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  UofMTiger Tech
UOFMTIGER'S DEN

Get ALL audio sources from your TV to Headphones

6/27/2015

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Initial Impressions

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When I first received the box for the "Vitasound PAE-200, TV Hearing Helper",  I was impressed with the packaging.  The little box for the headphones, for example, has a space for each earbud and allowed the cords to be wrapped underneath.  The package also contained several ear tips in different sizes to ensure a comfortable fit for everyone.  The instruction manual is also very good (including colored pages).  My only minor complaint about the packaging is that they did not include an optical or coax cable, so if your TV doesn't have RCA outputs, you are left trying to find your own cable.

Note:  I get paid commissions for purchases made through any links to Amazon products in this post.

The Setup

Once I got it out of the box, I hooked the base up to the RCA outputs of my TV.  My Samsung TV is wall mounted, but I have a power outlet behind it that made it easy to put everything out of site.  Unfortunately, I realized later that the base is also used for charging the handset, so you have to have a place to set it upright.  I was able to put it on the mount that my TV is perched on, but I am tall, so I was able to reach over the TV, but it was still a stretch.  This is my main problem with the unit.  Most people, even those with a TV stand, would rather have the charger for the handset on their side table, not on the stand across the room.  They really should have a separate charger or a way to plug the handset in directly for the price of the unit. 
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Once I had it plugged in, the handset and the base immediately connected wirelessly.  They say that you can walk 33 feet from the base and I don't doubt it.  I was able to walk in the kitchen which is about 20 feet from the TV and the signal stayed strong.  Luckily, they include a strap so you can hang the handset around your neck as you walk around.

The Handset

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Once I had it up and running, I decided to try out the EQ modes.  They have 4 separate modes that are for boosting different frequencies.  They don't give you EQ sliders for fine tune adjustments, but it is still better than not having any EQ options.  The unit has a volume button on the side, but it doesn't adjust down to zero (at least with my source - an older Samsung 1080p plasma).  Even my lowest volume is fairly loud, so if you have normal hearing, I would not recommend this as a method for late night listening* (assuming that this is an issue with all TVs).  Also, there is not a mute button, which I found inconvenient.

(*Note:  I have normal hearing and mainly got the unit so that I could listen to TV via headphones while others slept, although we also have visitors that I know will appreciate the volume boosting characteristics of the unit.  The way around the loud, lowest setting in my setup was to run it through a portable headphone amp with a mini cable and using the amp for volume control.  I tested it with a PA2V2 (although I would guess that any amp would do) and was able to get the audio volume to the perfect level.  The other possible option is to team it with power hungry headphones that need to be driven by an amp.)  Below is a pic of the PA2V2 amp:
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Hearing Helper

For those that are planning to use this for its "hearing helper" capabilities, the unit has settings that get pretty loud.  There is also a a volume booster switch on the side to make it even louder.  As with the "*Note" I included above about lowering the volume, since it has a standard miniplug output, you can also plug it into a headphone amp to get  the volume louder, if you need it.

Other Uses

I can also see that this would be an easy way to have sports (or some other broadcast that you only need audio to enjoy) on the TV in the house and have the handset plugged into a radio with an aux input on the porch so that everyone can listen to a game while cooking out or having a meal on the patio (reminder: the base and the handset need to be within ~33 feet of each other).   

As an example, I am a big fan of the Tivoli Pal Radios.  They have an aux input that you could plug the handset into and be able to listen to the source over the speaker.  However, the Tivoli can also work as an amp since you can plug the headset into the aux input and use the Tivoli headphone output to adjust volume.  Below are a couple of pictures of the Pal.  Notice that it also has a (great) tuner so you can also just use it for radio.
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Final thoughts

All in all the Vitasound does what is says it will do.  It is currently priced at nearly $200, so it isn't cheap, but it is a unique product that provides a real need to a lot of people, especially those who have issues with hearing the TV at levels that their family members listen to it.  My relatives have a Roku with a headphone output built into the remote, but it only works with that one device.  In my system, I was able to use this unit with ALL of my devices... Roku, Directv, Apple TV, etc.  because it simply takes the audio out from the television and sends it out wirelessly.  

Note:  I get paid commissions for purchases made through any links to Amazon products in this post.

To be more detailed, my setup has a Denon receiver that feeds the TV video and my 5.1 speakers an audio signal.  However, the receiver provides an option to send audio to the TV instead, so I picked that option, and it gives me access to audio from the RCA outputs of my TV.  It works with all sources and even when I change the TVs input source from HDMI 1 to HDMI 2, for example, the audio travels with it.    


Upsides:
Wireless audio of all sources
Volume booster
EQ options
Easy Setup
Standard headphone port

Downsides:
No mute button
Handset needs to be recharged on the mount connected to the TV


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WHY APPLE MUSIC WILL SUCCEED

6/20/2015

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The Spotify Situation

I have been reading a ton of articles on why Apple Music will fail because Spotify has one huge advantage...Freemium.  Yes, Spotify does have a free service that is extremely popular and I think it will continue to be popular.  However, there is room in the growing streaming market for more than one successful service.  Did Pepsi not succeed because Coke exists?  The Moutain Dew stacked in my fridge says that Pepsi is doing just fine.  Most markets have more than one successful retailer (Apple/Microsoft, Apple/Samsung, etc.) and I think that Apple Music will succeed right alongside Spotify.

I will admit that I did find it strange that Apple didn't have a freemium version of on demand streaming that can take advantage of their iAds, but I am guessing they want a distinct segregation between their free service and their paid service.  In the end, I think it will keep Spotify in business in the long run, but I don't think it will wreck Apple Music as a result. 

Siri, yes, Siri

I am absolutely amazed that some tech programs/articles did not even mention this as a feature of Apple Music.  There have been more than a billion iOS devices sold and many people that talk about tech or write about tech, think that Siri integration is so unimportant that it doesn't deserve to even be mentioned when discussing this service?  Spotify does not work with Siri. 

The first time I showed off Siri was at a friends house over Christmas after it was first introduced.  Three people in the room had never owned an Apple product.  However, we sat and asked Siri questions and as the service answered them, people were intrigued and entertained.  In the months that followed, the people in the room eventually bought either an iPhone or iPad.  Yes, there was probably more than that one reason, but they were still talking about Siri the next time I saw them. 

I was watching a tech show and the host said that Android will do the same thing with Spotify. and Google Now.  However, tech show hosts have access to Android, Windows, and iOS and don't pick one platform and stick with it.  The real world is typically using one platform and many are using iPhones and iPads.  Therefore, it is absolutely irrelevant whether Android has a feature or not.  On iOS, only Apple Music will have this feature.

Siri integration, for me, is a major selling point.  The ability to do searches like "play music from 1982", "add Kind of Blue to my library", or "play Aretha Franklin when this song is finished", etc.. is a huge advantage.  Think about the convenience of using this in the car or with an Apple Watch or while reading a magazine in your living room.  

iTunes Match or whatever they want to call it

Spotify does not match your iTunes library and make it available for streaming.  You either have to load the files directly to the iPhone or deal with listening to music only in the Spotify library.  Apple Music has already said that they will make your iTunes Library available.  Some people are saying that no one buys music, but there have been over 35 Billion songs sold on iTunes and hundreds of billions of CDs have been sold.  Assuming Apple isn't just aiming the service at 5 year olds, there will be people with their own music that may not be available on any service (The Beatles, King Crimson, certain Jazz labels, AC/DC, etc..).  There are also those that have Bootlegs and other music that isn't available.  Personally, the ability to have the Beatles sitting next to the latest release on one service is an important feature*.

* Note:  Google Play Music has had this feature since it was introduced.  I tried out the service and it lacked so many features that I decided it wasn't worth it.  One major stumbling block was the lack of a desktop music app (which meant that it could not be remotely controlled like Rdio or Spotify).

iTunes 

One app to rule them all.  I would venture a guess that iTunes is the most popular music app on the planet.  After all, it has been the easiest way to get your music and videos from your computer to your Apple music player (iPad, Touch, iPod, iPhone) for years.  It will now just get an update and the Apple Music service will just be there.  

With the current "Remote" app, you can actually control iTunes from your network and send audio from iTunes to multiple Airplay devices from the app.  It is the currently the easiest way to do multi-room Airplay audio and if they add the music service to this feature, it will only be one more reason for AppleTV and Airport Express owners to jump in. 

Apple TV

It will be interesting to see where Apple TV goes in the next year.  Many believe there will be an app store, but Apple could snub Spotify.  They don't make it available now, so that may still be the case when Apple TV 4 (or whatever they call it) comes out.  There is a lot of pent up demand for a new Apple TV and their rumored TV service and Homekit hub will most likely make Apple TV sales soar again.  While I don't think the Apple TV alone would be something to make people want Apple Music, when combined with everything else, it becomes part of a compelling ecosystem.  Also, I bet that the App will be preloaded on the new Apple TV.  Not to mention the millions that already own an Apple TV that will be using the service for three months free before they have to make a decision.

500 Pound Gorilla

Apple has money...a whole lot of it.  They will be able to get new releases by major artists.  They will be able to get exclusives.  They will release new devices with the Music app sitting on the home screen.  They can give away months of the service with new purchases.  They can buy other services and absorb their customer base.  

The Other Stuff

The curation, Connect, and Beats 1 features.  As someone that has tried nearly every service, my feeling is that Beats had the best curation (recommendation) engine.  The playlists and albums they chose based on my preferences were nearly always on target.  One issue I had with the service (when I tried it) was the inability to easily get to new releases.  However, Apple's keynote seemed to show new music right in the 'All Genres" section.  

The Connect service will be free and if artists actually use it, it will draw in more eyes.  If Taylor Swift, for example, starts posting here instead of Instagram, there will be millions of new eyes on Apple Music.  I am curious about it myself, but I think it will bring curiosity to music fans and that is really what draws in new users as much as anything.

Beats 1 is a worldwide radio station that will also be available for free.  I think it will be very interesting to see how one station available in 100 countries will be perceived.  I remember watching a movie that talked about "one moon".  When "character A" was away from home, he would gaze at the moon and know that "character B" was doing the same.  It was an amazing way of connecting with someone far away.  

Could this concept be similar?  We will all have the ability to listen to the same song, at the same time.  Of course, it really comes down to whether the music is acceptable to a broad audience, but I know I will try it out.  I wonder how many others will also be curious about it?  Think about the artists that will appear on the station just to be able to connect with so many people at one time.  While I got an iPod to get away from DJs a long time ago, I can still see tons of potential in this concept.  

Patience is  virtue

Apple will be making their debut at the end of the month and it will be important to measure their success over a period of time.  No one will be paying for the first three months and many don't even know about it yet.  Apple has already released their "music history" video commercial, but I think we will see a major onslaught of commercials in the coming months.  I would be very surprised if the service doesn't succeed, simply based on the 800 million credit cards they have on file that will make it very easy for people to pay without having to pull it out and give their credit card number to yet another company.  More and more people think that the more they can do with one service, the better.  

I am not predicting the end of Spotify, but I believe this segment of the music business will continue to grow and Apple can make a compelling argument to make their service the choice for many.


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Whaat is Whaale?

6/20/2015

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So what is the Whaale app?

It is an iOS app that adds  multi-room Airplay capabilities to your iOS device without needing to get a computer or NAS involved.   While it has some limits, it is great if you are willing to put up with their "nickel and diming" you to death (more on that later).

Who is it for?

It is for people in the Apple ecosystem that own at least one iOS device and more than one Airplay receiving device and want to play audio on them at the same time.  An Airplay receiving device consists of Apple's Airport Express, the AppleTV 2 & 3, and any third party product that has Airplay built in.  This can consist of individual speakers, receivers, etc.   

If you have Airfoil installed on your computer, your computer can usually become an Airplay receiving device, as well.  However, I tested Whaale with Airfoil Speakers that I have on a Mac and while the app and the Mac seem to connect, nothing played through the speakers.  Therefore, I don't recommend this app for using with Airfoil.  (NOTE:  You can still use the Airplay features built into the Control Center on iOS to send the audio from Whaale to the Mac running Airfoil, but you lose the multi-room capabilities of Whaale in the process).

It can play one song across all receivers or you can choose different sources to send to each speaker (I have tested it with two simultaneous streams to two separate speakers and it played without an issue).

So what are the limits mentioned above?

The main limit is that it only works with certain players.  In other words, you can't just launch Pandora or Spotify and play them on multiple Airplay speakers with this app.  You have to use one of the sources in the app.  The app has iPod, MediaServer, Internet Radio, Deezer Radio and Deezer Music.  Unfortunately, Deezer isn't currently available in the US unless you have a SONOS and I am not sure I would want to switch from Rdio anyway.  According to Whaale, you can get Spotify (Premium only), but you need to buy the Amplified app and the Audiobus app.  Personally, I don't like Spotify enough to spend another $10, plus the price of the Whaale feature to get it on multiple Airplay devices at the same time.  For those times I want multi-room audio for Spotify or Rdio, I will put a computer in the mix and use Airfoil.  However, I don't listen to multi-room audio that often, so you have to decide for yourself if it is worth the extra money to get Spotify to work with Whaale.

Other Limits?

Currently, you can use 6 Airplay speakers.  That isn't really a big deal, but the fact that it only shows 6 Airplay speakers on the screen at once means that if I want to get to speaker #7, #8, #9, etc.. in my setup, I have to move speakers to the "stage" (this is where you move speakers that you want to hear) until the speaker I am looking for shows up in the six speakers that are listed. Also, I don't like the fact that most of the speaker names are abridged because of the limited space in the speakers section of the app.  Personally, I would prefer more space for the speakers and less space for the "stage".   Also, the panel to the left of the speakers isn't really needed and takes up too much space.  It give you the ability to get to another screen, but you can do the same by swiping to the left.
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What was meant by "nickel and diming"?

There is a free version of the app (Whaale LE) that has limited features and there are "in app" purchases.  To get the paid version of Whaale, the cost is currently $7.99.  You get the ability to play on 2 speakers, but to add more, the price ranges per speaker.  They can cost $.99 (for each up to 4 speakers to $1.99 each speaker (for 5 & 6).   Then, if you want to have media server access, that costs another $.99, for internet access another $.99,  Whaale Family which allows you to control speakers from more than one iOS device is $4.99.  

Personally, I would have liked the option of one price to update everything and a discount for buying everything would have also been nice.   I have not used the Whaale Family feature, but I may end up adding it since I have been known to switch from iPhone to iPad and I believe this may be a more seamless experience.  Even if you add everything, the price isn't that bad if you want to use iOS and for whatever reason, can't put a computer in the mix. 

Thanks Apple!

As I have written about in the past, Apple could "sherlock" this app and provide Airplay multi-room streaming with all apps, not just the limited plug-ins available by Whaale.  However, for very little money, you can get iOS multiple room streaming now and for me it was worth a few bucks if just for the ability to stream music to the entire house via an inexpensive Seagate Personal Cloud Storage NAS or using the app's internet radio stations (see some of the "Genres" below).  Not to mention that you can just stream to the iOS device directly if you just want to listen on your iPad/iPhone.  The great thing that I love about the app is that there is a free version you can use to try it out and see if it is for you or not.  However, I admit that I was quickly hooked after the trial.
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Apple Airplay and its Untapped Potential

6/18/2015

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I have written several articles related to Airplay and I am a big fan of the technology.  However, it is a mystery as to why Apple hasn’t tapped into the full potential of the technology.

Multi-room Audio

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Currently, you have a few options for multi-room audio.  You can use iTunes on a computer, which has multiple speaker Airplay built right into the iTunes interface.  It also allows you to control the speaker selection using the Remote app on iOS (see pic above).  This is about all you can do for multiple speaker playback without third party apps.

Airfoil,
which I have reviewed before, allows you to take ANY audio from your computer and send it to multiple speakers.  Combined with Airfoil speakers, you can send any audio stream from an iOS device to the Airfoil Speakers program (it shows up in the iOS Airplay menu) on the computer and Airfoil can send that stream to multiple speakers.  They also make a nifty little iOS app called AF Remote that gives you the ability to select speakers and have rudimentary control over some applications running on the computer.

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Whaale App

In the past, I always thought the reason Apple did not have multiple Airplay speaker streaming from iOS was related to a limitation of iOS or the Airplay technology.  However, that isn’t the case.  

The Whaale app is the reason I know that Apple is holding out on us for some reason.  The app provides multiple room audio to Airplay receivers without a computer in the mix.  It will play music being stored on the device and it has plug-ins for internet audio, server audio (if you have a connected hard drive/NAS on your network),  Deezer, and Audiobus.  It allows you to send audio to several speakers simultaneously or you can even send different audio streams to different speakers from within one app.

This is the frustrating thing about how Apple is currently implementing Airplay.  I should be able to do everything Whaale can do from ANY app right from the Control Center. 

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iOS to iOS Streaming

Apple has an issue with streaming from one iOS device to another.  They have claimed that this is a “Post PC” world, yet you need a computer and Airfoil Speakers running on an iOS device to use the iPhone as an Airplay receiver.

There is absolutely no reason that an iPhone, iPad, or iPhone Touch can’t be used as an Airplay receiver for another iOS device.  I know some are asking “Why would you want it to be an Airplay receiver”?  Well, I have old iOS devices laying around, like a lot of people.  If I dock one in something like a Pure i20 dock, I can send an audio stream from the iPad in my hand to the iPhone that is docked across the room.  This would fill in for Apple’s Airport Express for audio in setups that use old docks with the old power connector.

Airfoil released Airfoil Speakers on iOS with this ability.  You could send audio easily from ANY app on one iOS to another iOS device running the Airplay Speakers app (see pic below - I am sending an iPhone 6 an Rdio stream from an iPad).  Apple removed the feature from future purchases.  AirMusic (which I have written about in the past) also had this feature.  Guess what?  Apple removed the app from the app store.  I still have both of them and they work great, but Apple is holding out on the people that didn’t buy the app before the feature was removed.

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Multistream Audio from One Library

As I mentioned, you can send your “now playing” audio from iTunes to multiple devices.  However, you can’t do the same with multiple songs.  In other words, if you want to play The Beatles in one room and Nirvana in another, you can’t do that within the same library.  Synology has the ability to stream different audio streams (or the same stream) to multiple rooms at the same time using their NAS and the DS Audio app (see pic below).  Apple needs to give us the same ability from iTunes/Apple Music.
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AirPlay Beats Speakers

Recently, I read an article that Beats had a speaker technology in the works that would compete with Sonos when Apple bought them.  It Is being reported that Apple may have put the project on the back burner or completely scrapped it.  However, I think Apple is missing an opportunity.  Right now there are several third party vendors with speakers and Apple should have a native solution.  If they could add direct from the web streaming to AirPlay with Beats and/or Apple branded speakers (my preference would be for a sleek Apple design), they could get a bigger piece of the streaming pie.  It would also help with ecosystem lock-in. (AirPlay is the main reason I didn't switch to Android when I wanted a larger phone and Apple didn't make one).

Final Thoughts 
There isn't a hardware or software limitation that is causing AirPlay to not completely fulfill its potential.  It is a decision Apple is making and I don't understand it.  I am hoping with Apple Music and iOS 9, they add some of these great features to the interface.  However, all that being said, I still prefer the current version of AirPlay to the rest of the streaming competition.
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Why I am so darned excited about Apple Music

6/8/2015

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Too late…really?

I read a lot of forums and blogs and many are saying that Apple is too late to the streaming market.  Spotify has a 60 million users, but only 15 million are paying for the commercial free stuff.  In comparison, Apple is reported to have 800 million credit cards on file….800 million.     There are over 1 billion iOS devices on that have been sold.  In other words, 15 million paying users is a small group…a really, really small group.

Warner Music announced that streaming revenue passed downloads for the first time last quarter and they were the first large music label to hit that milestone.   In short, I disagree with anyone that thinks this market is mature.  

Mac/PC Integration

While many complain that iTunes is a bloated mess, it is still one of the most popular music applications, if not the most popular.  Many still get their music from iTunes and listen to music using iTunes.  It comes with each Mac and many have it on their Windows machines.  An update will add Apple Music to iTunes and it will be in the face of the millions of people that listen to music using iTunes.  Unlike Spotify, Rdio, and other services, it is already right on your desktop. 

iOS Integration

Once again, the Music app is already on your iOS device.  Yeah, you may have it hidden if you never listen to your own music, but I would venture to say that many still use it to listen to their own music or to iTunes Radio.  

The iOS integration doesn’t stop there.  They have implemented incredible search features into Siri.  I have used iTunes Match for a couple of years and pay for it just for Siri integration.  In fact, merging my music library with Apple Music is a huge bonus.  With this new service, I can tell Siri to play just about anything and it will start playing.  Now the fact that the service doesn’t have "Back in Black" available isn’t going to require me to go to a separate app to play it. 

Curation

When I tested Beats Music, I felt that they had the best curation engine compared to every other service have tried (Spotify, Rdio, MOG, & Tidal).  Now, assuming they integrate my own music to make suggestions, I should get an even better selection of music suggestions.   

The Watch

While I don’t currently have an Apple Watch (nor will I buy a 1st gen version of it), Apple Music is a major selling point for the watch and vice versa.  Think about sitting in your living room listening to a playlist of music and going to get a snack.  While you are in the kitchen, a song comes on that you have heard one too many times.  You simply open Siri on the watch and tell it to skip the song.  Sweet!  

Connect

While I don’t know how often I will use this, especially with the artists that were highlighted during the Keynote, I can’t say that I won’t use it.  It has a lot of potential.  Pick your favorite artists, then think about how they could use this to connect with fans.  A backstage pass via a video feed as they kick off a new concert tour could be very interesting or watching them work on a song in the studio, etc. 

Video and Beats1

Instead of going to Youtube and hoping to find a video, this could be interesting, especially with the AppleTV and/or Airplay to the AppleTV.   I rarely watch music videos these days unless I see something browsing around on Youtube.  However, this will be built right into the same app I use for all of my music.  

At first blush, I can’t see that I would ever use Beats 1 Radio other than trying it out, but I wanted to mention it since a lot of people like DJs.  I remember when I first picked XM radio over Sirius, which were two separate companies at the time, the main argument for and against XM was the lack of DJs.  Personally, I usually prefer music without them, but sometimes I think they can bring some interesting facts to a song/artist/album and I do enjoy that in specific genres.  However, I doubt anyone like Jonathan Schwartz will be  on Beats 1, but I will at least try it out.

Final Thoughts

When I tried Beats Music Streaming Service, there were several features missing that I wanted to see and I didn't see any of those features addressed (continue play, artist radio slider, etc.), so I am not canceling Rdio until I have a month under my belt with it.  Luckily, it is free for 3 months, so I have plenty of time to try it out before I decide.  However, if Siri works properly with it, it will be hard not to switch.
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Excited about a new port? Really???

6/6/2015

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Yep, for the first time in my geek life, I am excited about an upcoming port.  Thunderbolt 3 brings Thunderbolt’s advantages to USB-C.  

Note:  I get paid commissions for purchases made through any links to Amazon products in this post.

As many that read this blog may know, I am a huge fan of thunderbolt. I have been using it as a way to use my iMac as a display for my 2011 MBP.  I also use thunderbolt to run an external boot SSD drive for the iMac.  This means that I can take advantage of SSD speeds without opening up the iMac and changing anything out.  Additionally, I have a thunderbolt dock that I use to get USB 3 to the iMac (which isn’t equipped with a USB 3 port) and I also use it to get a 4k compatible HDMI out.   The ability to daisy chain thunderbolt also means that I can connect several drives to one port (I currently have 3 SSDs hooked up to my iMac using a Seagate adapter).

That being said, the problem with old tech is that while my Elgato Dock can handle 4k and thunderbolt 2, my Macs can’t.  I have been thinking about updating my 2011 MBP for a while now, but I haven’t really been thrilled with the new Macs on the market.  When the USB-C equipped Thunderbolt 3 comes to new Macs, then I will have a much larger selection of Macs to choose from since I like fast speeds for outboard drives for my Lightroom folders.

The great part of using a USB-C connector is that you can still use USB and Thunderbolt products through that same port.  This would be extremely flexible for docking the MBP in a Thunderbolt dock (or maybe just an adapter) and hooking it up to 4k monitors (it can drive two 4k displays), but still have the ability to use your run-of-the-mill (and most likely a lot cheaper) USB-C products without needing a separate port.  As we have learned with the new Macbook, USB-C also works for power, so with the addition of thunderbolt 3 (the current Macbook does not have thunderbolt 3), we will truly have one port that does it all at incredible speeds (40GB bandwidths compared to the already super-fast thunderbolt that I use which is ONLY 10GB!).  

For my needs, the current crop of Macs seem like they will have a shorter shelf-life than the upcoming Macs that will have this new port.  I would love to see at least two of these ports on my next Mac, so hopefully, Apple can make that happen.  For now, it is just a wait and see situation.  I still think I will end up with a MBP, but it will be interesting to see how this port is debuted across their line of computers.    

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    Dog loving, Big Green Egg worshiping, Tech enthusiast, residing in Memphis, TN.  Home of the Tigers, Grizzlies, Elvis, Al Green, Stax, Hi Records, Ardent Studios, Beale Street, Peabody Ducks, etc..  I have also added the Jeep Wrangler to the list of things I am enthusiastic about.

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