Apple PR

November 20, 2019
2 min read

Apple recently announced the 16” MacBook Pro. They’ve invited journalists to the private event in New York, gave them review units and when the embargo dropped everyone was ready with the story.

This is the MacBook that saves us all. The keyboard is changed to the old mechanism, there is a physical esc key and arrow buttons are the right shape. It also is a bit bigger, with a bit smaller bezels and in a recent Apple fashion it got heavier, because it has so much more battery. Everyone was happy, especially developers and other professionals.

What also was happening at almost exactly the same time – there was a rumor about Apple AR product. Reportedly Apple has held an internal meeting with a 1000 employees who are working on the AR headset where it was discussed that it is a 2022 initiative at best.

And this is Apple PR at its best. First, you don’t hold a 1000 employee meeting and not think it is going to leak to the press (you are probably hoping it will, at this point). Second, the news was perfectly released during all the hype about the new MacBook. Third, almost the only notable thing that came out of this meeting, was the release date. There are some rumors that Apple was planning to release some kind of AR headset in 2020, so now Apple is managing the expectations – no AR headset next year.

So bloggers and podcasters can talk about the new MacBook, how Apple is finally listening and making compromises in the right places, finally again. How we want the same laptop, but for the 14” model. And mention in passing somewhere rumor about the AR headset and a meeting, but it stays in your mind – don’t wait.

Perfect.

Motorola RAZR

November 14, 2019
1 min read

I didn’t think I would type those two words in 2019, but here I am. Motorola (which is not the same as years before, after all the buying and selling) is making a new RAZR and it looks great.

It is foldable phone, but this is the first one, that doesn’t fold out into the tablet from the normal phone size, you fold the normal sized phone in half. Which in my opinion is a great choice.

It costs a fortune and you don’t even get the best specs, but still. Although foldable screen technology in phones is very new, this is the first phone that looks like a finished product. Huawei, Samsung Galaxy Fold and all the others before that looked like a concepts, prototypes, but not the final product.

Of course, Motorola has nostalgia on its side. I’ve never owned an original RAZR, but always wanted one, when I was in school.

It has to be seen if the screen is as good and doesn’t break like other foldable phones, but this is the first time I’ve had a desire to check one out.

Upgrading With Purpose

November 6, 2019
4 min read

Up until recently I was getting the new iPhone every year just as it comes out. Believe me, it is hard to do in Latvia, but I’ve always found a way. Sometimes through persistence, like with the iPhone X, I pulled every string I could, but got one of the firsts. Sometimes through luck – we’ve had tickets booked to Berlin right for the day of iPhone XS going on sale, so the second pre-orders started I was navigating Apple Store in German (which I don’t understand at all) and ordering the iPhone XS Max. This went on since I’ve returned to the iOS with iPhone 6S Plus, so it were a good couple of years. This was probably one of my favorite tweets of all time:

Recently though, I’ve started to think more about upgrading the devices I use and try to ask myself – is it really necessary to do that just because the new comes out or do they improve something I really need?

First the AirPods, when the second generation came out, I didn’t see the need to upgrade, as I don’t use wireless charging, the battery on mine was still fine and the sound wasn’t improved. I could benefit from the faster pairing process and a bit longer battery life while calling, but those were minor changes considering the price. I’ve used the 1st generation AirPods until the battery got abysmal and upgraded.

Then there was an Apple Watch. I loved my Series 3, but when the Series 4 came out, it looked outdated, with the square screen and without the new watch faces. Series 3 was still powerful enough (unlike its predecessors). Series 4 had a couple of new health features, which are still not available in Latvia. The watch I had was still perfectly fine. On the other hand, when Series 5 came out with the always-on display, it was a big change and improvement to get myself an upgrade.

That way we get to the star of the upgrading show – the iPhone. I would love to have the newest and greatest, but do I need it? My year old XS Max works great, the battery is still good and lasts me all day. The camera improved, but I use it for some snapshots day-to-day and it is perfectly fine for that, when I travel I always take my “big” camera as I love to take photos with that. I tried Night Mode on my wife’s iPhone 11 and it is … okay. It looks cool, but I don’t see myself using it often yet.

The struggle is real and one of the biggest problems are social networks. I open my Twitter feed and there are all the tech bloggers getting phones for review or buying on the first day. I open my Instagram Explore tab and it is filled with new iPhones, AirPods and other products. From YouTubers, who got them from Apple, to influencers, to photo aggregator accounts. This creates the biggest FOMO I have probably ever experienced.

But are there any other reasons for not upgrading besides self-restraint? Except for the obvious one – money, there is also emotional – next year or the year after, when you upgrade, it would be a two or three times better leap in technology. Phones today don’t get much upgrade year over year, so in those two or three years there would be enough to surprise and delight you.

When I’ve upgraded to Series 5, as I’ve mentioned before the biggest upgrade was always-on display, but if I had Series 4 before that, it would be the only new feature. It is amazing, but it wouldn’t give you the same feeling for a couple of days, when you want to play with new device (if you don’t also consider the horrendous battery life as a new feature). For me the screen changed, it got bigger, there are a lot of new watch faces to play with. New types of complications. I’ve had this new device feeling, when for a couple of days I wanted to play with my new toy. I’m not sure it would have been the same upgrading from Series 4 to Series 5.

I’m not saying everyone should stop buying new watches or phones every year, I’m not even sure I won’t buy one, still. But I want to be more mindful about those things. Put more thought into the decision and not just run after new and shiny every time Apple presents or announces something.