Google Reimagine and photography

August 22, 2024
Great article on The Verge by Sarah Jeong on AI and photography, which anyone with an ounce of passion towards photography should read. This article rightfully states about how photography is based on trust, and can be used in deception in legal and criminal cases. But there is another angle to it. I love capturing photos, it's been a passion. When I see a great photo, I want to know how the photographer took it, how long they waited for the light to be perfect, what gear did they use. With Google's Reimagine tool, you can add pretty much anything…

Thoughts on the Google Pixel 9 Phones.

August 13, 2024
Disclaimer first: I didn't watch the full Google event as I was playing tennis, I wouldn't play tennis during an Apple event, but I am not in the Google ecosystem so tennis took priority. But that said, as someone who is deep in the Apple ecosystem, the Google devices are the ones I am most vested in (apart from Apple of course). Not Samsung, but Google. My thoughts are from these three YouTubers whose videos I just watched: MKBHD Becca, The Verge Tausif Hussain The design Call it Apple bias but these phones look very Apple like. I am not…

Apple is making it’s smallest Mac Ever, but how much will it cost?

August 8, 2024
When Apple introduced the M1 chip in 2020, it didn't go for a redesign of it's MacBooks. The MacBook Mini, Air, and Pro got the M1 chip but the external and physical body of the device stayed the same. But now we have both MacBook Air's and MacBook Pro's with a refreshed design. The only Mac that hasn't changed is the Mac Mini, which still looks like like the Intel Mac Mini from before the M1 days and as per Mark Gurman that is about to change. This is long overdue, and I am glad the Mac Mini is getting…

Cheaper Plastic Apple Watches? Bring it on!

August 5, 2024
This LifeHacker article, based on Bloomberg's Mark Gurman states that the next Apple Watch SE will be made out of plastic (this was initially stated by Gurman a month ago in his newsletter which I somehow missed). This switch from Aluminium to Plastic is akin to the iPhone 5 to iPhone 5c where Apple ditched Aluminium to "unapologetically" plastic. The rumour is the next generation of Apple's cheapest wearable will come in multiple colours too. Which if you ask me is great, I didn't own an iPhone 5c, but those colours were fun and have great nostalgic value. Look at…

Apple Intelligence Pushed to iOS 18.1

July 29, 2024
https://twitter.com/markgurman/status/1817632719175901531 When I first saw this tweet I thought "of course" and wasn't surprised, but that doesn't seem to the response online, as most people want Apple Intelligence on day one. It has always been that whatever was presented at WWDC would end up in the software release in September, but that changed a couple of years ago. I always started taking WWDC as "this is what we (Apple) are going to bring you over the course of the next year". Apple Intelligence was the headlining feature during WWDC and it's imperative that Apple gets this right. So I rather…

Thoughts On iPhone 17 Rumours

July 23, 2024
I don't like speculating on iPhone rumours, but this post on MacRumors and this image on X by TheAppleHub has got me thinking about the 2015 iPhone 17 lineup. The main rumour is that there is going to be an updated iPhone with a "slim" design that the rumour-mill has started calling "iPhone 17 Slim". Slim is not going to be the final name but the positioning of this phone on the lineup is very confusing. If today you wan't to get the best iPhone out there, you would go for the model with the "Pro Max" moniker, making it…

Apple Vision Pro Demo & Impressions

July 19, 2024
Last weekend I was at the Apple Store for a demo of the Apple Vision Pro. When I booked the demo online I was asked a few questions about my vision, meaning my eyesight, like do I wear contacts or glasses. I had answered all of them but when I sat down with the Apple representative she asked me the same questions, made me wonder why I had to answer them online too. I was then handed over an iPhone and asked to do the initial setup where it scans for your face to know what size of light seal…

What happened to the Apple MagSafe USB-C iPhone Accessories?

July 8, 2024
Last September Apple switched the iPhones from the lightning connecter to USB-C. This brought an end to some of the overpriced but well-reviewed Lightning accessories. The MagSafe Duo charger and the MagSafe battery pack where really popular iPhone accessories, depending who you ask that is. The first party support was great but they were (just like every Apple accessory) overpriced. Amazon had and still has a lot of alternatives for a fraction of Apple's pricing, but the Apple first party accessories worked well with the iPhone offering exclusive features. I still use my beloved MagSafe Duo charger everyday. It stays…

Apple has to fix AAA gaming on the iPhone

July 2, 2024
Apple has been trying to get serious about gaming the last few years, and since the introduction of the M-series chips there has been a lot effort to get game developers onboard the Apple ecosystems. Apple did and is still continuing to get some traction with multiple AAA games coming to its devices - not two years after release on other platforms but on the same day these games launch on PC + consoles. But headlines like this from Gamesradar make are making it look as if it's all gloom and doom to Apple's gaming efforts. Tools like the Game…