HobeSoundDarryl

M4 Mac owners having problems with ultrawide 5K monitors

HobeSoundDarryl

December 2024

When I embraced silicon, I went … (more)

Apple asks court to stay part of the Epic Games lawsuit injunction

HobeSoundDarryl

October 2021

In another current thread Apple "wants to be a gaming company" (too).

Here you have Apple using it's full legal might to wage war on a major game producer.

How do you get one … (more)

New MacBook Pro chips deliver desktop performance with better power efficiency

HobeSoundDarryl

October 2021

Want big, cutting edge games? Show the game developers the money. It's as simple as that.

Much like how AppleTV+ (service) has "billions" being thrown at original programming to … (more)create quality programming to watch on that service, the same kind of thing that shows big game companies how to make the most money coding something(s) exclusive for Apple Silicon would get big games coded for Apple Silicon.

But Apple seems to value that about like they value massive libraries of video content that sometimes is up for sale: near nill. Without some kind of artificial monetary incentive to develop for Apple Silicon, any game development motivations must be organic. The most likely path to Apple Silicon games for PRO & MAX are iPhone games being coded with some extra advantages when run on PRO & MAX. iPhone is where the money is for game development in any Apple tech, so it is "least common denominator" for target platform.

Why are many Mac games just iPhone games scaled up? Because that's where the money is.

How do brand new consoles launch with big, cutting edge games? Console makers pay up huge to motivate game developers to create them. Does Apple pay up huge to any game developers for exclusives? As far as I know, the biggest news of Apple and big game developers has been Apple vs. Epic... mostly fighting over about 15% profit, mostly for a VERY popular game from a few years ago. When it comes to game profits, it appears Apple wants their cut FIRST and right off the top even at the expense of banning what was the #1 game from the platform.

Some of us celebrate the fight, celebrate the lack of access to the banned game and celebrate the win(?)... like we won something too. But what message does that fight and win (or loss?) send to other big game developers?

What all businesses want is what Apple wants: more money, more money, more money. Show big game developers how to maximize profits coding for Apple Silicon and the games will roar onto the platform. Expect some kind of magic, organic uptake because programmers want to make much less money than they would building a big game for Windows or consoles... and not many are going to feel much motivation to go that way.

Apple seems to have the most applicable key to overcoming this issue. Will they ever turn that key? (less)

iPad mini review roundup: Superior speed but missing a critical feature

HobeSoundDarryl

October 2021

nicholfd said:

HobeSoundDarryl said:

netrox said:

isnt iPad Mini

… (more)

also a phone since it supports cellular (if you go for celluar in addition to wifi)?

Yes, but you need an app for that. Apple doesn't include the iPhone VOIP app, nor is it available as a downloadable app. But there's plenty of VOIP apps available. I've used iPad Minis to also be my "phone" (with buds) since Mini 1. Call over wifi when in wifi zones, use cellular data when not. It all works great.

Favorite FREE VOIP app available for it: Google Voice. It takes and makes calls (rings iPad when called) and it sends and receives texts from non-Apple people (and also gives me notifications of new texts). With Apple people I text through Messages and video conf through FaceTime, just like anyone does with iPhone.

Other VOIP apps I've used/like: Talkatone and Comcast Voice... the latter when I had their landline service. Anyone anti-Google-everything certainly has plenty of other options. There's also some cheap-but-paid apps with more features.

Like many people, my pure "phone" usage of these devices is not that heavy, so this is like we use iPhones for everything else... except with a bigger screen.

Key Negatives: it doesn't fit in a pocket as well as iPhone (suit pocket works, bag/purse, or I just tuck it under an arm when I need it with me but am not in a full suit), if you like Watch or CarPlay full functionality, BOTH of those need to be married to an iPhone, cameras are superior in iPhone, you can't use Messages for texts from non-Apple people, so you basically are texting through 2 apps instead of one (I just park both apps in the iPad dock for quick access), 911 functionality is not there (but I just put in my local emergency contacts as a single button click instead of having to click 3), a few entities like Uber and Ticketmaster, etc don't recognize Google Voice numbers as "cell" numbers (so I also have the Talkatone app which creates a dynamic cell number which will satisfy text-based authentication. Since that's often about what will then be lots of text spam, I'm not giving them my main number so I somewhat see that as a positive).

Key Positives: ONE device to carry instead of two. Since iPads seem to "keep up" longer, the upgrade cycle can be slower without getting behind on iOS features (so not feeling strong compulsion to buy new ones every year or two saves a lot of money), still full Apple/iOS, cellular data services for iPad can get down to as little as $5/month so the annual cell bill can get down to $60 if one does not need gobs of cellular data (I'm in wifi most of that time, so that applies to me), all the benefits of a screen bigger than iPhone.

Is this for everyone? NO, nothing is for everyone. But I can offer it has worked very well for me since MINI 1. Nobody on the other end notices that I don't have an iPhone and the money savings is sizable over time (vs. buying new phones every year or two and ongoing cellular cost differences).

BONUS: if you do have or need a landline at home (alarm system, still need to fax sometimes, etc), look up the Obihai device. It will also use Google Voice for landline calls. When someone calls my "phone", my home phones also ring. When I call out from either, I'm using the same phone number. That also "just works" and has for years. Cost of local & long distance this way? $0 if all calls are in North America.

When I first went this way, I transferred my old landline through a few days of Tmobile to (be able to transfer it to) Google Voice. So that was keeping my main number but getting to use it in more ways. People already using a mobile number can direct transfer if they want... or setup a new (free) number with GV and have it auto-forward to their existing number.

Impending Mini 6 will also be my new "phone." I look forward to the big upgrade over the existing Mini... then doing it again in about 4-6 years to about MINI 9 or 10 or maybe iPhone Fold 2 or 3.

See my previous post in this article, on this topic.

"Yes, but you need an app for that" - you are wrong. Use your AppleID and the phone/messages/FaceTime features.

"you can't use Messages for texts from non-Apple people" - you are wrong. I text to non-Apple people all the time with Messages on the Mac & my iPad. Again - it's linked to my phone, and my phone does not need to be near or with me, and it does not even have to be on. Again - see my other post in this discussion.

"911 functionality is not there" - wrong again. Sounds like you haven't used some of the features Apple offers!

Thank you but you seem to be assuming that I have iPhone too. I do not.

If one has no iPhone, they have no iPhone-type functionalities like those where you accuse me of being wrong.

For example, I certainly can NOT text non-Apple people using Messages... only Apple MacOS or iOS people. To text non-Apple people, I text from Google Voice (app). It (or any other VOIP app) is the ONLY way. It works just fine but that is a shortcoming of using iPad to also be "phone": I use 2 apps depending on with whom I'm communicating vs. one... and have to use GV if texting non-Apple people.

Non-Apple people also can't text me in Messages. Instead, they text me to Google Voice. Why? Again, without iPhone, Messages (app) is not linked to a phone number. To text my phone number, it must go to Google Voice.

Messages is certainly CAPABLE of working that way. For the period of time between moving from my long-term landline through short-term Tmobile account on an old iPhone to GoogleVoice, Apple servers seemed to continue to think I had iPhone on Tmobile for a while. For about 3-4 weeks AFTER moving that number to Google Voice, Messages, etc worked just like it does on iPhone. Texts to/from that phone number worked just fine in Messages- Apple people or not. And then- presumably- some kind of checking system with Tmobile noticed I was no longer an active iPhone user on Tmobile. iPhone-like functionality with non-Apple people through Apple apps ceased. I assume Apple services really, really want us all to have an iPhone. No iPhone? No (full) service.

My post was about using iPad Mini to ALSO be a "phone" with no iPhone at all in the mix. Take iPhone out of the mix and certain "wrongs" do not make a right. I wish it worked like that.

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