I saw an interesting article this week on 9to5Mac about how Volvo is ditching laptop computers for their service organization. Their repair technicians are now able to do their job using their iPhones and Apple Watch. 

​iOS developers are lying when they make the claim that they have “no where to go”. Microsoft just rolled the red carpet out for them with a neon sign that says “iOS Developers wanted”. What more do iOS developers want?

​In his latest piece for MacWorld, Jason Snell is at it again. He’s again advocating for iOS AppStore fragmentation. And as usual, all the benefits go to the developers and the consumers end up with nothing but drawbacks.

​Microsoft has an insignificant app store where I think I’ve purchased some screensavers before. They made a big splash this week by making the claim that they are committed to developer freedom and allowing alternate payment methods if developers choose. 

​Jason regularly shills for developers to make more money at the expense of the consumer. If he wants to play to the developer crowd, fine. But the audacity of pretending that he’s advocating for the consumer is absolutely unforgivable. He’s dead wrong. 

There were a few reasons why I started writing on this blog. But one of them was the fact that a lot of the Apple “journalism” was overly skewed towards the developer. Which is a shame because iOS developers should be treated as supplier companies to Apple. Meaning that they are partners, but there will always be an element of adversarial oneupmanship. ​

​I read a shocking “takedown” of Joe Rogan by Ars Technica writer Beth Mole. She tries to make the case that “having conversations” or “just asking questions” is the trademark of snake oil salesmen. What an idiotic thesis. Here is a little of what she wrote.

​I’ve long believed that tablets would replace laptop computers as the dominant form factor in the future. But for the first time, I’m seeing a major tech company agree with me. Check out this statement from Google which was reported by 9to5Google on Jan 27. 

​I’ve been meaning to write about Apple’s solution to the whole South Korea Appstore problem lately but I’ve been so busy with home remodeling on the weekends that it’s taken me a while to respond. In short, I’ve been absolutely delighted with how Apple solved their problem. 

Ok, so I misinterpreted what I heard Mark Gurman had reported regarding Apple's rejection of the "meta verse". At first, I thought that Apple was rejecting the idea that people would want full time access to screens in front of their eyes. But that's not what Mark was saying.

Mark is saying that Apple is rejecting the idea of people wanting to be disconnected from the real world full time. That I do agree with. People have to live their lives and go about their business. But they still want convenient access to information. After all, that's why everyone carries a phone in their pocket. 

There eventually needs to be a combination of AR and VR in the same device. And there's a perfect parallel to this with what Apple has done in the audio world. Technology in the AirPods has evolved to where people can switch back and forth between noise cancellation and transparency. You can choose to either isolate yourself or simply augment what you hear all around you. 

Augmented reality is like transparency and virtual reality is like noise cancellation. Everyone thinks of AR/VR as two separate or even competing technologies, but just like in earphones, they are complementary. They go together to make the tool even more useful. 

People don't buy special headphones just for transparency and others just for noise cancellation. They want an audio tool which allows them to do either one depending on the situation. If it wasn't for battery life, people would wear AirPods all day long. We're almost there for our ears. And we're headed in that direction for our eyes. 

There were leaks today that suggested that Apple is against any kind of "meta verse" for their rumored headset. First, it's way too early to say what will or won't be in scope. And second, Apple will go where the market takes it.

This is the same company which thought the 3.5" iPhone was the perfect size or wouldn't ever add a stylus to the iPad. Why did they change course? Because they didn't want to lose market share.

If someone else gives the market what they want, people will either go elsewhere or Apple will change course. It's as simple as that. 

​There are many objections to the Metaverse which are valid but there is one line of reasoning which doesn’t make sense. Elon Musk made a particularly idiotic comment recently in an interview with the Babylon Bee. He said that he doesn’t think that people will want screens strapped to their face all day. Said the CEO who probably spends over 80% of his waking hours on Twitter. 

I stumbled on an article I wrote in 2015 regarding the Apple Watch and I still agreed with everything I wrote back at the time. In fact, I liked it so much, I’m reprinting it here. 

​All of human history pivots upon the coming of Christ. In fact, we measure it in two parts: that which occurred before Christ and that which follows, which is the current Age of Enlightenment based on his teachings.
 
Even if you’re an atheist, you have reason to appreciate and celebrate his life. It was upon his followers’ desire to carry out Christ’s mission that we have so many hospitals, universities, and humanitarian organizations and even the basis of our American legal system. Jesus truly changed the world.
 
But for those who embrace Jesus wholeheartedly, there is so much more. You could condense everything Jesus taught about to a single sentence. HIS KINGDOM IS COMING. All of the pain and suffering in this present age will pass away. Every day of life becomes like Christmas as we discover more and more of this entity known as “God”.
 
I use to envy the wide-eyed wonderment of children as they continuously discover new things. Christmas is best experienced through the reflection on your children’s faces. But as you grow older, fewer and fewer things are new or bring you amazement. God is the one thing in the universe that is so large and complex that we jaded adults can once again experience the child-like wonder of beholding something new and truly awesome.
 
So rejoice! For the kingdom of God is at hand. ​

​I’ve been using the latest M1-powered iPad Pro for a few months now, and its new features have impressed me. I upgraded from a 10.5” iPad Pro, so this model was improved in many ways besides performance. 

It’s true that history seems to repeat itself. And the longer you observe the course of events, the more you start to notice. Take for example how tech pundits almost overwhelmingly ridiculed Samsung’s Galaxy Note “phablet” when it first came out. All the same arguments used to explain how no one would want a large phone are now being made against using VR headsets.

​Apple is the most innovative tech company on the face of the planet. Let’s get that out of the way right up front. The way they’ve shellshocked the world with their new line of MacBook computers is the perfect example of solving problems via technological breakthroughs. 

If you don’t want to upgrade to the Series 7 Apple Watch than I have a big warning for you. Do not even try it out. Because once you do, it makes the old Series 6 Apple Watch feel small. ​

I’ve been happily wearing my new AirPods 3 for a week now and I’m still amazed at how great music sounds. I never expected that they could sound as good as my AirPods Pro’s because the way the 3s sit outside the ear puts them at a disadvantage. But these arguably sound even better than the AirPods Pro. ​

I had written a while back about my wish that Apple would take the best of each design and make a happy medium. That is exactly what they did. 

Mark Zuckerberg unveiled Facebook’s new name this week and the world responded with a combination of laughter and hand wringing. The laughter is by those who don’t understand the power of Facebook and the hand wringing is by those who do. ​

​People who love the warm embrace of government regulations are always quick to remind you that when businesses or markets get too large, it is in the public’s best interest for the government to step in and serve as referee. I agree to some extent when you are talking about the free exchange of goods and services. But what happens when a business who exchanges in the free exchange of ideas and thoughts gets too large? 

On the latest episode of ATP, Marco Arment tried to make the case that the Apple Watch would never displace the phone as the preeminent mobile device. But his problem is, he doesn’t understand what it is about the phone that makes it everyone’s primary device. He thinks it is because iPhones have the ideal screen size for travel. ​

I’ve been enjoying my new iPhone 13 Pro Max for a couple of weeks now and the new 120hz screen is spectacular. For years I’ve shunned reading on my iPhone because compared to my ProMotion iPad Pro the screen was just too janky. It was okay if the screen was completely still but the second you started to move things around everything appeared “jumpy”. For any type of reading I’d go search for my iPad Pro with it’s silky smooth scrolling and animations. ​

Apple is a company famous for their love of designs that are thin and light. And I would agree that this priority is justified. Perhaps nothing impacts your use of hand-held devices more than weight. The lighter they are, the easier they are to hold for long periods of time. ​