On this week’s Liftoff, Jason Snell and I discuss the NASA budget for 2018 and recap Apollo 6’s very bumpy ride into orbit.
My thanks to our sponsor:
If you paid $600 for a space gray Magic Keyboard or Magic Trackpad when the iMac Pros shipped, you’re a chump.1
Of course, each device is $149, as opposed to the $129 for the pedestrian silver models. If they ever make a Space Gray tenkeyless model, call me.
The Space Gray Magic Mouse 2 is $99, $20 more than the regular model. ↩︎
Apple just wrapped up its education event in Chicago. I have some thoughts:
The star of today’s show is the new 9.7-inch iPad. Priced at the same $329 ($299 for schools), this new iPad comes with the A10 Fusion CPU and support for the Apple Pencil, which is still sold separately, even for schools.
This new iPad does not include the Smart Connector, so schools who want to use it with a keyboard are still stuck with Bluetooth.
I think this is a great iPad for consumers. In fact, I’m going to be ordering one to replace the cracked 9.7-inch iPad Pro my wife currently uses.1 The gap between this and the current crop of iPad Pro models is smaller than ever. Sadly, the screen doesn’t seem to be laminated still, but oh well.
However, I don’t think it moves the needle much in terms of Apple’s hardware strategy when it comes to Chromebooks.
iWork for iOS now supports the Apple Pencil. As I rarely use either product, I was shocked to learn they didn’t work together already.
The bigger news is that iBooks Author is showing up on the iPad for the first time, albeit part of Pages. I believe the app will continue to be a stand-alone title on the Mac, but that’s a little unclear.
Apple still hasn’t taken on collaboration in these apps in a way that really answers what Google can do in Docs and Sheets.
Apple showed off a mix of old and new apps designed for schools. I’m looking forward to hearing how teachers like them when they eventually ship.
Apple did announce that iCloud accounts for students will now come with 200 GB of free storage, up from the 5 GB consumer accounts are granted. That feels like a big deal.
No cheaper MacBook Air; no new entry-level notebook. In fact, the Mac barely got a mention at all.
Here’s all the PR related to the event:
I’ll be snagging the $429 128 GB model for her ↩︎
This week’s Ungeniused will really blow your mind:
A falling coconut can be deadly, but it’s not as common as a tragedy as the press makes it out to be.
My thanks to our sponsor:
Is your future classic giving you headaches? Apple is here to help:
If you are experiencing issues using your LED Cinema Display with your Mac, use the information below to help resolve the issue.
In my “Future Classics” series, I try to guess what current-era Apple products may become collectable in the future. It’s a weird hobby, I know.
Apple’s line of displays wasn’t always in shambles as it is today. For decades, Apple had a selection of monitors for Mac users to choose from, including my all-time favorite.
In October 2008, Apple started phasing out its 20, 23 and 30-inch aluminum-clad Cinema Displays with the 24-inch LED Cinema Display, shown here with a MacBook Pro:
This display was introduced at the same event as the unibody MacBook Pro back in October 2008:
As it said in the name, this was Apple’s first external display to use LED backlighting. The widescreen, 1920 x 1200 display used the same corner-to-corner cover glass as the iMac and MacBook Pros, to the sadness of professionals who preferred the old matte look.
While it would work with desktops, the 24-inch LED Cinema Display was really designed with notebooks in mind. From the rear of the display came not only a power cord, but a break-out cable that included a MagSafe adaptor, USB and Mini DisplayPort:
This meant a MacBook user could pull their notebook out of their bag, sit it on the desk, and be up and running in just a few seconds, without the need for a second charger or a USB hub somewhere. The display itself had three USB ports on the back, but the connector also drove the iSight Camera and speakers built into the 24-inch LED Cinema Display.
Apple praised the display as a real breakthrough for notebook users:
Connect an external display to your notebook and you get more screen real estate. But the LED Cinema Display doesn’t stop there. With the built-in iSight camera, microphone, and speakers, you can connect your new MacBook — leaving it open or closed — and engage in video chats or listen to music just as you would with a desktop computer.
The 24-inch LED Cinema Display went on sale in November 2008 for $899.
So, why do I think this is a Future Classic?
First, this is the only 24-inch external display that Apple ever shipped. In less than two years, Apple had replaced it with a 27-inch model with a resolution of 2560 x 1440 to match the size used in the larger iMac for $999. The 24-inch model was reduced to $799 until inventory ran out.
Secondly, Mini DisplayPort may be one of those standards that is hard to remember as time goes on. The physical connector was the same as Thunderbolt and Thunderbolt 2, but could do way less.
In fact, the Apple Thunderbolt Display, announced just one year after the 27-inch LED Cinema Display could do all the same things as the outgoing product, but also included separate Thunderbolt port, a FireWire 800 port and a gigabit Ethernet port on the back.
Shoot, maybe both LED Cinema Displays will be collectable at some point.
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According to an article in The New York Times by John Koblin, Apple is looking to launch its TV streaming service for the TV app on the Apple TV1 in the spring or summer of 2019:
Producers and entertainment executives who have met recently with Apple executives said the company has been leaning toward programming in keeping with its bright, optimistic brand identity. In other words, it seems possible that Apple will shy away from projects that are gratuitously dark or heavy on social issues.
They added that the company was targeting somewhere between March 2019 and the summer of that year to roll out its slate of new programming.
While I’m normally on board with Apple’s brand identity, I hope it doesn’t get in the way of making good content. A lot of the best television of the last few years has been dark.
The business model here is still unclear, according to Koblin:
Apple has not shared specifics with its new business partners on how it will distribute the shows, but they may be housed in its TV app, which allows access to video services like HBO Now and Hulu. Nor has the company announced whether its projects will be behind a pay wall, but the company will most likely require viewers to have subscriptions to access its shows at some point.
Oh, I’m sure Apple will charge for this. Apple isn’t one to spend over $1 billion to develop something then give it away for free.
Seriously, what has happened to Apple’s naming schemes? Not everything has to be the simplest noun it can be. ↩︎
In Chicago, the world’s most-valuable technology company plans to show off a new version of its cheapest iPad that should appeal to the education market, said people familiar with the matter. The company will also showcase new software for the classroom, said the people, who asked not to be identified discussing private plans. Apple declined to comment.
And:
A new, cheaper MacBook laptop is in the works and likely destined to replace the MacBook Air at a price less than $1,000, but it probably won’t be ready in time for next week, the people said.
I was really hoping to see a two-pronged approach next week, but that may not be the case. I hope that this iPad brings the Smart Connector and maybe even Pencil support to a low-cost device. These additions make the iPad a more flexible device, and that would be appreciated by schools, even if it blurred the line between this iPad and the iPad Pros until the latter pick up Face ID.
This is a very cool behind-the-scenes look at Apple’s recent excellent HomePod ad.
Federico has taken over San Jose line watching, so Stephen gets to join Myke to talk about the long-rumored Beatles iPod, laptop cart repair and the eMac.
That description is not a lie. It was one heck of a show today.
My thanks to our sponsors:
The iMac G4’s unique design came out of technical limitations, but the computer quickly became an icon.
To adjust the angle of the eMac, eMac (ATI Graphics) or eMac (USB 2.0) computer, you can use the eMac Tilt & Swivel Stand, available separately at http://www.apple.com/store/.
Follow the instructions that came with the Tilt & Swivel Stand to attach it to your computer. Then hold the sides of the computer with both hands and turn it side-to-side or move it up and down to adjust the angle.
That Apple Store link is dead now, but here’s how Apple described the Tilt & Swivel Stand on the eMac’s product webpage:
Apple designed this Tilt and Swivel stand (2) as an optional accessory. Using it, you can tilt eMac from -5° to +15° up and down or swivel your system 360°.