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My Interview with Manton Reece of Micro.blog
I had the chance to spend some time with Manton Reece and ask him a few questions about Montrealās poutine, Appleās power and the App Store, Twitter1 and the future of Micro.blog. I hope you enjoy the interview as much as I did doing it.š
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I refuse to name this otherwise. ↩︎
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iPhone 15 Pro Max - First Impressions
It feels great in hand, similar in fact to the weight of my iPhone 13 Pro (not the Max), which is great. The back is darker than my iPhone 11 Pro, and I love it. I’m quite happy with the darker black. It’s a bit darker than I thought. It’s definitively a finger magnet. Itās very soft to the touch. Rounded contours are really making a difference. The device feels more approachable. The screen is so nice. The setup process is superbly executed. An update to iOS was required before transferring the content from my iPhone 13 Pro. Yet, there were many apps which required reentering my credentials. Data transfer was estimated at one hour1. The data transfer took about 45 minutes. The Always On display is… always on. š³ I don’t know if I’ll keep that option… on.
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At that point, the WiFi logo disappeared and I started wondering if the data was going through 5G instead. That was curious. It’s not possible because my new phone didn’t have the SIM call installed yet. Or maybe it was going through Bluetooth or through a point-to-point WiFi connection? ↩︎
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When Journalists Aren't Any Better Than ChatGPT
In the “Craptacular Is More Like It” article, this is @gruber@mastodon.social at its best. I read the original article earlier this week and concluded that Apple had difficult times ahead with its modem development. This morning, in my usual reading routine, I read the article from Mr. Gruber, and I think it succeeds in demonstrating this: the original article wasn’t any better than any ChatGPT-generated content.
Now I feel that I was deceived by the journalist who tried to fill me with unverified and barely possible facts tied together based on thin air. And you would think journalists can do better than AI-generated work? Not always. Thanks to Mr. Gruber for that one.
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Episode 04 ā Did You Know?
Inspired by a recent podcast episode where Martin Feld interviewed John Gruber, for this fourth podcast episode, I decided to talk about my early years as a blogger.
Links:
- Really Specific Stories podcast: https://pca.st/pcp6rwjs
- Interview with John Gruber episode: https://pca.st/i0xdkxfh, his announcement on his blog: https://daringfireball.net/linked/2023/09/20/really-specific-stories-yours-truly
- A reply to John Gruber about his interview: https://micro.blog/numericcitizen/23822941
- Search for the āBuildingiPhoneAppsā keyword on the internet archive for a glimpse of my very first blog, and locate 2010 and beyond on the timeline.
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I Rarely Visit the App Store
I opened the App Store this Monday to see how Apple would promote new app releases supporting iOS 17. Then I realized that I rarely open the App Store except to go and get app updates. When was the last time I went to browse the productivity category? When did I last browse the store for popular photography apps or new utilities? I canāt even remember when I last bought an app discovered in the App Store1. I wonder if this is only me or reflects a more general trend.š¤
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I usually make my discoveries by external reference. ↩︎
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Where's The Magic in Adaptive Audio?
Adaptive Audio and Conversation Awareness don’t click for me
I’ve been using Apple’s new AirPods features for the past week, and I’m sad to say that I don’t really understand either of them
I’m with Matt here. I fail to find the magic here. I’ve read Gruber’s take on the AirPods Pro 2 with USB-C, and I’m afraid I don’t feel anything magical about Adaptive Audio. When activated, I hear too much from the surroundings; I prefer noise cancellation. Can we get adaptive noise cancellation instead? š¤
I feel that Apple’s engineers couldn’t figure out which new audio profiles to include and couldn’t decide, and they suggested including both. Then, the marketing guys came in and named these profiles Adaptive Audio and Conversation Awareness. Boom. I’m half-joking here.
I’ll keep trying in the next few days to find the magic.
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Review of Reviews: Great Updates to Already Great iPhone but...
Today, I read many iPhone 15 Pro reviews and watched many YouTube videos too. For some reason, I get the feeling of a slight deception mood across many reviewers. Those are great upgrades, but since they are compared to last year’s iPhone, the improvements are dimmed as mostly minor. A mentioned the superiority of the iPhone in the video recording field, but in the photography field, it’s less clear. Sharpening seems a tad less aggressive with more natural tones. The 24MP resolution by default is a welcomed addition, and yet… it’s not a home run. Device physical tweaks are unanimously welcomed, though. Maybe tomorrow, my interpretation will be different. š¤·š»āāļø
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Some Thoughts About Apps Support of StandBy Mode and Interactive Widgets
Many apps are getting updates today and this week. Yes! š But, so far, I have found some bugs in iOS 17 to display interactive widget content once they are added. They often stay blank with a white background. Rebooting doesn’t help. I don’t know if it is an iOS 17 bug or an issue with the app. š¤ One design issue: if an app supports the StandBy mode1, it should also support the landscape orientation, not only the portrait orientation. Tapping a widget to launch the app and the app comes up in portrait mode. It’s bad. WaterMinder is such an example, and… Apple’s Stocks app! The latter is inexcusable. In general, StandBy mode seems a work-in-press, to be honest.2
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Testing Apple's USB-C to Lightning Adaptor with iPad Pro
I wanted to follow up a previous post of mine about using my Lightning-based Lavalier microphone with a USB-C device, like my 2018 iPad Pro1. I ordered the USB-C to Lightning adaptor on the day of the Apple keynote. I got it this morning. If you are wondering if it works with Ferrite and Apple’s Voice Memos on my iPad Pro? No, it doesn’t.š
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A positive conclusion would have been a good sign on the prospect of making it work with the upcoming iPhone 15 Pro Max. Now, it’s not sure at all. ↩︎
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An Update About My New Quest of Leaving Adobe Lightroom
Yesterday night, I spent nearly an hour reading articles and forum posts about the implications of closing my Adobe Photography subscription1. The implications and how to recover my photos differ for Lightroom Classic and Lightroom CC. Itās not that hard, but it will be a tedious process if I want to keep some organization that the Lightroom catalog currently provides. Iāll put this project on my list of things to do in 2024. This will give me some time to plan for the migration2.
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Waiting for more interactive widgetsā¦
ā WaterMinder
ā Longplay
Timery š
Focused Work š
What else?
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Apple Wonderlust Event ā My Initial Impressions
These are my impressions of Appleās latest product announcements.
The mother nature segment was funny, and I smiled quite often. It was a great way to communicate their progress toward better environmental protection and reduced carbon footprint. Video production quality was top-notch. Arenāt tech press people tired of going to Apple Park to watch a movie?
Many comments during the presentation about the desire by Apple to see people go into their stores to buy and activate the new iPhones1.
We got a short update about the upcoming Apple Vision Pro, which is still on track for early 2024. That was expected but felt a bit short.
Onto the Apple Watch.
The Apple Watch Series 9 is a mildly interesting update. The new finger gestures are cool but only for Series 9. Too bad. Iāll probably buy a few new bands later this fall. Iāll skip this yearās updates and wait for next yearās rumoured redesign.
Moving to the star of the show. The iPhone.
The iPhone remains the crown jewel of Apple. Everything else is peripheral. The design of the Pro line is absolutely gorgeous (rounded edges, great pro finishes). The A17 Pro (bye-bye Bionic) is a powerhouse CPU! Iāll go with the 15 Pro Max with 512 GB of storage. Iāll order the āUSB-C to Lightning adaptorā to keep using my excellent Cavalier microphone (see my previous blog post about the issue).
The black finish is my choice with a blue FineWoven case2. Best of both worlds. Thanks to this video, which helped me confirm my decision3. Those wallpapers are gorgeous, too! This is the first time in a while that I love them so much. Iām overall happy with this yearās Pro finishes and tones. Very classy.
Iām a bit surprised by the battery life capacity to be the same as last yearās Pro models. I was expecting longer battery life with the A17, but I guess since we get more featuresā¦ something has to give. I expect next yearās iPad Pro to use a derivative of the A17 Pro announced today.
About cameras. A 5x range for telephoto, not 6x4. Iām surprised itās not 6x. But 120mm is great for travelling. Shooting with the phone and having the preview immediately available on the Mac, just like pros are expecting. Wow. Do images on the 15 Pro line have less over-processing / sharpening? I certainly hope so. And about those immersive spacial videos to be shot on the 15 Pro but visioned on the Apple Vision Pro, coming later this year. Consider me intrigued5. The camera app has a few tweaks, judging by some video segments, for the 2x mode, where you can select the focal length. Cool.
There is no monstrous price increase, which is good. Some price adjustments on the entry-level iPhone 15 Pro Max. The speed limit of the USB-C on the non-Pro line is ridiculous6. iCloud+ storage tier at 6TB is a surprise, still 5GB7 at the entry-level, though. I like the action button flexibility.
Iāll order my new phone this Friday. That is all for now.
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Apparently, the vast majority of iPhone in the US arenāt bought in an Apple Store. Apple would like to improve that. ↩︎
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I might change my mind, depending of videos from the hands-on area at Apple Park. ↩︎
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My second choice would probably be the blue finish next in third position, the natural titanium color. ↩︎
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25x digital zoom apparently. Not bad. ↩︎
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Iām still not planning to buy an Apple Vision Pro. ↩︎
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480 mb/s. Ouch. ↩︎
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Yes, that is right, a mere 5 gigabytes! ↩︎
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My Excitement About the Upcoming iPhones Explained
Here are some more details about my excitement for the next iPhone1.
Besides the camera upgrades, here is a short list of things Iām looking forward to with the next iPhones.
- Iām going to the Max. Itās the first Max model that Iām getting2.
- I expect better battery life than the iPhone 14 Pro Max3. I want a real all-day battery life for when I travel abroad.
- I never liked the current chrome finish of the Pro line (since the iPhone 12 Pro)4. I like the titanium finish of the Apple Watch. I canāt wait to see the tweaked version for the iPhone5.
- Iām ambivalent about the rumoured action button. Iāll want to configure it for the camera capture, but I want to keep the mute button.
- The always-on displayā¦ Iām not sure. My wife has an iPhone 14 Pro, she disabled the always-on display because of the battery drain. Iāll see with the Max.
- Iām curious about the grey version, but I will go either with a deep blue6 or the darkest one7.
- I love the Dynamic Island. My hope is to see wider adoption by developers.
- Finally, USB-C. Finally. 95% of the time, I charge my iPhone with MagSafe. Itās too convenient. On rare occasions, it will be handy to grab any normal USB-C cable and plug it in. As for transfer speed, Iām not in any use cases for this8.
Iāll catch you on the other side of the Wonderlust event.
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Just in case someone actually care. š ↩︎
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Screen content displayed is barely more than the Pro, yet, Iāll take all the pixel the iPhone has to offer. ↩︎
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At the very least, much better battery life than my current aging iPhone 13 Pro. ↩︎
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The chrome look on anything always felt like cheap luxury to me. I prefer textures. ↩︎
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I expect Apple to offer a different texture. ↩︎
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Iām curious about anything that is blue. I could wait until iPhones make their way to the Apple Store, but I wonāt be able to last that long. Iām looking for videos in the hands-on area at Apple Park for a cue about the colors. ↩︎
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The black matte iPhone 5 was the best of all. ↩︎
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Will this enable iPhone-to-iPhone transfer between an iPhone 15 Pro and an iPhone 17 Pro? š¤ ↩︎
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Pixelfed Is Working on āSoloā
Iām really curious about this. The idea of having my personal instance of Pixelfed is tempting. I like the idea of having full control and not being at the mercy of some other admin, updating the codebase as I wish while being part of the Pixelfed federation1. Itās expected to be released on October 20th. I should start planning my domain name and username.2
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Why Iām Excited for This Weekās Apple Announcements
Iām super excited about this yearās iPhone announcements. Itās probably because Iām getting one of them1. I try to skip one or two iterations. I went from the iPhone 7 to the iPhone 11 Pro, then to the iPhone 13 Pro, and now the iPhone 15 Pro Max. Iām looking forward to these improvements: the cameras2 and battery life3. Sure, the Dynamic Island will be cool. Oh, and USB-C, finally4!
Canāt wait for Sept 12th.
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Episode 03 ā I'm Excited and Stressed
This week, Apple will release its latest iPhone models. I’m excited. It will be an exercise of balance between news consumption, analysis and writing. It’s the perfect mix for a stressful week. š Learn why in this podcast episode.
Links
- My iPhone 11 Pro review: āFrom iPhone 7 to iPhone 11 Pro: The Return of Delightsā
- My iPhone 13 Pro review: āUpgrading From the iPhone 11 Pro to iPhone 13 Pro ā the Love Story Continuesā
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On Apps by Apple
What a strange move by Apple. This website made by Apple promotes first-party apps for the iPhone, iPad, Mac, etc. Why? Why now? I would understand in the context of being forced to allow third-party App Stores. Apple reminding people about their apps while people are getting excited by side-loading and third-party App Stores would make sense. Is Apple up to something here? They usually plan for the long run. This could be the first baby step for a more open ecosystem.1 š
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Interestingly, you can launch each app with an Open button if you are visiting the website from your beloved iPhone, iPad or the Mac. ↩︎
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Remember Appleās Freeform?
Iām curious, is anyone using Appleās Freeform? For what use case? Personally, I was curious about Freeform and experimented with it for a while, but then I stopped using it. I prefer using it on the iPad than on the Mac.
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September
This is my favourite month of the year1. Itās my birthday month2. The weather is generally absolutely amazing3. Gone are muggy and hazy days; the air is crystal clear. Itās a transition month. It is a colourful month. Itās an Apple keynote month! I am looking forward to this long week-end with my family. Expect a few images, too. An happy guy! š
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Some of my Expectations for Appleās Upcoming āWonderlustā Event
This is going to be about the iPhone, mostly. The iPhone 15, to be more precise. Of course. Apple will probably talk a lot about the A17 because of its new 3nm manufacturing process, ensuring some battery power savings while bringing faster processing. This will be welcomed for an always-on display device since the iPhone 14 Pro performance in that respect is not as good as it used to be. Will the A17 be Bionic? Something else? I trust Appleās marketing cracks about this.
The titanium finish on the Pro line, a first for the iPhone, but something the Apple Watch is already sporting, will get some attention too. Maybe more than the A17. Iām looking forward to it because I wouldnāt say I like the current finish on the iPhone 14 Pro1. I hate it, actually. Thanks to my iPhone case, itās a non-issue. If the Apple invite is any indication of the upcoming titanium colour finish, Iām in love already!
But the star of the iPhone 15 show will be the Ultra with the periscope lens, bringing telephoto photography beyond the 3x optic possibilities for the first time. This is what Iām waiting for. I expect an Apple twist to it.
I expect some updates about the Apple Vision Pro2. Apple will probably talk3 about how excited developers are for the device and remind us about how it will change the world4. Something on the gaming front could be in the cards, too, thanks to the game porting toolkit introduced at the WWDC conference. Are Macs finally good at gaming? Is a software trick enough?
And then what else? The Apple Watch will get updates, but not the redesign we are starting to hear about for 2024. The Ultra 2 is probably not for me. But we will learn about it, for sure.
Macs? Crickets.
This is what I expect for the upcoming āWonderlustā event.
