my mind.

    Under a Universal Control configuration, the iPad acts like an intelligent extension of the Mac desktop. It’s like Sidecar Pro Max (just kidding here). The iPad becomes a second computing device readily available to the Mac. The user simply and seamlessly can take advantage of this second screen in a matter where the computing power of the device adds up to the Mac, the screen, the system memory. It’s absolutely clever.

    I can see myself using Craft on the MacBook Air and Ulysses on the iPad Pro, all using the MacBook’s keyboard and trackpad. Or vice versa. Clever. Really.

    I’m considering updating my M1 MacBook Air and my iPad Pro to this beta.

    → 9:36 PM, Jan 27
  • On HomePod mini with a screen - STOP!

    Consider this recent article from 9to5Mac: Concept: How Apple could turn HomePod mini into a delightful and adorable smart display - 9to5Mac.

    Please, stop thinking that a screen on the HomePod mini makes sense because it just doesn’t. Why? Well, by looking at where we put these devices in our house, most of the time, you wouldn’t be able to see the screen from a distance. What Apple really wishes is that you buy an iPad mini with a Smart Folio cover for that purpose.

    → 7:37 AM, Jan 26
  • Dear Apple: Bring Back the Dashboard

    I want this so much. We have to voice our desire to get back the Dashboard on macOS. As explained by 512px a long time ago:

    Jobs pitched widgets as mini-apps that let you look up a quick bit of information without ruining your workflow or train of thought. They allowed for quick interactions. They were present when you needed them, and disappeared when you didn’t.

    Why try to imagine new solutions to fix the widgets conundrum on macOS? The Dashboard was the only good solution where you could put widgets anywhere on the screen, then invoke them as needed. Dear Apple, are you reading this? 🥺🙏🏻

    Let’s enjoy one more time the Dashboard in its full glory.

    → 8:25 AM, Jan 22
  • About iMessage - Again

    Apple’s Messages app, why does it only support iMessage and SMS? iChat had support for AIM, Yahoo Messanger, ICQ, and XMPP. Why hasn’t Apple gone beyond the blue and green bubbles, introducing support for additional protocols with more message bubble colors?

    Apple likes control. They didn’t have it with those protocols. How could they implement things like CSAM?

    Source: The Green Bubble Myth - Initial Charge

    → 7:31 PM, Jan 20
  • Green vs Blue Bubbles: The Definitive And Honest Point of View

    A few days ago, I wrote a small commentary post regarding the WSJ article on Apple’s iMessage, its effects on the crowd of young iPhone users, and how Apple is being evil. Man, it’s a pale and superficial perspective compared to Gruber’s view of the article, and the controversy that followed. Must read, if this short-lived controversy is picking up your curiosity.

    → 8:24 PM, Jan 14
  • On iOS 15 Update Conundrum — Why Apple Is Changing is Mind

    Apple finally published the numbers of people who upgraded to iOS 15 and iPadOS 15. While the percentages show the vast majority of users upgraded their devices, there are more people than with previous years who didn’t. It’s probably Apple’s fault.

    With iOS 15, Apple is no longer forcing users to adopt the latest release to get the latest security updates. A user running iOS 14.7 can stay there as long as he can apply the security patches made available for that version. It’s an entirely new approach for Apple. I wonder why Apple made that change. I think I found one big reason.

    If you compare Apple’s ecosystem to Android, Apple has a clear advantage here by being able to move the needle much faster for releases adoption, until now. In a single year, Apple can transform its ecosystem of users by adding features that are quickly making their way into people’s devices. By allowing users to stay on previous releases, Apple is shooting itself in the foot. Now they seem to change their mind, though. Apple could be changing his mind. As reported by MacRumors:

    iOS 15‌ used to be listed as an optional update on devices running iOS 14, but now it is front and center on devices that still have iOS 14, and it is the only available update option as Apple has now stopped making security updates available for devices running iOS 14. Those who want the latest security fixes need to upgrade to ‌iOS 15‌, as all devices capable of running iOS 14 also support ‌iOS 15‌.

    I think it’s the right move for Apple, since they tend to support old devices longer than other manufacturers. Apple could tweak iOS to be less aggressive is upgrading to the latest release by introducing delays in a random manner. Users eager to upgrade can do so manually, others would randomly get a notification suggesting the availability of the newer release. As time passes, those notifications would increase in frequency. This new behaviour will probably never come to like and not be enough. Here is why.

    There might be another reason behind this change of mind on Apple’s part. Look at antitrust regulations looming on the horizon all around the world. Apple is probably making sure that all users adopt the latest release faster to comply with possible new regulations imposed by lawmakers, which would need to trigger changes to the operating system.

    → 7:21 AM, Jan 14
  • Carriers vs Apple

    Om Malik writing on the iPhone fifteen anniversary and the carrier companies at the time (emphasis is mine):

    These were wireless walled gardens crammed with absolutely rotten apps, games, and everything from mobile backgrounds to ringtones. They were an opportunity for carriers to nickel-and-dime their customers and extracted mafia-like fees from startups. Source: Looking back: iPhone & its impact on mobile industry & us. – On my Om

    I have great admiration for Mr. Malik, but a lot of people, especially developers, would jump in right here and use the same paragraph to describe Apple and its App Store today. You may agree or not with them. I mostly don’t.

    → 8:46 PM, Jan 10
  • "It’s not just how things look, it’s about how things work."

    Somehow, I missed David Sparks' observations regarding the Wallpaper feature of Apple’s Design Team (emphasis is mine):

    Instead of quoting Steve Jobs, I would have preferred an explanation from Alan Dye about his philosophy of user interface design and what his north star is when he does his work. I’d like him to make his case. If he explained the thinking behind this minimal approach, it might make more sense. Maybe this article was never meant to be that kind of deep dive on design philosophy, but it feels like a missed opportunity.

    Indeed. I’m not fond of Alan Dye’s work.

    Source: The Wallpaper* Feature on the Apple Design Team and a Missed Opportunity - MacSparky

    → 7:09 PM, Jan 9
  • Blue vs Green Bubbles — Blue is In, Green is Out?

    A recent article in the Wall Street Journal created a concerted reactions chain from news sites and people on Twitter. In “Why Apple’s iMessage Is Winning: Teens Dread the Green Text Bubble”, the WSJ article paints Apple as using highly questionable tactics to keep its users locked in iMessage messaging service. I want to share my thoughts on this.

    Peer pressure among teens isn’t a new phenomenon, far from it. Way before the Internet became accessible, when I was a teen myself, I vividly remember the feeling of not wearing the same brand of clothes as my friends. The problem here is teen’s social behaviour, not the technology. They are the one to blame if they reject people using non iMessage messaging service. I would argue that Apple as nothing to do with this. Sure, they like the stickiness of their platform, but I wouldn’t say it’s the defining goal when they add features to it.

    Of course, Apple can’t provide the dot-dot-dot feedback showing people who are actually writing a response to a text message because the SMS standard doesn’t provide that. Duh.

    When Mr. Hiroshi Lockheimer from Google refers to “standards” in one of his tweets to fix the interoperability issues of messaging platforms like iMessage, I wonder what standards he is referring to, Google’s RCS. And if this standard is actually a standard, why is it so hard to take off? Why are messaging services like Discord, Telegram, WhatsApp, WeChat, Facebook Messenger, etc.?

    I would also argue that, for a company like Apple, the ecosystem stickiness is part of their differentiating factor. Of course, iMessage plays a major role here. For a company like Google, where massively providing free services with ads, the more people who get to use your services, the more revenues you get. It’s their differentiating factor. It’s easy to say: Apple should open up their messaging service.

    My anecdotal experience is to the effect that when something breaks in the conversation between an iPhone user and an Android users, they usually go with Messenger or WhatsApp. People still have access to many alternatives.

    WSJ’s article is a prime example that finding the right angle to portray Apple as the devil in the room attracts numerous clicks.

    → 10:18 AM, Jan 9
  • On Talent Retention Challenges

    I’ve been working in information technologies for nearly three decades. Finding competent people has always been a challenge. Keeping them too. But, in recent years, the situation has become simply critical, to the point where businesses are deeply impacted: delayed projects, abandoned initiatives, high pressures on other people, stress, etc. Businesses’ bottom line if at stake here.

    The news of the departure of one of the directors behind Apple’s transition from Intel to Apple’s own silicon, Mr. Jeff Wilcox, for its Mac product line is sad but probably just the tip of the iceberg. I wouldn’t read too much into this. I can imagine a team of many hundred engineers working on this program. People come, people go. Apple must cope with this. One could argue that when there are empty seats to fill, it becomes an opportunity for others to move in and try to be their best.

    There are an infinite number of reasons why people leave a company. For Apple, the challenge is probably to stay attractive in a sea of opportunities for engineers. Apple cannot please everyone, all the time. I guess salaries is one of many other factors that come into play here. Apple is a legendary company where countless people would like to work there, me included. Pressure most be high in many key positions. Yet, the reward must be satisfying. I guess Mr. Wilcox has done what he thought could be done and succeeded. It’s often the good time to move on, and try something else while being at the top of their game.

    → 3:06 PM, Jan 8
  • On iPhone 14 Pro Max Pricing

    Kuo has also said that the iPhone 14 Max, or whatever it ultimately ends up being called, will be priced at under $900. For comparison’s sake, the current iPhone lineup’s “Max” only includes the 6.7-inch iPhone 13 Pro Max, which is priced at $1,099.

    I highly doubt that Apple will reduce the price of the top-of-the-line model of their iPhone line-up. Why would they do that? This would put pressure on lower-end models to go down in price too. Non sense.

    → 1:14 PM, Jan 6
  • Beyond the iPhone

    Remember when people claimed Java would replace all computer languages? Maybe you remember when tech pundits told us that network computers would replace Windows PC? Or what about those who said that netbooks would replace laptops? Why some people consider the tech world to be a place where technologies always get replaced with another one? I tend to view the tech world as a space where several waves hitting the shores. Not everything disappears with each wave, and most of the time, technologies keep adding up.

    What will replace the iPhone, you might ask? For me, nothing will replace the iPhone. But, according to Kelly Evans, the iPhone is going away. I don’t think her article will age well. Is she really thinking that a vast majority of people will wear goggles and stop buying smartphones? Really? Is she serious, or am I missing something in her writing?

    As much as I despise articles who pretend to predict a product failure on day one, I hate articles who predict success of an unannounced product like Apple’s AR headset.

    I should create a Craft document where I store those articles with a date attached to them, like five years from now, and get back to them to see how well the prediction came to be.

    → 7:38 PM, Jan 4
  • A New Project for 2022 — Every Apple Computers…

    What if I documented all Apple computers I ever actively used or owned? For each of them, there is a story worth remembering and to write (like this one from 1986), the general context of its use, what software did I use on it at the time, how I bought it, how long did I own it and which new computer replaced it? There is even a ten-years pause where I left the Apple bandwagon to switch to the other side. What happened? Why?

    Using the excellent and must-have utility, MacTracker, which I should have included in my post “The Perfect Apple Enthusiast — Find Out Where You Stand”, I started to process of going back in times. It won’t be easy to go back forty years back, but it’s worth it. I want this article to be as complete as possible and fun to read, full of high-quality pictures. Be patient, it will be a long journey.

    → 9:28 AM, Dec 28
  • Is The iPad Still Exciting — It Depends

    I want to chime in on a series of posts by Matt Birchler (on his YouTube channel) and Andy Nicolaides (on his The Dent website) regarding the iPad. The question is clear: is the iPad still exciting?

    It all depends on the use case. I came to realize in 2021 that the iPad (even in its Pro incarnation) cannot be as powerful and effective in my workflow as the MacBook Air. Besides creating content, is the iPad Pro still relevant? You bet! There is nothing beating the feeling of tearing the iPad from its Magic Keyboard and sitting on the couch for reading or browsing the web. Every single time, I enjoy the experience in all its glory, if such a thing can be said. The other use case that I came to appreciate is Sidecar. The iPad Pro, even in its 11” size, proves to be a superb and useful second screen to my Mac mini. And using the iPad with its Magic Keyboard, when I’m on the go, is still a superb experience, as long as I set my expectations accordingly.

    With iPadOS 15, Apple did address a few more low-hanging fruits from a software perspective. There is still a lot to accomplish, but more than ever I feel Apple is giving the iPad the attention it deserves.

    In summary, the iPad can be super exciting, it all comes down to its use case. For me, it still is, when I use it.

    → 4:29 PM, Dec 17
  • On iOS 15’s Legacy Contacts

    I remember working on “A Guide for Preparing to Leave Your Numeric Legacy”, one of the cited challenges was to get access to the deceased person’s online data. I provided ways and a methodology to get ready for their numeric legacy. With iOS 15’s Legacy Contacts, Apple is making it much easier. The setup process takes less than 2 minutes to complete. An access key and a death certificate are required to ask Apple to let the legacy contacts to gain access to the online data. At long last, big tech companies now consider important to let people surviving people to keep access to deceased people in a simple and secure way. I can see countless headaches being prevented with this feature, first promised at WWDC last June. Bravo to Apple.

    → 7:33 PM, Dec 13
  • iOS 15.2 & iPadOS 15.2 are OUT — A Few Thoughts

    The previous screenshots show the release notes, as seen on an iPhone. I just can’t believe Apple cannot fix the font size. It’s been like this life forever. It’s all in the details, Apple, in the details. Gosh.

    The most interesting thing for me is the App Privacy Report, which I love. As an IT guy in my professional life, I like to see what’s going on in my devices. App Privacy Report is a great way to show this to me.

    Notifications Summary has a refined design. The summary goes edge-to-edge with the screen. It’s a bit weird. I don’t know if this is a bug or a feature. Yet, I like to see more information in the summary as each notification offers expanded content.

    As a side note, apparently, Apple won’t release Universal Control this year. I couldn’t care less because I don’t see this as useful in my current workflow. Maybe there is something to Universal Control that I don’t get.

    Wallpaper by Basic Apple Guy.

    → 4:31 PM, Dec 13
  • Will Apple SharePlay Really Take Off?

    Readdle software released an update to PDF Expert with support for Apple’s SharePlay. Using FaceTime, up to 32 people can share and annotate a PDF. According to the documented workflow on The MacObserver website, while in a FaceTime call, opening a PDF file with PDF Expert enables the SharePlay feature.

    I tried the SharePlay experience using Music and screen sharing to see how easy the SharePlay workflow is to master. Each of my test with Apple Music ended up with a popup saying the selected content couldn’t be shared (probably controlled by the owner of the music track-not surprising at all). With screen sharing, I had more success and the feature worked as expected.

    I think this is all cool and SharePlay brings Apple’s ecosystem closer to what is possible within Zoom or Teams.

    What I’d like to see is more application support for SharePlay. Apple’s Keynote would be another winner where people could watch the same presentation together. I find it surprising that’s not already the case. Maybe an upcoming update to iWork will fix that.

    l’ll definitively play with this more in the coming days because I think SharePlay has a lot o potential, especially in the business space.

    → 8:51 PM, Nov 28
  • Android Phones Are For…?

    A story by MacRumors reports Tim Cook’s answer about not being able to sideload applications on the iPhone is not restricting customers choice. Here’s the beginning of Tim Cook’s answer:

    “I think that people have that choice today, Andrew, if you want to sideload, you can buy an Android phone.”

    Tim Cook’s answer reminds me of another one. Steve Jobs once said that if you want porn on a phone, just buy an Android phone. Apple’s stance is fascinating. You want shit? There’s Android for that.

    Photo credits: Dainis Graveris on Unsplash

    → 8:55 PM, Nov 9
  • Remembering Macintosh Floppies

    This seemingly insignificant box used to be sold by Apple and contained ten single-sided floppy disks. Those were meant to be used in a Macintosh computer. I had a bunch of them but somehow managed to keep an empty box. It was a great time.

    Each floppy contained a whopping 400 KB of storage for a single-sided version. At one point we could get them for 70$ a piece. It was expansive compared to 5 1/4 inches flexible floppy disks that contained either 160 KB or 360 KB that were typically used in IBM PCs. From a design perspective, Apple’s floppy disks were rigid, smaller, sturdier and dust proof, hence a higher asking price.

    → 10:59 AM, Nov 6
  • A Few #Unleashed Observations About That #AppleEvent

    The less than an hour Unleashed event took place yesterday, I was there… watching on my Mac mini. I had these observations.

    • The opening sequence with the man in its garage building a song based on sound from Apple devices, like the Mac startup sound was different, some sort of Mac celebration. Is this garage setup intentional and a reference to Apple’s beginnings? Probably.
    • Today, I would argue that Apple completed 80% of its transition to its Apple Silicon. The Mac Pro will probably be the last to get the Apple Silicon treatment. What a monster it will be. We’ll probably get a bigger iMac and beeper Mac mini meanwhile. 2022.
    • There is not much not to like in Apple’s MacBook Pro announcement. These MacBook Pro are technical marvels. Lots of “speeds and feeds” for sure but hey, that was for the pros, right?
    • The M1 Pro / M1 Max branding makes me think of Intel’s.
    • The notch… comes with a bonus, more screen estate. Is there room to complain? I wonder how good apps with many menus will look like. Yet, with all the hardware prowess Apple is capable of, I still wonder why they cannot put the FaceTime camera in the bezel, even that thin. Center Stage? Nope. Requires a better camera for that.
    • I’m not looking to buy a new MacBook or any Apple devices for that matter. I’m super happy with my M1 Mac mini and M1 MacBook Air. But, a friend of mine ordered the 14”. Can’t wait to have his comments.
    • This design changes are more or less subtile and it is quite interesting to note that it is reminiscent of the PowerBook G4 Titanium. I love it.
    • The keyboard, without the Touch Bar, with its black background, looks so… pro. I love it. The best combination to me is with the silver version of the MacBook Pro, the contrast is even higher, more pro.
    • Now, am I alone to think that the iMac / Mac mini could be the next to receive the M1 Pro and M1 Max treatment?
    • The ProMotion display, which is based on the Liquid Retina Display, looks impressive. We’ll see what the reviewers have to say next week.

    Another solid virtual event for Apple. Oh, Voice plan for Music? That was weird. I don’t get it. I thought Siri was bad as an interface to search for music. Apple must have a different take with that one. Now, the big question, is there any new stuff left for Apple this year? I think so. And that’s ok.

    → 11:30 AM, Oct 19
  • It’s Becoming Harder and Harder to Sell Second Hand Apple Gear

    After many weeks of trying, I finally sold my 2017 21.5 inches iMac. Even though Apple is currently selling M1 iMac at a competitive price, I thought that it would be easier to get rid of my Mac. It was a maxed out configuration, which helped me ask for a higher than usual price compared to other sellers. Yet, it wasn’t easy. As you might guess, I’m not the only one trying to sell an Intel-based iMac.

    The next device put on sale was my iPhone 11 Pro with 256 GB of storage. One week before the officiel launch of the iPhone 13 Pro, I put up my older iPhone for sale. I got quite a few people interested in it, but the problem was the price they were willing to offer. It was way under my asking price, closer to what Apple is offering as a trade-in value. I think this is part of the problem. Many people are looking to get rid of their older devices to help pay for the new one, but potential buyers are comparing to what Apple is offering, which shouldn’t be used to fix the value of the second hand iPhone. Apple will refurbish the device or recycle it. This cannot be used as a comparison. After a week of getting my trade-in kit, I decided to return my iPhone instead of bothering to sell it.

    When I bought my MacBook Air back in August, it came with a free pair of AirPods. I didn’t need them, so I put them on sale too. That one was easy to sell, though. It took less than half a day to find someone willing to get them.

    It’s true that Apple hardware keep their resale value, but I think it’s not what it used to be. Apple is no longer the underdog, their devices are everywhere, which puts pressure on pricing.

    What’s I’d like to see come in Canada is the iPhone upgrade program available in the US. I think I would pay a monthly price to always get the newer iPhone.

    → 1:11 PM, Oct 2
  • Apple’s Maps — Nine Years of Iterative Updates

    Today Apple is publishing an article on its newsroom website about all the new thing that comes with Maps in iOS 15. There is a lot to like in this update, like the 3D detailed views in some major cities like San Francisco. These 3D views remind me of SimCity, a game on which I’ve spent countless hours playing. Maps as matured over the years, following the iterative nature of Apple’s approach to everything they do. Some don’t like it, others see the value in it. I’m one of those who think this is the best approach as each iteration helps build the next one with good cumulative experience. Today’s Maps, nine year later after a rocky start, in 2012, is impressive and as good as other popular alternatives, in my area at least.

    → 12:01 PM, Sep 27
  • The waiting combo. It’s the story of a lonely couple waiting for something to happen. Tomorrow they will come together at last.

    → 6:29 AM, Sep 23
  • Microsoft: Wow. Your Turn, Apple.

    Microsoft’s announcements this week are nothing less than impressive. Microsoft is showing courage. Their Surface are striking. These things will probably be hot as hell (pun intended, thanks to Intel Inside). I’m hoping users will have a better experience than many of my colleague who had their Surface replaced in the last year because of over heating issues. Stylus On the surface (pun intended) may not work as well as the Apple Pencil on the iPad. Apple is at their best in that regard. Yet, we have to give them credits for what they are doing. They are iterating with more than incremental updates. They try new things. It’s interesting to see Microsoft aligning itself with Apple strategy: vertical integration (hardware + software: Windows) with a yearly release schedule. Designed for Windows 11. Well done.

    Now, looking forward to Apple’s next announcement: the MacBook Pro “redesign”. Don’t expect anything close to what Microsoft is doing. But expect Apple to reintroduce the HDMI port and the SD Card reader. According the latest leaks.

    → 7:48 PM, Sep 22
  • Tim Would Love Stopping the Leaks

    Of course the memo from Tim Cook about leakers is being leaked. It’s funny to read a leaked memo from Tim Cook expressing his concern and frustration about leakers working within Apple. After reading it, I do think part of the message is for outside leakers too, knowing the memo would be… leaked.

    → 7:24 PM, Sep 22
  • On iOS 15 Early Adoption Rate

    Compared to last’s year iOS 14, early numbers show a much slower adoption rate for iOS 15. The problem? Last year was about the iPhone experience getting widgets. That’s a very material change. This year? Even if widgets now come to the iPad, it is far less reaching than it was on the iPhone. Things like focus modes are not as flashy as widgets but are damn useful, to me at least.

    → 7:12 PM, Sep 22
  • Happy iOS 15 & iPadOS 15 to you all!

    After a long summer of beta releases, today we get to see the final releases of iOS 15 and iPadOS 15. Are you feeling as excited as a few years ago at the same time? Personally, even if I think those are great iterative updates, I don’t. There is less to grab by developers it seems. I’m not expecting exciting new releases for any of my apps. What about yours?

    → 7:08 AM, Sep 20
  • The iterative Apple that delivers

    If you think that this year’s updates from Apple are meh, I think, either you didn’t pay attention during the keynote or you’re simply bored. You may not like the iterative nature of Apple under Tim Cook, maybe you forgot to remember that the smartphone (and to some degree) the smartwatch are mature products. Since Apple is paying attention to what the majority of people actually care about, improving battery life, adding more storage, keeping prices steady, not having to wait three months to get a new device, stop expecting folding iPhone to prove Apple is still innovating.

    There, I said it.

    → 5:43 AM, Sep 16
  • The future of the App Store According to Marco Arment

    One of the best recent take on the possible future of the App Store.

    Regarding IAP purchases:

    Most apps will be required to also offer IAP side-by-side with any external methods

    …

    Many games will offer both IAP and external purchases, with the external choice offering a discount, bonus gems, extra loot boxes, or other manipulative tricks to optimize the profitability of casino games for children

    …

    External purchase methods will evolve to be almost as convenient as IAP

    …

    The payment-fraud doomsday scenarios argued by Apple and many fans mostly won’t happen

    Now, App Store side-loading and alternative App Stores:

    Facebook would soon have apps that bypassed App Review installed on the majority of iPhones in the world.

    …

    Without the threat of App Review to keep them in check, Facebook’s apps would become even more monstrous than they already are.

    …

    Alternative app stores would be even worse. Rather than offering individual apps via side-loading, Facebook could offer just one: The Facebook App Store.

    …

    Maybe Google would bring the Play Store to iOS and offer a unified SDK to develop a single codebase for iOS and Android, effectively making every app feel like an Android app

    …

    Media conglomerates that own many big-name properties, like Disney, might each have their own app stores for their high-profile apps.

    …

    Most developers would probably need to start submitting our apps to multiple app stores, each with its own rules, metadata, technical requirements, capabilities, approval delays, payment processing, stats, crash reports, ads, promotion methods, and user reviews.

    In a few words: what a fucking mess.

    I don’t expect side-loading or alternative app stores to become possible, and I’m relieved, because that is not a future I want for iOS.

    I’m not so sure this won’t happen, but I’m sure that’s something I don’t want too. If only Apple could better read the room’s temperature and budge a tad.

    → 11:17 AM, Sep 14
  • Courage, Apple?

    John Gruber on Apple’s lack of courage regarding vaccination of their employees:

    So where’s Apple on this? Why isn’t Apple requiring proof of vaccination for employees, including for retail employees and customers? Why reserve courageous decisions only for removing headphone jacks?

    Boom.

    Photo by Marisol Benitez on Unsplash

    → 6:49 AM, Sep 11
  • On VMware Not Supporting the Mac Pro

    VMware:

    Due to various challenges of COVID-19 and the recent announcement from Apple on their transition away from x86 to Apple Silicon, VMware will no longer pursue hardware certification for the Apple 2019 Mac Pro 7,1 for ESXi.

    This is sad news and probably not a surprising news. In early 2020, I came close to buy an entry-level Mac Pro in order to build a lab-in-a-box for experimenting different environments and software, all related to my work. I started this thread on my blog about my SDDCbox project, and was nearly ready to make the decision. Somehow, priorities shifted and I dropped my project entirely.

    It is one thing to see new apps being non-native to the Mac, like 1Password 8 and maybe the upcoming Readwise Reader app, but it is another when a major player like VMware no longer consider the Mac as a viable platform for things like ESXi. Apple’s transition to its own silicon has obviously something to do with it. The Mac has never been more popular than today, yet, on the software side, I feel there is a “malaise”.

    → 5:47 AM, Sep 9
  • The next #AppleEvent is coming!

    Just in time for the upcoming Apple event, my rumours site has been updated to reflect the most recent rumours. New iPhone. New Apple Watch. New AirPods. iOS 15. iPadOS 15. No MacBook Pro updates. That is all.

    → 5:49 PM, Sep 7
  • The (short) story of a scratch

    Here is a picture of my 2020 MacBook Air that I recently bought. I wanted to use it as a banner somewhere, but this visual defect on the Apple logo put an end to my intention. Then, I started to think how bad things go for Apple these days and I came to the conclusion that this scratch perfectly illustrates the current status of Apple as a symbol. What a useless post. 🙂🤦🏻‍♂️

    → 8:27 AM, Sep 5
  • A thought on the Apple Watch Series 7

    In recent days or weeks, rumours are rampant on the updated design of the Apple Watch: bigger but flatter screen, boxier design are the main themes, with no new health sensors. I’m not so sure about the boxy design. It’s ok for the iPad or the iPhone but for a watch? To me, it could make it less approachable, less jewelry. We’ll see in a few weeks. There is one thing that I’d like to point out about the Series 7: Apple is not only presumably launching an updated design, they are creating a new price point. The bigger screen helps legitimate this. They have been doing this since Tim Cook is CEO.

    → 6:09 AM, Sep 3
  • And so it begins. What's next?

    According to the Wall Street Journal:

    South Korea today passed a bill that bans Apple and Google from requiring developers to use their own respective in-app purchasing systems, allowing developers to charge users using third-party payment methods

    Now what? How will Apple respond? Will they create a different version of iOS for South Korea? Can they simply appeal this law, if such a thing is possible? How is this going to help other countries and parties to go after Apple’s practices? How much time will Apple be given to change its practices? Three months? A year? South Korea is probably a small market for Apple compared to other places in the world, but this new law seems like a tsunami in the making.

    → 5:37 AM, Aug 31
  • On Apple's M1 MacBook Air energy efficiency

    Funny and fascinating to see that 95% of the time, the four energy-efficient CPU cores are doing all the legwork on my M1 MacBook Air. I rarely see the performance cores doing work for a long time.

    → 7:28 AM, Aug 28
  • While waiting for iCloud Private Relay...

    I’m using NextDNS.io for a better web experience… not the same but it does a great job of making the web more privacy friendly and a lot faster too. Too bad that we will have to wait for iOS 15.1 or later for iCloud Private Relay. Each year there are features that get dropped from the initial release… remember iMessage in the cloud, anyone?

    → 6:57 AM, Aug 28
  • Late to the party, but...

    Just got this yesterday. You know what this mean, right? Well, maybe not. Anyway, I’m a bit late to the MacBook Air party, but this thing is probably THE best Mac Apple ever made. It’s not the best Air Apple ever made, though. A tad too big probably, yet so powerful. And this keyboard… a real and trusty keyboard. 🥰

    I’m working on an essay about my new adventure in the MacBook Air land. Stay tuned.

    → 5:40 AM, Aug 26
  • If all goes well, I should be getting my CraftingMAChine today. 👈🏻 👨🏻‍💻 #macbookair #applesilicon #m1chip

    → 6:28 AM, Aug 24
  • About this “in-public” design

    Gruber writing about how Apple mostly fixed Safari 15 on iPhone with beta 6 (emphasis is mine):

    The unusual part is that we got to see Apple’s design process play out in public. The Safari team has been kept busy this summer. (There has to be one hell of backstory here, right?) There was a certain pessimism amongst some who perceived the problems with the original iOS 15 Safari design, simply because Apple seldom makes drastic UI changes between their unveiling at WWDC in June, and when they officially ship in the fall. But seldom isn’t never.

    I’d love to read the behind-the-scene-story about this “in public” design process that we all witnessed. The Safari team surely scrambled to fix the design issues between beta 1 and beta 6… or was just all planned in advance? I bet on the former. The whole saga was unusual for Apple. They look less confident from a design perspective.

    I love Safari 15 in beta 6. They nailed it, and it is an improvement compared to the pre-iOS 15 implementation.

    → 6:43 PM, Aug 18
  • When designers can’t decide...

    iOS 15 beta 6 is out and Apple is making great progress with Safari on iPhone. For me, they finally hit the right notes. I think that’s the design they should have included since day one of iOS 15. Yet, I find it funny to see Apple put a new option in settings for those who prefer the pre-iOS 15 release. I guess it’s another case of “If you can’t decide which design is the best, just add another option in Settings so the user decide.”

    → 8:43 PM, Aug 17
  • We will have to wait for these... sadly.

    SharePlay, ID Cards, App Privacy Report, Custom email domain, detailed 3D navigation in CarPlay, Legacy Contacts, Universal Control won’t ship with iOS 15.0 this fall. We’ll have to wait for an update later, like 15.1, 15.2 or even later. That’s a lot of stuff missing the deadline. I was looking forward to Legacy Contacts and Universal control… Apple is often a waiting game.

    → 8:34 PM, Aug 17
  • What a bizarre advice

    A successful Apple investor, Paul Lane, had advice to give to other Apple investors, as reported on PED: buy Apple gear to return some money to Apple as a sign of appreciation and support. That’s the most bizarre advice I ever heard of from an investor. I would expect something along the line: buy low, sell high. I, personally, own a few Apple shares and a lot of their products. Yet, I don’t feel invested in a mission to show my support to Apple, either by buying shares or their products.

    → 5:44 AM, Aug 17
  • Switching to a weekly beta cycle this week? #ios15beta6 #apple

    → 4:21 PM, Aug 15
  • Apple’s cheap labour: concept creators

    Parker Ortolani for 9to5Mac published a two-parts concept on a future version of macOS named Mammoth.

    macOS Big Sur did a great job of refining the Mac desktop, but it didn’t fundamentally change any of its behavior. We’d like to see that change with the next version of macOS. With Monterey being mostly full of small refinements rather than big ideas, we’d expect Mammoth to be a monstrous release.

    I’m using one of his screen design that pertains to widgets improvements. I recently wrote about those and Apple’s sad design decision to keep them in the notifications center for Big and Monterey. I think Ortolani’s design is interesting and plausible. Freedom of placement certainly makes the experience more satisfying. It’s so true they liberated widgets on iPad with iPadOS 15.

    There is so much work going into these visual essays. I mean, there are release notes too! I often considered people doing these mockups has being Apple’s cheap labour. I wonder if Apple’s designers notice those.

    → 6:17 AM, Aug 13
  • On this unexpected and mysterious macOS Big Sur 11.5.2 update

    Dear Apple, as an owner of an M1 Mac mini, a MacBook Air and an iMac, don’t you think that I’m entitled for an explanation about what does this update fix? I think I do.

    → 5:23 PM, Aug 11
  • Excited for a… keyboard

    I got the new Magic Keyboard with Touch ID. I chose the one without the numeric keypad; the desk space being scarce. Setting this thing up took one minute. I had to read the (slim) manual as I wasn’t sure how the pairing would work: connect the keyboard to my M1 Mac mini with the provided USB-C to Lightning cable, quickly press the M1 Mac mini power button two times to trigger the setup process for Touch ID configuration (Bluetooth is automatically configured). The Touch ID setup screen looks similar to the one on the iPhone when settings up Touch ID for the first time. It’s one of the best Apple keyboard; keys feeling is similar to the previous generation. Touch ID is the star of the show here, and I love it. Only works with M1 Macs. This Magic Keyboard brings to the Mini, a feature otherwise only available to the MacBooks (and the M1 iMac). That’s why I bought the keyboard. It’s not cheap, but convenience has a price for Apple.

    → 5:31 AM, Aug 10
  • About the Store, the Store Tab.

    There is so much to think or write about a simple “Store” tab. Something so “obvious” can lead to weird design decisions, even for Apple. I love this (rare) blog post from Ken Segall.

    Sarcasm ON: “I’m feeling inspired by Apple’s new way of thinking. It’s liberating. Who needs “Apple” when you have “Store”? Generic is just so much easier, don’t you think?" - Ken Segall

    To be honest, I don’t remember when there was a dedicated Store section on the Apple.com website. Apple brought it back, leaving “Buy” buttons scattered around every single product pages. It is now so much easier to buy something from Apple these days.

    Sarcasm OFF

    → 7:15 PM, Aug 9
  • (Re)Introducing the Store Tab

    Yesterday, Apple made some changes to their website with the introduction of a new Store tab at the top of their website. Not only that, but the store design has been completely redone. I find it a bit disorienting at first, but after a few minutes, I think the elements and general reorganization make sense; I find it easier to navigate in general. Apple chose the horizontal scrolling sections instead of going vertical. I’m not always sure this is the best way to go, though. The bouncing effect is inconsistent, it’s there while going to the right but not when hitting the limit on the left. AirTags have their section, which is surprising for such a small device.

    It’s interesting to note that Apple’s top navigation bar is now spanning a store, physical products, services, support, search, and a shopping cart.

    Apple is getting ready for this fall slew of new products. Oh, one of the first thing I noticed is that the Magic Keyboard With Touch ID that is bundled with the 24” iMac is now sold separately. I ordered one for my M1 Mac mini. It will take less space on my desk and Touch ID will so much more convenient for the mini. One last thing: convenience has a price: 179 CAN$. Ouch.

    → 8:17 PM, Aug 4
  • Magic Keyboard with Touch ID for Mac models with Apple silicon — available separately. 😳🤔👍🏻

    → 8:17 PM, Aug 3
  • I Love This Machine

    It is light, fast and an absolute design gem. Small, but not too small. It runs a powerful operating system. It’s highly portable. It is venerable. It is a rare “species”. There is something really special about it. Furthermore, it has a real keyboard that I can trust. Battery life is good. It is out of the way. It’s the perfect device for writing and blogging.

    It’s a 2013 11” MacBook Air.

    I’ll explain in the coming week or so.

    → 6:05 AM, Aug 3
  • Apple: everything is at least to taps away™ #apple #safari15 #newdesigntrend

    → 4:34 PM, Jul 30
  • Documenting past home screen arrangements

    Matt Birchler had an interesting blog post this week about a screenshot of his 2013 iPhone home screen. There are a few interesting things to note. In 2013, it was the arrival of the controversial iOS 7 redesign. It’s interesting to look at the Camera+ icon design which was still not updated for the new style. The dock design style was pretty basic and felt out of place. A few apps are not longer among us these days: Path (which was really a great design example) but most of the third-party apps are still available today.

    I wish I had kept screen shots of previous home screen arrangements in the past. Something that I have kept is many screen shots of my password manager user interface dating back pre-iOS 7 era. Here is an example below. When I saw iOS 7, I didn’t have the courage to rework my design. The development of my app stopped right there. I made five thousands dollars with this adventure, between 2009 and 2013. Now I’m using a combinaison of 1Password and Apple’s passwords vault.

    → 8:07 PM, Jul 27
  • On Safari 15 in iPadOS 15 Beta 4

    Apple is slowly but surely getting there with this release of beta 4 of iPadOS 15 and Safari 15. I like what I’m seeing, on the iPad. Yet, “when you don’t know what is best, just add an option to Settings so the user can decide” strategy seems to be the way to go this time. You know what’s my choice, don’t you?

    → 7:52 PM, Jul 27
  • I’ve been invited to test Safari 15 Preview on Big Sur

    I’m going to jump in because on macOS, I don’t see the change as controversial as on iOS 15. I find it surprising that Apple seeks feedback on the new design. It’s a good thing but also surprising has they tend to do their thing alone. Now, they look a bit in distress while searching for a solution.

    → 6:08 AM, Jul 27
  • Do you remember when you switched to Apple's ecosystem?

    Matt Birchler writing about Apple ecosystem stickiness:

    “As I buy more and more Apple products, all of those Apple products get better. My iPhone is more valuable because of the HomePod Mini I AirPlay my podcast to while I’m working. My iPad gets more valuable because it has seamless file sync with my Mac. Reminders is better because it works with Siri in a way no other app is allowed. The list goes on. But this is of course also a bit of a trap. I can’t really get an Android phone, even if I think I would enjoy it more than my iPhone, because then my HomePods become worse, my Mac gets worse, my iPad gets worse, and my Apple services get worse. Because each additional Apple product makes all my other Apple products better, likewise removing something from that mix brings down everything else.”

    You cannot use an Apple Watch with an Android smartphone. In Apple’s garden, every product has an extension that takes the form of a service or another physical product from Apple. Did we forget that once upon a time we made a switch from platforms like Windows or OS/2? When a new offering is really making a difference, we tend to switch. Back in the days, a Windows PC was an island, leaving it for the Mac meant that you had to re-buy new software, a few accessories. All things equal, the switch wasn’t necessarily funny. Today’s digital world is quite different, for sure, but pose a similar kind of challenge when switching.

    Photo by Miguel Tomás on Unsplash

    → 6:31 AM, Jul 26
  • Part of my digital garden focusing on Apple’s rumours has been updated this morning. Most recent rumours about upcoming iPhone and Macs now added. Made with @Craftdocsapp.

    → 6:00 AM, Jul 26
  • On iPadOS 15 Photos improvements

    I’ve been using Photos in iPadOS 15 since beta 2 and I must say that Apple is in fact offering a major update to their photos application. Beyong the updated Stories automatic creation and management improvements, face recognition has become quite impressive. According to a published article by Apple, people faces should be more detectable and recognizable in more extreme conditions. I can confirm this is actually the case. A large number of new photos were surfaced by Photos’ improved algorithms which brings more potential content for new stories creation. Managing tagged faces is easier too and provides a refined experience overvall. Photos enhancements in iPadOS 15 is a big reason to upgrade.

    → 7:34 AM, Jul 25
  • How many times one of my colleage at work, knowing that I’m an Apple zealot, said that iPhone was losing ground to Android? Countless times. Where is this guy now? www.ped30.com

    Apple vs. Android: In the U.S., they’re neck and neck

    → 8:35 PM, Jul 19
  • THIS! 👇🏻 www.macsparky.com

    That Car Project

    → 5:31 PM, Jul 18
  • iPhone 13 Pro Max or iPhone 13 Pro — That is the question

    I’m planning to go big screen this fall with the iPhone 13 Pro (12s?) Max (I currently own an iPhone 11 Pro). I never owned the biggest iPhone (Plus or Max). There is one thing that makes me pause: information density of the Max seems about the same if not a bit higher compared to the non-Max model. There are six row of icons on the home screen on both models (Max and non-Max), which is kind of lame. Am I getting this wrong?

    → 5:06 PM, Jul 18
  • When a 2013 MacBook Air is > than a two-years old Chromebook

    I’ll be getting a old 2013 MacBook Air for one of my son to replace an aging Chromebook that I bought about two years ago. Think about it. This eight years old MacBook Air is faster, much better design, much better screen quality, more memory and will be able to run macOS Big Sur and all other apps like iWorks et al. I find this incredible that we can read and hear people saying Apple gear is expansive and that is under Apple’s obsolescence progamming. I call this bullshit.

    → 4:17 PM, Jul 18
  • User Interface design dark age era

    We are in the dark age (not dark mode!) of user interface design for sure. We get excited for new animated UI elements (example here), but overall, delight has been lost in translation a long time ago. As Mike Rockwell is a link post say:

    “I can’t really identify anything that I’ll be nostalgic for in ten or twenty years.”

    I wouldn’t go back to pre-iOS 7 days but there has to be some delightful in-between degree of crafted user interface that had some real joyful elements in them. Apple is not the only one at fault here. It looks like it is a design trend spanning many mediums (print, TV, web, etc.).

    Has the industry decided that our devices have reached a level of maturity that warrants making everything minimal, sterile, and utilitarian to help “do work” and “get stuff done”?

    Excellent question, Tyler Hall.

    → 6:06 AM, Jul 14
  • Google’s openness isn’t enough apparently (#antitrust #security #cybersecurity)

    Wow, that one is close to being hilarious. Big tech companies are the target of hate these days. Google was hit by another antitrust lawsuit by no less than 36 states about their handling of applications side loading on Android. In summary, it is so cumbersome to side load an app on Android, thanks to security measures, that it makes it hard for competing App Store to compete.

    Google makes the sideloading process unnecessarily cumbersome and impractical by adding superfluous, misleading, and discouraging security warnings and by deterring users by requiring them to grant permission multiple times for a single app installation (discussed in more detail in Sections I.C. and I.D. below). The effect of Google’s conduct is to practically eliminate competition in Android app distribution.

    Android is supposedly more permissive than Apple’s App Store and yet, it looks like it’s not enough. This lawsuit is a prime example on why I don’t like the current trend. People want more open platforms but it’s never enough. If Apple is ever forced to make profound changes to their App Store business, it will be the beginning of a worrisome trend that I prefer wouldn’t happen. I recently wrote about not wanting another Android platform. Now, I should say that I don’t want another Windows platform disguised in a mobile device. To me, it is scary and close in nature to the same problem of who should own encryption keys. Raging ransomeware cyberattacks are signs of what is coming on mobile devices if we open them up too much, just like Windows.

    → 5:53 AM, Jul 13
  • What comes before the right to repair? (#apple #righttorepair)

    The next step for Apple is to design for repairability which goes beyond recycling. AirPods are the worst example of this. When the battery life on these is reached, there is no practical way to replace them without throwing it to the trash and buying a new one. So for me, the right to repair goes way beyond having a choice of where I’m going to take a device for repair. It is about buying a device that was designed for and built to use recycled materials, but also it is about buying a device that can be repaired for basic things like battery replacement.

    → 7:37 PM, Jul 11
  • The Touch Bar is a great example of a divisive feature. I love the Touch Bar. Poll: Do you think Apple should kill the MacBook’s Touch Bar? - 9to5Mac

    → 1:20 PM, Jul 9
  • The more we wait for beta 4, the more chance we will get a step back for Safari redesign. That’s my guess.

    → 6:29 PM, Jul 8
  • If you depend on automation shortcuts and use shortcuts in general on iOS 15 & iPadOS 15, you’ll quickly realize that any advance Apple made in Notifications are ruined by Shortcuts generated notifications. Those notifications should be treated separately.

    → 7:02 AM, Jul 8
  • Maybe Apple should sell iPhone without any operating system, that way, everyone is equal. I’d love to build my own kernel because I think it would be the best but since Apple is bundling one, I’m seriously disadvantaged. How is this even allowed?

    → 11:30 AM, Jul 7
  • The power of iPadOS 15: setting up a workspace made of four apps with a simple shortcut from the home screen. So cool. 👨🏻‍💻🤓

    → 7:02 AM, Jul 7
  • The return of the Touch ID?

    A recent poll ran by 9To5Mac gives surprising results about what people would like to see if Touch Id is to return to the iPhone. Touch ID under the screen wins popular favour… personally, I would prefer Touch ID to go on the power button, just like the iPad Air because it is easily accessible while holding the phone.

    → 5:47 AM, Jul 7
  • Can’t wait for a fresh coat of paint: beta 3. Tomorrow? Thursday? Next week? 🥸

    → 7:03 PM, Jul 6
  • Here is some relief for Safari 15 users who hate the new design… (#ios15beta2 #apple)

    For those like me who despise Safari redesign in iPadOS 15 & iOS 15: here is simple trick to better cope with Safari redesign: keep the number of open tab to ONE. Why do you think Apple thought it was a good idea to include a “Close Other Tabs” in the popup menu while pressing the address bar? With on,y one tab open, this is close to what we had before.

    → 8:25 PM, Jul 4
  • Every few days, I go on the Apple Store app to configure a 12.9” 2021 iPad Pro with 512 GB just to confirm delivery date estimates. I’m crazy.

    → 4:43 PM, Jul 3
  • Apple in a weakness position…

    I keep thinking of this phrase from Phil Schiller who once said:

    “whenever we make a change we do it from a position of strength rather than weakness.”.

    The window has closed a long time ago for Apple and they find themselves in a weakness position. I thought Mr. Schiller was still partly involved in the App Store related decisions.

    → 1:51 PM, Jul 3
  • Let’s pretend there is side-loading of apps on the iPhone, then what?

    InitialCharge:

    The only one that stands to lose anything in this scenario is Apple and that’s why they’re doing everything they can to convince us that side-loading is inherently bad. But they’re wrong.Source: Apple’s Head of Privacy Doubles Down on Anti-Sideloading Stance - Initial Charge

    I’m a bit late on this one but, let say Apple does go ahead and allow for side loading of apps. Besides the proliferation of App Stores, what will we get in this scenario that we don’t get today? Proponents of applications sideloading are always shy on providing the real long term benefits of such opening. Let me guess: lower prices for apps? Faster install? Better layout App Stores? Apps that use private APIs? What examples of previsouly missed innovations that we get with side-loading? Apps that can trick differently users in thinking they are safe? Or is this choices for the sake of choice?

    → 8:21 AM, Jul 3
  • Please… stop… using… ellipsis… for gods sake (#apple #ux #design #iosdev)

    In the following screenshot taken this morning on my iPad screen, how many ellipsis signs to you catch? I highlighted them for you to make it easier. To all developers, to all designers, to Apple: please, stop this shit NOW and find a better way, use your imagination, stop being lazy at design. Thank you.

    → 11:11 AM, Jul 2
  • I’m very surprised by the public release of iOS 15 today… it’s really rough.

    → 5:37 PM, Jun 30
  • Public beta, already? That was fast. (#ios15publicbeta #ios15beta2) If my experience is any indication, I wouldn’t install that on an iPhone, if it’s the only device a user have.

    → 1:24 PM, Jun 30
  • On Apple’s Hybrid work model — Apple’s employees to become targets?

    Dave Mark for LoopInsight:

    Did the pandemic make a foundational change to the way we think about where we do our jobs? Or was this a blip, with a slow slide back to the old ways?

    I certainly hope that we won’t return massively to the old days. For Apple, it looks like the pandemic was a blip and employees will need to be back at the office at least three days a week. It’s a corporate culture thing, which doesn’t get amended easily. Now, for employees not wanted to return to the previous model, even partially, they could become poaching targets by other companies where remote work is fundamental to them. This is where Apple could have to open up more.

    → 8:27 AM, Jun 30
  • Reading this story of the original iPhone demo Steve Jobs did, 14 years ago, using a barely working iPhone prototype, makes you realize how far we’ve come. Man, time flies.

    → 8:09 PM, Jun 29
  • With iPadOS 15, the more home pages you create on the iPad, the more you’ll wish Apple made a “home page switcher” just like the “app switcher”. Maybe I should file a feedback report. 🧐

    → 4:23 PM, Jun 28
  • Thought of the day: for me, Apple’s Widgets are more transformative to the iPad experience than they were to the iPhone, by far.

    → 12:58 PM, Jun 28
  • I made many updates to my Apple-centric rumours micro website which happens to be made entirely with Craft. Enjoy.

    → 8:23 AM, Jun 28
  • Since I began extensively testing iPadOS 15, my idea of upgrading my 2018 11” iPad Pro to a 2021 12.9” version is suddenly less tempting… what does this even tell about the very nature of iPadOS 15 for the iPad Platform?

    → 11:11 AM, Jun 26
  • On design trends — 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 can’t we get visually joyful icons anymore? Is it a matter of design costs being too high?

    → 8:59 AM, Jun 26
  • 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. It’s 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 didn’t setup Focus modes yet as I’m not done with home screens setup yet, both are tied together. I love the new notifications design. I’m 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! Didn’t use the new multitasking a lot yet, just played a bit with it and it’s a good improvement. Alt-tab in split-view will switch focus between the apps, welcome in 2021. Unpopular opinion: I kind of like Safari’s 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. That’s it for now. Back to home pages setup.

    → 7:36 AM, Jun 26
  • iPadOS 15 beta 2: install or not, that is the question (#ipados15 #ipadod15beta2)

    I’m 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, lot’s of fixes, a bit faster and apparently no big show stopper. I’m mostly using Craft these days and Apple’s stock apps like Reminders and Notes. What could go wrong?

    My situation is similar to James Rogers’ from iPadInsight. Last year, I went all in with iOS 14 betas on my iPad and iPhone. This year? I’m a bit more caution. I’m looking to test iPadOS more than anything. As I write this, I get a feeling that I’m 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 questions… 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. 🤷🏻‍♂️

    Just got an idea: have a look at the release notes and see if there are any deal breaker in there. Stay tuned. 😅

    → 2:07 PM, Jun 25
  • 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 — information that you only want to give out to close friends. Source: FaceTime in iOS 15 — Benjamin Mayo

    Surprisingly, to use FaceTime, you need to give very personal information like your phone number of your email address… 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.

    → 1:30 PM, Jun 25
  • One design doesn’t fits all device sizes — Safari in iOS 15

    This Safari redesign concept misses the point of Apple’s decision to redesign Safari on iPhone. Apple’s 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. Apple’s 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. It’s probably not needed on the Mac, it’s good on the iPad but messy on the iPhone. I wonder how Apple will backtrack on this one and when.

    → 8:04 AM, Jun 24
  • On Gruber’s annotating Apple’s latest white paper

    This blog post by Gruber is probably one of its best. He annotates Apple’s 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, it’s a pain in the ass to deal with these app reviews… so let’s drop a bin file with a download link on a Facebook page, that should be just “good enough”. Oh and clusless IT guys who will require those apps to be downloaded because, you know, they are mandatory for this or that… schools would probably be the first in line…. wake up guys, we don’t need this shitty world.

    → 6:14 PM, Jun 23
  • 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:

    (…) 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 I’m 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. It’s a very respectful way to do it.

    → 1:22 PM, Jun 23
  • Let me repeat it: we don’t need another Android platform (#apple #privacyprotection)

    As I wrote in this essay, we don’t 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 doesn’t fix the lack of choice issue, quite the opposite actually. I don’t accept the idea of weakening a platform in the name of “choice” for a minority of techy guys.

    → 7:57 AM, Jun 23
  • Reinventing my usage of the iPhone — A start

    I’ve 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. 🤓🤷🏻‍♂️

    → 5:29 PM, Jun 22
  • Never looked at soooo many YouTube videos on upcoming iOS releases. I’m very excited for what is coming. Can’t wait for the public beta.

    → 8:30 PM, Jun 21
  • People are underwhelmed by Apple’s updates, yet…

    According to a survey by SellCell, people aren’t 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 Apple’s 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. It’s 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.

    → 4:50 PM, Jun 21
  • 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. Let’s see if these guesses are good or not.

    → 9:20 AM, Jun 21
  • On Antitrust legislation and Apple iPhone experience

    I always thought that politicians and their aides don’t 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 “Hello”. 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.

    → 12:20 PM, Jun 19
  • On Safari 15 redesign

    Great Safari 15 critic here. I didn’t test the new Safari design yet, but eventually I will (probably when public beta is released). Apple made bold moves with this new design. I’m 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. That’s typical of Apple.

    → 12:10 PM, Jun 19
  • iOS 15 brings a lot of tweaks, additions, changes. This YouTube video presents 500 of them. It’s massive. Probably the most ambitious release to date. Can’t wait to test it when the public beta comes out. Probably at beta3, beta2 coming next week.

    → 7:20 AM, Jun 19
  • Apple did bring back the loupe for selecting text on iOS. Good. The only thing is that we need to find it, as shown here. I know, it’s beta 1 but come on, I can’t believe this sort of design comes out of Apple. Someone is clearly sleeping here.

    → 5:01 PM, Jun 18
  • On Intel’s market share falling

    Intel may see its market share fall to a new low next year, in large part thanks to Apple’s decision to move away from using Intel processors in its Mac computers and instead use Apple silicon. Source: Intel Processor Market Share May Fall to New Low Next Year Due to Apple Silicon - MacRumors

    How much Apple business did represent to Intel overall numbers before the Apple Silicon transition started? My feeling is that it wasn’t that big. Ten pourcent, maybe? If Intel share numbers are falling, Apple is not the only culprit in my view. The move to mobile-only devices like smartphones which are not based on Intel’s chip is the culprit.

    → 5:59 AM, Jun 18
  • Is your iPhone really yours?

    But the thread running through everything was that if you buy an Apple device, it’s yours. And it’s you. And if you buy, well, anything else, you’re just a slab of meat holding a slab of glass through which the internet will manipulate and extract data from you any way it wants. So, yeah, the garden’s walls may be high, but Apple says that’s only to keep you safe.

    — David PierceSource: Apple defends the walled garden - Protocol — The people, power and politics of tech

    Many would argue the since you cannot install apps from outside the App Store, your iPhone isn’t really yours. Others would argue that since you don’t have a choice but go to Apple to get “your” iPhone repaired, your iPhone isn’t really yours. what is “your” take on this?

    → 8:47 PM, Jun 16
  • App Clip can be really cool

    I’m a bit late to the party but this use of Apple’s App Clip technology is clever: point your iPhone to the Apple Watch band package, an App Clip will pop up on your phone to help you get the matching Watch Face. Cool. Great case of Apple eating its own dog food, and showing a great integration experience.

    → 7:03 PM, Jun 15
  • Michael Tsai: On macOS Big Sur lingering issues

    This blog post from Michael Tsai paints a very terrible picture of macOS Big Sur. Unstable, weird design decisions, lot’s of issues in Apple’s Mail, etc. Sounds like the worst macOS incarnation of all time. Personnally, I don’t experience many issues with macOS Big Sur, but I do feel it’s a weird design overall. The next release, macOS Montery, doesn’t appear to fix bad design choices… I’m thinking about widgets handling and notifications dismissal.

    → 6:57 PM, Jun 15
  • Another exciting update coming this fall is Apple’s Maps data. This site carefully documents what’s new, what’s updated. Really well done. Day and night difference. Nice updated typography. Some features are available on more capable devices. Is this new?

    → 6:51 PM, Jun 15
  • macOS Monterey looks more and more exciting each day. Can’t wait for this update from the makers of Pixelmator Pro. I can see two of my Automator scripts that will easily migrate to Shortcuts this fall.

    → 6:45 PM, Jun 15
  • Focus — A Game changer feature in experiencing Apple devices?

    The more I read and learn about the upcoming “Focus” feature in Apple’s upcoming OS updates, the more I think it could be a transformative feature in experiencing Apple’s devices. The combinaison of notifications and home page configurations assigned to each focus mode has powerful implications. Even though I’m not on the beta train right now, I’m already at work designing the different focus modes I plan to use on my devices. As you might expect, I’ll be writing a detailed blog post about this in the future.

    → 7:02 AM, Jun 14
  • Tomorrow I’ll go to an Apple Store to pay a visit to the Genius Bar for a repair. My last visit goes back to more than a year. I may feel disoriented. 😳 I’ll have a look at the iMac! And the iPhone 12 Pro! And the Mac Pro! And….

    → 6:36 AM, Jun 11
  • FaceTime in iOS 15: too little too late? Maybe. At least, FaceTime is better positioned as a videoconference platform for the next pandemic. Because, you know, one day, there will be another one.

    → 6:20 AM, Jun 10
  • The change that didn’t came (#apple #wwdc21 #developers)

    This take from Gruber “App Store: The Schiller Cut” has a sour taste following the WWDC keynote and Platforms state of the union. Did Apple announce something this week to appease developers relations? Nope. Will they announce something in the coming weeks in regard to App Store commissions? Who knows. If they do, they will do it in a position of weakness:

    If someday down the road we will be changing 70/30, then I think the question moves from “if” to “when” and “how”. I’m not suggesting we do anything differently today, only that whenever we make a change we do it from a position of strength rather than weakness. That we use any such change to our advantage if possible. And thinking about this long in advance can only help to look at an eventual change as an opportunity (with developers, press, customers, etc). — Phil Schiller in 2011

    They missed the opportunity this year. Apple is in a weak position and I don’t see how this could change anytime soon.

    → 6:09 AM, Jun 10
  • That’s clever, Apple.

    To run an internal version of iOS, each employee must first install a special profile on the device — just as we do for downloading beta versions. However, each profile sent to employees determines which of these features will be enabled for each person working on new versions of iOS and possibly other Apple operating systems as well.

    Source: Apple doubles down on secrecy with a new way to hide iOS 15 features from engineers - 9to5Mac

    → 8:30 PM, Jun 9
  • I was over-simplifying quite a bit

    After publishing my essay on what I was hoping Apple would do in response to the developers community, Matt Birchler wrote a small response regarding my assertion about payments processing platform being a limited feature in the grand scheme of things. It appears I was wrong. Thanks to Matt blog post, I have a better view of what goes behind the scene here.

    That being said, Apple’s payment processing service within the App Store serves Apple’s purposes and is the one that is very narrow, very focused. It’s a good thing. I’m not sure Apple has to compete against this industry. Allowing third-party payment processing services would need to focus on the minimum in order to protect privacy or help guarantee that privacy is in good hands. It’s an attainable goal.

    → 6:14 AM, Jun 7
  • iPadOS 15 to limit certain features to iPad Pro? (#apple #ipados15 #wwdc21)

    If Apple ups the game with iPadOS 15 (background tasks, better multitasking, external monitor support, etc.), we could see a situation where iPadOS crawls on lower or mid-range iPad while working like a breeze on the iPad Pro. Could Apple limit certain features to the high end only? Quite possibly. Your thoughts?

    → 1:37 PM, Jun 6
  • It’s always fun to re-watch a previous Apple Event. Just did the Spring Loaded one and used CleanShot to capture the best moments creating a library of 260 shots, all stored in Synology Photos, ready to be used, just in case. Tech is fun.

    → 7:48 AM, Jun 6
  • The iMac vs a Simple Monitor

    The Thunderbolt display is now a vintage product for Apple. When I look at this beautiful monitor, I’m thinking about the recently introduced redesigned iMac. Many people would have preferred to see the iMac chin disappear. We should know better and see this is a distinctive design attribute of the iMac which make it look different than from a simple monitor. It’s an important visual differentiation factor in my opinion. The iMac is not a simple monitor.

    → 5:11 PM, Jun 3
  • Certainly a massive leak... (#apple #iphone13)

    This CAD view of the iPhone 13 shows a bigger than usual camera assembly on the front of the iPhone. It’s massive. Not sure what to make out of this leak. Good news for photography enthusiasts?

    → 4:31 PM, Jun 2
  • One WWDC wish: bring back that loupe! (#apple #wwdc #wwdc21)

    Don’t you find it weird and contradictory to see Apple investing so much in accessibility features at the operating system level yet they thought it was a good idea to remove the loupe in text selection interactions? Is this a typical “one team not talking to the other”? Please, Apple, bring back the loop in iOS 15. Thanks.

    → 6:06 AM, Jun 2
  • Tempted by a 2013 MacBook Air. Yep, 2013. Runs Big Sur. I want a small laptop running macOS for writing. Bad idea with macOS Big Sur?

    → 7:52 PM, May 29
  • Where iPadOS Current Multitasking Experience Falls Apart (#apple #iPadOS #ipados15)

    Multi-Tasking on the iPad is Actually Pretty Great - The Newsprint:

    Slide Over is genuinely convenient. Certain apps work better than others inside the Slide Over deck, and when they’re optimized, their convenience is unmatched. I keep a calculator app in Slide Over at all times, I keep an iteration of all messaging apps in Slide Over, and I like to keep an iteration of the Files app available at all times. These kinds of “in-and-out” apps are exceptional for Slide Over.

    At least one person really likes multitasking on iPadOS. The thing about the Slide over feature is that it requires setting it up. It doesn’t happen “just like that”. I rarely find the right app to use in the Slide over view… I need to “bring it in” and this is where the experience falls apart. This is where I want to see Apple improve things.

    → 9:02 AM, May 26
  • If iOS 15 actually brings an updated lock screen design based on the concept of complications like on the Apple Watch, Apple will be able to say that this is the next (and final?) phase of the iPhone experience to be revisited (widgets being the first phase with iOS 14).

    → 6:34 PM, May 25
  • Following the end of the recalibration period for my iPhone 11 Pro battery under iOS 14.5, the verdict is in: before = 89%, after: 89%. I was expecting more. 😒

    → 4:52 PM, May 25
  • Everything Comes From China These Days

    Apple’s Troubling Relationship With China - Initial Charge

    This problem isn’t unique to Apple. Most, if not all, of the major companies whose products and services we interact with each day are being influenced by China. And I expect that influence is growing with each day that passes. If you’re in favor of freedom, liberty, and individual rights, you should be concerned about this.

    It’s refreshing to see that Apple isn’t the only one where its products are made and a lot of them are sold to. What can we do instead of just bashing on Apple?

    → 12:39 PM, May 23
  • Let’s the iPhone Become Android (#apple #android #security #appstore)

    There is apparently no money to be done from having apps on Android; all money being on the iPhone side. So developers are asking for their share of revenues from Apple, by reducing their commission, urging Apple to open up the App Store, weakening the security model along the way, making the user experience worse, making iOS experience more like… Android… we have a full circle.

    → 10:19 AM, May 23
  • iPadOS is holding the iPad back (#apple #2021ipadpro #ipados)

    Daring Fireball: The 2021 M1 iPad Pros:

    The elephant in the room is iPadOS. It’s just not good enough. In the same way that Intel’s chips were holding back Macs, iPadOS has been holding back iPad Pros. With Intel chips, the hardware was holding back the Mac platform. With iPads, it’s the software holding the platform back. This hardware is indisputably amazing, and iPadOS is fine for casual use. But it still feels like I’m trying to do fine detail work while wearing oven mitts for my day-to-day work.

    I like Gruber’s introduction in his review of the M1 iPad Pro. But his review echos other reviews. Nearly all M1 iPad Pro reviews that I have read note the same issue: iPadOS lacks maturity to sustain iPad Pro aspirations. Can’t wait for Apple’s WWDC in three weeks.

    → 11:47 AM, May 20
  • About These Apple Watch Series 7 Mockups (#apple #applewatch #series7)

    According to circulating rumours, the Apple Series 7 will go through a small redesign. The Series 4 introduced a bigger screen but the overall shape stayed the same. This time, a more boxy look is expected. I’m not sure that I like what I’m seeing here on this mock-up. To me, the Apple Watch would loses some of its iconic traits. If this boxy design allows for more internal space, hence probably more sensors or new features, better battery life, so be it.

    → 7:00 AM, May 20
  • About Those Tiny Release Notes (#apple)

    I wonder when Apple will fix the issue of tiny release notes, on the iPhone. I can’t remember since when the issue started, but it’s been a very long time. It’s all the details, Apple, all the details.

    → 5:35 AM, May 20
  • This is so Clever (#apple #applewatch #watchOS8)

    To support users with limited mobility, Apple is introducing a revolutionary new accessibility feature for Apple Watch. AssistiveTouch for watchOS allows users with upper body limb differences to enjoy the benefits of Apple Watch without ever having to touch the display or controls.

    Source: Apple previews powerful software updates designed for people with disabilities - Apple

    The demo on Apple’s Newsroom website is really impressive. Surprisingly, it looks like the feature will work on recent Apple Watch generations (Series 4 and up).

    One question: why announce these initiatives now? We’re 17 days away from WWDC. Looks like WWDC will have more room to announce even more exciting stuff. 😀

    Another question: if you look at the following screenshot taken from today’s announcement, we can see that table cells are narrower than what we have on iOS 14. Is this a first glimpse of what is coming in iOS 15? I certainly hope so because it looks much better, friendlier. It reminds me of the pre-iOS 7 era.

    → 5:30 AM, May 20
  • I’m Closing my Telegram Account — Here is why

    First:

    Apple is very efficient at pursuing their business model, which is based on selling overpriced, obsolete hardware to customers locked in their ecosystem," Durov wrote. “Every time I have to use an iPhone to test our iOS app I feel like I’m thrown back into the Middle Ages. The iPhone’s 60Hz displays can’t compete with the 120Hz displays of modern Android phones that support much smoother animations.

    And:

    Durov added that the worst part about Apple’s technology is not “clunkier devices or outdated hardware,” but that users who have an iPhone are a “digital slave of Apple.”

    ”You are only allowed to use apps that Apple lets you install via their App Store, and you can only use Apple’s iCloud to natively back up your data,” he said.

    “It’s no wonder that Apple’s totalitarian approach is so appreciated by the Communist Party of China, which – thanks to Apple – now has complete control over the apps and data of all of its citizens who rely on iPhones.”

    Source: Telegram founder says iPhone users are digital slaves | AppleInsider.

    Mr. Durov can go to hell. Typical talk from an Android guy. Nobody his forcing him to develop for the iPhone. Nobody. He is a digital slave of Apple himself. I can’t stand this attitude and I’m voting with my digital means: closing my Telegram account.

    → 4:39 PM, May 19
  • Keep it Simple, Apple, will ya? (#apple #m1chip)

    For the new MacBook Pros, Apple is planning two different chips, codenamed Jade C-Chop and Jade C-Die: both include eight high-performance cores and two energy-efficient cores for a total of 10, but will be offered in either 16 or 32 graphics core variations.

    Source: Apple (AAPL) Readies MacBook Pro, MacBook Air Revamps With Faster Chips - Bloomberg(https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-05-18/apple-readies-macbook-pro-macbook-air-revamps-with-faster-chips)

    The “one chip SKU to rule them all” won’t last forever it seems. Apple will take advantage of its ability to decide what goes in its chips to help differentiate each models within the same product line. We already witness this with the 7-core vs 8-core variant of the M1 chip in the 2021 iMac, but this variability will increase over time. My hope is that Apple doesn’t try to hard to be greedy with this strategy and keep the product’s differentiation simple to grasp.

    → 6:30 AM, May 19
  • About Apple’s Flaky Bluetooth Devices (#apple #imac2021)

    The keyboard flaked out on me once. I wanted to spend time testing the Touch ID button, so I moved an application to the Trash, which requires authentication. That worked. Then I tried to move the app back to the Applications folder, and … Touch ID just didn’t work. After 30 seconds of trying, I realized the whole keyboard just wasn’t working. I turned the keyboard off and on again, and boom, everything has been normal since — including Touch ID recognizing my finger very quickly.

    Source: Daring Fireball: The 24-Inch M1 iMac(https://daringfireball.net/2021/05/the_24_inch_m1_imac)

    Ah, ah, another moment of Apple’s Bluetooth device not working as expected. Since I got my 2017 21.5” iMac, I’ve experienced unstable Bluetooth connectivity with Apple’s mouse and keyboard. I don’t know when it started, if it’s related to a certain release of macOS, but it is happening all the time. The worst part is the mouse being jerky while moving on the screen. Bluetooth’s instabilities also impact my AirPods usage with the Mac. My AirPods simply drops from receiving the Mac audio while in Zoom meetings. It is infuriating. Eventually, I need to reboot the Mac to reset the Bluetooth stack.

    When I got the M1 Mac mini, I thought Bluetooth connectivity issues would be a thing of the past. I couldn’t be more wrong. It was worst. The mouse and the keyboard are both having instabilities. They need to be turned off and on to temporarily fix the problem, but eventually the Mac needs a full reboot. Again, this is exasperating. It is a well documented issue which macOS 11.1 and 11.2 tried to fix but the problems still happen, albeit a bit less often.

    There is something wrong with Apple’s Bluetooth implementation in general. Is it the driver, the firmware, the chip, a combination of these that is at fault? I don’t know but the fact that this shiny new iMac with the wireless keyboard with TouchID stops working like Gruber experienced is not a good sign.

    → 6:13 AM, May 19
  • About This White Bezel (#apple #imac2021)

    I know a lot of people are concerned that the white bezel surrounding the display will be distracting. In practice, I found that it just disappears. If there can be such a thing as a muted white — a white that most certainly looks white, not light gray, but yet not white white, this white is that white. I didn’t need time to get used to it

    Source: Daring Fireball: The 24-Inch M1 iMac(https://daringfireball.net/2021/05/the_24_inch_m1_imac)

    There is a lot of talk regarding the white bezel of the new iMac. I still don’t know what to think about them. They make it look like if there was a white masking tape all around the display. But the thing is, considering the fact that Apple’s macOS overall user interface is so “white-ish” in general, this should help make the bezel kind of disappear in reality and just be an extension of the user interface.

    → 5:55 AM, May 19
  • Xcode for iPad — Who’s asking for this? (#apple #iosdev #developers #wwdc2021)

    The iPad is a mighty device considering its form-factor. Many people are asking for Apple to make Xcode available for the iPad. I wonder: who are asking for this? Are they serious developers or just hobbyists? I would find it surprising if it was the former because there can be so many tools besides Xcode that is needed I order to build an app, and not all those things are available on the iPad. Serious developers would need to bring in a Mac to complete the development picture. If this is the hobbyists, does it even matter?

    Would it be the full version of Xcode or a diminutive version? If it is the latter, what kind of apps would it be able to create, and what are the others it wouldn’t? Would it be Swift-only with SwiftUI? If that’s the case, are we in the “tech proof of concept” territory or if it is a viable path going forward? What would iPadOS 15 need to make Xcode for iPad a viable solution? Better file management? External monitor support? A link to a Mac for certain tasks and features? Is the 12.9” iPad Pro the only supported device or is the 11” version be supported too?

    If you are a developer reading this post, would you use Xcode for iPad to build your apps if Apple made it available?

    → 6:26 AM, May 17
  • Can't wait for reviews (#apple (ipadpro2021)

    Can’t wait for Apple’s embargo to be lifted this week so we can get a better appreciation of the 12.0" 2021 iPad Pro. Some people got their device, early. I’ll never be able to get an XDR display from Apple, but the one that within an iPad, seems a bargain. The possibility of getting this device just increased a bit.

    → 4:19 PM, May 16
  • On Extending the Home Screen

    Parker Ortolani for 9to5Mac:

    But what if you could add other kinds of things to your Home Screen too? (…) Apple could add the same ‘Add to Home Screen’ button to the share sheet in Music, in Podcasts, in News, and in TV. Each content type could have a distinct shape for differentiation. Albums, podcasts and publications could have more squared off icons. Magazines could be more narrow to show off covers. TV Shows and movies could use the same artwork that appears in app.

    Frankly, I love this idea. On the iPad, it could be the ultimate playground to play with this feature, thanks to the device size. I can see me adding all kind of stuff like my wife iMessage contact, an RSS feed to my favourite content creators, a shortcut to a podcast or an Apple Music playlist or artist. So much possibilities.

    The idea of adding all sort of content on the home screen is not new, yet on iOS and iPadOS, current design feels really restricted. We are ready to go to the next phase in evolution. I want freedom in folder size and placement, I want Apple Watch complication-style widgets. I want freedom. Apple, by any chance, are you listening?

    Consider this added to my WWDC, iOS and iPadOS 15 wish list.

    → 9:08 AM, May 16
  • Are we supposed to cry?

    “I upended my life for Apple. I sold my WA residence which I built with my own hands, relocated myself, shut down any public media presence and future writing aspirations, and resolved to build my career at Apple for years to come,”

    Well, now that he has been fired, he is complaining on Twitter that Apple knew in advance… maybe, maybe not. My gut feeling is that the C-Level knew, but not the upper management. When it came to their attention, they acted in accordance to their well-known values.

    Source: Antonio Garcia Martinez says Apple fired him, company was ‘well aware’ of his writing | AppleInsider

    Mr. Martinez Twitter thread is here.

    → 6:23 AM, May 15
  • Only 17K Apps for the Apple Watch (#apple #applewatch #appstore #apps)

    (…) there are only 17k Watch apps: like Amazon’s Alexa, the Apple Watch is a huge success but has largely failed as an app platform. Source: Benedict Evans' takeaways from the first week of Epic vs. Apple | Philip Elmer‑DeWitt

    Only 17K apps for the Apple Watch?? Calling this a failure is a bit surprising. The Watch is a narrow platform compared to the iPhone, the iPad or the Mac. I don’t expect as many apps to be available for the Watch. This form-factor isn’t obviously suitable for a lot of applications categories. I think 17K apps is quite a lot actually because I don’t get a sense of it when I browse the App Store from the Apple Watch itself or from my iPhone. This is where Apple is failing: discovery of Watch apps is miserable, just like it is in general on Apple’s App Store.

    → 6:02 AM, May 14
  • This form-factor, this one or… this one?

    One of the cooless by-product of the Apple strategy is the unification of the processing unit among its product lines, leaving the form-factor the unique differenciation attribute.

    Previously there were many people who wanted a laptop, but ended up buying a desktop because it would be more powerful. Now the only choice the customer has to make is whether they prefer the MacBook or iMac form-factor, because the internal hardware is the same in each. Source: Apple execs praises how M1 enables same performance for different devices in interview - 9to5Mac

    → 7:49 PM, May 13
  • Thought (or frustration) of the day

    Apple’s macOS Big Notifications Center is probably the most frustrating, infuriating and un-Apple experience of all. Man this thing is badly designed. Who at Apple think it ok? He or she is a C player! Hoping for major re-work for macOS 12. There, I said it. 🤬

    → 7:48 AM, May 13
  • Here is Why Apple’s Safari Purposely Lags Behind

    Browsers look more and more like operating systems. Apple knows this, and they are probably afraid for their App Store business.

    This article from Alex Russell of Infrequently Notes is very convincing: Apple purposely delay implementation of new web standards to refrain developers to build web applications. New web standards are enablers for new kinds of web applications with richer features set. Those richer apps could go against Apple’s App Store profitable business. No wonder why so many people are using alternative browsers to Safari. But that’s not all. Since Apple, in general is a big player, its influence is unquestionably high, the lack of support from them for so many basic and essential web standards discourage new application opportunities. That’s too bad and makes me wonder how sites like Mailbrew who offers a web application could improve if all browsers, including Safari would support most web standards. Mailbrew is already good on the iPad, closely mimicking a native application, yet I wonder.

    Can we hope for changes at the next WWDC conference?

    → 5:47 AM, May 13
  • I am re-falling in love with Apple’s Sidecar with my iPad Pro connected to my M1 Mac mini. Such a useful and really fast duo. For some reason, I stopped using this setup for a while. Was it because at some point it wasn’t stable enough? Can’t remember. Are you using Sidecar?

    → 3:41 PM, May 12
  • Be careful for what you wish for (#apple #appstore #monopoly)

    Apple is under so much pressure on so many fronts these days. It is so fashionable to put pressure on them. The App Store is one big target. I’m getting tired of people wishing for changes that I don’t want to become reality. Sure Apple is far from perfect, yet, people should be careful for what they wish for. I decided to express my voice and started to write on the subject. It will be controversial, but it will be honest and true to my beliefs and wishes. I don’t really care if I’m right or wrong. I expect to publish my article just before WWDC. Stay tuned.

    → 7:22 AM, May 12
  • Apple, please, consider us like grown ups (#apple #ios15)

    On Apple’s Shortcuts notifications: I second this! Notifications are not needed for most of us and should be silenced in iOS 15. At least, provide an option to make it quieter. I like the idea of a status bar indicator, just like the localization services when they are trigerred.

    Apple Shortcuts Is Great, but It Needs a Notification Toggle - Initial Charge

    → 10:41 AM, May 10
  • One quick question: do you think Apple already has a plan B to enable sideloading of applications, ready to go just in case? After all, they already allow this on macOS so they know how to do it. I don’t see it as a major rework of iOS. #apple #appstore

    → 7:33 AM, May 9
  • 96%. (#asknottotrack #privacy #privacyprotection)

    I’m so proud of people right now: medias are reporting that 96% of them chose to protect their basic right for online privacy. I wasn’t expecting that many people to select the “Ask Not To Track” option. This is a game changer. This should serve as a clear message to businesses with business models essentially based on personal data mining and online profiling without user consent. Enough is enough. For those who are ok with hyper targeted ads, fine, but not at this cost. I salute Apple for moving forward with this feature in iOS 14.5. Coupled with services like NextDNS, I’m starting to see quite an improvement in my web surfing experience and being more at ease doing so.

    Those who selected “Allow” probably didn’t know what it was all about.

    → 6:53 AM, May 9
  • Apple: Opinionated and Stubborn

    Ken Segall on Apple’s stubborn attitude:

    “It’s disappointing that the modern Apple is so willing to stonewall, and that it can take an inexcusably long time to set things right.”

    Mr. Segall piece is baffling. Taken together, those bad apples make Apple look terrible at design. Apple is opinionated and takes bold risks when designing new products and services. This comes at a cost, occasionally. Apple is far from perfect, but they should know that quickly admitting when they fail makes the mistakes more easily forgiven.

    What Apple product currently shipping that has baffling design flaws for which Apple doesn’t seem to care fixing, beside the Magic Mouse? I don’t see that many as they silently fixed most of them in recent years.

    Photo credit: Maria Teneva / Unsplash

    → 8:36 AM, May 8
  • On Apple's Night Shift (#apple #iphone)

    Surprisingly, Apple’s Night Shift does not help in any way to fall asleep, according to a study. Intuitively, I thought of the opposite. When Apple launched this feature, in 2016, they said it would help. It seems it’s not the case after all. Will they backtrack and remove the feature in a future version? I highly doubt it. Many people do like this feature (I do on the iPhone, I hate it on the Mac), others like @Gruber don’t. What I don’t like is when the feature is in action, opening Photos abruptly turn the visual effect off. The effect is brutal as the screen turns blueish and cold because of the contrasting mode. I would prefer a more gentle disabling of the feature.

    → 5:39 AM, May 5
  • What the hell is this? (#apple #appstore)

    One evidence taken out of the Epic vs Apple trial yesterday, the above email. This email from Mr. Schiller shows how unhappy he was with scam apps being #1 on the App Store. His numerous questions are expressing frustrations. He saw what we keep seeing all too often today, nine years later. So, where are the reviewers? What value are they adding to the user experience’s bottom line? Apple could strictly rely on machine-based curation only instead, but they prefer the added touch of human-based curation for the editorial content. Does it make a real difference? On the surface maybe. With the scale of the App Store, cracks are obviously possible, hence bas actors are taking advantage of them, to create scams one after another.

    Apple doesn’t look good because some of their arguments aren’t backed with proven and irrefutable facts. As a gatekeeper of the quality on the App Store, Apple is failing. Big time. From scams apps to badly designed ones, to never updated ones, beneath the front page surface, the App Store feels and look like a junkyard.

    → 5:35 AM, May 4
  • Found! (#apple #airtags)

    Got my four pack of AirTags. Unboxing is simple. Nice to hold and feel in the hands. Easily scratched. Setup is so Apple-esq. Love em! Keys. Backpack. Wallet. On for my wife. For her wallet. Obviously. Tested the Find My to locate my items. Works great. Will report back if I ever lose one of my things and find it back. For real. Can’t wait to use them for traveling.

    → 7:36 PM, May 3
  • My Apple Purchase Plans (#apple #airtag #mynext)

    It’s been a quiet week-end in term of content creation; I took a small break. As the week-end come to an end, I decided to spend some time in creating a web page using Craft. This web page is about my Apple purchase plans. It’s part of my Digital Garden. As you’ll see, my next Apple device is coming tomorrow: AirTags. I bought a four pack. Can’t wait to try these small wonders.

    Happy end of week-end.

    → 6:15 PM, May 2
  • I find it a bit surprising that we don’t get reviews of the iMac today. Next week? #apple #imac2021

    → 11:34 AM, Apr 30
  • Build it and they will come (#ipadpro #m1chip)

    The way I look at this upcoming M1 iPad Pro is, according to this interview with some Apple’s top brass, Apple thinks that, by building a powerful iPad (not referred as a tablet), developers will find a way to take advantage of it. Like the old saying: build it and they will come. Did Apple create performance headroom for themselves too, not just for third-party developers? Apple certainly wants some form of future proofing with this year’s iterative design. I’m still pondering the idea of buying such big iPad while keeping my “older” 2018 11” iPad Pro, it will depends of iPadOS 15.

    → 5:20 AM, Apr 29
  • I love it! Sooo soft. Thanks to @BasicAppleGuy for the design!

    → 9:58 AM, Apr 27
  • It’s that simple: choice. That’s all we are asking, us, humans. Thinking otherwise is wrong doing. Simple. as. that. Thanks to Apple for letting me, decide, have a choice, not to be part of being a product, just be a human. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ihw_AlRNno

    → 1:54 PM, Apr 26
  • Happy Apple Updates Day! (#apple #ios145 #notracking #stoptracking)

    To all my followers, have an successful Apple update day! This one has been long in coming! Don’t forget to disable app tracking as soon as you can. Best way to say “🖕🏻” to Facebook et al. Now turning to iOS 14.6 beta which seems to bring new devices support only (2021 iPad Pro).

    → 12:13 PM, Apr 26
  • As much as I like HEY, Mr. @DHH, Basecamp fails big time here: lack of universal binary support in release 1.2. You may spit your hate about Apple all the time, yet you fail to meet such a basic feature, months after M1 release, for a simple app as a mail client. Drop Electron!!

    → 6:34 AM, Apr 24
  • About these iPadOS 15 rumours (#apple #rumours #ipados15)

    According to the infamous Bloomberg (remember the Big Hack story?), iOS 15 and iPadOS 15 will bring two much requested features. One is, for the iPhone presumably, is a redesigned Lock Screen. I’m in for that one. In fact, I would prefer a customizable Lock Screen, more than a redesign. But, the most interesting part is regarding the iPad. At long least, Apple is about to bring the full widgets experience on the iPad. YES! I do have high hopes for that one. Having full liberty on widgets placement on the iPad screen will be transformative. Even better if they support some form of minimal interactions with the applications behind them. Can’t wait for WWDC 21.

    → 3:01 PM, Apr 22
  • As I’m currently writing my thoughts on Apple’s “Spring Loaded” event, I’m wondering what are your thoughts? Anything that stands out? I’m genuinely curious. #appleevent #applevent2021

    → 6:03 AM, Apr 21
  • One of those days (#appleevent)

    This is one of those days where it will be hard to stay focused, thanks to the first Apple Event of 2021. I’ve got a pretty busy schedule at work, so I won’t be able to catch the live feed with full attention this time around. I know that all these notifications will spoil the show. Rumours and leaks already made a great job already, though. But, what if there is “one more thing”?

    Tonight, I’ll catch it all up, partially knowing most of the takeaways. It will be weird. Who likes to go see a movie knowing the story line in advance? I hate that. 😒

    → 6:53 AM, Apr 20
  • Here is a post I wish I would have written. He nailed it. We won’t get iPadOS 15 tomorrow.

    Hardware Is Good, Now It's Software's Turn little.zachphillips.blog
    Zach Phillips https://little.zachphillips.blog/2021/04/19/hardware-is-good.html
    → 8:35 PM, Apr 19
  • Who’s excited for tomorrow’s #AppleEvent? Why?

    → 7:23 PM, Apr 19
  • iPhone is getting fatter and fatter (#apple #jonyive)

    iPhone is getting fatter and fatter (#apple #jonyive)

    Since Jony Ive left Apple, a few years ago, the iPhone design adopted an opposite trend of becoming fatter and fatter. It’s not a night and day difference but there is a trend. It is a welcomed one because this gives Apple more “room” to improve the cameras and the battery life. Speaking of the cameras, did you see the camera assembly protuberance on the CAD designs? It is getting bigger too, that I don’t like.

    → 6:58 AM, Apr 16
  • Thinking of the next iPad (#appleevent #apple #ipadpro)

    Tonight, using Craft, I’m writing my next piece for “Numeric Citizen I/O” on my 2018 11’’ iPad Pro with the Apple Magic Keyboard. I’m being this multitasking guy as I’m constantly switching between Craft, Soundcloud, Twitter, Safari, Ulysses, etc. Then, suddenly, my thoughts goes toward imagining what can Apple do to make me upgrade to the next iPad Pro.

    You see, my current setup is near perfect for my needs and my current use cases. I’m far from maximizing this iPad’s potential. So, ask me again, why should I upgrade to what’s coming next week? I cannot see anything. Maybe Apple has a few well hidden cards, just waiting to be played, one by one at next week’s virtual event. We shall see soon.

    → 7:48 PM, Apr 14
  • My Expectations for “Spring Loaded” Virtual Event (#apple (#appleevent #springloaded)

    At long last, Apple is calling the first virtual event of 2021 for next week. I have mixed up feelings about this one. AirTags, if they are real, aren’t game changer and really are complementary to anything Apple is doing these days.

    I wrote a few times that for the iPad, the next major step won’t come in the form of hardware upgrades but in software, with iPadOS 15. And this, happens every year on June at the WWDC conference. So, unless there is a last minute surprise from Apple’s updated iPad Pro, my attention will be for the next WWDC, not this spring event.

    Oh, about this rumoured iMac redesign, THIS I will be looking forward to it, but somehow, I think it is more a WWDC thing than anything else.

    → 1:15 PM, Apr 13
  • Upcoming blog post on Numeric Citizen Blog: more than 2800 words 😳 to talk about how I tweaked and made macOS Big Sur a powerful and productivity friendly desktop experience for me with the use of more than 20 third-party utilities. 👨🏻‍💻

    → 8:05 AM, Apr 11
  • Well, if that was the case, this would add fuel to any anti-trust initiative. No?

    iMessage Kept Off Android for iOS Lock-in initialcharge.net/2021/04/i…

    → 8:39 PM, Apr 9
  • On Apple Arcades dubious Games quality (#apple #appstore #applearcades)

    Consider the following App Store screenshot of a recently introduced game in the Apple Arcades service.

    Reviews of this game are really bad because the game doesn’t load on people’s devices. Does Apple really test their stuff before putting them out? Tim Cook et al. brags all the time about being a mandatory gatekeeper for iPhone security and quality control with the App Store. In this illustrative case, and there are many others, Apple is failing big time to play his role. I just can’t understand why this shit is possible.

    → 9:13 AM, Apr 8
  • About those two icons (#apple #iOS15)

    New Apple Music icon design language?

    New App Store icon design language?

    I rarely comment on rumours from highly speculative reports, but this report from MacRumors is different:

    “The Apple Music for Artists app now features a simpler, streamlined icon with a pinkish red music logo rather than the multicolored logo that was used before. The icon also has an embossed look that makes it stand out from other Apple icons.”

    and

    “App Store Connect in October was updated with a refreshed icon that’s similar to the ‌Apple Music‌ for Artists icon, which means Apple has now updated two app icons with this new design.”

    The simple fact that two icons got updated with similar look at several months interval could signal a trend leading to the upcoming design update with iOS 15. I much prefer the right version of these icons, particularly the embossed design. This 3D effect adds some depth and dynamism to the design, and yes I like the fine line marking the icon boundaries.

    I wouldn’t be surprised if those two icons were part of an A/B testing program, within Apple. Second, what Apple has done with macOS Big Sur was only the beginning destined to encompass all platforms, in some form or another (icon design wise).

    → 4:54 PM, Apr 6
  • It’s been a long time... (#apple #iphone12)

    Today, I have come to realize that, since its introduction, I didn’t see the iPhone 12 lineup in person. It’s the first time that I didn’t go to an Apple Store to see, manipulate and experience a new Apple product release. How big is the Max? How small is the mini? What about this new edge? The same goes for the Mac Pro.

    The pandemic has really put a dent in our lives in some unexpected ways, big and small. But, do I really miss something? After all, the iPhone 12 is the return of the beloved iPhone 5, which I owned. I guess I’ll have to wait for the iPhone 13 or whatever it is called.

    → 12:27 PM, Apr 3
  • And so it begins (#apple #wwdc #wwdc21 #wwdc2021)

    Apple just kicked off the 2021 season of high expectations, endless wishes lists, criticism, betas, crashes, deception, no-show products, expected hardware refreshes, iPad deceptions, etc. Again, this year, it will be a digital-only version, thanks to the lingering COVID-19 pandemic. I’m happy with that. As I wrote in the past, my hope is that this type of event stays digital. I’ve never been to a real WWDC so I don’t miss anything.

    Now, trying to read into WWDC’s announcement art: sure, there is this reference to last year’s Craig Federighi with its MacBook Air, but it is also clear to me that Apple is set to announce their AR Glasses. Yep. Remember, you read it here first guys. 😜

    → 9:04 AM, Mar 30
  • On Intel’s Tick Tock Strategy (#intel #apple #applesilicon)

    How funny is that? It seems Intel is applying its “tick-tock strategy” to its relationship with Apple. One week, Intel is slamming Apple’s M1 Macs with highly questionable ads featuring Justin Long, the week after Intel is luring Apple’s business to make their future processors.

    So obviously you’ve seen some of the competitive energies resume because there’s a lot of great innovation to be done, and we haven’t seen PC demand at this level for a decade and a half. The world needs more of that, and there is competitive fun going on with Apple and the Mac ecosystem” — Gelsinger

    I don’t know if this competitive landscape is fun like Gelsinger is mentioning, maybe we could ask Tim Cook?

    → 6:24 PM, Mar 24
  • Beyond the HomePod (#apple #homepod)

    AppleInsider:

    Apple needs to release new products to compete in the home. Be it an “Apple TV 6” or “HomeHub,” something needs to change the customer’s perspective in order to get traction in the space.

    The article fails to mention a feature a HomePod replacement could and should include: home networking. I wrote about this many times. Apple left home networking market at a time where it was transitioning to WIFI 6 and home automation really started to pick up pace, thanks to things like HomeKit.

    Mesh networking is something critical these days with the new work-from-home trend caused by the pandemic. Only Apple could create an easy to use networking product, à la Ubiquity or something like the AirPort product line. Speakers like the HomePod mini could evolve to be mesh extenders. I don’t really care if this product does have a screen or multiple mics. Sure it has to be HomeKit integrated. No, I don’T want it to be a successor to the Apple TV. Pricing would be too out of control. It has to be a separate product.

    Leaving the home networking space could be one of the worst Apple decision in recent years. We keep seeing the consequences of it now.

    Image credit: taken from AppleInsider’s article.

    → 5:51 AM, Mar 23
  • Is bloatware coming to iPhone? (#apple #iPhone #russia)

    According to 9to5Mac, users from Russia, upon setup of their brand-new iPhone:

    Apple users will see a dialog box upon initial setup of new devices that features web browsers, antivirus, messenger, email clients, and more to be installed by default. The list of apps is provided by the government.

    At first, I thought it was a bad decision from Apple, to allow this to happen. Bending to state laws from a country like Russia doesn’t look good. Who’s next? China? What about smartphone carriers?

    The headlines are scarier than the reality, though. Users will be able to uninstall those state-sponsored apps. Otherwise, it is easy to imagine many scenarios like the dreaded PC bloatware we had to endure in the nineties from Microsoft’s OEMs. Or even worse, what about state surveillance applications? How will Apple say no to those? Are PCs subject to the same requirements? If not, why?

    On the flip side, I can see some situations where apps could be suggested that would make sense, like contact tracing apps. It could have made a difference if we had this feature implemented before the pandemic. Another case is to suggest a government sponsored app that gives access to services sponsored by the government (immigration, finance, security, etc.). Finally, what are those apps that will make the list when setting up a new iPhone in Russia? I hope someone will share their experience once the law comes into effect.

    Photo credits: Steve Harvey on Unsplash

    → 7:12 AM, Mar 21
  • Something is Going with the iMac (#apple #imac #applesilicon)

    Current iMac design

    Well, rumours abound, changes to the Apple Store options for the iMac, the demise of the iMac Pro, something is really going on with the iMac line. As Apple is currently in the midst of their transition to a full Apple Silicon future for the Mac, we may find what’s coming next, sooner than later.

    I always loved the iMac because it is the most truthful version of the Mac original vision. I owned a 24” 2005 white iMac, then a 2007 aluminum version before my current 2017 iMac, on which I work on every weekday, for my day time work. I’m really looking forward for Apple to inject a new dose of design language in general, but especially for the iMac. The chin, the bezels, the rounded back all feel quite dated and tired. The ultimate form factor is to get a screen, nothing more. Think of it like a big iPad Pro on a svelte stand. The next design has to be iconic. It should differentiate itself from the current iPad Pro or the ProDisplay XDR. Apple’s industrial design team must enter new territories, they have to put a clear mark on Jony Ive’s era. Everything in Apple’s current Mac product lines look and feel like Jony Ive’s team work. We are due for a new beginning.

    Will this new machine come in April? I feel like Apple should use a more important event like WWDC or one of the fall keynote to release such a landmark product. Current movements on the Apple Store and recent discoveries in Apple’s latest beta software points to a sooner than later release. We shall see very soon, I guess.

    → 12:44 PM, Mar 20
  • On the upcoming iPad Pro update (#apple #rumour #ipadpro)

    IPad Pro with Magic Keyboard

    As reported by MacRumors:

    “Apple has tested ‌iPad‌ Pros with a Thunderbolt connector that would make them compatible with additional external monitors, hard drives, and peripherals, plus it brings faster data syncing speeds. Apple’s Mac machines have featured Thunderbolt technology for years now, but current ‌iPad Pro‌ and iPad Air models have standard USB-C ports.”

    Such an iPad feature has to come with much improved operating system support for external devices, like external monitors, which is currently very limited under iPadOS 14.4. Expect an iPadOS 14.5 surprise support (something along he line of mouse support with iPadOS 13.4 at around the same time last year) or iPad 15 with profound improvements compared to iPadOS 14 which was limited in new features.

    Personally, the key for a possible upgrade from my 2018 iPadPro lies in the software, not only the hardware. Also, rumours all points to the 12.9” iPad Pro, what about the 11”? I highly wish that Apple will make the 11”, just a smaller version of the 12.9” version.

    → 5:43 AM, Mar 18
  • Dear Justin — You’re So Funny (#apple #intel #ads #advertising)

    Honestly, I like these Intel ads with Justin Long. The one with the dongle, at the very end, is priceless. These ads are fun. Not as fun as the “originals”, though, but still. Intel hits the nerves. Intel is playing the Apple playbook, simple as that. It’s an interesting moment, a blip, in the advertising world. Nothing more. Will it make a difference? I doubt it.

    → 7:30 PM, Mar 17
  • RIP iMac Pro, HomePod (#apple #imacpro #homepod)

    What does the iMac Pro and the HomePod, two entirely different products, have in common? It’s not the fact that they are no longer being sold. The iMac Pro and the HomePod were created by Apple when they were caught off guard by market trends. In the case of the iMac Pro, Apple tried to answer pro users who were demanding a replacement to the aging trash can Mac Pro. Apple didn’t read the temperature room correctly. They acted urgently and responded with the wrong answer, the iMac Pro. The right answer would have been to fix the Mac Pro instead by creating another more modern version of the expandable Mac Pro, which they finally did later in 2019. The HomePod was created when Apple (finally) realized the smart speakers market was a thing. Apple misread the room temperature again with a high-end smart speaker which wasn’t that smart but sounded good. In such a market, pricing is everything.

    Apple is at its best when they create products they want to use for themselves, just like they did with the iPhone. The Apple Car is such a thing really exists), the AR glasses (if such a thing really exists) are a potential case of such products. The Apple Watch was also built on the same principles of the iPhone: something they really want to use themselves.

    I own two HomePod, paired together and two HomePod mini, placed in two different rooms. I love them all, but I prefer the mini for hard to explain reasons. It is sad to see the HomePro go. It could have played so differently.

    What’s the next Apple product to be killed? The iPod touch?

    Afterthought: what is Apple comes out with a new HomePod with an integrated wifi 6 router and maybe some storage, something along the line of the AirPort Extreme a few years ago? A new HomePod mini could also be released with wifi extender built-in. I would buy that in a heartbeat.

    Image credit: Basic Apple Guy. I love this guy’s blog.

    → 7:41 AM, Mar 14
  • On iCloud Photo Library migration (#keyword)

    In a surprising move, Apple starting today allows people to export their iCloud Photo Library to Google Photos. Why not provide a download to a local computer, outside the Photos app. I can see many use cases for doing so: backup purposes or simply to dump photos in a structure of directories for archiving purposes.

    → 8:12 PM, Mar 3
  • Bye Bye Weather Line (#weather #weatherapps #iOS #iosdev)

    Breaking news from 9To5Mac, but official announcement here:

    In recent months, we were approached by a buyer. They saw the uniqueness of Weather Line and the strong foundation we’ve built. While we aren’t able to provide further details on their future plans for the app, we hope you can understand, and will look forward to it.

    I’m kind of in shock right now. I recently posted an article about my “go-to” weather applications. Weather Line wasn’t part of the line up, but I did have it installed on my iPhone, and I’m currently a paying subscriber. Too bad to see the application go. But, why? The same happened to Spend Stack recently.

    What’s going on? How many developers invoked paid subscription model as being the only road to sustainability? Does it work or not? Is this the start of a new trend? There is something going on here.

    When, as users, invest money and time in using applications or service, the last thing we want is to see our beloved apps go like this. I’m currently heavily investing in Craft (coming from Notion). What if the same happens to Craft?

    → 4:53 PM, Mar 1
  • The state of non-optimized apps on my M1-Mac mini (#m1chip #applesilicon #universal)

    Here is the current state of yet to be updated apps to fully support Apple Silicon Macs. It’s been close to six months now and yet, those apps aren’t yet universal. Surprising to see things like 1Password 7 still not there yet. Notion, an Electron-based app, not surprising. The Mac client for HEY hasn’t been updated for a while. Many of those apps are subscription-based, a model toward development sustainability. Can we say they are failing to meet their obligations, now?

    → 6:49 AM, Mar 1
  • Apple’s impressive traction (#apple #ios14 #ipados14)

    Two very telling graphs from Apple’s development portal:

    A few takeouts. First, iOS 13 is close to become a bad souvenir. Second, people keeping their iPad longer, it is reflected in the percentage of people still using devices with iPadOS prior to version 13.

    → 7:51 PM, Feb 28
  • For those who likes newsletters, I’ve got one too! It’a about Apple, photography, privacy and climate change, in that order! https://numericcitizen.substack.com/p/2021-02

    → 8:41 AM, Feb 27
  • Happy birthday, Steve. (#apple #stevejobs #remembering)

    Steve would have been 66 years old today. Even if I love what Apple has become over the years since he died, I miss him dearly. What a great picture of him. It is nice to see Apple and Tim Cook paying a small tribute each year.

    → 5:09 PM, Feb 24
  • What’s next for the iPad Pro? (#apple #ipadpro)

    9to5Mac published a nice comparison between the iPad Air and the 2020 iPad Pro. The latter still hold the crown with its 120Hz ProMotion display and LiDAR. Rumours are pointing to an update for the Pro line in March. The question that comes to my mind is: what’s missing from the iPad Pro, from the hardware point of view? I mean, speed, screen, form factor are just close to “perfect”. The main challenge for the iPad line is on the software side. To me, iPadOS 15 and Apple willingness to cross boundaries can’t come soon enough. Better multitasking and external screen support would really help fix long standing issues with the iPad.

    → 9:25 PM, Feb 22
  • Crafting something with Craft (#craft #rumours #apple)

    In my quest to better understand the full potential of note taking application « Craft », I’ve come up to something different, a website about Apple’s related rumours. You can hit this link to have a look. You can leave comments, no registration required. Enjoy.

    → 7:53 PM, Feb 21
  • Welcome back to the Mac computer club @mattbirchler (#apple #macbookair #applesilicon)

    As much as you can like to work on the iPad, there are edge cases where the iPad falls short. Since I got an Apple Silicon powered Mac, and thanks to many nifty Mac utilities, I rediscovered what it really means to be productive and efficient on a computer platform. This blog post by Matt Birchler is an example of an edge case being better served by a traditional yet powerful computer.

    On the subject of small and focused Mac productivity utilities, The list of application purchases I made since moving to this Mac mini is pretty long. Here it goes, in no particular order.

    • HazeOver
    • Unclutter
    • Keysmith
    • Bartender 4
    • DefaultFolder
    • Hush
    • StopTheMaddness
    • Alfred
    • Hazel
    • CheatSheet
    • PopClip
    • Downie
    • Permute
    • SafariMarkdownLinker

    There is something those utilities have in common: in one way or another, they augment the macOS experience. Such things are not quite possible, yet, on the iPad.

    → 7:03 AM, Feb 17
  • This could be my next... (#iphone #apple #rumors)

    As reported by MacRumors, the next major revision of the iPhone looks promising for me:

    “Weinbach claims that the always-on display will look like a “toned down Lock screen,” where the clock and battery charge are always visible, and past notifications are shown through “a bar and icons.” When users receive a notification, the notification will “pop up normally except that the screen will not entirely light up.” Instead, “it will display it just like you’re used to right now, except dimmed down and only temporarily,” according to the leaker.”

    An always-on display is on top of my wish list. How would Apple take advantage of this, at iOS level, is more interesting. Then comes the return of the Touch-ID. I would love to see go in the power button. A smaller notch? What notch?

    As shown above, 9to5Mac ran a poll where more than 7000 people chose what feature are the most interesting to them. The return of Touch ID was #1 request at the time of casting my vote. Does COVID-19 have something to do with it?

    Last year I skipped iPhone 12. This year, with iPhone 13, things could be different.

    → 9:15 PM, Feb 15
  • Two simple yet really useful tricks using HomePod mini (#apple #homepodmini #ios144)

    Here are two simple but very useful tricks using an iPhone with a U1 chip, iOS 14.4 and an HomePod mini.

    Trick #1: set a timer with Siri on your HomePod mini to, let’s say, 10 minutes. Then, bring your iPhone close to the HomePod mini, the iPhone will show how much time is left on the timer (make sure the iPhone screen is on).

    Trick #2: let’s say music is playing on your HomePod mini, and that you want to, silently, see what’s playing. Again, bring your iPhone close to the HomePod mini, the iPhone will show the currently playing title.

    What a great example of: the whole is bigger than the sum of its parts. This is Apple at it’s best.

    → 7:50 PM, Feb 14
  • Who remember Motorola 68000 Assembly? I do. (#apple #history #macintosh)

    I dug out my ancient Inside Macintosh reference books from storage. Remember when Apple’s developer documentation came as paper books? Volumes I-III on the original Mac APIs, IV on Mac Plus, V on color Macs, and the truly massive volume VI on System 7. 📚

    Inside Macintosh reference books

    Inside Macintosh reference books

    Inside Macintosh reference books

    Inside Macintosh reference books

    Inside Macintosh reference books

    David Sinclair https://dejus.com/2020/12/21/0927/
    I did some 68000 assembly using my 512Ke Mac back in the days. Can't remember what was the development environment, though. And I remember these Inside Apple Macintosh books so well. That was a lot of stuff to learn. Time flies.
    → 8:36 AM, Feb 14
  • As far as I’m concerned, PopClip is part of macOS.

    Jack Baty https://micro.baty.net/2021/02/13/as-far-as.html
    I think he meant that PopClip should be part of macOS! Instant buy for me!
    → 7:33 AM, Feb 13
  • On Apple’s rumoured VR headset (#apple #rumours)

    A mockup of Apple’s VR headset based of rumours

    Here is a simple one: Apple, please, no.

    I don’t get the idea of such product. The audience for this seems to be too small for Apple. I do understand that Apple research in VR can have broader ramifications, but to build such a limited appeal product for the mass, I don’t get it.

    I think Apple’s interests has much more potential in augmented reality products, services or features. Their work is already bearing fruit with AirPods spatial audio and transparency mode. These are much more appealing to the mass than a VR headset.

    → 7:01 AM, Feb 12
  • Mapping Apple’s mapping efforts (#apple #maps)

    Apple Maps is so much better than it was when it first launched back in 2012. It’s my go-to apps when in comes to finding my way. I never use Google Maps. Over the years, Apple upped its game. Recently, Apple added the detailed mapping and the look around feature for Canada, and it made such a big difference. But how much different? Well, look no further than Justino Beirne’s latest essay: “WHY DOESN’T “LOOK AROUND” COVER MORE AREAS?”. It is a massive piece of work detailing Apple’s every advances regarding its mapping efforts. I wonder if anyone at Apple ever looked at his work. It’s just mind blowing how much details and analysis goes into this essay.

    → 7:26 AM, Feb 11
  • The look of desperation (#intel #benchmark #m1chip #apple)

    I think Intel could have done better than this in a world without the M1 chip. But the problem is that the M1 chip is among us. Obviously, the carefully selected benchmarks results are published to people who doesn’t know about Apple. It’s an issue of perception manipulation. Apple is only getting started. Intel is freaking out and look desperate. 2021 will make matters even worse.

    Another one with a look of desperation: Facebook because of iOS 14.4 tracking exposure to the users.

    → 7:02 AM, Feb 8
  • The iPad legitimacy (#apple #iPad #computer)

    Photo by Daniel Romero on Unsplash

    Matt Birchler is writing yet another post about the iPad. The last paragraph (emphasis is mine):

    “We live in a world where we’re surrounded by computers. People have a home computer, a work computer, a phone, a watch, a smart TV, and smart speakers. Hell, even the iPad’s harshest critics often have one that they use for watching video and playing games. The iPad is the only device in that list that some people mandate has feature parity with another item on that list.”

    That is so true. I never thought about it this way. Why do we need to constantly compare the iPad to other computing devices to find its legitimacy? For me, the iPad is one of the best computing device of all time. There is nothing like it, it is singular.

    → 3:56 PM, Feb 6
  • It’s Rosetta 2’s fault (#apple #rosetta2 #bigsur)

    According to a recent small survey by AppleInsider, 53% of apps are running natively on M1-powered Macs. What about the remaining 47%? Well:

    “Without native support, they’re run in Rosetta 2 emulation. That may conceivably turn out to mean that they run faster than they did on old Intel hardware, but it’s not why you’ve bought an Apple Silicon Mac.”

    One of the problem is that Apple’s Rosetta 2 is too good at running non-native apps. It’s so good that they can run faster than on an Intel-powered Mac.

    A lot of things are on developer’s shoulders. There are enthusiastic developers and then there are the lazy one. The former rush to add M1 support for their apps even if the performance gain is negligible. The latter either doesn’t care, think it’s good enough or they don’t have full control of the software stack they use to build their apps. Think about the Electron framework. It does support the M1-powered Macs. Developers need to upgrade their apps to take advantage of the latest Apple technologies. An example if the email client for HEY. The last update came in September of last year.

    As someone who use both, native and non-native apps, on my M1-powered Mac mini, I don’t see much difference, most of the time. Apps like Lightroom CC or Pixelmator Pro do show a big improvement in many operations. But for the rest? Again, Rosetta 2 is doing a marvellous job and the whole experience on Big Sur with M1 is really good.

    → 1:47 PM, Feb 6
  • On the Lack of Safari’s extensions support (#apple #safariextension #browserextension)

    It’s becoming quite frustrating to see Apple’s Safari not being supported for browser extensions. Safari is now reportedly supporting standard web extensions but with an Apple twist making it cumbersome for developers to add support. Apple being Apple, I think it is related to the requirement of having to download an application in order to be able to expose an extension to Safari’s engine. Thanks to privacy protection, Apple is forcing the game here, but this has real consequences.

    → 8:44 AM, Feb 5
  • Apps cannot be installed errors (#appstore #apple #bug)

    Since running macOS Big Sur, I quite often get these “Unable to Download App” error when trying to update my apps on my M1-based Mac mini. I need to try a few times or even reboot the machine in order to fix this issue. The app is being downloaded, but the installation phase is failing at the very end. Version 11.2 of Big Sur didn’t fix the issue. And it’s not related to an app being open or in use.

    Is anyone getting these too? It’s kind of annoying.

    → 6:55 AM, Feb 5
  • Desktop vs Laptop vs Mobile vs Tablet (#blog #bloggerlife #analytics)

    Here is something absolutely fascinating and surprising to me. According to my main blog’s visitors statistics, thanks to my recent switch to Plausible, over the last thirty days, the distribution of devices type used to visit my blog puts the tablet far behind the desktop, the laptop and the smartphone. One would think the tablet form factor to be much more popular.

    The iPad is massively popular. I’m still in love with this form factor after all these years. These numbers doesn’t jive.

    → 9:29 PM, Feb 4
  • Apple’s macOS Big Sur updates on the path of iOS updates? (#apple #macos #bigsur)

    After the release yesterday of macOS Big Sur 11.2, Apple today released the first beta of macOS Big Sur 11.3. It does look like macOS is following the trails of iOS with updates that brings many small features, improvements and tweaks. We’re not used to that, as before Big Sur, macOS updates used to be mostly about bug fixes. I’m happy to see Apple change course for macOS, if this update is any indication.

    → 9:37 PM, Feb 2
  • And here goes beta 1 of iOS 14.5 (#apple #ios14.5)

    iPadOS 14.5 and iOS 14.5 beta 1 is out!

    iOS 14.5 beta 1 is out today with a slew of new features and small tweaks. Unlocking your iPhone while wearing a face mask, thanks to your Apple Watch, falls in the category of “finally” moments. In the tweaks category, the Apple logo of an iPad booting up iPadOS “finally” follows the device’s orientation. Updates to Apple Card too to support shared cards. Now, if only this could come to Canada!

    → 8:01 PM, Feb 1
  • Design is how it works (#apple #design #ux #ui)

    From John Gruber’s Apple report card:

    “I’m reminded of all the UI and interaction designs and changes in iOS and MacOS that are just bad. There’s a real sense that _ Apple’s current HI team, under Alan Dye, is a “design is what it looks like” group, not a “design is how it works” group_. Exhibit A: What MacOS 11 Big Sur has done to document proxy icons. Arguably it looks better to hide them. (I disagree, but I can see the counterargument.) Inarguably, they work far worse now — harder to use for people who use them, and much harder to discover for people who don’t yet know about them.”

    Gruber often has an effective way of putting out his take on Apple’s issues. If you look and use macOS Big Sur for a while, you should get a feel that only the visual parts were redesigned, not the way it works in response to the user behaviour. Big difference.

    → 8:09 PM, Jan 31
  • Apple in 2020 (#review #apple #appletv)

    Really insightful score card report from Six Colors. Take out for me: Apple TV is the new 2013 Mac Pro.

    → 8:50 PM, Jan 30
  • Today is about data privacy (#privacy #dataprivacy #privacyprotection #apple)

    Today, January 28th, is data privacy day. I didn’t know that. Now I know, thanks to Mr. Phillip Schiller. I paid a visit to Apple’s privacy web page. What I found is a super nicely designed page with highlights of Apple’s ecosystem privacy focused features. To me, Apple’s privacy stance is a product, not a feature.

    “Privacy is a fundamental human right. At Apple, it’s also one of our core values. Your devices are important to so many parts of your life. What you share from those experiences, and who you share it with, should be up to you. We design Apple products to protect your privacy and give you control over your information. It’s not always easy. But that’s the kind of innovation we believe in.” — Apple

    → 7:11 AM, Jan 28
  • If true… (#apple #timcook #theclown)

    … I want to scream, I want to puke. Not Tim Cook’s best gift.

    → 3:55 PM, Jan 24
  • Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication (#apple #airpodsmax)

    AirPods Max disassembled

    iFixit completed their usual teardown of one of Apple’s latest product. This time, the AirPods Max were taken apart. This thing is so complicated! No wonder why we pay $550 for. It is fascinating to see how such a device from the outside is so complicated in the inside. This makes me think of the Apple Pencil exterior beauty but interior complexity. I still love mine, even if I’m not an audiophile. 🤓

    → 7:44 PM, Jan 19
  • Apple is Undoing the MacBook Pro (#apple #macbookpro #rumours)

    Photo by Bram Nau - Unsplash

    Bye bye dear TouchBar. Hello MagSafe power connector. Here’s some more ports. Rumours are pointing toward the same thing. Apple will revert many of its controversial decision of the last five years. Many will be pleased. Function is winning over form. I think Apple is following the trend they started with the 2019 Mac Pro which essentially erasing five years of non sense with the 2013 Mac Pro. Apple is fully back to the Mac. And down on earth, with all of us.

    Clearly, actual creatives and professionals disagree with Apple’s soul-searching because if all of these rumors come to fruition, Apple will be returning to what was already considered the MacBook Pro’s zenith. Coupled with Apple Silicon and Apple could experience Mac growth that it ceded to PC laptops during these past years of stumbling. — Raymond Wong for Input magazine

    Something we won’t get, though: a touch screen. We can’t have it all, right?

    → 8:02 PM, Jan 17
  • Improving my Apple Watch Heartbeat Readings (#applewatch)

    A different way to wear the Apple Watch

    Since getting my Apple Series 6 last fall (see my review here), my heart readings aren’t working as expected. I’m not alone who is experiencing this problem (just google it!). During a workout, heartbeats readings are not available for the first 5 to 10 minutes into the workout. On a 30-minute workout, it can make a big difference.

    I think I found a way to greatly improve the heartbeats readings. Simply by wearing my Apple Watch as shown on the picture above. I must say that it is not perfect. As shown below, I do get a few minutes of lost readings, though, but not as much as before. The problem could be related to the presence on some fur on my front arm. Also, always making sure the Apple Watch band is tied close enough to the wrist is a must.

    A few minutes of lost heartbeat readings

    Are you experiencing the same issue? Let me know if you permanently fixed it.

    → 4:29 PM, Jan 17
  • The Insurmountable Problem for Intel (#intel #apple #applesilicon)

    Intel CEO Pat Gelsinger

    Let’s start with a quote from Intel CEO Pat Gelsinger (as reported by The Oregonian)

    “We have to deliver better products to the PC ecosystem than any possible thing that a lifestyle company in Cupertino. We have to be that good, in the future."

    The fundamental problem with Intel is that they will never make the whole widget (the products) like Apple does. That’s the key for insanely great products. Intel’s CPU are small enablers at best. The vertical integration of the whole stack (hardware, OS, apps, services) makes what Apple is all about. There is no way for Intel to emulate that by cooperating with hundreds of OEMs.

    Sorry, Pat, nice try.

    → 7:43 PM, Jan 16
  • Persistent Rumours about Upcoming MacBook Pro Redesign (#apple #macbookpro #m1chip #applesilicon)

    MacBook Pro

    The latest report from MacRumors about Apple’s upcoming MacBook Pro redesign is quite interesting and intriguing.

    First, the removal of the TouchBar and the return of the MagSafe technology is utterly surprising. If this is the case, Apple would be undoing five years of design decisions. A side effect of the TouchBar removal would be a more competitive pricing of the MacBook Pro line.

    Second, the rumour about Apple opting for an all-out flat edge design makes me think the new MacBook Pro would be similar to two iPad Pro linked together with a hinge. Obviously, the screen parts would be thinner than the lower body of the MacBook Pro. Intriguing.

    Now, if these rumours materialize, to me, it would mean that the current 13” MacBook Pro would be no longer necessary with a 14” model in its place. If that’s the case, the 13” MacBook Pro was only a transition and temporary move from Apple.

    We are at the beginning of another exciting year for Apple.

    → 7:23 AM, Jan 15
  • Apple’s Big Moments (#apple #m1chip #intel #transitions)

    Apple’s M1 chip

    I like this quote from Ken Segall:

    “In 2005, Apple moved to Intel to gain equality. In 2020, it’s moved away from Intel to gain superiority."

    I remember so well when Apple announced their move in 2005. It is a privilege to have witnessed all these big Apple’s moments. Many interesting thoughts about these transformative transitions in this article. Must read.

    → 6:50 AM, Jan 14
  • A fix is coming (#apple #M1macmini #bluetooth)

    Clay banks PXaQXThG1FY unsplash

    At long last, relief is in sight. My M1 Mac mini is not able to keep a stable Bluetooth connection with Apple’s Magic Keyboard and Magic Mouse. It’s very frustrating. While waiting for a permanent fix, I’m using a USB PC mouse, and I keep my Magic Keyboard connected via a USB-C to lightning cable connected on my LG Ultra Fine 4K monitor. What a messy experience for such a small performance wonder.

    → 11:36 AM, Jan 12
  • Mac sales booming but the best is yet to come (#apple #m1mac #applesilicon)

    Wesson wang y0 vFxOHayg unsplash

    Thanks to the small wonder, the M1 chip and the Apple silicon transition, Mac sales are booming. According to a recent IDC report, Mac sales are up by nearly 30% compared to the same period, a year ago. Apple’s market share increased globally by 1%, which is quite impressive for Apple.

    My take: I have the feeling that we ain’t see nothing yet. As the work-from-home trend continues, with the rest of the MacBook Pro line still to transition to the M1 chip, a long-awaited redesiged iMac, 2021 could be a monster year for the Mac and Apple. And beyong 2021 and the pandemic? Ask Horace Dediu.

    → 9:58 AM, Jan 12
  • On the original iPhone, back in 2007 (#apple #iPhone #blackberry)

    Steve Jobs with original iPhone

    Thirteen years already. Gosh, time flies. Steve Jobs announces the iPhone. One of his best presentation. I remember it so well. At that time, I was a huge user (and fan) of the Blackberry. After using a RIM two-way pager for a while, I upgraded to Blackberry with a bigger screen with a monochrome display. But, with the iPhone, I knew, deep within me, this would be a real game-changer. My feelings were the same as with the launch of the Macintosh. What I didn’t know, though, was how profound and long-lasting the iPhone-effect would be on the rest of the tech world. We still feel its effect these days. I had to wait until the iPhone 3GS, in 2009, to get my hands on one for my personal use. I was still using a Blackberry for the office. Yep, I had two smartphones with me all the time.

    → 9:01 AM, Jan 10
  • Use case for multi-user support on iPad (#apple #ipadOS #iPad)

    Daniel romero C9wxJJIdycg unsplash

    In his predictions for iPad in 2021, iPadInsight puts multi-user support on top of its list for iPadOS 15 without mentionning a real use case beyond the obvious. Let me explain.

    Do we ask multi-user support on iPad because it is something we take for granted on “traditional” computers? Or is because there is a real use case for that feature, beyond the classroom or the conference room? Does the multi-user support solve the problem of your friend borrowing your iPad while keeping him or her from seeing your stuff?

    Enabling multi-user support on the iPad has profound implications. How would the instant-on, instant-use experience be impacted by having multi-user enabled? Is the security enclave capable of holding more than one user FaceID? How iCloud Drive data be handled if users both have their data in icloud, the same way as on macOS? What about apps collections being different from one user to the other, how the iPad homescreen change upon logoff-logon? How fast? What kind of pressure does this feature put on the iPad system memory? Would this feature enabled on the Pro line only?

    For me, the iPad is a personal device, just like the iPhone. Apple likes it this way, for their bottom line. That’s my guess.

    → 10:20 AM, Jan 7
  • The port-less iPhone is coming (#apple #iPhone #rumours)

    6a0120a5580826970c0263e98616d4200b

    With patents like this, we can see clearly into Apple’s vision for the future of the iPhone. Apple is committed to remove the Lightning port from its iPhone line. I don’t expect them to go through USB-C. This is Apple. By adding more ways to charge without contacts, Apple removes the friction points off the user experience in a world of port-less iPhone.

    → 10:33 AM, Jan 6
  • Thoughts on Flash and the iPad (#apple #iPad #adobeflash)

    Steve Jobs iPad 2010

    I want to pick from this blog post from Initial Charge. I remember a small story when the iPad came out in 2010. After a few days of playing with it, I went to the office to show it to a few of my coworkers when I got my iPad. After a few minutes of demonstration, I got two remarks. One was about the lack of a USB port. The second was about the lack of support for Flash-enabled websites. On that one complaint, I remember arguing about the simple fact that moving your mouse cursor around would trigger some flash-based animations like making a button bigger or showing up a menu on many websites. There was no such thing as a “mouseover” event on the iPad, so those websites that were dependant on this would break the interaction experience. At this very moment, I thought Adobe Flash was doomed. More than ten years to get rid of this crasp. That was long.

    → 1:11 PM, Jan 5
  • So many questions lefts unanswered (#apple #iCloud #death #legacy)

    Cemetery2

    In What to do about Apple devices and iCloud content when the owner dies from AppleInsider, there are so many unanswered questions. For example, are the requirements from Apple different from one country to another? Something critical when someone dies, having access to his or her smartphone with a PIN. Without it, the challenge is close to impossible to meet. That is one of the many requirements explained in A Guide for Preparing to Leave Your Numeric Legacy.

    → 1:28 PM, Jan 3
  • Bluetooth issues is killing the M1 Mac mini wonder (#apple #applesilicon #m1ship)

    M1 Mac mini

    Two times today, I had to restart my M1 Mac mini because of the bluetooth devices being unresponsive. macOS 11.1 came out late in December without a fix to this issue. My hope is that this can be fixed via a firmware update from Apple. I’m not alone. No fix in sight. Very frustrating. 🤬

    → 9:47 AM, Jan 2
  • Grading Apple's response to COVID-19 (#apple #covid19)

    Harry cunningham cPMRltmUls8 unsplashFrom Basic Apple Guy’s top 5 of 2020:

    “I appreciated the stewardship Apple has taken this year in balancing their product interests while also supporting the fight to respond to COVID-19.”

    Two things. First, Apple’s response to COVID-19 was and continue to be faultless. Some governments should take notes. Second, the closing-reopening-closing dance of their physical stores didn’t impact their bottom line, not in a significant way, apparently. In a way, Apple is not only making and selling products, they are the product, it’s not only how they look, it’s how they work.

    → 9:02 AM, Jan 2
  • Microsoft + ARM: Why it took so long? (#microsoft #arm #surface #intel)

    Bram van oost soFr1hofDfU unsplash

    About Microsoft being Years Late to a Party They Tried to Start on iPadInsight:

    “According to a recent Bloomberg report, Microsoft is finally getting into the custom silicon business. It looks like they are starting down this road primarily to aid their cloud and server business, but it’s hard to believe they wouldn’t have future plans to bring these new ARM-based chips to their Surface Pro X and other future models, replacing Qualcomm’s SQ1 and 2 processors.“

    and

    “The $10,000 question is, why did Microsoft wait this long? Why did they bother messing around with Qualcomm to produce ARM chips for the Surface Pro X only to get mediocre results from a chip that still isn’t fine tuned to both the hardware and Windows 10? Those results were completely and totally predictable. They took the easy way out and the Surface Pro X, while a really slick looking device, isn’t going anywhere because of it. Who wants to pay more and still have to make compromises in both performance and compatibility?”

    Maybe Microsoft didn’t want to piss off Intel?

    → 8:32 AM, Jan 2
  • Not the best way to build brand loyalty, @LGUS (#smarttv #airplay2)

    LG 4K OLED Smart TV

    According to an article from MacRumors, LG is rolling out a software update to its 2018 Smart TVs to enable AirPlay 2 and HomeKit support. I personally own a 2016 model and I don’t expect to receive such update anytime soon. As a software-only solution, I don’t see why they couldn’t make it happen for 2016 models too. When you think about Apple supporting iPhone models dating back to 2015 with iOS 14, we have to wonder who’s playing programmed obsolescence here. As someone who’s looking to upgrade its 2016 LG Smart TV to a 2020 model, which will support HDR, Dolby Atmos, AirPlay 2, HomeKit and have a 120 Hz refresh rate, I don’t appreciate LG approach to brand loyalty building.

    → 8:47 AM, Dec 30
  • I don't care about the Apple Car (#apple #applecar #rumours)

    Robin benzrihem 9uxJt LtqKU unsplash

    According to Goldman Sachs, Apple doesn’t care about the car itself. I don’t care either. I’m fed up of these rumours. M.G. Siegler is fed up too according to a recent Medium article. Period. Enough. A car is the least personal product Apple could ever make. Apple’s products are about exhencing experience, life.

    I can see Apple investing in in-car experience and selling it to cars manufacturers. But wait, there is a big gotcha: cars manufacturers doesn’t care about the user experience. Maybe Tesla, but that’s it. I cannot see them coming in drove to Apple to add the “Apple Experience” as an option anytime soon.

    → 3:44 PM, Dec 29
  • A visual reference to the iPod in iOS 14.3? (#apple #ipodclassic #applehistory)

    IPod Classix and iOS 14 3 mediaplayer controls

    Someone on Twitter thinks iOS 14.3 mediaplayer control is a nod to the iPod Classic. I think this redesign was introduced in iOS 14.2. Up until now, it didn’t came to my mind the design was similar to the iPod Classic. Nonetheless, it a step up compared to the previous version both in design and features. As Gruber puts it, it’s probably the best way to layout music controls on a small screen.

    → 1:43 PM, Dec 29
  • The original iMac — best of them all? (#apple #iMac #history)

    Original iMac

    When the original iMac came out, in 1998, a first tangible and public sign of Steve Jobs return at Apple, I was perplexed yet intrigued. It was so unique compared to everything else, just like for the original Mac, in 1984. There was a retro look to this machine that was seducing to me, especially when looking at it right in front of it. I never owned the iMac G3 and any of the following designs. I came back to the Mac in 2005 after a 10 years pause. This concludes the long series of “20 Macs for 2020” from SixColors.

    → 12:25 PM, Dec 29
  • On Apple Fitness+ Launches (#apple #services #fitnetsplus)

    Apple fitnessplus treadmill workout 12142020

    Benjamin Mayo on Apple Fitness+ Launches

    “They did a good job with this. It’s not a deeply technical proposition but sometimes simple ideas and good execution are all you need. Fitness+ is high quality and well produced workout videos overlaid with live metrics readouts from a connected Watch. Straightforward, technologically trivial, but effective.”

    I started to use the service since day one. For now, I’m doing treadmill workouts ranging from 10 min to 30 min. I like the whole thing so far. The next thing I’d like to try is the dance workouts.

    → 9:04 AM, Dec 27
  • Was this lab setup real? (#apple)

    Internal Apple Lab

    In 2020, we started to get a better peek at Apple’s labs, at least, this is what Apple wanted us to believe. My question: was this setup a real lab or was it entirely made up? I tend to think they were real. If that’s the case, in this particular image, can you spot a very old Macintosh?

    → 8:38 AM, Dec 27
  • My current Applications folder on my M1 Mac, what is yours? (#apple #m1chip #applesilicon)

    My current Applications folder

    I’m mostly done with the re-installation of all my most used and mandatory apps on my Mac mini. To give you an idea of my apps collection, here is a screenshot of my applications folder. Most are universal apps or Apple Silicon only.

    I’m curious, what is yours?

    → 5:32 PM, Dec 21
  • I'm less and less using my Intel-based iMac. And that's ok. (#m1chip #applesilicon #apple)

    Thomas q m2zuB8DqwyM unsplash

    As more and more applications get the universal binary treatment to support M1 Macs, my iMac usage outside of my daytime job has decreased significantly. The list of apps that I cannot use on my M1 Mac mini is shrinking every week. It’s a good sign. Things are moving faster than I initially thought. Yesterday, I decided to let go the weird idea of not installing Intel-only applications on my M1 Mac mini, and everything is really working just fine.

    → 11:35 AM, Dec 21
  • What do you use as a shortcut menu utility on macOS? (#apple #macOS)

    instant bar Mac App Store page

    I’m currently writing a piece about the tools and services I use to help me be more efficient in my blogger workflow. Currently looking at Shortcut Bar - Instant Access on the Mac App Store. I had this utility in my list that I never bought but the features are exactly what I would like to get. Is there any alternatives to this utility? It’s a bit on the expansive side and is not yet updated for M1 Macs and Big Sur look and feel.

    → 10:59 AM, Dec 21
  • My still pristine M1 Mac mini is a thing of the past 😔 (#apple #m1chip #macmini #rosetta2)

    Install Rosetta 2 dialog box

    Can you believe it, up until today, I was still resisting the installation of any non-native applications on my M1-based Mac mini. I refrained myself from letting in any Rosetta-dependant apps to run. I shouldn’t have made a big story about this non-issue, but it’s was more psychological than anything else.

    The list of non-native apps is small, but it started to negatively affect my ability to complete specific tasks. These apps waiting in line were: SafariMarkdownLinker (Safari Extension), Grammarly (Safari Extension), Adobe Creative Cloud installer (required to install the native version of Lightroom CC), 1Password.

    Today, I finally let it go and went ahead with installing these remaining pieces of my application landscape. I feel good, and everything is working just fine, as expected.

    → 3:36 PM, Dec 20
  • On Apple's ProRAW: extending the range of possibilities (#apple #proraw #photography)

    Picture in ProRAW format

    From “ProRAW Is Here!" By Austin Mann:

    I suggest turning on ProRAW when you are shooting in extreme conditions of any kinds (extremely low light, extremely high dynamic range with super bright highlights and dark shadows, mixed light temperatures, and so on). Also, use ProRAW if you plan on enlarging the images (on screen or in print).

    ProRAW is about extending the possible scenarios where you can take great looking pictures. Just like in traditional photography gear, adding different lenses allow for more possibilities. It’s incredible how far iPhone photography has come since 2007. I’ll have to wait for fall of 2021 before being able to take advantage of all this as I’m not planning to upgrade to the iPhone 12 Pro. If all goes well, I should be able to bring a shinny iPhone 13 (or whatever name they give for next’s year iPhone) with me on my next trip to Europe, on October of 2021.

    → 11:11 AM, Dec 19
  • The shear power of Apple on its install base (#apple #ecosystem #installbase #iPadOS #iOS)

    iOS and iPadOS Usage Chart

    Is this new? I mean the format in which Apple is presenting the current iOS and iPadOS usage? The last time I paid attention to this, Apple was using a pie chart. I prefer this level of details. A few thoughts about these numbers are in order.

    First, iPhone users are quicker to update their devices compared to iPad users. Second, Apple makes a clear distinction between devices recently introduced (in the last four years) from the rest. In both categories, the numbers shows that a vast majority of users adopt the latest release of the operating system. Third, even though people keeps their device longer than before, Apple keep supporting older devices (older than four years). All of this helps keeping the adoption rate at very high levels. Kudos to Apple.

    These numbers also tell another story: Apple’s shear power over its install base is impressive. Apple has the ability to move it in new directions pretty quickly as users are quick to embrace new features, either by buying new devices or by updating their current ones because they are still supported by Apple. Will 2021 bring a different tone to this story with iOS 15? Maybe, maybe not.

    → 1:36 PM, Dec 17
  • I love those App Clip codes. So approachable. Artful. So Apple.

    → 9:28 PM, Dec 16
  • The big problem with Sign in with Apple (#apple #security)

    Sign in with apple jpg

    Here is an issue that I ran into yesterday with “Sign in with Apple”. I suspect I’m not alone in that situation.

    The excellent website building tool, Universe, came out with an update that introduces Sign-in with Apple. After updating the application on my iPad, I launch the app. I’m welcomed with a sign-in screen. The Sign-in with Apple option is prominently displayed. I tap on it. I’m then presented with the typical panel to decide if I expose my real email address and my real name. Now the troubles begin.

    I’m already a user of Universe, which email did I use to create my initial account? I can’t remember. What if I choose the wrong one? I try one of my email address that I decided to reveal. Hit sign-in; after a few seconds of working progress, I’m met with welcome screen for new users. Duh. I’m trying to get back, to no avail.

    This issue reveals a big flaw in Sign in with Apple: when you are already a user of a service, switching to the more secure sign-in option makes it hard to associate this login to your existing account. I ran into the same issue with most of the services where I tried to make the switch. I suspect this is hindering the adoption of an otherwise secure upgrade to traditional authentication service. Too bad.

    → 7:43 AM, Dec 16
  • My first contact with Apple’s Fitness+ 😍 (#apple #fitnessplus #service)

    Fitness+ Workout Summary

    Yesterday Apple launched their latest service offering: Fitness+. I gave it a try, and I fell in love. The first step was to update all my supported devices: the iPhone, my Apple Watch and my Apple TV. After spending a few minutes glancing at the different type of workouts, I elected to do a twenty minutes treadmill workout using my iPhone and my AirPods Pro. For this session, Jamie-Ray was my coach. As you can see, I think I made pretty well. I liked everything about the experience, from onboarding to the actual workout session with on-screen feedbacks and the finale. The music choice was good too! After my session, I gave a look at the Apple TV Fitness application. Upon launching the app, you have to select the Apple Watch associated with the person who will interact with the service. One note, if your Apple Watch name is too long, spacing on the screen won’t allow you to easily see which Apple Watch is which; you’ll have to wait so see the text to scroll, it’s a bit of an annoyance. I checked a few workout previews and sure enough, the video quality is exceptional on the Apple TV 4K.

    All in all, this is a great start for Fitness+. It’s probably the best example of the whole being larger than the sum of its part. The combination of great devices, great content, great user experience, impeccable execution are the ingredients and enablers for the best experience. Bravo Apple.

    Oh, I’ll try to exercise five to six days a week.

    → 5:11 PM, Dec 15
  • Thanks, Apple (#apple #privacy #privacyprotection)

    Application Privacy labels

    Thanks to all the teams at Apple for putting this App privacy feature together. Just like food labels, application labels were long overdue. Apple is far from perfect, I wrote about that a few weeks ago, but at the very least they do move the needle quite a bit. Bravo.

    → 10:46 AM, Dec 15
  • What happens when an M1 Mac starts up? Fascinating. (#apple #m1chip #applesilicon)

    M2 chip logo

    What happens when an M1 Mac starts up? – The Eclectic Light Company:

    You can learn a great deal from the unified log entries of a system startup, and that for an M1 Mac is even more fascinating for the insights it gives into the hardware in the M1 system-on-a-chip (SoC). These were obtained from an M1 MacBook Pro with 8 CPU cores and 8 GPU cores running macOS 11.0.1 fairly clean, and in full Secure Boot.

    I always liked low level stuff in computers. I learned 6502 assembly language (if we can call this a “language”) when I was a teenager. If you’re into these type of things, it is a fascinating short read that opens the door to what is going on in your M1 Mac.

    → 8:01 PM, Dec 14
  • Remember de Macintosh Quadra 700? (#apple #vintage #Mac #Macintosh)

    Macintosh Quadra

    Working from home at 25MHz: You could do worse than a Quadra 700 (even in 2020) | Ars Technica:

    The '040 was a substantial upgrade over the '030 that had previously been used by Apple. It featured 1.2 million transistors, over four times as many as its predecessor. This processor increased the L1 cache size by a factor of eight to 4096 bytes, and it was the first 68k processor to have an on-board floating-point unit (FPU). While not without its drawbacks, the '040 processor was an obvious candidate for Apple's next line of premium workstations at the time. And this line would become known as “Quadra,” starting with the Quadra 700 and 900 models in late 1991.

    In 1990-1991, I was working for an Apple authorized dealer. I remember the Quadra line, in particular, the 700. It was the most popular machine among desktop publisher. It was fast. I liked its vertical and boxy look. It was different. What is interesting is the description of the Motorola 68040 processor. Compare this to the Apple Silicon, it’s simply unbelievable. The M1 chip comes from an alien world.

    → 8:31 AM, Dec 14
  • When no new features was a feature (#Apple #macOS #snowleopard #2009)

    Leopard launch

    Published by BasicAppleGuy, a short survey of his experience with MacOS Snow Leopard, back in 2009. I remember Steve Jobs talking about this release of MacOS as a pause in new features introduction in order to build the foundations for the next decade of MacOS (now spelled macOS). In fact, I would argue that, no new flashy feature was a new feature in itself. Something Apple could do these days. Their operating systems are muc more complex and feature rich, Apple is not standing still either. I cannot see them doing this.

    → 12:39 PM, Dec 13
  • The Apple Health Index (#apple #finance #marketplace #products #expectations)

    Apple Health Index Table

    For a while, I used to maintain a table of measures related to Apple that were in four categories: Finance, Products, Expectations, Market Landscape. Each attributes had his own ponderation. I wold give a scope from 0 to 10 on each of them. A formula would calculate something call the Health Index. I would revisit this table four times a year. It was obviously totally subjective but it was fun to do. Today, their score would be 9.140 out of 10. Not bad.

    → 11:21 AM, Dec 13
  • Here is a throwback... (#Apple #iOS6 #iPad)

    iOS 6 on iPad

    During my digital assets cleanup this weekend as I’m preparing a move to Synology, I came across this screenshot of my iPad running iOS 6. Looking carefully to this image, it’s fascinating to see all the things we lost since then. First, many of those apps no longer exist. Second, design.

    Enjoy in all its glory.

    → 9:08 AM, Dec 13
  • Did you know... ? (#apple #iOS #tips)

    UntitledImage

    When you get an update from the App Store stating a size of, let’s say 179.4 MB, this doesn’t represent the actual amount of data that will be downloaded. In fact, depending of your device, the size will be much smaller. If you want to see this in action, turn on Low Data Mode. Then, go to the App Store and download an application update and look at the actual size of the download in the alert box. Tadam!

    → 8:48 AM, Dec 13
  • A broken Apple timeline (#apple #history #myarchives)

    I use to keep a time of all the news and announcements emanating from Apple, Cupertino. It was fun but time-consuming. I failed to find a good use of it, so I stopped updating it. Maybe I should have continued, as a blogger, it could have been really useful. Apple Timeline

    → 6:00 PM, Dec 12
  • Detailed Apple Maps comes to Canada 🇨🇦🗺! (#apple #applemaps)

    At long last, Apple’s detailed maps is now available for Canada! Not only we get more details in maps and better driving directions, we also get guides and the look around which is, in my opinion, way better designed than Google’s street view. I wasn’t expected them but they are certainly nice bonuses! Detailed maps were first introduced in iOS 13, more than a year ago.

    Now, if only we can get rid of COVID-19, I may start to use Maps more frequently. 😔

    → 10:34 AM, Dec 12
  • The end of the “hackintosh” era? 🥷🏻 (#apple #applesilicon #m1chip)

    Ernie Smith writing on Tedium about the hackintosh necessity in a world with the M1 chip for the Mac:

    ”I hope, now that Apple has a chip architecture that doesn’t get in the way, it ramps up its industrial design … and more importantly, it reads the reviews and iterates more thoughtfully and consistently.”

    That’s exactly what I’m hoping too. The iMac and the MacBook design in general were highly influenced by the thermal pressure the Intel chip was imposing. The next iMac design revision will certainly take advantage of the Apple Silicon low thermal dissipation and put Apple in a more creative mode when it comes to imagining what a desktop computer should be.

    → 9:35 AM, Dec 12
  • What came before the diagram (#blogging #tips)

    I use Apple’s Notes app to jot some ideas, all the time. When the concept is clear in my head, I go ahead and select my tool for the next phase. In this case, it was Apple’s Keynote which proves to provide a quite capable environment for diagramming. The subject: how I process information that eventually will enable me to write blog posts. More details here.

    → 9:57 PM, Dec 10
  • Dear Adobe... (#adobe #lightroom #creativecloud)

    Wanted to give a try to Lightroom CC on my new and still pure Mac mini (no Rosetta installed). Guess what? The creative cloud installer needs Rosetta as it is not yet native. I know, it’s no big deal, it will be fine. If that wasn’t enough, Adobe installers put a lot of things on your system that I don’t like. Then, I remembered about “Suspicious Package” utility which inspect an installer and show what it is actually doing. But, again, this software has yet to come in a universal binary. It will be hard to resist longer. AdobeCreativeCloudApp

    → 9:31 PM, Dec 9
  • I'll take the blue ones, no, the white ones, no, the black ones (#apple #airpodsmax)

    The AirPods Max is exactly the kind of product that needs a visit to the Apple Store before making a final buying decision. Photos don’t always do justice to Apple’s colour choices and textures. The weight of the AirPods Max are also an important factor to consider if you plan to wear them for long period of time. In other words, I’ll wait to buy one of these, if at all. Demand will ease, production will catch up and eventually we’ll be able to return to Apple Stores, like we used to, a not so long time ago. Apple Airpods Max color black 12082020

    → 8:57 PM, Dec 9
  • Remembering Desk Accessories (#apple #macosbigsur #iosapps)

    I’m currently trying a few iOS or iPadOS apps on my M1 Mac mini. I came across the Castro Podcast player for with I pay a subscription. Castro doesn’t support the iPad, yet, which is a bummer. On Big Sur, the application looks like what we used to have on very old versions of MacOS: Desk Accessories. Depending of your age, you’ll know what I’m talking about. I kind of like the use of small apps like this. Castron-on-BigSur.png

    → 4:29 PM, Dec 9
  • We’ll certainly take speed gains we can possibly get (#adobe #lightroom #photography #m1chip)

    Adobe Lightroom 4.1 is now available with native M1 support. We didn’t see a lot of comments about the speed increase beside Apple’s during their “One More Thing” special event. Adobe’s software on the Mac is not always the best in class in regards to pure performance. So, this release for the M1 chip will hopefully bring a meaningful increase in performance. I didn’t test it yet on my M1 Mac mini as I’m still slowly installing my stuff, one app at a time. I’ll certainly report on that subject later in the month. Stay tuned.

    → 9:44 PM, Dec 8
  • Someone had to do it! 😍 (#apple #airpodsmax)

    There is a maximum of 25 combinaisons available. Someone on MacRumors forums posted an image of them all. To get a different color, you’ll have to lay more money on the table. Anyway, I expect Apple will sell a boat load of these in the coming months. Are you planning of buying the new AirPods Max?

    → 7:28 PM, Dec 8
  • 1.0 vs 14.0 - So different, yet similar (#apple #iOS #iPhone)

    Jordan Singer on Twitter posted this picture showing the iPhone with iPhoneOS 1.0 side by side with an iPhone 12 running iOS 14.0. The original iPhone home screen design was durable and endured the test of time. Some people will find it depressing to see so little changes but I do think it is a sign of an initial good design. iOS 14 brought the most significant upgrade, even more profound than the iOS 7 disaster.

    → 8:57 PM, Dec 7
  • Here is a stressful user experience (#apple #iphone #ux #ui #design)

    See that UI of the iPhone when you receive a call while being on another with someone else? Pretty confusing, right? You stress out to understand what to do while hoping you’ll have enough time to not miss the call. it is a stressful user experience. Why is Apple not giving any attention to this very specific UI is beyond me. They made notable change in iOS 14 with the notification-like interface for incoming calls, which was more than welcomed.

    The way I came over this challenge is to concentrate on the icon labels instead of the icon itself. It does help a lot in my case.

    → 12:15 PM, Dec 7
  • Of course they do! Duh (#apple #applesilicon #m1chip #macpro #imacpro)

    An article today by the infamous Bloomberg news site reports that Apple is working on much more powerful Apple Silicon chips for higher end machines like the Mac Pro and the iMac. We all know 2020 was in fact the entry point for next year’s act two of this transition. From what we can read in the article, Apple could make high-end PC obsolete from a RAW power perspective with as many as 32 cores. Does anybody wonder if Intel has good sleep these days?

    → 11:14 AM, Dec 7
  • Let's meet! Here is a free idea for calendaring app makers (talking to you guys! @macguitar @flexibits)

    Let’s play a game. One of your customer calls you and ask for a meeting (virtual or in person). Before answering this request, you have to look at your calendar to see your free/busy time. It’s a time consuming and error prone process. What if your favorite calendaring app could generate a map of your weekly schedule with all sensible information masked out, like in the following example (made with Fantastical). This could be sent as a PDF file to the customer, would save a lot of time. It’s surprising that, to my knowledge, no calendaring app offer this option. I would pay to get this.

    → 5:14 PM, Dec 3
  • Oh I love that one from @gruber (#apple #applesilicon #m1chip)

    Gruber publishes a piece today about how hard it can be for some people to accept that Apple is yet again did the unthinkable.

    This one is simply priceless: “Intel and AMD have learned and struggled for a few years here figuring out how to make decent PC chips. Apple hasn’t just magically figured this out. They’re not going to just walk in.”

    It’s a liberal transposition of a famous quote on how Apple, a PC guy, just can’t walk in and make a great phone. With the M1 chip, yes, Apple just walked in and did it. Again.

    Many pundits were quick to jump the gun on software compatibility issues, the translation layer called Rosetta, the meager 8 GB of RAM, the lack of ports, etc. As proven by the numerous independent reviews, none of these “issues” are affecting the value of what Apple just did.

    It will take a few years before Intel and their friends finally realize what just happened in late 2020 and recover from it. Years.

    → 8:16 AM, Dec 3
  • What is holding back the hardware, again? (#apple #iphone #ios)

    “…until there are some changes with either iOS, the iPhone or both, bigger isn’t really better. It’s just bigger.” — James Rogers writing for iPad Insight about the iPhone 12 Pro Max. Things like picture-in-picture is a step in the right direction on the iPhone. The situation is obviously better on the iPad, yet there are still many low hanging fruits.

    → 10:48 AM, Dec 2
  • I'm already afraid (#apple #m1macmini #applesilicon #intel #imac)

    Just saw that tweet today. It’s too late. I’ll be installing my new M1 Mac mini along the side of my 2017 iMac. Thwy will be both in direct competition. I’m afraid that I’ll find my beloved iMac too slow. I’m not there yet. I’m still waiting for my new thing to get delivered. I’m getting myself mentally ready for the shock. I’ll have to keep my iMac for a while for my daytime job.

    → 9:33 AM, Dec 2
  • About those iOS Apps screenshot on the App Store (#apple #appstore #iosdev)

    I hate those screenshots montage. They lack emphasis on the application itself, the product. They waste precious space. At the very least, why not put a video showing the application in action. People don’t like to read long application description page. Is it Apple’s fault. Probably. Not sure. Apple is not enforcing their own rules on these screenshots.

    This post was triggered by another Matt Birchler post.

    → 9:11 AM, Dec 2
  • Don’t touch this screen (yet!) (#apple #mac #macos)

    Steve Jobs once downplayed flash memory based MP3 players when the iPod was just beginning its ascension. We know what came after the iPod with a small drive. The iPod nano, an MP3 player using flash memory. If you see a stylus, they blew it. The iPad eventually came with support for a stylus… oops, a pencil. What came after that? Support for a mouse with iPadOS 13.4. See the trend? Are you getting it?

    Now, about the Mac. Sure Apple could have used this historic moment to a add touch screen to the M1 MacBook. It didn’t happen. I, myself, was one of them, thinking it was about to happen as exposed in this blog post. My short experience with macOS Big Sur updated design screams out loud that we are far closer to a touch supported Mac than Apple is willing to admit.

    I don’t know when, but it will come, in a perfectly chosen moment by Apple. Apple likes to move forward, one step at a time. The next window of opportunity is next year with a redesigned MacBook body. This year’s was about the internals while keeping familiarities: performance, battery life and transition. Next year is about redefining the way we look at the MacBook and enhance the way we always knew how to interact with it. The Big Sur update this year is just the first step toward a touch friendly operating system. In a typical Apple way, they will have thoroughly thought about all this and we will be amazed about why it wasn’t done this way before. Next year has the potential to be exciting.

    This blog post by Matt Birchler triggered this one you just read. 👀😎

    → 8:10 PM, Dec 1
  • The Mac mini renaissance? (#apple #applesilicon #m1chip #macmini)

    I don’t know if this is because I’m eagerly waiting for mine, I’m in a distortion of reality, but the Mac mini seems on the verge of a major regain of popularity. Sales of the little box are booming in Japan and now AWS is offering an Intel version as an EC2 instance… while waiting for the real deal, a M1-based version. The latter brings renewed interest in a platform a lot of pundits were considering dead a few years ago, thanks to Apple’s apparent lack of interest.

    → 1:40 PM, Dec 1
  • Apple’s Reminders is so underrated (#apple #ios #ipados)

    How many To Do apps are available on the App Store? A lot. They all have a different take on how we should create, manage and check our To Do. The best one maybe just in front of your eyes, on your iPhone and iPad: Apple’s Reminders. Here is why for me it does the job quite well.

    I’ve been using OmniFocus and Things in the past, but after Apple redesigned Reminders in iOS 13, I came back to using it. Besides supporting basic things like URL, images and notes, you can group To Do lists in folders, lists can be shared with others, Shortcuts are supported, it synchronizes seamlessly across my devices.

    Apple’s Reminders is one of the app at the center of my blogger workflow to help me process information and publish content online.

    → 9:02 AM, Dec 1
  • Why getting a Mac Pro can still make sense (#apple #macpro #applesilicon #mac)

    In light of all the raving reviews about the M1-based Macs, you might wonder why someone would still need and buy an Intel-based Mac Pro? For many reasons. First, some high-demanding pro software might not be compatible on M1 Macs. Second, if you run software who takes advantage of multiple cores, the Mac Pro with its Xeon processor is hard to beat. Example of this is VMware Fusion. Other use cases demand the most powerful CPU you can get, and they come in the Mac Pro, for now. Third, the Mac Pro is still the most expandable Mac out there. I’m one of those contemplating the Mac Pro for my SDDCbox project, but I must say that my priorities shifted a bit. I’m a few days away from receiving a M1 Mac mini. It will keep me busy until the beginning of 2021.

    → 7:15 AM, Dec 1
  • Did Apple just killed the Mac resale value? Oh yes. (#apple #applesilicon #intel #mac)

    The M1-based Macs ramifications are far reaching as we are still pondering about their impact on the future. Reading this tweet from Parker Ortilani, we have to wonder if Apple, with its M1 chip introduction, just killed the resale value of any Intel-based Macs. Credits: Tables from the author. Simple answer: YES.

    → 5:43 PM, Nov 30
  • AppleOne - Expired or Tired? (#apple #appleone #subscriptions)

    My AppleOne signup went weird when it was announced by Apple. I was billed for some of the individual services as well as the bundle. I’ve been looking for credits since then, which are still yet to come. I think it will be a mess to fix unless Apple gets their act together before then. Now, it looks like my subscription has ended and I cannot renew it. Something bad is really happening. I’m not alone feeling the pain, according to MacRumors.

    → 12:52 PM, Nov 30
  • Building his ideas and pushing boundaries on the way (#apple #iosdev #developer #designer @jsngr)

    A few weeks ago, I wrote about the TestFlight App Store and how cool it was. The guy behind it, Jordan Singer, is also on Substack. I’m already a big fan of his work.

    As a former indie iOS developer (2009-2013), I find it interesting to see other people’s ideas, work and initiatives. This guy is on a roll and tests some App Store review process boundaries, which is more than needed these days. I wish him success with Airport.

    → 7:04 AM, Nov 30
  • Apple is no longer doomed. Intel is. (#apple #intel #applesilicon)

    Who is winning between Apple’s M1 chip and Intel’s Tiger Lake chip? Well, if benchmarks are to be believed, Apple is winning, by a wide margin. The results are pretty worrisome for Intel which seems incapable to go beyond a 10 nm process. Intel will become the emblematic image of inefficient processors for years to come. Dell, HP et al. should be worried too because they are in the exact same position Apple was just before their M1 announcement. The only thing now favouriting the Wintel world is the need for Windows for a vast majority of users.

    → 5:26 PM, Nov 29
  • Shortcuts to frustration (#apple #shortcuts #ios #ipados)

    Let’s put it straight: Apple’s Shortcuts are the weirdest, most cumbersome and utterly frustrating thing to build, test and eventually use. I cannot count how many hours I spent trying to understand their intricacies and most useful use cases. As much as I want to get empowered by them, it often ends in frustration. Here is why.

    You cannot disable old shortcuts that are no longer used but that you want to keep as a reference. There is no way to export them in a clean and readable PDF format. There is a lack of some form of runtime debugging tools. The editor doesn’t scale beyond a few dozens instructions. There is no way to write shortcuts in a text editor à la AppleScript. Share sheets bad design and organization make shortcuts invocation a trial and error experience. As your shortcuts collection grows, it hard to remember which shortcut does what in what context and what is required to launch it. And the list goes on and on. Documentation within the Shortcuts editor is lacking, very limited. A big part of the story is dependant on the willingness of developers to support them. It’s so frustrating to see an app lacking any form of exposure to the shortcut engine.

    Make no mistake, I like the idea of automation on the iPad or iPhone. I’m happy to see Apple improving on them with each release of their operating systems. But, there is so much left to cover.

    → 3:17 PM, Nov 29
  • On using Lightroom on a Mac (#apple #adobe #applesilicon)

    Let’s set the tone: Adobe software, Lightroom in particular, is not a very efficient piece of software to use on the Mac… even on a higher-end configuration. Recent updates in the last year or so tried to improve things a little bit, but there is still a long way to go. It’s not clear why Lightroom Classic is so bad. Is it because it is a multi-platform software? Probably. If so, we pay the price at every single use.

    Does the M1 chip in a Mac can change the game? Well, yes and no. The following YouTube video compares Lightroom Classic running on an Intel-based MacBook Pro to an M1-based MacBook Pro. With Rosetta 2 translation layer running to support the non-optimized version of Lightroom Classic, we could think the experience would be awful. In fact, not only it isn’t, the M1-based Mac makes the experience a bit better. Who would have thought.

    Now, Adobe is working on a native or universal version of Lightroom for the M1 chip. Note that I’m referring to Lightroom CC here, the cloud version of Lightroom, not the Classic version. Depending of who you are and what is your relation to photo processing, it may be a good or a bad news. Nonetheless, the prospect of a universal of Lightroom CC is certainly exciting. Will Adobe take advantage of the GPU cores or the ML cores of the M1 chip? I highly doubt it. If the iPad version of Lightroom CC is any indication, though, not all is lost. We’ll see.

    → 9:50 AM, Nov 29
  • Selling a piece of my Apply history (#apple #imac #2007 #elcapitan)

    Today I sold my oldest Mac in the house: a 24 inches 2007 iMac running El Capitan. When I look at this computer, I see many similarities with the current iPad Pro design: round bezels, boxy frame. I hope Apple will return to this design, albeit in a refreshing way, for their upcoming M1-based iMac.

    Now, waiting for my M1-based Mac mini. 24 days before adding another piece to my long story with Apple products.

    24" 2007 iMac
    → 2:04 PM, Nov 28
  • A must have utility for Mac: HazeOver. (#apple #mac #utility #minireview)

    Just bought a Mac utility: HazeOver! How come I didn’t know about this one?? What is it? It’s a small utility which helps bring better focus to the active application on your Mac. It does this by dimming the out-of-focus application windows. It works with multiple displays. If you prefer to work in Light mode over Apple’s Dark Mode, it will make things a lot easier on your eyes. Think of it as a visual compromise. Makes Big Sur even better. Highly recommended.

    → 11:53 AM, Nov 28
  • The M1 chip never cease to amaze (#apple #applesilicon #m1chip #tech #amdryzen)

    Another excellent Twitter thread about the M1 chip. This time, it is a comparison with the AMD Ryzen. From a thermal design power, the M1 chip is simply unique and unmatched. On a per-core basis, top of the line AMD Ryzen chip and Apple’s M1 chip are of equal performance. On top of that, the M1 chip is much more than a standard CPU. Oh, and it is only the beginning. Who thought 2020 was such a bad year.

    → 4:45 PM, Nov 27
  • The future of widgets on iOS (#apple #ios #ipados #widgets)

    There is a lot to like from this short video showing vivo’s OrigiOS in action. Expandable widgets, user-adjusted widget size, dynamic content, super clean animations, a few touches of skeuomorphism where it counts, dynamic icons, immediate feedback on touch, all those things which are lacking on iOS home screen could see the light if Apple choose to. Widgets 1.0 were long to come for us, iPhone and iPad users, but here they are. Yet, there is still so much untapped potential.

    What are your thoughts?

    → 4:32 PM, Nov 27
  • The future of the iPad, according to an M1 chip (#apple #ipadpro #applesilicon #mac #m1mac #ipados)

    In a blog post “Your Move, iPad”, by Becky Hansmeyer, the author asks “So if raw power isn’t enough, and new display tech isn’t enough, where does the iPad go from here? Will it be abandoned once more, lagging behind the Mac in terms of innovation, or will Apple continue to debut its latest tech in this form factor?"

    In light of the massively successful M1-powered Macs, what can we infer for the future of the iPad Pro?

    Apple doesn’t need to add touchscreen to their MacBook line if they unleash the iPad with a much more complete iPadOS experience. I think Apple missed the occasion with iPadOS 14 by not adding a more flexible widgets experience, by refusing to improve external display support and by not revisiting the multitasking interaction model. See? It’s not only a matter of adding 5G wireless support or LiDAR or a second USB-C port. These will only be as good as the software will allow them to be useful. The just begun new era for Mac with the M1 chip combined with Apple’s tight software integration should give us answers on why the iPad Pro future lies in the software.

    → 8:14 AM, Nov 27
  • A fascinating Twitter thread about Apple Silicon Wizardry (#apple #applesilicon)

    Here is a super fascinating Twitter thread that I reproduce here. Find the original tweets here. It’s is about Apple Silicon wizardry. For techy people only!

    “In case you were wondering: Apple’s replacement for Intel processors turns out to work really, really well. Some otherwise skeptical techies are calling it “black magic”. It runs Intel code extraordinarily well. The basic reason is that Arm and Intel architectures have converged. Yes, the instruction sets are different, but the underlying architectural issues have become very similar. The biggest hurdle was “memory-ordering”, the order in which two CPUs see modifications in memory by each other. It’s the biggest problem affecting Microsoft’s emulation of x86 on their Arm-based “Surface” laptops. So Apple simply cheated. They added Intel’s memory-ordering to their CPU. When running translated x86 code, they switch the mode of the CPU to conform to Intel’s memory ordering. With underlying architectural issues ironed out, running x86 code simply means translating those instructions to the Arm equivalent. This is very efficient and results in code that often runs at the same speed. Sometimes there isn’t a direct equivalent, so the translation results in slightly slower code, but benchmarks show x86 being consistently at least 70% of the speed. In any case, a surprising number of popular apps already run on it. Apple seeded developer systems a few months back, allowing people to get their code ready. Normally, that wouldn’t have been enough time. When you recompile code for a new architecture, it usually breaks. But as I said above: Arm and Intel architectures have converged enough that code is much less likely to break, making recompiling easier. Apple has made surprising choices. They’ve optimized JavaScript, with special JavaScript-specific instructions, double sized L1 caches, and probably other tricks I don’t know of. Thus, as you browse the web, their new laptop will seem faster and last longer on battery, because JavaScript, even though other benchmarks show it roughly the same speed as Intel/AMD. The older MacBook Air had a dual core CPU that ran at 3.8 GHz, but when in low-power mode, 1.2 GHz. Switching between fast and slow modes is how it conserves power for mobile. But it’s ultimately inefficient. The Intel CPU is designed to run at 5 GHz. Downclocking to 1 GHz saves power – but not as much as if you’d designed the processor to run at 1 GHz to begin with. Apple’s strategy is to use two processors: one designed to run fast above 3 GHz, and the other to run slow below 2 GHz. Apple calls this their “performance” and “efficiency” processors. Each optimized to be their best at their goal. When they need to conserve power, they turn off the “performance” processors and run code on their “efficiency” processors. They have 4x performance processors (twice that of their older Macs) plus 4x efficiency processors. All 8 can be active. When doing something that can use 8 processors, such as compiling code, it goes real REAL fast. 8 processors vs. 2 processors in their old notebooks make a difference. A big part of this story is that Intel is about 3 years behind on Moore’s Law. Apple Silicon uses the latest 5nm tech from TMSC, while Intel uses the older 10nm/7nm generation. Much of Intel’s product line uses the even older 14nm/10nm generation. None of this is actual “black magic”. It’s all pretty understandable. It’s just all the various things have been executed really well, leading to a combined result that is a great leap forward. Another “magic” trick is how their “Swift” programming language uses “reference counting” instead of the “garbage collection” in Android. They did something in their CPU to double the speed of reference counting. …even when translating x86 code, all that reference counting overhead (already more efficient than garbage collection) gets dropped in half. Yet another weird performance enhance to add to all the others."

    → 7:05 AM, Nov 27
  • Overwhelming reactions — When Apple makes history, again (#apple #applesilicon #m1chip #mac)

    After Apple announced their M1-based Macs and people started to get their hands on them, reactions were enthusiatic and unanimous. At one point, I wanted to create an archive page that would have gathered the most interesting reactions, but it was too late and overwelming. Well, someone else did it. Here is a great blog post: “Apple Silicon M1: Black. Magic. Fuckery” gathering reactions to these new machines from Apple. There are many gems in there. Check it out! I really have the feeling that Apple is making history, again.

    → 7:25 AM, Nov 26
  • Apple's worst ad in years? (#apple #applead #advertising #christmas)

    Apple this year is back with a long and… weird (?) Christmas ad. I must say that’s a quite different and ordinary one compared to previous years. It’s no longer about touching hearts but just having fun and selling you something. This doesn’t reasonate as much with me as it used to. Contrary to previous years, Apple is focusing on one product, the HomePod mini. Again, I prefer when they don’t try to sell us something this way. There is plenty of other companies who do just that. Please, Apple, no.

    → 12:43 PM, Nov 25
  • Mac nano (#apple #applesilicon #m1macs #macmini)

    Following my read of this article published by Macworld, the propect of a Mac nano looks more than possible. It is inevitable. Apple’s focus this year was on the internals but I expect them to switch to the outside on the next iterative evolution of the Mac mini. Besides physical compatibility reasons, a much smaller Mac mini, close to the size of an Apple TV for example could be in store. One possible constrain is the number of ports Apple will have to squeeze on the back. If they keep the same number of ports, the newly redesigned Mac mini could be something in-between the current one and the Apple TV. We’ll see. Meanwhile, I’ll patiently wait for my own M1-based Mac mini to arrive in 28 days. Its external size won’t matter much to me.

    → 7:30 AM, Nov 25
  • Better recovery options (#apple #applesilicon #m1macs)

    According to an article published by SixColors, M1-based Macs offer a much different and improved boot and recovery options. Looking at the picture below, and I noticed the same while testing Big Sur, the icon for the boot disk is one showing an old mechanical HDD, not an electronic SSD. Was Apple feeling nostalgic when they designed this icon?

    → 6:57 AM, Nov 25
  • How ironic (#apple #ios14 #widgets #android @notionhq)

    Read on Twitter today: “Notion widgets are only for iOS 14 for now. We’ll get there, Android 😓 Our mobile team is heads down on offline mode right now, but we learned a lot during development that we can use for an Android widget down the road. Thanks for your patience in the meantime 🙏” - Notion.

    Widgets came to Android in 2008-2009. What am I missing here? How ironic is this? A lot if you ask me. I’m not calling out Notion, far from it. My observation is all about the fact that, despite Android having widgets for so many years, they were probably not as good, well designed and useful as there are now on iOS 14.

    → 7:18 PM, Nov 24
  • Saving at least 2 Billions a year (#apple #applesilicon #intel #m1chip)

    A lot has been written on Apple switch to their own processors already. But one side of the story is still lacking some insight. Apple is probably saving a lot of money by putting their own Apple silicon in each Mac they sell. According to this Medium article, Apple could save at least $2 billion a year with just three entry level MacBook sporting the M1 chip. We can only try to approximate the amount of money Apple is no longer paying to Intel. We can also start wondering the amount of money Apple has directly invested in developing the M1 chip and how fast they wil recoup their investments. My gut feeling says that it will be fast.

    → 7:06 AM, Nov 24
  • My prediction for next year's MacBook (#apple #macbook #applesilicon #m1chip)

    Here is a simple theory. This year’s MacBook didn’t bring an upgrade to the FaceTime HD camera, and unanimously, people is complaining. But what if this lack of attention to the very specific feature from Apple is part of a bigger plan for next year’s MacBook? Here is my guess.

    Apple is targeting next year for the real deal: the full redesign of the MacBook line to be announced around WWDC 2021. Part of this plan would include much better FaceTime HD camera assembly that would include Face ID, a highly expected feature for M1-based machines. Offered in sizes of 12", 14" and 16" with an impossibly thin screen bezel, Apple wanting to keep the size of these machines the smallest possible as the power sipping CPU can handle smaller batteries yet providing long battery life. I would expect the M1x chip as the more powerful M2 one would go to the iMac, iMac Pro. The new MacBook, to be named MacBook X, will will mark the first year of the Apple silicon transition.

    Until then, keep enjoying your Apple Silicon Mac, version 1.

    → 6:54 AM, Nov 24
  • A fascinating possibility coming to the Mac, next year (#apple #applesilicon #m1macs)

    On Substack, I recently stumble on an interesting article from https://apple.substack.com: when Apple introduces a new round of Macs next year, what if they keep previous generation around but at a lower price point?

    It’s a highly possible scenario considering how Apple under Tim Cook operates. The iPhone models multiplication, same is happening with the watch…. next, the Mac? Probably. Is this a good thing? For their bottom line probably, yes, but for the customers? Yes and no.. yes, it makes the brand more accessible but it makes the buying experience a little bit more complicated than it should be with fewer models available. It will be interesting to see how this plays out.

    → 8:02 PM, Nov 23
  • Which is faster, then? (#apple #applesilicon #m1macs)

    Following of new round of benchmarks from MacRumors, my take outs are: 16 GB is (much) better than 8 GB from a speed point of view (well, duh!), the Mac mini is the best most of the time with a few exception (slower than MBP on SSD write speed is one such exemple, hard to explain). Adobe Lightroom Classic doesn’t take advantage of the RAM difference, which is not surprising to me (thanks to multiplatforms Adobe’s software) You can get all the details from MacRumors website: here and here. Graph from MacRumors.

    → 7:07 PM, Nov 23
  • Apple is not what it used to be (#apple #analysis)

    Someone on Twitter shared this YouTube video in which the guy tries to explain why and how Apple is not what it used to be. In a few words: now, they actively compete with others. It’s a massive difference where before they seemed to act alone without caring about the surrounding competitive landscape. Highly recommended.

    → 12:58 PM, Nov 23
  • He should go work for Apple (@michaelsteeber #apple #applestore #appleretail)

    Have you seen this short YouTube video on the Apple Store holiday shopping experience? Take a moment because it is a masterpiece of execution in visual quality, content and execution in general. 9To5Mac published an article about it and I thought they were referring to Apple’s material. It took me quite a while to get it: the author of this clip is Michael Steeber, a well known Apple enthusiast and writer for 9To5Mac. His focus is directed to Apple retail in general but from a design point of view most of the time. I like what this guy is doing, I’m a bit jaleaous of his talent, and he should work for Apple already. Congrats!

    → 10:38 AM, Nov 22
  • The list is growing (#apple #macosbigsur #iOS14 #iPadOS14 #M1Chip)

    Surprisingly, the list of iOS 14 and iPad OS 14 apps that are made available or updated to work better on the M1-Based Mac is growing. Here is my current list: Newsify, Ferrite, Luma Fusion, Castro, Buffer, Opener, Apollo Reddit Client, Darkroom, Darknoise. The thing that I should do now and glance my current iPad apps and mark those that I want on the Mac too.

    → 2:58 PM, Nov 21
  • Is It Apple Silicon Ready? (#apple #applesilicon #m1chip #macOSBigSur)

    It took a while but here is the first and most comprehensive list of application compatibility with Apple’s M1 Macs. You can search and sort the list easily and use the category filter too to locate application in the list. Well done. Design or photography applications compatibility level is high but productivity isn’t, which is not surprising. Most of my apps are already universal binaries. https://isapplesiliconready.com

    → 7:44 AM, Nov 21
  • The era of customization comes to the iPhone (#apple #ios14 #widgets)

    Seeing this level of high interest in iPhone homescreen customization holding on since the launch of iOS 14 tells me that people really want to make their device more personal. Is it too far fetched to imagine Apple bringing system level customization a basic feature of iOS? I don’t think so. Maybe in iOS 15. Image from idownloadblog.

    → 7:41 PM, Nov 20
  • For Icons lovers (#macos #ios #apple #design #ui #ux #visualarts)

    I’m a user of Timing for Mac, and recently the app got updated in order to support macOS Big Sur. The update brings a fresh and entirely new app icon to better fit the visual style of Big Sur, and I love it 😍. The icon has been designed by Matthew Skiles. Looking on his Twitter profile, I discovered two interesting web sites: https://www.macosicongallery.com/ and https://www.iosicongallery.com/. These are catalogs of the best icons for macOS and iOS of well known apps. Check them out. These sites made me realize how much we lost in design quality over the years, great icons are hard to come by these days.

    → 6:56 AM, Nov 20
  • It’s overwhelming and unanimous (#apple #applem1 #applesiliconmacs #m1chip)

    Following Apple’s “One More Thing” event, I wanted to gather positives reactions to Apple’s M1-Based machines. It’s simply overwhelming. I just can’t keep up. It’s all over the place. I can only imagine Apple’s marketing department current putting a press release doing just that.

    “I can’t remember the last time reviews for an Apple product were so universally positive, especially considering these are machines that look the same as the previous-gen. Apple simply excelled themselves with the ARM transition.” — Benjamin Mayo

    It’s not only overwhelming but unanimous. What a great time to see history being made.

    → 11:52 AM, Nov 19
  • Is 8 GB of RAM enough? (#apple #macbookair #applesilicon #M1chip ) 🤔

    Many are asking if they should go with a 16 GB RAM configuration for their new M1-based MacBook Air. Some others think Apple should have made a 32 GB of RAM configuration for the 13” MacBook Pro. According to this informal benchmarking video, 8 GB seems enough for most people. During his tests, the user opened many different apps and documents in Excel, tabs in Chrome, Photoshop and the MacBook Air stayed cool and never ever started to fall on its knees. At no time the idle CPU metric went down below 60%. The fan-less computer never got hot. Why? Three letters: SoC.

    The M1 chip gathers many different components close together on the same chip so they don’t have to go through the PCI bus to move data around. I think it plays a big role in Apple Silicon Macs efficiency. We can no longer compare the RAM configuration of an Apple Mac with a Wintel machine, just like we cannot compare a 12 GB of RAM Android phone to a 6 GB of RAM iPhone. It’s just two different worlds.

    Yet, I ordered a 16 GB Mac mini. 😳

    → 7:27 AM, Nov 19
  • The Rosetta 2 tax (#apple #m1chip #applesilicon)

    One of the best take on Apple’s new M1-based Mac is from TechCrunch. What I learned in this review is, thanks to Apple’s Rosetta 2, the cost of running an un-optimized app on these machines: 26% performance hit. The more interesting thing is the fascinating fact that, even with this hit, apps can still run faster than on Intel-based Mac counterparts.

    I can’t remember the last time I didn’t mind paying taxes.

    → 8:45 PM, Nov 18
  • Microsoft already feeling the heat (#microsoft #apple #m1chip #applesilicon)

    Carefully look at this add by Microsoft bellow. The phrasing of this ad clearly shows the roots of the company making the product. “Pen supported” is one example. Why not write something like “Touch interface” or “Touch screen”. The word “supported” sounds wrong and makes me feel Microsoft is not fully confident about the real nature of this computing environment. The other thing is the removable SSD option. That’s typical geeky-PC-world-thing. Do we really care in a world of cloud-based storage being an extension of our devices? Really bad ad.

    Clearly, Microsoft is already feeling the heat and is on the defensive. It’s only getting started. Others will follow.

    → 7:33 AM, Nov 18
  • If Rev(Y-1) < 1M$ Then Comm=15% otherwise Comm=30% (#iosdev #apple #developers)

    Big news today by Apple. It’s a step in a (new | right) direction. Some are already applauding the move, others are vehemently calling it a tactical one. Apple will never satisfy everybody, except when launching their new M1-Based Macs. Apple can change when they feel the pressure, just like any big corporations. They’re not different on that front. We tend to forget this.

    → 7:17 AM, Nov 18
  • 11.1. Beta. Already. (#macosbigsur #apple #beta)

    Apple is on a roll with the release to developers of [version 11.1 of macOS Big Sur](11.1. Beta. Already. (#macosbigsur #apple #beta)). My hope for this update is for Apple to tweak the UI a bit and make it faster on Intel MacBook Pro. (Notifications, low contrast, etc.). The other thing, I hope it will be ready by the time I’m getting my Mac mini (mid-December).

    → 1:30 PM, Nov 17
  • About this crappy FaceTime Camera. (#apple #m1chip #macbook #facetimecamera)

    “We really considered giving these machines 10 out of 10 review scores, but this camera is bad enough to keep that from happening, especially on a pro laptop that costs more than the Air.” - The Verge

    “Unfortunately, that similarity extends to the webcam, which is still 720p resolution and still terrible. Apple has tried to borrow some of its real-time image processing from the ‌iPhone‌ to try to spruce up the image — and I do find that it does a better job evenly lighting my face — but mostly what I notice is that it looks bad (only now it’s a more processed version of bad).” - The Verge

    Here is a real comparison. It’s less crappy but it is not good.

    Take that, Apple. It was a near perfect moment.

    → 10:25 AM, Nov 17
  • Dear M1 Macs reviewers… (#M1chip #applesilicon #mac #review).

    Here is what I’m hoping to see from reviewers of the M1-based Macs today. How fast is the machine booting? Is wake from sleep that much better? When you start a non-optimized app, how does Rosetta 2 kicks in? How long does it take? What happens when you start the same app a second time after a while? Was Rosetta kick out and has to relaunch? How is window resizing doing, we know that was never really fast on Intel-based machines. How is scrolling speed in Photos? Can you really feel the difference on an optimized app compared to their Intel counterpart? Does installing 11.0.1 update was faster than on previous macOS release on Intel? Is the Mac mini the fastest among the three? Does GPU intensive tasks are really that much faster? What about SSD speed for reads and writes compared to an Intel Mac? is it much improved? Is macOS Big Sur buggier than on Intel? Is 8 GB of RAM enough or 16 GB is really a must? Have you tried Pixelmator Pro, how fast is it now?

    Hoping for a few answers today.

    → 7:55 AM, Nov 17
  • While waiting for "real" benchmarks... (#m1chip #applesilicon #mac #apple)

    These “behind the scenes" benchmarks of the M1 GPU are again impressive to say the least. Is the Mac bound to become a gaming machine?

    → 9:20 AM, Nov 16
  • My Growing List of Universal Apps (#m1chip #apple #macos #macosbigsur #macmini)

    Here is the list of apps that I use and that are ready for my upcoming M1-based Mac mini. The list is growing almost on a daily basis. I didn’t expect it would go that fast. The prospect of much faster Macs could trigger an even faster adoption by developers. Apple’s bet is paying off.

    U = Universal. U-C = Universal, Catalyst-based port from iPadOS. U-S = Universal SwiftUI based app, C = Non universal but compatible.

    My wish is to install Universal apps only as I don’t want to trigger Rosetta 2.

    • [U] Omnigraffle
    • [U] Pixelmator Pro
    • [U] Affinity Photo
    • [U-C] Universe
    • [U] Transmit
    • [U] Little Snitch
    • [U-S] Aviary
    • [U] Darkroom
    • [U] Apple’s iWork
    • [U] Apple’s iMovie
    • [U] NewsExplorer
    • [U-C] Twitter
    • [U] Screens
    • [U] Ulysses
    • [U] Things
    • [U] Fantastical
    • [U] AirBuddy
    • [U] CleanShot
    • [U] Reeder 5
    • [C] iStats Menu
    • [C] DayOne
    • [C] Carbon Copy Cloner
    • [C] Timing
    → 8:07 AM, Nov 16
  • It will be (much) faster (#apple #macmini #imac #m1chip)

    Comparing the performance of a 2017 iMac to a M1-based Mac mini, based on Geekbench numbers. Sometimes, a picture, oops, a graph is worth a thousand words.

    My current experiment of macOS Big Sur on a 2017 MacBook Pro is not very impressive. I can feel the difference compared to Catalina.

    → 4:59 PM, Nov 15
  • Universe on macOS Big Sur (@onuniverse #macosbigsur #apple #catalyst)

    One of the best “side effect” of macOS Big Sur release is the ability to run iPadOS applications on the Mac. The first to cross the border that I really care about is Universe, a site builder app. I use it to build My Numeric Citizen Visual Space. The following screenshot is the application running on my 2017 MacBook Pro upgraded to Big Sur. The end-result is really good.

    → 2:48 PM, Nov 15
  • Here is why Microsoft should start to worry (#microsoft #surfacego #macbookair #apple #m1chip)

    In light of Apple’s recent products introduction, consider the recently introduced Microsoft Surface Go. A Windows laptop that starts with 4 GB of RAM, 64 GB SSD, 12.4” touch screen using the Intel Core i5 which will get you 13 hours on battery for 550$. If you want a 8 GB of RAM, 256 GB SSD, the price goes up to 899$, but you keep the same lame CPU.

    Now, compare this to the new MacBook Air (a much more powerful laptop) for 899$ (education pricing), same amount of RAM and SSD, 5 hours more of battery life, a much better non-touch display.

    How is Microsoft supposed to compete against Apple in this market now?

    They simply can’t, and they should start to worry.

    → 9:09 AM, Nov 15
  • Exposure Notification and battery life (#apple #covid19)

    Why is exposure notification taking so much battery power? Do you experience the same thing? I’m running on iOS 14.3b1 but it was the same behaviour under previous iOS releases. I’ve been monitoring this for a while. I don’t want to turn that off. Oh, and by the way,amI alone who doesn’t find very intuitive these graphics?

    → 5:46 PM, Nov 14
  • The list is growing... (#apple #universalapps @elemanssoftware)

    My favorite RSS reader News Explorer (read my review here), is already supporting macOS Big Sur, M1-based Macs. The updated News Explorer UI on Big Sur is much cleaner in general. I’m on the list to test the iOS 14 friendly version, adding support for Widgets and I can’t wait to see their implementation.

    → 12:20 PM, Nov 14
  • Big. (#apple #bigsur #macos #macosbigsur #update)

    Big Sur update is certainly big. Full of goodies and the enabler for the next decade of excitement for the Mac.

    → 10:12 AM, Nov 14
  • Massive Big Sur Review (#macos #bigsur #macosbigsur #apple #review)

    Ars Technica put together a massive review of Apple’s macOS Big Sur. It is quite impressive. It’s exactly the kind of review that I’m looking for. Visuals and internal architectural features are exposed, explained but rarely justified, only when it serves a purpose of contextualizing the matter. Kudos for the author: Andrew Cunningham

    Now, I’m so anxious to get this thing running on my upcoming Mac mini. Big Sur is not only a refresh of the user interface but also an important sum of things under the hood that is being upgraded and modernized.

    → 10:08 PM, Nov 13
  • On Big Sur - Maybe I was wrong (#apple #macosbigsur #widgets #design)

    Maybe I’m wrong with my perception of the disaster Apple created with the introduction of widgets in combination with notifications center (read my comment here on micro.blog). After reading the excellent MacStories.net review of Big Sur, I finally saw the combination in action. Notifications are see big improvements and look closer to what we get on iOS.

    Still, Apple lost the opportunity to make widgets available in their own space, something like what we used to have, the Dashboard. It’s ridiculous to confine widgets in such a small space, considering modern screen sizes. Oh, and I hope the interaction feels much more fluid on M1-based machines because the last time checked on a 2017 MacBook Pro, with Big Sur beta 10, it was super laggy

    Picture credits: from MacStories’ review of Big Sur.

    → 12:00 PM, Nov 13
  • It's happening! (#macos #catalyst #universalapp #macosbigsur)

    The movement of iPadOS apps crossing the boundaries to come to the Mac is starting, thanks to macOS Big Sur. A surprise addition to the Mac App Store is @OnUniverse which is now available for the Mac. The app has been rebuilt on iPadOS to better fit the Mac platform. It’s a great example of Apple’s bet starting to payoff. I used to use this app on my iPad to build my Visual Space. It’s only the beginning.

    As I don’t have macOS Big installed yet, I couldn’t play with the app. Can’t wait to try it on my upcoming M1 Mac mini.

    → 6:39 AM, Nov 13
  • One Computer, Three form factors (#apple #macbookair #macbookpro #macmini)

    “The new M1-based MacBook Air, 13-inch MacBook Pro, and Mac Mini are best thought of not as three different computers, but rather three different manifestations of the same computer.”

    Astute observation by @Gruber in his commentary post on “One More Thing" event. People are trying to figure out why there is so few differences between the three Macs Apple announced this week. Sometimes, the answer is simple.

    → 1:26 PM, Nov 12
  • PC Gimmicky features rarely used (#windows #windowslaptop #microsoftsurface)

    PC laptops introduced pencil support, touch screen, screen-based touchpads, et. al. because these are the only things they could do to try to stay on top in a commoditized technology platform. I will take in a heartbeat 3X or 5X performance gain and 6 more hours of battery life over the gimmicky features. This is one of the many reasons I’m so upbeat with the M1-based Macs.

    Photo credit: Alexander Andrews on Unsplash.

    → 9:14 AM, Nov 12
  • When the low-end beats the high-end... (#apple #macbookair #M1processor)

    Twitter is ablaze since yesterday when first benchmarks of the MacBook Air were published. They show the M1-based and fan-less Mac to surpass the top of the line iMac! It’s impressive if not mind-blowing!

    Now here is a simple theory: native apps will certainly perform really well but non-native apps will run under the Rosetta layer, which happens to consume CPU cycles. This performance room being consumed by Rosetta, the actual performance of a non native app will probably fall down to a more reasonable level.

    Impressive nonetheless.

    → 7:12 AM, Nov 12
  • Another experiment: Mac mini (#apple #macmini #m1processor #macosbigsur)

    Recently published benchmarks of the upcoming M1-based Macs are impressive enough for me to take a deep breath and make a decision. A week ago, I didn’t think of this as a possibility. But here we are.

    I’m going to make the plunge into the world of Apple Silicon-based Mac, Big Sur and universal apps. It’s the beginning of a new era, and I want to be part of it, experience it. I’m not waiting for the reviews next week.

    I’ll get a Mac mini equipped with 16 GB of RAM and a 1 TD SSD. Expected delivery date is mi-December at the earliest, just in time for Christmas holidays. I never owned a Mac mini, BTW.

    I’ll use my 4K LG display that is currently plugged into my iMac. I’ll be testing universal apps as they come out. Applications like Adobe Lightroom CC, Omnigraffle and Pixelmator Photo will certainly take advantage of the M1 processor.

    → 9:59 PM, Nov 11
  • Tim Cook's Apple: not perfect but utterly impressive (#apple #timcook #2020)

    I recently wrote and published a very critical view of Tim Cook’s Apple. It’s not pretty, but it is my honest take. Now, looking at Apple’s strategy execution for 2020 which is close to an end, I must confess that I’m really impressed. Apple delivered. On all fronts. There are a lot of unknowns, for sure. Yet, I have the felling that Apple set the stage for its next phase of growth for the next decade.

    → 4:01 PM, Nov 11
  • Intel: shit. (#appleevent #m1processor #apple #intel)

    The graph put together by Anandtech is a wakeup call for Intel and the Wintel world, for that matter. These trajectories are incredible, impressive for Apple, worrisome for Intel. We are on the verge of a major shift in the portable landscape. Apple seems unstoppable.

    → 7:37 AM, Nov 11
  • Lingering Questions… (#appleevent #apple #mac #macbook)

    Why no clock-speed information about the M1 processor? How are iOS-based apps be presented on the Mac App Store? Why so little difference between a MacBook Air configurations, CPU-wise, RAM-rise compared to MacBook Pro? What “virtualization technology support" actually means for normal users and tech enthusiasts? Why not bring back the 12" form-factor, an ideal candidate for power-efficient M1 processor? Will there be updates to Intel-based iMac Pro and Mac Pro? Why no 32 GB RAM configuration option for the MacBook Pro? What kind of performance levels should we expect to reach for non-Metal optimized graphic apps? Why does Apple can’t understand the need for an updated FaceTime camera in 2020?

    → 8:53 PM, Nov 10
  • What's missing? A lot. 😳 (#appleevent #apple #applesilicon #mac #macbook)

    No touch screen. No pencil support. No 5G or 5G wireless option. No high-quality FaceTime camera. No Face ID No redesign, no slim bezels. No 12" MacBook. No clock speed specs. No eGPU support. Fewer ports options. Third-party native software support still to come.

    Am I missing something?

    That’s the new Apple MacBook using Apple’s M1 silicon ship.

    Still excited?

    → 8:19 PM, Nov 10
  • History repeats itself (#appleevent #apple #applesilicon #mac)

    From rewatching Steve Jobs announcing Apple’s transition to Intel processors, here are a few interesting observations, just in time for tomorrow’s #AppleEvent.

    Steve Jobs reminds the crowd of transitions in Mac history: 68K to PowerPC, OS 9 to OS 10 then introduces the third transition: going to Intel. Each time, he uses the expression “to set Apple for the next 10 years". It’s all about the CPU roadmap’s ability to enable the Apple’s vision. Also, even at that time, power consumption was an issue. He also repeatedly mention great updates still coming to the PowerPC-based Macs.

    Can’t wait for tomorrow’s version of the very same playbook.

    → 8:05 PM, Nov 9
  • Honest iPhone 12 Pro review. (#apple #iphone12pro #review @basicappleguy)

    I love those balanced review, even partial, of the iPhone 12 Pro. They feel credible, and I tend give them high credence. We should get more of these these days of highly nuanced upgrades offered by Apple, year after year. Photo by the article author.

    → 3:10 PM, Nov 9
  • When Software Holds Back the Hardware (#apple #iphone12promax #ios14)

    This quote from the Wall Street Journal’s review of the iPhone 12 Pro Max is priceless as ti summarize one of the biggest issue, in my opinion, about Apple’s current state of its software in general:

    “It is crazy to me, however, that Apple hasn’t enabled us to do more on a phone that is practically iPad-size. Why can’t I view my inbox on the top half of the screen and my calendar on the bottom, like Samsung allows with its Multi-Window mode? Why does the tiny iPhone Mini allow the same number of rows of home-page app icons and widgets as the iPhone Giant? Why can’t I use an Apple Pencil to take notes on the notebook-size device?”

    These are all valid questions. Even before the iPhone 12 Pro Max, these questions were valid. Software, like for the iPad, is holding back the iPhone. Is it a ressources issue being spread too thin? Is it something about product differentiation? I hope the answer is the former, not the latter.

    Photo: The Verge.

    → 11:32 AM, Nov 9
  • Deception waiting to happen? (#appleevent #apple #applesilicon #mac)

    I have a feeling that we are in for some deception tomorrow at the “One More Thing” keynote. Is this a natural mental process, some sort of auto-regulation of my own expectations, currently happening so I can be pleasantly surprised, tomorrow?

    Yet, reading my Twitter feed today and people are expecting 15 hours of battery life while beating current Mac equivalent performance. And then what? The Apple Silicon story is more about the unification of software platforms at Apple than enabling endless hardware innovations on the Mac.

    Change my mind.

    → 8:13 AM, Nov 9
  • Another iPhone 12 “Virtual” Experience by @MichaelSteeber (#apple #iphone12 #experienceapple)

    After spending sometime with the virtual experience from Apple, I found out another one by the well known @MichaelSteeber that is built with Adobe’s XD. The experience is quite similar, and I’m still not able to find a fully satisfactory combinaison of the iPhone, the MagSafe case and the wallet. Really, the iPhone 12 is not for me.

    → 8:17 AM, Nov 8
  • My iPhone 12 « Virtual » Experience (#apple #iphone12 #experienceapple)

    Apple launched a webpage to experience the selection and visualization of different MagSafe cases and wallets for the iPhone 12. I played with it for fun from my iPad Pro. It’s an interesting way to try different combinaisons of iPhone, cases and wallet in a world where going to a real store to do the same is challenging.

    This year’s iPhone and cases prove to be hardly satisfactory, though. The colours options are not really in line to my tastes. After spending a while, I found two probable configurations that I would buy if I was on the market for such things. Because of bad reviews of the wallet, I would skip this one as I would fear losing my three most important cards. I hope Apple will fix the issues with next year’s round of the products.

    → 8:05 AM, Nov 8
  • The transition iPhone (#apple #iphone12 #iphonepro)

    A recent tweet from @LeaksApplePro made me think about the significance of the iPhone 12 in the grand scheme of things.

    Apple is about to remove the last port on the iPhone, so they are training us with the MagSafe. Next year’s version will fix many of the issue we’re facing today. 5G may not be ready, but next year it will be much better. LiDAR is fascinating, but next year we will depend on it. We tend to forget about the notch, next year it will be Apple who will forget it by putting it to rest.

    We’re still in the middle of the pandemic. We’re not out of the woods. We’ll continue to work from home for a long time. Trips are not really a thing right now. But, in the fall of 2021, can we hope that most of this will be behind us and return to normal life? It would help a lot to enjoy the portless iPhone 13 or whatever stupid name they will name it. Right now, I’m a bit tired of not being able to go out and use the cameras to build my visual memories.

    The iPhone 12 is the transition iPhone that will lead us to a better world, a year from now. I hope.

    → 8:20 AM, Nov 7
  • The battle of the leakers... (#apple #leaks @jon_prosser @onleaks @maxwinebach @appltrack) 🗣

    On Twitter, a battle of the leakers is taking place is taking place nearly every day. It’s fun to read the claims and counter-claims of who had it right, who had it wrong, who stole from who, who lied, who’s fake, who’s real. There is even a website who tracks their “performance”.

    You know what? We shouldn’t care. They all have something in common: they more or less depend on highly questionable ethic and look more and more like a bunch of losers. There, I said it.

    → 7:43 AM, Nov 7
  • The screen computer. (#apple #imac #mockup)

    I want this to be the next iMac, running an ARM-based CPU. That’s what a computer should look like: a screen. On a stand. Nothing more. We’re close to this. Consider the iPad. We are already there. I don’t expect such a computer to be revealed next week, though. We will have to wait a bit more.

    Mockup credit and more available here: https://svetapple.sk/english/imac-2021-exclusive-renders-from-svetapple-sk/

    → 5:52 PM, Nov 6
  • On the Mac pivotal moment (#apple #appleevent #applesilicon #mac)

    The Mac has gone through many transitions in the past and I was there for each of them. From the Motorola CPU, to the PowerPC and the Intel processors, Apple’s execution was almost flawless.

    At the upcoming Apple Event, Apple will unveil their highly anticipated Apple Silicon Macs. When thinking about what Apple could do for this pivotal moment for the Mac, there is two possible roads Apple can take in regards to the general design of these machines.

    First, Apple could choose to do the same they did when they switched to Intel processors back in 2005. Apple kept the same designs. There are a few advantages to this approach. By going the conservative way, Apple sends a “don’t worry, this is a Mac, everything will work just fine” message. This would probably helps keep the confidence level about the expected compatibility of these machines with current software. But there is one big drawback from a marketing standpoint: Apple chose to switch to its own CPU in order to enable new things on the Mac that wasn’t possible before. I’m not sure that keeping the same external design of the Mac is the best way to do it; it would be too conservative.

    The second approach, the one that I prefer, would be for Apple to introduce a refreshed and modernized design. This could take the form of new materials, new textures, new tones. Screen bezels could be dramatically reduced in order to bring the machine down in size. On top of that, better FaceTime camera with 4K resolution, always-on Siri could also make their debuts. If battery life can show major improvements, Apple would have a winner here. Such a move by Apple would help mark the turning point for the Mac, a new era, just like they did in 2012 when they introduced the unibody design. The Mac is in need of such refresh and this is the right time to do it.

    If Apple is really aiming to produce 2.5 million Apple Silicon MacBooks by February 2021, there has to be something special besides a powerful and power efficient A14X CPU. Let’s see which strategy Apple decided to chose.

    Side note: it is fascinating to see that the PC never went through these transitions like the Mac did. It is something unique in the technology world. No other company ever did this, that many times. Now, we might wonder if this Apple Silicon transition will spark a similar move in the Wintel world. Why? Because Intel is no longer a synonym of real platform evolution, ARM-based design is.

    → 8:12 AM, Nov 6
  • On Apple Watch “unique” requirement (#applewatch #iphone #apple) ⌚️

    In the last few weeks, I repeatedly got a simple question regarding the Apple Watch: does it require an iPhone? One person expected to “pair” the watch with an iPad. The other is an Android user. These questions tell me something interesting. One, the Apple Watch is gaining traction among non-Apple users. Two, the quicker Apple can remove the iPhone requirement to get an Apple Watch, the better it will be for their bottom line. This could be something as important as the iTunes for Windows was back in the days.

    Photo credit: Brina Blum on Unsplash.

    → 11:57 AM, Nov 5
  • About those "one more things"... (#appleevent #onemorething #history)

    On the eve of another “one more thing” moment, please read this interesting article on Medium. The author spent time to review all previous cases of “one more thing” announcements. They were not all game changers but the following ones were turning points: MacBook Air reveal, Apple Watch. Can’t wait for the next one as I expect it will be another game changer moment for the Mac.

    → 7:26 AM, Nov 5
  • How old are they? (#apple #macosbigsur)

    Here’s a quick and unrelated question: how old, on average, are people who love the design language of macOS Big Sur? Seriously, my bet goes to a much younger crowd than those who prefer macOS Catalina. Why? People who grew up with the iPhone and iPadOS has a much different design reference frame that those who grew up with macOS. The latter group seems to see Big sur as some sort of iPadification of macOS.

    You’re thoughts?

    → 8:50 PM, Nov 4
  • Please, come to Canada (#apple #iphoneupgradeprogram #iphone)

    I wish the iPhone Upgrade Program would come to Canada. I’m not holding my breath, though. I think carriers here wouldn’t let it happen because they know they suck at selling their shit, and this would greatly affect their bottom line. In any case, if it does come to Canada, I would upgrade my iPhone every year, for sure.

    → 1:11 PM, Nov 4
  • Mac Pro mini (#apple #rumours #macpro)

    Surprising rumors by Bloomberg about Apple working on a new Mac Pro, about half the size of the current model:

    “Apple engineers are currently developing a new Mac Pro that looks like the current design at about half the size. It’s unclear if that Mac will replace the current Mac Pro or if it’s an additional model.”

    As someone who is seriously contemplating to buy a Mac Pro, this information makes me pause a bit. My use case is for virtualization software which requires an Intel chip for running Windows versions in virtual machines. Windows on ARM is not on the horizon. I will enjoy an Intel Mac Pro for quite some time.

    → 8:27 PM, Nov 2
  • The "real" One More Thing... (#appleevent #apple #macosbigsur #macbook #onemorething)

    There is a difference between what I expect and what are the things that I would really like to see. Here is a short list for this last Apple Event of 2020.

    I hope for an Apple Silicon Mac with a full physical redesign of the Mac it is replacing. The re-introduction of the 12" MacBook with a refreshed design language, something that would be start of something new for all the upcoming MacBook updates in the future. I want Apple to mark the beginning of a new era for the Mac, not something in the form of continuity. I want Apple to turn the page and move beyond the Jony Ive’s era. Let’s start fresh, be forward thinking. Go past Microsoft’s Surface. Oh, this brings me to another wish: Touch support on macOS Big Sur and Apple Silicon Mac. Signs are pointing to this. That would be the real kicker of this year. Please, Apple, make it so. Impress me.

    → 1:35 PM, Nov 2
  • Troubling rumours about the Mac (#apple #mac #imac #applesilicon)

    According to AppleTrack.org, there is a shortage of many different Mac models. Some shipping dates are slipping into December. It the case for the 21.5” iMac and iMac Pro. Troubling.

    When Apple announced they were transitioning their Macs to use the new Apple Silicon, they also said they would keep updating current Intel-based models for a while. I don’t know this will translate in reality. If the iMac Pro is being updated this month, it could be for an updated configuration with an Intel CPU, not an Apple Silicon. The case of the 21.5” iMac is more interesting, tough. The 27” iMac was updated recently but not the 21.5. I’m not sure it is the first prime candidate for the Apple Silicon. I’m thinking more about the MacBook or the MacBook Pro which would highly benefit from the Apple Silicon.

    It’s interesting to note that the Mac Pro is still in stock. This could signal that it won’t get updated this fall. The Mac Pro wasn’t updated since its release in 2019. As I’m looking to get one for my SDDCbox project, I’d would love to see a refreshed configuration in time for me to consider and pickup.

    → 7:10 AM, Nov 2
  • On iStat Menus 6.5 (#macosbigsur @bjango)

    One of my favorite macOS utilities, iStat Menus, just received an update to version 6.5 which adds support for macOS Big Sur. I know, yesterday I wrote that I was done with Big Sur… but it was for testing… I still have time in front of me to convince me this is the best release of macOS Apple has ever done.

    iStat Menus will be ready when I’m doing the switch to this Mac Pro for my SDDCbox project. It will play an important role in giving me insights on the CPU and SSD access. For now, there are a lot of tweaks which will make this utility even better. Even their release notes is art!

    There seems to be less and less high-quality apps and utilities like this these days…

    → 6:45 AM, Nov 2
  • I’m done with macOS Big Sur (#apple #macos #macosbigsur)

    Since the beginning of September I’ve been testing macOS Big Sur. I’m still undecided about how I like or hate this release. I’m unable to get over the way Apple messed up the notifications center with widgets. Clearly, it is a regression. There was no good reasons to merge them on the same space. Widgets should have gone in their own area, taking full advantage of the big screen. I just don’t understand it.

    I’ll reuse this 1 TB SSD USB-C drive for something else: put my SDDCbox project virtual machines on it.

    → 11:11 AM, Nov 1
  • Release Candidate (#iosdev #apple #iOS)

    Ladies and gentlemen, this is the end of an era. Apple is leaving behind the term “Golden Master” in order to adopt “Release Candidate” to refer to a version of its operating system sent to its developers that will probably be released to the general public. An an IT guy, I’m used to the term “release candidate”, “golden master” was such an Apple-only thing. I’m glad they make this change as it reflects the state of a release.

    Photo credits: Photo by Tirza van Dijk on Unsplash

    [twitter.com/_inside/s...](https://twitter.com/_inside/status/1322288679604363264?s=21) Tirza van dijk I8OhOu wLO4 unsplash

    → 7:39 AM, Oct 31
  • Edge cases (#iphone12 #iphone12pro #photography #apple)

    I’m an iPhone 11 Pro owner. Photography-centered reviews are interesting to me because they tend to compare this year’s iPhone with last year’s. MacRumors published such a comparison. Judging from it, if I could summarize the iPhone 12 Pro photographic advances, it would be like this. The iPhone 12 Pro improvements are mostly about edge cases because in normal situations, improvements are much more subtle. The addition of Night Mode on the Ultra wide camera is part of features uniformisation across cameras which is welcomed, though.

    Photo credits: from MacRumors article. Iphone12prowideanglehill

    → 7:24 AM, Oct 31
  • It's a deal! (#apple #appleone #applemusic #fitnessplus)

    Sometimes in your life you come across some deals that you cannot refuse. Apple One is one of them. As a Canadian, by subscribing, on top of Apple News+, 2 TB iCloud storage and Apple Music,  I’m getting Fitness+ and Apple Arcade and… to my surprise, now I have 4 TB of iCloud storage. How good is that? Can’t wait to try Fitness+ and maybe help me go through these enduring times this coming winter while getting in a better shape?

    Now, what comes next Apple One? Apple //? AppleOne

    → 11:41 AM, Oct 30
  • Optimized for Mac (#apple #applesilicon #ios #ipados)

    Here is one of the most fascinating part of upcoming Apple Silicon Macs: the implicit support for iPhone and iPad apps on the Mac (as long as the developers care to update their apps, obviously). I wonder how massive this change will be. How will it change the third-party applications landscape on the Mac? How will it influence the pricing of both iOS/iPadOS apps and macOS apps? We tend to take for granted that software on the Mac is always more expensive compared to their iPad counterpart… The next year sure will be interesting to watch for Mac lovers like me.

    1 on 1 lab

    → 6:36 AM, Oct 30
  • Fascinating times (#apple #microsoft #google #amazon)

    Here is a fascinating chart: brand value calculated by Interbrand. Apple is on top again this year. They have been there since 2012. What I find interesting is the first row is occupied by companies reflecting our new way of life as we depend on smartphones (Apple, Samsung), online shopping (Amazon) and the cloud (Microsoft). What about Google you might ask? Well, first, as we don’t like to pay for online stuff, we prefer to be the product of advertisers. Second, we stopped using bookmarks a long time ago, we prefer the Google search field.

    → 6:19 AM, Oct 30
  • We’re humans — Tim Cook (#apple #timcook)

    “Work can’t solve for all the things we’re missing right now, but a shared sense of purpose goes a long way. A belief that we can do more together than we can alone, that people of good will, driven by creativity and passion and that certain itch of a big idea, can still do things that help other people in our own small way to teach, to learn, to create, or just to relax at a time like this. Even as the things we make require us to operate at the very cutting edge of technology, in materials, products, and ideas that didn’t exist just a few years ago, this year has forced us to face plainly the things that make us human — disease, resilience, and hope.” — Tim Cook

    → 5:57 AM, Oct 30
  • Apple is doom! (#apple #iphone #mac #ipad)

    Poor Apple, iPhone sales are 20% down compared to last year’s quarter. Look, people, it's 2020 and we are in the middle of a pandemic. Stores are closing, opening, then closing again. Yet, Apple is able to pull it off big time. Thanks to the Mac, iPad and services, Apple is able to come out with a great quarter! That’s what is interesting: when one product line is performing poorly, others take the lead. September quarter is going to be a monster one as the iPhone 12 and Apple Silicon Macs sales takes over the stage. 

    Jp valery lVFoIi3SJq8 unsplash

    → 7:17 PM, Oct 29
  • Apple's Clips is Underated (#apple #clips)

    Apple this week updated their strange application, Clips, to version 3.0. Clips looks like a technology demonstration to me. I hear it is popular among the young crowd. Maybe.  I’ve played with the new version a bit and really like the new design which is cleaner and more enjoyable to use. After playing with, boy this app is power hungry; my iPhone 11 Pro get’s very hot! Still an interesting ting to play with. IMG 6680

    → 4:56 PM, Oct 29
  • On Apple Search (#apple #siri #search @parkerortolani)

    Here is an interesting design concept of a possible Apple Search service. What I find interesting is the use of the Siri branding. I don’t know if Apple would use it or simply call the service: Apple Search. I would prefer the latter as Siri is not known to sound like “good” more like “good enough” or “behind the reste of the crowd”. 

    Apple Search Mockup

    → 2:50 PM, Oct 29
  • 11.0.1 beta, really? (#apple #macos #macosbigsur)

    This curve ball wasn’t expected: Apple comes up with beta 1 of macOS Big Sur 11.0.1. Why? Why now? Does this mean 11.0 GM is really around the corner and will ship soon on new Macs, including the first Apple Silicon ones? Why do I keep thinking Big Sur (based on Beta 10) was far from ready? Something is clear to me, I’m not upgrading my iMac anytime soon, but I understand that my upcoming Mac Pro could come pre-installed with it.

    → 6:24 AM, Oct 29
  • That was fast! (#apple #ios14 #ios13)

    I’m always impressed by the turn over speed of major new releases of iOS. iOS 14 adoption rate is already surpassing iOS 13 after less than six weeks of availability. Wow.

    Apple’s iPhone ecosystem is running at blazing speed to adopt new technologies. There is nothing like that in tech. Even if people are keeping their old iPhone longer, by supporting old devices, Apple can set the bar for new privacy features and make them available to a vast portion of the users. This is something we rarely talk about.

    → 6:55 AM, Oct 28
  • Twisted dialogue (#apple #iphone12 #environment @mattbirchler)

    Matt Birchler in a funny post hightlights how twisted Apple’s stance can be when it comes to pushing their agenda: in this cas, the protection of the environment.

    I think it is a mandatory thing to openly challenge something Apple does even if you like their products as much as we possible can. I did it in my long article “The Rotten Side of Tim Cook’s Apple“ and l’ll continue to do it.

    → 6:03 AM, Oct 28
  • Basic Apple Guy but gorgeous! (#apple #blog #discovery @basicappleguy)

    Thanks to an article from John Gruber’s website, Daring Fireball, I discovered a new Apple-centric blog yesterday: Basic Apple Guy. After spending a few minutes on it exploring the content, I kind of fell in love with it and and started to wish it was mine. I’m impressed by the simplicity and the content quality. RSS feed already added to my collection.

    → 10:22 AM, Oct 27
  • It's all about the story, right? (#apple #mac #applesilicon)

    Here is what I’ll be looking for at the Apple Silicon Macs introduction: the story they will tell for their introduction. Remember when Steve Jobs introduced the iPhone or the iPod? There was a story to hit so people could understand the “why’s”. Now, in the age of smartphones, what is the relevancy for Apple Silicon Macs? Why now? What pain points do they address? Can’t wait for November. Photo credits.

    → 6:00 AM, Oct 27
  • Everyone has their price (#apple #google #privacy #privacyprotection)

    According to the New York Time regarding the antitrust lawsuit in the works, Google is paying between 8 to 12 billions $ a year to be the default search engine on iOS. That is a lot of money, but apparently, that’s the price to pay for Apple to bend over their privacy stance.

    If there is one reason why Apple should get out of this deal and build their own search tech or buy DuckDuckGo altogether: put the walk behind the talk.

    → 6:11 PM, Oct 26
  • The master in action (#stevejobs #ipod #apple #history)

    This short clip showing Steve Jobs introduce the iPod is a pure joy to re-watch. It is 9m 11sec of presentation mastery. The way he set the stage, draw attention to pain points, show the “solution” is perfect. This is how you do it. This clip should go in tech and marketing history books.

    Now, let’s try to imagine how he would do it for the introduction of the first Apple Silicon Mac in a few weeks.

    → 6:34 AM, Oct 26
  • The more I read... (#iPhone12 #iphone12pro #apple)

    The more I read comments on Twitter about the iPhone 12, the more I’m happy to skip this upgrade cycle: wireless network performance (spotty), battery life (highly hit by 5G usage), finger prints magnet (Pro edges), mildly controversial colours (not as unanimous as last year’s colours), weak cameras upgrade (from the 11 Pro), MagSafe design and performance (too weak magnets). I’ll be waiting for the iPhone 13 patiently.

    → 7:07 PM, Oct 25
  • Apple did it again. (#iphone12 #apple #design)

    In my opinion, this year’s black iPhone 12 is now their best design of all time, surpassing their previously best design, the black iPhone 5. It took them 8 years. I can’t wait to see that in person, for now, this tweet by Brian MacDuff is enough to convince me. Blacks are deep blacks, the edges mat finish is way better than on the Pro models. What could come next to beat this? A notch-less design. Maybe next year or in 8 years. Who knows. Picture from Mr. MacDuff.

    → 7:09 AM, Oct 25
  • Staying home... (#iphone12 #apple #applestore)

    For as far that I can remember, I won’t go to an Apple Store to see the new iPhone this year. Thank’s to… well.. you know, it’s 2020. Twitter threads like this one I’m sure is not doing justice to the look and feel of these new devices.

    → 8:26 AM, Oct 24
  • On 2021 iPad Pro (#ipadpro #apple)

    Is it a question of a few more months before the iPad Pro line distance itself from the 2020 iPad Air. This will put the 2021 iPad Pro in a league of its own. Features like mini-led display, faster A-series processor… but what else? More system memory at 8 GB? Bigger screen? Wifi 6? 5G option? daringfireball.net

    The 2020 iPad Air

    → 7:33 PM, Oct 22
  • Jony Ive working with Airbnb. Who knew. (#jonyive #apple #lovefrom #airbnb #design #UI)

    In a surprising move, Airbnb has a new partnership with Apple’s former designer chief, Jony Ive. As much as I like this guy’s work, something quite surprising struck me: Airbnb doesn’t sell any form of hardware. The last time I check, Jony Ive’s reputation is not about crafting the best user interface designs in the world, far from it. Who remember the switch to iOS 7? I do. Jony Ive was quite instrumental in the design of iOS 7 and it was a disaster. We are still paying the price today. It will be interesting to watch what comes from this partnership. Press release here.

    → 6:03 AM, Oct 22
  • RIP. Remote.app (#apple #appletv #appstore)

    Great story about the start of the Apple TV remote app that was removed today from the App Store. Reason? Duplicate functionality with iOS Control Center. Time to move on I guess. I love those stories from the inside. Can’t get enough of them.

    Photo credit: @badashproducts on Unsplash.

    twitter.com/accannis/…

    → 5:53 PM, Oct 21
  • Waiting for iPhone 13. (iphone12 #iphone12pro #apple)

    Thanks to iPhone 12, I can’t wait for the iPhone 13. The MagSafe is cool but is not perfect. 5G is nice but comes with a spotty coverage and puts a lot of pressure on battery life. The iPhone 12 Pro is a powerful monster but with fingerprint magnets and fragile glossy edges. Bezels are thinner and thinner but this big notch is still there. I’m skipping this year’s iPhone 12 and anxiously waiting for iPhone 13. Or whatever name they call it. Maybe just: iPhone Pro?

    → 6:13 AM, Oct 21
  • This is a drill (#iphone12 #apple #magsafe)

    With the iPhone 12 and MagSafe, is Apple training us for a port-less iPhone 13? I think so. The removable of the Lightning port and skipping USB-C would be so Apple, an act of courage I guess. If they do remove all the ports from the iPhone, how do we deal with CarPlay? What about developers who use testing and development devices which requires the fastest transfer speed possible? Is there something in the works at Apple that would mitigates these challenges for the users? Another type of adaptor? Or maybe Apple is just waiting for a more drastic iPhone redesign (no notch?) to bend themselves to USB-C?

    → 5:49 AM, Oct 21
  • Stairway to “heaven”? (#apple #iphone12 #iphone12pro)

    Tim Cook once said that all products Apple sell can fit on a table. Well, depending of the table size, maybe. But, you will have to remove products variants from the equation, though. Look at the iPhone product line. Now, think about how it will look next year.

    twitter.com/asymco/st…

    → 7:20 PM, Oct 20
  • These edges... (#iphonex #iphone12 #iphone12pro)

    As much as I like what the iPhone 12 brings to the table in general… edges got my attention. Up until now, I didn’t really like rounded edges since the iPhone 6. I much prefer the square edge on the iPhone 12… but not on the Pro models… they are way too much polished and are probably finger prints magnets.

    I want a Pro iPhone with the matte version of the non-Pro iPhone edges.

    twitter.com/msfslm/st…

    → 8:16 PM, Oct 19
  • Stucked on the phone (#magsafe #iphone12 #apple #design #UX)

    When I first saw the MagSafe snapping into the iPhone, I asked myself: how about taking the iPhone away? Is it hard? Is it gentle? Do we need two hands to separate them? Now listen to the video segment from a guy asking a few troubling questions… should we worry or just wait for the iPhone 12 to ship and see how the whole thing actually works?

    → 6:52 AM, Oct 19
  • A14: from the iPhone to the Mac (#apple #A14 #applesilicon)

    I love those feature highlights. Apple started to use them recently (September of last year?). If you look closely at the A14 feature highlights, I wonder what features aren’t required in a Mac? There is so many things that make sense on an iPhone, like everything related to ML. But, on a Mac? I’m not so sure. And, what features should be added to the A14 that doesn’t make sense on an iPhone? Increase high-performance CPU cores? And then what? What features are Mac specific that aren’t already handled by the T2 chip?

    → 3:54 PM, Oct 18
  • The 5G Enabler (#iPhone12 #apple #5G)

    Last year, the iPhone 11 lacked 5G networks support. Apple was doomed. This year, the iPhone 12 does support 5G networks. Now the operators are doomed because of spotty coverage. There is something bad to look for if you want to get clicks.

    I think 5G is more marketing than anything else at this point. The iPhone 12 will be the enabler of 5G network. People will demand it (even if their use cases don’t require it). This will in turn force operators to accelerate their deployment.

    → 3:24 PM, Oct 18
  • A wild dream (#apple #macpro #vmware #virtualization #lab)

    I’ve been thinking of something really wild recently, for me at least: replacing my 2017 21.5 inches iMac with a Mac Pro. Here is why.

    I work in IT (information technologies) as a data center related technology architect. Server virtualization, storage area networks, networking technologies are at the center of my professional universe. In the coming months, I’ll have to invest in self-training and experimentations a lot around VMware-related products and services. How can I do that efficiently while working from home? Here comes the Mac Pro idea.

    In order to be able to run many virtual machines, a powerful physical computer is required: lots of memory, powerful CPU (more than 6 cores) and fast storage. My current iMac doesn’t meet these basic requirements (it is maxed out at 32 GB of RAM and it has a relatively modest CPU). A Mac Pro with the following specs would easily meet the challenge: at least 128 GB of fast memory, 8 cores CPU, builtin SSD and expandability.

    Virtualization will required VMware Fusion Pro running on top of macOS. Then, the sky is the limit as I can then install ESXi hypervisor which will allow me to branch into more complex setup. This type of environment do require a lot of memory (a typical VM is about 4-16 GB each) and multi-cores CPU. Installing ESXi directly on the Mac Pro is not an option as I will need to have macOS running for all other tasks (I’m not even sure if it is att all possible).

    How do I get there? Well, I’m still thinking about how I’ll buy that machine and get the additional RAM (I won’t go with Apple’s because $$$). Stay tuned.

    Technical datasheet can be found on Apple’s website, right here in PDF format. I don’t want to switch to a Windows machine BTW, I’m too much invested in Apple’s ecosystem for that to happen.

    → 8:48 AM, Oct 18
  • Is this called “Evolution” or “Modernism"? (#apple #ios7 #UI #design)

    An image is worth a thousand words. We are still paying the price of this shift in design, every single day, for every single interaction we have with our iPhone… who asked for that? Why? Will we return to normalcy? I’ll never forget the “before” it was so shitty. Never.

    → 3:16 PM, Oct 16
  • Is there a pattern? (#apple #airpower #magsafeduo)

    With the (re)introduction of the MagSafe for iPhone, Apple is trying to redo their AirPower introduction of 2017. On paper and on video, MagSafe looks cool, MagSafe Duo seems even better (more useful, transportability), but no word on availability and pricing, just like with the initial AirPower announcement. Is there something Apple didn’t learn here? Whatever happens, it is on my wishlist even if I’m not going to upgrade to the iPhone 12 this year.

    → 11:58 AM, Oct 15
  • It Just Works™

    Yesterday, just like mostly everyday since March 13th of 2020, I went for a long walk with my wife. Both of us had their AirProds Pro with us. I had the idea to try the audio sharing feature of iOS 14 (introduced in iOS 13 if I’m not mistaken). We both put our AirPods in and I selected a playlist. Then, using the media playback UI, I selected the audio sharing option, waited for my wife’s AirPods to show up, after tapping this pair, she then had to accept my invitation and voilà! We both had music in our ears! It’s a great case of “It Just Works”, something that we see less and less often these days, I guess.

    → 6:13 AM, Oct 13
  • Third-party Apple Watch Faces - Yes but no

    Here is a super interesting article from David Shayer on Tidbits about why there may never be third-party Apple Watch Faces. According to this software engineer who worked on the first two releases of watchOS, there may be four reasons why Apple probably won’t make a watch face store: battery life, buggy code, Apple’s image, copyright worries. Besides many interesting insights on watchOS development and testing, the reason that caught my attention is about Apple desire to control their image.

    What is the killer app of the Apple Watch? The watch face, duh! Apple is an image control freak and I don’t think they want a watch face store full of crappy and bad taste designs to show up on users’ Apple Watch. They lost control of the App Store, they don’t want the same story to happen with the watch. And I agree with this position. But there could be some sort of compromise, though. As pointed out by Matt Birchler in his commentary post to Tidbits article:

    “CarPlay is a great example of how Apple could do this right with watch faces: only allow a certain number of companies to make custom watch faces. have them sign additional agreements and have them go through tougher reviews. Maybe there are literally 10 companies who are able to make watch faces. Maybe Apple can reject a watch face simply because they don’t like how it looks.”

    My guess is that Apple will look to add more watch faces through collaborative work, just like they did in watchOS 7 with the Artist watch face.

    Photo by Daniel Korpai — Unsplasg

    → 9:00 AM, Oct 11
  • Thanks Apple, you’ll make me like November

    Bloomberg, via Mark Gurman, is reporting that Apple will hold another event in November for Apple Silicon Macs. Besides my comments yesterday on the opportunity for Apple to present redesigned Macs, having a separate event is a no brainer to me. This is a major transition for Apple and they certainly wants to get the message loud and clear.

    If rumors are sound, Apple still have some time ahead to polish the upcoming macOS Big Sur release. As it is today, it is not ready for prime time. It may be the equivalent of the iOS 13 buggy release of this year. Even if Apple announces Macs in November, they could be ready to ship only in December, who knows, giving Apple even more time. Anyhow, I’m not is a rush to upgrade to Big Sur. Apps will have to follow the new look and feel and I’ll wait for them to be updated first. The list is long.

    → 7:32 AM, Oct 11
  • On the upcoming Apple Silicon Macs

    While many pundits still wonder which Mac Apple will start transitioning the platform to their shiny and speedy silicon, my attention is on something else. I’m wondering if Apple will take this opportunity to introduce redesigned machines. Let’s say they start with the MacBook Pro, could they use this occasion to reimagine the laptop? What about the iMac which is way overdue for a redesign?

    There are two avenues for Apple. One in which they opt for continuity. The other is to make a bold statement and turn the page on the Intel-based era. If prefer the latter as I’d like to see what it looks like after the era of Jony Ive. It’s a golden opportinity IMHO. Besides my preference, Tim Cook’s Apple is conservative and they will probably opt for the former approach.

    What do you think?

    Two MacBook Pro
    → 2:18 PM, Oct 10
  • Ready for a 99$ convenience

    At 99$ each, the HomePod mini would find a space on my desk for sure. I care more about size than Siri lacking intelligence with the HomePod. Being able to play music while I work without having to use headphones would be an improvement for me.

    www.macrumors.com/2020/10/0…

    → 4:33 PM, Oct 9
  • Thanks again, leakers!

    Will there be anything left for Apple to announce next week at the Hi, Speed event? Thanks to leakers on the internet, probably not much. I can’t thank them enough for spoiling things, again.

    There was a time where leaks helped people to adjust their buying decisions, but I feel they no longer fit that purposes. It is more like a search for some kind of fame.

    → 6:25 AM, Oct 9
  • Oh. my. god.

    What iOS 14 widgets could have been. Much more interesting interaction model which looks to be more “direct manipulation-oriented”. Will we have to wait for iOS 15 or even iOS 16 before seeing something like this? That is something Apple could have done…

    → 1:56 PM, Oct 7
  • How well will it age?

    I’m keeping that one mockup to see how well it will age when Apple releases the new iPhone lineup next week. I like the dark blue color. But what is missing from these mockups is the edge of the devices. The iPhone 4 and later the iPhone 5 squarish design were one of the best Apple came up with. We’ll see how they execute around the same idea with the iPhone 12.

    → 6:29 AM, Oct 7
  • MMMM everything comes in mini version?

    Rumors are swirling around upcoming products from Apple. What is becoming more persistent is the possibility of an HomePod mini announcement. I’m not sure if it is already “dead on arrival” or if Apple is about to give the smart speaker market a second try. Will it take more than a smaller footprint, better sound quality and lower price? Yep: an ecosystem of apps built on something like “siriOS”. There are no signs at all of this… which would be a massive surprise.

    → 4:02 PM, Oct 6
  • Is this a sunset or a sunrise? #apple #appleevent

    We should never read too much in Apple’s invite graphics. They rarely have anything to do with the content of the event itself except maybe with the iPad with Retina Display invite a few years ago. Remember the finger on the screen?

    Besides the obvious, an iPhone 12 line up announcement, what’s in store? AirTags? Updated Apple TV with Apple’s own game controller? HomePod mini? Don’t expect Apple Silicon Macs until November. I don’t expect Apple to talk about these next week. Apple Silicon Macs need their own stage time in their own event.

    Funny is the fact that iOS 14.1 is held back by Apple to fit this event. Probably contains a lot of hints of what is coming down the line.

    The year 2020 can be an exciting one after all. I guess.

    → 11:51 AM, Oct 6
  • Undiscoverable, Essential UI birchtree.me
    Matt Birchler https://birchtree.me/blog/undiscoverable-essential-ui/
    Apple and undiscoverability in their UIs... a never ending issue.
    → 6:27 PM, Oct 5
  • Nine years, already.

    I miss him. The world is different. Apple has become something else. He would probably like what it has become without him, probably not all of it but most of it. I don’t care what he would have done differently. It’s no longer relevant as we need to keep looking forward, something he always did. But I still miss him dearly.

    → 8:13 AM, Oct 5
  • From 2018 11” iPad Pro to ... ?

    I have a 2018 11” iPad Pro. Today, I asked myself: what upcoming features or improvements could entice me to upgrade my iPad Pro? I’m still scratching my head.

    Faster? Nope. 😐 Lighter? Not quite. 🤨 More system memory? Mmm not really. Maybe. Maybe not. 🙂 Better screen? Is it even possible? 😬 Longer battery life? Nope. 🙄 Better speakers? Nah. 🥱 Integrated U1 chip? 🤔 A new size? Depends. 😶 Smaller bezels? You like to see first. 😌 Touch ID in power button? On iPhone please. 😉

    What’s left? You tell me.

    → 8:26 PM, Oct 4
  • One year of iPhone 11 Pro...

    By curiosity today, I went in the battery health section on my iPhone 11 Pro to find out the current status is 96%. Already. I’m a bit surprised by this as I’m mostly at home and using my computer or my iPad. How could I loose 4% in a year?

    → 4:07 PM, Oct 3
  • One major observation on @mattbirchler’s iPadOS full widgets experience

    I’m thinking way too much about widgets these days, thanks to iOS 14 most prominent new feature. I’m still reflecting on the possible reasons why the full widgets experience is not available on iPadOS 14. That being said, @mattbirchler this week came out with an interesting and informative video showing how Apple could possibly enable the full widgets experience. This morning, still thinking about this concept, I realized something: Apple doesn’t need to keep the today view support on the iPad in order to enable the full widgets experience.

    I would argue that, in fact, Apple should get rid of the today view that came from the iPhone. One of the reason for this is how bad scrolling the today view works when you have a few widgets stacks; if you don’t pay attention on where you put your finger to scroll this view, you actually end up scrolling through the stack itself instead of scrolling the whole view. That’s not a good experience. The other reason is the iPad screen canvas makes it easy to rebuild the side view just by using the right widgets. No need to have scrolling.

    I think Apple will eventually come up with an iPad-specific version of the widgets experience but not with the iPadOS 14 releases streak. And that’s too bad.

    → 7:02 AM, Oct 2
  • Here is a free tip to those developers thinking of adding widget support in their apps: widgets are not a great way to display information from high density, high speed info channels like social network feeds (Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, etc). You are welcome. #iosdev #apple

    → 8:59 PM, Sep 30
  • From Apple to Ubiquiti

    Learned something really cool today. A few weeks ago I published my review of the well known router, the Unify Dream Machine (available here). The context of this review was the fact that this new router was replacing my aging Apple AirPort. One of the reasons why I chose this device was because of its external look and finish as well as its superb management app.

    One of the founder of Ubiquiti is an ex-Apple employee according to this 9to5Mac article: “an ex-Apple employee went on to found a company that currently sells enterprise networking gear. Robert Pera, the founder of Ubiquiti, Incworked for Apple in the early 2000s as a Wi-Fi engineer.”. Woah. It does explain a few things. This article is well worth your time.

    → 8:30 PM, Sep 30
  • Waiting... waiting... and waiting.

    It’s coming. Two days. Thanks to the soon to be updated Deliveries app. I can “see” where my order is. Can’t wait for version 9.0 launching tomorrow and see how much improved the app is. Can’t wait for my Apple Watch Series 6, coming this Thursday. Still so far from home, yet it feels so close.

    → 7:45 PM, Sep 29
  • Here is a free idea for iOS 14 widget developers

    Who can remember the Pinball Construction Set? If you do, or you are well documented or you are probably as old as me. Now, consider iOS 14 and the widgets feature: how long before someone comes up with something like a “Widgets Construction Set” for iOS? What I’m seeing now isn’t close enough to my taste.

    → 10:37 AM, Sep 29
  • On iOS 14 Widgets: So much untapped potential

    We have to realize that we are only at the early stage of widgets support for iOS 14. There is a lot of untapped potential and frustrating design choices. Widgetsmith is having a moment right now but looks like a work-in-progress to me. It is a great idea but it can be tricky to configure and is not fully intuitive. There is so many more data sources the developer could add. And tell me how I would pay to get weather data in Widgetsmith while I can get it all for free with other apps. The added value of Widgetsmith lies in its configurability, not the fact that you can add weather as a source.

    → 8:07 AM, Sep 27
  • ok, the widgets experience on the iPad is crippled, so what?

    When iPadOS 14 beta came out, we were all quick to notice how crippled the widgets experience was compared to iOS 14. So we got frustrated. I’m still unable to get over it. Apple is holding back the iPad. Again.

    In the last few days, I tried to understand the possible reasons behind this. To my surprise, it’s not easy and there could be many explanations to why the iPad widgets experience is limited to the Today view. More to come in a blog post this week.

    Meanwhile, you are more than welcome to share your thoughts! I’m curious.

    → 5:00 PM, Sep 26
  • Apple’s Upcoming Products #apple #iphone12 #airtags

    To get a bird’s eye view of the current Apple’s rumours landscape, check out my daily “Apple’s Upcoming Products” newsletter with all the well known leakers in one place. There is still a lot going on for the rest of 2020 and beyond. Subscribe, it’s free and time saving. You’ll thank me later. It’s the best way to spoil any upcoming Apple events. Trust me.

    → 7:20 PM, Sep 24
  • Apple’s best general purpose apps...

    I wrote about that a long time ago but here it is again: Apple’s iWork suite is probably the best expression of Apple software these days. This week, the venerable suite got updated to take advantage of iOS 14’s latest features (scribble, new import photo library, etc.). Keynote got an outline mode! 😍

    → 6:58 AM, Sep 23
  • On iOS 14 Widgets - My Observations & Experience so far

    Carefully designed and thought out widgets are still scarce. Many developers show a lack of understanding of a widget’s purposes. Every single day, I’m baffled by the lack of flexibility on iPadOS. It’s a crime or a lack of courage, you tell me 🤦🏻‍♂️.

    From an end-user perspective, managing widgets can be a frustrating experience. Apple can do better here. For example: in the screenshot below, users should be able to add a widget on an existing stack. Doing so on the home screen can mess your carefully designed arrangement pretty badly which will take careful manipulations to fix. Also, It’s hard to remember when there is a widgets stack instead of a single widget just looking at the home screen. On the iPad, scroll down the widgets will often trigger scrolling within the widgets stack instead which is frustrating.

    I don’t miss the interactive version of widgets of pre-iOS 14. I have way too many home screen pages. What is the maximum, by the way? 🤔 I tend to forget about the old iOS Today View. It’s the best place to Four-by-four widgets like news. In general, this is a great version 2.0 of widgets implementation. Looking forward for improved behaviors.

    I have found and adopted a few great widgets: Widgetsmith as a lot of potential, Lumy is really nice, Numerico (still in beta testing phase) is really useful Google analytics app, Pedometer is a nice one too, WaterMinder a must for me, Weather Line the best design in this category, Buddywatch a wonderful and useful app for watch face lovers like me, Streaks.

    IMG 6484

    → 3:23 PM, Sep 19
  • I'm never satisfied. Why?

    Are you like me and never satisfied with your Apple Watch face arrangement? Why is it so? Why is it so hard to come up with a watch face configuration that totally fit my needs and my taste? iOS 14 helped me solve part of my problem, but it isn’t enough. watchOS doesn’t help either as it allows for even more flexibility. A third-party application named “Buddywatch” is super cool, yet doesn’t fix the problem.

    Now, thanks to widgets support in iOS 14, I’m even less satisfied with my iPhone home screen arrangement. I think it’s worse than on my Apple Watch. Widgets, when I find one that is perfectly designed and really useful, lack some flexibility. I never had so much different pages on my home screen. What the hell is happening? Technology should remove the burden on us, not the opposite.

    → 11:11 AM, Sep 19
  • Can Apple pundits see the reality as it is?

    I’m working on something that Apple fanboys won’t like at all: a cornerstone piece of more than 4000 words about my personal view of Apple’s less glorious facets. Many Apple pundits will disagree. I don’t care. I worked hard on this one in the last few weeks and my undistorted field perception is finally about to come out. Wait for it. 👨🏻‍💻

    → 7:47 AM, Sep 19
  • No trackers on Apple.com. Really?

    After installing Safari 14 on macOS Catalina, I went on Apple.com to see what trackers would be reported. Unsurprisingly, Apple doesn’t use any trackers. Now, the big question: do you believe Apple doesn’t track its main website usage?

    → 6:39 AM, Sep 19
  • On Developer’s Questionable Choices with iOS 14 Widgets Design

    There is something fundamentally wrong with the way iOS 14 widgets are being implemented by many developers. Here is a simple example. The popular Reddit client, Apollo, introduced widgets support, see the following picture. Now, how can a widget with two posts can be useful if you are following many subreddits with dozens of new posts each day? What is the point in doing that?

    → 8:27 PM, Sep 16
  • Thanks for spoiling today's #AppleEvent

    A message to all official and less official Apple leakers. Thank you from the bottom of my heart for spoiling today’s Apple event. Without you, I don’t know if I could have taken today’s announcements. You made a big difference, you showed to the world how indispensable you are. Apple must be proud of you guys, think about it. Special thanks to @LeaksApplePro, @jon_prosser, @Jioriku, @markgurman.

    Tara evans DAY5kuDvsU unsplash

    → 9:19 AM, Sep 15
  • Warning: doom and gloom ahead. #AppleEvent

    On the eve of #AppleEvent tomorrow, I can see a lot of deception on the horizon. The tag line is clear: it’s about time, or the watch. It’s not about the iPhone. It’s not about the Mac. It’s not about the Apple Silicon. It’s about the iPad and the watch. A weird combinaison if you ask me. These updated iPad should be launched with a press release IMHO but Apple needs some stuff to fill the event schedule I guess.

    → 6:57 AM, Sep 14
  • For what reason do we pay Apple for?

    Man I still miss him. Steve Jobs had a way of making his point so damn clear. You could disagree with him, but I least you knew what he was trying to say. No bullshit. Plain and simple. Boom. twitter.com/robcorean…

    → 4:57 PM, Sep 13
  • Apple Card, Apple Cash in Canada soon?

    Can’t wait for this to come over here, in Canada 🇨🇦. One question though: would this mean Apple Cash would also come with it? They both look tied together for cash backs. Am I right? I don’t expect this to come out on next week apple event, but eventually in 2020 - 2021 timeframe.

    appleterm.com/2020/09/1…

    → 7:39 PM, Sep 11
  • After Tim Cook

    Having discussions about what comes next after Tim Cook is only a good thing. There is nothing to worry about this. That being said, I can see someone like Greg Joswiak to take over. I’m a bit tired of people in the ops field to lead Apple.

    appleinsider.com/articles/…

    → 9:17 AM, Sep 11
  • Not too fast, people, not too fast

    Following the #AppleEvent announcement yesterday, I saw many comments about a possible schedule of events this fall. Many of them are putting the release of the Apple Silicon Mac in October.

    There is no way this is going to happen that early. macOS Big Sur is still at Beta 3. Developers are hard at work adding support for widgets and other iOS 14 stuff. I would expect iOS 14 to be released at the end of September. iOS 14.1 will come out in beta at the beginning of October in order to support the new iPhone shipping later in October.

    Now back to the Mac. I expect Big Sur to be released at the very end of October if not November. The actual Apple Silicon Mac will probably be announced at a different moment than the iPhone. Apple doesn’t like to mixed up things in their keynote. The actual shipping date could be at the very end of the year, just in time to catch the ramp up of the A14X production rumored to be starting in Q4.

    In summary: Apple Silicon Mac to be released late in 2020.

    → 6:14 AM, Sep 9
  • A short beta cycle for iOS 14

    Following @Gruber hypothetical September schedule: Tuesday 15 September: Event. Friday 18 September: Preorders start. Monday-Tuesday 21-22. September: Reviews drop — Apple Watch on one day, iPad Air on the other. Thursday 24 September: New OSes released via Software Update. Friday 25 September: Products ship to customers and stores.

    My guess is that we will get beta 8 this week followed by GM next week. Even if there is another beta after that (beta 9), this would be the shortest beta cycle for any major iOS release. https://daringfireball.net/2020/09/apple_time_flies_event

    → 6:01 AM, Sep 9
  • How much more powerful an Apple Silicon ship will be in an iMac which is never running on batteries…? It will be interesting to compare the internals of these upcoming machines to their Intel counterparts.

    → 9:30 PM, Sep 8
  • Apple is “over teasing” AR. #appleevent twitter.com/flyosity/…

    → 4:48 PM, Sep 8
  • Welcome to Twitter, @gregjoz. #applevent #apple twitter.com/gregjoz/s…

    → 11:01 AM, Sep 8
  • Time to record current Apple Watch website before Series 6.

    → 7:50 PM, Sep 7
  • Looks like something is happening tomorrow after all. But, let’s face it, a press release for an updated Apple Watch should tell us to lower our expectations.

    twitter.com/jon_pross…

    → 7:00 PM, Sep 7
  • iPadOS 14 beta 7 homescreen experience with widgets is quite buggy.

    → 3:52 PM, Sep 7
  • Really? 🤔

    twitter.com/jon_pross…

    → 9:47 AM, Sep 6
  • Have you ever carefully looked at Apple Leadership page? Tell me what’s wrong. Nah, I’m going to tell you: who in charge of Design? Is it a bit weird that, following Jony Ive departure, Apple leadership page is still missing someone for the design side? I think so.

    → 4:56 PM, Sep 5
  • Sure EPIC is suffering real harm… because of its own wrong doing. Duh.

    twitter.com/appleinsi…

    → 7:58 AM, Sep 5
  • This is what Apple could and should have done!

    testflight.apple.com/join/04jM…

    → 8:54 AM, Sep 4
  • Is Apple bending towards Facebook? Not a good day for privacy protection. 😒

    twitter.com/9to5mac/s…

    → 11:51 AM, Sep 3
  • Funny for sure. But, tell me who uses GarageBand for serious Podcasts editing? What tools are they using? Apple’s Logic Pro X? Too bad you need to be a sound engineer to take advantage of it.

    twitter.com/gregorymc…

    → 8:06 PM, Sep 2
  • watchOS 7 beta 7 but no iOS 14 beta 7… 🤨🤔 maybe tomorrow then after iOS 13.7 released today (that’s a lot of ‘7!)

    → 5:26 PM, Sep 1
  • Where is the folder name? Dear @Apple, why is it so hard? #ios14beta6

    → 6:05 PM, Aug 30
  • On the fall of Macs resale value: how much does four years of shitty butterfly keyboards is responsible for the fall?

    mjtsai.com/blog/2020…

    → 7:24 AM, Aug 28
  • Steve Ballmer’s reaction to the launch of the iPhone. LOL. Same applies to car companies reactions to Tesla. We all know how this will probably end up. twitter.com/sawyermer…

    → 6:46 AM, Aug 28
  • Apple Search. That’s quite intriguing. Recent Apple behavior and changes hint that it’s planning to launch its own search engine to compete with Google • Aug 27, 2020 • Apple Terminal

    → 6:47 AM, Aug 27
  • An image is worth a thousand words. I find it surprising that UI simplification came to this simple conclusion. There has to be more creative way to simplify without looking so basic. Right? #UI #apple #UIdesign #design twitter.com/iconwerk/…

    → 6:07 AM, Aug 27
  • Why do I think this year’s Apple Watch Series 6 will be a minor upgrade? 🤔

    → 11:24 AM, Aug 26
  • To all #iosdev: it is not because you can add support for widgets to your app that you should add widgets support. #ios14

    → 7:20 AM, Aug 26
  • Master piece from Ben Thompson of Stratechery looking at ways of rethinking the App Store. Because of this article quality, I’m considering becoming a subscriber. Rethinking the App Store – Stratechery by Ben Thompson

    → 7:08 AM, Aug 26
  • On iPadOS 14 beta 6: did you know that you can now interact with iPadOS while Siri is on screen instead of being a modal thing? Not working on iOS 14 beta 6. Now, if they could add full widgets support on iPadOS.

    → 6:21 AM, Aug 26
  • WTF is this ad, Apple? Am I to old to appreciate this 38 sec eternity? youtu.be

    → 8:22 PM, Aug 24
  • I suspect the iPod is used in many non-consumer scenarios AND is being an introduction to iDevice for very yound people. twitter.com

    Maybe this is why Apple added the iPod to it’s Apple Music PR blurb.

    → 5:55 PM, Aug 24
  • I’m starting a new article about the rotten side of Apple. Tell me: what do you think is rotten about Apple thse days?. I do have many things on my mind but I want your input. Thanks. #apple

    → 4:29 PM, Aug 24
  • I’m not sure what to think of this. The rumours are indeed true! Apple Marina Bay Sands, the first Apple store in the world that floats on the water, is opening soon in Singapore. #AppleMarinaBaySands #architecture twitter.com/javanng/s…

    → 4:27 PM, Aug 24
  • Is this the week where weekly beta releases from Apple will begin? My guess is yes if previous years are any indication. We generally get up to beta 8 or 9 before GM in second half of September. The cadence must increase. #iosbeta #apple

    → 8:11 AM, Aug 24
  • What’s a computer?

    → 10:53 AM, Aug 23
  • “We have to let go of this notion that for Apple to win, everyone else has to lose.”. Interesting article. Structure and Interpretation of Computer Programmers » Six Colours

    We have to let go of this notion that for Apple to win, everyone else has to lose.

    → 9:57 AM, Aug 23
  • Remember Apple inviting professionals to learn about their workflow so they could use that input to reimagine the Mac Pro? What if Apple asked developers to a round table discussion to get input to reinvent the App Store? #iosdev #apple #apple

    → 9:01 AM, Aug 22
  • Wow. Supposedly photos of cancelled AirPower internals leak online. I didn’t know this device could be that complex. It his real? www.macrumors.com/2020/08/2…

    → 11:58 AM, Aug 21
  • The Mac is in no way a game platform. Should we give a shit if EPIC is kick out of Apple’s ecosystem? Is the vast majority of serious gamers moved to consoles anyway AND PCs? I mean, seriously, we are talking about fraction of % here, aren’t we?

    → 3:50 PM, Aug 20
  • The harder it is to find a “real macOS apps” developer, the more Electron is tempting. Right? If so, it is troubling.

    → 3:27 PM, Aug 20
  • Now you have a clear idea why I’m not yet about macOS 11 Big Sur. These iOS style alerts in Big Sur are great. twitter.com/gruber/st…

    → 7:25 PM, Aug 19
  • Super interesting read. Careful explanation of where things come from and why it has to change. #appstore #apple App stores, trust and anti-trust — Benedict Evans

    → 8:59 PM, Aug 18
  • Great summary of pain points for developers on Apple’s platform. Twitter thread here: twitter.com/depth42/s…

    → 6:56 AM, Aug 18
  • “Google Play is living proof that an app store can justify taking 30% even when alternative app distribution options are available.” — Benjamin Mayo bzamayo.com/epic-mono…

    → 6:22 AM, Aug 18
  • EPIC: Don’t mess with Apple. They can play hardball too. They don’t like this public shit. You should have known better. ipadinsight.com

    Just When I Thought I Was Out, Apple and Epic Pull Me Back In

    → 9:04 PM, Aug 17
  • iOS 14 Widgets Support Slowly Coming

    Widgets support is starting to tickle in on iOS 14 beta. I like what I’m seeing so far. Widgets will transform the way I use my iPhone and my iPad to a lesser degree. One of the best feature is the ability to stack them. This allow for theme-based stacks on a theme-based home screen page. Can’t wait for more of my apps to be updated.

    → 9:20 AM, Aug 17
  • I vote for this. Will Apple notice?

    link.medium.com/wv57jyYs0…

    → 3:42 PM, Aug 16
  • Please, Apple, Think Different, again. Great article. 5ish.org/p/apple-p…

    → 10:13 AM, Aug 16
  • Screw them all. Period. I’m serious. Daring Fireball: ‘Screw Apple, Screw Google, and Screw Epic Games’

    → 8:15 AM, Aug 16
  • On EPIC PR Stunt - Because this is exactly that!

    On Apple vs The World: I’m all in for Apple to change its App Store rules, whatever it could mean, and reduce its cuts, etc. But @gruber post is dead on, Epic move this week is pure PR stunt. Plain and simple. EPIC can’t be selective and hit only Apple. They have to hit them all on the basis of their suposedly principles.

    daringfireball.net/linked/20…

    → 8:56 AM, Aug 15
  • If Epic doesn’t play the same game with Sony and all the other online stores, they are making fools of themselve. If you fight for principles, do it diligently.

    → 7:42 AM, Aug 14
  • There seems to be a consensus about the need for the App Store to change. Ok. Tell me how? Oh, and stop asking for a lower cut from Apple. What kind of more profound change should come to the App Store rules?

    → 7:21 AM, Aug 14
  • This is ugliness in preparation. I’m on the side of Epic. www.manton.org/2020/08/1…

    → 4:14 PM, Aug 13
  • Hoping that Apple will take the opportunity to revise their iCloud storage tiers and bring then in line with 2020 expectations. www.macrumors.com

    Apple to Launch Bundled Subscription Services Called ‘Apple One’

    → 6:17 AM, Aug 13
  • Apple Watch Series 6 launched via press release in first half of September? Really? No way. Well, there is nothing normal about 2020, so, why not.

    → 6:49 PM, Aug 12
  • I decided to turn that off under iPadOS 14. It’s the consequence of not having the full widgets experience like on the iPhone.

    → 5:22 PM, Aug 10
  • Interesting take by @gruber on Apple’s position regarding Microsoft’s xCloud. My take: it’s about control AND money. The former makes it easier to get the latter. https://daringfireball.net/2020/08/applespeak_to_english_xbox_game_pass

    → 9:09 AM, Aug 8
  • Wondering something about a possible incursion of the nano-texture glass on a future iPad Pro. Would this be compatible with the use of the Apple Pencil? I wish it will be.

    www.apple.com/imac/

    → 8:33 AM, Aug 8
  • Wishing for similar performance improvements when Apple Silicon hits the iMac line. Coupled with the rumoured redesign, the first since 2012, I’m already salivating. #apple #imac2021 #applesilicon

    twitter.com/9to5mac/s…

    → 8:29 AM, Aug 8
  • Great take from @drbarnard on Apple’s App Store issues

    Here is a great take on Apple’s App Store issues by @drbarnard. To me, the key is for Apple to change its mindset from working too hard on the lock-in to working on the experience quality (tweet #10 in the thread) and let the users decide.

    twitter.com/drbarnard…

    → 8:05 AM, Aug 8
  • If you are not on iOS 14 beta 4, hold off and wait for Beta 5. I do experience the same issues exposed in this Twitter thread. Very buggy release. It reminds me of iOS 13 betas. #ios14beta4 #apple

    twitter.com/marcoarme…

    → 7:55 AM, Aug 8
  • On Apple's latest iMac update

    Great reviews on the latest iMac update. As a serious amateur photographer, the thing that stands out to me is the new nano glass option. At 500$ it is not cheap but reviewers are liking it a lot. Could this option eventually come to the iPad Pro? Or the iPhone? I would pay a premium for this on the iPad Pro.

    Now, why the 21.5” iMac has not been updated is a mystery to me. I currently own a max-out 2017 21.5” iMac. The size of this machine is better for me, but I would prefer a 24”. Could this mean the lower size iMac will be the first desktop to receive the Apple Silicon treatment as well a the long overdue redesign? I think so.

    www.macrumors.com/review/20…

    → 7:43 AM, Aug 7
  • How Long Apple can stand like this?

    On Apple’s stance on its App Store policies.

    Developers are complaining. The tech press is complaining. Governments are complaining. Now Microsoft is complaining. And Facebook too.

    Google? Are users complaining? I don’t see that. Does it make a big difference for Apple?

    How long Apple can stand like this?

    → 7:25 AM, Aug 7
  • Am I surprised? Nope. Actually, yes, I thought meeting time would have increased much more.

    twitter.com/chrisroha…

    → 8:52 PM, Aug 6
  • Dear Apple, you are (again) painting yourself in another form of thermal cornor. Back off while you can. I know, saving your face ain’t easy. #apple #appstore

    → 8:47 PM, Aug 6
  • iOS 14 Beta 4 is crap. There I said it.

    → 11:57 AM, Aug 5
  • Was he too dogmatic? Stubborn? 🤔 twitter.com/stroughto…

    → 8:49 PM, Aug 4
  • Five gone, one to go. #apple

    → 8:47 PM, Aug 4
  • Apple is really not done with Intel in the Mac. It is clear to me that Apple Silicon will find its way in lower end machines first, certainly portable ones with today’s announcements.

    www.apple.com/newsroom/…

    → 7:51 PM, Aug 4
  • On Phil Schiller (departure) of Apple

    Aside from the iMac updates coming out of Apple today, here is another (more important) news: Phil Schiller is now an Apple Fellow. That was not expected. People come and go. Mr. Schiller as done a lot for Apple. Time to (slowly) move on.

    I don’t like Greg “Joz” Jozwiak. Phil Schiller

    → 6:33 PM, Aug 4
  • Apple certainly gained a lot of ground in the tablet market during the pandemic. But according to these numbers, the increase was even better for other players in the field.

    9to5mac.com/2020/08/0…

    → 6:50 PM, Aug 3
  • If Apple allowed side-loading of apps on iOS:

    • would they still require the ability to use a kill switch?
    • how would this affect their ability to build the right binary for the right platform architecture at installation time?
    • what else would Apple would have to give up?
    → 9:22 AM, Aug 3
  • When I wanted to work for Apple...

    Here is a short story. In 1985, I was working for an authorized Apple dealer in my home town. I was an Apple zealot (surprise?) and I wanted to work for them. So, I created my (short) resume and sent it (by mail) to Apple’s headquarters. A few months later, I got a polite response: Thanks, but no thanks. I was eighteen.

    → 2:26 PM, Jul 31
  • +1. Very sad seeing Apple acting like this. Maybe Apple seeling great products, they are telling lies too. Can we have it both ways? #apple twitter.com/timsweene…

    → 7:45 PM, Jul 30
  • Apple is doomed. I mean, really doomed this time. Or not. Q3FY20

    → 3:36 PM, Jul 30
  • After 10 seconds of watching this iPhone 12 concept video I had enough. 🤦🏻‍♂️ youtu.be

    → 9:13 PM, Jul 29
  • Woah, that is a prime example of impressive architecture for a store. One question: where a the customers? #coronaviruseffect Apple Central World opens Friday in Thailand - Apple

    → 7:39 PM, Jul 29
  • What Steve Jobs would have said… ?

    → 5:59 PM, Jul 29
  • Do you think Apple has plans already in place to allow for third-party payment systems on the App Store, just in case they are being forced to add these?

    → 5:28 PM, Jul 29
  • Apple had an easy day overall

    Is it me or Apple had a pretty easy day today? Seems all the attention went to Google, Facebook and Amazon. My guess is that it reflects a fact: Apple is not in a monopolistic position like the other three. www.cnbc.com

    Live: Big Tech testifies: Bezos promises action if investigation reveals misuse of seller data

    → 4:52 PM, Jul 29
  • Let’s see if Tim Cook is also a good politician. #apple #testimony #appstore

    → 5:50 AM, Jul 29
  • A byproduct of the coronavirus pandemic: traveling apps like Flighty won’t get my renewal this year. Sad for the developer. Really nice app. See you next year, maybe.

    → 12:55 PM, Jul 24
  • Highly doubtful that Apple already has the date set for the September Keynote in current context. Even more for October event. Take this with a grain of salt. ‘iPhone 12’ event Sept. 8 with ‘Apple Glass’ & Apple Silicon Mac reveal on Oct. 27, says leaker - Appleinsider

    → 11:24 AM, Jul 24
  • Is this really surprising? It’s not. Apple saw the virus coming - Philip Elmer‑DeWitt

    → 11:21 AM, Jul 24
  • Here is a bunch of Apple inconsistencies in design. On macOS Big Sur: you can add a widget by clicking on it, but not on iOS. Still on Big Sur, notifications are stacked on top of the widgets space on the right while on iOS they get their own space. Explain this to me, Apple.

    → 9:15 AM, Jul 24
  • Interesting summary on Apple’s move to its own silicone for the Mac product line in light of recent Intel announcement of delays affecting 7nm chips. twitter.com/neilcybar…

    → 6:05 AM, Jul 24
  • If anyone had doubts on why Apple is transitioning to its own silicon for the Mac: Intel is (again) delaying it’s 7nm chips to… 2022 or 2023. www.tomshardware.com/news/inte…

    → 6:00 AM, Jul 24
  • After 14 major iOS release... and yet...

    Everybody is talking about Apple Music new icon since Beta 3 but, think about this: after 14 versions of iOS, and here we are: the “More” “button” lingering bad design. How many times I try to hit this and I bring the detail view of the app instead. Frustrating.

    Let me be clear: wrong place, too small, text overlapping, not a real button.

    Come on, Apple!

    My suggestion: add a “Details” button accessible when sliding the table cell to the left (the same gesture that reveals a Delete button).

    → 12:07 PM, Jul 23
  • The race for the bottom of everything

    On Apple’s 30% cut. Again.

    We all know where this all goes. Yesterday it was a deal. Today, 30% is way too much. So, let’s fight and try to force Apple to set the cut to 20%. No, 15%. That is way better, right? A few years down the road, a well known developer comes out and complain about 15% being way too much of a cut. Poor guy. Let’s start a fight and bring that down. Apple respond and set it to 10% because they are forced to. And the story continues.

    Let’s face the reality. We don’t like to pay for something. We want it all. We know the price of everything but the value of nothing. How do you think China came to be so powerful? How do you think Amazon or Costco is sucking air from small local businesses in our communities? Why do you think our life is full of shitty ads are everywhere? Why do you think we are the product of Google, Facebook? Because we don’t like to pay for something, anything. We want it all free.

    There is a pattern. There is a race for the bottom of everything. And I don’t agree in Brent’s views on what would happen if Apple lowers their demand from developers. I certainly don’t believe developers would lower the price of their apps.

    Remember what capitalism is all about?

    Change my mind.

    https://inessential.com/2020/07/22/apples_thirty_percent_cut

    → 6:35 AM, Jul 23
  • It is easy to forget what it was before the App Store and now complain about the 30% cut by Apple.

    → 8:06 PM, Jul 22
  • The iPad still held back with iPadOS 14

    iPadOS 15 concept imagined by Parker Ortolani certainly looks interesting. I’m not sure about some ideas put forward but it certainly shows how the iPad is still held back with iPadOS 14. The lack of flexibility in widgets placement is, put mildly, baffling. I love those widgets on my iPhone but the lack of space forces us to create tons of pages. And the problem will only get worst this fall after developers start adding widget support in their apps. It will be crazy. #iPadOS14 #apple

    www.behance.net/gallery/1…

    → 5:55 AM, Jul 22
  • If blog post from Readdle’s is any indication, expect a LOT of widgets to be available when iOS 14 launch this fall. In fact, more widgets will be available than any number of home screen pages can accommodate. #ios14 readdle.com/blog/ios1…

    → 5:45 AM, Jul 22
  • Beta 3 will be like a fresh coat of paint.

    → 6:40 PM, Jul 21
  • Can’t wait for beta 3. Tomorrow. #ios14

    → 9:07 PM, Jul 20
  • Is TestFlight for iOS 14 widgets available yet?

    → 3:02 PM, Jul 19
  • When Apple was advertising their value for businesses, in a world where working from home wasn’t really a thing. twitter.com/vanlancke…

    → 2:58 PM, Jul 19
  • Well said. That is why I love Apple so much.

    twitter.com/stevesi/s…

    → 2:03 PM, Jul 19
  • Interesting comparison between macOS Catalina & Big Sur system sounds. You don’t change something like this often. That is something new in Big Sur. I didn’t play long enough with Big Sur to notice. Apple did the same with iOS 7. www.youtube.com/channel/U…

    → 10:45 AM, Jul 19
  • This blog post on Apple’s latest betas pretty much sums it up for me. More to come in my own blog post about my own experience.

    500ish.com/double-ta…

    → 5:16 PM, Jul 15
  • More than 1500 words to talk about going all in with Apple’s latest betas on my main devices. Your experience may vary but mine if mostly very good so far. Don’t do that at home, please.

    → 6:04 AM, Jul 13
  • Ten years ago — Antennagate

    Ten years ago today: Antennagate. Remember? It was an intense episode in Apple’s history. I didn’t own an iPhone 4. At that time, I was using my 3GS. I upgrade to the iPhone 4S in 2011. Time certainly flies.

    www.cultofmac.com/492086/to…

    → 7:57 PM, Jul 12
  • Here is a brilliant idea. My hope is for Apple to notice. twitter.com

    → 1:41 PM, Jul 12
  • Because of newly introduced folders support in iOS 14 Shortcuts, I made a spring cleanup. Now I’m down to what I actually need and use. #ios14 #apple

    → 11:04 AM, Jul 11
  • With iPadOS 14, Apple mades a lot of improvements to the Calendar app which makes me reconsider the use of Readdle’s Calendar alternative. The reason is mainly because of the new Sidebar. Decision, decision, decision. #iPadOS14

    → 8:29 AM, Jul 11
  • Viticci on iPadOS 14 - when iPadOS is Influenced by macOS #iPadOS14

    Good insights by Federico Viticci of MacStories about iPadOS 14. One theme stands out: with iPadOS 14, Apple is no longer taking it’s inspiration from the iPhone but from macOS to push the iPad in its very distinct path.

    Exhibit A: the Sidebar in applications like Music, Photos, Files. Exhibit B: the redesigned Search bar.

    Still to be improved, though: multitasking. Next year.

    www.macstories.net/stories/t…

    → 8:22 AM, Jul 11
  • Dear Apple, please, oh please, allow us to move around our many screens in this view. Thank you.

    A friend. #apple #ipados #ios14 #ios14beta

    → 1:24 PM, Jul 10
  • Welcome to iOS 14 beta 2. 👨🏻‍💻🤷🏻‍♂️ But I love it. Very stable on iPad. 😎 #apple #ipados14

    → 5:55 PM, Jul 9
  • Woah, that was fast. iOS 14 now entering public beta phase. Apple must feel really confident. So am I. Installing on 11” iPad Pro. www.macrumors.com/2020/07/0…

    → 1:05 PM, Jul 9
  • Already? VMware Fusion Tech Preview now supports macOS Big Sur. twitter.com/vmwarefus…

    → 6:26 AM, Jul 9
  • « Don’t assume discreet GPU always offer better performance » #apple #applesilicon

    I’m one of those who was thinking discreet GPU would provide much better performance. When watching Apple’s transition to Apple Silicon, I asked myself about discreet GPU options in future Macs. This article goes on to report that not only integrated GPU (thanks to SoC) will be faster, it could be easier to support and help Apple reduce costs. Apple never offered discreet GPU in iPad Pro. Why would it be different with Apple Silicon-based Mac? Will future Mac support external GPU? Probably but performance gain will be marginal.

    ARM Mac graphics performance could beat discrete GPUs - 9to5Mac

    → 12:00 PM, Jul 8
  • A Visual Comparison of Catalina & Big Sur - Who Wins? #apple #macOS11

    Excellent visual comparison between macOS Catalina and Big Sur (see link below). Here are a few observations:

    • Big Sur design is a step back in clrity in many areas. Ex.: Icons and segmented controls in top portion of windows.
    • More padding around items lists. I’m not sure why. I prefer Catalina’s version.
    • Dark Mode is slightly better looking in Big Sur.
    • Battery panel in Settings is horrible.
    • Gone are popup alerts at the top of windows, they now look to be centered within window content and movable. Catalina is better.
    • Menu bar is translucide. Catalina is better too.
    • Safari is much better looking in Big Sur.
    • Notes is much improved in Big Sur.
    • Big Sur icons shapre are much more uniform. Advantage to Big Sur here.
    • Big Sur Side Bars in many apps like Maps is better looking too.

    Who wins? Well, the jury is still out.

    www.andrewdenty.com/blog/2020…

    → 6:28 AM, Jul 8
  • iOS 14 is a massive update in regards to privacy protection. I love that! #apple #ios14 #privacy twitter.com/kuba_sude…

    → 6:12 AM, Jul 8
  • Who prefering the original AirPod case size but the features of the Pro models? Me. Daring Fireball: AirPods Versus AirPods Pro

    → 8:17 PM, Jul 7
  • Oh boy, as much as iOS 14 beta 1 is rock solid, I cannot say the same thing about Big Sur. I’m kind of liking its new visual look… kind of. It will grow on me over time, like many things Apple is doing. #apple #ios14beta1 #macosbigsur

    → 10:54 AM, Jul 7
  • I like Michael Flarup balanced take on Apple’s redesign of macOS Big Sur and what this could mean from now on. Coming from this guy, it could mean a lot. #apple #macosbigsur The Comeback of Fun in Visual Design

    → 9:34 PM, Jul 6
  • With iOS 14, expect a massive amount of widgets being released. More than enough. All developers are competing to get your iPhone home screen space. #apple #ios14

    → 4:46 PM, Jul 5
  • Preparing for iOS 14: If an iOS Shortcut has only one action in it, what is the point then? Deleting a massive amount of Shortcuts. #apple #ios14beta1 #ios14

    → 10:24 AM, Jul 5
  • The next steps in testing Apple’s new stuff is to install macOS Big Sur on an external drive connected to my 2017 iMac. Next, following reactions and comments on beta 2 later this week, I may jump on iPadOS 14 for my iPad.

    → 9:50 AM, Jul 5
  • Does this mean that we won’t get the top-of-the-window alerts anymore? That’s kind of sad actually, a step back in usability for the sake of visual consistency across platforms? mjtsai.com

    Big Sur’s Narrow Alerts

    → 1:45 PM, Jul 4
  • Some commonality with my previous post… worth reading. What changes might be coming to new Mac hardware? – Six Colors

    → 8:30 AM, Jul 4
  • Which Mac will go first to ARM? My take. #apple #armmac #applesilicon

    Which Mac will transition first to Apple Silicon? Will Apple start with the desktop or the portables? That is the question. I would say, the desktop, but…

    On the first Mac to be converted to ARM: my bet goes on the Mac mini, a lower volume, utility orientated machine for the Mac enthusiasts. Next, the iMac redesign where any perf discrepancies with the MacBook is more easily explanable (desktop versus laptop, you know). But…

    …my confidence level in this theory will be negatively impacted by the actual release of a rumoured redesigned iMac but with an Intel processor instead. Rumors are circulating about a published benchmark with a 10 cores Intel CPU in a new iMac design. If Apple did release this machine, it would send a clear message: they will continue to support Intel machines for a long time. But…

    …launching an iMac redesign with an Apple Silicon inside would make a much better marketing story: something like a powerful Apple Silicon powering a brand new design with unique features (fan-less design, FaceID, or even… touch input support?). But…

    …I concede the fact that price/watt ratio is much more useful and lends much more practical advantages on a portable product than on the desktop where space and energy are less constrained which puts some doubts on my take.

    Finally, about the Mac Pro conversion to ARM. My gut feeling is that it will be the last to be converted… with A16 CPU? Who knows.

    PS: I would expect Apple to re-introduce their illuminated logo on the MacBook. A sign of Apple’s enthusiast returning to the Mac.

    Daring Fireball: On Ming-Chi Kuo’s Report of a 24-Inch ARM iMac

    → 8:05 AM, Jul 4
  • Poor advertisers... thanks to Apple’s iOS 14.

    They are the ones who will suffer the most from Apple’s iOS 14. Good for them. If they want to show ads, the burden of finding new ways is on them, not on Apple’s shoulders or on ours. In other words: fuck them. European advertisers critical of iOS 14 warning users about ad tracking - Appleinsider

    → 8:03 AM, Jul 3
  • How much memory the video subsystem of an ARM-based Mac will have?

    → 7:12 PM, Jul 2
  • Very interesting but improbable theories…. twitter.com/stroughto…

    → 3:12 PM, Jul 2
  • Widgets & iPadOS - Apple is in a “bad design choice” corner

    I’ve been thinking a lot about the limited support of widgets in iPadOS 14. While waiting for an answer from Craig Federighi (see previous posts), I think I know why. The way Apple introduced widgets in iPadOS 13 kind of put themselves in a “bad design choice” corner.

    Take an iPad with iPadOS 13 in landscape orientation with widgets showing on the left, now look what happens when rotating the iPad in portrait mode. See? Imagine widgets all over the home screen. How could the iPad handle this orientation change gracefully? You tell me.

    → 3:14 PM, Jul 1
  • With iOS 14 Beta 1, I don’t see any announced feature that won’t make it in the final GM release. This is good. 👌🏻

    → 3:04 PM, Jul 1
  • My first email to Apple’s top lieutenant: Craig Federighi. Yep, I did it, following my recent blog post. Now, waiting for a possible answer.🤞🏻 numericcitizen.me/2020/07/0…

    → 10:58 AM, Jul 1
  • A bizarre upcoming fall schedule for Apple? #iphone12 #ios14

    If iPhone 12 launch is effectively delayed by a few weeks or months, could Apple decide to release iOS 14 for currently shipping devices while we wait for iPhone 12? It would be a first for Apple, but I certainly hope so. #iphone12 9to5mac.com/2020/07/0…

    → 6:31 AM, Jul 1
  • Great comments about iOS 14 from Benjamin Mayo. “Widgets on the home screen are just perfect.” bzamayo.com/ios14-fir…

    → 10:49 AM, Jun 30
  • Marques Brownlee interviews Craig Federighi. As @Gruber points out, the killer question: why no calculator on iPad.

    Now, why iPadOS 14 doesn’t allow “free” placement of widgets would have been a much better killer question IMHO. www.youtube.com/watch

    → 6:21 AM, Jun 30
  • Interesting tidbits here about iPhone apps running on macOS 11. How many devs will “port” their iPhone app to Mac remains to be seen. Can’t wait for the future. twitter.com/_inside/s…

    → 6:17 AM, Jun 29
  • Apple is always about moving forward, even if it means rewriting its own software countless times or breaking things. We pay them, as customers, to make these choices. #apple sixcolors.com/link/2020…

    → 6:13 AM, Jun 29
  • Simple and eayto implement idea. birchtree.me

    iOS 14 Could Make Changing Your Wallpaper Much Easier

    → 9:41 PM, Jun 28
  • I’m no longer an indie developer but looking at SwiftUI videos from WWDC is really interesting. What a cool technology.

    → 7:09 PM, Jun 28
  • Does the maturing of SwiftUI is an enabler for an iPad version of Xcode? This version of Xcode would be leaving behind ObjC and “legacy” stuff and create SwiftUI-only apps, is it a reasonable thinking? #wwdc #wwdc20 #wwdc2020 #apple #ios #ipados

    → 1:38 PM, Jun 28
  • On Siri updated design #wwdc #wwdc20 #wwdc2020 #ios14

    I like the new Siri design but I don’t like it after all. The animated sphere placement feels wrong as it leave space on top of it on which we cannot interact. Siri answers and feedbacks onscreen position feel very inconsistent. Sometimes it will appear at the top with another smaller banner at the bottom. Sometimes only a banner at the top.

    → 12:16 PM, Jun 28
  • Putting the final touches to my WWDC20 conference comments and review. More than 3000 words. Hope you like to read. #wwdc #wwdc20 #wwdc2020

    → 10:31 AM, Jun 28
  • This is what Apple could or should have put online with the watch face sharing ability in iOS 14 and watchOS 7. Really cool initiative. #wwdc #wwdc20 #wwdc2020 twitter.com

    → 11:31 AM, Jun 26
  • My thought of the day: We’ll never see iPad in size larger than 12.9 inches because larger devices like this could be an ARM Mac with large screen AND touch support. #wwdc #wwdc20 #wwdc2020 #apple

    → 4:04 PM, Jun 25
  • I’m fed up of Apple bragging about its 2 millions apps in the App Store. I fuckin don’t care because we all know the vast majority is pure crap or of very low value.

    There, I said it. #wwdc #wwdc20 #wwdc2020

    → 3:44 PM, Jun 25
  • iOS 14 Widgets and Anxiety #wwdc #wwdc20 #wwdc2020

    Following the reveal of widgets support on iOS 14, I’m feeling anxiety over how I’will “design” my home screens coming this fall. The same kind of feeling related to my Apple Watch watch face design, btw.

    What role will play the App Library? Will I reduce my reliance on folders for organizing my apps and add more pages that I can hide as needed? How many pages reserved for widgets only will I create and for which use case?

    Decision, decision, decision.

    → 11:39 AM, Jun 24
  • The Secret Feature of Upcoming ARM-Based Mac #wwdc #wwdc20 #wwdc2020 #apple

    Wild dream of the day: what if a silent yet unannounced feature of the ARM-based Mac is touch support? Looking at one of the WWDC session video called “Adopt the new look of macOS Big Sur”, spacing of many UI elements certainly feels in preparation of touch support introduction. Plus, iPhone apps running unmodified on these machines would feel at home with touch support.

    → 11:32 AM, Jun 24
  • On macOS Big Fur surprising visual and design attributes #wwdc #wwdc20

    Taken out of one of @gruber recent post. In red: the Cancel button looks like being disabled. Very bad. The menu bar transparency, why? Is Apple trying to make us forget about this distinctive UI element? In yellow: the window title being no longer at the center, to make room for buttons (that look less and less like buttons)…
    In green: a depth effect with surrounding shadow, thumbs up. General look of the refresh popup dialog, very iOS is refreshing on the Mac.

    → 9:43 PM, Jun 23
  • For those wondering… I’m still trying to wrap my head around the start of the WWDC20 week, started by this exceptional opening keynote. So far, the best words for describing my feelings are “a near perfect balancing act”. #apple #wwdc20 #wwdc2020 #wwdc

    Stay tuned for more.

    → 8:29 PM, Jun 23
  • What a timing…. HEY #wwdc #wwdc20 #wwdc2020 #apple Apple, HEY, and the path forward

    → 9:21 AM, Jun 22
  • More then ever it seems tech pundits and tech savvy people are asking for real, meaningful and transformative changes by Apple. Will they deliver? #wwdc #wwdc20 #wwdc2020

    → 8:46 AM, Jun 22
  • Apple moving to ARM: another game changer move in the works #wwdc #wwdc20 #apple

    Today, it will be interesting to see how Apple is positioning its move from Intel to ARM.

    To me, one thing is clear: this could be another game changer move. Apple has proven many times in the past that you don’t need to own a market (PC sales) to create new inflection points on its trajectory. Remember when Apple legitimize the use of the USB ports in its original iMac? Now, they could legitimize the use of ARM on traditional computers.

    If I was Intel, I would be scared.

    → 6:36 AM, Jun 22
  • This week gonna be very busy with #WWDC20. Check out the carefully crafted newsletter “Apple’s Upcomings” and subscribe to stay in the loop. Summary sent every day @ 7:00PM. Thanks to Mailbrew. 👈🏻👌🏻🙏🏻 share.mailbrew.com/apple_obs…

    → 7:32 PM, Jun 21
  • Oopsy, Apple! You Download the App and it Doesn’t Work

    → 5:10 PM, Jun 21
  • If Apple starts the transition from Intel to ARM with lowest volume Mac, I would have expected they do it starting with the Mac mini. Kuo confirms ARM at WWDC: 13.3-inch MacBook Pro and new 24-inch iMac will be the first ARM Macs, released as soon as Q4 - 9to5Mac

    → 3:03 PM, Jun 21
  • Apple's passive-aggressive attitude... #wwdc

    Apple’s ARM-based Macs (aggressive) transition plans… these rumours seems to point to a much more aggressive transition than I was expecting… Apple must know a few things that we don’t which could explain such an expedited transition. #wwdc2020 #wwdc www.macrumors.com/2020/06/2…

    → 11:40 AM, Jun 21
  • Dear Apple AirPort Extreme users, watch this space for something that could change your tech life forever. numericcitizen.me

    → 9:49 AM, Jun 21
  • We didn’t get an iOS 13.6 beta this week… final release next week?

    → 8:02 AM, Jun 20
  • Oops. You Download the App and it Doesn’t Work

    → 6:15 PM, Jun 19
  • Some (not many) interesting ideas for iOS 14 here. www.behance.net

    → 8:20 AM, Jun 19
  • Can’t wait for Apple to make iOS 13 look outdated next week. #wwdc #wwdc2020

    → 7:44 AM, Jun 19
  • HEY, what’s next? @DHH #apple #appstore

    Now, as a potential customer of HEY!, what I want to hear or read from @DHH is: what’s next? How are they tackling the problem in order to comply? Will they comply? I want to support their new platform AND their cause, but from a user standpoint, they have to put out a plan and communicate it ASAP.

    My 14 days trial will end on July 1st. I want to know before making a 99$ commitment.

    Hey, you’re turn now.

    → 7:23 AM, Jun 19
  • Hey Apple, you are in deep sh** #wwdc #wwdc2020 #appstore #iosdev

    As an Apple observer for more than four decades (yep!), I rarely seen such a public relation mess like the one this week, a week before WWDC. Apple messed up big time with the worst possible timing by alienating their developers. On top of that, their definition of apps that doesn’t work upon startup is already being smashed by so many counter-examples. This is a complete mess and I don’t know how Apple will get out of this shit. If goes far beyond the 30% commission.

    **This is not the Apple that I want to see, promote and embrace. **

    → 7:02 AM, Jun 19
  • ‪“30% is way too high!!!”. Why? On what basis this is too high? What is “not too high”? And on what basis? Is it because you have no choice that you find it too high? #apple #apps #appstore #AppStoreAntitrust ‬

    → 4:20 PM, Jun 18
  • Looks like Apple’s “free run" is about to come to an end. #apps #appstore #2020

    → 3:53 PM, Jun 18
  • THIS. twitter.com/dhh/statu…

    → 9:45 AM, Jun 17
  • Hey, and Apple - must read thread by @dhh

    Here is a MUST READ thread by @dhh about Apple messing around the launch of Hey, a new and innovative email service. I wish Hey gets though this. I support their fight because Apple is fucking arrogant here… I want Apple to open up… or else. Please, share.

    twitter.com/dhh/statu…

    → 5:01 PM, Jun 16
  • When Fantastical shows Apple what they should do with Calender

    Fantastical latest update (v3.1) could be the thing that bring me back to it: integrated support for nearly all major video conferencing applications. As a big user of Webex, Teams, Zoom, this could be really useful for me. apps.apple.com/ca/app/fa…

    → 12:26 PM, Jun 16
  • On Apple, education and healthcare

    At the very beginning of Apple, their leadership was young and they cared about education. Apple became popular in the edu market simply because they built their products around it. They succeeded.

    Now, Apple leadership is getting older and they now care about healthcare. The story repeats itself as they build many products and features around that. Will success follow? It certainly looks like it. How Apple becomes the operating system for health - Philip Elmer‑DeWitt

    → 9:51 PM, Jun 14
  • Interesting predictions on what could happen in the Mac world in the coming years. I want to bookmark this article and come back to it following the WWDC conference. #macOS #apple bs_labs: Re-engine, Not Re-imagine

    → 9:41 PM, Jun 14
  • I’m already in love with it. Alleged iPhone 12 Molds and CAD Images Show New iPad Pro-Style Design - MacRumors

    → 3:55 PM, Jun 14
  • I hope the redesign of the iMac will be ugly as hell so I don’t get tempted to replace my 2017 21.5 iMac. 😂😂😂 iMac Redesign 2020 - Chin or no Chin - MacRumors Forums

    → 9:33 AM, Jun 13
  • You see, we are all fine. Jony Ive not working at Apple.

    → 12:15 PM, Jun 12
  • Thought of the day: thanks to COVID-19, this year’s online-only #WWDC conference will be the only one I can attend just for the fun of it and because I’m an Apple “fanboy”. You could say it’s like a dream coming true.

    → 7:07 AM, Jun 12
  • I feel deception about Apple announcing a live stream for the keynote. I hope the experience won’t feel too “weird”, “awkward” without anybody in the room. #wwdc #wwdc2020

    → 4:14 PM, Jun 11
  • BREAKING NEWS #2: Now iTunes U is being dismantled.

    iTunes U is the next victim after iBooks Author. I’m not sure Apple’s Classroom and Schoolwork are fully replacing iTunes U’s features set. Let’s wait and see.

    Also, this change of direction from Apple creates a big opportunity for Google which is already well established.

    → 2:30 PM, Jun 10
  • BREAKING NEWS: iBooks Author is dead.

    Now it’s official, Apple iBooks Author is being retired. Upcoming update to Pages will be able to import Books from iBooks Author. It is a sad day for many content creators, I’m sure, me included.

    → 12:34 PM, Jun 10
  • Great take by @gruber on rumoured ARM-based Macs. Still a lot of lingering questions though but this is exactly what makes this so interesting. Daring Fireball: On Apple Announcing the ARM Mac Transition at WWDC This Month

    → 6:27 PM, Jun 9
  • I changing my mind. Again.

    Well, maybe I’ll keep buying traditional computers after all. 🤓 This iMac mockup by MacRumors is a bit dumb, but we get the idea, right? This iMac would be the quintessential of desktop, all-in-one design Apple has ever made. New iMac With ‘iPad Pro Design Language’ and Thin Bezels Reportedly Coming at WWDC - MacRumors

    → 11:12 AM, Jun 9
  • As iPad is getting more and more powerful (in hardware and software), I wonder if I will ever buy a new Mac in the future. Many are probably in the same situation which is interesting in light of possible switch to ARM-based Mac by Apple.

    → 6:18 AM, Jun 9
  • Great new webpage on Apple’s website: iPhone + Apple Watch, better together. Love the design and animations while you scroll down. Try it. iPhone + Apple Watch - Apple

    → 5:48 AM, Jun 9
  • Remember iOS 7 redesign reveal in 2013? One of the most impactful change Apple introduced from which Apple is still trying to recover from. #wwdc #apple #iosdev twitter.com/marcoarme…

    → 11:21 AM, Jun 8
  • This is the Apple that I love. Thanks, Mr @Tim_Cook. www.apple.com/speaking-…

    → 10:00 AM, Jun 4
  • In a world full of subscriptions, this app not only looks great but could prove to be useful. Outgoings apps.apple.com

    → 6:15 AM, Jun 3
  • I’m not in the market for bookmarking apps but this one certainly looks really nice, well designed and focused. Readit apps.apple.com

    → 6:09 AM, Jun 3
  • Expectations Too High for #WWDC? Probably...

    In my recently published wish list for WWDC 2020, I think I under-stated how anxious I am about the “virtual keynote”.

    I wish for something closer to a movie than a keynote. Not too much on the info-pub side, something entertaining while being informative and enticing. I want to see Tim Cook at the main character, Craig Federighi in a supporting role. Don’t be too “general public”, be geeky as hell. Impress me, delight me. Show me the future, now!

    My expectations are (too?) high for WWDC 2020. I know.

    → 2:52 PM, Jun 1
  • I wish we could send messages to Siri from within iMessage. “What is the weather for tomorrow?”. Wouldn’t it be cool?

    → 7:44 PM, May 30
  • The sad state of affairs with iTunes U and iBooks Author. Where is Apple? That is sad to see Apple leave these critical markets to Google. Making the Grade: COVID-19 allowed Google Classroom to shine, while iTunes U hasn’t been updated in years - 9to5Mac

    → 8:26 AM, May 30
  • I’ll take the black one. Thank you. More Photos and Video of Apple’s Redesigned Leather Loop Watch Band Surface - MacRumors

    → 12:55 PM, May 28
  • Please, Apple, do something about this in iOS 14. Thank you. #ipados #ios #apple IMG 6995

    → 12:04 PM, May 28
  • I see too way many springboard reboots or even iPad reboots under iPadOS 13.4 and 13.5. What is going on here, Apple?

    → 6:37 AM, May 28
  • iOS widgets concept… Who is digging? I’m not sure. dribbble.com/shots/115…

    → 12:46 PM, May 26
  • Really? Good news. Just skip USB-C ang go wireless only! This is my next. 👀Rumor: ‘iPhone 12’ to integrate Lightning instead of USB-C, port-less iPhone coming in 2021 - Appleinsider

    → 7:23 PM, May 25
  • I’ve been working on my own version of a wish list for WWDC… there is so many things yet to be done by Apple in so many spheres in their ecosystem…

    What do you want the most from Apple this year from a software standpoint? #wwdc #wwdc2020 #apple

    → 11:24 AM, May 25
  • Replacing an aging AirPort Extreme with...

    Slowly looking for a replacement for my aging AirPort Extreme router. For me, the physical look is as important as well as the application to manage it. Ubiquity looks really nice, very Apple’ish. App review not too bad but not exceptional either. Still confused for what to do.

    One thing for sure: not going the Google way or the Amazon (eero) way.

    It’s so sad that Apple exited this market… 😞 only to enter the « smart speaker »… 🤦🏻‍♂️

    → 3:49 PM, May 23
  • While Apple is focusing on mobile, they leave a lot critical things beind… education market is the other one. Sad.

    twitter.com/steipete/…

    → 10:24 AM, May 23
  • Time to start writing my own wish list for WWDC2020. #wwdc2020 #wwdc #apple

    → 9:14 AM, May 23
  • I can believe we will have to endure another year of stupid, useless, out of proportion rumours about Apple’s Glasses. 🤦🏻‍♂️ #apple #glasses #rumours #stopitalready

    → 7:54 PM, May 21
  • Woah, great web design here. If only Apple Card was available in Canada. 🙏🏻 Apple Card - Apple

    → 8:57 PM, May 20
  • When leakers gain at the expense and lost of others…. and presents this as being as proud as those teams working their life on this… I just don’t support this. www.macrumors.com

    ‘Apple Glass’ Rumored to Start at $499, Support Prescription Lenses, and More

    → 4:45 PM, May 19
  • Can’t wait for iOS 13.5. I love these .X updates. Wishing for a few bug fixes on iPadOS related to keyboard handling and share sheet shadow frames… #ios135 #apple

    → 5:52 PM, May 18
  • If rumored iPhone 12 Pro specs are real, this year could mark a change for me: upgrading even after upgrading to 11 Pro last year instead of skipping a few generations. #apple #iphone12pro

    → 2:06 PM, May 18
  • Interesting poll on 9to5Mac on the Magic Keyboard draining the iPad Pro battery. I’m one of those who think it makes a difference, faster battery draining.

    → 8:18 AM, May 18
  • Steve Jobs on building tech people want to buy

    Still true in 2020. twitter.com

    Jon Erlichman (@JonErlichman) Tweeted: Steve Jobs in 2006 on why it’s tough to make tech products people want:

    “A lot of companies do things because it’s technically possible. But in the end, nobody cares. Nobody wants to buy them.” t.co/BAScyzcaR…

    → 5:42 PM, May 16
  • iMessage for Business. FaceTime for Business. Full integration with the calender, iMessage and Mail. Welcome to the COVID19 world, Apple.

    → 3:53 PM, May 16
  • Went on the AppleInsider this morning. First time I see the updated design. I'm not sure I like the result. Why? Too much ads. RSS feed to the rescue.

    → 8:11 AM, May 15
  • Woah, 1Password you are being needy! Always freaky. 1Password request

    → 2:03 PM, May 14
  • A rare photo of Steve Jobs. Still missing him. [twitter.com/shellen/s...]

    → 2:00 PM, May 14
  • I would love to see @markgurman response to [@gruber](https://micro.blog/gruber) comments. But, I don’t really count on it because it never happens. Somehow, I think next year’s products are more impacted than this year. [daringfireball.net]

    > Bloomberg Publishes Clickbait in Break From Rivals

    → 7:01 AM, May 14
  • Apple thinks we are eternal

    Death is an everyday subject these days. How is Apple helping people in dealing with people's death? For example, what happens to Apple's Family Sharing if the family organizer passed away? If you use iTunes Family Sharing, special attention must be paid to the « Family Organizer » role. If he or she dies, there is no way to give this role to another member of the iTunes Family. Have you ever wondered what happens if you want to close an Apple ID account of a diseased person? What if you don't even know how to access it?

    Searching for the word « death » on Apple’s support site doesn’t bring any information related to tackling the death of someone. Apple's support to help users deal with death is abysmal.

    → 6:05 AM, May 14
  • How long before 8GB or more of memory in iPad Pro? #apple #ipadpro

    → 5:18 PM, May 13
  • Interesting comparison of the current iPhone notch and the rumoured iPhone 12’s. Wonder how Apple will use the space. [twitter.com]

    → 6:58 AM, May 13
  • iPhone SE performance and Android... really?

    Should we care? I mean, general performance of a smartphone is crucial for a great user experience but... compared to Android, really? for the vast majority of people, do they care, besides the entry price? [Daring Fireball: Let’s Check In on the State of iPhone and Android CPU Performance]

    → 7:06 PM, May 12
  • Coronavirus and Apple’s products

    One of the thing that will get my attention about Apple in the coming months and years: how the coronavirus will impact features and designs of Apple’s products, both in hardware and software.

    The obvious example is the FaceTime camera on Mac computers. The second obvious example is FaceTime application in general, not to compete against Zoom or others, but to make it more useful and bringing more value to human visual communications.

    → 7:17 AM, May 12
  • Magic Keyboard: Apple’s Laptop Conversion Kit – His Dork Materials

    The Magic Keyboard makes us want more from iPadOS: real and complete external monitor support.

    Magic Keyboard: Apple’s Laptop Conversion Kit – His Dork Materials:

    → 11:11 AM, May 10
  • On the lack of Flash support on the iPhone

    I remember arguing with a guy on supporting flash challenges like transposing « hovering » events with the mouse pointer. How on earth someone could « hover » with their fingers on the screen for content to change accordingly? That wasn’t possible obviously.

    Now, look at the iPad with the just introduced pointer support. It’s exactly that, hovering on buttons make the pointer morph into the button’s shape. Fascinating.

    Vintage 2007 Claim Chowder: Josh Quittner Returned His iPhone daringfireball.net/linked/20…

    → 9:45 AM, May 9
  • Probably the best utility for iOS.

    Check this system activity and data monitor app for iOS! apps.apple.com/app/id970…

    → 7:34 AM, May 9
  • Apple Books for Authors - what about iBooks Author?

    You know what I'd like to see from Apple? An update to their aging iBooks Author application on macOS. This is what I'd like to see. Last update was in 2018.... come on.

    Apple Books for Authors:

    → 4:16 PM, May 8
  • New: Apple Store Online

    One of the thing that I like about Apple: web design. Clean. Simple. This store front is new and only in the US, for now.

    Apple Store Online - Apple

    → 6:56 AM, May 8
  • A 299$ piece of art.

    → 7:30 PM, May 7
  • 'X-ray teardown' of iPad Pro Magic Keyboard illustrates complex engineering

    iPad Pro Magic Keyboard: This piece of equipment, simple on the outside, a marvel of engineering on the inside. So cool.

    'X-ray teardown' of iPad Pro Magic Keyboard illustrates complex engineering:

    → 3:08 PM, May 7
  • Why there is no visualizer in Apple's Music Player or apps like @Cosmicast? Would be so cool.

    → 2:22 PM, May 6
  • I never made it to the WWDC conference. This year, being a virtual-only event, I wonder what a paid developer account would get me compared to general public. #iosdev #appledeveloppers #apple

    → 1:35 PM, May 6
  • Another vision of the future of computing my friends. I like it too. Apple has not the monopoly of truth here. #microsoft #surfacego #surfacetablet

    [twitter.com/ow/status...](https://twitter.com/ow/status/1258020277763674112?s=21)

    → 11:28 AM, May 6
  • When macOS behave like Windows

    I had to reboot my iMac this morning to fix weird issues (no sound in FaceTime calls, iCloud sync not going anywhere, etc.) And now this, after reboot. WTF. iCloud-based services can be scary. How am I supposed to fix this now. Don't tell me I have to turn off iCloud Photo Library and turn it back on. Please. ICloud Photo Library restore

    → 6:52 AM, May 6
  • Really nice visual. WWDC2020 Invite

    → 5:59 AM, May 6
  • WWDC2020 is starting on June 22th or @ iOS 14 beta 2. #wwdc2020 @wwdc20 @apple

    → 12:38 PM, May 5
  • Here we go. WWDC2020. All virtual. Open to ALL developers. Two weeks later than usual. 2020 is definitely a special year. #wwdc2020 #apple #wwdc

    → 11:58 AM, May 5
  • Finally.

    A well deserved **finally**. Bye bye butterfly keyboard.

    https://www.macrumors.com/2020/05/04/rip-butterfly-keyboard/

    → 12:52 PM, May 4
  • Is Apple subsidizing iPhone SE pricing with services revenues from some sort of expected services consumption by its owner? 

    → 6:44 AM, May 1
  • Liking this a lot. But, I upgraded to the iPhone 11 Pro last fall. I’ll probably wait next year. 

    Rumored iPhone 12 Lineup

    → 6:37 AM, May 1
  • You don't have to love the iPad

    Thought of the day, from Francisco Tolmasky on Twitter: 

    The frustrating thing about the iPad is that I constantly feel that I need to be buying into a philosophy

    Well said. For me, it doesn’t represent an issue. I love to buy into this philosophy because it is different, delightful. His tweet, one is a series is interesting. But, one the following ones, things get just wrong:

    Propping iPad up at a *good* angle? Pay $350 for a cover that prevents you from using it like a book anymore.

    I don’t get it. Remove the iPad from its keyboard and voilà! Simple. And this:

    the iPad is now a worse tablet with the Magic Keyboard. It kind of sucks for typing in bed compared to the software keyboard, and it’s unusable for reading since it doesn’t flip around like a true cover.

    What? Can someone explain him that he can remove the iPad from the keyboard when he goes to bed at night? This thread just feel “trolly". The iPad is obviously not for him but he doesn’t know it yet. 

    → 6:29 AM, May 1
  • Is Apple doomed now?

    Well, at first glance, Apple’s financial numbers are pretty solid, considering the current situation. Services and wearables are shining. The future is uncertain. Apple didn’t provide any guidance which is expected I guess. It could have been much worst as experts and pundits were expecting lower numbers. 

    → 7:59 PM, Apr 30
  • See what happens when you start using the things that you make. #apple #facetime

    Another iOS 13.5 Beta Tweak: An Option to Disable ‘Automatic Prominence’ for the Current Speaker’s Tile in Group FaceTime daringfireball.net/linked/20…

    → 8:16 PM, Apr 29
  • As documented in my blog post: on why FaceTime is losing, The upcoming iOS 13.5 release will address one of the major complain about Group FaceTime: variable prominence. The upcoming release will allow users to disable this feature allow for fixed tile size. #apple #facetime 

    → 4:29 PM, Apr 29
  • That is my feeling too. #apple #ipadpro #magickeyboard

    Magic Keyboard: Apple’s Laptop Conversion Kit – His Dork Materials hisdorkmaterials.com/magic-key…

    → 6:58 AM, Apr 29
  • Remember when we used to write « this year is the year of Linux »? 🤔

    With the Magic Keyboard, 2020 is the year when iPad is a real laptop replacement. 😳🤷🏻‍♂️

    → 8:27 PM, Apr 28
  • Using LumaFusion with the Magic Keyboard is really cool but I can’t wait for the updated version that takes advantage of the trackpad. Oh and editing 4K videos on an iPad Pro is incredibly fast! 🙃

    → 6:30 AM, Apr 28
  • The Magic Keyboard makes me want a bigger iPad. But at the same time I know I would miss the smaller size. Oh well.

    → 9:01 PM, Apr 27
  • So spot on. This is the beauty of the iPad. #apple #ipadpro #magickeyboard

    Jason Snell Reviews the 12.9-Inch iPad Magic Keyboard daringfireball.net/linked/20…

    → 8:43 PM, Apr 27
  • One more month to perfect iOS 14 then.

    twitter.com/9to5mac/s…

    → 7:00 AM, Apr 27
  • To FaceTime users, did your usage of it increased because of your confinement? If not, why? What are your pain points with FaceTime as it is today? Working on a blog post about this. Thanks. 

    → 11:51 AM, Apr 26
  • Question of the day: have you ever wondered why FaceTime settings are not located in iCloud settings? Working on a special blog post related to FaceTime.

    → 8:01 AM, Apr 26
  • This is why I chose “transformative accessory” in my blog post reviewing the Magic Keyboard for the iPad Pro. Happy to see it is seen that way by others too.

    Magic Keyboard for iPad Pro review: Living the dream sixcolors.com/post/2020…

    → 11:52 AM, Apr 25
  • Interesting “study” posted on BirchTree blog. From my personal experience, since iPadOS 13.4: using a mouse or a trackpad and a keyboard certainly drains more power than using the iPad alone. birchtree.me

    Does the Magic Keyboard Kill iPad Battery? (or: Another Boring Chart)

    → 8:51 AM, Apr 25
  • The transition from Intel-based Mac to ARM-Based machines will be the most interesting thing happening technologically, marketing-wise in the world of Apple since a long time. [Making macOS run well on ARM processors isn’t the hard part - The Verge](https://www.theverge.com/2020/4/24/21233661/macos-arm-processor-transition-apps-developers-catalyst-wwdc)

    → 8:31 AM, Apr 25
  • Five years. Already. I’m still delighted by this product. Currently on Series 4 and looking forward for Series 6. #applewatch twitter.com/imranchau…

    → 3:45 PM, Apr 24
  • My upcoming review of the **Apple’s Magic Keyboard** for the iPad Pro is a little bit shy of 2000 words. Who knew. Coming out shortly. 

    → 9:55 AM, Apr 24
  • No. Nothing is good about this iOS 14 mockup. Exhibit A: complication for iPhone doesn’t make sense. Stop it. Exhibit B: redesign of the receive call screen has to consider thumbs-based operations. 

    [www.youtube.com/embed/NpX...](https://www.youtube.com/embed/NpXc_PtCRO0)

    → 9:24 AM, Apr 23
  • 👉🏻 Nice exposure and validation for @gruber review of the 2020 iPhone SE. 😉

    Schiller retweets Gruber

    → 8:12 AM, Apr 23
  • On the iPhone 11 being the new iPhone XR:

    • People are keeping their phone longer
    • While a maturing market, new iPhone are gaining traction quickly

    [www.ped30.com/2020/04/2...](https://www.ped30.com/2020/04/22/cirp-iphone-11-boomers/)

    → 8:49 AM, Apr 22
  • My first micro.blog post from… 🤫 I’m delighed. Probably one of the best keyboard ever designed by Apple.

    → 8:17 PM, Apr 21
  • Apple: let’s help us practice and iron out details before the big show… WWDC. Virtual Session from Apple

    → 11:59 AM, Apr 21
  • Great (and surprising) exposure to @Gruber ’s review of the Magic Keyboard… great review overall but the first paragraphs were not exactly what’s Apple ordered (if I may use that expression). 

    [twitter.com/pschiller...](https://twitter.com/pschiller/status/1252426100237451265) 

    → 11:27 AM, Apr 21
  • Before returning to Apple’s Reminders, I was a big fan of Things for its design quality. I’m happy to see this update taking advantage of Apple’s recent technologies. Things 3 for iPad updated with extensive support for trackpad - 9to5Mac

    → 7:18 PM, Apr 20
  • Woah, I love this iPad Pro + Magic Keyboard ad. Surprisingly, for a Pro setup, there is nothing Pro in the ad. #apple #ipadpro #magickeyboard 

    [www.youtube.com/watch](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nnZeDt2c8Yo)

    → 3:31 PM, Apr 20
  • Big update to Ferrite today. Version 2.5 introduces something that should be made at the operating system level: presentation mode where user interactions are explicitly shown on the screen. With iOS screen recording on, this makes great learning videos.

    → 12:31 PM, Apr 20
  • The iPad Pro coupled to the Magic Keyboard weight as much as a real laptop. Well, you asked for it and now here it is, stop complaining the iPad cannot replace a laptop. It can now. #whocares #ipadpro #magickeyboard

    → 12:05 PM, Apr 20
  • iPadOS 14 + Xcode + ARM-Base MacBook 12" coming?

    First, this: twitter.com/jon_pross…

    Xcode is rumored to be coming to iPad via iPadOS 14.

    Then, this: twitter.com/l0vetodre…

    The latter tweet explicitly mentions an ARM-based MacBook 12" is coming.

    Are you getting it?

    → 6:26 AM, Apr 20
  • This cool graphic showing the evolution of the iPhone greatly complements my own.

    Fascinating to see the multiplication of models over time.

    twitter.com/imicsun/s…

    → 1:52 PM, Apr 19
  • I don’t have any insight information from Apple but my gut feeling from following Apple for more than 40 years… no USB-C port ever on the iPhone.

    twitter.com/jon_pross…

    → 7:47 AM, Apr 19
  • Woah. After placing my order for the Magic Keyboard on the first few hours of availability, the shipping date was 14 days. Now only 5 days. Under promise, over deliver. 😎

    Magic Keyboard in its way to me!
    → 6:44 PM, Apr 18
  • Gyroscope app looks so great, since its beginning. But looking at reviews and being subscription based makes me pause. apps.apple.com

    → 1:15 PM, Apr 18
  • If you pay attention, there are already a few quick iPad Pro Magic Keyboard reviews floating around the Internet… 😳

    → 7:49 AM, Apr 18
  • We will never know but I wonder how Apple under Steve Jobs would have done. 🤔 Tim Cook tapped for California governor’s business recovery task force during pandemic - 9to5Mac

    → 5:06 PM, Apr 17
  • Remember Apple’s Mail Drop? Nice reminder of its existence this morning for sending two large files. Nice. 😁

    → 10:46 AM, Apr 17
  • On iPhone 12 Pro Max Design Leaks - woah #iphone12 #leaks

    Major design mockup of the iPhone 12 Pro Max. All based on CAD files in the wild. These guys 3D printed it so they could get a feeling of the device in their hands. The boxy design seems to be really nice to handle. Looking forward for more details. And the bezels will be much smaller too, making it a real full screen device. youtu.be/ZUXwDpGyl…

    → 6:22 AM, Apr 17
  • But, first, was it even scheduled for 2020? Delaying an unreleased products is something these days… 🤦🏻‍♂️ twitter.com/macrumors…

    → 2:01 PM, Apr 16
  • Can’t wait to write the sequel to this blog post. Magic Keyboard for iPad Pro ordered today. Should be at my door… in… 14 days. 😳🤷🏻‍♂️numericcitizen.me

    → 7:47 PM, Apr 15
  • With each new product launch, there is something new to look for on Apple’s product website from a design perspective. I kind of like this one. #iphoneSE #apple www.apple.com/iphone-se…

    → 2:30 PM, Apr 15
  • If this was the real iPhone 12 design… man I would love this! A mix of iPhone 5, iPad Pro and iPhone X. twitter.com/PhoneDesi…

    → 2:22 PM, Apr 15
  • This will be a long 14 days.

    → 10:46 AM, Apr 15
  • After the black iPhone 7, the black iPhone 5 was the best iPhone design of all time. Can’t wait to see the iPhone 12. #iphone #apple #iphone12 arstechnica.com

    → 1:56 PM, Apr 13
  • Today at Apple. At home. Cool. www.apple.com/today/fea…

    → 9:23 AM, Apr 12
  • The next thing we need from Apple to do (after putting more decent FaceTime cameras in their computers) is to implement screen sharing on iOS devices. Would be much easier to help others while in confinement. 🙏🏻🤦🏻‍♂️

    → 3:11 PM, Apr 10
  • What a very touching, moving and pertinent ad from Apple today. 🥰 Maybe this confinement makes me too sensitive. 😢 #apple #ads #marketing #coronavirus #creativity

    youtu.be/Kl1NW7h7l…

    → 3:00 PM, Apr 10
  • Bravo. Apple and Google partner on COVID-19 contact tracing technology - Apple

    → 12:25 PM, Apr 10
  • Next years laptops theme? Better webcams. I’m pointing at you Apple. #apple #macbook www.macsparky.com/blog/2020…

    → 6:41 AM, Apr 10
  • A game changer Apple Watch app: Watchsmith.

    Very promising new Apple Watch app: Watchsmith. I can see this coming to watchOS in some form or another in the future. There is a lot of potential here while waiting for custom watch faces from Apple. Subscription-based price a bit steep but I understand it must ensure sustainable development. We’ll see where it goes from here.

    → 6:42 AM, Apr 9
  • These stories about Apple’s internal IT group makes me think about The Phoenix Project. I’m not sure I’d like to work there.

    mjtsai.com/blog/2020…

    → 8:20 PM, Apr 8
  • Woah. ⌚️👀 twitter.com/iryantldr…

    → 9:47 AM, Apr 8
  • Another potential iPadOS game changer: introducing the iPad Main Menu.

    I think I just saw the future of iPadOS. Please, if you are an avid iPad user, take a moment to take a look at a potential feature that could be the next big game changer after the mouse support introduced with iPadOS 13.4. The following website perfectly illustrates a potential new system wide feature: iPad Main Menu. Dear Apple, please, oh please, consider this for iPadOS 14. 🙏🏻🥺

    www.ipadmenu.study

    → 6:53 PM, Apr 7
  • Oh. My. God. I’ll have to look ar this much more closely. My impressions are coming very soon. twitter.com

    → 11:33 AM, Apr 7
  • If you want to get a glimpse of the rumoured widgets design for iOS 14, look no further than the currently shipping iOS 13’s Control Center. I can see Apple’s desire to present a coherent look with this design. #apple #ipados14 #ios14

    Control Center in iOS
    → 6:01 AM, Apr 7
  • Interesting ideas over there. One question: could Apple limit use of widgets to the iPad? Concept imagines what home screen widgets could look like with iOS 14 - 9to5Mac

    → 9:35 PM, Apr 6
  • I’m hoping someone at Apple is noticing this brilliant idea. To me it does look like a good solution for a fundamental problem on iPadOS: discoverability. Bravo. 👍🏻👌🏻 #apple #ipados

    twitter.com/agiletort…

    → 7:52 PM, Apr 6
  • This is not the iPhone 9 launch nor the AirTags announcement. But this is important, relevant, at a time where there is such a deep and troubling lack of leadership. Thank you Mr. Cook. #apple #coronavirus #covid19 twitter.com/tim_cook/…

    → 6:03 PM, Apr 5
  • Buying the Magic Keyboard when available but using the standalone Magic Trackpad meanwhile 🤷🏻‍♂️. [Poll: Are you waiting for the iPad Pro Magic Keyboard or is a standalone trackpad sufficient? - 9to5Mac](9to5mac.com/2020/04/0…

    → 11:16 AM, Apr 5
  • Widgets on the homescreen? Sounds cool. [Leaked iOS 14 screenshot shows new wallpaper settings, beta code reveals Home screen widgets - 9to5Mac](9to5mac.com/2020/04/0…

    → 3:36 PM, Apr 4
  • I love ❤️ the design of this app. This is a onetime purchase too and there is no need to create an account, something that is far too frequent these days. Sadly, since the pandemic started, I put a pause on my running habits. apps.apple.com

    → 9:14 AM, Apr 4
  • I’m really getting hooked on Mailbrew. app.mailbrew.com

    Check out my newsletter “Numeric Citizen Internet Snapshot”

    → 6:26 PM, Apr 3
  • iPhone SE, again, really? I never liked this name. It reminds me of the Mac SE/30. #apple #iphonese twitter.com/SteveMose…

    → 6:21 AM, Apr 3
  • Very good post by @MacStories on the iPad’ Past, Present, and Future. I never been more enthusiastic about the iPad since iPadOS 13.4. #apple #ipad #ipados www.macstories.net/stories/f…

    → 10:58 AM, Apr 1
  • Sad news from the Omni Group 😟

    I used to be a big fan of OmniFocus from The OmniGroup. After having transited to Things when version 3.0 came out, I’m now, I’m back with Apple’s Reminders. For my business need, I now only use OmniGraffle in order to do technical diagrams. My hope is that layoffs doesn’t affect too much this app’s future on which I depend.

    Reference :https://inessential.com/2020/03/31/looking_for_work

    → 9:49 AM, Apr 1
  • I’m not sure that I like this. 🤔 [iOS 13.4.5 beta includes new option to share songs from Apple Music on Instagram Stories - 9to5Mac](9to5mac.com/2020/03/3…

    → 4:54 PM, Mar 31
  • The new templates that come with the latest update of Keynote are 👌🏻 🥰. And the new template chooser is really nice too! Bravo ! #apple #iwork #update

    → 4:47 PM, Mar 31
  • The Magic Trackpad + iPadOS 13.4: the perfect match, while waiting for the real thing to come next May, the Magic Keyboard with trackpad. #ipados134 #trackpad

    → 6:44 PM, Mar 30
  • When you have to eat your own dog food

    Now Apple will better understand how their software can be frustrating as hell…

    Apple staffers suffer work-from-home setbacks due to security guidelines, travel bans appleinsider.com/articles/…

    → 12:51 PM, Mar 30
  • Patiently waiting for this to arrive… because, you know… iPadOS 13.4. #ipados134 #apple #trackpadsupport

    → 9:59 AM, Mar 30
  • As the iPad Pro is gaining powerful CPU, input devices versatility, what’s left for the ARM-based Mac? #apple #ipad Kuo: Apple to Launch Several Macs With Arm-Based Processors in 2021, USB4 Support Coming to Macs in 2022 - MacRumors

    → 12:12 PM, Mar 28
  • I have high hopes on Apple to re-invent the WWDC conference. #iosdev #apple

    Chris Lattner Talks Swift, WWDC and More on This Week’s ATP Podcast www.macrumors.com/2020/03/2…

    → 12:05 PM, Mar 28
  • Ordered a Magic Trackpad 2 from Apple because… you know… iPadOS 13.4. Currently using the mouse but I do feel the trackpad experience will be even more delightful! #ipados134 #apple

    → 8:47 AM, Mar 28
  • Remember iOS 6 -> iOS 7 Redesign - Never Again

    The last time an Apple operating system went through a redesig, iOS for that matter (iOS 6 -> iOS 7), it didn’t go well. We still pay the price of this today.

    “The Verifier also outlines some of the features coming to watchOS 7, many of which we’ve heard before. watchOS 7 will allegedly include a “fresh design," updates to built-in apps, and improvements to Siri, with little other information included." - MacRumors

    → 1:54 PM, Mar 27
  • Is it me or using an iPad with a mouse and a keyboard makes the battery drain faster? #ipados #ipados134 #apple

    → 7:22 AM, Mar 26
  • FaceID on Mac, really?

    If FaceID comes on the Mac and a by-product is to get a better FaceTime camera, then, I’m all in. A notch for the iMac is stupid and unecessary though. #apple #faceid #mac #rumours appleinsider.com/articles/…

    → 6:12 AM, Mar 26
  • Effect of coronavirus on App Store downloads. Fascinating. #coronavirus #covid19 #appstore

    → 4:55 PM, Mar 24
  • Mmmm my hope is that Apple doesn’t come up with something like this because… I would… probably… upgrade? euh? 9to5mac.com/2020/03/2…

    → 4:16 PM, Mar 23
  • Putting the final touches to my take on iPadOS 13.4 mouse support and a few other things surroundings Apple’s announcements this week. More than 2000 words coming up! Stay tuned. #apple #ipados134

    → 9:47 AM, Mar 22
  • Who knows if Apple will re-invent the typical conference like they reinvented the phone in 2007. I would be really surprised if they cancel WWDC altogether. #coronavirus #covid19

    Google Cancels I/O Entirely daringfireball.net/linked/20…

    → 8:46 PM, Mar 21
  • Consider me very skeptical of this rumour… Apple seems to follow an 18 months upgrade cycle for the iPad Pro. New iPad Pro is out, but there’s still another one on the way - 9to5Mac

    → 9:13 AM, Mar 21
  • If something has to change after COVID-19 it is: electronic payments only.

    → 5:01 PM, Mar 20
  • I’m sorry to interrupt but the external keyboard was part of the original concept of the iPad. ☝🏻

    Apple finally admits Microsoft was right about tablets www.theverge.com/2020/3/19…

    → 5:26 PM, Mar 19
  • This is the pure beauty of the iPad. #apple #ipad #ipados

    The iPad cursor is here, no wait required sixcolors.com/post/2020…

    → 7:22 AM, Mar 19
  • At this rate, with all the improvements coming to the iPad (both in hardware & software), I’m not sure I’ll ever upgrade my 2017 iMac. And my next iPad could be the 12.9 (currently have the 11’’ 2018 iPad Pro). #apple #ipad #ipados

    → 6:58 AM, Mar 19
  • Mail.app in iPadOS 13.4 doesn’t have the redesigned toolbar like on the iOS version? Really? #apple #ipados134 #ios134

    → 6:53 PM, Mar 18
  • These Apple product releases today are some good diversion from the current crisis… #apple #covid19

    → 8:23 AM, Mar 18
  • Still to come this week (friday?): updated Apple TV with redesigned Apple TV remote? #apple #appletv

    → 8:06 AM, Mar 18
  • The iPad Pro micro website on Apple.com is back to vertical scrolling. Good lord, thank you Apple! But scrolling speed is not smooth on powerful Macs. Oh well. www.apple.com/ipad-pro/

    → 7:55 AM, Mar 18
  • Apple could decide to only release software for the rest of the year as it could be easier to build while working remotely. Just an idea. #apple

    → 5:49 PM, Mar 17
  • I was on the impression that we would get a press release a day from Apple this week. Seems it’s not the case after all. Maybe iOS 13.4 tomorrow. We’ll see. They could release it without announcing new hardware.

    → 3:05 PM, Mar 17
  • On the verge of a week with many possible new Apple product releases, it will take a miracle for them to be noticed. #covid19 #apple 😔

    → 7:59 PM, Mar 15
  • Great summary of Apple’s actions in this COVID-19 crisis. #covid19 #apple twitter.com/reneritch…

    → 7:42 AM, Mar 14
  • No. #iOS14 9to5mac.com/2020/03/1…

    → 1:37 PM, Mar 13
  • Really nice ad from Apple: AirPods Pro - Snap #apple #airpodspro

    www.youtube.com/watch

    → 11:36 AM, Mar 11
  • On watchOS 7 and shareable watch face - an edge case example (hit link for the details)

    What if a watch face uses a complication from a third-party app that the other user don’t have installed? How would this situation be handled? Highly probable edge case IMHO.

    watchOS 7 to include new ‘International’ Apple Watch face with multiple country flags - 9to5Mac 9to5mac.com/2020/03/1…

    → 11:16 AM, Mar 11
  • Not sure about this one. The wording is to the effect that it will be a separate page with a list view, not a full new mode.

    iOS 14 to include new homescreen list view option with Siri suggestions and more - 9to5Mac 9to5mac.com/2020/03/1…

    → 4:19 PM, Mar 10
  • What? 😳🤔🧐 I’m not sure how I feel about that one. #apple #ios14

    iOS 14: Major accessibility features, Alipay Apple Pay, wallpaper app integration, more - 9to5Mac 9to5mac.com/2020/03/1…

    → 4:15 PM, Mar 10
  • Be caution for what you ask for (hit link for my take on macOS with touch support)

    A bit old but since many are still requesting it… it is much a harder to make macOS touch-friendly than making iPadOS mouse-friendly. Touch support will come to macOS via Catalyst apps and ARM-based Mac. Mark my words. That being said, from what I’m seing from people with Windows-based machines with touch support, very people actually use it on a regular basis if at all. It’s about time for a Mac with a touch interface - Macworld

    → 8:23 PM, Mar 7
  • Thanks to Apple for simplifying our numeric life (click link for more details)

    Fascinating analysis by Jason Snell on vanishing ports from 15"/16" MacBook over the years. My take: Thanks to Apple for simplifyng our lives but the transitions are never fun. #apple #macbookpro sixcolors.com/post/2020…

    → 8:28 AM, Mar 7
  • Intel: Houston, we have a problem (follow link for the details)

    I’m not a security expert but this “bug” seems quite serious. Macs not affected. AMD no affected. Trust going downhill. 😳🙁

    5 years of Intel CPUs and chipsets have a concerning flaw that’s unfixable arstechnica.com/informati…

    → 12:38 PM, Mar 6
  • I’m in a local coffee shop. Out of 14 people that I can see using computers, 11 are using MacBook. That is a lot. I always find this to be fascinating. This proportion doesn’t reflect general market shares obviously. Why?

    → 4:02 PM, Mar 5
  • Oops. Not related in any way to #COVID19. Move on.

    → 11:35 AM, Mar 5
  • Apple’s macOS Vista. twitter.com

    Yes, another thing to fix for Apple in 2020

    → 7:34 AM, Mar 5
  • One this I’d like to see in iOS 14: a redesigned Siri conversion view. Make it more like an “iMessage-like” thread with bubbles. Because, right now, I never really liked this text on a fuzzy background. #apple #ios14

    → 11:13 AM, Mar 4
  • Yesterday I went ahead and decided to spend some time cleaning up my bookmarks in Safari. Most of theme were related to iOS development and marketing (dating back from 2008-2014). The vast majority of them pointing to phased-out websites. #iosdev #apple

    → 7:15 AM, Mar 4
  • One issue that I don’t see people talking about regarding a possible WWDC2020 cancellation: can Apple charge devs to attend the event if is is “virtual-only”? 🤔🧐 I doubt it. #wwdc #wwdc2020 #apple #iosdev #macdev #tvosdev #watchosdev #ipadosdev

    → 2:24 PM, Mar 3
  • Google is more than ever a software company so they fix the world with software glasses 🤷🏻‍♂️. I cannot see why Apple cannot do the same for non 3D touch devices 🤔. #googlepixel #google #apple #iPhone twitter.com/backlon/s…

    → 12:18 PM, Mar 3
  • Adobe apps running on modern hardware… or another reason to hate Adobe?

    Mac Pro review: power, if you can use it www.theverge.com/2020/3/2/…

    → 7:18 AM, Mar 3
  • On Apple betting too big on China. Well, I have some news for you: because of our obsession with paying low prices on everything, we pushed every company in the world to depend on China’s cheap labour. We are the ones who depends on China. Think globally, act locally.

    → 9:59 PM, Mar 2
  • Apple, WWDC and COVID19

    Apple usually show the way when it’s time to put humans interests above anything else. Apple cannot be far behind. WWDC2020 will (should) be a virtual event this year.

    Google, Adobe cancel live segments of upcoming conventions due to coronavirus concerns appleinsider.com/articles/…

    → 9:39 PM, Mar 2
  • The thing that I find surprising is the position of eBay. I can’t remember the last time I used this service. Same for people around me. Apple.com is No.4 in U.S. e-commerce market share macdailynews.com/2020/03/0…

    → 10:58 AM, Mar 2
  • On Apple and Default Apps

    I have some doubts that Apple will feel the pressure to up their game with the stock apps because they allow third-party apps to act as default ones. Why? What do they lose in case of status quo? Keeping pressure on them with constructive comments as bloggers has more effects. Why? It comes down to public image management.

    On Apple Letting Users Switch Default Apps on iOS chambyte.net/on-apple-…

    → 6:39 PM, Mar 1
  • Sad news. MacSurfer used to be the default page of my browser before social networks. Sad to see them stop maintaining the website. MacSurfer’s Headline News™

    → 10:46 AM, Mar 1
  • A few very interesting tidbits in this interview of Mrs. Powell Jobs.

    Laurene Powell Jobs Is Putting Her Own Dent in the Universe www.nytimes.com/2020/02/2…

    → 9:18 AM, Feb 29
  • On iOS 13’s Share Sheet Design - Better? Worst?

    The share sheet design in iOS 13: I find it confusing. 🤷🏻‍♂️ It is a step ahead of iOS 12 but yet I’m not satisfied and I don’t know why exactly. The inclusion of Shortcuts is ok but should they have been put in a separate section? Also missing in iOS 13: a way to maximize/minimize popover windows like this one. I understand the need to keep sight of context of invocation. Your take?

    → 8:25 AM, Feb 29
  • Well, yes, thank you to all developers

    I was an indie developer from 2009 to 2013. I made three apps that got me about $5000 in revenue. I don’t know how much per hour this represents. I loved this time of my life where after a long work day I would sit in front of my Mac to learn Obj-C, Interface Builder, etc. until later in the night. Now, I can really appreciate what it is like to build apps and let the world know about them. Expressing Gratitude to Developers

    → 8:24 PM, Feb 28
  • On Apple, Catalyst and ARM-Based machines...

    This thread is very interesting (from Steve Troughton-Smith): twitter.com/stroughto… Reading my piece on Marzipan, now called Catalyst, dating back from March of last year, I think it did age well. 😎 numericcitizen.me/2019/03/0…

    → 12:36 PM, Feb 28
  • People come, people go. That is life. This is how a corporation get’s new breath of fresh air. #apple www.bloomberg.com/news/arti…

    → 7:11 AM, Feb 28
  • Here is a very classic Apple thing. So Apple. When “form” is taking over everything, even common sense. But, hey, these wheels are great looking, right? twitter.com/MKBHD/sta…

    → 7:08 AM, Feb 28
  • Apple fixing the iPad Pro with... a redesigned keyboard with a trackpad. Really?

    It will take much more than a redesigned keyboard for the iPad Pro to make it a viable solution to fully replace a laptop in many business or even personal use cases. It will take fixes to iPadOS: discoverability, multitasking, real mouse pointer, etc. [Report: Apple releasing iPad Pro Smart Keyboard with built-in trackpad this year - 9to5Mac](9to5mac.com/2020/02/2…

    → 8:24 PM, Feb 27
  • If Apple decides to postpone WWDC2020 (because of COVID19], it could mean, for the first time in a while, Apple will ship new features at the same time of their announcement this fall. Just sayin. #apple #iosdev #WWDC #WWDC2020

    → 1:56 PM, Feb 27
  • From my blogger’s notebook: What the HomePod should have been. #apple #homepod

    → 8:43 PM, Feb 26
  • A bit hold but still relevant. On the pervasive use by Apple of the ellipsis in iOS.

    Less… Is More? Apple’s Inconsistent Ellipsis Icons Inspire User Confusion - TidBITS tidbits.com/2019/08/3…

    → 8:36 PM, Feb 26
  • I’m not on beta this time for iOS / iPadOS. I can’t remember when was the last time my devices were not running a non-beta release. 😳🤔

    → 3:55 PM, Feb 26
  • If true, this would put the final nail in the coffin for depending on a computer to do full reset of a device. Just like on the Mac. Can’t wait. #apple #ios134 www.macrumors.com/2020/02/2…

    → 2:56 PM, Feb 26
  • On macOS Catalina dialog bureaucraty

    Security is not an easy thing to implement without adding layers and burden to the end-users. Same thing goes with added hardware features (like TouchID) which translate in added steps in the setup assistant. They do require setup. Is there a solution to all this? More features, less choices, same bureaucraty? pxlnv.com/blog/cata…

    → 7:27 AM, Feb 26
  • A new and interesting concept for iPadOS multitasking

    Another iPadOS multitasking concept appeared on Twitter. First, this is an intersting starting point to redo multitasking on the iPad. Very simple gesture: single tap as it should be. My guess is that developers wouldn’t need to update their app in order to support this new model. It does fix the problem of finding the second app to bring in. Second, how the hell do they make these animations? How do we bring this to Apple’s attention? twitter.com/Rutherlin…

    → 7:06 AM, Feb 25
  • Time flies. Surprising how constant the layout of MacRumors stayed mostly the same over the years.#apple www.macrumors.com

    MacRumors is 20 Years Old Today

    → 10:20 PM, Feb 24
  • This leak supposedly showing iOS 14 running on an iPhone and showing the app switcher from the iPad… seriously, I hope we get to keep the current “card style” which I find better suited for the iPhone form factor and thumb based operations. #apple #ios14 #rumor #leaktwitter.com

    → 8:32 PM, Feb 23
  • The future is now

    My wife and I went for a walk today. Great weather. After a while, my wife says her Apple Watch asks permission to connect to my phone. I’m surprised. She didn’t bring her iPhone with her. I turned on hotspot on my iPhone. Just a few moments later, she get a phone call on the watch. She answer and start the conversation. How cool is that?

    I didn’t know the Apple Watch could do this… It has something to do with the fact that she is in the iCloud Family and this was a call using wifi calling from her cell phone provider through my own iPhone. I’m impressed by all the involved technologies behind this.

    → 5:35 PM, Feb 22
  • Yes but no

    I know this one is fake but if the rumoured iPhone 9, or iPhone SE// or whatever they call it looks like this fake model, I kind of like it… especially the edges that looks like the one on the iPad Pro. Get rid of the bezels and voilà! But it’s not going to happen. #apple #iphone twitter.com/WhatTheBi…

    → 12:41 PM, Feb 21
  • On Apple Music app feedbacks

    One of the things that I don’t like with Apple Music.app is this: the visual feedback that comes with adding or loving a song. Too obstructive, too slow. Reminds me of the volume hud… that Apple finally got rid of with iOS 13. Oh, and by the way, why burry Add and Love in a sub-menu? Agree? #applemusic #apple #ui #ux #design

    → 12:10 PM, Feb 21
  • Nice summary of opinions about iPad’s ten years anniversary by Mike Rockwell. And I second his own point of view on iPad current state of affair. #apple #ipad #ipados The State of iPad - Initial Charge

    → 8:27 PM, Feb 20
  • On Apple Allowing Change of Defaults Browser

    I expect Apple to go ahead with this, allowing the users to set a default browser or mail client on iOS. Changing defaults is part of a modern OS and this would be, in my opinion, another step towards the upcoming ARM-based Macs running iPadOS. 9to5mac.com/2020/02/2…

    → 7:06 AM, Feb 20
  • This is the Microsoft that I like. This is what I would love from Apple. The new Office app for iPhone. 😍🥰 #microsoft #apple #office #office365

    link.medium.com/jeNBwdDId…

    → 8:44 PM, Feb 19
  • So baffling to me that Apple seems unable to fix Mail’s toolbar in iOS 13… what was the problem again with iOS 12’s version? 🤔🙄 #apple #ios134beta twitter.com/bzamayo/s…

    → 6:48 PM, Feb 19
  • Oopsy, that is certainly something that Apple doesn’t want to get out. It may be already too late. This could get ugly. 🍿 Apple demands pull of tell-all App Store book over confidentiality issues

    → 11:19 AM, Feb 19
  • Are you tired of those meaningless update notes with app updates? I am. There are rules made by Apple prevent this. But, even Apple isn’t following their own shit. #iosdev #apple twitter.com/khaost/st…

    → 5:07 PM, Feb 15
  • Why the fuck opening an RSS feed link on iOS opens up Apple’s News, an app that is so dump that it cannot do anything with it anyways! Fix this Apple for god’s sake! 🤬 #apple #ios #rss

    → 2:35 PM, Feb 15
  • here is a really dopey idea

    Apple should introduce another type of subscription: pay-per-use. Pricing would be based on the time spent on-screen, down to a second resolution. Pricing would be based on dime fractions, payable on demand, monthly or yearly. Exemple: five minutes of an app usage @ $ 0.00001 would cost 1.08 yearly. That is an extreme example for sure. But you get the idea, right? Don’t throw rocks at me if Apple ever see and then implement this! 🤫🙃

    → 1:33 PM, Feb 15
  • My take? Everybody is playing hardball here. Ex-Apple chip exec claims Apple trying to ‘suffocate’ new tech after staff poaching - 9to5Mac

    → 1:01 PM, Feb 15
  • This keyboard fiasco is here with us for many many years to come. Can you imagine how bad second hand MacBook price will be after Apple is done replacing them in their product line? They will go downhill for sure. 😱#apple #keyboardfiasco MacSparky

    → 7:41 PM, Feb 10
  • I would live to be a fly at Apple headquarters this week. Very damaging to their image. Fully deserved btw. twitter.com/backlon/s…

    → 9:45 AM, Feb 10
  • Do you remember webclips with Apple’s macOS dashboard? I wish we could do the same and embed a webclip for display in iPadOS widgets. Is this possible to develop an iPad app that does just that? Asking for a friend. #iosdev #apple #ipados

    → 8:12 AM, Feb 7
  • If Apple is serious about AR, they are the best positioned to provide us a clean, uncluttered augmented view of our surroundings with ads and tracking besides what is required to make the AR magic possible. The Coming Supremacy of AR - Allen Pike

    → 8:46 PM, Feb 6
  • On managing Fonts on iOS. Why is this happening? Lost of my installed fonts because I didn’t pay attention to this. There has to be a better way. #apple #ios13 #adobe

    → 7:40 PM, Feb 6
  • From iOS 13.4 beta 1. Amen. Here is a simple question: who thought it was a good idea to redesign the toolbar of Mail.app in iOS 12? Now Apple changed his mind and reverted the redesign introduced in iOS 13. #apple

    Mail toolbar now back to pre-iOS 13
    → 8:28 PM, Feb 5
  • iPadOS Upcoming Multitasking Feature Mockup

    This iPadOS multitasking mockup is what Apple should try to do in the next major release. Better yet, I would implement it as a “pinch to merge” two apps when they are close together. If they are far apart, then tap and hold on one app, tap and slide over the other like on the mockup here is good! #apple #iPadOS twitter.com/orange_ki…

    → 7:16 AM, Feb 4
  • How is that possible in 2020: an app that looks good, useful, available for both the iPhone and the iPad, that syncs across them and is a one time purchase? Really? No subscription? Instant buy. Spend Stack. 🥰🙏 apps.apple.com/app/spend…

    → 8:39 PM, Feb 3
  • On the lost of visual richness of software. Super interesting thread by Louie Mantia. Apple fell in the trap of over simplification in the name of what? You tell me. There has to be a middle ground here. #apple twitter.com/Mantia/st…

    → 7:51 PM, Feb 3
  • Whatever Apple makes the ugliest watch face on the planet or not is a matter of taste… but the simple fact the watchOS and Apple doesn’t (yet) support a Watch Face store is baffling in 2020. knapsack.news/2020/02/0…

    → 7:36 PM, Feb 3
  • Speaking of online photo-sharing services, is Apple entering the space be a good idea? I can see them build an extension to iCloud Photo Library. They are close already with shared albums. A service with no ads, no tracking, great design… man I would love this. #apple

    → 2:51 PM, Feb 2
  • “Apple in 2019: The Six Colors report card” from SixColors / Jason Snell. I wish I would be on the panel too. 🙋🏻‍♂️🙏🏻

    → 3:56 PM, Jan 31
  • One cannot compare the Mac, 20 years ago to the iPad today for building businesses around software. The context is different. At the time of Aldus, Quark & Adobe, software were sold at 999$ a piece… not 0.99$. #apple daringfireball.net/linked/20…

    → 6:46 AM, Jan 29
  • On Apple Card official launch this summer: should we expect iOS 12.4 or a remote activation with iOS 12.3 shipping in May for refresh of TV.app ? #applecard #apple

    → 5:13 PM, Apr 23
  • This year, iOS 13 & macOS 10.15 releases seem bigger than previous year. Is it just an impression or is this looking this way because we are waiting for so long for Apple to do the basics… so there is pentup demand? Feeling the same? [‪numericcitizen.me‬](Blog) #wwdc2019

    → 12:56 PM, Apr 23
  • Any specific expectations for upcoming Apple Special event “It’s show time”?

    → 7:44 PM, Mar 11
  • What are your thoughts regarding Apple’s #ShotOniPhone campaign ?

    → 7:29 AM, Jan 23
  • <<Numeric Citizen>>

    Aperture. Made by Apple. For Apple users. This was the time when they were serious about photography. They could have made a version for the iPad. But they dropped the ball. Adobe came in with their multi-platform solution, neither optimized for Apple

    → 8:48 AM, Oct 22
  • <<Numeric Citizen>>

    «

    There is quite a lot of buzz these days about the possibility of creating our own watch face on the Apple Watch. Currently, this feature is not available to Apple Watch owners but a few clever guys on the internet did experiment with tools to create ones. And the possibilities are endless. And quite exciting too.

    There is something sterile and compromising about choosing your watch face out of a fixed set of options. While the watchOS faces provide for a high degree of customization, there is something fundamentally different in being able to customize every single detail of the face. I started with a blank slate and was able to make the face look exactly how I wanted it. When displaying one of my creations it is now truly my most personal device ever.

    From a blog post by

    → 7:07 AM, Oct 19
  • <<Numeric Citizen>>

    Tonight I was watching TV. There was so many ads. One particular ad got my attention. This was an ad about a car. In order to show how cool the car is, how useful it can be to its users, there a scene where the driver uses Siri to send a message to his wife saying he is way home. A flawless experience. We can see Siri animated waves and the audio feedback, something known to a lot of people. But there is something wrong with all this.

    Siri seems the underdog of all virtual assistants. People can’t stop complaining about it and how far behind it is. Yet, advertisers chose Siri over Google Assistant for this ad. If Google is so much better, why advertisers can’t choose Google to convey flawless virtual assistant experience? Is Apple

    → 8:16 AM, Oct 18
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