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  • Apple axes Wi-Fi router division, apparently signaling the end of AirPort

    Argh. I know that these weren't the absolute best performing routers available, but I always did like them. I've had a couple over the years and they were reliable and extremely easy to set up, while still having some useful capabilities if you dived into the options. And, I might be the only one still doing it, but I use the Airport Expresses to connect my dumb speakers and make them airplay usable. That's going to be a bummer when those finally fail.
    elijahgdysamoriatokyojimurare commentbrucemcargonaut
  • Microsoft rep pans iPad Pro, says Apple's tablet is 'always going to be a companion device'

    I went back and forth between the iPad Pro and the Surface Pro 4, for about 90 minutes. I used them both, picked them up, ran apps on them, etc.

    I finally went with the iPad Pro. Not because the SP4 isn't a good device, it's actually very nice. But there were a few things that pushed me over the edge:

    1. The SP4 felt a lot thicker. I realize that in pure measurements, it isn't. But it felt more unwieldy in the hand.

    2. I intend to use it for photo work (among other things) while traveling. And Photoshop on a small screen is hellabad. It's intended to be run on full-size screens, the bigger the better.  It's great on my 27" 5K iMac. 

    But something like SnapSeed on the iPad Pro does everything I want without the bulk, and is made for my mobile device. I don't need a stylus to hit the itty-bitty UI elements, because it was designed for touch.

    3. Windows 10's ability to morph between desktop and tablet mode is nice. Maybe even the future.  But the number of "tablet friendly" apps that I actually care about is vanishingly small. The Office apps adapt nicely, but most other things, not so much. On the iPad, every app is designed for the tablet mode, because it's the only mode; of course, that's also a limitation, but one I ultimately decided was worth the trade off.

    This situation might resolve itself if developers get excited about making apps handle tablet mode, but right now it's no competition on the "tablet application" front; the IPad destroys the SP4 in both selection and quality.

    4. The iPad had cellular data availability. The SP4, astonishingly given it's prices, does not. I'd rather have a 3G connection out in the sticks someplace where there is no WiFi, than no connection at all.  This was really a huge deal breaker for me. 

    Finally, 5: Windows itself. As a longtime I.T. Professional directly involved in desktop management...I just don't want to deal with Windows potential issues, while I'm trying to get stuff done far from home. I know that's unfair. But years of supporting Windows has left me more than a little wary of it.

    I have plenty of critical things to say about iOS and it's limitations, and it was definitely a close fight between the SP4 and iPP.  Maybe next year, Microsoft. 
    nolamacguynikon133dementuschikanDeeeds
  • Users upset by Evernote price hikes & two-device limit for free Basic customers

    I think it's important to remember that Evernote does not run ads or sell data. So they only make money from paying users. It makes sense to limit the free tier to a "try before you buy" offering. 50MB a month and usable on two devices is sufficient to tell you if you like the product enough to buy into it. If they can't convert you, it's a better business decision to let you. Holding on to a "customer" who isn't paying, but is costing the company money, isn't really great business.

    What do they have to lose, except potential referrals? And what are the odds that a free user is referring lots of PAID new customers?

    The 40% increase to the Premium plan is a bigger potential mistake. There are, at least from the Evernote forums, lots of Pro users like myself who are seriously considering that a 40% increase is waaaay too much, given how slow the service has been to evolve and fix things that matter to us.

    Ultimately, the potential loss of a bunch of Pro level subscribers is far more a danger to their business than the loss of a horde of free users that were only costing them money anyway.

    My Pro ends in December. If there isn't some sign by then of a renewed vigor from Evernote to fix the things we've been complaining about for years, in exchange for the price hike...I'm out.
    chiacornchipuraharajony0
  • Major apps abandoning Apple Watch, including Google Maps, Amazon & eBay [u]

    slurpy said:
    Not every fucking app benefits from being on a watch.
    When I first bought my watch, I tried a whole truckload of the apps that offered watch support. Turns out, most of them were simply unnecessary for my needs. There's a few things I wanted my watch to do, but many more that I did not - like being able to buy things from Amazon by tapping furiously at my wrist. At this point, I don't have any third-party apps on my watch at all. For my needs at least, having notifications forwarded from my phone is the right amount of "app" functionality. I can see what's up, and choose to ignore it or go to a more interactive device to action it. And I've limited those notifications to only apps that I feel are important enough to deserve the "look at me now" status. I have no idea how typical a user I am, but I would not be surprised to find out that people just aren't using the dedicated watch apps. They are by definition going to be more limited, slower, and less enjoyable to use.
    anantksundaramrezwits
  • How to use an iPad or iPad Pro as a monitor for your Mac

    FWIW, Duet is working perfectly for me on a 2018 MBP with both an iPad 12.9" 2nd Gen and the just released 3rd Gen. Now, I use it only as a second display, and I don't tap on the iPad to send commands to the MBP, but in that capacity at least, there are issues with lag or screen dragging as suggested, even across an entire workday of use.
    watto_cobra