A week ago yesterday, Apple announced their new AirPods Pro with a press release and got the tech world talking. For those of us who ordered early enough or found them in stock, they arrived just a few days later. It was easy to assume they wouldn’t be the only new Apple items released before the Christmas shopping season, either, as Apple rolled out a few new items over consecutive days back in the Spring via press releases.
Back on October 9th, 9to5Mac ran a story detailing a report from Ming-Chi Kuo that said Apple was developing their AR Glasses in partnership with “third party brands.” This certainly sounded strange, as it is highly unlike Apple to work with others in the development of new hardware. With so little context, it was hard to tell what Kuo was really getting at with his vague comment.
However, today Digitimes brought us new details that may shed additional light on this subject. According to them, Apple is working in partnership with well-known game developers and Steam platform creators Valve to bring its AR Glasses to market. That’s certainly new and different.
Photo Source: Patently Apple
I tested more capacitive styli than I care to remember back in the early years of the iPad. I always loved the idea of using a tablet as capable as Apple’s as a digital drawing pad or notebook. However, those early products, no matter how good or expensive, always had tradeoffs associated with them and were usually exercises in frustration.
As such, once the Apple Pencil was released, I was all over it. Apple’s own stylus was a perfect match with the iPad Pro, with virtually no latency, accurate pressure sensitivity and a smooth and easy stroke. I may not be an artist, but you don’t have to be to take advantage of its versatility paired with a compatible iPad.
Photo Source: SlashLeaks
I was starting to wonder about whether Apple might pass on a Fall event this year. Last week there was a Ming-Chi Kuo report claiming that Apple would have a new iPad Pro in the first quarter next year, which would line up with the usual 16-18 month cycle that the device has kept to since release. Considering the lack of iPad Pro hardware leaks, this one made me wonder. Then Neil Cybart tweeted Apple’s event announcement timeframes over the last few years a couple of days ago and we are now outside of the shortest one, which was 11 days.
Photo Source: 9to5Mac
According to a chinese-language report (via 9to5Mac), Ming-Chi Kuo is predicting a monster first half of 2020 that would really shake up the company’s hardware portfolio, as well as change up some of their typical release schedules.
So I got a new iPhone 11 Pro Max and two new Series 5 Apple Watches yesterday. Normally, writers who get their gear on launch day are posting up a storm and posting unboxing videos and such. Unfortunately, that was not the case for me yesterday. Things did not go smoothly. I did make a couple of unboxing videos, but that was as far as I got.
That’s the way it goes in the tech world. By the time the new thing arrives, the news cycle is already well on to the next thing. This goes double with Apple. As the new iPhones 11 and Apple Watches arrive in the hands of eager buyers (including myself) later today, there have already been a lot of reports on what seems to be an inevitable October event, as well as a lot of rumors on next year’s iPhone. Yeah, the tech press isn’t known for its patience waiting for the next leak or story.
There was a moment during Apple’s iPhone Event last week that got a lot of people’s attention, mine included. When Phil Schiller started talking about significantly better battery life for all new iPhone models, tech writers, bloggers, and aficionados alike took notice. It was even bigger news when early reviews confirmed Apple’s claims.
This is exactly what many of us have been asking Apple to give us for a while now. However, they have usually seemed too concerned with thin and light to worry about adding battery capacity.
This year feels a little different. Recent iPhones have drawn reviews ranging from solid to excellent, but they are often qualified with comparisons to the competition and the refrains that Apple has lost its ability to innovate and keep up. Well, they have been keeping a pretty deliberate pace at times so I can’t say the rep isn’t totally deserved. Reviews of products other than the Apple Watch and iPad often draw the same comparisons. But as I said above, this year isn’t quite the same.
Ming-Chi Kuo has chimed in on iPhone pre-order sales and it’s good news for Apple out of the gate. Despite muted expectations, initial demand for the iPhone 11 and 11 Pro is strong.
If you haven’t used Apple’s in-house payment plan for iPhones, the you might not understand why I’m a fan. I’ve used it for a few years now, after one year of AT&T’s Next. That last comment is one big reason why: it gets you de-coupled from your cell provider. That, and the fact that it offered me an easy way to upgrade my iPhone yearly by going directly to Apple were big reasons why I made the switch. Add in an easy way to spread out payments for AppleCare+ (now with optional Theft and Loss prevention), and I was sold.