Tag: Apple

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It’s the Apple WWDC!

I’m not quite as interested as I’ve been in years past. But I’ve got laundry running and vinegar in the drain traps, (I prefer that to caustic chemicals due to the septic system,) so I’ve got a while before I can go anywhere.

I should probably make a grocery/dog treat run but neither are critical so It’s not going to matter if I put it off a day.

I’ll turn on the WWDC in the background. I’m curious about the new features coming in the latest versions of Apple operating systems. Since my iPad, watch, and computer are all less than a year old there will be some relevance to me.

I’d have upgraded my phone but I really like the blue color and the Purple from last year was not attractive. For some reason I don’t want to go back to space gray on my phone. It’s shouldn’t matter since my phone is usually in a case, but when I’m around the house it’s not unusual for my phone to be naked. (Okay so my phone is a slut! Who cares?) perhaps I’ll upgrade my phone in the fall or maybe I’ll wait another generation. By that time the phone will be 3 – 4 generations old, the battery will be on its last legs and maybe Apple will move everything to USB C so I can toss all the Lightning cables.

I liked the additions to the various OSs. I can see using some of the newer features frequently and how they’ll make my life easier. I really liked the improvements to the Hiking app on the watch. I also like the idea of having the health app available on the iPad. That should make evaluating the data a bit easier with a bigger screen.

The larger MacBook Air is interesting too. Especially since it’s got the M2 chip, the ability to have a ton of memory and storage, and an 18 hour battery life. That makes that particular machine probably the hot ticket coming this fall.

I have to admit that I’ve been interested in the Mac Studio since it’s debut. I didn’t go that way because I like having a laptop.

However, the power of the new iPad Pro with an M2 chip is astonishing and I could see using the iPad as my only portable computer, then having something like the Mac Studio if you needed a real powerhouse when you got back home.

This is especially true since Apple Logic Pro and Final Cut run on iPad now. There are a lot of other “standard” office applications that run just fine on iPad but it you needed video or audio you had to go outside the Apple ecosystem. Those barriers are gone and honestly my M2 iPad Pro is about as functional for my needs as my laptop. I could see the iPad / Studio blend now.

I wasn’t all that interested in the AR thing that’s been rumored for such a long time. Now that I’ve seen it, it’s as expected, very expensive.

That being said, I can see the potential. I can even say I’m interested enough that I’d like to see it live and in action.

If it worked well enough, I could see it replacing TV screens for those folks that live alone. I’ve considered that possibility with just my iPad and Mac. Then again, I don’t watch cable, or broadcast TV so I might be an outlier case.

Come to think of it, I haven’t to my knowledge watched any TV using the “new” (10 years old now) digital channels that are coming from broadcast stations these days.

I literally have no clue how that works. I’ve not lived anywhere that digital channels received via an antenna were available. Even the Escondido apartment was in a “Signal Hole”. It didn’t matter too much since the cost of internet only was higher than the cost of internet and cable TV combined. Talk about desperate to keep TV subscribers! I honestly don’t recall watching anything on TV for three years. I’d watch something on a streaming channel or a movie on DVD.

That was probably due more to my weird schedule, than the quality of TV. I got home from work about 2PM and was in bed by 7 or 8 PM. So any TV I could watch was talk shows or soap operas. Other more interesting dramas were on way past my bedtime. I didn’t pony up the cash to rent the DVR feature on the cable box.

I gotta say, having a virtual screen that you could make a big as you wanted without needing a sound system for surround sound might be a slick way to really enjoy some movies.

The price tag of 3500+ might be off putting.

I did like the use case Apple showed where the lady was on a full flight and tuned out the plane and other passengers entirely.

Hell that could make flying bearable again!

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One of the things that annoys me about technology

Is the little widgets that developers think are a good idea, but that are super annoying. You’d think, “Okay” I can turn this off.

But you can only turn it off IF you know what the fuck it’s called.

I’m experiencing that right now. There’s a little strip floating dead center at the bottom of my iPad screen that is showing me word selections, a mic symbol, some formatting things and is somehow associated with the keyboard.

I’d ignore the damn thing, but it keeps getting in the way of controls and functions in applications so I’d like very much to turn it off.

But going to the keyboard settings presents me with a number of options, none of which make sense to select to turn this annoyance off.

I’ll figure it out, but it’s really annoying me. I also know that somehow I turned it on, but I don’t know how. That just adds to the annoyance.

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I really shouldn’t write when I’m angry!

Apologies for the post yesterday.

I was super pissed off on a number of levels. I’ve edited yesterday’s post for clarity. Even editing it I was still pissed off.

My frustration level is increased because I’ve discovered the most used key on a computer keyboard is the space bar.

I’ve discovered this due to my butterfly keyboard on my MacBook. You may have noticed random periods scattered throughout my posts. These have been increasing in frequency due to my space bar “Bouncing,” I’ll press it once, the computer sees twice and helpfully puts a period in for me. I’ve not yet found a way to turn off this “Helpful” feature, when /if I do I’ll probably turn it off forever!

This dubiously helpful feature has increased my frustration level when writing and decreased my desire to, and pleasure in, writing.

Don’t even get me started on filling out forms online. That’s the 7th level of hell with a properly working keyboard.

A new machine is in my future. I miss the good old days when an Apple machine would last for 6-7 years. This one is only 4 years old and apparently, I’ve don’e better with it’s inherently defective keyboard than most.