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iOS Grows Up Part 2 - Mommy What's a Computer?
Jan 18th, 2018 - Category: AppleTwo months ago part 1 of this post ended by asking, “So what did iOS users get with iOS 11 that demonstrates that it is growing up?” While Apple’s official marketing materials provides the big picture regarding the new level of maturity of iOS 11, in this case it’s the details that tell the deeper story. This Apple ad summarizes Apple’s vision for how people will use it. The description includes the tagline “With iPad Pro + iOS 11, a post-PC world may be closer than you think” but for me it’s last lines of the video that are the inspiration for this post. A mother asks her daughter who has been working, drawing, shooting, reading, etc. on her iPad throughout the day, “Watcha you doing on your computer?” and the child responds, “What’s a computer?” Of course, replace the iPad with a cellphone and you have the digital reality of most millennials these days, but the difference for this little girl is the fact that she has been using the larger size of the iPad, the Apple Pencil, the physical Keyboard together with features of iOS 11 seamlessly and effortlessly.
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iOS Grows Up Part 1
Nov 19th, 2017 - Category: AppleIn a few short years, mobile operating systems have transformed modern society. The younger generations have for the most part skipped laptop and desktop computers and rely on mobile devices for all their online activities. From social media to messaging to watching hours of video, the small screen is the focus of their attention. Of course, voice calling is reserved for parents and emergencies while, depending on the country, SMS Messaging (and iMessage), Facebook (and Messenger), WhatsApp, Snapchat, WeChat, Instagram, Kik, etc. dominate their online lives. Written words replace spoken conversations, photos (selfies) convey more complex emotions, and short ephemeral videos entertain and inform. On a larger scale, YouTube has replaced network television, streaming music has replaced radio, and personalized recommendations from “influencers” trumps traditional advertising.
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My First Week Not Using the New iPhone X
Nov 12th, 2017 - Category: AppleNope, that is not a typo. I’m really not using the new iPhone X and it really is an unusual event because I’ve purchased a new iPhone every year since the 3G.
I remember it like it was yesterday. In 2008, while waiting in line at the Apple Store in Santa Monica for hours to buy my first iPhone, I spoke to several people near me. One was a neurosurgeon, another was a musician covered in tattoos, and a couple were computer science students from nearby UCLA. Despite our differences, we all agreed that the iPhone was going to conquer the mobile world which then consisted of horrible phones like the Blackberry and Windows Mobile based devices. Even the iPhone 3G keynote by Steve Jobs was one of his best. At the time I was using a state of the art Samsung “Blackjack” which I nicknamed the “Crapjack” because it was so bad. -
Apple Demonstrates the Problem With Being 'Perfect' – Part 3
Jan 29th, 2017 - Category: AppleAs Part 2 of this series demonstrated, the truth seems to be that technology doesn’t have to be perfect to be usable. Microsoft and Google are posting record profits despite a wide variety of serious flaws in their products and services. Apple is clearly being held to a higher standard. To a large extent, people don’t know or care if their phones, tablets, or computers aren’t perfect. They just want to use them to get work done without issues requiring convoluted fixes and the threat of viruses. I constantly see people in companies, airports, etc. with their phone’s apps just as they were when it came out of the box plus a few standards like Facebook, News, and Sports. Often people only upgrade when they replace the device with a newer model. Apple has done an great job with this less tech savvy group. For example, Apple stock apps like Mail, Maps, and Calendar are very functional and sync seamlessly between mobile devices and desktop computers. Even more impressive, Apple’s utilities like macOS Time Machine and iOS backup are outstanding. I restored my computer after a rare filesystem problem and an hour later the computer rebooted exactly how it was at the end of the last backup. Try that with Windows or Android. Also, macOS and iOS are mostly secure from online threats. Even the techie Mac users I know don’t run anti-virus software.
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Apple Demonstrates the Problem With Being 'Perfect' – Part 2
Jan 19th, 2017 - Category: Apple
To continue the short rant that ended Part 1 of this series, Windows 10 is far from perfect and continues with the tradition of bizarre Microsoft design decisions. For example, the “system tray” found on the bottom right of every Windows main screen is full of obtuse software by default including something called the Intel Rapid Storage Manager (don’t touch these settings!), Synaptics Touchpad (I have adjusted my Mac touchpad once in four years), Lenovo Solution Center (an oxymoron), McAfee Anti-Virus, etc. McAfee is a joke in itself, more like buying a used car than software. -
Apple Demonstrates the Problem With Being 'Perfect' - Part 1
Jan 10th, 2017 - Category: AppleWelcome to 2017! It would be great to start the year with a post about Apple creating the next generation of breakthrough products and providing them at reasonable prices, but unfortunately 2016 was rough. To make matters worse, lately the news has been sounding like Chicken Little, “The sky is falling!” Even the smallest complaints are being screamed from the rooftops. Last month’s Monthly Recap explored this in detail, but with the continuing deluge of negativity, it’s worth taking a step back to try to see the big picture.
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Resumen Mensual: Bienvenidos a Apple Vía Santa Fe
Oct 2nd, 2016 - Category: Apple
En Septiembre cerca de 200 empleados celebraron la apertura de Apple Vía Santa Fe en México. Fotos como esta demuestran la forma en la tecnología puede salvar las diferencias culturales. Esto es especialmente importante hoy cuando parece que el mundo se ha vuelto más dividido. -
Apple Watch: Don't Forget to Breathe
Sep 15th, 2016 - Category: AppleBack in May, investors were angry about the lack of innovation from Apple. The stock price had hit a two year low and many had sold shares, except for Warren Buffet who bought $1B more! Then the iPhone 7 was released. Suddenly the controversy shifted to the headphone jack. The news was filled with stories about the “Apple Conspiracy” surrounding removing this 19th century technology. There were multi-page analyses written on the reasons and results of this decision, positive and negative. People threatened to switch to Android, but Samsung was nice enough to discourage that switch by releasing a phone that tends to unexpectedly explode into flames.
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39 Years Later Retro Hackers Still Honor the Apple II
Jun 11th, 2016 - Category: Apple
Yesterday was the 39th anniversary of the first Apple II computer. It was my first computer so it holds a special place in my heart. Cult of Mac has a great article on it, “Today in Apple history: the first Apple II ships.” It’s claim to fame was that it was Apple’s first computer designed for the masses, shipped with a built-in keyboard, BASIC programming language, and, amazingly for the time, color graphics! Mine looked a lot like the one below which is on display at the Musée Bolo, EPFL, Lausanne (photo by Rama & Musée Bolo). -
Apple Might Not Have Viruses, but They Sure Have Leeches
Jan 14th, 2016 - Category: AppleThe state of new reporting in technology has reached an all time low. I’ve been thinking about this for awhile, but a recent Fortune Magazine commentary ”Why So Much Apple Commentary Is So Clueless” made the source of the problem clear. As the article states, “The combination of high page-click value and low barrier-to-entry has reduced online journalism to headlines like ‘Apple Chips Implode,’ ‘Apple Gets Peeled,’ ‘The iPhone slowdown spells doom for Apple.’”