mac_128

MplsP said:

mac_128 said:

titantiger said:

polymnia said:

Alternative idea: Perhaps the plan for iPhone is to phase out a wired connector entirely. It seems to me that once wireless charging gets a big enough foothold, and Bluetooth matures for short range data transmission, there is not compelling reason to continue punching a big hole in the bottom of our iPhones. I'd prefer a completely wireless iPhone that was more waterproof & had more room for battery & functional components.

Wireless charging will have to gain not only a big foothold in homes, but everywhere else too.  It's one thing to tote around a charging cable to be able to plug in anywhere there's a spare outlet.  It's a whole other thing to have to carry a charging mat around.

How is carrying around a charging mat a bigger problem than carrying around the cable and charger you’re already carrying around? A small portable disk that magnetically attaches to the back of the phone shouldn’t add substantially to that bundle. Plus Qi charging is rapidly expanding in public places. By the time Apple is ready to drop the Lightning port, it probably won’t be that hard to find a charging station or mat. Then again, when has Apple ever cared if the support for a hardware choice was already in place before changing something?

mike1 said:

W

polymnia said:

Alternative idea: Perhaps the plan for iPhone is to phase out a wired connector entirely. It seems to me that once wireless charging gets a big enough foothold, and Bluetooth matures for short range data transmission, there is not compelling reason to continue punching a big hole in the bottom of our iPhones. I'd prefer a completely wireless iPhone that was more waterproof & had more room for battery & functional components.

Wireless charging is completely impractical for too many people and too many use cases.

As an example, I forgot to charge my phone last night. If I couldn't use a portable battery pack today, I would not  be able to use my phone for the first few hours of my work day. Second, under normal conditions, not being able to use the phone while it's charging is a major hindrance.

If you had a portable battery pack with a charging mat attached, I’d think it would be no different. Or you have a new battery pack with a built-in Qi charger eliminating the need for cables. And why wouldn’t you be able to use your phone while it’s charging on a Qi mat? 

Charging mats are more expensive and bulkier. Qi charging may be gaining a foothold, but for the foreseeable future cables will still rule the land. The bottom line is a cable can charge everything. A mat can charge some things. in general, cables are faster, too. 

Another issue with Qi charging is on the order of 30-40% less efficient. If I'm running out of power and have to use a battery to recharge my phone, I don't want to waste 40% of that power.

As I said in my other post, cars pose an issue because if you don't have a flat, stable place for it, it won't work. In my car, my phone is usually resting in a cupholder. a charging mat won't work for that.

Then there's the issue with cases...

First, the Apple Watch already offers this, with the charging puck included in the box. So, cost is not really an issue. Second, the Apple Watch charging puck is magnetic and sticks to the back of the watch -- so no, you don't need a flat, stable  surface to charge it on. Third, the Lightning port stays for at least two more generations before it comes off completely, and Apple is certainly working on improving the efficiency of Qi charging during that time. Fourth, there's always adding a SmartConnector to the iPhone as was rumored last year I think; this would give virtually all of the same benefits that Lightning currently does as far as charging and data, albeit with another proprietary connector -- but that connector is only for those who don't want to move to the wireless standard Apple is clearly moving to. And finally, cases would be designed to accommodate these needs.

hammerd2 said:
'As rumored, the 3.5mm headphone jack is gone. Users have to shell out for a pair of Bluetooth headphones -- like Apple's AirPods -- or buy a $9 audio adapter.'
Anyone have a link to where I can buy this $9 audio adapter ? 

Did you check Apples website?

MplsP said:

seankill said:

sflocal said:

So finally, an iOS device using USBc.  Bittersweet, but necessary.  Finally just one cable.

This iPad is a beast.

I’m going to hate it but I hope the iPhone follows, seems dumb not to roll the iPhone to USB-C also. 

Rayz2016 said:

So, next year’s iPhone?

Will they move to USB-C, or will the port vanish altogether?

I actually like the lightning cable better than the USB C, but I would also rather they have some consistency across their product line. Honestly, if they were switching to USB C for iPads, why didn’t they switch to USB C for the Xs/Xr/Xs max? 

I doubt they will ditch it all together. It’s still way too functional. 

Also, I’m curious as to what the justification for leaving the headphone jack off the ipad is. It’s not waterproofing. It’s not space. They may argue that it’s outdated, but the fact of the matter is it’s still the single most common headphone connector in the world. Either way, if you want to use wired headphones, you have a choice between 3.5mm, lightning and USB C and we’re going to need a USB C - 3.5mm connector. Things are getting confusing.

Either way, these machines should have awesome performance. My 12” iPad Pro does great as it is, and it only has an A10 processor.

No, they will likely never put a USB-C connector on an iPhone. For all the iPhone can do, it's still a mobile device. Apple will likely remove the Lightning port, and seal the device up completely as soon as they feel it's possible. Replacing the installed base of Lightning devices worldwide for no particular reason would be a an inconvenient waste, and result in a lot of backlash. Apple is pushing devices like the iPhone to the cloud for storage and backups. The iPad Pro is being repositioned as an alternative to the PC. That's a huge difference in functionality and what kinds of ports they need. 

asdasd said:

I agree that the branding of the air and the MacBook don’t make a whole lot of sense. 

The air is heavier. It’s a strange line up. The air might make sense as a sub $1000 machine(or alternatively the cheapest MacBook would be < $1000). 

It's all marketing. There's a huge faction of Apple's MacBook fans that are specifically craving the "Air" moniker. I suspect whatever Apple slapped the "Air" name onto would result in cheers and applause from the name alone, regardless what the device was. This new "Air" is a brand new device they could have called anything.

mpw_amherst said:

Yeah I'm confused. If the Macbook were cheaper than fair enough. Or if it had additional selling points, besides being lighter, like FaceID fine. Is there even a sign it has had a spec bump? Doesn't look like it. Similarly with the iMacs. When do you think is best guess for when both of those will receive an update? And do you think any of the Macs will get FaceID or will Apple use TouchID for for Macs and FaceID for iOS?

I'm really surprised about the lack of FaceID. But I suspect Apple is holding back on that one more year before they introduce it to lower-end devices. Right now it's only on their flagship phones and "Pro" level pads. I suspect we'll see it on the MB Pros next year, so maybe two more years before it shows up on the Air. Hard to believe they would redesign a brand new Mac designed to last several years on the market right as they're introducing FaceID as the replacement to TouchID, without planning to integrate it in the near future.

eightzero said:

I had no idea the daylights savings times were a thing outside the US. I was told it was invented by Benjamin Franklin.

Not exactly, though Franklin proposed some DST concepts. Regardless it is applied inconsistently throughout the world, leading to all sorts of issues. Frankly (no pun intended), I'd prefer they move the clocks halfway between the two standards, and keep them there year-round worldwide and get rid of this outdated and dangerous ritual.