iPhone 12 Pro Max — Exit Interview

November 11, 2021
3 min read

I started writing this after listening to the ATP episode (where I got the idea) which was after Apple announced the iPhone 13 lineup and had a bit of trouble. I could have put it in a tweet — the iPhone 12 Pro Max is good, with some caveats. But after I got my iPhone 13 Pro, transferred all the data, used it for a couple of days and picked up my previous phone — I had a bit of nostalgia. I wasn’t regretting the upgrade, but I’ve had this feeling — it was a superb phone, which helped me get through the year, and I love it.

After a year, I can definitely say — the Pro Max is a different kind of beast. As I mentioned in my review it is big and so for me, it meant I’ve used it a lot — to read, watch videos, play games, even write. Now that I’ve used a smaller phone for a bit, I use it differently. It almost feels like Pro Max phone can be your only computer.

Design

I love it. After a lot of going back and forth between Midnight Blue and Gold, I chose Gold and bought my first non-black iPhone, and I still love the colour. I love the edges, the substantial weight. What I actually don’t love is the size. With those edges and going a bit bigger, Pro Max is finally too big.

Camera

I’ve upgraded to the 12 from iPhone XS Max, which, although I didn’t think at the time of my review, in hindsight had the worst camera comparatively of every other iPhone. The photos were over-sharpened, there were many details lost. While looking through the photo library, I can easily spot photos taken with XS Max (and not in a good way).

So updating to the iPhone 12 Pro Max camera system was marvellous. This was the first time I was genuinely surprised while looking at photos taken with the phone. And as a result, I’m selling my Olympus camera. Don’t get me wrong, the “real” camera still takes better photos, but the hassle of taking it with me, transferring and editing photos is not worth it anymore for me. Photos became truly “good enough” with that revision of the iPhone.

Battery

As is every year with a phone, it starts with an astonishing battery. iPhone 12 Pro Max was not an exception. I would start my day at around 7AM and end it at 11PM, and it still would have 40% battery left with normal use. After a year, it is not the case, unfortunately. With battery health at 95%, I find myself charging the phone in the middle of the day or ending it with less than 10%.

Verdict

All in all, I think iPhone 12 Pro Max is one of the best iPhones to date. The camera is so much better, the design is great. There are not a lot of things lacking. I’ve enjoyed using it a lot and will even miss it.

Apple Event — October 13

October 13, 2020
5 min read

As other companies are trying to repeat the success of Apple presentation from June, they are going to the next level with the production of their events. This time the focus was even more on transitions and again, the event is much shorter, clocking at 1 hour and 10 minutes.

HomePod mini

Source: Apple
Source: Apple

The smallest announcement (no pun intended) was HomePod mini. Apple claims that it will have an amazing sound and for $99 it will be a very compelling device.

Two notable things — when talking about 3rd party services, Apple didn’t mention Spotify — the most popular music streaming service, but it will be supported in the new OS.

Second, Apple please stop showing HomePods without cords in the middle of the room, it’s misleading.

The Intercom feature could be potentially interesting, with the ability to ask Siri to communicate something to everyone in your family. What’s important it works not only on HomePods, but on iPhones, iPads, Apple Watches, Macs and even CarPlay.

iPhone

Watching presentation, you could have missed that the main feature of the new iPhones is 5G (powered by Verizon). It is fast (in ideal conditions), reliable (in ideal conditions), has low latency (in ideal conditions). Oh, and did I mention? The new iPhones will have 5G (powered by Verizon).

The 5G was all over the presentation in partnership with, you guessed it, Verizon. Nobody knows how much Verizon paid Apple for that commercial inside the commercial, but it was bad. It was the worst presentation for a long time because of that. One would think Apple is above such things, but no, today was the very low point in the history of Apple events.

The one good thing in Apple implementation of 5G is Smart Data Mode, which will use LTE to preserve battery when the high speed is not essential.

iPhone 12

Source: Apple
Source: Apple

The main difference from the iPhone 11 is of course the new flat design, similar to the iPad Pro (and iPhone 4 and 5).

There are 5 colors — black, white, red, green and blue. And the screen is a bit bigger at 6.1”, but it has smaller borders, so the difference in the physical size is non-existent. The screen itself is OLED now, instead of LCD in the previous year model. It has a new technology which Apple calls Ceramic Shield, which is new material for the screen for dramatical improvement in toughness. Apple claims it has 4x better drop performance. We’ll have to wait and see if it will improve scratch resistance.

The new A14 Bionic chip is better and faster and will be faster than competition for years to come, that is everything you need to know.

The main camera is a bit better, the processor also allows for Night Mode on all cameras including front one. And you can also shoot Night Mode Time-lapses now.

MagSafe

Source: Apple
Source: Apple

There are magnets in the iPhone and it looks very interesting. You can attach wireless charger (similar to the Apple Watch), Apple cases will now have magnets to easily snap on and off.

And Apple introduced wireless charger for Apple Watch and iPhone.

Oh, and there won’t be a power adaptor and headphones in the box.

iPhone 12 mini

The smallest iPhone in the lineup. Physically it is even smaller than iPhone SE, but it has 5.4” display.

It is the same as the iPhone 12 except for the screen, so you won’t compromise on anything, just need to choose the size.

iPhone 12 Pro

Source: Apple
Source: Apple

Pro phones also feature a new design, although the band is from stainless steel and there are 4 colors — Silver, Graphite, Gold and Blue.

The displays got a bit bigger 6.1” (instead of 5.8”) for iPhone 12 Pro and 6.7” (instead of 6.5”) for iPhone 12 Pro Max. As with the iPhone 12, the bezels are smaller, so the physical size of the phone is just a bit bigger.

The biggest improvements are with the camera. Deep Fusion is now available on all 4 cameras (including front one).

There is LiDAR for depth data. The biggest improvement is in low light autofocus. The camera will find focus at night 6x faster. It also allows making portraits at night.

Apple will now support RAW photography right in app and what is more importantly there will API for Apple ProRAW, which will help 3rd party developers (like Halide) to improve their processing.

The iPhone Pro Max will have even better camera sensor. Starting with a bit better Telephoto sensor, which will allow using up to 2.5x optical zoom. And the main camera will have a Sensor Shift technology, which shifts the whole sensor instead of the lens for more precise image stabilization.

Prices for the Pro models will remain the same, but it will now start at 128 GB storage capacity. The iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 Pro will be available in a week, while iPhone 12 mini and iPhone 12 Pro Max will be available in a month.

Mark In The Middle – The Verge

September 24, 2020
3 min read

First of all, as it often is with those types of stories – The Verge did a great job with presenting the article. Audio clips integrated into the story, so you can hear Zuckerberg’s voice, not only read the redacted quote is an interesting choice and I would actually like to see more of that.

Regarding the story itself. I think social media platforms, especially one as big as Facebook should be neutral. It is a rare thing that I agree with Zuckerberg, but here we are. A couple of quotes from him:

“That basically asked whether Joel can be in this role, or can be doing this role, on the basis of the fact that he is a Republican, or has beliefs that are more conservative than the average employee at the company. And I have to say that I find that line of questioning to be very troubling.

If we want to actually do a good job of serving people, [we have to take] into account that there are different views on different things, and that if someone disagrees with a view, that doesn’t necessarily mean that they’re hateful or have bad intent.”

Reading the US Twitter, I don’t know how anyone can remain sane. People are almost willing to kill one another because of the political affiliation. And I also find the way the question is asked regarding the Republican employee very troubling.

I also don’t get the walking out part of employees. If you don’t like the way the company is being run – leave. This “virtual walk out” for a day, when you have a nice job with pretty high salary is nothing more than a virtue signaling.

You shouldn’t work for a manager that you so strongly disagree with. Otherwise it is hard to believe your believes.

Can we build a quarantined Facebook city? an employee had asked ahead of the July 31st Q&A. Like, buying an island and all of us working there?

Zuckerberg read the question out loud, laughing gently.

“Gosh, I don’t think that that would be good long-term,” he responded. “I think it’s good to maintain connection to the rest of society.”

Fascinating answer. It shows how Zuckerberg really feels like something more than people at large. And I’m not sure how someone who bought out all the houses around his can say something about maintaining connection with the rest the society.

iPhone SE: It’s Not About The Price, It’s About Value

April 17, 2020
3 min read
Source: apple.com

When Apple announced iPhone SE earlier this week there was a lot of enthusiasm about the price, which in US starts at just $399. That is a lot of the phone for the price. Better still, as some pointed out – Apple announced the phone the same week OnePlus decided to go in the top tier price territory.

We live in a world where a brand new iPhone is undercutting every single phone OnePlus has released this year in price

Marques Brownlee (@MKBHD)

But what is even more amazing is the value you get buying 2nd generation iPhone SE. Sure you can choose from a lot of option in this price point in the world of Android. Huawei, LG, Motorola, Samsung will have you covered, but will you get the same amount of phone for the same amount of time?

For $399 you get the same processor as in iPhone 11 Pro, just think about that. This phone will get OS updates for at least 4-5 years and it won’t be slow. The best you can hope for with Android – it has the latest OS when you buy it. It also has a camera a bit better than last years iPhone XR. It has great battery life, wireless charging, it is spec-wise top of the line smartphone.

Before the phone was released, hearing all the rumors, I couldn’t have imagined that it would have A13. I was thinking that at best it would be last years processor, so it doesn’t look as capable as current top tier model, but Apple has outdone itself. I will be recommending this phone to a lot of people. I know a couple who already are waiting for it to be available. Some have 1st generation SE, others 6-8 types of phone.

The Perfect Coronavirus Phone

Final thought, it could be an exaggeration, but it is true. First of all because of the price. As many of us are not sure what the future will bring financially, if you need to buy a new phone, this is the strong contestant. Second – masks. Right now a lot of people wear masks, especially workers in fields that still have contact with people (medical workers, food delivery workers, etc.) and there is talk, that after quarantine is over, masks will be mandatory for going outside for some time. You know what doesn’t work with mask? FaceID. So iPhone SE with TouchID would be perfect for that scenario.

My 10 Years With iPad

April 3, 2020
2 min read

I wasn’t much of an Apple fan when the first iPad was introduced. The iPhone was still not as popular in Latvia and Mac hardware was well out of my price range as I was just starting college.

I’ve watched the introduction and was interested in the product, but not mesmerized by it. One of my classmates brought one to the university one day, not long after it went on sale. She was kind enough to give it to me for a couple of hours, unattended. I spent this time browsing the web and going on social media. I remember making a joke how this was a perfect Twitter client for $499. Little did I know what will it do in the future.

The first iPad I bought was 1st generation iPad Mini. I loved that device, even though it didn’t have Retina display, I loved the size. I liked reading on it, playing games and surfing the web. I even used it for a long time to take notes at classes – even though typing on a virtual keyboard wasn’t ideal I still liked it. But after a year or two it got really slow, so I passed it to my mom and didn’t buy myself a replacement for a couple of years. I’ve had Kindle for reading books, I was in the Plus sized phone club and had a MacBook Pro, I had everything covered, until Apple unveiled the new iPad Pro in 2018.

This iPad changed everything, just as I was taking photography more seriously, having the image right in my hands and making edits looked amazing. I was torn as to which model to buy and decided to go with the 12.9” and don’t regret making this choice.

It replaced a laptop for me, I still have a Max sized phone, but considering buying the smaller one next time. I read books, write, edit photos, watch TV shows and do everything computer related on it. My MacBook Pro is gathering dust somewhere in the apartment. I like the changes Apple made with the introduction of iPadOS and waiting for more improvements. I know there are a lot of problems still, but it looks more ready than ever to be the main computer for a lot of people.

[TV Show] Inside Bill’s Brain

March 31, 2020
4 min read

I’ve recently got a new OLED TV and wanted to see something in 4K, so I started with Netflix and the first thing that popped out was this three part documentary about Bill Gates. It is interesting how it was divided in parts instead of making just one movie, sure there were three different stories, but I don’t think anyone would watch this documentary one by one in a span of couple of weeks. My guess you would either binge it or you would stop whenever.

The visual quality was indeed great, it looked very real on the big screen, although there was some historical footage, which was so blurry you couldn’t recognize faces (but it was very rare).

I’m not a movie critic and I don’t watch a lot of documentaries (unfortunately), but I’ve had a couple of thoughts while watching this I wanted to share.

Western Rich

Although I’m very interested in western culture and I’m much more knowledgeable about it than most of my friends and acquaintances it was still shocking to see two of the richest people in the world talking in the car with one of them driving. I know it is part of the acting, but still, they looked very natural and I don’t see Russian richest people behaving the same way.

The Reason Behind Windows 8

It’s not a secret that Windows 8 was one of the most hated operating systems in recent time, with all those tiles and all-screen interfaces. I didn’t hate it, but it was not loved by me either, but looking at the shots of Gates working I could see how all those decisions got made. Focused management work, you read one article at a time, you write in one document – I bet it worked perfectly for him and a lot of senior management in Microsoft.

Also, as a side note, it was interesting seeing Microsoft ecosystem there, with PCs, Microsoft Outlook, Office etc. As someone who is all-in with Apple, refreshing look.

Books

I was surprised to see Bill reading paper books, I even got a desire to read couple of physical books myself. For the longest time I’m reading either on my iPad or iPhone and lately added audiobooks.

Also the amount of reading is astonishing and those are not thin novels or bullshit leadership books. They are deep and focused on something very niche and to be able to read 14 books in the span of two weeks is just amazing.

Nuclear Power

I actually like the way it was portrayed in this TV show. Because of the two big disasters in the minds of the people of course it has a bad rap in minds, but looking forward it is the most realistic source of energy from what we have available right now.

It looks more like the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation ad and story about it and all the work it does than a story about Bill’s brain. It’s not a bad thing, they do interesting and important work, but I was hoping for something different considering the name of the documentary.

All this talk about reading and Gates says almost nothing about it during the documentary. You hear other people describing it, but it would be much more interesting to hear the process from Bill Gates himself.

You get a glimpse of how he manages his time (or someone is managing it for him), but a more deep dive would be appreciated.

Looking at the name of the documentary and my expectations I would love a more personal story about himself and not the foundation.

Apple March Non-Event

March 19, 2020
4 min read

On March 18th Apple surprised everyone with the announcement of new and updated products.

It was rumored long ago that there was an Apple event planned for the end of March, but with the COVID-19 going around the globe everyone understood that it wouldn’t be possible to organize. So they’ve published the press release and it looks like either press only got the devices now or are still under embargo.

Let’s go through the products starting from the least important and moving to the most interesting one.

“Mac mini Also Updated Today”

The only update was the storage, it now starts at 256GB, which is the bare minimum today. As someone with the 256GB on all three of my Apple devices (iPhone, iPad and MacBook) I can’t understand how anyone would survive with less.

MacBook Air

Everyone was waiting for an updated keyboard making it’s way through the whole lineup and not just being in the 16” MacBook Pro, this day has come. With the new keyboard, 256GB storage as a base and a new (old) starting price of $999, this is again the best default computer there is. Except, we can’t be sure what a computer is right now…

iPad

Apple unveiled the new iPad Pro, of course it has a new chip, which is faster and more powerful. As a previous generation iPad Pro owner I can’t see how you would be able to see this, as the tablet is fast as hell still.

It has two cameras now, adding the 10MP Ultra Wide to the back, making it look like an iPhone 11. In a year, I am pretty sure that I didn’t take one photo with my iPad Pro. I know there are people who like to hold huge tablet in front of their face at schools and in touristy places, but I’m not one of them. I love editing photos on my 12.9” iPad Pro, but I would probably miss the shot before reaching for the iPad in my bag.

LiDAR Scanner is the weakest point in todays announcement, not from the technology point of view, but from the delivery. If you read everything Apple has provided, it just makes AR a bit better and promising a lot. Knowing Apple there should be a lot more information, either with the announcement of iOS 14 or more likely iPhone 12. It just made sense to include the hardware right now, but the software story is not yet ready.

Magic Keyboard and Trackpad Support

This is the biggest news, not only for me, but reading tweets for a was majority of potential or current iPad Pro users. Seeing videos, it looks like pointer support in iPadOS got much better. And the most interesting thing – it happened today, not in September with the release of iOS 14, but in March with iOS 13.4 (public release in a week).

The best news is that new keyboard with the trackpad is compatible with the now previous generation iPad. The worst news is the price – $299 for the 11-inch and $349 for the 12.9-inch. That is a lot of money, it is actually more than the price of the standard iPad itself. It looks nice, I’m sure the trackpad will be amazing, as Apple always excelled in making those and they now come in different colors. I’m not sure I would buy one yet, will try out pointer support first.

Pretty strong announcement from Apple, if they won’t surprise us again with the everyday announcements, I’m not sure this would be enough for the whole event, but it is more than enough for the press release.

I’m not in the market for a new iPad, as my previous generation 12.9-inch one is fast enough, screen and design didn’t change much and I don’t use cameras. Thankfully, Apple made the new Magic Keyboard for iPad compatible with the older models. Oh, and regarding the MacBook, I have one MacBook Pro already lying around not being used for months, so who need those, right?

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.

AirPods 2nd Generation

October 29, 2019
3 min read

When Apple announced AirPods I was very eager to get my hands on them. Unfortunately they weren’t available in Latvia for about 9 months and I’ve bought a pair as soon as it was possible. That was exactly two years and two months ago. Since then I’ve been using them daily, one could say constantly and as I told more than once – this is probably the most seamless and fun product Apple introduced in years.

They are small, had a great battery, sounded … like Apple headphones sound and you could easily connect to all your Apple devices.

When the 2nd generation was introduced there weren’t any incentives to upgrade right away. Sure the battery got better and they would connect faster, but otherwise – the sound didn’t change and I don’t care for the wireless charging. So I decided to wait it out.

A little more than a month ago my AirPods started to get considerably worse battery life. It felt like sunset close to equator – it was fine until suddenly it wasn’t. I would go on the hour and a half walk and would hear the sad sound of battery dying not even close to finishing. I had to think about charging them which was never the case before.

Going to London for a weekend was a final straw. I would constantly hear the boop-bip noise. So when I’ve went to the Apple Store I’ve decided to buy a new pair.

While I was working on this story, Apple announced AirPods Pro with active noise cancellation. I’ve never liked in-ear headphones that completely seal the ear. I love the way EarPods and later AirPods were in between those in-ear headphones which seal your ear completely and the ones just hanging there. So don’t regret my decision to buy a pair of 2nd generation AirPods just before the new model was announced.

The first day I started wearing new AirPods I was shocked – I didn’t remember how good the battery life was. I could walk half a day at least without getting them out. And then I remembered that they were updated with the new chip and are always listening for “Hey, Siri”. So I’ve decided to try using it. Being in a different city, I’ve asked for walking directions throughout the whole weekend and it was great. Siri listened to me and showed the directions on the watch, still announcing the turns through the headphones.

This is as close to the ambient computing as we are getting right now, but it is very fun and futuristic.

They connect faster than the first generation, especially when you change the device you are connecting to. As always, I didn’t think my 1st gen AirPods were slow at connecting before Apple told from stage that they were. I immediately started noticing how I’ve waiting for them to connect. Nothing like that here.

Otherwise those are the same AirPods as two years ago. They are comfortable for my ears, the case is small. The battery life is great. And they sound … not terrible. This is the time when I am totally ready to trade convenience over the sound quality.

If you have the first generation AirPods I still wouldn’t upgrade just because. Wait until the battery dies and then update, otherwise they are similar enough, so you don’t miss out on anything.