dewme
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Apple's Mac mini has outlasted Intel's NUC
My NUC has been a great sidekick for integrating a full PC into what is otherwise a Mac environment using the second HDMI monitor input. The draw for me was being able to get a completely bloatware free PC and have it totally configured to my liking. Not cheap but very well built and reliable, unlike many of the cheap plasticky NUC knockoffs.
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Apple is working on a giant iMac, but it isn't coming soon
The iMac is a great computing appliance for work and for home if you have limited desk space and if it fully satisfies all of your needs in its out-of-the-box configuration. If the iMac configurations shown in Apple's advertising closely resemble your workspace you're going to love it. Otherwise, the limitations of the iMac will come back to haunt you at some point, most notably when its computing guts are no longer up to snuff but you cannot live without its gorgeous screen. I suppose you could turn it into a very large picture frame.You need a second monitor for your iMac setup? No problem, as long as you don't mind the asymmetry that comes along with it because nobody makes a monitor that resembles the iMac's screen with its Jay Leno chin. Sure, a lot of folks don't care about aesthetic purity or symmetry, but suddenly your configuration isn't quite looking like the ones in Apple's ads. Not quite so "all in one" anymore.Need more I/O? No problem, as long as you don't mind all those cables sticking out of the back of your Mac screen. Yeah, you can buy a big dock with a bunch of ports and potentially start hiding the nest of wires under your desk or behind the screen or curtain. People with notebook and laptop computers have been docking their boxes to compensate for too little I/O and to buy more and bigger screens and storage forever. But those are mobile devices that ostensibly have a second life away from the desk. The iMac's not going anywhere, especially if it takes on the dimensions we're seeing in this article.All in all, my experience with iMacs has resulted in me realizing that what appears as one of Apple's simplest desktop solutions, at least based on what their ads show, turns out to be one of their least flexible, least adaptable, and most convoluted solutions once you deviate from how the thing comes out of the box. The simplest solution in my opinion is pretty straightforward: if you need a computing and I/O box, buy a computing and I/O box, if you need a great screen, buy a great screen, if you need a totally flexible screen mount that doesn't eat up desk space, get a VESA mounting arm and monitor(s) that are VESA compatible. Ditto for keyboards, mouse, trackpads, etc.Buy exactly what you need, Yes, it costs more but what you're paying for is having exactly what you need, far fewer compromises, and far greater flexibility and adaptability. It comes down to deciding whether you want a component based computing solution versus a computing appliance. Plenty of folks, my wife included, are served very well with the appliance model (M1 iMac 24"). I will never buy another iMac for my use because of the limitations, and frankly, bringing my 27" iMac in to the Apple Store for service (twice) was a royal pain in the butt. I can't imagine having to tote a 32" or larger iMac around unless they make the thing out of titanium or some other lightweight alloy. I'd have to go back to owning a minivan, even without having any kids or dogs. The insanity of it all!Finally, I do understand why people, myself included, fell in love with the 27" iMac, especially when Apple put a 5K screen on it and sold it for not much more than the cost of the screen alone. Was Apple taking a loss on these or cannibalizing some Mac Pro sales as a result? Probably a few, but probably only for the lower-spec Pros. The big question is whether Apple would repeat this feat of generosity again with a new and bigger iMac now that they have some very compelling component based solutions built around the Mac Pro, Mac Studio, Mac mini, Studio Display, Pro Display XDR, and of course the wide availability of third party 4K/5K displays? I suppose they could, but why would they?
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Future Apple monitor could act as smart home display
Japhey said:This is what I want for the Apple TV…for it to present as a smart display while it sits idle.Exactly!This is especially true considering how inexpensive 4K TVs are compared to decent monitors. Plus, all of my Macs are in home office space while my TV is in family space. It would be nice to be able to sequence through security and doorbell cameras from the TV when I’m in the family room/kitchen/dining space.Amazon’s FireStick 4K has the camera capability, which is good, but it’s otherwise an advertising screen when not being used. The Apple TV isn’t far behind depending on the top level selection but it eventually falls through to a screen saver.
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Let's get ready to rumble: Zuckerberg agrees to fight Musk in cage match
Does anyone really have the time and inclination to watch a Karen versus Karen slap fest? I suppose Vegas could put up odds to bet on which CEO starts crying first. Yeah, it really would be that bad. Or just plain sad.thedba said:
Tim Cook has too much class to be watching two aging adolescents duke it out in Vegas.Maurizio said:Tim Cook is buying popcorn. -
Tim Cook wants season four of 'Ted Lasso,' says Coach Beard
All good things must come to an end. It was great while it lasted and they did an excellent job of wrapping up the loose ends in the final season, especially in the last episode. The whole series was well done and I’m completely satisfied with the story reaching a conclusion. I have no desire for spin-offs, which usually reek of little more than brand merchandizing.
I think far too many serials go beyond their freshness date and become stale and formulaic, especially when the show’s original “hook” is no longer the main point of intrigue. When staleness sets in the writers and producers have to drum up a bunch of side stories and sub-plots to keep the thing going and it basically turns the show into soap opera, which is a never-ending story with often bizarre ways used to explain nonsensical plot changes among an essentially static cast, e.g., an inexplicably high occurrence of amnesia and forgotten twins.
I absolutely got hooked into serials like Manifest, Lost in Space, Night Sky, and Stranger Things, and others that are still in-process. Some of these were or still are unnaturally extended due to covid and writers strikes. Whenever they do start playing again it always takes me a while to pick-up where I left off and get over the fact that some of the cast members, usually child actors, are visibly older. If the previous season ended with a cliffhanger, you have to overlook the fact that the resolution of the cliffhanger has a freakishly long and unexplained time lapse. Plus, I don’t want to clutter my mind with too many pending stories.
Having a story play out in a completely satisfying way over a single sitting or, at most, a couple of seasons, is a thing of beauty and shows a high level of skill and craftsmanship by its creators, writers, and cast members. In the case of Manifest, they finally wrapped it up in a very clever way, but when it was all said and done I came to realize that much of the intervening material was forgettable filler intended to string the audience along for far too long without adding substantially to the storyline. But that’s just my opinion and it explains why I skip over many intriguing looking new material on all of the streaming sites when I see that it’s yet another series rather than a one-and-done movie or limited series.
