Month: May 2021

Apple Announces 2021 Pride Bands for Apple Watch

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OMFG.

The braided solo loop version is extremely nice.

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I personally hated the solo loops and the braided solo loops for their inability to adjust, and sworn off buying them previously, but it looks like I may have to eat my words just for this once. Will have to go into store to test my sizing though, which is a pain in the arse.

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Apple also announced the Nike+ Sport Loop version, which looks uninspired and reused the design from one of their previous pride bands (Woven Nylon 2018).

The Braided Solo Loop is available for 149SGD, and the Nike+ Sport Loop is available for 69SGD.

In other news, Apple also announced Apple Music is getting Hi-Res.

The Apple iPhone 12 mini Silicone Case with MagSafe – Capri Blue

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Capri Blue is my favorite color from the current Spring 2021 release of Apple accessories, and I could not help myself from buying one of the silicon cases for my iPhone 12 mini.

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Here it is. This is how the blue looks indoors. For photos of how Capri Blue looks like brighter (Apple Store level) lighting, check out my previous post.

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Here is a comparison of the Capri Blue Silicon Case with the Dark Navy Silicon Case I am currently using on my iPhone 12 mini.

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And here it is installed on my iPhone 12 mini, charging on the MagSafe puck.

First Look at the Purple iPhone 12 and the Spring 2021 Apple Accessories

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The shade of purple on the new Purple iPhone 12 is just such a fantastic color. In the whole iPhone 12 and 12 Pro lineup there is no other color that comes close to it. As mentioned in a previous post, if Apple had released this color on launch day I would not have picked blue for my iPhone 12 mini. The blue for the 12 mini is decent, but it is way too dark for my liking. I prefer something brighter or visually more striking than a dark shade of blue for my main iPhone. As far as blue on iPhones go nothing has beaten the blue on the iPhone XR even today.

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But Apple also just released what was probably the best shade of blue for its accessories since they started making accessories seriously half a decade ago.

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Capri Blue, which is probably best described as a more saturated version of Surf Blue, is my favorite shade of blue that Apple has released so far. It joins Amethyst as the most popular colors for official accessories this season.

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Unlike Amethyst, however, Capri Blue is available on the Apple Watch Sport Band as well, so it is a double whammy of accessories to buy for blue lovers this time around.

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Amethyst, along with its leather variant Dark Violet, was released to compliment the Purple iPhone 12 and 12 mini, and looks superb, probably only the second best purple Apple has ever released for accessories, after Ultra Violet a few years ago. Dark Violet, on the other hand, is disappointing. Purple dye on leather is probably way too hard to do correctly.

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I also managed to take a look at the various official AirTag accessories, including the Hermès ones. I have to say, they do not feel any different in quality from the Apple leather accessories, and unless you really want Hermès, the official Apple ones will feel as premium.

Listen to my discussion of the latest Apple accessories on my brand new podcast, the MacRyu Podcast, available on the following platforms.

Unboxing my Engraved Apple AirTag

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Almost one week after the launch of the AirTag, mine is finally here. Having my order engraved meant that I will definitely not be receiving my order on launch day, as the item will be shipped from China on the 30th of April, instead of being shipped from Apple’s Singapore warehouses.

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The shiny stainless steel of past Apple iPods ia back!

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There is just the AirTag and some documentation inside.

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The box the single AirTag pack comes in is the same size as the box for the MagSafe charging puck.

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You have to choose an emoji to represent the AirTag on the map in Find My.

Despite the additional delay, everyone buying an AirTag directly from the Apple Online Store should have the AirTag engraved, especially with an emoji mixed in. You will be asked to select an emoji during the AirTag pairing process for the purpose of identifying the AirTag in Find My, so engraving with at least an emoji will help to mark the AirTag physically.

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This shiny back itself is worth the 45SGD.

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Sorry I prefer not to expose what I engraved.

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A closing look at the AirTag without its plastic wrapping.

Unlike the laser engraving on iPods and iPads, which are tiny enough to be insignificant (yet causing a significant drop in their resale value), the engraving option on the AirTag is essential to the design of the AirTag. The plain white circle side of the AirTag is an empty canvas where your personal design (albeit with a maximum of 4 characters/3 emoji) will go on. You pay the same whether you get your AirTag engraved or not, so definitely choose to have it engraved unless there are discounts for unmarked ones. I mean, nobody buys a notebook and leave it empty for its lifespan.

I talked about the AirTags and the other new products Apple introduced at their Spring Loaded event on my brand new podcast, the MacRyu Podcast, which is now available on Apple Podcasts. You can also subscribe using one of the links below or by adding the RSS link directly to your podcast player.

Introducing the MacRyu Podcast

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The MacRyu Podcast Episode One: Apple’s Spring Loaded Event, iOS 14.5 and macOS 11.3

Finally.

The MacRyu Podcast is now a reality.

Unlike ExFAT, the MacRyu Podcast is hosted only by myself and marks the first time i am podcasting in the one person format. The podcast has been planned for a while, but everytime i think about talking to myself to the micrpphone makes me procastinate. Not anymore.

The MacRyu Podcast will be published on a regular schedule, with one episode per month at (he start of each month. I will be mainly covering and talking about the main Apple news from the previous month. There may also be additional episodes if and when Apple hold events or releases new products.

Episode One is online since Monday morning, but I had originally wanted to wait until it is published in Apple Podcasts to post this, but has now changed my mind. The Anchor.fm web player is embedded at the end of this post, and i will update it to the Apple Podcast one when that is ready. You are currently able to search and subscribe to the podcast in Anchor.fm, PocketCasts, and (fucking) Spotify. Or add the show directly to your podcast app using the RSS link here:
https://anchor.fm/s/29a6b20/podcast/rss.

UPDATE: WE ARE NOW ON APPLE PODCASTS!!!!!!!!!!

This Tweet is Pure Genius

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In case you don’t understand the context, here is what happened earlier today.

Fuck DHH. And Spotify and Match Group and Tile. Because they are just nothing more than a bunch of evil, greedy people that the world does not need in this day and age.