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Rumours and articles like this one about Appleās upcoming headset, supposedly called āRealityProā 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, Iāll 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 donāt 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 āpresentā 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.
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Tim Cook’s introductory comment on Apple’s latest quarter:
āAs 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,ā said Tim Cook, Appleās CEO. āDuring 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.ā
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.
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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 donāt 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 theyāre aesthetically unpolished and poorly designed even from a ādesign is how it worksā perspective.
After all, I might never waste my time testing an Android phone. Life is too short.
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Highly TroublingāOps 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 āindustrial design chiefā as part of a broader shake-up. This role was once held by Jony Ive, and most recently held by Evans Hankey. Continue reading ā
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CarPlay in 2023 will see its most significant upgrade since its launch. I donāt know when weāll 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?
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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. š
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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.
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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.
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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 āiPhoneā or an āiPadā. 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.
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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.
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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!
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The new chips are yet another example of Appleās chip division being so far ahead of the rest of the company. The reason iPad suffers is not that it isnāt 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 ā 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?
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I wonāt upgrade my original HomePod pair but I thank Apple for bringing new features to a product that I thought was done. Iām happy to learn that release 16.3 will enable dormant sensors of the HomePod mini.
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āWith the popularity of HomePod mini, weāve seen growing interest in even more powerful acoustics achievable in a larger HomePod. Weāre thrilled to bring the next generation of HomePod to customers around the world.ā 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).
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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. š¤
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I kind of forgot in my previous post to include the link to my Apple Rumours Hub that I maintain (using Craft). Itās not only about tomorrowās product releases but everything Apple is working on. Enjoy.
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Krugman said that Musk’s behaviour had shown that he’s nothing like Apple cofounder and former CEO Steve Jobs ā 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 ā 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.
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So, Apple is rumoured to release new products through press releases tomorrow. I donāt expect exciting news (M2 MacBook Pro ā 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?
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Arstechnicaās Jackqui Cheng:
āOne way to look at the MacBook Air is as the largest and most capable iPod in Appleās lineāthink of it as an iPod touch Extreme with a built-in keyboard.ā āI found the Airās size and weight to be nothing less than absolutely delightful.ā āDespite all of the Airās (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, andĀ definitelyĀ with a battery upgrade when they become available).ā 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.
