Author: iandick

iPhone X and other things

There was a flurry of leaks and confirmations from Apple last week around the future of the iPhone, the Apple Watch and the Apple TV. The plan at the moment is to buy an iPhone X at the end of October…and thats it. Here’s my take on what they announced and why I’m hopefully picking up an X.

iPhone

  • iPhone 8 was more of a 7S although I liked the introduction of the glass back. The design looks much better than todays model.
  • iPhone 8 getting wireless charging and the same processor of the X was a surprise..in a good way.
  • iPhone X looks fantastic. Love the design, the screen is the big plus point, dual camera’s with OIS. Whats not to like? The future of smartphones and the best phone Apple make today. Love it.
  • The price is of course a headline grabber, but it’s my most used computer and my least used phone and in that context the price isn’t an issue (assuming my kitchen doesn’t bankrupt me).
  • Face ID in principle looks OK. In practice we’ll need to see just how good it is. Had similar concerns about Touch ID which now feels so robust despite the issues with wet/dirty fingers.
  • No home button = more screen = the way all phones are moving to. More gesturing looked hit and miss. Swiping along the button to multitask looked great. Swiping down from the top right of the screen to get to control centre looks awkward. It’s one of the things that only extended use will show if it works or not, but 10 years of muscle memory will be awkward to move from.
  • The notch. The brow. The sensor housing. It’s where we are today with technology. Look at the tech packed into the notch – it’s amazing. I saw it described as a Kinect sensor which is a great way to look at it.

    Would I prefer no screen ears either side of the notch? No. I want the whole front of my phone to be a screen. I’m happy with the compromise of the notch. In 3-4 years they will tuck behind the screen but for now it’s a compromise. Look at video playback, what would you prefer?

    Video playback with black bars all around to hide the notch
    Double tap to go full screen. Compromise with the notch, but prefer that to bars all around.
    And here’s the current iPhone looking dated.

    There’s a direction of travel and all screen, many gesture, no button smartphones are the future. Screens from MKBHD’s hands on video which is well worth a watch.

  • The camera’s and wireless charging in the X are very interesting. So much packed into a compact design and again surprised in a good way that Apple went with a global standard for charging rather than forge their own direction.
  • The overall design of the X, metal band on the edges and the glass front and back looks so good that I’ll be going careless assuming it’s not like a bar of soap in the hand. Also means I’ll be picking up AppleCare.
  • The iPhone has moved to a 24 month purchase at this price point.

Apple Watch

  • Series 3 is the same design but now comes with cellular.
  • To pack in a cellular option into that small a case design without impacting on battery boggles my mind. To be able to stream from Apple Music, make calls and texts and track walks and runs all from that little device is great.
  • Price looks to be OK, and of course you need another monthly contract to use cellular. That means EE in the UK who seem to have exclusivity but not sure for how long. £5 a month on top of your normal mobile phone bill isn’t too bad to be honest although this seems to be an initial deal.
  • As I’m not running I’ll be giving the Series 3 a miss for the moment. If I get back out and about with running or if there’s a reliable method of listening to podcasts via the Apple Watch and AirPods then I’ll consider purchasing the Series 3.

Apple TV

  • Finally a 4K version. HDR support is great too.
  • Finally an Apple TV supports gigabit ethernet.
  • Why offer 2 sizes – 32GB and 64GB? What does that bring me as a consumer? Apple should offer just one size.
  • The deal to bring 4k free to iTunes users who have purchased HD films is fantastic. I’ve bought Blade Runner on VHS, DVD, Blu-Ray and will no doubt pick up the 4k remaster. Paying once was a nice surprise at the event.
  • The TV app comes to the UK but looking at the slide only Channel 5 is playing ball. Pooh.
  • Fix the fecking remote. It’s not bad, but it’s not great either.
  • The price still feels high but I’m sorely tempted to pick one up…maybe near Christmas.

More?
Maybe one more event this year to talk about the HomePod and iMac pro? Hope so as it’s not like they haven’t got their own theatre to show it in. Even if there’s not, I’m really looking forward to the iPhone X. New form factor, new screen tech (for Apple), removal of the home button and Face ID. Fascinated to see how it all hangs together coupled with iOS 11, AR and of course Animoji. Now if only Apple could have fixed the Apple TV remote…I guess thats next year?

Weekly Digest

Life
Busy week at work and home but everything now ready for kitchen build to start tomorrow.

Media
Destiny 2 is such a well polished game. Well worth picking up.

Links

Weekly Digest

Life
One week until work on the kitchen starts. Lots to do and not looking forward to the work that week but once it’s done then happy days. Also got some time off coming up – need the break although it will be filled with DIY methinks.

Media
Destiny 2 – I loved the review that said it was Destiny without the bullshit and so far it feels exactly that. No surprise that it reminds me so much of Halo – well done Bungie.
Eveybody’s Golf – Nice golf game for PS4 with a lot of depth underneath the arcade graphics.
Both these games are good but the grinding/microtransaction bullshit that goes hand in hand with almost every game now is getting tiring. One of the reasons that the Switch so far has felt refreshing.

Links

Weekly Digest

Life
Autumn’s here. Bit cooler, bit wetter and could see some change in the tree’s this morning on my walk. Looking forward to getting out and about with the camera as I love this time of year.

Media
Bake Off is back…and as good as ever. New presenters weren’t Mel and Sue but good enough and nothing has been broken in the move. Yes there are adverts, but record and skip or stop moaning.

Links

Weekly Digest

Life
A day later than normal but a busy weekend…Ok…I was dying repeatedly in Battlefield 1 and couldn’t be arsed to post last night. I’ve been busy! Honest!

Media
Finished The Defenders. Well worth a watch if you liked Daredevil.
Also finished Game of Thrones this evening and loved this series. Roll on series 8.

Links

Weekly Digest

Life
That was a fun week. Nothing much happening in the world, everything postitive…politics taking a summer break. Sigh.

Media
I’ve binged on Defenders over the weekend and really enjoyed it. Liked it more than Iron Fist and Luke Cage but I’ve only a couple of episodes to go. Boo for an 8 episode run.

Game of Thrones this week was double the fun. I got a small spoiler after HBO accidently showed episode 6 so I downloaded and enjoyed it as well. What a series and I can’t wait for the last episode and some of the possible events that could happen.

Links

Weekly Digest

Life
Spent much of the week watching the World Athletics Championship from London. Some great performances, amazing crowds and yet again Britain puts on a world class event. Loved seeing Laura Muir pushing herself and so close to a medal in the 1500m. Her time will come.

Media
Game of Thrones this week was epic and not just for the battle at the end. So much pay off throughout the episode. Loved it. Also watched Alien: Covenant and while it was beuatifully shot it ended up an average film for me. They should just leave the franchise alone.

Picked up Nex Machina on the PS4. Basically Smash TV on steroids – a fantastic game.
No Mans Sky has been out for a year and saw a big update this week, so much so I reset my progress and started again. Well worth a try if you were interested last year but were put off by the negative press.

Links

10.5″ iPad Pro

My iPad Air was getting long in the tooth. Over three years old it was slow to launch apps and didn’t fully support running two apps at the same time. During that period Apple had launched the 12.9” Pro which was tempting but just a bit too big for my needs. The 9.7” Pro was also launched but just felt like more of the same. I really wanted something in between. So when Apple announced a 10.5” iPad Pro I decided to go all in and order one to not only replace my current iPad but also my MacBook Air which was 5 years old. It’s been a few weeks since the iPad was delivered so I’ve had plenty time to form some opinions.

Design & Hardware
The 10.5” iPad Pro is slightly taller than the existing 9.5” but not by much. The screen however is 20% bigger and the bezels have been reduced. They aren’t invisible and there’s certainly still a chin and forehead but I really like the size/screen ratio and for me it’s a better size than the 12.9”. It’s portable, light and easy to use in the hand when reading but big enough for real work whether that’s writing this review, using Office or photo retouching. Running apps side by side is also much more comfortable than the 9.5” but I’ll talk more about that later.

iPad Pro 10.5″ with Keyboard

The biggest new feature is the screen. For me it’s the best screen I’ve seen or used on any device. Colours pop, text is smooth and video looks superb. Reading the Guardian, surfing via Safari, reviewing PDF’s in Documents or catching up on articles via Pinner is a joy. It’s responsive too and a real step up from previous iPad’s and any other tablets I’ve used over the years.

The reason is something Apple call ProMotion. The screen can run up to 120Hz but does this adaptively so when you don’t need that refresh rate it drops to preserve battery life. Apple also ensure you don’t have any frame rate issues when watching videos. The Pencil is also silky smooth with almost zero lag in most apps.

The new Pro has 4 speakers and is notably louder and clearer than previous versions. It makes for an amazing consumption device. Watching YouTube or Netflix, not only do the visuals pop but it sounds great too.

One other notable spec bump – the camera. I know, who wants to look a tit taking photo’s on an iPad but the best camera is the one you have with you and the iPad shares the same sensor and lens as the iPhone 7 so that’s a 12 MP camera that can capture 4K video. You also get a small bump on the back of the iPad and while it’s not got in the way in my use the design would look so much better without it. The size of the iPad gives you a bit more stability as well, so forget how daft you look, just use it.

Learn to love the bump

Performance
This years iPad Pro has the A10X chip inside. Apple have been designing their own mobile chips for a few years now and yet again the performance of the A10X is staggering. Every app I’ve tried has been fast including more intensive apps like video or photo editors. If anything it’s overpowered for today’s software on the iPad which is great for the longevity of the device but also should give confidence to iOS developers that they can push their apps.

Another jump is the RAM which sits at 4GB. This in combination with the chip delivers some great benchmark scores, similar to a low end MacBook Pro. When swapping between apps there is zero lag even for apps that were opened a while ago. Apps launch quickly, it feels like you are resuming from wherever you’ve left out without delay and it really is a joy to use.

Gorgeous screen, scrolling text easily readable

Couple of other performance notes. The Touch ID sensor has been updated and is as quick to use as the iPhone and the lightning port has been upped to USB 3 speeds which makes for faster charging and speedier data transfers. Overall the iPad Pro is, right now, an untapped beast.

Accessories
Considering the price of the iPad the lack of in the box accessories is a tad disappointing, especially given that the charger supplied is not the larger 29W power adapter which costs £49 and comes with no cable. However the accessories released by Apple are really nice if again pricey.

The Smart Keyboard for the 10.5” is a good size. The slightly smaller iPad felt a little crampt when typing but I’ve had no issue with the 10.5. You don’t need to power it either as it draws everything it needs from the Smart Connector. The keys are comfortable, don’t feel too shallow and I can use it for extended periods without issue. The only thing it lacks is backlit keys which I miss. The only real negative is the price at £159…and the reality that it could do with being ever so slightly bigger.

The Apple Pencil has seen no changes this year but the more responsive screen makes the Pencil feel even better than when I tried it on last years iPad Pro. Comfy to use, the charge lasts well and if it does run out it doesn’t take long to get a workable charge into the Pencil. £99 doesn’t feel pricey as it’s such a quality piece of kit. One issue though – where to store it?

The Apple Leather Sleeve is a gorgeous case for the iPad Pro that solves the storage issue. The Pencil slots in at the top and the iPad and Keyboard fit snuggly in the case. The case is a soft leather and really does complete the iPad. The issue? Price again as it’s £149.

I picked up all three accessories and while it’s a fantastic combination the overall cost was £1116. Eek!

Eleven Heaven?
It can be argued that I picked the iPad Pro up early as it came with iOS 10 and iOS 11 brings a number of iPad specific updates that promise a step change for users. I skipped the first developer beta’s but jumped in with the public beta and I’m glad I did as it’s a more complete environment for iPad users than we’ve seen in the past.

The biggest change is the dock, which allows for a larger number of apps that you can launch from any screen than the six you could have before. You also see the last three app’s you’ve opened or iOS chooses to display thanks to handover. The dock can be seen on the home screen or by swiping up when you are in any app. Reminds me of the dock on macOS but crucially iOS 11 has changed multitasking and the dock is a key component.

You no longer swipe from the right and select an app to run in split view. Instead you drag an app from the dock and can leave it hovering on top of the main app or you can enter into split view, and this can now be left or right – you aren’t restricted as you were in iOS 10. However iOS 11 introduces the concept of app pairs, so you pair Tweetbot with Safari and can select them again when you swipe up from the dock. But you can’t pair Tweetbot with another app. If you only use a handful of apps, the dock method works great. If you regularly use more then multitasking feels awkward, slow to use and the best method is to use spotlight but that feels like a hack when you do it. It’s only a beta so things may get a bit smoother, but this feels a bit clunky.

You also get a files app in iOS 11 (finder!) and drag and drop between apps is great but only Apple apps support it and we need to wait until September to see third party releases with these features. Overall iOS 11 delivers a much better experience for iPad users and hopefully we’ll see some tweaks to multitasking to make it a bit smoother to use day to day.

Verdict
It will be of no surprise that I love the iPad Pro. The 10.5” is the perfect size for me – still portable but large enough to be useable. In the weeks I’ve used it I’ve not touched my MacBook Air once. Something the new iPads have reignited is the age old question – can the iPad replace your Mac or PC?

It’s a bogus question. Whether it totally works for you depends on what you do. For me I still use an iMac for certain tasks but there’s no doubt I lean on iOS more than ever. For other users the iPad is all you need. In fact for many the iPad will be by far the best option compared to a Mac or PC. It’s all down to what works for you especially considering the iPad isn’t cheap. The cheapest MacBook or MacBook Pro is £1249 compared to the £1116 I’ve spent on the iPad Pro. You certainly spend less if you buy the iPad on it’s own but it’s so much better with the keyboard and pencil.

I’ve also seen some reviews that says the iPad Pro needs iOS 11. Bullshit. With iOS 11 you get a better experience, but the hardware upgrade alone makes it a great purchase…iOS 11 add’s a bit more as will future iOS updates.

Overall the iPad Pro 10.5″ is a fantastic device with potential to last for years. There’s no better tablet on the market.

Weekly Digest

Life
Tiles chosen for kitchen. Trivial but gets another decision out of the way. Just need to pay for it all now. Noticable that the nights are starting to draw in a bit too. Winter is coming and it’s only the start of August.

Media
Ghost in the Shell – average but looked great. Game of Thrones episode 3 and the pace is growing. Great send off for Olenna Tyrell as well. Love it.

Links

Weekly Digest

Life
Kitchen chosen and all going well will be done by end of September. Just need to get some tiles and paint chosen now.

Media
Saw Dunkirk and it’s pretty special. Little dialogue but it grips you within the first few seconds unlike many other films and never lets go. Visually spectacular as is the audio…visit an iMax to see it at it’s best.

Links