diff --git a/src/pages/blog/apple-watch-maturity.md b/src/pages/blog/apple-watch-maturity.md deleted file mode 100644 index f29c318..0000000 --- a/src/pages/blog/apple-watch-maturity.md +++ /dev/null @@ -1,42 +0,0 @@ ---- -layout: ../../layouts/PostLayout.astro -title: "Maturity of Apple Watch" -date: 2021-01-31 -slug: /maturity-of-apple-watch -description: "" -tags: [apple watch, apple] ---- - -The "maturity" of a product line is not often talked about, but it's a very good metric to get a birds-eye on where a class of product is and where it needs to go. Apple has been in the business long enough to introduce and remove multiple lines of products. The first generations of those products are often not great, and the later generations stagnate in growth as they reach maturity. It usually takes a reimagining and different class of product to start that growth back up. In this article, I wanted to discuss a bit of the history of the Apple Watch, and what makes it a compelling device, with buyer's recommendations at the end. - -## Apple Watch S0 - -Everybody remembers the first introduction of the Apple Watch - a truly personal device that you wore on your wrist. Apple's initial target for the watch was as a fashion accessory. It's initial sales were good, with [estimates placing it around 12 million units](https://techcrunch.com/2016/02/05/apple-watch-took-two-thirds-of-smart-watch-market-in-2015-says-analyst/) after introduction. It was a new product category from Apple, and fans around the world were understandably excited to get their hands on it. I was one of the first people to get my hand on it. It was a phenomenal experience... at first. - -The first generation Apple Watch (sometimes referred to as Series 0, or S0) had performance that degraded quickly over its lifetime. It couldn't handle software past watchOS 4, and interacting with the watch meant long loading periods and annoyance. Apps took many seconds to load, and interactions would be slow and irritating. The watch, for me, ended up being just a watch - the only thing I could use it for, without frustration, was to tell time. Furthermore, the Apple Watch was built around the app experience. To get any information from a third party app, you would have to find and open that app. Unfortunately, browsing a Home Screen on a watch doesn't make much sense when interactions need to be limited to a few seconds to make it useful, or else I would simply pick up my phone. I ended up not using the watch much - even when running, the watch would refuse to connect to my AirPods and be extremely laggy when doing any level of workout tracking. - -## Apple Watch Improvements - -What the Apple Watch Series 0 ended up being great at was health tracking. Anytime I wanted to go for a run, I wouldn't even bring my phone. My watch would be able to play music or podcasts and track my workout, and then finally sync that information over to my phone. When I go skiing, I put my phone deep in my jacket and use the watch app to see that ski tracking was active and get quick statistics on how I was doing. - -Apple took the device and added more features to track your health and your workouts. GPS for where you went and how far you went. Altimeter for how far up and down you traveled. Electrocardiogram to check for different heart conditions. LTE to allow separation from the iPhone via notifications, streaming music, and other Internet-powered features when exercising. Further than health and connectivity, Apple's silicon got better and better as the Apple Watch went up. Apps and complications load quicker, and I don't have the same frustrating experience when using the app for regular tasks. - -One last thing Apple started focusing on with the device is surfacing third-party information and apps from the watch face. Third-party complications were added with watchOS 2, and the Dock replaced access to contacts from the side button. This is likely because people weren't using the device for social interaction as much as Apple initially thought they would, since most interaction required use of the voice and speaker out-loud. - -## The Future - -Where will the watch need to go in the future? Apple isn't afraid to cannibalize their own product lineup, and it's possible that the Apple Watch could become more and more of an iPhone alternative/replacement. Cellular features make it not necessary to take the iPhone with you when you go out and about. Many people won't ever shift away from having a smartphone on them - being able to browse social media or news makes the phone necessary for people. I, for one, am looking forward to more third-party support and better battery life when on cellular to make it unnecessary to take my iPhone with me for short trips. Apple's recent announcement of Family Setup in watchOS 7 allows for families to purchase an Apple Watch for their kid and get cellular service without a linked iPhone at all, so it's possible this could be a feature in the future. - -But Apple's current track with the device is to make it the best health companion possible. They've added a multitude of sensors and features that make it excellent for tracking health and identifying potentially dangerous conditions in the body - all features that make the device feel more "necessary" to wear every day. I wear it every night to track my sleep now. Why? Because I love having as much information as I can about my own body and well-being. Apple is making the Apple Watch that device. - -The Apple Watch is a fairly mature product. The Series 5 introduced an always-on display, building on the new bigger screen sizes from the Series 4. With always-on, it finally acts like an actual watch. Slowness is an issue of the past, and the sensors built in to the Apple Watch Series 6 bring quite a lot of capability. Perhaps the reason Apple introduced the Apple Watch SE late last year alongside the Series 6 was because the Apple Watch is such a mature product at this point. It's got the speed to take years of software updates, and has the capabilities that makes it a compelling option to replace the iPhone in day-to-day tasks. In my opinion, the always-on display is an important enough feature to consider getting a Series 5 or 6 Apple Watch over the Apple Watch SE. It affects the way you use the device day-to-day and improves the experience. These models truly make the Apple Watch a "mature" product, shedding much of the problems I found with the original Apple Watch. - -I'm not sure what the next models will bring, but I'm sure Apple will continue down the track of incremental improvements in both autonomy from the iPhone and more ways for you to collect information about your health. If you're satisfied with where the watch is at, I highly recommend the most recent generations. - -## Buying Recommendations - -I can't personally recommend the Apple Watch Series 3, because truthfully, I don't believe any Apple Watch before the Series 4 can be considered "mature" in the ways I discussed earlier. The S3 processor is slow for basic tasks, and lacks many of the health features that make later generations so compelling. That's why it is the cheapest Apple Watch currently sold. If you're willing to take those drawbacks for the baseline "Apple Watch experience", you can find it for just [$199 on Amazon](https://amzn.to/3tcZ4uY). It won't be a device to keep for the long-term, but it is still an Apple Watch. - -If you want the best of the best, the Apple Watch Series 6 is the best Apple offers and can be found for [$409 on Amazon](https://amzn.to/3akzdbN). If you want a mature watch with the always-on display, and are willing to give up a slightly brighter display and Blood Oxygen monitoring, the Apple Watch Series 5 is an excellent choice and can be found for [$349 on Amazon](https://amzn.to/3tdtkpE). - -Finally, if you're not that concerned about extra health features like ECG or Blood Oxygen monitoring, and the always-on display isn't as good a deal for you, the Apple Watch SE is a phenomenal pick for [$314 on Amazon](https://amzn.to/3cno1ho). If you can find an Apple Watch Series 4 at a similar or better price, it's practically the same feature set as the Apple Watch SE, and is still a great buy. diff --git a/src/pages/blog/future-of-ipados.md b/src/pages/blog/future-of-ipados.md deleted file mode 100644 index 5a54487..0000000 --- a/src/pages/blog/future-of-ipados.md +++ /dev/null @@ -1,36 +0,0 @@ ---- -layout: ../../layouts/PostLayout.astro -title: "The Future of iPadOS" -date: 2021-04-28 -slug: /the-future-of-ipados -tags: [ipad, ipad pro, ipados, apple] -banner: /images/ipadpro-homescreen.jpg ---- - -The new iPad Pro was introduced at Apple's "Spring Loaded" event, and it packs more power than ever before. While it maintained generally the same thin chassis as previous models, Apple was able to add new features like the Liquid Retina XDR display sporting some ridiculous specs like 1000nits of brightness or 5G connectivity. But interestingly, Apple added their powerful M1 chip to the iPad Pro. That's the same chip that is inside the new MacBook Air, MacBook Pro, iMac, and Mac mini. That leaves many consumers with a simple question: what's the purpose of all that power? - -## Vertical Integration - -Putting the M1 chip inside of the iPad Pro could be a supply-chain move for Apple. The A12Z was put inside the iPad Pro 2020 and was subsequently used in the Mac mini DTK (developer transition kit) for developers transitioning their apps to Apple Silicon. Meaning, the last A-series iPad Pro chip was the first chip shipped by Apple that ran macOS, before M1. The architecture of M1 is based on the A14 architecture, so the M1 may have been expected work well inside of an iPad. Many expected an A14X chip, which could have been a slightly smaller or more energy efficient chip with less RAM than the M1. Instead, Apple plopped the entire SoC inside. - -If Apple added the M1 to iPad Pro for this reason alone, the 8GB and 16GB RAM offerings may be because the iPad can handle it, and it simplifies manufacturing. Apple is all about vertical integration, and the M1 chip is powerful enough to work in a variety of devices and settings. The M1 chip was deployed in several Macs in a variety of form factors because the power it offers is substantial considering the efficiency. Being able to manufacture large numbers of the same M1 chip and deploy at scale in many devices at once allows Apple to achieve better scale and, ideally, high profits. By this reasoning, it's possible Apple isn't planning to develop pro-level software like Logic Pro or Final Cut for iPad Pro. Instead, this could have been a move to offer ridiculous power in an iPad and hope that developers could make good use of it. - -## What's a Computer? - -Apple has long positioned the iPad as a device that isn't a computer, while selling accessories like the Magic Keyboard to give it the inputs and functionality like a computer. It's a device positioned to do many creative-oriented tasks like video production, music production, photo editing, and drawing. Many forms of input, like touch, Apple Pencil, mouse/trackpad, and keyboard are supported on the iPad. The additional power offered by the M1 chip provides faster processing for these tasks. - -The problem is, because of iPad's use of iOS and the App Store, there aren't many apps built to take advantage of the power the iPad Pro has offered even with the A12X or A12Z chips. Additionally, only the highest end iPad offers Mac-level processing. The iPad Air offers A14 Bionic chip, which is the same chip inside of the iPhone 12. Meanwhile, the 8th-generation iPad has the A12 Bionic chip, which is the chip that originally shipped in the iPhone XS. A limitation on iPads previously was that apps could only use up to 5GB of RAM, although this is no longer the case with the new M1-powered iPad Pros. These computational limitations exist for the majority of the iPad lineup, with the exception of the 2021 iPad Pro. - -Software is typically developed to include the widest market possible. If the iPad Pro is the only iPad that supports demanding processing tasks, or tasks that require a lot of memory, pro apps won't be developed with only the iPad in mind. The market of people who own an iPad Pro is a substantially smaller market than the iPad market overall, and dwarfed by Apple's Mac lineup. On the Mac side, they ship devices from laptops to desktops to the fastest, most powerful device Apple makes - the Mac Pro. When companies consider developing for Apple hardware, they will develop software for the Mac, with little incentive to develop for a market the size of the iPad Pro. - -Apple's goal, then, is to make the iPad Pro worth developing for. - -## Shared Platform Code - -Because Apple now shares the same Apple Silicon architecture between all their devices, it makes it easier for code to be written once and deployed everywhere. They also introduced Catalyst, a framework for developers to easily make iPad apps into Mac apps. If a company takes the time to develop pro-level software for the iPad Pro, they can deploy the same software at scale on macOS to take advantage of the desktop-level processing. The hardware is finally there, and by Apple enabling write-once deploy-anywhere code between macOS and iPadOS, their goal to make the iPad a device that can carry most professional workloads becomes more of a reality. They can do this while iPad continues to excel at offering a range of inputs like touch or pencil in a lightweight form factor. - ---- - -This all isn't to say the M1 is useless inside of an iPad right now. Vector-based image editing suites software like Affinity Designer can reap huge benefits from being able to zoom in and out of large, multilayered images effortlessly. Movie creator LumaFusion benefits more streams of high-quality video simultaneously. The hope is that Apple creates more desktop-like libraries and cross-platform support to encourage wider adoption from established industry software, including Apple's own pro suite. - -With two weeks left to go towards WWDC, we'll see if Apple has finally created the pro level software we've been hoping for. With iPadOS 15, it will also be interesting to see if Apple expands their Catalyst APIs and adds new desktop-level APIs. I'm hoping they are going to continue to make it easy to bring an iPad app to the Mac, and vice-versa. I'm excited to see what they announce on June 7th! diff --git a/src/pages/blog/imac-24.md b/src/pages/blog/imac-24.md deleted file mode 100644 index 36758ab..0000000 --- a/src/pages/blog/imac-24.md +++ /dev/null @@ -1,52 +0,0 @@ ---- -layout: ../../layouts/PostLayout.astro -title: 'iMac 24" (2021) Impressions' -date: 2021-04-20 -slug: /imac-24-2021-impressions -description: "The latest in the Apple Silicon consumer lineup." -tags: [apple silicon, mac, apple] ---- - -Apple released the first Apple Silicon iMac today at their "Spring Loaded" event. This is the first Mac they have shipped that was designed with Apple Silicon's incredible thermal profile in mind, and it shows. The iMac they introduced today was the smaller, 24-inch configuration which replaces the 21.5-inch iMac. It is the newest Apple Silicon Mac, and offers the same M1 chip Apple introduced in the MacBook Air, MacBook Pro, and Mac mini in November. I expect Apple will ship larger versions of the redesigned iMac later in the year with an upgraded processor. Here are the announced configurations: - -| iMac Configuration | 1 | 2 | 3 | -| :----------------- | :------------------------ | :------------------------------------------------ | ------------------------------------------------- | -| Pricing | $1299 | $1499 | $1699 | -| Display | 24-inch 4.5K Display | 24-inch 4.5K Display | 24-inch 4.5K Display | -| Processor | M1 8-core CPU, 7-core GPU | M1 8-core CPU, 8-core GPU | M1 8-core CPU, 8-core GPU | -| RAM | 8GB or 16GB | 8GB or 16GB | 8GB or 16GB | -| Connectivity | 2x Thunderbolt 3/USB-4 | 2x Thunderbolt 3/USB-4, 2x USB-C | 2x Thunderbolt 3/USB-4, 2x USB-C | -| Camera | 1080p | 1080p | 1080p | -| Keyboard | Magic Keyboard | Magic Keyboard w/ Touch ID | Magic Keyboard w/ Touch ID | -| Colors | Blue, Green, Pink, Silver | Blue, Green, Pink, Silver, Yellow, Orange, Purple | Blue, Green, Pink, Silver, Yellow, Orange, Purple | -| Storage | 256GB/512GB/1TB | 256GB/512GB/1TB/2TB | 512GB/1TB/2TB | - -## Hardware - -The desktop has been completely redesigned, and features beautiful, bright colors and an impressive 11.5mm thin chassis. The display sits at 24 inches of diagonal width, featuring a 4.5K Retina display with P3 color gamut, True Tone, and 500 nits of brightness. It's a big upgrade over the previous generation, and offers plenty of resolution. Apple's displays have always been excellent, and this isn't any exception. The design and color choices of these new iMacs were clearly made to stand out. The front facing camera has been upgraded to include a 1080p camera instead of a 720p camera like the previous iMacs. It will do a good job for most use cases, although vloggers may want to seek an upgrade for the camera. - -As for the CPU and GPU, we've seen the M1 before. It is an incredibly powerful and capable chip, with an 8 core CPU and 7 or 8 core GPU. Both configurations benchmark with industry-leading single core performance and multicore performance that beats out many of Intel and AMD's offerings. The GPU is no slouch either, although I will be holding out for a more powerful Apple Silicon graphics offering. It will handle most games, and if you consider yourself a casual gamer or even a more dedicated Mac gamer, the M1 won't disappoint. It may not be able to push the most demanding games, though, so be sure to check benchmarks and reviews before purchase. If you're upgrading from nearly any Mac pre-M1, you will not be disappointed. - -Because it is the M1 chip, the limitations that existed on the MacBook Pro and Mac mini still exist here. You are limited to 8GB or 16GB of unified memory, one external display (up to 6k), and two Thunderbolt 3/USB-4 ports at the maximum. However, one plus for the iMac is it's the first M1 Mac to offer 2 additional USB-C ports for more expansion. - -## Audio - -Apple made bold claims when it came to audio. They've shown how good they are at making audio products like HomePod or the excellent speakers built into the MacBooks. Two force cancelling woofers are on each side to move a lot of air and get deep, rich bass. A high-fidelity tweeter is also on each side to match, giving the iMac 6 speakers total. Apple claims that the iMac will offer spatial audio, a feature that is currently offered on the AirPods Pro and AirPods Max. I'm curious to see how Apple will handle directional audio from a stationary device and speakers, with no head tracking to move the audio based on the user's movement. We'll leave that one for reviewers to tackle. - -Regarding microphones, Apple's added a studio-quality 3-mic array. We've heard what Apple did with the MacBook Pro's microphones previously, and I don't doubt that these microphones are going to sound great. - -## Connectivity - -In terms of connectivity, the iMac falls short when compared to previous generations. It offers two Thunderbolt 3/USB-4 ports on the base model, and that's it. For the $1499 version, two more USB-C ports are available (with 5gbps bandwidth). As is the norm with Apple, they're banking on Thunderbolt 3 and USB-C accessories, and they aren't offering any USB-A ports with this system (similar to other M1-powered Macs). If you have USB-A needs like I do, you'll want to look for a Thunderbolt or USB-C hub. An Ethernet port is placed on the power brick and transfers data and power through a magnetically attached cable. It's clever engineering, and removes the need to snake an Ethernet cable right up to the back of the system. iMacs don't traditionally feature a separate power brick, but the thinness of this machine likely necessitated it. - -## Accessories - -The Magic Keyboard got an upgrade to finally feature Touch ID. A fingerprint reader sits in the top right corner of the keyboard and wirelessly authenticates users and allows for quick user switching. This is perfect for the iMac, as I'm sure desktop users had been wanting something like this for quite a while. However, if you don't want Apple's first party keyboard, there unfortunately isn't yet another bioauthentication option like Face ID for the desktop. The keyboard doesn't include Touch ID in the base configuration iMac, unfortunately. If you like Apple's larger wireless keyboard, you can upgrade to the Magic Keyboard with Touch ID and Numeric Keypad before ordering. - -All accessories are color-matched to the iMac you pick. The accessories aren't sold separately, so you'll need to make the decision on your preferred keyboard and whether to use a trackpad at purchase. - -## My Take - -I will be waiting to see what Apple has for CPUs beyond M1 before I consider buying another Mac. I strongly believe the iMac is a great choice for anyone who needs a desktop computer. It's the perfect desktop for most, because it handles the majority of casual and professional workloads with ease. Unless you have a particular need for high-end hardware, the iMac will be able to handle anything you throw at it. This iMac has an incredible form factor, and the Touch ID in the keyboard is probably my favorite added touch. - -The 24" iMac launches on April 30th. diff --git a/src/pages/blog/ipad-pro-2021.md b/src/pages/blog/ipad-pro-2021.md deleted file mode 100644 index ea2a257..0000000 --- a/src/pages/blog/ipad-pro-2021.md +++ /dev/null @@ -1,50 +0,0 @@ ---- -layout: ../../layouts/PostLayout.astro -title: "iPad Pro (2021) Impressions" -date: 2021-04-26 -slug: /ipad-pro-2021-impressions -description: "My impressions of the new M1-powered iPad." -tags: [ipad pro, ipad, apple] -banner: /images/ipadpro21-hero.jpg ---- - -Today at Apple's "Spring Loaded" event, a Mission: Impossible-like clip involved an unknown figure stealing the M1 chip from Apple's sub-basement and putting it into an iPad Pro, only to reveal the shocking twist: it was Tim Cook! I always figured Tim would have the credentials necessary to get inside the normal way. Either way, Apple showed off an iPad Pro with very impressive display tech and an M1 chip packed inside. Let's take a look at what's new. - -| Configuration | iPad Pro 11\" | iPad Pro 12.9" | -| :------------ | :-------------------------------- | :---------------- | -| Pricing | $799 to $1899 | $1099 to $2199 | -| Display | Liquid Retina | Liquid Retina XDR | -| Processor | M1 (8-core CPU/8-core GPU) | -| RAM | 8GB standard, 16GB for 1TB or 2TB | -| Wireless | 5G (+$200) | -| Connectivity | Thunderbolt 3/USB-4 | -| Camera | 12MP Ultrawide | -| Storage | 128GB/256GB/512GB/1TB/2TB | - -## Processor - -The M1 chip is a phenomenal performer inside of Macs, and the iPad is the thinnest device to incorporate M1. It's a powerhouse, to be sure. The iPad Pro will be able to handle every performance task thrown at it without breaking a sweat. But this has been true for the previous iPad Pro. If you remember, back before Apple Silicon Macs existed, iPads always had impressive SoCs which benchmarked remarkable speeds. For particular workloads, M1 will certainly make a difference over the previous-generation's A12Z, but I wouldn't consider it an important enough feature to jump up to the newest generation iPad Pro. For now, it's not known how this iPad will benchmark and perform in comparison to it's larger Mac siblings powered by M1, but I would expect similar results in synthetic benchmarks. Additionally, the iPad now comes with 8GB of RAM standard, or 16GB in higher storage versions, which is bonkers considering the iPad hardly uses anywhere near that much in many use cases. - -## New Camera - -If you're looking for a reason to upgrade, the front-facing camera might be the reason. The iPad has long suffered in video calls with its awkward camera placement. With the new iPad Pro, the 12MP front-facing ultra wide camera attempts to fix this shortcoming, and the iPad will pan and zoom the camera to best fit you and others into the camera frame using their "Center Stage" feature. It sounds like a great step up for the front-facing camera, and hopefully it helps reduce the awkward look from the odd positioning of the camera. I'm excited to see how it functions. - -## Storage - -The iPad Pro now offers up to 2TB of storage space, which is a terrific upgrade for anyone working with huge video files or ProRAW images. The iPad Pro with 12.9" display and 2TB of storage costs $2199 or $2399 with cellular. It is expensive, but worth it for the professionals who need it. - -## Display - -The larger iPad Pro features a new mini LED display, and is extremely technically impressive. The display makes use of 10,000 LEDs with roughly 2,500 local dimming zones to achieve a contrast ratio of roughly 1,000,000:1. It achieves peak brightness of 1600 nits. The display features the same P3 color gamut, high-refresh ProMotion, and TrueTone features. Apple calls it an "XDR" display, which makes sense, because the peak brightness and contrast with the dimming zones puts it in the class of the Pro Display XDR. The difference will likely be most notable in direct sunlight, where you won't have much trouble seeing the content on your screen. It's impressive to fit that display into the incredibly thin body of the iPad Pro, and I'm curious what it will do to battery life. The 12.9" iPad Pro costs $100 more than the previous generation because of this new, gorgeous, bright display. - -## Accessories - -The Magic Keyboard is now offered in a white color, with no other updates to the keyboard, Apple Pencil, or other accessories. All accessories should be backwards compatible with the 2018 iPad Pro because the chassis is roughly the same, although the 12.9" iPad did get 0.5mm thicker to accommodate the new display. - -## Software - -The hardware is amazing in every capacity, to be sure. But there's one thing holding the iPad Pro back: iPadOS. Until we see professional-grade applications make their way to iPad, its hard to imagine spending over $799 on a tablet that (for me, at least) ends up being used primarily for media consumption and light tasks. Tack on the Magic Keyboard ($299) and Apple Pencil ($129), and the iPad Pro ends up costing far more than even the base model MacBook Pro. At WWDC in 2019, Apple announced their move to split iOS into iOS and iPadOS, indicating their desire to make iPadOS a powerful operating system in its own right. Because the iPad now packs a full force desktop processor with 8 and 16GB of RAM and true Thunderbolt expansion, I hope Apple is working on more powerful applications to take advantage of what iPad can offer. I hope we'll finally see true first-party pro-grade software at WWDC this year, like Final Cut or Logic Pro. - -## Conclusion - -The display technology is amazing, the connectivity is incredible, the form factor is breathtaking, and in every way, the iPad Pro is the best tablet money can buy. For most people, this new iPad Pro will likely be overkill. But this is truly a "Pro" iPad. The most pro that iPad has ever been, in fact. This is a mobile device that has Apple's most powerful Mac chip inside, which prices it and specs it out as a computer replacement. Let's hope that more software comes to really make it worth the asking price. diff --git a/src/pages/blog/spring-loaded.md b/src/pages/blog/spring-loaded.md deleted file mode 100644 index 8253380..0000000 --- a/src/pages/blog/spring-loaded.md +++ /dev/null @@ -1,60 +0,0 @@ ---- -layout: ../../layouts/PostLayout.astro -title: "Apple's Spring Loaded Event Recap" -date: 2021-05-31 -slug: /spring-loaded-event-recap -description: "My thoughts on Apple's announcements." -tags: [spring event, event, apple] ---- - -Apple was not kidding when they made the name of the event Spring Loaded. This was loaded with new product releases and updates, and hopefully everyone is satisfied. I'm going to briefly cover everything Apple announced today and give a few short thoughts, and I'll breakdown the products in future posts. - -**All Updates:** - -- Apple Card Family -- Podcasts -- Purple iPhone 12/12 mini -- AirTag -- Apple TV 4K -- iMac -- iPad Pro - -## Apple Card Family - -Apple Card offers the ability to designate a co-owner of the credit card, and credit reporting will be done for both users, equally. This joint feature is one of many oft-requested features since Apple Card's introduction. Additionally, users in the same family sharing group above the age of 13 can be allowed to use the Apple Card up to a particular spending limit. This sharing can occur through one Apple Card account. It seems like a great new set of features for Apple Card. Family sharing offers a lot for families and Apple always continues to offer more with it through its services. - -Being a credit card, these features just come with the card through software, so there's no price point to comment on. If you like these features and it's relevant for your situation, take advantage of it! - -## Podcasts - -I've always been apprehensive about making podcasts a subscription arena. Podcasts have always been a free way, less-controlled medium, and I didn't enjoy the idea of some Podcasts+ service. Luckily, Apple didn't go down the route of a combined monthly fee with original programming or buying in big content creators. They just enabled content creators the opportunity to offer podcasts through a paid route, supporting the podcast through user support instead of sponsor-based advertisements. This move is clearly to the benefit of the content creators, and I think it's a smart one. - -Personally, I'm sticking to the free podcasts. There are too many subscriptions these days for me to get caught up in individual show subscriptions. The redesigned Podcasts app is a nice plus for me, and I think Apple went about this the right way. - -## Purple iPhone 12/12 mini - -It's the iPhone 12 and 12 mini you love, but now in purple! Not much else to say here, but it is a nice color. - -## AirTag - -Getting to the big announcements. AirTag has been rumored for quite some time, and it's nice to see it finally be released. They're cheaper than I thought, at $29 for one or $99 for a 4-pack. While pricey, they're competitive with Tile and other offerings while offering the full advantage of being first-party. The big advantage here: ultra wideband tracking. - -Now, while this feature is relevant for owners of the iPhone 11 or later devices, the Precision Tracking feature is awesome. Being able to be guided to the AirTag step-by-step with incredible accuracy is a phenomenal step up from Tile and other offerings. If you own one of the newer iPhones, AirTag is definitely a buy. If you value being able to find your belongings but own an older iPhone, I still think it's worth the purchase, just because of the Find My network. Utilizing the billion Apple devices out on the planet, if you lose an AirTag and are out of range of that, there's bound to be an Apple device in range to pick up the signal. - -Accessories range from $29-39. Keep in mind that 3rd party accessory makers will undoubtably make cheaper key rings and loops for AirTag. Look for those when finding the perfect key ring. - -AirTag releases on Friday, April 23. There will be a Hermès brand AirTag, with hand crafted leather accessories, and those come out April 30. - -## Apple TV 4K - -The new Apple TV 4K doesn't necessitate you running out and replacing your current Apple TV, but it's got a nice spec bump up to an A12 Bionic chip while preserving the same price tag as before. HDR with high frame rate is the big new feature with the hardware, and that's about it. Unless you actually need a new Apple TV, it's not something to consider upgrading to. - -However, Apple also unveiled comes with a fully redesigned Siri remote. The remote itself costs $59, and is compatible with the previous generation Apple TV 4K. The remote is thicker, making it far less easy to lose. It features actual arrow buttons and it maintains touch sensitivity for quick swiping around. It also adds a power button for the TV. The remote itself is worth a purchase for sure, it's a much-needed update to the previous Siri remote and I will definitely be picking up a new remote. - -## iMac/iPad Pro - -I'll write separate posts regarding the new 24" iMac and the iPad Pro. Both of these devices now feature the M1 chip, which is gives each device large boosts in speed. The iMac offers a lot of new features, and spoiler alert, if you're in the market for a desktop Mac, 9 times out of 10 the iMac will offer everything you're looking for. The iPad features display tech and power that seems impossible given the size of the chassis, but it's still an open question whether it's worth the asking price given the capabilities of the software. - -## Conclusion - -This event was packed with products and updates, and there's something for everyone here. I will likely be picking up the new Siri Remote and AirTags, and will offer my thoughts on these when I have them in-hand. diff --git a/src/pages/blog/xcode-on-ipad.md b/src/pages/blog/xcode-on-ipad.md deleted file mode 100644 index c50cdf6..0000000 --- a/src/pages/blog/xcode-on-ipad.md +++ /dev/null @@ -1,24 +0,0 @@ ---- -layout: ../../layouts/PostLayout.astro -title: "Xcode is on iPad! Kinda." -date: 2021-06-08 -slug: /xcode-is-on-ipad -tags: [wwdc, ipados, ipad, ios, apple] -banner: /images/ipadpro-swift.jpg ---- - -Apple's WWDC kicked off yesterday with an epic keynote outlining all of their upcoming software updates and APIs for developers, with all of these major releases coming in the fall. One thing that I [[The Future of iPadOS|have been hoping for]] on the iPad is inclusion of pro-level software, including creative software like Logic Pro or development tools like Xcode itself. Today, Apple didn't deliver a pro software suite to iPad. But they did introduce updates to Swift Playgrounds, Apple's app for teaching people how to code using Swift on an iPad in a fun, interactive way. The new update now allows full apps to be built on the iPad and even submitted to the App Store, without a Mac as an intermediary. While it may be disappointing to not have full developer suites yet, the fact that this was introduced implies a few things about what Apple is working on. - -## In with the New - -Last year, Apple introduced a declarative syntax for UI design known as SwiftUI, which made it simpler than ever before to create beautiful UIs in a way that easily adapts to different screen sizes and classes of device. It was limited when compared to it's older sibling, UIKit, which has been around since iOS 2.0. Last year SwiftUI brought with it support inside of Swift Playgrounds, which made building UI at all on Swift Playgrounds possible. It was half-baked at the time, lacking support for proper view models or the ability to preview iPad-level screens, but the basic tools existed. This year, with the announcement that you can build full apps on the iPad for the first time, Apple is making full use of SwiftUI's features to enable creation of apps with the declarative syntax. With SwiftUI 2, there is wider support for more of the interfaces that developers would have otherwise needed to fall back to UIKit to support. - -As the library gets more mature, complex and fully-featured apps become possible with SwiftUI. While it's still in an early state, the perfect place to deploy it is within the context of Swift Playgrounds - -## Transition Periods - -Apple is undoubtably aware that professionals want to use their iPads for a range of tasks, and they're working on getting it there, one step at a time. Xcode on iPad, with the state of the underlying software and build tools at this point, wouldn't make sense for Apple to release. It just wouldn't be Xcode unless it lived up to the feature set of it's Mac-native sibling. - -I think the takeaway from this feature is that Apple is continuing to bring previously Mac-only features to the iPad. At this point, they've even brought many of the tools required to build, run, test, and deploy _full iOS apps_ on the iPad. I'd expect that once the internal build tools and underlying frameworks found in Swift Playgrounds on iPad are as feature-rich and capable as what is bundled with Xcode is the point that Apple will ship Xcode for the iPad. For now, enjoy building your apps in Swift Playgrounds. - -In the meantime? Just get a Mac.