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All Things Apple (was MacBook Air, but things evolve...)
JeroenLuminous beings are we, not this crude matterNetherlandsVeteran
I’m all in favour of free open-source software but I like things to “just work” without recompiling or having to go to the terminal to run commands. That’s why I like MacOS, it is a lazy man’s operating system.
For the Vision Pro, I don’t think I like to have screens interposed between me and the world. The whole idea of “infinite screens” doesn’t appeal to me that much, I can get my work done perfectly well on just one, and the idea of total immersion in a virtual world is only of passing entertainment value. I may well decide to bypass this entire product line from Apple.
0
JeroenLuminous beings are we, not this crude matterNetherlandsVeteran
There are certain aspects of Apple’s business which I like and admire.
The commitment to product quality, good design, privacy and the environment
The philosophy of making things “just work”, and requiring user input only when necessary
The ecosystem of cloud-connected services, which are simple and easy to use
The iPhone and the Mac for me are the pinnacle of Apple’s achievement
And then there are things which I am not so fond of.
Their attitude of charging premium prices for products
The sometimes egregious charging for upgrades
The obsoleting of old products through a lack of software updates
I’ve never been very fond of the wearables like the AirPods, the Apple Watch and so on, and I’m slowly getting a feeling that I will add the Vision lineup to that list. I just think it is a shame to spend your time in a virtual world all the time with screens and a computer plastered to your face.
1
JeroenLuminous beings are we, not this crude matterNetherlandsVeteran
This ad for the Vision Pro is called ‘First Timer’
It seems to be pretty easy to use, even for people not hugely into tech. Still it makes you wonder if the guy in the ad might not have been better off with an iPad, rather than a virtual environment.
0
JeroenLuminous beings are we, not this crude matterNetherlandsVeteran
This review is the last one I’ll post, and it’s a bit different from the other one as it’s from Casey Neistat who took his Vision Pro outside in New York, on the subway, on a skateboard…
Another reviewer said, “Tomorrow’s ideas, today’s technology”. It’s a little glimpse into the future, held back by the compromises of today’s technology. But I think we can wait for the future to arrive on its own terms…
I just bought a new Mac Mini from the Apple Store in Boulder. The purchase was not a pleasant experience. But my new Mini is here, ready to replace my 2012 Mini (which looks essentially identical). But it can’t. My Apple Cinema 30 screen, with its spaghetti of connectors, will not connect to any port on the back of the Mini. So, we’ll buy a new monitor too, and THEN we’ll have a new computer.
1
JeroenLuminous beings are we, not this crude matterNetherlandsVeteran
edited February 5
Not even with dongles, @Steve_B? You can buy a HDMI source to DisplayPort connector for about 20 dollars online here, which is definitely cheaper than a whole new monitor. Not sure if that is your best option for display clarity and so on but if price is the problem then it may serve you.
The local computer guy who makes house calls and specializes in Apple has made a few visits to my house over the decades. Last time, in 2020, he sold me a little adapter so my Cinema screen would display high resolution with the 2012 Mini. That adapter also works on the new Mini, “works” meaning that it plugs into one of the sockets, but the new computer doesn’t have the right kind of power output for the old screen.
So , now a new screen is here for the new computer, and the old computer screen and all will become the Downstairs Computer.
The new computer accommodates the updated software needed by the printer so now our printer finally works again. Otherwise there is basically zero functional difference between the two computers. Oh, except that it turned off my old versions of MS Excel, Word, and PowerPoint. It does come with Apple programs that are said to do much the same thing, but I haven’t used the Apple suite since back in the days of Claris Works.
0
JeroenLuminous beings are we, not this crude matterNetherlandsVeteran
edited February 14
An original iPhone still in the packaging and shrink wrapped from 2007 sold for 61000 dollars a few months ago. It retailed for 499 dollars back then, that’s about 120x a return. Not bad, if you just leave it sitting on a shelf for all that time.
My dear Jelly wants to get an iPhone so badly. She really likes to share her art and give lessons. I thought a good phone and a tripod would be a good present. Perhaps wait for iPhone 15 pro?
0
JeroenLuminous beings are we, not this crude matterNetherlandsVeteran
Now is a pretty good time to buy an iPhone 15 Pro, if you shop around and do your maths you can save 150-200 euros on the price compared to if you buy from Apple. The 15 Pro has been out for about 5 months, you’d have to wait until October to get the 16 Pro.
The cheapest new iPhones get is just before the launch of a new one, my father bought an iPhone 14 for 710 euros a few weeks before the launch of the 15 models.
0
JeroenLuminous beings are we, not this crude matterNetherlandsVeteran
In case you hadn’t noticed, the US Department of Justice has filed an antitrust suit against Apple, accusing them of being a monopolist in the US market. There are a number of different aspects to this, from the way iMessage functions to promote lock-in, to the way different Apple products interact and make it impossible for competing products to gain feature parity.
The lawsuit will likely run for a number of years, plus appeals for more years. But the results could be serious for Apple, up to and including the break up of the company.
JeroenLuminous beings are we, not this crude matterNetherlandsVeteran
There’s a new video out showcasing the AI Pin from Humane, it shows that AI is moving into some really useful areas. Maybe this will be the answer to the smartphone…
Apple will be around for a while. Even though we have 5 or six appalling Apple devices, I will be staying away from Iglass or other 'must have/attach to' devices. Ai pin is another Apple wannabe. Hope they do well but not for me.
JeroenLuminous beings are we, not this crude matterNetherlandsVeteran
@lobster said:
Ai pin is another Apple wannabe. Hope they do well but not for me.
I’ve been spending some time thinking about this, and in fact I think AI Pin is a logical evolution of the smartphone into a true digital assistant with a minimal physical presence. It stands and falls by how natural the AI feels, when it becomes good enough it will take off. I think having an AI sidekick to take care of all the boring details would be very cool.
There are still some big limitations, such as the time it takes to do things. In the video the presenters continue talking while waiting for the pin to respond, but I think that in practice these waits would become a bit frustrating. I’m not going to jump from my iPhone as an early adopter, but I’m certainly going to keep an eye on it.
... yeah, keep an eye on it for sure, they will probably use an Nvidia chip on it and have to compete with Chinese knock offs. It will take some time to get the CosmOS up to speed for developers. Again it is a future design. I saw the early videos about 6 months ago. Was good to see the improvements and I particularly liked the talking egg case ...
0
JeroenLuminous beings are we, not this crude matterNetherlandsVeteran
It seems the technology trade war between the USA and China is ratcheting up a notch. Chinese government already had a ban on iPhones, now they’ve banned x86 chips built by Intel and AMD and Windows on computers used in the government. They’ve supplied a list of homegrown processors and Linux-based os’es for use by government departments.
Intel makes approximately 27% of its revenue in China, for AMD it is lower at 18%. So this could be a substantial revenue hit for them. The American government mandated a move to use American-made computer technology in its departments recently, a move which affected trade with Taiwan for instance.
0
JeroenLuminous beings are we, not this crude matterNetherlandsVeteran
There’s a new “Why upgrade your iPhone” section on the Apple website, for comparing older models to more recent ones.
You may be interested in how AI is the next big 'Babble Bubble of Hype' (bitcoin is collapsing). Every so often these 'improvements' are exposed for what they have been hijacked for ...
Don't say no one told you ...
That seems to be putting it mildly. Marques Brownlee, a major reviewer with 18m YouTube subs, called it “the worst product he has ever reviewed”. So yeah, the tech is not ready.
0
JeroenLuminous beings are we, not this crude matterNetherlandsVeteran
There was an Apple Event announced with a tweet “Pencil us in for May 7th”, and a series of artistic logos. The hint is a new Apple Pencil, and probably new iPads and maybe Macs too. The other implication is that the WWDC keynote, which is on June 10th, is probably packed full of software and AI stuff.
Comments
I’m all in favour of free open-source software but I like things to “just work” without recompiling or having to go to the terminal to run commands. That’s why I like MacOS, it is a lazy man’s operating system.
For the Vision Pro, I don’t think I like to have screens interposed between me and the world. The whole idea of “infinite screens” doesn’t appeal to me that much, I can get my work done perfectly well on just one, and the idea of total immersion in a virtual world is only of passing entertainment value. I may well decide to bypass this entire product line from Apple.
There are certain aspects of Apple’s business which I like and admire.
And then there are things which I am not so fond of.
I’ve never been very fond of the wearables like the AirPods, the Apple Watch and so on, and I’m slowly getting a feeling that I will add the Vision lineup to that list. I just think it is a shame to spend your time in a virtual world all the time with screens and a computer plastered to your face.
This ad for the Vision Pro is called ‘First Timer’
It seems to be pretty easy to use, even for people not hugely into tech. Still it makes you wonder if the guy in the ad might not have been better off with an iPad, rather than a virtual environment.
This review is the last one I’ll post, and it’s a bit different from the other one as it’s from Casey Neistat who took his Vision Pro outside in New York, on the subway, on a skateboard…
Another reviewer said, “Tomorrow’s ideas, today’s technology”. It’s a little glimpse into the future, held back by the compromises of today’s technology. But I think we can wait for the future to arrive on its own terms…
I just bought a new Mac Mini from the Apple Store in Boulder. The purchase was not a pleasant experience. But my new Mini is here, ready to replace my 2012 Mini (which looks essentially identical). But it can’t. My Apple Cinema 30 screen, with its spaghetti of connectors, will not connect to any port on the back of the Mini. So, we’ll buy a new monitor too, and THEN we’ll have a new computer.
Not even with dongles, @Steve_B? You can buy a HDMI source to DisplayPort connector for about 20 dollars online here, which is definitely cheaper than a whole new monitor. Not sure if that is your best option for display clarity and so on but if price is the problem then it may serve you.
Here’s a guy who tried it out…
The local computer guy who makes house calls and specializes in Apple has made a few visits to my house over the decades. Last time, in 2020, he sold me a little adapter so my Cinema screen would display high resolution with the 2012 Mini. That adapter also works on the new Mini, “works” meaning that it plugs into one of the sockets, but the new computer doesn’t have the right kind of power output for the old screen.
So , now a new screen is here for the new computer, and the old computer screen and all will become the Downstairs Computer.
The new computer accommodates the updated software needed by the printer so now our printer finally works again. Otherwise there is basically zero functional difference between the two computers. Oh, except that it turned off my old versions of MS Excel, Word, and PowerPoint. It does come with Apple programs that are said to do much the same thing, but I haven’t used the Apple suite since back in the days of Claris Works.
An original iPhone still in the packaging and shrink wrapped from 2007 sold for 61000 dollars a few months ago. It retailed for 499 dollars back then, that’s about 120x a return. Not bad, if you just leave it sitting on a shelf for all that time.
My dear Jelly wants to get an iPhone so badly. She really likes to share her art and give lessons. I thought a good phone and a tripod would be a good present. Perhaps wait for iPhone 15 pro?
Now is a pretty good time to buy an iPhone 15 Pro, if you shop around and do your maths you can save 150-200 euros on the price compared to if you buy from Apple. The 15 Pro has been out for about 5 months, you’d have to wait until October to get the 16 Pro.
The cheapest new iPhones get is just before the launch of a new one, my father bought an iPhone 14 for 710 euros a few weeks before the launch of the 15 models.
In case you hadn’t noticed, the US Department of Justice has filed an antitrust suit against Apple, accusing them of being a monopolist in the US market. There are a number of different aspects to this, from the way iMessage functions to promote lock-in, to the way different Apple products interact and make it impossible for competing products to gain feature parity.
The lawsuit will likely run for a number of years, plus appeals for more years. But the results could be serious for Apple, up to and including the break up of the company.
The Verge and Daring Fireball carry more detailed reporting.
There’s a new video out showcasing the AI Pin from Humane, it shows that AI is moving into some really useful areas. Maybe this will be the answer to the smartphone…
Apple will be around for a while. Even though we have 5 or six appalling Apple devices, I will be staying away from Iglass or other 'must have/attach to' devices. Ai pin is another Apple wannabe. Hope they do well but not for me.
I have a basic iphone. NOT SURE HOW MUCH LONGER IT WILL WORK without an overpriced upgrade. Apple already tries to get me to use the minority reports type Safari browser instead of Firefox Focus on my phone. Pah!
https://edition.cnn.com/2024/03/21/tech/apple-sued-antitrust-doj/index.html
Want something for the Dharma future?
https://puri.sm/products/librem-5/
I’ve been spending some time thinking about this, and in fact I think AI Pin is a logical evolution of the smartphone into a true digital assistant with a minimal physical presence. It stands and falls by how natural the AI feels, when it becomes good enough it will take off. I think having an AI sidekick to take care of all the boring details would be very cool.
There are still some big limitations, such as the time it takes to do things. In the video the presenters continue talking while waiting for the pin to respond, but I think that in practice these waits would become a bit frustrating. I’m not going to jump from my iPhone as an early adopter, but I’m certainly going to keep an eye on it.
@Jeroen
... yeah, keep an eye on it for sure, they will probably use an Nvidia chip on it and have to compete with Chinese knock offs. It will take some time to get the CosmOS up to speed for developers. Again it is a future design. I saw the early videos about 6 months ago. Was good to see the improvements and I particularly liked the talking egg case ...
It seems the technology trade war between the USA and China is ratcheting up a notch. Chinese government already had a ban on iPhones, now they’ve banned x86 chips built by Intel and AMD and Windows on computers used in the government. They’ve supplied a list of homegrown processors and Linux-based os’es for use by government departments.
Intel makes approximately 27% of its revenue in China, for AMD it is lower at 18%. So this could be a substantial revenue hit for them. The American government mandated a move to use American-made computer technology in its departments recently, a move which affected trade with Taiwan for instance.
There’s a new “Why upgrade your iPhone” section on the Apple website, for comparing older models to more recent ones.
https://www.apple.com/iphone/why-upgrade/
Dear technophobes,
You may be interested in how AI is the next big 'Babble Bubble of Hype' (bitcoin is collapsing). Every so often these 'improvements' are exposed for what they have been hijacked for ...
Don't say no one told you ...
https://www.nytimes.com/2024/03/29/opinion/ai-internet-x-youtube.html?unlocked_article_code=1.g00.n5tA.OpPpHuUiB7qo&smid=url-share
It seems version 1.0 is not worth buying.
https://www.theverge.com/24126502/humane-ai-pin-review
Might of interest for apple cores …
https://lowendmac.com/
That seems to be putting it mildly. Marques Brownlee, a major reviewer with 18m YouTube subs, called it “the worst product he has ever reviewed”. So yeah, the tech is not ready.
There was an Apple Event announced with a tweet “Pencil us in for May 7th”, and a series of artistic logos. The hint is a new Apple Pencil, and probably new iPads and maybe Macs too. The other implication is that the WWDC keynote, which is on June 10th, is probably packed full of software and AI stuff.