You know you are an Apple geek when you wake up at 3:00 AM to watch WWDC live. Yes, I am that kind of geek! I’m barely awake and the only things keeping me awake are my coffee and the excitement of what Apple is going to announce. While I am an appreciator of Apple products and software I am also one of those people who has no problem telling you what I think about their plans and products.
iOS 16 new features
After leaving Apple I decided to start using android phones. I did this because I wanted to get an idea of what everyone was talking about. So between 2014 – 2020, I had almost exclusively used Android. When I decided to get back into training and realised that I’m going to need to be up to date with all the Apple iPhone features I got myself an iPhone Xs for work. I was expecting that the iPhone would just be my work phone and I would continue to use my Samsung A30 as my main device. Yeah, that did not last long. Between the power of the iPhone and the iOS features, I’m mostly keeping my A30 around in case I get a personal phone call. Almost everything is being done through my iPhone. After this last Apple Announcement, I’m expecting that my next personal phone will be an iPhone.
New Lock Screen
Android has had the ability to customise the lock screen forever. However, the problem with having an open operating system is that anyone can make a lock screen. With my A30 I must have spent almost a week looking for a lock screen that did not annoy me or turn into an avalanche of ad notifications. So Apple’s announcement of altering the Lock screen to something more useful and honestly very stylish is very good news. I like the idea of having the lock screen work with the Focus App.
Focus Filters
If you have been reading my blog for any amount of time you know that I have ADHD and the Focus feature of iOS has been one of those features of the iPhone that has been a major help. While I’m not exactly sure how this is going to work I’m really looking forward to testing it out. I like the idea of even more control over how I deal with notifications.
The fact that Focus also works with the lock screen will also make some welcome changes. but I’m reluctant to write about that until I get my hands on the update.
Updated Home app
If you are thinking “Home App? Is that new?” There is a reason why you did not know it existed. More like you used it once and blocked it from your memory. Older versions of this product were not one of Apple’s best decisions. For those of you who do not know Home App allows you to control smart devices in your home from your iPhone. The problem was that there were not many devices that worked with this app and the interface was terrible. If I am lost trying to use the App there is something wrong.
That said now that Apple has been working with other companies like Amazon and Google to make new products worth together with a standard. We can expect a whole new list of internet of things products that will work with Apple.
I’m going to work on making the new retail shop “Smart”
Dictation!!!!
With ADHD my writing at the best of times is a nightmare. I have Grammarly working full time just to write this blog post. One of the issues that I have had in the past when it comes to dictation is that I would spend one hour dictating and then two hours editing. So the concept is that dictation does the punctuation automatically. and will allow you to switch between keyboard and voice in the middle of writing is a welcome feature. I will be using this a lot.
Security checks for those escaping domestic violance.
I can hear the screams of assholes already calling Apple woke! (Ummm where have you been for the last 30 years?) This feature will need its own blog post.
Apple Watch features
You may have noticed that have not blogged about the Apple watch much the reason for this is that I only ordered one for my wife last week as a surprise. (Don’t worry she does not read this so it will still be a surprise). I keep adding Series 6 watch to the shopping cart and ALMOST clicking “BUY” then expensive hobbies like living indoors or eating get in the way. With many of my senior tech students asking about how to use their Apple watches I’m thinking it might be a good business expense.
Run Trainer
Now that we are leaving the lockdown life I’m wanting to get rid of my COVID gut. I’m really liking the new health features of the Apple watch. The running training app looks really good. If it gets me out the door with my running shoes on then maybe I should justify the expense.
Medication Reminder
Now, this is a great feature that I would use every day. With ADHD I forget to take my meds all the time. I already have a schedule with my Android watch however it does not work as well as I would like.
I like the idea that the medication reminder will warn you if your other medications will not mix well. This could be a life saver for someone.
macOS Ventura
While I’m still a little sleepy and I had to process a lot of information the main feature that stuck in my head was the stage manager. I’m looking forward to this feature as I’m one of those people who have 200 open windows on all my computers at all times. Now if this is something that will actually work with my workflow is another topic.
As always some of the best operating system features on a Mac are not announced on WWDC. I can not wait to find out what they are.
M2 Macbook Air
This looks like a slick device! I like the design and the size of the screen. Overall the M2 Macbook air looks like it will be a winner but let’s talk about some of the new features.
Magsafe Power addapter is BACK!!
I am very happy they brought back the Magsafe connector. USB-C is great for all kinds of reasons but they really needed to have a separate charging port. And if you have ever tripped on a MagSafe cable and panicked because you thought that you would be sending your MacBook flying across the room to see it happily sitting exactly where you left it working on battery power you know what I’m talking about.
My hope is that the Magsafe is compatible with Magsafe2. This would make my life a lot easier when I order replacement adapters.
18 hours of video streaming battery
WHAT? That is amazing! For those of you who do not know video streaming uses up a lot of power. The idea that you can do 18 hours of video streaming on a Macbook Air is unbelievable. This would also mean that working on a homework assignment would give you even more battery power!
I think that my wife’s next computer will be M2 Macbook air. She is not a power user but she does like to have everything at her fingertips. I think setting up her desk at work with a docking station and an external monitor and keyboard will be a must.
M2 13″ Macbook Pro
While there are not a lot of features to talk about on this model I am happy they have kept the touch bar (Yes YEs I know stop throwing tomatoes at me). and the return of the Magsafe power adapter.
Carplay
That would be fantastic! Looks amazing .. Ummm I am not getting a new car anytime soon. I would just be happy to have my current car to not make my call sound like shit while I’m driving hands free.
Getting sleepy.. will talk about the other features when I wake up
Falling asleep on my keyboard. So I think it is time to get some sleep before I go to work. The problem with living in Lithgow is that the time zones for this kind of event is harsh on my sleeping habits.