Where it's Okay to be a Fan
The only detail about the iPhone X that has received more attention than Face ID is the price. Many pixels have already been darkened over the issue. But it is usually just a reactionary scree over how outrageously the new iPhone is priced. The response is an aggressive defense of the price. We can do better...
Read MoreIn my brief time I had with the iPhone 8 at the Apple Store, I can say with a relatively high degree of confidence that it is exactly what you would expect it to be. It is a minor upgrade to the smartphone you already carry.
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Let me just get this out of the way up front: If you are perfectly happy with your current phone, stick with it. It is not that you wouldn’t enjoy the new devices. But once the new phone smell has worn off, they will still allow you to make and receive calls, send and receive messages, manage your email, stream your favorite music, and watch videos. Oh, and your pictures will still be stunning and more detailed than you really need them to be.
Your current phone will continue to do all of these things just as well this year as it did last year. You are under no obligation to upgrade. So resist the social pressure to do so. This article is not for you. I applaud you for your decision to stick with what you have, and give you leave to stop reading at this point. As for the rest of us who intend to buy one of the new iPhones recently announced, read on. You have an important decision to make. What follows should help...
Read MoreSilly Season is almost over. And Stupid Season is almost upon us. The months before a new iPhone is announce, people start evaluating their relationship with their current phone. Sometimes, like me, they determine that there is nothing wrong with the phone they happen to be rocking. They also decide that there is nothing particularly exciting about the rumored features of the new phone that it soon to arrive...
Read MoreI don’t know how long it is going to take me to write this article, as I will be doing it without a hardware keyboard. Here we go...
Read MoreI would argue that setting up a new iOS device is a harrowing experience for everyone. Long past are the days when removing a new iOS device from the box and using it as your device was a painless procedure of a few seconds. The setup process is a real process. Even so, the process is exponentially magnified for people with accessibility needs, in particular, low-vision...
Read MoreJohn Gruber has a lot of influence in the Apple community, and rightfully so. He is right most of the time. And when wrong, he is smartly wrong, never stupidly wrong. But in the case of one of his recent articles, he couldn't be more wrong...
Read MoreFull disclosure: I live right across the street from the Apple Store. I can spend as much time as I like running all the new systems. That said, I only review products that I have actually purchased and used on a day to day basis. I am planning to get the new iPad when I sell my current one. But until then, I will just provide my first impressions after spending about 30 minutes with the machine...
Read MoreDespite the title I chose for this article, this is not one of those articles that pits one device against the other. I use both, and probably will as long as both exist. But I am excited about the iPad with iOS 11 in ways that I am not excited about the Mac regardless of the OS.
There are many ways that the Mac outpaces the iPad. We all know what they are. But there are many ways the iPad outpaces the Mac. Those advantages are not as obvious, many of which are new with the early betas of iOS 11. Here are a few:
Read MoreI had several names for this article. My first choice was *Bluetooth speakers are on a roll*. My second choice was, *A $100 speaker for $50*. And with the title I actually chose, you can just about stop reading at this point. Pretty much everything has been said about this product that you need to know...
Read MoreIt seems obligatory to say that I typed this article on the keyboard I am reviewing. But it is an obligation that makes little sense to me. Of course I am typing it on the keyboard I am reviewing. So what?...
Read MoreI feel silly. I'm typing this article on my iPhone. Actually, it's not directly on the phone. I am using a portable keyboard from Logitech called Keys-to-Go. I picked this up for my iPad mini 4 on Amazon for $40. It is normally $69. I will talk about that experience. But I am also trying to answer a bigger question: What is the real utility of portable keyboards...
Read MoreIn 2010, Steve Jobs enthusiastically introduced the iPad as the third device category slotted in between the smartphone and the laptop. 7 years and almost every iPad later, I reluctantly declare that he was wrong, at least at first. These are the things the iPad had to do better...
Read MoreThe box was huge. The monitor, not so much. But the impact it has had on me in this short time is profound. I am speaking, of course, about the LG UltraFine 4K monitor Apple announced alongside the new MacBook Pro with Touch Bar...
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It seems to be a universal truth among tech pundits that 2016 was a bad year. 2017 is now upon us. And it is time to turn the page. What tech do you anticipate purchasing this year? What old things do you need to replace? And what new things excite you?
Read MoreI know that this may seem like a strange pairing at first. But these two premium products have at least one thing in common: I have wanted them both since the summer. They were both delayed. (I guess that’s two things.) And I now have both to review. But in this arena, only one will remain standing. Hint: this one’s not going to make it all 15 rounds...
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The new MacBook Pro is a marvel of engineering. But there are a whole lot of engineering marvels that you don’t need in your life. The question for the day, is the MacBook Pro one of them?
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It has been a long time since Apple has released a product as polarizing as the new MacBook Pros. It has also been a while since the traditional Apple customer base has been so angry with Apple because of product direction...
Read MoreThere is a lot of angst among Mac pundits these days. Last month it was because the MacBook Pro hadn’t been updated in quite a while. Today, it is because the MacBook Pro just got an update. Depending on what signals you are getting, the latter situation might actually be worse.
The outcry is the same after the release as before: Apple has abandoned the pros. Have they? The answer is more complicated than a simple yes or no. Apple has certainly made a lot of changes to the product line. The breezy answer is that they have made a new kind of MacBook for a new kind of pro. Bear with me while I unpack what that means:
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