robjn

Let’s have some reviews of Apple Arcade games.

Amazon Studio is no audio competition for HomePod.

The studio has a front and back with a single forward facing tweeter. HomePod has 7 far more capable, horn loaded tweeters and uses imaging techniques that are sought after in the high end audiophile world.

 HomePod can beam form to focus audio in specific directions in order to create an immersive sound stage. If HomePod is near a wall it uses the tweeters at the back to bounce beam formed sound off the wall. Some very highly rated audiophile grade speakers have a backwards facing tweeter in a simpler arrangement called a di-pole, HomePod is extremely sophisticated. Whilst HomePods can adapt to their environment, high end di-pole designs must be just the right distance from the back wall.

On the low end, HomePod has a high excursion woofer. Higher excursion woofers produce higher SPL and typically have a more powerful motor with a taller voice coil stack with more windings, higher sensitivity and better power handling. The HomePod woofer has a microphone in the back that enables the software to measure distortion and dynamically correct it.

So whilst Amazon came up with a interesting design for the Studio, it’s not in the same league as HomePod.

I think there will be an October Event.

1) Rumors indicate the New MacBookPro is a significant redesign - this will demand stage time.

2) Apple gave developers powerful new tools at WWDC, these should lead to new apps that deserve stage time.

3) The Tag is in testing and may be close to ready. This needs to be demoed - it must have stage time. It might do things (beyond tracking) that no one expects.

4) iPad Pros are believed to get the same camera system as the iPhone Pros. The camera app on iPad has space to expose more controls. Apple could also demo Deep Fusion. Could demo new pro software such as Photoshop.

5) A short segment could build anticipation for TV+ just days before launch. Could also be an announcement about home cinema sound with AirPlay 2 speakers.

6) Other Macs could also get processor updates. Full prices for Mac Pro made available.

The articles states that titanium is more ”durable” and calls attention to the materials ”strength”.

“Strength” refers to physical properties that describe how much force it takes to either permanently deform or break something. Whilst titanium is strong for its weight, there’s no reason for anyone to be concerned that a steel or aluminum case is going to get bent out of shape.

When it comes to surface hardness the 316L cold forged stainless steel is generally harder than titanium alloy. This means the stainless might actually be more resistant to scratches and dents than the titanium.

Apple do have some kind of nano-coating on the titanium. This prevents it from picking up the ugly oxidization that raw titanium is susceptible to. It is possible that this coating also adds scratch resistance.

It is a little sad from an engineering point of view that Apple didn’t take advantage of the strength to weight ratio of titanium by milling out more material to make the Watch as light as the aluminum. People tend to associate more expensive/higher quality products with heaviness. One influential watch blogger even said the aluminum Apple Watch feels cheap because it does not have substantial weight.

5G is massively over-estimated.

It’s an extremely limited technology that offers no new high value or behavior changing application. Compare this to 4G - which made streaming video possible or 3G that made the internet usable. These were extremely valuable leaps that changed people’s lives significantly. What does 5G offer? The ability to download very large files quickly? What else?

Even if 5G does offer some valuable new ability that is meaningful to everyone. There is a critical flaw with the technology. It covers such short distances it will never work widely outside of densely populated areas - this means that it cannot be relied on for any meaningful new service - this is a critical flaw!

These Wall Street analysts are very simply looking back on 3G and 4G and assuming this is the same thing - it is not!