Jonathan Mann (of Song A Day and ATP theme song fame, etc) posted a video pondering the reasons behind Apple’s decision to use his song for the iPhone 4 Antennagate conference a few years ago.
His Youtube channel can be found here.
Apple Watch (Stainless Steel) Unboxing
Unboxing of the Apple Watch Collection (Stainless Steel) with Black Sports Band.
No more Siracusa OS X reviews
I started with the Mac later than most long timers of the Mac Community, with my first Mac being an iBook (the last one assembled in Taiwan) running Mac OS X 10.3 Panther, and I had earlier used Jaguar (10.2) in school.
The first major Mac OS X I was really excited about with my Mac peeps was Mac OS X Tiger, and it was the greatest leap in OS X in its time (before Leopard anyway, Microsoft really copied all the new features in Tiger fast and hard). I remembered browsing (on the very first iteration of Safari) John Siracusa’s Tiger review, and being awed by the depth of the OS and the details in the review, which eventually made me want to dive further into the world of Apple and learn more about everything Apple is about.
John Siracusa just announced that he will no longer publish his annual OS X reviews.
Sigh. At least we still have ATP.
Regarding the Apple Watch – Before the Apple Event
I have been physically writing down drafts of blog posts on premium paper lately due to a newfound interest in fountain pens and the respective inks, and as dumb as that sound I thoroughly enjoy the process of writing after a multi-year hiatus from physical writing (I graduated from Media Studies “Communications and New Media” in NUS). However I do not share the same enthusiasm when putting those blog posts to Byword, so most of the content remain in my trusty notebook, with some of them already expired (as events happened and stuff gets introduced). But I thought I will at least get this out before the event next Monday, so here goes my Apple Watch rumbling.
Regarding the prices of the Watch, the speculation is rife (on every single tech blog and news outlet) on the Edition models being ridiculously expensive and starting at 10000usd, after factoring in the price of the raw gold in the watch body.
I say 4999usd for the cheapest Edition model, and 14999usd for the gold link bracelet model.
What obviously is more important but less speculated on is the starting price of the stainless steel models, as well as the price of probably the most popular model with tech geeks – the Apple Watch with stainless steel link bracelet.
499usd for the stainless steel model with sport band, and 999usd for the link bracelet model.
I want the Apple Watch Stainless Steel model (42mm), with link bracelet, in regular steel/silver finish. The Space Grey finish looks absolutely sweet on paper, but as I am interested in getting spare straps/bands for the Watch I am not so sure the silver Milanese loop will look nice on the Space Grey model.
The Sport models might be cheap, but like any iPhone owner I know how Aluminum looks when knocked against a hard surface, and unlike a phone, the possibility of a watched getting banged up through daily use is way way higher.
I own several Seikos and Casios, and I know how well steel watches stand up to abuse, especially if they have sapphire cover glasses.
Seriously speaking, as I really want the link bracelet model myself, I really hope that it will end up being cheaper than 999usd, but 999usd is absolutely the limit on how much I will spend on a watch. If the link bracelet model ends up being more than 999usd, I might possibly skip the stainless steel models all together and get a Sport model instead, since it is a first generation model and first generation Apple stuff is never flawless.
The naming of the various Apple Watch lines is also weird, with the cheapest “Sport “models and the most expensive 18K gold models getting the “Edition” name, but the stainless steel models being called just regular “Apple Watch”. It is obvious Apple wants the stainless steel models to be the regular line, but just calling it “Apple Watch” will confuse consumers who are less than well-informed on the differences between the three lines besides pricing.
I fully expect Apple to correct that oversight by suddenly calling the stainless steel line by another name during next Monday’s event, be it “Apple Watch Steel” or “Apple Watch Premium”.
Details about battery life have leaked out in the last few days, and I fully expect all the leaks to be accurate – be it the 5-hour on high use or the power reserve mode, charging is essentially going to be a daily thing.
What I am more interested in will be the kind of portable charging solutions announced, or if there will be any of them.
It is pretty normal to be charging your iPhone with mobile power packs connected to Lightning cables these days, and cables are very portable and relatively affordable.
The Apple Watch, with its magnetic charging, and the cable with its charging plate, does not really look very portable, nor affordable enough to purchase separately from the Watch to use while you are on the go. And it will be a pain to carry two cables when you are out. I wonder if there will be a Lightning to Watch magnetic charging adapter for sale.
Availability is another question. Since the telcos that are involved in iPhone, and to a lesser extent, iPad distribution during the various launches, will Apple with its distribution channels be able to launch in the same set of countries as they do for iPhone launches? It is however unlikely that the Watch will be sold in the same ridiculous numbers of the iPhone, as demand for a new category of products is always likely to be lower than one for a mature popular product line, so the stress on the distribution channels will be much lesser than typical iPhone launches.
In this case, if the distribution of the Watch follows the same channels as Singapore will most likely be in the first wave of countries the Watch will launch in, to simplify the logistics involved by shipping Apple Watch through the same channels. And that will be great news. For I will really really want to have an Apple Watch on Launch Day.
Unlike the iPhone and the iPad, there are many who are not convinced of the utility of the Apple Watch, some of whom are long term Apple fans. I wish all of these people will not be swayed by the event to preorder the Watch for Launch Day – I do not want to fight with others for the chance to have my Apple Watch the very first second they go on sale.
Oh please let it be April already. Cannot wait. Argh.
MI (Multimedia Integrated) Closes Down
Recently I was in Funan for lunch and noticed something slightly different when I walked past Gamescore.
MI (Multimedia Integrated) closed down.
A quick check to its website revealed this;
with a QQ number to facilitate the possible sale of its domain name to Xiaomi, since anyone searching for Xiaomi Singapore is likely to go to www.mi.com.sg instead of Xiaomi’s www.mi.com/sg domain.
In the old days, MI was one of the big boys in the local Apple retail scene, together with iShop and Epicentre. Epicentre became a big shot, and we all knew what happened to iShop.
Seems like with Apple favoring only retailers with big capital these days (nuBox and Epi) and the skyrocketing local rent, sheer “legacy” is no longer enough to keep certain retail stores alive.
I did not know anyone in MI even in the past, but it is still sad to see another part of local Apple legacy go.
Regarding GTAT (GT Advanced Technologies)
“GTAT is a perfect example of why Apple should never work with American companies on manufacturing – they can’t take the heat.”
“US manufacturing is dead and has been dead for decades. You don’t see Foxconn complaining about their contract terms the way GTAT did.”
“GTAT is childish, pathetic and lame.
Run by complete morons.”
“Apple has to take their sapphire production to Asia, which they probably already did, looking at the mess GTAT made.”
GTAT was greedy and took the Apple deal without considering the terms believing it can only bring them more wealth, all while overestimating their own abilities to actually comply with the terms stated in their agreement.
And they went so far as to try and blame Apple for everything.
You know what? Last I heard, Foxconn, Pegatron and other Apple suppliers/partners DID NOT GO BANKRUPT WITHIN A YEAR.
Idiots. Manufacturing in the States is a complete joke.
Steve Jobs’ Death Anniversary 2014
It has been three years since Steve passed.
As we today look at our iPhone 6es, our iPad Airs, our new Mac Pros and wait longingly for the Apple Watch, do we remember Apple as the behemoth that bought Beats, stepped repeatedly on tiny has-been Microsoft, and shows the finger to Google? Or is Apple still The Company that Steve Built?
Today Apple is moving at a pace that it has never done before, hiring superstar designers and ex-CEOs at breakneck speeds, and trying to “enter its next chapter” with new product categories – all while forgetting that software excellence can’t scale well.
iOS 7 and 8 looks great and comes with even greater power (to developers), but not a single version of either was as stable as any of the iOSes before it. Ditto OS X and iWork apps. iLife is not even in existence anymore, with iPhoto canned and iMovie and Garageband degraded in order to sell more Logic and FCX.
When former software chief (and arguably software genius) was fired in 2012, most of his software lieutenants eventually left Apple as well, and despite Hair Force One (Craig Federighi)being a great sport, a superb presenter, the quality of Apple’s software under him never did return to what it used to be.
Surrounding himself with superstar designers and ex-CEOs is probably a good thing for Tim Cook, but please do not forget about software. Apple’s software is the reason why Apple’s hardware can shine, remember Steve once saying “People who are serious about software should make their own hardware”(that’s from Alan Kay by the way) during the iPhone keynote? It is no use making your own hardware great if you are not serious about your software in the first place.
We are not looking at you to make Apple way greater than it already is, we just hope that you keep it afloat and working, and not turn it into another Microsoft, Tim.
Let us keep Steve’s legacy alive.
MacRyu’s Mac Setup 2014
So in 2007 I posted my old setup based around my 2007 24″ Aluminum iMac and 12″ iBook on Flickr.
Then in 2011 I posted my revamped setup based on the same iMac but with a relatively new 2010 MacBook Air.
After another 3 years and spending the last 12 months not bothered with updating this site, I want to reboot this site with my first decent post – my current Mac setup.
And here it is.
The iMac, now in its seventh year of service, has been semi-retired and is only used sparingly these days. Its main duties have been taken over by the 2012 11″ MacBook Air, which is connected to a Crossover 27″ high resolution monitor (2560X1440, LG’s IPS panel, the same ones used in the current 27″ Thunderbolt Display) via Dual-link DVI, which I run in clamshell mode for the time being. It will be eventually replaced by the next Mac Mini, whenever that thing is refreshed, because running clamshell mode can be a pain in the arse for long term use.
The iMac is these days used as a BT machine, iTunes server or for casual file access when I don’t want to turn on 4 switches just to access or print a file. It has been upgraded with a OCZ SSD last year, and boots into Mavericks in about 6 seconds flat, which is extremely speedy for a 7 year old machine. It is also connected to my HDD docks for serious backing up duties.
The Harman Kardon Soundsticks III is the world’s favourite computer speakers (they are almost always in every celebrity’s home or desks, just watch TV!) and I finally saved enough to get them last year. The iPad mini stand was a real replica of the see-through acrylic ones found in authentic Apple Stores, and was a gift from my brother a few weeks ago. Also on the table are docks for my iPhones (the 5S is being used to take the photos, that is why it is not in its modified Belkin dock), iPads, and other pieces of tech toys including the PS Vita 2002, Cowon Z2, Nexus 4 and the Xiaomi Note+. Oh and I love my Starbucks Reserve Mug.
Yes, those are the Sony consoles hiding in the dark corner.
Hopefully this site will still be around in 2017, when I will (most probably) post my updated Mac setup again.
Follow me on twitter @ryuworks or @macryudotcom (official account for this site). And join MacNet at http://sgmac.net for all Apple related discussions on FB!
Apple event confirmed for 9.9.2014
It’s been a long time, and here we go again!
Just a few more days to go!