Category: Apple Watch

New Apple Stuff...my initial thoughts.

9/14/2017

As you probably know, Apple introduced new iPhones, a new AppleTV, and a new Apple Watch this week. Since I am often discussing Apple products, I thought I would give my readers some of my initial thoughts based on the September 12th Keynote.

AppleTV 4K

This was an obvious update and I would have been surprised if we did not see a 4K HDR AppleTV this year. With every other mainstream video streaming box including some version of 4K, Apple had to update their 1080p AppleTV 4.

While I already have 4k built into my Samsung TV apps, the Nvidia Shield, and a Roku, I still prefer the AppleTV and its interface over my other options. I rarely ever use the Roku because it has a huge ugly ad on the home screen and the Shield wastes too much of the screen on stuff I wouldn't prioritize like their suggestions and games. I do like a lot of the features of the Shield, especially the Plex Server, but I still prefer the AppleTV for most TV apps.

Probability that I get it: Very high probability!

Apple Watch 3

I have an Original Apple Watch and for my needs it is a huge time saver. I use it to control my music, change volume, check notifications, check the weather, set reminders, set alarms, add stuff to my calendar, add stuff to my Wunderlist, check sports scores, perform calculations, turn on and off lights at home, set timers, perform image searches, use the maps feature, opening apps like Overcast, tracking my activity for the day, start workouts, etc.

The thing is that there were things missing from the Original Watch that are now included. Actually, every single thing I wanted in the watch (other than an always on clock screen) is now available:

1. Cellular - being able to just bring my watch while out for a walk or at the beach would be awesome. It can now access Apple Music and 40 million songs without the iPhone. I am still wondering if AT&T will try to get $10 extra month for the feature or not.

2. GPS - This is another feature that allows you to leave your iPhone at home when exercising.

3. Water Resistance ("Swim proof") - I like swimming, so having a watch that can work in the pool is a great feature.

4. Siri that can speak to you

With these new features, I think all of the top expected features are intact. At this point, I think they will work on speed (which they have done with every new watch), health features, and coming up with new ways to use the watch. However, this was the Watch I wanted at the beginning.

Probability that I get it: Good (If they charge for cellular, I might hold out...not sure.)

iPhone 8, 8 plus, X

The iPhone has three new models. They are all great and the 8 plus is a nice spec bump over the 7 plus I have now. It is really more like a 7s Plus than an 8, though.

The X is where all the excitement is right now. It has a beautiful OLED screen, a high pixel count that they are calling "Super Retina", an edge to design, Face ID, new and better lenses with optical stabilization on both lenses, new camerafeatures like "TrueDepth" and "Portrait Lighting". In other words, if I were getting a new phone, I would get the one that looks and feels like a new phone.

That being said, the X starts at $999 for the 64GB version. I would need the 256Gb version which starts at $1149 before AppleCare and taxes. Not cheap!

Probability that I will get it: Improbable - While it is a better phone than the 7 Plus that I have now, I just don't feel comfortable spending that much money (even with the AT&T upgrade plan) on a first generation design. The Face ID looks slower than Touch ID, which is also a concern.

I may be getting to the point of diminishing returns on phones. I feel like the 7 Plus is great for all of my current needs and the "notch" in the top of the X is a bit of a distraction that I am hoping they solve by next year. As I told someone earlier today, if they gave me one, I would take it. But it is hard to rationalize $1149 (plus tax and AppleCare) on a new phone when the one I have now is still fantastic.

Should be interesting to see what my favorite tech is this year. Typically, it is the newest iPhone, but that will probably change for my list this year.

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My thoughts on Apple's recent announcements

6/17/2016

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I thought I would give some of my thoughts on Apple's recent announcements at WWDC. I am excited to see several of the new additions, but below are the top new features that I am interested in:

1. Apple Music

It looks like they changed the Apple Music app quite a bit. I was plenty happy with the old version and thought it needed some enhancements (options for multiple Airplay speakers, better album/artist review, and improved matching of albums). However, this looks like more of a surface level update that has large text all over the place to tell you where you are. This must be the answer for people that couldn't understand when they mixed playlists in with albums? In fairness, many bloggers talked about how hard it was to navigate, so hopefully the huge text saying "Monday's Playlists" will make it easier for them to figure out where they are now and what day of the week it is.

They changed the landing page to the "Library" page. I prefer it to land on "For You" like we do now. I don't have to subscribe to Apple Music if I just want to listen to my library. For me, the service is more about having access to new "to me" music.

I am happy to see lyrics, the discovery mix that was picked "just for me", and a daily curated playlist. They also now have "Browse" instead of "New". As I have mentioned in the past, I like "New" because of the "Mastered for iTunes" albums they often included on that page. I am afraid that section is now gone for ever.

In any event, I am looking forward to trying this out and as long as they don't screw up the For You suggestions and Siri too much, I will continue to use the service.

2. Apple Watch

Of all the announcements, the Apple Watch announcement was the most exciting. The ability to "keep favorite apps in memory with background updates" is a game changer. They are saying that "favorite apps" will load about 7 times faster, so if it takes less than 14 seconds to load, it will now take less than 2 seconds.

The new "scribble" feature will allow you to type by using your finger to draw every letter. They also have new watch faces. The one I am most excited about is getting the ability to add "complications" on my own photos/faces. I occasionally want to put a Memphis Grizzlies face on my watch when my team is playing, but I lose Carrot Weather in the process. This will make it much more likely that I will use my own watch face.

The one thing they didn't discuss in much detail is exactly what "Speaker Audio" might bring to the Apple Watch. They specifically mentioned that "audio and video can be embedded right inside your app UI". I am hoping this means that we will soon be able to play podcasts through the speaker on the watch.

3. AppleTV

leThey added Sling to the AppleTV, but that is not what I am excited about. I am happy to see a new Remote app. The new Remote app will have all of the features of the Siri Remote. This means that the gyroscope and accelerometer will be able to be used in games. For my large hands, the little Siri remote was difficult to control for racing games, but with the much larger iPhone 6s Plus, I will have much better control than I had in the past. I am hoping that third parties, like Simple Control app, will have the ability to control Siri on the AppleTV in the near future.

Another awesome feature is "Single sign in". This means you sign in once instead of signing into every app individually. Much more convenient. It will also automatically load compatible apps on the AppleTV when you download them on iOS.

4. macOS

Instead of needing a password, the Mac will now automatically sign in when you are wearing an Apple Watch ("Auto unlock"). Siri is also now added to the Mac (about time)!

Universal Clipboard looks pretty awesome. It will allow you to copy from iOS and paste to the Mac. I am sure this will require newer Macs, so my 2011 Macs probably won't have this ability, but it is pretty cool to be able to copy images, for example, from the iPhone to the Mac.

Optimized storage seems to be a cloud solution that helps you get more local space on your Mac. This seems like it will make a lot of people go over their current iCloud plans, so I wonder how many people will ever use it.

You can now buy stuff on the web with ApplePay on the Mac and you can authenticate with an iPhone or Apple Watch. Pretty cool and it may help other vendors compete with the convenience of Amazon without giving up security to more retailers. Another cool feature is the picture in picture that looks similar to what we already have in iOS.

5. iOS 10

They have redesigned the lock screen. They now make the lock screen available by just lifting the phone. Now you can see a lot more information without ever logging into your iPhone. Do we really want this? I am not sure I want to have the ability to respond to messages without ever logging into the phone. In other words, I am sure they will make it easy to select which apps you want to use with this feature, but personally I use TouchID so that my phone is secure when I am not around.

They have added new, much more useful ways to use 3D Touch. They have also opened up Siri to developers for messaging, ride booking, photo search, workouts, payments, and VoIP Calling.

There are big updates to Photos. I realize that some of the features are similar to what is already available in Google Photos, like being able to detect other objects in the photo, but for me it is best to have this in Apple's app because of privacy reasons and the ability to get quick access to the photos right in the Photos app on the Mac.

Some people are skeptical about how good Apple will be at this "detection" process, but then again, I haven't had that much luck with Google Photos, especially with the fact that it thinks my dogs are cats about half the time. I could excuse them for my pup that has larger than normal ears that stand up, but it also thinks a cocker spaniel with sagging ears is a cat. Not to mention that it thinks my parents Pomeranian is a bear. There is actually one incident where it thinks my dog photo is a flower...yes, folks, this is the much raved about benchmark by which Apple will be judged. If this is what "Big Data" gets you, bring on Apple's "Deep Learning" via on device, privacy protected, artificial intelligence.

There are also big updates to the News app, navigation, messaging, home kit, etc.

To Wrap Up

As usual, lots of new features in the next operating system updates. I am mostly looking forward to the Apple Watch updates and the Apple Music update, but I think all of the updates should enhance the experience for a lot of people in Apple's ecosystem.

As a side note, Apple has essentially doubled down on privacy and security, so I will be anxious to read more about "Differential Privacy" which is their way of keeping individual user information private while still being able to use data analytics to deliver a better user experience. This is huge departure from what Facebook and Google are doing right now, so I think it will be interesting to see how this plays out over the next few years. As I have mentioned before, I prefer Apple's approach, so we will just have to wait and see if there is a huge price to be paid by those that care about their privacy.

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Top 5 Accessories for iPhone 6s Plus

3/19/2016

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Now that I have had the 6S Plus for a while, I thought I would suggest my top 5 accessories.

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

1. Apple Watch - This is one of the all time best accessories. It is an extension of the iPhone, but it is also a way to remotely control the iPhone. For example, notifications, mail, Twitter, etc.. are all just extensions of what you have on the iPhone. However, apps like Apple Music, Overcast, Downcast, FiLMiC Pro, Camera+, etc. will remotely control the iPhone.

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

2. Apple Lightning to USB Camera Adapter - Awesome accessory for transferring photos and videos to the iPhone.

3. Plugable USB Hub - Combined with the USB adapter above, it gives you the ability to use a Dragonfly DAC (and other DACs) with the iPhone without a power source.

4. LifeProof FRE Case - I like to take my phone to the beach, the pool, and other wet locations and this is the best case for that purpose. This case also covers the screen (unlike the Lifeproof Nuud case) and gives you some drop protection without adding a lot of bulk. This is the best all around case that gives you the confidence to take your phone anywhere.

5. SteeleSeries Nimbus controller - I got one of these for the AppleTV 4th Gen, but it comes in handy for iOS products, as well. With the iPhone, it is especially nice since you can get your hands out of the way of the relatively small screen.

Of course, an external portable battery charger, aninexpensive slim case, a way to mount it to a tripod, etc.. come in handy, as well. However, there is more competition in these areas, where my top five are by far the best at their intended purpose.

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Will Apple kill the mechanical watch?

2/21/2016

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I have read a few articles comparing the Apple Watch to Mechanical Watches and agree with many of the points from Marco and Jack Forester in the articles below, but I also have my own experiences that I want to share.

https://marco.org/2016/02/05/watch
https://www.hodinkee.com/articles/why-jack-forsters-cant-take-off-the-apple-watch

Fashion

I have always been a fan of the men's version of the watch as one of the few "masculine" fashion accessories out there. After all, James Bond wears one.

The mechanical watch goes beyond just fashion by also combining a utilitarian work of art with old school craftsmanship. In other words, its beauty is beyond skin deep.

For my taste, as far as fashion is concerned, mechanical watches are classic and less trendy than Apple Watches. That is not to say that the Apple Watch isn't fashionable, however, I think of it as being more about current style rather than something that has timeless beauty that will age like fine wine.

Function

Depending on the mechanical watch, you typically get a few functions. Tachometer, stopwatch, date, and, of course telling time are common features. These features pale in comparison to the Apple Watch.   Unlike Marco, I actually like the apps.

I wrote about several apps in my "first impressions" article, but the features are numerous. Are they perfect? No, but they are all better than not having them on the wrist. I can look down at the Apple Watch and see the current temperature outside, or I can change the watch face, or get notifications from selected apps, set reminders, add stuff to the grocery list, check my calendar, or even answer a phone call, even though my iPhone is docked in another room. The list of things it does goes on and on.

Does every app run as well on the Apple Watch as it does on the iPhone? No, but I have not had to delete any apps because their performance was unacceptable.   In fact, I use numerous apps on a daily basis. Wunderlist, email, Apple Music, "Now Playing", Twitter, Fantastical, Carrot Weather and others get daily use. Oh, and Siri is phenomenal. I can tell it to play an artist, turn on iDevice lights, set a reminder, ask it when my team plays again, etc. Apple Music on the Apple Watch also adds Airplay control which means, for example, I can be in my bedroom without my phone and send audio from my phone to my bedside Airport Express without fetching my phone.

One major upside to the mechanical watch is that you can see the time without moving your wrist. If Apple could figure out how to always have the time on the watch face in a power saving mode, it would do most everything from a functional standpoint as most mechanical watches.   The other thing missing is that a few mechanical watches are made for going underwater. The Apple Watch comes up short in this area. I have seen some YouTube videos showing how the Apple Watch can be used for swimming, however, I hesitate to even try it. I should mention that I don't take my Speedmaster to the pool, either, to be fair.

Price

The price of a mechanical watches can range from several hundred dollars to more than a million dollars, so there is a huge price difference depending on the prestige, jewelry, and workmanship. The Apple Watch costs around $300 (there are often discounts) and can also be much pricier depending on the material. The gold version starts at $10,000.

One knock against the Apple Watch is that it will be outdated in a year or two, while a mechanical watch will be able to be worn for decades to come. Of course, from a comparative functional standpoint, the mechanical is already outdated, so that would be one argument against this statement. However, a more convincing argument is that most mechanical watches need to be serviced every 4 or 5 years and most of them cost more to service than the price of a new Apple Watch Sport. For example, an Omega costs $500 or more to service.

Convenience

One knock against the Apple Watch is battery power and the inconvenience of having to dock it on nearly a daily basis. My Omega, as long as it is being worn, is perfectly convenient because it will continue to run as long as I am moving (which is how it gets power). The downside is if you have it off your wrist for a couple days, you start losing time and have to adjust it. Also, if you have a watch with a date feature, you will probably have to adjust it when you don't have 31 days in a month. They make watch winders that you can put your mechanical watch on that will spin it and keep it going, but they are more cumbersome than just putting you watch on a nightstand dock.

To be quite honest, if you simply want convenience, then a cheap Timex or Casio will run continuously off their batteries for at least a year and will continue to run whether they are on or off the wrist. For a lot less money, you can just replace the battery when it runs down or throw it in the trash and pick up a new one when you run by your local Wal Mart.

Bands/Bracelets

While I could put these comments in the "Fashion" section above, I am splitting it out because it is separate from the watch itself. While it is true that beautiful bands can be found for the Apple Watch and most mechanical watches, the award for function has to go to Apple.

Read the Hodinkee article above to see just how amazing some of the Apple bands are made. However, I want to comment on just how easy they are to switch out. Omega, my mechanical watch of choice, requires tools and very good eyesight to change the band. I have a kit and found it to be too much of a pain to ever get my stainless steel band off the watch. The Apple Watch, on the other hand, is easy to dismantle. You hold down a button and slide one side of the band off and do the same to the other side and you are done. The new band simply slides onto the watch and locks in.

While this gives you more fashion options because you can change out bands so easily, in my experience, it makes the watch much more functional. For example, I type a lot at work and don't like to wear a heavy band with a clasp because it bugs me. The Apple Watch has numerous bands with magnetic fasteners that I don't even notice. Also, if you want to go more casual, you can wear one of the rubbery bands or get a third party band in just about any color under the sun.

Death of the Mechanical Watch?

I would compare the mechanical watch to the antique Ferrari that sits in the garage during the week that you take out on the weekends and for special events. Conversely, I would compare the Apple Watch to a new car that you drive to work every day that has all the tech gizmos to make your life easier and more entertaining. I think there is room for both, to be honest.

I remember one guy comparing the mechanical watch to the 8 track tape and indicating that obsolescence is just around the corner. I actually think it will be more like the vinyl album. Its engineering will continue to be appreciated by many and the romance and nostalgia will keep it around forever. In fact, if companies scale back the production of these watches, they will only grow in value and prestige. That isn't to say that the smart watch won't hurt the year over year sales numbers of popular mechanical watch brands. I think it will have an affect, just like CDs affected the vinyl market. However, there will still be some demand for the luxury of mechanical watches.

Final Notes

I love my Apple Watch and I love my Omega Speedmaster Date watch. They are very different breeds and the Apple Watch gets much more wrist time. However, call it romance or nostalgia, but there is something noteworthy about putting on that classic mechanical watch that makes a special occasion feel even more special. As a result, I will keep both watches, but if I had to keep one, I would opt for the Apple Watch.

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Apple Music- App of the Year

12/29/2015

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Apple Music

Apple Music is my choice for (most under appreciated) app of the year. Thanks to one well known tech blogger not backing up his music files, Apple Music took a big hit right out of the gate. Somehow, this person that writes about tech doesn't have a backup of his music and somehow lost his music. I haven't seen anyone else with this issue, but he got picked up by so many tech blogs (it makes great click bait) that it soon seemed like it was a common issue. Nope, just one person with an issue that also has a big megaphone.

(As a side note: I was reading a year end article just today and his problem was brought up again. If this issue is so widespread, why is everyone just quoting this one guy rather than talking about their own personal experience? Yeah, it appears that the guy was one of the few people that had the issue and if some of the articles about his issue are true, he simply missed checking one of two boxes in the preferences on iTunes. )

Matching

While matching isn't perfect, it is better than not having any of your own music available. I have a 25,000 song library and I admit that I run into an issue with the wrong album artwork or wrong album showing up on occasion, but I don't think it is a federal crime. For one thing, I don't listen to my own music via the service that often (although it is a very nice perk that sets it apart from most of the competition). Since they now have The Beatles, there is even less reason to listen to my own collection.

Secondly, the app has a home sharing button to get to my own untouched collection when I am home (it even supports 24/96 with the right DAC). Apple has millions of songs available and I have never been so desperate to listen to that one album that they may have matched incorrectly that I haven't been able to find something else to listen to. It just hasn't happened.

In short, I look at this as an extra, very nice, feature that has very little to do with the overall experience. For one thing, my 25,000 song library is minuscule compared to their millions of songs. Of those 25,000 songs, a huge majority were matched properly.

If I was so anal that missing one album in 1500 was a huge issue, I would probably just use Plex or DS Audio to access my music when on the road. However, I like having my music combined with the streaming service so I can access nearly everything from one app.

Siri on the iPhone is Seriously Amazing

Siri on iOS has been the real game changer here. It is what sets this service apart from all of the other services and has made Apple Music my favorite and most used app this year.

As I have mentioned in aprior review, the service is absolutely amazing on the iPhone. I can be driving to work and simply say "Hey Siri, play songs from 1972" and music just starts playing. I can also tell it to play songs, albums, artists and they just play.

AppleTV 4 app

The new AppleTV was released with the Apple Music app. I have used Spotify, Rdio, and SiriusXM on my Roku, but they are practically empty shells compared to their iOS counterparts. On the other hand, the Apple Music app is simply amazing on the AppleTV. For example, the videos look a lot better on the big screen when compared to the iPhone/iPad.

Siri has also been added. While it isn't perfect, it is a lot better than other music services on other platforms.

Apple Watch

It is easily one of the best apps on the Apple Watch. It is simply an extension of the iPhone, but it is an ultra-convenient extension. You can play music from your saved library, your saved playlists, etc.. However, the real magic is that it works with Siri for the entire Apple Music database and you can also control Airplay while your iPhone is docked in a separate room.

For You

While other services think I want to hear what my friend is listening to, Apple Music is built around MY TASTE. I prefer this approach. I am old school and consider music to be a personal experience, not a way to follow the crowd.

New

The "New" section is kind of a catch all for just about anything new. I was mainly using it for new releases, but I noticed that Apple has added a new section at the bottom of the page for "Mastered for iTunes" albums.

I think mastering is more important that bit rates once you get in the 224 kbps range and Apple has some of the best masters of many albums. I look at this feature about once a week and it has varied from classical albums (some of the all time great albums at that), Christmas albums, and this week they have singer/songwriter albums (Dylan, Simon, Springsteen, etc.). This section alone is almost worth the price of the service for me.

iTunes Integration

Be aware that my thoughts on this issue go against the grain. Many think that iTunes is getting to be a swollen dumpster where Apple throws everything. I am not going to argue that they might want to think about breaking it up, but I like Apple Music mixed in with my music. I simply leave on Apple Music and uncheck iCloud Music in the preference section after I match new music. This leaves me with everything I want to hear, including my own Apple Lossless files and doesn't include the music that was matched to the cloud.

On the Apple Music app on the AppleTV, you have to listen to the "Computer app" to get your own local library and "Apple Music" for the matched music and songs available for Apple Music. I prefer the iTunes approach, so I don't have to jump from app to app to listen to music.

Connect

\I was a bit baffled by this section when the app first came out. However, I have it setup for genres now and the suggestions are great when you want to hear a suggested album/artist/playlist from "Jazz", "Rock", etc. It supplements the "For You" section, but is better for quickly getting to a genre. As an example, "Americana" had a "A Very Folk Christmas" playlist available at Christmas.

You can also get to genres by going to the "New" section, but this is just a way to flip on the app, click one button, scroll down to the genre you want to hear, and play it.

App of the year

It really is mind blowing to hear all of the complaints about the service. No, it isn't perfect, but I could nitpick just about any service or product out there. I have tried pretty much all of them and none of them are perfect...for one thing, none of them, other than Apple Music, currently work with Siri. If you are on Android, then you do get some similar features, but you have to buy into that ecosystem and I am not going that route (Note: If I was on Android, I would have made YouTube Red my app of the year).

In this case, the features, the compatibility across hardware, and the exceptional Siri control made this an easy pick for my app of the year.

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New Apple Stuff...my initial thoughts.

AppleTV 4K

Apple Watch 3

iPhone 8, 8 plus, X

My thoughts on Apple's recent announcements

1. Apple Music

2. Apple Watch

3. AppleTV

4. macOS

5. iOS 10

To Wrap Up

Top 5 Accessories for iPhone 6s Plus

Will Apple kill the mechanical watch?

Fashion

Function

Price

Convenience

Bands/Bracelets

Death of the Mechanical Watch?

Final Notes

Apple Music- App of the Year

Apple Music

Matching

Siri on the iPhone is Seriously Amazing

AppleTV 4 app

For You

New

iTunes Integration

Connect

App of the year

About me:

Archives

Categories

New Apple Stuff...my initial thoughts.

AppleTV 4K

Apple Watch 3

iPhone 8, 8 plus, X

My thoughts on Apple's recent announcements

1. Apple Music

2. Apple Watch

3. AppleTV

4. macOS

5. iOS 10

To Wrap Up

Top 5 Accessories for iPhone 6s Plus

Will Apple kill the mechanical watch?

Fashion

Function

Price

Convenience

Bands/Bracelets

​Death of the Mechanical Watch?

​Final Notes

Apple Music- App of the Year

Apple Music

Matching

Siri on the iPhone is Seriously Amazing

AppleTV 4 app

For You

New

iTunes Integration

Connect

App of the year

About me:

Archives

Categories

Death of the Mechanical Watch?

Final Notes