Before I get into the reason I am bringing this subject up, I want to say that not all of my interactions with Apple Support have been bad. In fact, almost all of them have been quite positive. Any time I have called about a device, I’ve gotten the help I needed. When I recently contacted Apple about Apple Care+ charges from a device that had been returned, they refunded the money even faster than the timeframe they quoted. Even when Apple botched my recent Apple Watch order, the people I talked to in support really tried to help and gave me a free Sport Loop band for the trouble.

Apple News

What’s Left for a November Apple Event?

October 18, 2020 James Rogers Leave a comment

Two fall Apple events are behind us and it looks very much like there’s one still left to go. We have two Apple Watches, an iPad, a new iPad Air, four new iPhones, a HomePod Mini and several new MagSafe accessories, but it still looks very much like Apple isn’t done for 2020. So what’s left to go?

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iPhone Accessory Reviews

Review: Sandmarc Prolight Bi-Color Edition and RGB Edition

October 17, 2020 James Rogers Leave a comment

Right off the top, I’m going to give a bit of a disclaimer- I am nowhere NEAR the level a profession photographer. I don’t even qualify as a pro-sumer these days. However, I have had an interest in getting the most out of the iPhone for photography since Apple put a really capable camera inside of a smartphone with the iPhone 4S.

This interest lead me to start looking at external lenses that add additional capabilities to the iPhone years ago. At the time, you needed external lenses to do any kind of zoom , macro or wide angle photography. While the rapid advances in smartphone cameras have changed the market for external lenses, there are a few companies still making high-quality models that take an already impressive current iPhone camera to the next level. Sandmarc is one such company making high-end, professional level mobile photography accessories.

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iPad Air

Will iPad Air Preorders Begin Tomorrow?

October 15, 2020 James Rogers Leave a comment

We know for certain that preorders for Apple’s new 6.1″ iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 Pro will begin at 5 AM Pacific tomorrow in the United States and 29 other countries. Normally I would be sitting this one out and going about my day when 7 AM Central rolls around, but the rumor mill just keeps me hanging on.

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Apple News, Apple Special Event

In a Fairly Mundane Apple Event, New Camera Features, the HomePod Mini and MagSafe Stand Out

October 13, 2020 James Rogers 1 Comment

Say what you will about the thrill of the the hunt. Apple leakers have taken almost all of the fun out of the company’s events. It’s gotten to the point that anything we don’t know about ahead of time sticks out like a sore thumb. Add to this the difficulties of shipping new features posed by COVID in 2020 and you have today’s slick and polished, but fairly mundane and predictable Apple iPhone event.

All that said, there were a few new and interesting details that emerged from today’s streamed announcement.

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iPad Air

It Seems Apple is Playing Games With the iPad Air

October 12, 2020 James Rogers Leave a comment

And that game would be called bait and switch. Or maybe it’s just a little deck shuffling slight of hand. Either way, the iPad Air still isn’t here and if you believe the Apple rumor mill, it sounds like it won’t be here after today’s event, either.

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iPhone Hardware

Another Year, Another iPhone Without Apple Pencil Support

October 12, 2020 James Rogers Leave a comment

Yes, I am a broken record. I’ve written about my desire to see Apple Pencil support come to the iPhone many times over the last three years (like here, here, here and here). I’ve covered the rumors and predictions and I’ve complained when they are ultimately shot down. There understandably haven’t been many amid the craziness of 2020, so I haven’t had much to talk about this year, not that I have much hope left that Apple will throw holdouts like me who want this a bone.

However, with new iPhones set to be announced tomorrow, I can’t help but think about the fact that Apple is missing an opportunity again.

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Apple News, General

I Didn’t Care About Apple’s HomePod Mini Until I Saw the Rumored Price

October 10, 2020 James Rogers Leave a comment

There have been rumors that Apple will release a half-size version of the HomePod for a long time, but I never had any interest in them. I bought the original HomePod to use as a speaker, so I wasn’t severely disappointed with its shortcomings as an intelligent assistant. I was critical that Apple didn’t use the device as motivation to dig into the problems and make using Siri a better experience, but it didn’t really mar my use of the device.

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Apple News

It Looks Like the iPhone Pro Won’t Be the Only Apple Device Running Late This Year

October 9, 2020 James Rogers Leave a comment

There have been rumors of all 2020 iPhones releasing late and of Apple’s iPhone 12 Pros running later than the rest of the lineup for a several months now. The former has already proven true, as we wait for an iPhone event in October.

Rumors of the later have been around long enough and have been repeated by enough reputable sources that most Apple fans have accepted the news as fact for a while. Those reports have been reinforced over and over and it now looks like at least two of the coming iPhone 12 models will be arriving in late November. We should receive confirmation of this during Tuesday’s Apple iPhone Event.

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iPad Insight Deals

Deals: SlimJuicer 5,000mAh Wireless Charging Case for iPhone 11 Pro Max

October 8, 2020 James Rogers Leave a comment

One of the reasons I’ve used a plus-sized iPhone since the 6 came out was the additional battery life. While the screen was the main reason I switched, I quickly came to appreciate the fact that I no longer had to have a battery case just to make it through a day.

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Apple Watch

Living with the Apple Watch Series 6: A New Band and Some Solid Battery Life

October 7, 2020 James Rogers Leave a comment

Apple Watch Series 6

So Apple didn’t let me down as much as I thought they would. The second Apple Watch order I placed with them after they cancelled my first one arrived on Monday, rather than in mid-November as they first predicted. Not too bad I guess, especially since I did get a free sport loop for my trouble. Time for the Watch from BestBuy to head back to the store.

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