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Apple
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May 16, 2019Two things that many readers have asked me over the year is Will Apple ever make a touch screen MacBook? and Will Apple ever bring its App Store to the Mac? MacBook Touch Screen I think this will happen as the features between iPad and MacBook start to resemble each other more over time I think it’s inevitable. Apples WWDC is coming up and usually every year they have a large number of features and improvements for the iPad that make it more of a multipurpose device rather than just a tablet. I think Apple to keep up with the changing landscape of computer hardware will need to add a touchscreen to their entire laptop line of products, many computer manufacturers like Lenovo, Microsoft and HP are already offering touchscreen laptops. I think it’s just a matter of time for Apple to jump on board with a touchscreen on their computer but I do think we may get a touchscreen first on an iMac before a MacBook just so Apple can compete with Microsofts Surface Studio which has a large touchscreen display for artists. App Store on MacOS While Apple has started adding phone apps to MacOS they are only doing it with their own apps at this point. Apple has ported over Apple News, Stocks, Home, and Voice Memos to MacOS and soon we will have Apple Music, Apple TV, Podcasts, and Books on the Mac. Moving over Apples entire App Store over to MacOS I think will happen but it will take time as Apple wants to make sure it’s done right. Apple will need to let app developers know about this moving forward to give developers time to make proper changes to their apps in advance. This kind of announcement I would expect at WWDC this year...
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May 15, 2019When Apple had their big press event back in March they showed us what the new Apple TV experience was going to look like when it was released and it’s officially here with the release of tvOS 12.3. This is the first step in the launch of Apples streaming service Apple TV+ service which is set to launch in the fall. Apple hasn’t yet announced pricing on the Apple TV+ service yet but I am sure will over the summer or at the launch. The new TV app is the first step, and it appears to look like the version Apple showed off in March. The new tvOS app is available in over 100 countries. The new TV app is also now available on select Samsung smart TVs and on iOS devices like the iPhone and iPad. Apple has said the Apple TV experience will be available on MacOS coming this fall with the launch of Apple TV+. Apple did mention customers with AirPlay 2-enabled Samsung smart TVs can now play videos and other content from their iPhone, iPad or Mac directly to their smart TVs. Added customers with eligible VIZIO, LG and Sony smart TVs will be able to enjoy AirPlay 2 and HomeKit support later this year. Apple wrote in its press release “With the free iOS 12.3 and tvOS 12.3 software update, customers around the world can now subscribe to Apple TV channels within the Apple TV app — paying for only the ones they want — and watch on demand directly in the app. In the US, Apple TV channels include popular services such as HBO, Starz, SHOWTIME, Smithsonian Channel, EPIX, Tastemade and new services like MTV Hits, with more to be added over time around the world.” Apple also revealed that the new Apple TV...
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April 6, 2019The Apple HomePod is not the hot seller that Apple expected. Unlike the AirPods, Apple Watch and Apple Music which did very well for Apple the HomePod has been a tough sell for the company. Unlike the Amazon Echo and the Google Home which sell multiple devices for between $25-$99 dollars, the HomePod was priced at $349. Apple has now dropped the price to $299. While the $50 dollar price decrease shows that Apple is willing to lower prices to get the device to move I don’t think the HomePod can compete in functionality. To start Apple has and I don’t think ever will open Siri up for developers to build skills as Amazon and Google have done. Even if Apple did open Siri up for skills development the HomePod has such a small market share I am not sure it would attract developers to the platform. I would like to point out that Cortana had the same problem getting skills because Microsoft had such a small market share with Cortana. I think it’s important to remember that the Apple HomePod is a premium speaker and is cheaper than some of its competitors like Sono’s Play 5 at $499 or Google’s Home Max which sells for $399. Apple dropping the price may have been a play to be the cheapest speaker in the premium market. The only thing that is personally holding me back from purchasing the device is how limited it is to the Apple ecosystem. While I use Apple Music, I can buy a $199 dollar Sonos speaker or use my Amazon Echo now that Apple Music is available on the Amazon Echo devices. The HomePod is a hard purchase for me to justify even at the $299 price point. I just don’t see the value I will...
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April 4, 2019Apple had their big event and despite all the new services they announced only one is available today and that is Apple News+. The magazine feature of Apple News+ is not new actually Apple purchased a company named Texture back in March of 2018. By July of that year, Apple made Texture subscribers happy by announcing that they were cutting the price of its Premium tier from $14.99 to $9.99 per month which is the current price of Apple News+. I started using Apple News way before the recent announcement of Apple News+. For one the App is on my MacBook Pro, iPad and iPhone by default and syncs up together. I would expect this from a typical Apple product. I got away from using good old Flipboard as I found the app and interface bloated and almost unusable after the last few recent updates. While I did like Flipboard I don’t find it as good as it used to be a few years ago. While Apple made Apple News+ sound appealing and it is a great value for $9.99 a month the point of saying you get articles from both the Wall Street Journal and LA Times was a bit of a stretch. While you do get select articles for free which would be behind the paywall normally on both those sites it’s a select few articles many others are still behind the paywall and to read them you need the subscription to that paper. With Apple News, the + is basically the magazine part of the service but don’t sell that short because many of the magazines are top shelf magazines that would be between $10-$20 dollars a year like Wired, Popular Mechanics, Esquire, Linux Professional, and many others just to name a select few. If you are...
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March 20, 2019Everyone has a friend that is a self-professed tech-friend. They will stand in line for hours to get the newest flagship phone. They will scour the internet for news and rumors to get all the details they need on upcoming releases. Their social media feeds are filled with unboxing videos, reviews and recommendations of the hottest gadgets. They are undeniably obsessed. The one problem that comes with getting a gift for a tech-fiend is that your options are usually pricey. You can’t exactly dish out hundreds of dollars for a single birthday present — especially if there’s a chance that they already bought it for themselves! Here are some ideas for gadgets and gizmos that will be perfect for your friend and your budget. For the Forgetful Friend: As much as your friend loves the newest gadgets, they always seem to be losing them. You’ve watched them tear apart their living room in search of their headphones and desperately dig into their bag to find their portable console. A great gift for your scatterbrained companion is a Tile tracker device to help them find any precious items they’ve misplaced around the house or lost outside of it. All they have to do is place the device on a key ring or attach it to the back of any tech, then download the free app. The Tile piece will ring if they’re in range, so they can locate their remote or Nintendo Switch stuck in between the couch cushions. If they really lose their expensive item, the Tile app will show where it’s located on a map, for a quick and easy recovery. For the Style Icon: Sometimes tech can look strikingly similar. All the sleek designs seem to focus on shades of silver or black. While these shades are classics...
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March 18, 2019Stanford Medicine today reported results of the Apple Heart Study app at the American College of Cardiology’s 68th Annual Scientific Session and Expo. The Apple Heart Study app was released in November of 2017. The study lasted eight months and included 400,000 participants from all 50 states. Apple and Stanford joint study was to evaluate the use of Apple Watch’s irregular rhythm notification. The Apple Watch checks the wearer’s heart rhythm in the background periodically can send notifications if an irregular heart rhythm or atrial fibrillation (AFib) appear at any time. As part of the study, if an irregular heart rhythm was identified, participants received a notification on their Apple Watch and iPhone, a telehealth consultation with a doctor and an electrocardiogram (ECG) patch for additional monitoring. The study showed 0.5 percent of the over 400,000 participants received an irregular heart rhythm notification those who sought medical advice following their irregular rhythm notification, used the information collected to have a more in-depth discussion with their doctors. Apple’s COO Jeff Williams said “We are proud to work with Stanford Medicine as they conduct this important research and look forward to learning more about the impact of Apple Watch alongside the medical community,” going on to say “We hope consumers will continue to gain useful and actionable information about their heart health through Apple Watch.” Sumbul Desai, MD, Apple’s vice president of Health said “As physicians, we are always trying to find ways to offer patients health information that is meaningful to them for individualized care” going on to say “Seeing medical research reflect what we’re hearing from consumers is positive and we’re excited to see Apple Watch helping even more consumers in the future while collaborating with the medical community to further research.” This is a huge win for Apple as this...
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February 23, 2019I recently purchased an Apple TV 4 and its been a great device so far for me as a cord cutter and movie watcher. I did not purchase the Apple TV 4K because I don’t have a 4k TV and not much content is in 4K at the current moment. I have my Xbox in the living room so I could always use that device in the future for 4K content. I must first say I have a Chromecast, Xbox, Mibox (Android TV) and a Roku. None of these devices video quality is as good as Apple TV I am not sure why but the movies I get off of iTunes just look amazing compared to the videos I watch on Play Store or off Microsoft Store. I really like the interface it reminds me of iOS and has support for almost every app I have looked for and wanted to use on the Apple TV. I love the Apple Music integration its works great and seamlessly but that is to be expected on Apple TV since its Apples platform. Even on Android TV, the integration with Google Music and YouTube Music is amazing. I would expect that tight integration from a company making the apps for their own platform. Just like everything Apple does the design and hardware quality is great and the device works on both WiFi and Ethernet. The remote feels very high quality and well made looking similar to an iPod Nano. I like how you charge the remote and don’t have to buy batteries for it that makes me very happy as I like rechargeable devices as they save money and the environment. Just like everything Apple, TVos includes Spotlight, Siri, App Store, Apple Music, Podcast App, and other Apple apps just like iOS and...
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February 18, 2019Having a brand new Mac device on hand is such an awesome feeling. It’s because you get to experience its awesome performance at its high speed. So, browsing using your Mac is a great experience. However, your Mac starts to run slow for the longest time that you have been using it. This happens on your Mac because of all the files, documents, photos, videos, downloads, and more that is pilling up in your Mac’s system. All these things do not only make your Mac slow but are also take up a lot of your storage space. So, with all that being said, here are some tips on how you can speed up the performance of your Mac. The tips that we are going to mention here will not actually require you to spend more time. It can help your Mac to improve its speed performance in no time. So here are some tips for you. Tip #1: Look for the Resources That Takes More Power on Mac There are some applications that you have on your Mac that is actually taking up a lot of power from your device. And because of these applications, it can cause your Mac to slow down on its performance. So, for you to be able to find these apps that taking over your Mac, all you need to do is to access your Activity Monitor. The Activity Monitor tool that you have on your Mac will give you details about your device. This includes your CPU, Memory, Energy, Disk, and your Network usage. Once that you are experiencing that your Mac is running slow, you can go ahead and check straight on your CPU tab. This way, you will be able to see which processes actually have a great effect on your Mac....
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February 9, 2019Tech-savvy cooks are using iPads as a handy helper in the kitchen. Whether it is to follow a cooking video, to look up a recipe or simply to watch TV series, the usage of iPads in the kitchen is increasing drastically. iPads help save your kitchen counter space by replacing all your cooking tomes. There are cookbook apps that help you in organizing your recipes and generates shopping lists automatically. There are many other ways iPads can be used in the kitchen? Read more to find out. Measure Ingredients With A Connected Scale The Drop Connected Scale is the coolest accessory for your kitchen. If you are looking for an accessory that can make measuring ingredients easier for you, then Drop is your efficient helper, your kitchen assistant. Drop helps you make quality food at home by connecting the recipes you love with the appliances in the kitchen/ Drop is two things: Drop Scale and a Drop App. The scale measures the ingredients and sends the information to the iPad, whereas the app offers a wealth of interactive recipes that you can customize based on the number of people to serve. The App and the scale together help you cook dinner without anything getting in your way. Drop keeps track of everything – correct time and temperature. When you are adding ingredients to the bowl, Drop analyzes the difference in the bowl weight, prior and post to adding the ingredient, so it accurately alerts you when you’ve added ample quantity of that ingredient. Avoid Spills With an iPad Kitchen Stand While the scale is the coolest accessory for your kitchen, but to enhance your iPad use in the kitchen, a kiosk is the most useful overall thing. Ipad Kiosks are available as counter mounds and wall mounts for the kitchen....