citpeks

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citpeks
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  • USB-C on iPhone 15 might still require MFi certified cables

    citpekscitpeks
    dewme said:
    avon b7 said:
    The key issue is that it will meet USB-C certification standards and that is what counts.

    If Apple throws up warnings or limits performance in some way for non-licences items, then market forces will either lead to people accepting the situation or see them getting fed up with it.

    Personally, I would be surprised to see Apple go down that road if no other USB-C implementation on Apple devices suffers from the rumored 'requirements'. 
    I agree.

    Apple has to follow the USB-C cable and connector specification (https://www.usb.org/document-library/usb-type-cr-cable-and-connector-specification-release-22) and pass conformance testing to attain licensing. It's important to note that when you mention "performance" with respect to the USB-C cable and connector specification it really only covers things like electrical performance, environmentals, noise immunity, etc. 

    Functional performance, like support for charging-only, USB 2.0, USB 3.2, and USB 4.0 are effectively selectable by the vendor. Apple could put a fully compliant and licensed USB-C connector on the iPhone that only supports charging, like many products do including the Raspberry Pi 4. Or they could do like they did with then base model iPad, include support for charging plus USB 2.0. In other words, the presence of a USB-C receptacle on a new iPhone is not a guarantee that it will support USB-4, Thunderbolt, or anything of that sort. It does guarantee that it will support charging via USB-C cables certified for at least charging support.

    The USB-C spec does contain some verbiage that Apple could use to put somewhat of a limit on the USB-C cables that are compatible with Apple devices. They could require cables that support higher power requirements, like they do with Thunderbolt and power delivery support. I don't see how doing so would help Apple because they'd still have to support charging using standard cables.

    I'm going to take the glass half full position here. Rather than speculating that Apple engages in any form of vindictiveness, spite, or check-the-box and do the absolute minimum to meet the EU mandate, I think they will try to differentiate from their competitors by taking full advantage of everything the USB standard makes available to them. This will come at the functional level, regardless of USB-C charging, and will bring new capabilities to the iPhone (Pro-only?) that have never been seen on an Apple smartphone before. I don't know what it may be, but perhaps some sort of OS upscaling when the iPhone is plugged into a Studio Display or one of the new Apple displays that are currently in the development pipeline.

    Apple, especially under Tim Cook, always puts business before emotions. They are not going to disappoint their customers just to make a point or play petty chump-change level games like mucking up the USB-C transition. 

    This is a classic example of a questionable rumor, combined with public ignorance, leading to many clicks and faux outrage.

    Adding supersets to adopted standards is a common practice, and it doesn't necessarily mean such products don't conform to, or disqualify them from working the established standards.

    Apple has already done it with MagSafe, where the 15W profile is specific to MFi-approved wireless chargers.  Where was the outrage over that?  It doesn't mean iPhones aren't compliant with the Qi standard, nor make them not functional with non-MFi chargers.  Nobody has been forced to buy the higher priced MagSafe licensed chargers from Belkin and the like, and it's safe to say most don't, and stick with any number of $15 Qi chargers from Amazon.

    Samsung has gone beyond the standard BPP and EPP Qi profiles, and created their own proprietary PPDE for their wireless charging implementation, and they'll work with standard wireless chargers as well.

    On the wired side, Apple can create another new, specific PDO for charging iPhones, just like it already did with the 20W PDO, which third-party manufacturers have adopted, and is readily available.  Samsung has its own specific AFC fast charging implementation over PD, as do other phone manufacturers.  Again, it's no different than than the days when Apple 2.4, QuickCharge, FastCharge, and other Type-A based proprietary fast charge standards were common, except that was driven mostly by the inadequacies of the USB power delivery specs at the time.

    Not saying that proprietary standards, or the license fees they bring (including Qualcomm's for QC), are necessarily welcome things, but at least PD provides a much stronger foundation, good performance baseline, and basic compatibility.

    Finally, USB spec already includes provisions for authentication, and rejection of unauthorized components, so the implication that Apple would have to create another non-conforming standard to enable it to implement some sort of hardware DRM is false.  Where are the Macs and iPads that work only with MFi-certified Type-C cables?

    And where is the proof that Apple, a USB-IF board member, and early Type-C adopter, is going to undermine its standing, and own work, by creating its "own Type-C" as the rumor puts it, especially in a way that will open a Pandora's box?  Until that happens, it's just a BS rumor, feeding a bunch of hot air.
    watto_cobraFileMakerFeller

  • Mac Studio may never get updated, because new Mac Pro is coming

    citpekscitpeks
    elliots11 said:
    Hollywood is not a monolith, there's a lot of people using basically everything.  I know a production company that ran on Macs with FCP7 up until it stopped making sense to do so, and then switched to Windows and Premiere, and now may switch back to Mac again at least partially, they're presently testing the waters.  Windows is used by many, Linux is used as well in certain places, most render farms are probably Linux, but not everyone is on a render farm.  One place I know uses a custom fork of Linux, but not many companies do that kind of thing.  
    A lot of Hollywood is freelancers, so a lot of editors on Adobe Premiere or Avid use Windows or Mac, a lot of people are switching to Resolve which pairs well with a Mac but also does runs on Windows and has a Linux version.  VFX artists are the same story.  Sound people same story.  What makes Macs appealing to Hollywood types is reliability, ease of use, and ProRes compatibility.  There's also a consistency to them.  Power / capability also matters a lot, I wasn't able to really do my job on a laptop before, but now I can thanks to M1 Max.  So Hollywood types not using Macs is simply not true, I use one every day and there's a lot of people like me.  And they also bought the 2017 iMac Pro in droves, so it's nothing new.

    Everyone in Hollywood who knows about computers is aware of and talking about Apple's chips and what they're up to, and a lot of us are buying them.

    I've heard of places that were using the old Cheese Graters until not that long ago, and supplanted them with Trash Cans and iMacs Pro.

    And then there are the innumerable users running Final Draft or screenwriting software on their Mac/Windows laptops.  They surely think of themselves, and count as "Hollywood types," who don't need the heavy machinery, but are a vital part of the biz and not running Linux.
    radarthekatdanoxh2p

  • Inside Apple Third Street Promenade: a luxe temple in SoCal

    citpekscitpeks
    Hard to believe it could be this quiet with all those hard, echoey surfaces. I can barely spend more than ten minutes in my local inside mall store (Brea) without my ears bleeding. Surprised my Apple Watch has not given me the dangerous noise environment warning yet!

    Spoiler -- it's not.  Those screens on the glass ceiling are needed not only for acoustics, but also as shade, because a greenhouse roof is also serves to make the space nice and toasty.

    I, too, remember when 3rd street was a bunch of mom/pop local businesses, including a military surplus store, and a cosmetology training salon.  Also a lot empty storefronts.  It was a moribund place that wasn't really attractive.

    The redevelopment turned it into a shopping/eating/entertainment destination, and it drew even more people after a shooting incident in Westwood probably served as the genesis of its decline.  It was the westside destination people flocked to before the Promenade rose, not only with students from adjacent UCLA, but from other areas.

    The adjacent enclosed mall at the southern end of 3rd street, Santa Monica Place, also benefited, then later suffered, as its mix of middling stores, with Sears as one of its anchors, weren't as hip as the mix just outside, or those at the late Westside Pavilion (now redeveloped into offices), which had Nordstrom as an anchor.  The interior mall scenes early in Terminator 2 were shot at SMP.  It was revamped and turned into an open-air mall years ago.

    All normal changes in the ebb/flow cycles of urban renewal and decline.  In the same time frame, Century City also had a lot of money invested in it, after being acquired by Westfield

    I can't think of what makes the Promenade "infamous," but I'm curious to find out.
    FileMakerFeller

  • Logitech MX Keys Review: Smart choice for multi-device users

    citpekscitpeks
    As written, there are two characteristics that this review makes ambiguous, and subject to misconception.

    First, rather importantly, the backlighting on the MX is ephemeral, in response to motion sensing, and not constant.  Those who expect a typical backlit keyboard will be disappointed.  In my usage, it lasts from 7-10 days before requiring recharging.  I haven't had any issues with the sensor, but some have gone as far as disassembling the keyboard and disconnecting it in response to a phantom "pulsing" issue.

    Secondly, unlike some wireless keyboards, including Apple's Magic keyboards, the MX does not support a wired data connection through its USB port, which serves only to recharge the battery.  It is not truly possible to "hardwire" it to a computer in lieu of the wireless data connections, so when the battery eventually wears out, it will still require use of the RF receiver, or BT, rather than relying solely on the cable.

    As is typical with Logitech products, the hardware can be, and in this case is above average, but the software has historically ranged from mediocre to awful, and the myriad of different driver packages the company produces for its product lineup does not help.  Some brave user tallied up all the different Logi software packages that have been created and that number was close to twenty, IIRC.

    Thankfully, if one can live without macro key assignments, the MX can be used without installing Options, or any other Logi software.
    watto_cobra

  • We tried Tesla's wireless charger -- but we can't show you

    citpekscitpeks
    The technology is neat, and the physics may actually be conquered at some point, but on a practical level, Aira is trying to solve a problem that that market has decided has largely been solved, at much lower cost.  Free-positioning isn't necessarily the goal, preventing failed charging due to antenna misalignment is, and that is much cheaper and easier to accomplish with magnets, or other physical constraints.

    It's telling that Nomad, Aira's launch partner, no longer offers the Base Station Pro.  Zens still offers the Liberty, based on their own tech, but it's safe to say that the market for $200+ wireless chargers is not a large one.  That's a lot to pay for whatever little added convenience is provided, compared to a much cheaper solution.  How long can Aira sustain itself, if those funding rounds cease?

    The WPC's adoption of MagSafe as part of the Qi2 standard will probably snuff this out for good, as device-based magnets adversely impact the efficiency of the design, and further compromise what is already an imperfect solution.
    foregoneconclusionwatto_cobra