Apple finally sent out the invites today, and Tuesday, October 30 is the day. The event is being held at the Brooklyn Academy of Music, Howard Gilman Opera House in Brooklyn New York. While this announcement has been the worst kept secret in tech since the iPhone event wrapped with no iPad news, the date is probably the least interesting part of this announcement and invite. Here are a few things that stand out to me:
Last year, we had to wait to get our hands on the top of the line iPhone X. This year, buyers have had to wait an extra month to get most of the XS’s best features in a unique and less expensive design. The beginning of the end of this wait starts on Friday, when pre-orders for the iPhone XR go live at 12 AM Pacific on Friday.
Power strips are a common sight in our increasingly electronic homes. However, the Meross Smart Wi-Fi Power Strip is no simple row of outlets. This power strip gives you a versatile combo of three outlets and two USB-A ports for device charging. But that is just the beginning of what this interesting product can do.
Photo Source: Slashleaks
Several new leaked images of the coming iPad Pros have showed up over the past 24 hours courtesy of Slashleaks and mysmartprice. Not only do they look really good, but they also look dead-on similar to each other and to other recent leaks. The closer we get to an announcement, the more credible these leaks become, so I have very high confidence that these images are the real deal.
If you have a MacBook, you have to make the most of a little when it comes to ports. With the 2016 and 17 models only having two USB-Cs on board, adapters and dongles are a necessity to connect USB-A devices and SD and MicroSD Cards.
Apple working on its own original shows and video content is one of the worst kept secrets in both tech and Hollywood right now. Their intentions were revealed with the mediocre Planet of the Apps and the somewhat better longer-form version of Carpool Karaoke, which is still alive and kicking. However, while these two trial balloons have been out there for all to see, all of Hollywood has been hearing the names of well-known actors, producers, and show-runners attached to projects that Apple has secured for future release and taking notice of just how serious they are about this new venture.
Not all “fast chargers” are created equal. Take a look at the specs, and you will often find shortcomings, such as one port being underpowered. This is not the case with the M2 Square USB-C & Quick Charge 3.0 Charger. This charger can charge two devices quickly without breaking a sweat.
After another round of leaks and software data mining, it looks like the iPad Pro’s rumored switch from a Lightning Port to USB-C is all but confirmed. This shift is a big deal, as it moves the iPad Pro lineup more in line with Apple’s notebook computers than its smartphones. When you consider that the lower-cost iPad still has Lightning, this becomes an even more notable distinction between devices.
Last week, I wrote about Bloomberg Businessweek’s big story claiming that servers from the company Super Micro used by Apple, Amazon, and others had hardware modifications made to their motherboards. These reported modifications were supposedly made by hackers from the Chinese military, and the tiny added chips would make the servers vulnerable to hacking by opening backdoors for other servers to get trusted access or to inject code remotely. Bloomberg cited multiple sources from the US Intelligence community, from Amazon, and even three from within Apple.
If you own pretty much any modern ultrabook besides a Microsoft Surface, then you likely have at least one USB-C port on your laptop. If you own a new Apple MacBook or MacBook Pro, then you are all in on the USB-C dongle life, whether you like it or not. As for me, I’m not too far off with my new Lenovo Yoga 720, as it has 2 USB-Cs and 1 USB 3.0 port.
Sometimes events just stick with you. Often it’s because of how earth-shattering or momentous they are. Most of you likely remember exactly where you were and what you were doing on 9/11/2001. I certainly do. However, sometimes we remember the details of events for other reasons. A combination of significance and timing can stick with you years later. Because of the latter, I can remember exactly where I was and what I was doing when I heard that Steve Jobs had passed away on October 5, 2011.