The M2 13-inch MacBook Air stays in the lineup for 999 US$. The multiplication of price points continues. 🤪

The new M3 MacBook Air now supports two displays, when the laptop lid is closed.¹ 🤔

🔗 Source: Apple to Announce New Products This Week - MacRumors

Apple plans to announce new products with press releases on its website this week, a proven source familiar with the matter told MacRumors.

After over a year without any new iPad, is Apple going through the press release route? It can’t be about cost-cutting. Or is it? I can’t wait to see what’s in store for potential upgraders like me.

I made a big cleanup in my Shortcuts this morning. Boy, do I feel this app needs so much more work to be enjoyable to use. Can Apple fix this mess? Editing a long shortcut is not optimal. There should be a compressed or text-only mode with inline hyperlinks for variables and actions. Syncing is broken—no debugging option. There should be a way to turn off a shortcut so it doesn’t appear in places like share sheets. I wish Apple spent more time on Shortcuts than they do on Swift Playground. Oh, is Apple going to enable creating Shortcuts using GenAI? That would be really cool. 👀🤔

This week during a work meeting with my office colleagues, one of them was using a “remarkable” tablet to take notes. I was sitting right next to him and could see the tablet in action. I must say I was impressed. It’s certain that a “remarkable” tablet offers very … read more

Lots of meetings today at the office. Used my iPad Pro all the time for note-taking. It’s such a wonderful and mighty device for that purpose. Even with iPadOS limitations. I’m excited for the next iteration. I can’t wait to see what’s coming next to this platform.

This whole Apple Car didn’t make any sense to me. It’s not Apple. A car is not a personal device. A personal device is a phone. A computer. Or a bike. One positive byproduct of this car journey is probably the birth of CarPlay 2.0, which was probably worked within the Apple Car project. … read more

Apple Journals is iPhone only. Apple Sports is iPhone only¹. Apple Classical is iPhone only. Did Apple forget about the iPad? What should we conclude from this? Will it take years to come to the iPad, just like the Health app? Isn’t that easy to make an iPad version of an app?

Apple Vision Pro Returns https://initialcharge.net/2024/02/gurman-vision-pro-returns/

I wonder, sometimes, about the Apple Vision Pro ending up in the drawer, just like pre-iPod era MP3 players. Time will tell.

This looks like a wonderfully designed desk shelf, but I’m not sure I want to jack up my Apple Studio Display. And what if I upgrade my Mac mini to a Mac Studio? It won’t fit.

I wasn’t invited to share my thoughts on this year’s SixColors Apple performance performance report, So I’m writing my own performance report. 😛

🔗 iPhone 16 Rumored to Feature ‘Significantly’ Upgraded Neural Engine for iOS 18’s Generative AI Features - MacRumors

A18 series chips are expected to debut in iPhone 16 models in September. It was previously rumored that some generative AI features could be exclusive to iPhone 16 models, and the upgraded Neural Engine could be a reason why.

My wish is that the pre-iPhone 16 devices can get a reasonably useful generative AI experience under the updated Siri. 🙏🏻

🔗 Here’s what percentage of US iPhone buyers are switching from Android - 9to5Mac

CIRP has released its latest study today taking a look at how many new iPhone buyers in the US are coming from Android smartphones. After hitting a 5-year peak last spring, Android switchers to iPhone have declined a bit, here are the latest details.

To get the full story, I want to know how many iPhone users are switching to Android.

My uneducated expectations tell me that Apple will announce Apple Vision Pro expanded availability to Canada during their highly expected and anticipated event announcing the iPad Pro refresh.

Since getting a MacBook a few years ago, my iPad usage drastically dropped, to a point where sometimes I wonder if I’ll ever upgrade my aging 2018 11-inch iPad Pro. Yesterday, I spent the whole evening on it for reading and watching YouTube. It was a reminder that I still the love the iPad form factor and I couldn’t live without one.

Still no stock shortage of the Apple Vision Pro? 🤔🧐 Apple must be doomed, again.

I get the feeling that Apple is working on a native version of Maps for the Vision Pro that could come in visionOS 1.1 or 2.0 and that should prove the point of the headset utility. Not a killer app but something that only Apple can do¹. The look around feature could feel like magic. Landmarks in 3D on the Vision Pro could prove to be spectacular, too. Imagine a drive-thru experidnce with this²! Man, I can’t wait to see what’s next for visionOS³.

When I look at the Apple Vision Pro, I see a device with many software and hardware technologies that Apple took years to create, develop and refine. They did it in plain sight with the iPhone, the iPad and the Mac. Each of these devices played a significant role as a test bed for what would come … read more

Folks, I think I’ve finally rationalized it. Don’t think of it as a PURCHASE. Think of it as an advanced prototype that you’ve paid Apple for the PRIVILEGE of testing.

Thinking about the Apple Vision Pro, the right way.

Of all people who reviewed or are now active users of the Apple Vision Pro, some are mentioning, rightfully, that this is not about AR1 but 95% about VR2. Apple doesn’t want to admit it, but this is a VR headset. Why is that? Is is because it is “easier”3 to recreate something from … read more