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  • Coolest Things Apple Showed off at their Gather Round Event

    Coolest Things Apple Showed off at their Gather Round Event

    Apple is a big name for a good reason: their products are as much a fashion statement as they are excellent technology. As such, it makes sense that people get excited whenever they announce new products. The Gather Round event, held on Wednesday, was no exception! Apple announced a ton of awesome new things and we’re excited to show you. Today, we’re looking at the coolest things Apple showed off at their Gather Round Event!

    Coolest Things Apple Showed off at their Gather Round Event

    Products

    Apple Watch Series 4

    Photo Credit: Business Insider

    The Apple Watch Series 4 has been rumored for some time, but now it’s a reality. This newest iteration features a larger screen, thinner body and better haptic feedback. It sports a gorgeous display and a ton of health monitoring features. We’re definitely excited for this one!

    iPhone XS

    Photo Credit: Apple

    The next big announcement was the next entry in the iPhone X family, the iPhone XS. This one is touted as having IP68 water ingress rating, making it more waterproof than the X. It also is said to have stronger glass and better wireless charging capabilities.

    iPhone XS Max

    Photo Credit: Digital Trends

    Another announcement followed, the iPhone XS Max. This model is significantly larger than the X and XS. It has a 6.5 inch display with a great resolution and tons of pixels per inch. Both the iPhone XS and XS Max are sporting A12 Bionic processors, a step up from the A11 found in the iPhone X.

    The two phones will be available on September 21st, and they retail for $999 and $1099 respectively.

    iPhone XR

    Photo Credit: Apple

    The iPhone XR is the other big thing from Apple this year. The XR is the “affordable” iPhone X model, coming in at $749. It also boasts six colors, making it a flashier phone than its big siblings. To cut costs, the phone has a few slightly less impressive specs than the iPhone X. For one, it sports an LCD screen that isn’t as striking as the X’s OLED. Also, it doesn’t offer 3D Touch, instead using long-touch haptic feedback.

    Hardware Improvements

    A12 Bionic Processor

    Photo Credit: The Verge

    The A12 Bionic processor that’s shipping in the iPhone XS models is a thing of beauty. It sports a six-core CPU, a four-core GPU and special AI processing power. Heralded as “the smartest chip ever put in a smartphone,” it’s hard to argue with specs like that. This is a chip that is truly futureproofed and ready for AI functionality.

    XS and XS Max Camera

    Photo Credit: Phone Arena

    Another hardware overhaul in the XS line comes via the cameras. The sensor has been made larger in the rear-facing, 12MP camera. The 7MP front-facing camera has received a faster sensor, to boot. The cameras are now supported by Apple’s True Tone flash, making pictures look less washed out. Additional improvements include blur adjustment. Now you can even add Portrait Mode to pictures you’ve already taken! That’s pretty neat.

    Faster Face ID, Computational Photography

    Photo Credit: OSXDaily

    These two updates go hand-in-hand. Apple’s proprietary Face ID is awesome, but it could stand to be a little faster. Apple aims to use the new tech we discussed in their cameras to make Face ID faster and better at recognizing users. Computational photography, aided by the A12 chip, will likely make Face ID even better than before. That’s not to mention how excellent it looks when applied to photographs! The iPhone XS line is shaping up to be one of the smartest smartphones ever.

    Other Announcements

    iPhone Upgrade Program

    Photo Credit: Apple Insider

    For those who love to be bleeding edge but don’t want to spend a ton, there’s the iPhone Upgrade Program. Apple announced that there will be a pre-approval process for those looking to upgrade to iPhone XS phones. You can also trade-in your old iPhone or Apple products to get a credit towards the new phone! Every year, you can opt to upgrade by paying off what remains on your old phone. It’s a great program for those who love to stay up-to-date!

    iOS 12

    Photo Credit: Tech Radar

    After being announced in June, iOS 12 entered a very long beta period. However, it’s finally ready for a full release! It hits live servers on September 17th. If you’re curious, it boasts a ton of performance improvements and Siri updates. It’s a very modern OS, and we’re excited for it to go live. Now we can even use our iPhones as a tape measure! Hooray!

    MacOS Mojave

    Photo Credit: Mashable

    The other big announcement from Apple was that MacOS Mojave will finally go live September 24th. This new OS includes tons of great updates, including a system-wide Dark Mode and Dynamic Wallpaper. It also will sport more apps from iOS!

  • What to Expect at Apple’s Gather Round Event

    What to Expect at Apple’s Gather Round Event

    September is a lot like Christmas for Apple fans. This is the time of year when Apple unveils their newest projects, hyping everyone up for the newest products. If you’re an iPhone fanatic, a Mac lover or anything in between, this is the time of year you wait for. Thankfully, on September 12th, at 1:00pm Eastern Time, Apple will hold their Gather Round event. What can we expect to see this year? We’ve got the speculation to get you hyped!

    What to Expect at Apple’s “Gather Round” Event

    A Livestream to Coincide with the Event

    Apple

    Image Credit: BGR.com

    Invitations have already been sent out to various members of the press to attend the event. If you didn’t get one, don’t sweat: the event will surely be livestreamed. It will start at 1:00pm Eastern Time, or 10:00am Pacific Time for you West Coast-ers! From the name, “Gather Round,” we’re guessing this press conference will have a cozy, home-like vibe. Intimate-style press conferences seem right up Apple’s alley, so we’re not surprised.

    New iPhones

    Image Credit: CNET

    iPhone 9

    Three iPhones will likely be on display, but one of the most interesting is likely to be the iPhone 9. While that might not be the real name, it seems likely that something like it will appear. The name iPhone 9, of course, is derived from its perceived placement between the iPhone 8 and iPhone X. This phone is set to have a smaller screen, LED display and lower price tag than the X. This would make it a more accessible version of the new, home-button-free design with Face ID and full front screen.

    iPhone XS

    This reported phone, also mocked up above, is the likely successor to the iPhone X. It will likely be an iterative step up, possessing and OLED screen and powerful processor much like its older brother. Whether it will be called the iPhone XI, iPhone 11 or something else entirely remains to be seen, but odds are good the name XS will stick. What is certain, though, is that Apple will have an update to the iPhone X ready.

    iPhone XS Plus

    Again, naming isn’t locked in on these phones, but the large-screen variant of the iPhone X formula is on its way. The largest handset by far, the iPhone X Plus will appeal to lovers of huge phones. Honestly, from the leaked specs, this phone much more closely resembles a phablet. One thing is certain: a ton of people with huge hands are going to love this massive, premium smartphone.

    MacBook Air

    Image Credit: TechRadar

    Apple has been hinting at the possibility of a new, low price-point MacBook for some time now. We expect to hear more details on that front soon. Laptops are struggling to stay relevant in the face of smartphones, much as tablets did before them. As such, expect features like LTE to rival new initiatives from Microsoft. Additionally, expect a huge Retina display and USB-C ports.

    iPad Pro

    Image Credit: Apple

    Speaking of tablets, we’d be surprised if there weren’t changes coming along for the iPad. The device that launched the tablet craze has been somewhat under-loved recently, so we’d like to see it get some attention. Rumors point to an iPhone X-style iPad, with slim bezels and Face ID. It’ll be interesting to see how the iPhone X’s revolutionary gesture interface fares on a tablet!

    New Operating Systems

    Image Credit: CNET

    Don’t expect just hardware announcements: Apple’s certainly been hard at work on new software. iOS 12 will almost certainly be making its debut during the event, but that’s just the start. WatchOS 5 will also be unveiled, we’d be willing to bed, coinciding with announcements of Series 4 Apple Watches. We’ll get to those. Finally, MacOS Mojave will likely be announced, along with its new Dark Mode and other features.

    Apple Watch Series 4

    Photo Credit: Apple

    That Series 4 Apple Watch we were mentioning? Yeah, this is it. Rumor has it that the display is going to be much bigger, taking on an iPhone X-like screen with small bezels. It seems Apple’s really cracked how to do that and is super pleased to slap it on everything. That’s fine by us, the iPhone X’s screen looks incredible, we’d be happy to have it on everything. Another rumor holds that they’ll be scrapping the Wi-Fi only model and just doing an LTE model. That makes sense, as it was a bit complicated having two.

    Mac Mini

    Photo Credit: CNET

    Remember the Mac Mini? The compact computer is due to show up at the Gather Round event in some capacity. We expect to see a new suite of ports, such as USB-C compatibility, and a slight redesign. Implementation of solid-state-only models seems likely, as does adoption of new processors. In all, they haven’t touched this line since 2014. As such, it’s due for a bit of an overhaul!

    Airpower

    Photo Credit: iMore

    Believe it or not, it’s been a full year since Apple announced their wireless Airpower charging pad. It’s likely that the very interesting pad could be on display at Gather Round. The unique device is capable of charging up to three different devices at once, providing the correct amount of power by identifying what type of device is on it. This allows it to safely power multiple items at once! Rumors are scarce on the Airpower pad, but we’ll see come September 12th.

  • Wishlist Roundup: Ways We Wish Apple Would Update Mac

    Wishlist Roundup: Ways We Wish Apple Would Update Mac

    WWDC has come and gone without a whiff of a new design for Apple’s iconic Mac brand of computers. While there were many incremental changes to iOS teased, it’s still disappointing to see one of the world’s leading tech brands leave questions unanswered. When will they address some of the most pressing issues plaguing the current generation of Macs? That all said, what issues are we talking about? What aspects of Apple’s MacBook line need addressing? 

    The Butterfly Keyboard 

    The current keyboard design is just straight-up bad. If you get the slightest crumb or piece of debris in the keyboard it can cause a stuck key. Those stuck keys are incredibly difficult to correct and often require taking the MacBook in for costly repairs. This issue seems to have cropped up only recently with the “butterfly” design keyboards. 

    Even when they aren’t sticking, the keys are notoriously hard to type on. Their small size and incredibly short travel time make it very easy to make typos, and they are quite noisy. Hopefully Apple gives their MacBook keyboards a full redesign soon. 

    Just a Few USB-A Ports, Apple, Please 

    The USB-C port is a wonder, we get it. Google and Apple both swear by it, and for good reason. It’s a wonderful advancement, capable of handling tons of roles and sporting a reversible design so that you don’t bend pins by trying to slot it in upside-down. But the new MacBooks having only USB-C ports is downright absurd. Plenty of people still have thumb drives and accessories that use USB-A.  

    Sure, there are companies that sell reasonably-price USB-A to USB-C dongles. But it’s a step we shouldn’t have to take to use basic functionality on our computers. Come through on this one, Apple! 

    Optional Touch Bar 

    While the 13-inch MacBook has the option for Touch Bar or not, the 15-inch has no such choice. The 13-inch without the Touch Bar costs a full $500 less than the Touch Bar-sporting version, which is quite a bit for a glowing AMOLED bar. Handy as it is, it should be treated as an optional design, not a mandatory part of high-end MacBooks. If Apple were to offer a less-expensive, Touch Bar-free 15-inch Macbook, they would certainly earn some goodwill. And certainly some new customers, to boot! 

    Better Mac Pro Support 

    Not every Mac user has a laptop. There are dozens of desktop Mac users! Dozens, I tell you! Unfortunately for them, the Mac Pro hasn’t seen any substantial updates since 2013. What was meant to be the high-end for Mac has ended up being a disappointment. Serious video/photo editing, graphic design and other creative tasks are handled well by Mac. However, professionals who once turned to Mac are now opting for PC’s instead. 

    What could Apple do to reverse this? Well, they could start by acting more like normal computer manufacturers and allow users to customize their own rig. This could also allow them to sell lower-priced, entry-level Macs and appeal to a wider audience. As it stands, Apple’s closed-ended design is great for phones but a hindrance for their computers. 

  • Expect Big Things from Apple’s WWDC

    Expect Big Things from Apple’s WWDC

    Last year’s WWDC (Worldwide Developers Conference) saw the announcement of the HomePod as well as the new iPad Pro 12.9 and iPad Pro 10.5. This was also when Apple revealed iOS 11 and watchOS 4. Apple will have to up the anty if it wants to compete with Google’s jaw dropping I/O conference. Lets look at some big things we expect to hear about in Junes WWDC.

    iOS 12

    This is a not a surprise, we have seen twelve iOS update keynotes at these things over the years. This year what we are looking to see is vast stability upgrades. Primary apps getting overhauled or upgrades, apps like  Mail, Camera and Photos ever calendars, calculators, and stocks. Could we make iMovie a little more mainstream and easier?  Security and performance focus would be less exciting but much needed. What not to expect is for apple to blow your hair back with some revolutionary feature or function, they will save that for September.

     

    iPhone SE

    I’ve written about this before, the SE has aged well and served its purpose but now its time for even the entry level iPhone to get a much needed upgrade. Why waste something this meaning less and cram it in with the big release in September when you can pop it out at the end of June and give a pop to the Q2 earnings.  I would expect the SE to unveiled and introduced at the WWDC and pre orders a week after.

     

    Watch OS 5

    They do this every year, while we are starting to hear rumors about the Watch 4, we will for sure see the preview for the new watch OS. Id like to see a quicker control option, new watch faces, and if the crowd gets too bored at this tech conference maybe test out a new sleep tracking feature.

     

    New Mac Pro

    We know a redesigned Mac Pro is coming, and Apple even recently made a point of reminding everyone when it said the following in a press release:

    “In addition to the new iMac Pro, Apple is working on a completely redesigned, next-generation Mac Pro architect-ed for pro customers who need the highest performance, high-throughput system in a modular, upgrade-able design, as well as a new high-end pro display.”

    Im thinking we will see a big keynote on this. I would expect it to be the highlight of WWDC, kinda mad I spent that $8000 on a new mac pro in Feb.

     

    What Else

    Those are the thing we know for sure they will hit upon at the WWDC but I wouldn’t be surprised to see a new Apple TV, with a boost to TV content. The Macbook and Mac Mini will be getting some attention as well, and don’t forget about a possible hint at a revamped iPad Pro for a fall release. Not to mention we will have to sit through hours of financial report and sales bragging from Tim Cook to look forward to..

  • My $7000 Mac Pro

    My $7000 Mac Pro

     

    The Great

    Design like a timeless piece of breathtaking art
    Lots of expansion ports
    Twin GPUs
    Incredible, unstoppable mind blowing performance
    Removable SSD

    The Not

    Few internal expansion possibilities
    No bundled keyboard mouse or monitor
    No optical drive

    The Conclusion

    This is just an amazing machine. Incredibly fast. And a great price too..The graphics on this computer are amazing. It’s so beautiful, This is not just Apple’s best professional machines but any professional computer and its worth every penny

     

     

    So I’m fully invested in the Apple Eco-system. From my phone X to the iPad Pro, 3 Apple TVs, iWatch, AirPods, Apple Music subscription and all my movies in iTunes, I’ve got it all. However, I’m not using any Mac computers, I’ve got a 2008 IMac hooked up but I never touch it. I’m looking at a new computers for my home office, why not a new Mac Pro? It’s pricy but I can use it for at least 7 years, my IMac is still up,and functional after 10. I don’t even keep cars that long. Ok I’m sold, now to configure.

    Option One

    6-Core or 8-core, this is an easy choice. It’s $1000 dollars more but the 8-core gives me an extra 2 cores processing power and the AMD FirePro D700 with 6GB instead of the 550 with only 3GB of VRAM. The RAM stays the same at 16gb but I got a feeling I can add more before the order is complete. I decided for my lifeblood main computer, go big or go home. $3999.

    Next, More Processing Power.. Yep

    So in the first phase of the configuration tool at Apple.com, I can upgrade from the 8 core to a 2.7 GHz 12-core with 30mb of L3 cache. For another $1200.. gulp, but it’s like I need it. I run alot of apps that are not highly multithreaded. I know Highly multithreaded applications will perform best on processors with a higher core count, even with a slightly lower clock speed. And the games, who knows what games I’ll be playing and what the power requirements will be in 2022. $5199

    Memory in Corner of My Mind

    Next up memory configuration, multitasking abilities of the next decade made in a decision today. The only thing I ever wished my iMac of 2008 had was more memory. I even attempted to upgrade it back in 2011 only to find it had only 2 RAM slots, wit a max capacity of 2gb each. Essential I could replace the 2 1GB DIMM for At total of only 4GB. Not again Apple! Not today, I’m going big. Give me the juice, add another $1200 to take me from 16 to 64. I’m getting a little excited about the future now. I know I’m getting up there in price, but the big stuff is over and accounted for. $6399

    The Rest

    I’m gonna add a 1TB PCle based SSD and a Magic Mouse 2. I think I have a Magic Mouse around the house somewhere but it’s just $79 for a nice new one. Total $7078… Add to Bag. And here come the add ons. Nope, just check me out.

     

    So is it Worth the Price? I Believe So

    2 weeks later and a pick up trip to the Apple Store and another 6 hours setup and data transfer time. I’m ready to experience this monstrosity of designer computing power. I spent the money, and have the beast I need. It’s beautiful and elegant. A 21rst century nouveau art price rather then a computer. Design wise there is no conversation the cylinder beats anything conceived in the computer cosmos. After laying eyes on this, I couldn’t bare looking at a giant suitcase of unnecessary glowing green and blue LEDs. It’s quiet, silenty humming. I don’t feel much heat being expelled. I’ve passed on a monitor for this, no no no this needs better. I went with dual, yes dual 46 in, Samsung 4K OLED. Because, it’s not a just a new device, it’s a computing revolution. I’m loading battlefront 2, while watching Wonder Woman in 4K on the other screen, grunting I am man!!! Total with TVs and battle front $8708. Worth it.