eightzero

References to iPad mini in tvOS 17.2 beta revive 'HomePod with display' rumors

eightzero

October 2023

AppleInsider said:

Apple already has a lot going for it in the smart home category, with HomeKit and poducts [sic] like a HomePod and Apple TV helping users set up and manage a smart home network in their abode.

OK, I gave away my last ATV, as I don't need or use it (I have a Roku TV that has the ATV app on it or the rare occasion I watch something on ATV) but don't recall ATV actually having any networking capability. What is this reference to? Because if the rumor might include such a ATV with a touchscreen to actually work as a new Airport...well...whoa. Take my money.

Signs point to Apple Silicon M3 reveal at 'Scary Fast' event

eightzero

October 2023

NB: AAPL price falls scary fast following this event announcement.

Apple promises 'scary fast' Mac announcement the night of October 30

eightzero

October 2023

Xed said:

eightzero said:

fastasleep said:

eightzero said:

What I was trying to write, and didn't, was for a desktop experience, maybe we are at a stage where a MacBook (yes thats a mac and my bad for being particularly bad about implying otherwise) can feed a nice desktop sized display...or maybe a iPad or even iPhone will do that. I'm reminded of my very first Mac, the PowerBook Duo 230 with a docking station. But still...the macOS (and iOS and PadOS) need help being much simpler. I think that was what I was trying to express, but didn't.

What on earth are you talking about? Are you somehow unaware you can use a desktop display with a MacBook or iPad, and now the iPhone with USB-C?

What do you mean they "need help being much simpler"? For whom? I don't see many people struggling to use these devices, do you?

I do. The macOS in particular needs a "moron mode" or similar to turn off all the "features" that are of limited use to a basic user. And stuff needs to work intuitively. Example: the macOS now has a "send later" feature in Apple Mail. It just...doesn't work. And why can't I make Messages show a HUGE font for people who can't see very well? And let's not talk about how to set up a print, a network connection, or good lord even a simple POP email address. Mission Control? Launch Pad? Shared Photos? Sure, this stuff works...but let me introduce you to the people I know that want to send and receive email, print out store coupons for their weekly shopping trip, and be able to take texts from others who don't use the telephone. And. Nothing. Else. Just try to sell them on a mac these days.

God help you if you put an iPad in their hand, and they erroneously make a hand gesture that makes things "disappear" or "vanish off the screen." I opened someone's browser they had been using on an iPad, and it had dozens of tabbed windows,,,because they had no idea how to close or use them. Yes, they lack knowledge. But they just wanted to read a news article, not learn the intricacies of how to run a display. Yes, maybe tech is not for them, but the alternatives just aren't there for many people.

Yes, I do know you can plug a MacBook and iPad into an external monitor. But Apple doesn't make it easy like they did with the duo docking station.

Maybe macOS is no longer for you since all those things work. If using an Apple product is too difficult then Android, Windows, and Linux aren't going to be better solutions.

Apple even offers two places in which to adjust the font size for Messages.

Unh hunh. And just exactly where is this control panel you've attached? I'm not trying to be obtuse or argumentative, but it is in an obvious place? In the Messages app, there is a "View" item on the menu bar. Does it appear there? No. Appearance on the system prefs? No. To find this you have to search for it - and it turns up in "accessibility." Why is adjusting a font size an "accessibility" feature?

Look...I like the macOS, but I've lived with it on a daily basis since...well...the late 20th century. But when things go wrong, and you try to find things, it is always a chore to find a solution. It just tries too hard to be everything to everyone. There's features I just don't want or need, and want to turn off. And some...that simply don't work. Like "send later" and oh don't get me started on using the iPhone camera in FaceTime.

YMMV.

Apple promises 'scary fast' Mac announcement the night of October 30

eightzero

October 2023

I'm all for choices and options. I am sure these new "scary fast" macs will be important to many people. And at some point in the future, I know I will benefit from them as I replace my gear. But...I have abandoned the iMac line, after using many many iterations of it, in favor of a third party 4k display and mac mini that serves my present needs. I am not a "pro" user and what I'd really like is a reliable, easy to use home desktop computer for simple, everyday tasks.

Apple does not make devices that appeal to low cost consumers. If you want a simple desktop computer, the mac is not for you. I do like the interoperability between the varied devices, so one intriguing possibility is that Apple does make a more versatile and affordable monitor "system" that can display, on a desktop, content from any source - iPhone, iPad, legacy devices like a mac mini, or...straight from internet sources, and just skip any local processing or storage.

YMMV.