THE TECH NIGHT OWL NEWSLETTER
www.macradio.net/newsletter/
***Issue #915***
June 12, 2017
SUPPORT THE SHOW AND ENJOY A PREMIUM TECH NIGHT OWL LIVE EXPERIENCE!
You can now support our work directly with Tech Night Owl+! For a low monthly or annual subscription fee, you will receive access to an commercial-free higher-resolution version of The Tech Night Owl LIVE and other exclusive content. Remember that we aren’t paid for the ads run by the network on the show. FLASH! We’ve cut prices for new subscribers, with rates starting at just $1.49 per week. For more information and simple signup instructions,click here!
THIS WEEK’S TECH NIGHT OWL RADIO UPDATE
Despite misgivings about making predictions, I made a few ahead of last week’s Apple developer event, the WWDC. With rumors of slight refreshes for Mac notebooks, I went along with the crowd, and was rewarded with success. The MacBook and MacBook Pro each received Intel Kaby Lake processors. The MacBook Air, still using silicon from the 2015 Broadwell family, received a minor speed bump. The only surprise was the fact that the MacBook Pro’s refresh came so quickly.
What I didn’t respect was the iMac. Not only was there a similar update for the regular model, but an iMac Pro was demonstrated. Nothing about the regular iMacs comes as a surprise. It’s mostly what you’d expect, though I didn’t anticipate further improvements to the display. But the iMac Pro came out of left field. I had thought that Apple would just add a few pro configurations for the regular model. Instead they built a new model, enhancing its thermal capacity to allow for use of Xeon processors, support for ECC error-correcting memory, and AMD Radeon Pro Vega graphics. Before I get to the other enhancements, we’re talking about the guts of a workstation.
And, at a time where Apple is perceived as overcharging for Macs, they boasted that the base $4,999 iMac Pro is actually a couple of thousand dollars cheaper than similar hardware on a Windows PC. Some people were able to reduce the price difference by cutting out some frills on do-it-yourself PCs, but Apple is surely more price competitive that some of you realize. However, a fully decked out iMac Pro with an 18-core Xeon processor, 128GB RAM, and 4TB of SSD storage, will surely hit five figures.
And don’t forget the new iPad Pros.
Now on this weekend’s episode of The Tech Night Owl LIVE, we focused on one of the most important keynotes from Apple Inc. in recent years, at their 2017 Worldwide Developer’s Conference (WWDC). During this event, new operating systems for the iPhone, the iPad, the Mac, the Apple TV and the Apple Watch were demonstrated. You heard about some of the important new features, such as how iOS 11 will make the iPad work more like a Mac in handling productivity apps.
By far the most attention was focused on a slew of new hardware announcements. After a slowdown in Mac updates during 2016, Apple introduced updates for the MacBook Air, MacBook, and MacBook Pro notebooks. There were also updates for the iMac. Keeping the promise of an iMac with pro features was a demonstration of the forthcoming iMac Pro, a 27-inch all-in-one powerhouse sporting the guts of a computer workstation. You also heard about Apple’s answer to the Amazon Echo, the HomePod, a $349 loudspeaker that is directed by Apple’s digital assistant, Siri.
But the latter is a product that barely interests me, although I might consider one if it can completely replace the soundbar I use with my TV.
Our guests included outspoken commentator John Martellaro, Senior Editor, Analysis & Reviews for The Mac Observer and author/editor Josh Centers, Managing Editor for TidBITS, and author of “Take Control of Apple TV” and other titles.
On this week’s episode of our other radio show, The Paracast: Continuing an ongoing discussion, Gene and Chris present two of the people responsible for a fascinating and insightful book, “UFOs: Reframing the Debate.” Featured guests include Robbie Graham, the book’s editor, and one of the authors, Robert Brandstetter, known in The Paracast Forums as Burnt State. From the description of the book: “If ever we are to further our understanding of the UFO enigma, we must fundamentally reframe our debate. We must wipe the board clean and fill it with new ideas, new theories, even new language. We must be willing to start from scratch when the field stagnates. We must be critical, sober, and free of dogma—ready to rinse away the residue of our own beliefs.”
The Tech Night Owl LIVE, only to have the guest tell me that Apple would never adapt Mac features in iOS. I suggested maybe they would look for a better solution, but the solution they ended up with is still adapted from the Mac. A key reason is that people are accustomed to the traditional file/folder metaphor, and other ways of dealing with their documents. Why force them to learn something new, when the traditional methods work? They still have to be adapted to the touchscreen.
But there’s one more thing!
So you know that Apple has promised never to make a 2-in-1 Mac. It’s not that you can take that promise to the bank. Apple has been known to change its mind. There is, for example, an iPad mini, coming after Steve Jobs joked about needing to sandpaper your fingers to use a small tablet. The excuse was that the iPad mini had much more screen real estate because it used a slightly larger display with a standard aspect radio, not a widescreen. But it’s also true that some use the iPhone 7 Plus as a tablet too.
Are you with me so far?
So what about that 2-in-1 Mac? Well there isn’t one, but Apple still builds a 2-in-1 personal computer. Just take and iPad, hook up a keyboard case or add a Smart Keyboard to an iPad Pro, and that’s what you have.
When you use that setup, however, you realize what’s wrong with a 2-in-1 PC. You type on a traditional keyboard, but have to raise your arm to do something on the screen to mimic traditional mouse/trackpad cursor functions. It’s not very comfortable or efficient. It proves that Apple’s argument against such form factors was right on, even if they are selling such beasts.
One possible solution would be to provide an iPad keyboard with a trackpad. I envision a Smart Keyboard with a slide-out drawer at the bottom that provides the trackpad function for those who want it. I’m sure Apple can devise a way to make it happen without making the unit too thick. You can already buy third-party keyboards that more or less convert an iPad into a faux MacBook.
But do such accessories — and the changes to iOS 11 — amount to turning an iPad into a simplified Mac? Not so fast, but maybe it will point the way towards the computer of the future, at least for most of you.
THE FINAL WORD
The Tech Night Owl Newsletter is a weekly information service of Making The Impossible, Inc.
Publisher/Editor: Gene Steinberg
Managing Editor: Grayson Steinberg
Marketing and Public Relations: Barbara Kaplan
Sales and Marketing: Andy Schopick
Worldwide Licensing: Sharon Jarvis
Copyright 1999-2017 Making The Impossible, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Privacy Policy: Your personal information is safe with us. We will positively never give out your name and/or e-mail address to anybody else, and that's a promise!
www.macradio.net/newsletter/
***Issue #915***
June 12, 2017
SUPPORT THE SHOW AND ENJOY A PREMIUM TECH NIGHT OWL LIVE EXPERIENCE!
You can now support our work directly with Tech Night Owl+! For a low monthly or annual subscription fee, you will receive access to an commercial-free higher-resolution version of The Tech Night Owl LIVE and other exclusive content. Remember that we aren’t paid for the ads run by the network on the show. FLASH! We’ve cut prices for new subscribers, with rates starting at just $1.49 per week. For more information and simple signup instructions,click here!
THIS WEEK’S TECH NIGHT OWL RADIO UPDATE
Despite misgivings about making predictions, I made a few ahead of last week’s Apple developer event, the WWDC. With rumors of slight refreshes for Mac notebooks, I went along with the crowd, and was rewarded with success. The MacBook and MacBook Pro each received Intel Kaby Lake processors. The MacBook Air, still using silicon from the 2015 Broadwell family, received a minor speed bump. The only surprise was the fact that the MacBook Pro’s refresh came so quickly.
What I didn’t respect was the iMac. Not only was there a similar update for the regular model, but an iMac Pro was demonstrated. Nothing about the regular iMacs comes as a surprise. It’s mostly what you’d expect, though I didn’t anticipate further improvements to the display. But the iMac Pro came out of left field. I had thought that Apple would just add a few pro configurations for the regular model. Instead they built a new model, enhancing its thermal capacity to allow for use of Xeon processors, support for ECC error-correcting memory, and AMD Radeon Pro Vega graphics. Before I get to the other enhancements, we’re talking about the guts of a workstation.
And, at a time where Apple is perceived as overcharging for Macs, they boasted that the base $4,999 iMac Pro is actually a couple of thousand dollars cheaper than similar hardware on a Windows PC. Some people were able to reduce the price difference by cutting out some frills on do-it-yourself PCs, but Apple is surely more price competitive that some of you realize. However, a fully decked out iMac Pro with an 18-core Xeon processor, 128GB RAM, and 4TB of SSD storage, will surely hit five figures.
And don’t forget the new iPad Pros.
Now on this weekend’s episode of The Tech Night Owl LIVE, we focused on one of the most important keynotes from Apple Inc. in recent years, at their 2017 Worldwide Developer’s Conference (WWDC). During this event, new operating systems for the iPhone, the iPad, the Mac, the Apple TV and the Apple Watch were demonstrated. You heard about some of the important new features, such as how iOS 11 will make the iPad work more like a Mac in handling productivity apps.
By far the most attention was focused on a slew of new hardware announcements. After a slowdown in Mac updates during 2016, Apple introduced updates for the MacBook Air, MacBook, and MacBook Pro notebooks. There were also updates for the iMac. Keeping the promise of an iMac with pro features was a demonstration of the forthcoming iMac Pro, a 27-inch all-in-one powerhouse sporting the guts of a computer workstation. You also heard about Apple’s answer to the Amazon Echo, the HomePod, a $349 loudspeaker that is directed by Apple’s digital assistant, Siri.
But the latter is a product that barely interests me, although I might consider one if it can completely replace the soundbar I use with my TV.
Our guests included outspoken commentator John Martellaro, Senior Editor, Analysis & Reviews for The Mac Observer and author/editor Josh Centers, Managing Editor for TidBITS, and author of “Take Control of Apple TV” and other titles.
On this week’s episode of our other radio show, The Paracast: Continuing an ongoing discussion, Gene and Chris present two of the people responsible for a fascinating and insightful book, “UFOs: Reframing the Debate.” Featured guests include Robbie Graham, the book’s editor, and one of the authors, Robert Brandstetter, known in The Paracast Forums as Burnt State. From the description of the book: “If ever we are to further our understanding of the UFO enigma, we must fundamentally reframe our debate. We must wipe the board clean and fill it with new ideas, new theories, even new language. We must be willing to start from scratch when the field stagnates. We must be critical, sober, and free of dogma—ready to rinse away the residue of our own beliefs.”
The Tech Night Owl LIVE, only to have the guest tell me that Apple would never adapt Mac features in iOS. I suggested maybe they would look for a better solution, but the solution they ended up with is still adapted from the Mac. A key reason is that people are accustomed to the traditional file/folder metaphor, and other ways of dealing with their documents. Why force them to learn something new, when the traditional methods work? They still have to be adapted to the touchscreen.
But there’s one more thing!
So you know that Apple has promised never to make a 2-in-1 Mac. It’s not that you can take that promise to the bank. Apple has been known to change its mind. There is, for example, an iPad mini, coming after Steve Jobs joked about needing to sandpaper your fingers to use a small tablet. The excuse was that the iPad mini had much more screen real estate because it used a slightly larger display with a standard aspect radio, not a widescreen. But it’s also true that some use the iPhone 7 Plus as a tablet too.
Are you with me so far?
So what about that 2-in-1 Mac? Well there isn’t one, but Apple still builds a 2-in-1 personal computer. Just take and iPad, hook up a keyboard case or add a Smart Keyboard to an iPad Pro, and that’s what you have.
When you use that setup, however, you realize what’s wrong with a 2-in-1 PC. You type on a traditional keyboard, but have to raise your arm to do something on the screen to mimic traditional mouse/trackpad cursor functions. It’s not very comfortable or efficient. It proves that Apple’s argument against such form factors was right on, even if they are selling such beasts.
One possible solution would be to provide an iPad keyboard with a trackpad. I envision a Smart Keyboard with a slide-out drawer at the bottom that provides the trackpad function for those who want it. I’m sure Apple can devise a way to make it happen without making the unit too thick. You can already buy third-party keyboards that more or less convert an iPad into a faux MacBook.
But do such accessories — and the changes to iOS 11 — amount to turning an iPad into a simplified Mac? Not so fast, but maybe it will point the way towards the computer of the future, at least for most of you.
THE FINAL WORD
The Tech Night Owl Newsletter is a weekly information service of Making The Impossible, Inc.
Publisher/Editor: Gene Steinberg
Managing Editor: Grayson Steinberg
Marketing and Public Relations: Barbara Kaplan
Sales and Marketing: Andy Schopick
Worldwide Licensing: Sharon Jarvis
Copyright 1999-2017 Making The Impossible, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Privacy Policy: Your personal information is safe with us. We will positively never give out your name and/or e-mail address to anybody else, and that's a promise!