mmatz

Pretty simple. Hire the most qualified candidates for the roles. In technical roles, most qualified = most able and willing to do the job most effectively.

Race/gender/sexual preference have nothing to do with being able to do the job effectively.

Thanks for the article; I found it helpful.  I particularly liked being introduced to the concept of the naked robotic core, which I'd never heard of.  It's a different way of looking at the iPad, which makes sense to me. And I'm looking forward to reading the next article in the series, focusing on software.

Back in 2019 or thereabouts, I sold my MacBook Pro and decided to buy a Gen III 12.9 iPad Pro with an Apple Keyboard for my mobile computing needs. I found that I was using my MBP less and less frequently, sometimes going a month or more without starting it up. So I took the plunge.

My desktop is a 2020 Mac Mini i7, with a 32" monitor. The combination of Mini and IPP seems to work well for me. I really don't need a laptop when I'm out and about. Admittedly my needs are modest, and I have iPadOS versions of the MS Office apps, a CAD app that does maybe 80% of the desktop version on my Mini, plus the usual stuff like Safari, Mail, Files (which works well, for me, btw), Google Earth, etc. Only very rarely do I find myself wishing for more powerful software on the IPP. If there's something more involved that I need to do, like building complex spreadsheets, or working on a major document, I do it on the Mini. And I can view such content on the IPP, and do minor editing if need be.  I find that the IPP is good for being able to have content available in the field, where I can refer to it, update it, take notes, or whatever.

Sadly, my IPP needs replacement, as I dropped it and it no longer works as it should. Having to do constant restarts is annoying.

I almost sent it in to Apple for replacement, for $650. Then the new M4 IPP came out, and I'm now leaning hard in that direction. It's expensive, but as a consultant I can depreciate it for tax purposes, and I think the display quality would be worth the premium over the iPad Air. Plus I'm thinking there may be iPadOS software improvements coming out of next month's WWDC. We'll see.

Huh. Well, I’m glad that Samsung has some new offerings. Competition is good, for driving innovation and providing alternatives.

Reading this article, and recently talking with a friend of mine who has a Pixel (I know, not a Samsung) and who has decided to switch back to an iPhone, both reinforce my decision to stay in the Walled Garden. 

My newish iPhone X is a neat bit of technology.  The Face ID works well, with the occasional minor hiccups. And I’ve come to like the swiping gestures for navigating, rather than hitting the home button. Perfect? Not really. But then I don’t expect perfect from any technology. It mostly just works, and works pretty damn well.

My newish Apple Watch Series 3 GPS only is also quite impressive.  Can’t imagine not wearing one.

Count me as a satisfied Apple customer.

I’ve owned a set of Bose wired noise-cancelling headphones for probably 10 years, and like them.  I bought them for use while traveling on airlines, a niche they fill pretty well.  My first set went bad out of warranty and Bose offered a decent price for replacement/upgrade, so I went to the next generation.  The ear pads on my second set eventually wore out, and I found a decent replacement pair for cheap. I added a microphone cord, and now use them as often for phone calls as for listening to music. But, as Chasm points out, the sound quality doesn’t match the noise-cancellation quality.

If Apple came up with wireless, over the ear, noise-cancelling headphones that I could use for phone calls, and with the quality of sound I’d expect from Apple, then I’d likely buy a set.  

Haven’t used Slack, so I don’t have a dog in that fight.  As for other apps leaving the Watch, it seems like a natural winnowing of the field.  For software companies wanting to jump on the Watch bandwagon, it makes sense to try it out, and if it doesn’t work, move on. No big deal, in my mind.

I have a GPS-only version 3. I didn’t get the cellular version because I don’t leave home without my cellphone, ever. And at home, I can answer my phone on the watch (or put the call on hold, as I found out the other day), then switch to the phone if need be.

To me the Watch is surprisingly and delightfully useful, as is. I see it as a natural and particularly well-executed extension of the iPhone.  Call me old-fashioned, but I don’t need it to be a standalone device. I can’t imagine texting on it for the kinds of conversations I often find myself in. And for phone calls, talking to my wrist just isn’t all that comfortable for long. So my phone does the heavy lifting of text, phone calls, web browsing, and using apps that just don’t seem suited for the Watch.  The Watch saves me from having to haul out the Phone for every little thing.  A winning combo.  But that’s me. YMMV.