-
Apple's Headset ā Alarming or Not?
A recent report on Apple’s upcoming headset:
Key figures including software chief Craig Federighi have also kept their distance from the headset during its development and have seemed wary of it. Apple’s senior vice president for hardware technologies, Johny Srouji, is believed to privately be a skeptic of the device, comparing it to a science project. He has warned that designing the high-performance chips that the headset requires could distract from new iPhone chips that drive more revenue. Source: Report: Apple Executives Cautious of Mixed-Reality Headset Amid Compromises - MacRumors
Everything will be fine, right? If Mr. Srouji is skeptical because the current product is too far from the original vision, I wouldn’t call this alarming. But overall, the signals coming out of these reports aren’t encouraging either. Is Apple headed in a bad direction?
-
On Android Switchers Coming in Drove to the iPhone
Report reveals Android users switching to iPhone at 5-year high
15% of new iPhone owners report having an Android device as their last smartphone. Thatās a 4% increase from what CIRP saw last year, and 5% higher than the data seen in 2020 and 2021.
The last time new Android switchers made up 15% of new iPhone buyers ā according to CIRP ā was back in 2018. The highest rate of switchers in the last nine years was 21% back in 2016.
The market is full of previously-owned iPhones for sale. You can find used iPhones from 2 to 3 years ago at reasonable prices these days. People who were using an Android phone probably can now afford to buy an iPhone much cheaper than a brand-new one. Moreover, according to this chart, iPhones from the last few years can still run the latest releases of iOS with most of the features available. It’s very tempting for switchers. This is how I would explain this phenomenon. The study covers the US market. The dynamics might be different in other parts of the world.
One question: what percentage of iPhone owners who buy a new iPhone are returning their iPhone to Apple to get a credit instead of selling their iPhone themselves?
-
The case for Ethernet on Macs: Hereās how much speed you lose with WiFi Source: Ethernet vs WiFi: How much speed is lost? - 9to5Mac
At home, in my office room, my Macs are wired through 1GB Ethernet. It’s been only recently that I cabled my office so that Macs get a direct connection to my router. No more Wifi. I never look back.
-
Two Thoughts On Appleās New Upcoming Accessibility Features
Today, Apple announced upcoming features for people with critical disabilities. Here are some thoughts.
First, Personal Voice is incredible! I canāt wait to try this out. I always feared being diagnosed with ALS, but I can see this new accessibility feature, coupled with Live Speech real game changer for people with ALS.
Second, looking at some user interface samples, especially the iPhone with iMessage (see below), we can see the return of shadows, depth, and better contrast, compared to what we have now. So my question is: why not have these UI traits everywhere instead?
-
I really can’t wait to see this movie about Apple’s Lisa computer. My journey with computers started with the Apple ][+, then came the //e, the Mac. But I do remember the Lisa… on paper, and I never had a chance to touch one.
-
It took like 10 years to get FinalCut Pro on the iPad and now weāre reading that it could run on the upcoming VR/AR headset??? Really? Come on.
-
By making FCP finally available on the iPad, is Apple getting ready to bring more flexibility to iPadOS audio handling too? I read somewhere that there are missing pieces on iPadOS to make it comparable to macOS for handling complex audio setups. Answers are probably coming in iPadOS 17.
-
Watch this space. This week is FCP and Logic for the iPad, next week? If Apple keeps releasing new things each week leading to WWDC, it certainly could mean that they have a packaged agenda for the Keynote. We already know that iOS 16.5 is coming out next week, but what else?
-
The best UI, the ultimate interface, is the one that you donāt see.
-
A Seemingly Mundane Visit to the Apple Store ā Random Thoughts
Itās been quite a while since I visited an Apple Store. Last I went for a quick stop after work since I was working at my downtown offices.
There are soooo many iPad models to choose from! Too many? The 12.9-inch iPad Pro screen is unbelievably gorgeous!! I wish it would come to the 11-inch version. Maybe next year?
Of all the iPad models that I looked at, Stage Manager is not enabled. So whatās up, Apple, with that? Isnāt the Stage Manager good enough for the showroom?
I wish I had bought the Studio Display with the articulated arm. Expensive but give the most flexibility. Too bad itās not possible to replace the monitorās stand.
I tested the 13-inch M2 MacBook Air and tried to imagine what a 15-inch version would be. Not an easy thing to do. Speaking of MacBook, when I looked around on the MacBook table, they all look about the same; only the thickness makes it look slightly different, oh and the ācolorsā.
I love the latest version of the iPhone display stands. Less dangling wires. Easy to grab and put back in place.
In the previous image, I am holding the iPhone 14 Pro Max. I was still testing the deviceās overall size. This is my next. I mean, the 15 Pro Max (Ultra?).
It was the day Apple released their FY2023 Q2 results. The store was unusually quiet. The illuminated decorations on the walls are getting old. I never really liked them.
Iām out after having spent twenty minutes there.
-
Who’s actually using Apple’s Quick Notes feature? I never do because I always forget about its existence. It’s probably because it’s not useful or because it is tied to Apple’s Notes.
-
Arm-based notebooks will gain share over Intel and AMD, almost doubling their shipment share to 25% by 2027 from 14% today.
Arm-based PC SoCs are highly customizable. Unlike x86 CPUs, which are designed to be general-purpose processors, Arm-based SoCs can be tailored to specific use cases. This means that SoCs can be designed with a greater number of high-performance CPU cores and highly integrated memory, enabling them to compete with x86 CPUs
Arm-based SoCs offer several advantages over x86 CPUs, including lower power consumption and improved thermal efficiency. Additionally, their integrated AI-feature cores make them superior to x86 CPUs.
One question: how is Intel going to fight back against ARM? Is this even possible without starting over? ARM advances are, simply put: massive.
-
Apple Entering the Journal App Landscape Soon? Hell Yeah, Count Me In!
As reported by the Wall Street Journal (since itās paywalled, look at MacRumors report instead), Apple is supposedly working on its own journaling application. Code named Ā«Ā JurassicĀ Ā», many interesting details are emerging from this report.
As an avid user of Dayone (read Ā«Ā Documenting My Numeric Life With DayoneĀ Ā»). , I find the prospect of having Apple entering the journaling apps landscape quite exciting. The idea of using journaling to help users with mental health issues is pretty clever. There is so much information available on our devices from which, I guess, we can infer some mental states. Iām guessing machine learning can be of some tremendous help here. Coupled with Appleās stance on privacy, this provides a potentially very compelling story for a lot of people. Me included. Yet, some people could find this move to be crossing a line that is not acceptable for them. We will see.
The WSJ story is referring to very specific detailed aspects of the rumoured app. For example, journaling suggestions would be based on call history and iMessage conversations, and be ephemeral. After four week they would vanish from suggestions. Iām guessing this would help automate some aspects of daily journaling.
I asked this question to ChatGPT: Ā«Ā _Is the young generation into journal as much as older generations?Ā _Ā». Here is what it has to say:
_Ā There is no definitive answer to this question, as attitudes towards journaling can vary widely among individuals of all ages. However, some studies suggest that younger generations may be more likely to engage in forms of expressive writing such as blogging or social media updates, which could be seen as a form of journaling._
The debate might still be out if the youngsters generation is very into the writing journey, but having some part of the journaling automated would alleviate some rebarbative aspects of maintaining a journal.
Can you imagine having the journal app assembling photos, messages, phone calls, geo locations into pre populated journaling suggestions? Wow. Iām really looking forward into that one.
-
I read the “Making Something Wonderful” book during my vacations. It’s full of great reading moments, for sure. Albeit not as personal as I would have liked, that last picture of Steve Jobs glasses took me off-guard and got me on the verge of crying. Go and find them.
-
the leaker also claimed that the “Action” button will replace the volume up button for taking photos in the Camera app, with force-sensitivity enabling a light press to auto-focus the camera, a hard press to take a picture, and a hard/long press to record video.
Ok, this is a rumour, but it’s an interesting one. If Apple does this, it would bring the iPhone 15 Pro / Max closer to traditional camera behaviour. Coupled with the upgraded cameras and possible addition of the periscope lens, Apple seems geared to make the next iPhone iteration another potential winner.
-
Going on vacation for a week. Leaving my MacBook Air behind, but bringing my iPad Pro with Magic Keyboard with me. Itās the only time that I use the iPad Pro with its Magic Keyboard since getting my MBA in 2021, otherwise, itās my MacBook Air while at home.
-
Iām late in my readings. Iām not sure what to think of this weird take about the iPad and Mac future from Jason Snell.
The key to the Mac’s survival isn’t a new Airāit’s the next iPad Pro
Would it be such a cataclysm if I could simply reboot that iPad into macOS or run macOS inside a virtual machine?
Yes, it would be. What a weird idea. Iām nearly baffled by this article. How many of these ideas and requests are age-dependent? How does the younger generation view those perceived limitations of the iPad or the Mac?
For us who have experienced both computing paradigms, it is tempting to ask for one paradigm to borrow some of the other paradigm traits. Does it make them better? Iām resigned and unexcited to the prospect of getting the touch screen trait on the Mac, but having to reboot an iPad to get the Mac experience is ludicrous, IMO.
-
Even if Apple releases a HomePod with a screen in a form of a āiPad-likeā device, I donāt see them beating Nixplay digital photo frames anythine soon. I recently got one for my home office and Iām really impressed with this very focused product. From the unboxing, to the frame setup and to the moment of my first uploaded photos started displaying on it, it was a great user experience. Very Apple-like.
-
If the Beta switch is OFF, why do I get offered the latest beta of iOS 16.5? š¤ Bug? Nope, because I had the beta profile from iOS 16.4 still in place.
-
Make Something Wonderful | a book from the Steve Jobs Archive
Coming to digital platforms on AprilĀ 11.
A curated collection of Steveās speeches, interviews and correspondence, Make Something Wonderful offers an unparalleled window into how one of the worldās most creative entrepreneurs approached his life and work. In the pages of this book, Steve shares his perspective on his childhood, on launching and being pushed out of Apple, on his time with Pixar and NeXT, and on his ultimate return to the company that startedĀ itĀ all.Canāt wait for this. I guess this is a way to get as close to him as possible?
