WWDC 2021 — It Is Not About the OSes

June 12, 2021
5 min read

It’s that time of the year again, when Apple shows all the new things in all the different OSes. This year though, the presentation was a bit light on narrative, but pretty packed with features.

What became obvious pretty fast — it doesn’t make sense to divide this presentation by OS and I think in the future Apple will just talk about services and apps because everything works everywhere.

Since we are not there yet, they still talked about each OS separately, but more often than not it ended with a “feature is available on all other platforms as well”.

FaceTime

Even if all those features were announced last year it still would have been a bit late, not to say — fall of 2021. But better late than never. I was surprised how janky the Voice Isolation demo sounded, but I hope it will be good in the released version.

SharePlay is an interesting feature, but I don’t see myself using it much. We’ll soon have cinemas opened for vaccinated people, and I’m not a big fan of watching TV shows with friends. But there are probably people who want this. I could see myself watching sport events like that, but I don’t think local TV providers will support this feature soon (or at all).

Focus

In 2021 Apple re-invented profiles which you could’ve found on Nokia phones 20 years ago. You can now create Focus modes for work, home etc. It allows you to make different home screens for different modes and allow notifications only from certain apps or people. This also means, that you can put multiple launchers for one app.

There is Summary for notifications, which will show only the most important ones and Do Not Disturb will show a message when someone tries to reach you via iMessage (similar to Slack).

iCloud and Privacy

You can add people you trust for an Account Recovery, so when you forget your password, you will be able to restore it with their help. You can also choose people as legacy contacts, so they can access your Apple account in case of your death.

On a lighter note, Mail now has an option to hide your IP, location and whether you’ve opened a message, basically rendering tracking pixels useless.

Privacy Report which was introduced last year in Safari for websites will now be available for apps. It will show how often an app has accessed Location, Camera, Contacts, Photos in the last 7 days, as well as all the domains the app is contacting.

Siri has on-device speech recognition, which for me is not so much a privacy improvement, but a massive improvement in speed.

Paid iCloud is now iCloud+ with Private Relay — which encrypts Safari traffic (almost like a VPN). It will also let you hide email, by creating random one for forms on websites.

Safari

Safari got a redesign on all platforms. Tabs are now very compact and in line with the address bar. There are also tab groups, which you can name, and they sync across devices. On iPhone, the most significant changes are — address bar is on the bottom, you can now slide across tabs with the same gesture as you do sliding across apps and web extensions will be available on mobile.

QuickNote

On iPad, you can swipe from the corner with the Apple Pencil and a small Notes window will appear where you can make a note. If you do it on a website, it will show you the note next time you visit it. The QuickNotes sync and work across devices.

Universal Control

This was probably the best demo of the keynote. You can use a single mouse and keyboard to control all your devices. Just put your iPad besides the Mac and you will be able to move the cursor from Mac to the iPad without any setup.

My mind was blown, when Craig added the iMac on the left of the MacBook and used the mouse to go all the way from the iMac to the iPad through the MacBook in the middle and dragged the file across three devices just to drop it on the iMac.

iPadOS 15

This actually is a bit of an exception, since there were a couple of iPadOS-specific features. First, as everyone could have guessed they added Widgets, with some bigger options (up to a quarter of the screen). App Library is also available on the iPad now and is accessible with an icon in the dock and by swiping to the last page.

The multitasking is rethought… again. It is more visual, with buttons and hints.

It is possible to develop and submit iOS and iPadOS apps to the App Store from Swift Playgrounds.

Miscellaneous

  • Apple Maps are even more amazing in San Francisco.
  • Government IDs, house and hotel keys and work ID in Apple Wallet
  • Low-power mode on macOS.
  • You can AirPlay to the Mac (both the video and sound).
  • Multiple timers on Apple Watch (but only on Apple Watch).
  • Conversation Boost — focuses AirPods Pro on the person talking to you. You can reduce the amount of ambient noise in the settings.
  • Shared With You — things shared with you in iMessage will appear across multiple apps (Music, News, Podcasts, etc.)
  • Live Text — you can copy and paste text from the photo (seems to work flawlessly in the demo). And it can recognise objects.
  • Shortcuts for Mac, which will replace Automator.
  • Health Sharing — you can see data of your parents or kids. Alerts, like for heart rate or steadiness. Apple doesn’t have access to this information.

Purple iPhone 12 mini

May 20, 2021
2 min read

When iPhone 12 mini and 12 Pro Max came out, it was very hard to get the latter on the first day (believe me, I jumped through all the hoops possible to get it), while the smallest one was in abundance in every store. I handled it at the store once and loved the size.

So, when recently my mom decided to upgrade her iPhone 7, I recommended the all new 12 mini in purple. She asked for help to set it up, so I had an opportunity to use it for a bit in a non-stressful environment of a masked-up store.

It fits perfectly in the hand, I was a proponent of bigger screens when the Plus size phones came out, but maybe it’s an age thing, or device fatigue, but the mini size feels perfect.

I even seriously considered changing my 12 Pro Max for 12 Mini, but I use my phone for photography a lot and I can’t say I am a great photographer, so whatever help I can get from better technology — I’m up for that.

I actually checked using Smart Folder tip from David Smith and 31% of photos were taken using telephoto lens. And this year I feel like I use it even more, so the absence of this lens would be very noticeable for me.

In a perfect world, where iPhone mini gets a better camera system and iPad mini gets updated with Pro-like design, the combination of M-series 13” laptop, iPad mini and iPhone Mini would be perfect, but now, I still have my gold iPhone 12 Pro Max and massive iPad Pro.

Apple in 2020: My Report Card

March 15, 2021
7 min read

I like an annual look at Apple fromSix Colors, with commentaries from prominent people. Nobody asks me, but I have opinions, so here is my report card. Yes, I know it’s March already, but as there were no events or product releases from Apple I think it’s still relevant. 2020 was a good year for Apple in terms of hardware and not so great in terms of regulations and developer relations.

Mac

Grade: A

How can you give a different score when there was a release of Apple Silicon? It seems that M1 is just perfect, although I didn’t buy a new laptop yet, I’m very tempted. Last year was a turning point for the Mac and let’s hope it will continue that way.

The problems with keyboard are over, Apple designed processors are remarkable, we are just waiting for new hardware (redesigned iMac among other things, please).

For the last couple of years I didn’t use Mac much, so can’t give a mark regarding software quality, but I don’t mind Big Sur, from whatever use I got from it.

But all the changes Apple made tempt me to return to Mac and I think that tells a lot.

iPhone

Grade: A

This is the great year for an iPhone. First, iPhone SE — perfect budget phone, yes the design is a bit old, but internals are great and for that price it’s unbeatable.

Next, the iPhone 12 lineup is solid. Although, there are reports that Apple overestimated the demand for the Mini (and I believe them, just because when it was hard to find Pro Max every store had iPhone 12 Mini in abundance in every color), I loved holding one. If the camera was on par with the biggest one I would buy the Mini without hesitation.

Every time I buy a new iPhone, I get the one with the best camera and this time was no different. I got iPhone 12 Pro Max in glorious gold color and I love it. Still, after 4 months, sometimes I catch myself looking at it and enjoying it as a physical object.

One could argue there is one thing Apple missed with the iPhone this year — high refresh rate display. I would agree, but the current display is so good, I don’t see the difference even using it simultaneously with the iPad Pro (interestingly, I do see the difference when using Pro and non-Pro iPad).

All things considered — iPhone 12 Pro Max is the favourite thing I bought last year, and I bought many good things.

iOS 14 is also solid, with addition of widgets, the first time in a while I downloaded public beta before a release because I wanted new features like incoming calls as a notification and Picture in Picture.

iPad

Grade C

As an iPad Pro user I didn’t see much change. iPadOS 14 gave nothing, it’s hard to call 2020 iPad Pro new, so there was no need to upgrade. The only new addition this year is The Magic Keyboard, but it is too expensive for what it is. I know Apple products are expensive, and I gladly pay for them, but not this time, especially for 12.9” iPad Pro.

I’m waiting for a new new iPad Pro and probably will go for a smaller one (if everything else remains equal). I hope last year was a year of Mac and this year Apple will give attention to the iPad.

Watch and Wearables

Wearables: Grade: B

Watch: Grade B-

The only new product in wearables are The AirPods Max which I guess is a great product, but too pricey for many. I see myself buying them in the future and I think it is a compelling product for a niche audience.

I finally bought a pair of AirPods Pro, and they are great. Spatial audio is great, but unfortunately, it is not adopted by different services, so there is not much use.

Apple Watch on the other hand (sorry) didn’t compel me in any way. I bought one for my wife, but not because of some new feature, but because she wanted one, so I bought the latest. With Series 5 there was a big selling point — always-on display, they could’ve left everything else untouched I would’ve still bought one the first day, but with Series 6, there is nothing even remotely similar.

Apple Watch SE, although a nice addition, is overpriced for what it is and will probably become more viable after a price drop.

Apple TV

Grade: F

It’s just laughable. I did buy one last year or a year before, but wouldn’t have now. I have everything Apple offers on my LG OLED TV (Fitness+ the only thing missing, but it is missing everywhere in the world and hardware has nothing to do with it). Apple TV box wasn’t updated in years and still costs a lot. You can’t even compare it to other boxes, sure there is a privacy angle, but common, it’s comically expensive and internals are outdated.

Services

Grade: C

I’m starting to get frustrated. I didn’t understand why Apple News+ is not available in my country, but okay, there could’ve been some rights issues or something, it’s not Apple’s content, but Fitness+, really? Apple makes all the videos, so in this case they do own the content, why not make it available everywhere? I hope they know people over the world speak English… And because of that Apple One Premiere is not available in Latvia. So to have more storage, I have to pay extra and the idea of a bundle and one payment is not working.

I did subscribe to the family Apple One bundle plus an additional 200 GB of storage, so Apple is taking my money monthly.

The really great thing about services — Ted Lasso, of course. I’ve watched it three times already, it’s so good.

HomeKit

Grade: C

I only started to use smart home appliances and I don’t see much from Apple. Home app is not great, Apple doesn’t provide accessories themselves, so I’m not even sure what to grade here.

Hardware reliability

Grade: A

All my Apple hardware worked perfectly last year (maybe because I didn’t buy a laptop with a butterfly keyboard). The only thing I’m afraid of — problems with AirPods Pro, but so far they work, so can’t say anything bad.

Software quality

Grade: B

Although the iOS 14 and watchOS 7 are solid, I still have some inexplicable problems from time to time. Mail stops showing messages until a restart is the latest. Notifications in Big Sur are bad, but luckily, I don’t use macOS a lot.

Developer relations

Grade: C

I think Apple had an awful year with developers. It tried to improve it with the commission cut at the end of the year, but there were still many questions. The whole Epic saga and Hey fiasco gave a lot of bad publicity. Whoever you support in both situations, Apple still doesn’t look good.

Environmental and social issues

Grade: C

It’s hard to give a high score to a company which is so heavily reliant on Chinese labor and precious metals mines. Whatever Apple tells, it remains a badly kept secret that working conditions there are below humane. I know Apple can’t change everything, but they are so vocal about some things, that you start question why they are not about the other.

They tried to do a lot of good regarding Covid-19, but contact tracing went nowhere, I would say fortunately, but that is another topic altogether.

Taking a charger out of the box, while understandable, still doesn’t sound like something totally because of the environment.

2020 Year In Review — Apps

January 1, 2021
4 min read

Timery

Just when the pandemic hit, I’ve decided to try out time tracking as a concept. And now I recommend everyone to do it.

Just to be clear — I hate when work tracks how much time you spend working. If there is need for this, I think there are some deeper problems and tracking your employees won’t help. But time tracking for me was eye-opening. There were tasks I thought took a lot of time when in reality those were very minor and the opposite — some tasks that I thought I don’t spend a lot of time on, were taking a considerable amount of time.

Based on this information I made changes in my work. Moving some tasks around in the day, delegating others etc.

For time tracking I’ve used Toggl, which is free for individual use, but its iOS app is not good. That is why I’m using Timery. I’ve tried the free version and after about a week I paid for a yearly subscription, as I think it is very much worth it. The app is simple and has great widgets for iOS 14.

Halide Mark II

This year Halide published an amazing update to their app, which bring some education and also subscriptions. Although as someone who paid for the app before I got a free year, I still signed up for the subscription right away just to support the developers of my favourite iPhone photography app.

It is simple, yet powerful and with Apple ProRAW support and the addition of Instant RAW (which develops your RAW shots right inside the app) it is mandatory for iPhone photo enthusiasts.

I’ve set up Shortcut that opens Halide and now when I tap back of the iPhone 3 times it opens the app. Very helpful, especially during winter with gloves on.

Tot

The app actually came out in 2020 and at first I thought it was a bit crazy to buy it for €20. But after some consideration I decided to try it out (European laws on refunds help a lot in those kinds of situations) and I loved it. So much so, that since day one it is in my iPhone dock.

It is perfect for small things to write down. Thoughts, ideas. It delivered on a promise of Drafts, which I tried to use a couple of times because of a “where the text starts” tag line, but it was too geeky and overpowered for me.

Ulysses

This is where I type all the posts for my blog. Before I was all over the place, but now my blog starts here, in Ulysses. I even learned Markdown, so that I can use it to the fullest and actually enjoy it.

I like themes, integration with WordPress and new feature of text revision, which shows the most common stylistic mistakes. What I don’t like is the new update, which cut up the perfectly usable sidebar into 4 tabs which don’t occupy the whole height of the screen.

Reeder 5

I was using the previous version of this RSS reader or even the one before and didn’t think much about the update, but after reading MacStories review, decided to give it a try. It is every bit as beautiful as they describe. This app just feels nice. It is a pure pleasure — animations, speed, typography. It is simple to use.

I decided to try out the read-it-later service inside the app and so far, I like it. Of course Pocket was better in some places (I think just because of the experience), but I never liked the app itself. With Reeder 5, those things are not dealbreakers and the app is amazing.

2020 Year In Review — Devices

January 1, 2021
4 min read

iPhone 12 Pro Max

This is my favourite device bought this year. It is beautiful, functional and enjoyable. I don’t know what else I could want from it.

With the addition of Apple ProRAW in recent iOS update, I fell in love in photo capabilities of this phone.

As I’ve mentioned before — I just love looking at the device itself. I still think I made a right choice going with the gold one. The iPhone 4, iPad Pro design with the significant weight of the 12 Pro Max makes it expensive looking (even more than it actually is).

It’s impossible to use it in one hand. Reaching for an opposite icon in the dock is a nightmare and I started using compact keyboard mode because sometimes I can’t even erase something I typed, the button is so far away.

I still don’t have any MagSafe accessories besides the leather case, and I’m only tempted by two — some kind of car mount (I will probably wait for the greater availability of the Belkin one) and I’m leaning towards buying the MagSafe wallet. I’ve had very minimal wallet for a long time and I think I can manage easily with just three cards.

AirPods Pro

Those are very helpful during the pandemic. Just turning on noise-cancellation helps to concentrate a lot. Even now, with my wife siting right next to me, I have it turned on while typing this article and I don’t hear anything. They are that good.

The one problem you can have is comfort, but if you like in-ear headphones, you will love AirPods Pro.

Philips Avent 4-in-1 Healthy Baby Food Maker

This one a bit unconventional, but it helped us a lot this year. Our daughter is turning 1 year old and without this food maker we would be lost. We even took it on our trip we had, it is so good.

You just place all the ingredients and in 10-25 minutes they are ready, prepared on steam, so perfectly healthy for a toddler. After that, you can blend the food, and you are good to go.

As a father, I can definitely say it allowed to leave the baby with me a lot easier, so my wife could get something done by herself.

LG C9

Just as pandemic hit hard in March (on a second day of a lockdown) I’ve ordered a new TV. I long tried to convince my wife to buy an LG OLED, but she didn’t think it was worth so much money. But that day I just pulled the plug.

The first time we watched some 4K content on Netflix she said — “okay, now I understand” and ever since, we’ve been recommending it to everyone who asks (or even if they don’t).

The picture is amazing, sound is actually good, and I love WebOS, because of its simplicity. Sometimes I even wish there would be more of an interface to play around, but it just doesn’t get in the way. The main focus is content. All the major apps are there, so I didn’t connect any box to it, just the PlayStation.

I also love the remote. At first, I thought the cursor would be uncomfortable to use, but it is so good, I think Apple should have gone this route instead of a touchpad on the Apple TV remote.

Nintendo Switch

It isn’t used a lot right now, but it was essential for me this year. When I had a nervous breakdown I decided to treat myself with something nice, I thought I wanted for a long time. I decided to buy the Nintendo Switch.

The first game I bought was of course Zelda. In the end — I don’t actually like the game. It’s just too open for me, I like when there is more guidance, even in the open-world game. But for about two weeks, I would take my Switch, go to the balcony and play some Zelda. It is so non-violent, beautiful and calm, I was considering it as a meditation. I’m very grateful for that time, but I won’t be finishing the game.

Why Great Design Is Timeless — Om Malik

December 26, 2020
1 min read

If there are two things I like in the world, those definitely would be iPhone and design of Porsche 911.

More than a decade ago, Apple introduced the iPhone 4, with its new boxy rectangular design. It was the first time we got to experience the Retina display. Fast-forward to today, and the new iPhone 12 is slowly making its way into the hands of iPhone buyers. To the joy of many, it has the same design language as the iPhone 4.

iPhone 4 was my first iPhone. It was not a good device in a hindsight — the processor was too slow for the Retina display and in just a year and a half it would take a minute to open the app. But it was beautiful. I always considered it the best-looking iPhone. And this is one of the reasons I love my iPhone 12 Pro Max. Not even using it, I just like looking at it, enjoying its beauty as an object.

You can easily tell a Porsche from another carmaker, even when zipping past you over the speed limit.

AirPods Pro Review

December 25, 2020
4 min read

It’s a bit late to the party – when everyone is hyped up by the AirPods Max I bought AirPods Pro just a month ago.

I bought first AirPods right when they came out and didn’t have other headphones since. I’ve had to change them after two years because the battery was dying in less than 30 minutes, so I went with 2nd generation AirPods just around the time when AirPods Pro came out.

AirPods Pro didn’t tempt me because I always liked EarPods and AirPods shape better. They didn’t block outside noise, but were a bit bigger than standard ones, so it provided just a bit of separation from the outside world. They were the most comfortable headphones. I regularly forgot that they were in my ears, spending even the whole day with them.

I decided to get myself a birthday present and buy Sony WH-1000XM4 noise-cancelling headphones, as there was a nice sale at a retailer nearby, but when I got there, the last pair was already sold, I could only order online. While walking to the car I though a bit more about pros and cons of those headphones and realised — I don’t want over-ear ones, wearing glasses and spending a lot of time outside, Sony’s actually wouldn’t be very comfortable. A short drive later to the Apple reseller, AirPods Pro were in my hands.

They are just a tiny bit less comfortable for me than regular AirPods. It made me switch between medium and large size tips a lot, but ones are a bit small, while the others are too large. I’ve ordered memory foam tips in hope for them to add some comfort.

The noise-cancelling is very nice. Especially now, working from home. Sometimes I turn it on, without anything playing and it helps concentrate. While listening outside it allows using lower volume, which I think will be beneficial for hearing.

The transparency mode is delightful. It was the first time I tried something like that and I like it. It’s AR for your ears. With this mode turned on I can hear better than without headphones. Although some sounds are plainly painful — one day I was standing in the kitchen with the transparency mode turned on and my wife came in with vacuum cleaner blasting, I thought I would become deaf.

Spatial audio is very cool, first time I couldn’t believe the sound was coming out of the headphones, but it doesn’t work on a device it makes the most sense — Apple TV, so I don’t use it often.

I like the controls. For the first couple of days I was still tapping them, but now I think pinching is a big improvement. My fingers already remember how long I need to press to change modes, releasing it just before the sound plays, it gives a weird sense of satisfaction.

When buying 2nd generation AirPods I made a conscious decision not to buy wireless charging case and it was a right choice at that time, now I find myself using wireless charging with AirPods Pro constantly. I have a basic, low-power charger at my desk, as my previous iPhone couldn’t survive the whole day on one charge, but now I use it exclusively with AirPods Pro, throwing them once in a while on it and I don’t think about battery management at all.

The AirPods Pro are much harder to recommend than AirPods. They are more expensive, they could be less comfortable and I think many like the style of AirPods. But if they fit you, they sound great for their small size. And you have noise-cancelling headphones that fit in the change pocket of your jeans. I love mine.

iPhone 12 Pro Max. Is it worth it?

November 30, 2020
6 min read

It is one of those cases that proves Betteridge’s law. When you personally don’t like something it is so easy to make generalizations about everyone else. So here is an article about how everyone is better off without the new iPhone 12 Pro Max.

When Steve Jobs introduced the first iPhone, it made a lot of sense. He put a camera into everyones’ pocket at the time when it was not possible. Back then when you were looking at a $500 iPhone, you were comparing it to either a $200 flip phone or a $2000 DSLR. While it was clearly more expensive than a regular phone, iPhone could make calls, took instantly sharable pictures, had games, basic apps, and of course it also stored all your music and thus replaced an iPod. iPhone was not just magic, it was also a good financial decision.

The first iPhone was heavily subsidised by the carriers and although you did pay $499 to buy one, it wasn’t the whole price of the phone, as you had 2 year contract with the network.
Also, this was not a first camera phone and not even the best camera in the phone. At that time Samsung had camera phones and Nokia had its N95 with a 5-megapixel camera.

Fast forward to today, iPhone 12 Pro Max with 500GB of memory costs $1800, has a camera, and can do about the same things that an equivalently priced iPad or even a Laptop can do. Does it make sense to buy one?

In the first paragraph $499 price was for a 4 GB model, the 8 GB model was more expensive, so why compare it to the top of the line iPhone 12 Pro Max? I would compare it to the 128 GB phone for $1099.

At the time of publication, I thought the new iphone cost me $1300, but as I was filing my return, I realized that after Apple Care, trade in value of my original phone ($250), and taxes, the actual full price of this phone (with Apple Care) is $1,757.80. This is 2/3 of how much I paid for top of the line MBP that I use for all my work. This is insane. What is more insane is that you hide this behind $55/months for 24 months payments. It seems affortable, but in practice is just a ridiculous amount for what is otherwise just a phone.

I don’t think it is fair to add Apple Care to the price of the phone. And the price is much more clear now, not hidden under $499, like it was before.

After ten days of testing it, for me it was a resounding No.

Bingo. “For me”. That should have been in the title.

The new camera is a bit faster, and it is definitely a lot brighter, but at the end of the day, that is it. It is still a tiny lens, and anything that isn’t close and steady gets pixelated, and blurry.

iPhone X camera is much worse, there is less detail. It doesn’t have ultra-wide lens and LiDAR for portraits. It doesn’t have Deep Fusion and Night Mode.

Apple’s promoted photography is mostly portraits, people sitting still, posing. I have two kids though, and they love to run. There is no way I can take their pictures on this phone without having them to pause, just like I do with my 3 year old iPhone X. I can always turn on the video, but the quality is no different from my 5-year old Sony RX 100 iv, in fact, I think the old Sony actually does better video.

I know it’s not only about the specs, but Sony RX100 IV can record 4K video only in 30p, while iPhone supports 24p and 60p. Also, it doesn’t have HDR for video and its battery will die after 280 shots.

iPhone Pro Max feels great in my hands, and I love the quality of the big screen, but that is it.

Back a few years ago when everyone went massive in phone sizes, the logic was that big phones were great for those who had it as their primary and only device. That’s reasonable logic, but in today’s world, I think it makes so much more sense to buy a tiny small phone, for rare calls and text messages, and then to splurge on a proper laptop, or a large iPad, for everything else.

Maybe it’s just me, but I don’t want to open my iPad or god forbid a laptop every time I want to open Instagram or TikTok. The phone is so much more than rare calls and text messages for many people. I like watching videos on a bigger screen while on the go. And the battery is massive without cases or portable chargers.

For between $1100 and $1500 one can buy an iPad Pro with 12.9 inch display, and a cellular connection. That’s a whole computer that you can touch, and a screen big enough to serve as a home TV. Now that’s a good deal!

iPhone 12 Pro Max is an even faster computer with a better display, faster cellular and a better camera. I would argue it is much better deal.

There are probably decent use cases for the new iPhone, although I can currently only think of one. If you are a narcissistic Instagram celebrity who loves to post selfies from a nightclub, this phone is for you. For everyone else, iPhone 12 Pro Max is not a smart financial decision.

Personally, I am going to save up the money and put them towards a really nice camera, with a real photo sensor, and a real lens. I am hoping for a Leica Q (Matte Black Special Edition), but that is rather expensive. Perhaps a Nikon or a Sony would do. Either way, for anything photo related, I would rather get a great camera with outrageously better photo quality. For everything phone, an old iPhone would do.

Oh, so Leica Q is a very smart financial decision? It costs more than $4500. Last time I checked there are a bit cheaper cameras out there.
I’m not saying that this take is wrong (although in some cases it is). I’m just saying that this whole article is about one man’s decision, considering his needs and use cases.
For some it could be the main or even only computer. So, they won’t have money for an iPad and a phone.
For many people iPhone is better camera than a Nikon, Sony or even Leica, because of the SoC. They take photos outside in front of the sun and iPhone processes it, so you can put it online. Sure after transferring it to the real computer, editing it, correcting, the photo from a real camera would look better, but most people don’t know how to do it or simply don’t have time or desire.
So please, let people enjoy things, even if you think that they are not for you.

Choose Wisely – iPhone 12 Pro Max Review

November 27, 2020
6 min read

It is big. Every new iPhone this year is some sort of compromise, so to make a choice is to rate your priorities. Camera, battery, size, price. And after that there are still color and storage. I’ve been struggling with the choice, but at the end of the day iPhone 12 Pro Max was my go-to. Camera was the single most important thing, so I felt like I could sacrifice something else.

Size

There is no going around it, this phone is massive. My last iPhone review was that of an iPhone XS Max and I called it Coming Home because after spending a year with an iPhone X I was craving for a bigger screen and still, even for me, the iPhone 12 Pro Max is huge. Probably because of the flat edges it just doesn’t sit so tight in the hand. And it is also actually taller than the last years model and noticeably so.

iPhone 12 Pro Max looks noticeably larger than iPhone XS Max

What this means is that even with larger hands this phone becomes almost unusable with one hand. Good thing Apple announced widgets for iOS, so the first two rows on the screen could be filled with those.

It is the most noticeable while typing — reaching for the letters on the opposite side is physically hard now.

Design

After deciding on the model, the next big consideration was the color. Black and Silver were immediately removed from competition because they are a bit boring.

That left me with Gold and Pacific Blue. I went to the store when iPhone 12 Pro came out to see and hold both in my hands. I couldn’t decide until the very last minute of orders starting. But in the end the Gold won and I think I made a good choice.

Yes, this year’s color is Pacific Blue, but after Apple introduced “something different” with Midnight Green last year, this fourth color becomes a default. Everyone who wants a new phone buys it and actually, I think the bigger phone looks boring in blue because it is matte and there is just too much of the color because of the size. Also, the edges in most cases look almost black, and again, this year I didn’t want a black phone.

Gold, on the other hand, adds premium feeling to the already good-looking phone. It looks more like something made by a 3rd party, like Caviar, but with taste. It is absolutely gorgeous to look at. And you always have a glimpse of it, even if you look straight at the screen the edges are visible.

Regarding the fingerprints — this is the issue in the well lit environments of the reviewers, in the day-to-day life I don’t think about it and never notice. If you look at the edges of course you will see fingerprints, but they don’t bother me at all.

It is also heavy. Very much so. Although because of this it feels very premium, but again using it in one hand for a long time — it adds up. 

Battery

It is absolutely massive. Especially after 2-year-old iPhone XS Max. I don’t ever plug it in during the day, even when using Waze in my car, which was unthinkable previously.

I was surprised when on the second and third day after buying it, when I was still setting it up, opening literally every app, synchronising everything, it would have 50% battery left with 3-4.5 hours of screen on time.

But then there was a day with 7h 14m of screen on time and still almost 50% battery left by the end of the day. And another one, with more than 6 hours of screen on time when the phone still had around 5% of battery left working from 7:05 in the morning until 00:42 at night, on my birthday — so there were many calls, constant checking and replying to the congratulations in the messaging apps.

Battery is just massive

As I’m writing this at the end of the day, I still have 52% of battery left with 4.5 hours of screen on time. This is a full-day phone, at the very least.

Camera

As every previous part, I will start the same — it is big. In fact, it is so big, you can fit 44 mm Apple Watch into the camera cutout of the iPhone case.

I don’t know why you would do it, but you can

I would recommend reading the review made by one of the creators of the best iPhone photography app Halide Sebastiaan de With. This is the most comprehensive review you will find right now, showing the real differences between the Pro Max and regular Pro cameras.

As was expected it really shines at night and in the evening, where there is not a lot of light and a bigger sensor can gather more of it.

Oh, and the main thing — it finally doesn’t cut out glasses in the portrait mode.

With my daughter. Notice my glasses

Miscellaneous

  • This was a good year for Apple to ditch the charger from the box. When you first receive the box, it looks deceptively small. This feeling stays with you until you hold the device in your hand and turn it on.
  • Keyboard is a tiny bit bigger, but enough to be noticeable and more comfortable.
  • Physical buttons are in a different place and it is unusual at first, but as with everything you get used to it pretty fast.
  • The camera bump is so much bigger that I had to change the grip because I was touching it. Had to teach myself taking the phone a bit lower than usual.
  • Leather case is thinner, which makes a phone in it more usable. Although I don’t like that it has a chin now. With constant swiping up from the bottom of the screen it is in the way. But I do love the colored animation which is the same color as the case.
  • I miss 3D Touch. I used it all the time and long press even with the haptic feedback is not the same. And also cursor mode on keyboard was so much better when you could do it anywhere and not just on the space bar.
  • While watching recorded HDR video, the screen gets really bright. I mean REALLY.
  • Not on the iPhone itself, but on the migration process. Used wireless migration from one phone to another. The process is good, although for a long time (about an hour), you can’t use both phones. Some apps (especially banking) get confused about their state and I had to reinstall a couple.

Apple Event – November 2020

November 16, 2020
4 min read

It was another instalment of the beautiful commercial made by Apple, filled with amazing transitions and views of the Apple Park.

The presentation was short with a couple of minutes of recap by Tim Cook of all the products announced in the last 8 weeks.

This time there was a lot of background music when presenters were talking and I didn’t enjoy it, as it portrayed the ad vibe even more.

In the end they showed a bit with a PC guy from the old Mac vs PC commercials, it was OK. Judging by Twitter old-time Mac fans enjoyed it.

One More Thing — The Mac

Right at the beginning Tim Cook emphasised that One More Thing this time was relating to THE Mac. So, no AirTags, AirPods Studio or other devices.

I was surprised to learn that over 50% of Mac buyers are new to the system. On the other hand, with such a strong quarter for Mac, it is not a surprise that those weren’t only those who updated their computers.

They’ve made a commercial (yes, a commercial inside the commercial) showing many celebrities with Macs and a lot of those were with glowing logo. In black and white it was noticeable that they made focus on that, as it looked cool, but Apple doesn’t make such laptops anymore…

MacOS Big Sur

What they couldn’t show before is how macOS is better with Apple Silicon. It is more similar to the iOS and iPadOS in some regards. I know the internet is all about scores for CPU, but everyday little things are more important for the experience, especially on the types of machines Apple introduced. It launches apps instantly and more importantly it instantly wakes from sleep, just like iOS.

M1

This is the start of the next generation of Mac. First System on a chip for low-power Mac computers. It has 8-core CPU (4 High and 4 Low performance cores) and Apple says the High-performance core is the fastest core in the world right now.

All the new Macs

Apple introduced 3 new Macs, and they are similar to each other — MacBook Air, MacBook Pro and Mac Mini. For the first one it is a complete transition — you can’t buy Air with an Intel processor anymore. For the latter two it is the mainstream, low performance models, with Intel laptop and Mac mini still being sold as an option.

What they have in common is that all three have the same M1. You can choose up to 2 TB of SSD and 16 GB of RAM.

What is different is battery life in case of MacBook Pro and continuous performance. What that means is although the processor is the same because MacBook Air doesn’t have a fan and other two models do, they can not only reach the same speed as Air, but sustain it for longer periods of times.

It’s a shame that they didn’t update the camera in laptops. It is still the same 720p, very mediocre camera. Although the picture will be improved by the SoC thanks to Machine Learning.

Because Apple doesn’t sell any other display, it was funny how in every picture or video of people using Mac mini it was standing right on the stand of Apple XDR monitor, the stand for which costs $300 more than the computer itself.

I was blown away by the numbers provided regarding the battery life and am very optimistic about Mac lineup and will probably end up buying one of the laptops introduced (most probably MacBook Air). But of course the more exciting things will come out, when Apple will show iMac and Mac Pro with Apple Silicon inside. I can’t even imagine what will be possible with M1X (or whatever it will be called) where because of no thermal limitations there could be 16 cores and most of them would be High-performance.