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Apple Event, September 2019

brad@bradbice.com (Brad Bice) — Fri, 13 Sep 2019 00:00:00 +0000

My take on this year’s “iPhone event”, Apple’s yearly event to showcase their new hardware.

I didn’t mean for this to be my first full blog post since last year’s event (almost to the day), but here we are.

iPhone 11, iPhone 11 Pro, iPhone 11 Pro Max

I was generally warm on this year’s model after seeing it revealed at the event. THe focus is mostly on the camera, and while there are some great new features, the camera is not the function I use the most on my phone. So I was convinced I was not going to get this year’s model and stick with my XS from last year.

However, that only lasted for about 12 hours and then I preordered a Midnight Green 256GB iPhone 11 Pro. I also ordered a clear case this year, after having the leather case for the last 4 years. I really want to see this new phone’s color so I want to give this type of case a try.

Apple Watch Series 5

The always-on display is very intriguing. It got me to look up how much I could get for my Series 4 on trade-in, but it wasn’t enough to justify buying this watch now. The Series 4 has the health, notification, and activity features that I need now, and while always-on display is a game-changer, I can hold of on that for a year or so.

TV+

I’ll be a subscriber to this for buying a new iPhone, but I would have gladly paid the $4.99/month for this service just to test it out, if nothing else.

The original shows that Apple has lined up aren’t that interesting to me, though “The Morning Show” could be good. My main question is what else we’re getting with the service (movies, TV shows, etc) if anything?

Arcade

I’ll also be trying out Arcade, Apple’s video game subscription service. I’m not convinced that I will maintain a sustained subscription, since I’m not a huge mobile gamer, however a couple of features have me intrigued:

Over 100 games to choose from
Apple devices are including support for PS4 and XBox controllers
These games are expected to work on iOS and tvOS, which means I can play them on my iPhone, iPad, or AppleTV.

Overall the event was a little lackluster, though much of what Apple is unvealing was already leaked and I was privy to since I follow all fo the Apple news channels. It will be exciting to check out the new services from Apple, and see if they will compete with or compliment cometitors such as Disney+, which is another one I’m very excited to check out this Fall.

Apple Event, September 2018

brad@bradbice.com (Brad Bice) — Wed, 12 Sep 2018 00:00:00 +0000

Today’s Apple Event is dubbed “an ‘S’ year”, so the big reveals weren’t groundbreaking, but there’s some real substance there.

Here’s my take:

iPhone XS, iPhone XS Max, iPhone XR

I will likely stick to my iPhone X this year. No really compelling reason to upgrade to a XS. Speed, slight camera spec bump, gold, larger size… none are needs or even big wants.

Though that would mean fixing my malfunctioning screen on my current model, so maybe I just talked myself into it.

Apple Watch Series 4

Now this I want. This I need. I’m still wearing an Apple Watch (often referred to as “Series 0”) which is the first iteration of the product. It’s over 3 years old now, but is now 4 generations behind. This means it will not support watchOS 5, is extremely slow compared to newer models, does not have GPS, a lower-brightness display, low tolerance to water, older bluetooth, and no cellular connectivity (though I doubt I would spring for cellular versions, anyway.)

One of the best features of Series 4 for me is the new suite of health and heart-related functions. Heart-rate monitoring has taken a huge step up with both high and low heart rate monitoring, ECG report generation, and generally better Health app integration. As I get older this becomes more of a big deal for me.

I wear my Apple Watch almost every day now, so an upgrade here makes sense.

Overall, this was an important event that unfortunately was spoiled by some Apple leaks that might have lessened the impact of some of the announcements for everyone. Apple is moving forward on some of their products here, with another event rumored for October for some iPad and Mac-related announcements. That’s the one I’m really excited about, though my bank account is not.

Apple Event, September 2017

brad@bradbice.com (Brad Bice) — Tue, 12 Sep 2017 00:00:00 +0000

Today was one of the most highly anticipated of the now legendary (and infamous, in some circles) Apple Events in recent years.

I have taken the time to watch these events every year since 2007 and the introduction of the original iPhone (which at times involves some strategic lunch planning or side-by-side windows on my computer at work.) I was pretty excited to see all of the new offerings, though I had been spoiled by the leaks over the weekend of all of the specs for the new iPhone.

Leaks aside, it’s always enjoyable to witness Apple make their spectacle of a presentation and take in all of the products, personalities and atmosphere. This time was no exception, as the Event emanated from the newly-built Steve Jobs Theater on the grounds of Apple’s brand new campus, Apple Park.

Here’s some annotations from the event, with my opinions:

Seeing the completed Steve Jobs Theater was incredible. You could tell from our limited view on the stream that is was an immaculate structure. Everyone walking through had their phones out like they were tourists at a national monument. I can’t wait to be able to visit that campus someday.
The theater itself struck me as smaller than I thought it would be, and I’ll miss the giant stage and hundreds of attendees at each announcement. However, the seating looked brilliant and the intimacy of the venue worked well. Even the stage lighting helped to focus on exactly what Apple wanted us to see, hear and feel.
The tribute to Steve Jobs at the beginning hit me hard. Hearing his voice brought an emotional wave over me that I’m almost embarrassed to admit to. He was such an influential figure to me, and his story is so phenomenal. Perfect? Hell no. A genius? Arguable. An influence over millions? No doubt. I do agree that he would have loved this theater and much of what Apple is doing today, though he would definitely have a little bit more of a stranglehold over some of the product design.
Since I’ve been watching the progression since it started, it was really fun to get an update on and see the excitement and focus on the new Chicago “flagship” retail store. This new store looks incredible and I can’t wait to check it out on October 20th.
I’m actually quite excited about the advancements in health with the Apple Watch. Having live, real-time insights into heart rate and other biometrics is invaluable, and I can’t wait to see where they go from here.
LTE/cellular on the Apple Watch seems like a ho-hum feature, but I’ve actually wished for it many times when out for a run or just far enough away from my phone. I don’t think I’m in for $10/month just yet, though. I’ll be waiting for a smaller form factor (if possible) to upgrade my Watch, most likely.
Apple TV 4K was, quite frankly, a disappointment. The 4K/HDR support is very welcome of course, and the iTunes Store pricing on 4K movies was much better than I was expecting. But the bump in system specs doesn’t address the biggest concerns with Apple TV, which mostly revolve around content. No Netflix support in the TV app still. No announced Amazon Prime app release date (or confirmation that it will be compatible with the TV app.) No Apple-sponsored or packaged TV bundle for cord-cutters. And apart from content, no improvement on the less-than-ideal (but not as horrible as everyone makes it out to be) Siri remote. Apple keeps making minute incremental updates to Apple TV but doesn’t seem to want to go all-in. It’s frustrating for those of us who want to stay with the ecosystem of devices, but are limited by Apple’s decisions. I’m pretty sure I’ll be skipping this version, but to be fair, I don’t own a 4K TV so I don’t really need it.
iPhone 8 and 8 Plus looked really good, for the older, 5 year-old form factor. I really wish they would have squared off the sides of these phones ala the iPhone 4 or SE, but this is what we get. The glass sandwich design is a welcome one and adds a bit more class to the device.
Not too much more happening to the 8 other than some spec bumps and the welcome additions of a TrueTone display and wireless charging. I was also hoping for OLED in these 8 models, but that was reserved for the X. The cameras get incremental bumps with awesome frame rate options. And the processor apparently is fast enough for an iMac, blowing every other smart phone out of the water. This will be an awesome phone for someone coming from a 6 or 6S.
I however will be ordering an iPhone X. This thing looks beautiful.
The huge screen is where I’ve wanted the phone to be at for a while and it’s going to be great to view big, colorful iOS apps on this thing.
Face ID is a point of contention from a lot of people who either don’t trust its accuracy or the logistics of using it day-to-day in a variety of situations. After Apple’s demos, I’m mostly sold. It looks very fast, and I’m betting the angle at which you have to hold the phone up to your face is fairly forgiving (TBD, though.) Touch ID was never perfect, and while I did get used to it and will miss it slightly, I’m certain that Apple would not put out Face ID (and remove Touch ID as an option) if it wasn’t a good enough replacement.
I’m really excited to get a larger screen in a reasonably sized phone. It’s only .2" taller and .15" wider than the iPhone 7 I have now. I can definitely live with that. And iOS 11 relocates much of the navigation to the bottom of the screen, so reaching won’t be as much of a problem.
The OLED display will be exciting to experience in real life.
I haven’t had a phone with dual cameras yet so that will also be fun. And it’s great that this phone has OIS (optical image stabilization) on both cameras, as opposed to only the primary like the 7 Plus.
I don’t like how the phone still sticks to the rounded edges. It makes the device more slippery.
I don’t like the notch, though reviewers have said it grows on you over time. To me it’s very un-Apple.
I don’t like the name. I keep saying “iPhone eks”. I always said “oh ess eks” for OS X, too. It’s something I’ll have to get over, and accept other people doing as well.
I love the potential for wireless charging, and the AirPower pad for charging the phone, watch and AirPods looks awesome. Wonder how much that AirPods wireless charging case will be, and how available.
I’ll be ordering a silver, 256GB iPhone X.
Overall a good event, and I can’t help but wonder what my thoughts would be if I hadn’t been spoiled by almost everything days before the event. Not knowing about iPhone X would probably have blown my mind, as I would have thought that iPhone 8 was it. Apple skipping from 7 straight to 8 (and not implementing a 7S model this year) is surprising but a great move. Skipping 9 is strange, but not many people seem to care (and why should we?)

I’m glad this event is over and that we can now dig into these products as well as software offerings like iOS 11 and macOS High Sierra. And we’ll see how hard it will be to actually get my hands on an iPhone X. I’m assuming I’ll be lucky to get one by the end of the year.

iPhone 7 iOS home button

brad@bradbice.com (Brad Bice) — Tue, 25 Oct 2016 00:00:00 +0000

At first I went in and changed the setting for the iPhone 7 home button to unlock my phone by testing my finger on the Touch ID sensor. It more closely resembled how I used my iPhone 6s with the mechanical home button.

Now, after a few weeks of use, I have reverted that setting, requiring a “push” of the button to unlock the phone. This is because I use Notification Center much more now. I pick up my phone, it lights up thanks to “raise to wake”, and I swipe right to see my widgets. Weather, appointments, sports, etc are all there.

Resting my finger on the button bypassed the lock screen to quickly for me to access Notification Center. This way I can decide on the fly which direction I want to go.

It was perceived by me and many others as a strange decision by Apple at first to make this behavioral change to the home button, but now I understand why, and agree with the reasoning.

Browser Wars Episode VI: Return of the Mac

brad@bradbice.com (Brad Bice) — Sat, 01 Jun 2013 00:00:00 +0000

I’ve switched over almost completely to Google Chrome after being a Firefox loyalist since it was first called Firebird. I even contributed to the Firefox 1.0 project and got my name in the New York Times.

But after a while Firefox’s memory leaks and constant slowness got to me and sometime around the beginning of last year I changed over completely to Google Chrome. What sold me on it was definitely not the UI (aka the “chrome”) but rather Google Sync, which allowed me to have my bookmarks sync across any computer I was signed into (home, work and phone.) Also, Chrome uses Webkit so they were usually leading the charge in supporting new web standards.

I’ve been looking for quality alternatives to pretty much any Google product lately, so I’ve been browser shopping. Lately I tried a complete switchover to Safari, seeing as how I’m pretty much married to Apple products (our household has 2 iPhones, 2 iPads, a Mac Mini, a Macbook Air, and an Apple TV… all marvelously synced in the Apple-ecosphere. Oh, and yes we have home owners insurance.) However, Safari turned out to be very slow, a pretty significant UI changeover from Chrome, and had a few other minor annoyances that I just could not get past.

I went crawling back to Chrome for a couple of weeks, but I’m trying Safari again. I’m not entirely sure why but maybe the minimalistic nature of it appeals to me. Some of the small unique quirks of Safari are growing on me, but there a few things I would like to see either changed or made optional:

Resizable tabs - If I have 4 tabs open, don’t stretch them to fill the full width of the window. Or at least make this a setting.
Right-click, Open in New Tab - Allow me to put this option above Open in New Window in the right-click menu
Sync settings - iCloud syncs bookmarks and tabs, well how about browser settings? I don’t want to have to remember settings for each of my computers
Allow me to move the refresh button - I’m not sure why they would bury it in the address bar ala Internet Explorer.