Don’t miss Underscore’s look at the average number of days between the announcement and the keynote.
Category: Apple
Siri spills the beans on WWDC dates⇢
Although the Apple website has not been updated with any new info, Siri is proudly proclaiming that WWDC 2016 will indeed be held in San Francisco from June 13th to June 17th. Although Siri didn’t explicitly say, it is almost certain that WWDC will once again be held at Moscone West, simply because it’s the best choice of venue for an event like this in San Francisco.
The Mac Product Grid
The other day, I published this image, which was Apple’s approach to the Mac product line for several years after Steve Jobs came back:
Of course, that isn’t how things are shaped now. A couple of readers wrote in suggesting something along these lines, which had been rattling around in my brain as well:
At first pass, I though this Grid of 6 explained the Mac lineup pretty well, but it really breaks down in the details.
On the iMac’s place in the world
Since its groundbreaking introduction in 1998, the iMac has been at the heart of the Macintosh line. Even as notebooks have consumed most of the market, the iMac holds its ground, outlasting the PowerMac and having a heritage richer than that of the Mac mini. While the 12-inch Retina MacBook may be a wonder of engineering, the iMac is still the spiritual leader of the Mac family.
It wasn’t always this way. While the iMac helped bring Apple back from the brink in the late 1990s, it was just one machine. For years, it was easy to understand the iMac’s place in Apple’s grid of products: it was the consumer desktop machine:
Jason Snell, on his life as ‘an Apple guy’⇢
I first touched an Apple product in the early 1980s. The father of my best friend in elementary school was a technology enthusiast, and when I visited their house, I got to lay hands on their Apple II+. What I remember most about it was that you could play video games on it that were more sophisticated than anything you’d find on the Atari console I had at home.
40 years of Apple
40 years ago, Apple Computer, Inc. was born. While I certainly could wind a path through four decades of computers and products, software and services, I think that today is more about the why of all of it.
Why do we obsess over tiny design and development changes and decisions?
Why do we get into spats on Twitter about mobile operating systems?
Why do we care so much about an enormous, publicly traded company?
Safari Technology Preview⇢
Safari is the best way to see the sites on iPhone, iPad, and Mac. Safari Technology Preview gives you an early look at upcoming web technologies in OS X and iOS including the latest layout technologies, visual effects, and developer tools so you can provide input on how they are implemented and deliver a best-in-class user experience on all Apple devices.
As Jason Snell points out, Apple previously released “nightly builds” of WebKit, but this new program looks to offer a more structured testing platform.
On the smaller Smart Keyboard⇢
Back in February, I wondered if a smaller Smart Keyboard could be any good. Jason Snell has gotten some time with the 9.7-inch iPad Pro and its keyboard. Here’s what he writes:
Since the new-model Smart Keyboard must double as a cover for the 9.7-inch iPad Pro, it’s necessarily scaled down from its 12.9-inch equivalent. The larger Smart Keyboard is 12 inches wide, enough space for a full-sized set of keys. The new, smaller model is only 9.4 inches wide, and that 2.6 inches of lost space does take a toll.
40 years of Macintosh sales⇢
In Apple’s first 40 years it shipped 1,591,092,250 computers.
This shipment total is higher than any other computer company in its first 40 years. Actually there are no PC makers that are 40 years old. One computer maker (IBM) is older but they only sold PCs for 24 years and what they still sell they don’t sell in high numbers.
Memphis’ Revamped Apple Store Opens at Saddle Creek
As previously reported, Memphis’ Apple Store was set to move across the street from its original location into a brand-new space that is among the first of its kind here in the United States.
This morning, the store re-opened. I decided to hang out with some local Apple fans at the opening event, and check out the new store.
As shown in the renderings, the front of the 4,000-square ft. space is more or less just giant sheets of glass, allowing sunlight to pour into the store:
On choosing an iPad Pro size⇢
David Sparks, on considering which size of iPad Pro is better:
The new 9.7 inch iPad Pro has some additional features in terms of a better camera and a screen that adjusts ambient light but none of that is really a reason to choose one over the other for most people. To me, the big question is whether you want it really big or just kind of big. I can understand why some people hate the big iPad because of the unwieldy screen size but I’m just so damn productive with it.
On podcasting with an iPad⇢
Jason Snell, writing about the new USB 3 Camera Adapter:
So once the applause from Phil Schiller mentioning iPads and podcasting on stage dies down, where does this leave us? If you’re someone who wants to record a podcast in person using an iOS device and a USB mixer or microphone, you’re set. But most of the podcasts I do are conversations that are conducted over the Internet, usually using Skype. And for the iPad to be a viable device for those kinds of podcasts, Apple needs to update its software.