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Apple Special Event [video]

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Re: Apple Special Event [video]

#361

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Technically Apple has more money than some governments, it's nowhere near the US Government's: Apple's entire assets could pay for under 18 months of net interest on the public debt (263bn in 2017).

The US has negative money, they are in debt. I have more money than the US.

The U.S. federal government can accumulate only debt, it cannot accumulate savings. Why? Because any surplus it generates is stored in Treasury bonds, which are also counted as debt.

Things are different for the federal government. It's an institution of last resort, so the normal ways of thinking about personal finance don't apply. It can't open a "savings account" anywhere, because every other institution on Earth is smaller and less reliable.

Re: Apple Special Event [video]

#362

I hate the loss of the home button. Face ID is fine, but multiplexing so many different features on to the single, poorly-placed, side button has been a huge negative for me. The side button is way too easy to hit when the device is in your pocket, and when that happens you're activating Siri, or Apple Pay, or some accessibility shortcut, or you're taking a screenshot, or you're activating emergency mode. I've lost c…

Me too, and I hate face id. It forces me to essentially try to take a selfie to open my phone, or read notifications. I feel it's gotten better over time, but it fails very often and I find myself having to type the passcode all the time. Of course, it doesn't show the passcode option immediately either, you have to wait till it gives up on face id auth so there's a second or so of delay. I often have my phone lying down on the table next to my laptop while working, and face id NEVER works then, unless I look straight at it from above.

Conversely, touch id was perfect. I could just put any one of my registered fingers on the button and it'd more or less instantly open up. I didn't have to look at the phone, I didn't have to pose. It just worked. Face id is a terrible step back, and now there's no option but older phones if you want touch id. I got the touch bar MBP just so I could have touch id on it too, it's great.

I was really stoked about the iPhone X when it was announced, ordered it the second it became available. I didn't like it very much at first but figured maybe it just took some getting used to, but now after a year I honestly think it's a step back. Was waiting for a new iPhone 8 style device, with touch id, but since they've given up on that I guess I just have to get an 8 or get used to the new selfie normal and weird overloaded touch gestures everywhere.. sigh

Re: Apple Special Event [video]

#363
post #340

I hate the loss of the home button. Face ID is fine, but multiplexing so many different features on to the single, poorly-placed, side button has been a huge negative for me. The side button is way too easy to hit when the device is in your pocket, and when that happens you're activating Siri, or Apple Pay, or some accessibility shortcut, or you're taking a screenshot, or you're activating emergency mode. I've lost c…

I've been using the X and while it's a great device, the one thing I miss most is TouchID. Things like ApplePay are less convenient using FaceID, so I'm less likely to use it. The side-button double-click is awkward and unnatural feeling. Unlocking the device when it's flat on a desk or table now requires that I pick up the device instead of placing a finger on the sensor. Unlocking on the X seems slower than with th…

This, a million times this. Face ID is such a leap back from Touch ID.

Re: Apple Special Event [video]

#364

It was interesting to hear apple state that one of their goals for building products was to make them last longer in order to minimize waste. People often accuse hardware manufacturers, including apple, of intentional obsolescence. I am interested to see if they actually change anything about their process, software and hardware, to put any weight behind this claim, or if it is just marketing doublespeak.

Has it ever really been marketing doublespeak? AFAIK, Apple keeps their devices updated longer than any other hardware manufacturer.

Yes and no.

I have a MacBook pro with full ports. It should last me a while (like a tank). But Windows has generally been far better about supporting older hardware (though MS isn't generally thought of as a hardware... )

My coworker needed a new battery for her Air as it wasn't keeping power long enough for her teaching (it wouldn't make it through her lecture). Apple labeled her machine "vintage" so no official battery replacement available. She was not happy.

Making components non-upgradeable also lowers serviceable life.

They're better at supporting iOS devices, though I have a iPad1 and a iphone4S.

Hopefully this new initiative will help.

Re: Apple Special Event [video]

#365
post #82

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Would you say they just phoned it in?

It would be noteworthy (amazing, beautiful, best ever, etc, etc) if they did that, with (e.g.) a live presentation out and about around the world, instead of running the stock The Ghost of Steve Jobs Says Wow script generator macro. But I guess if you're a trillion dollar company you don't have to try all that hard to think different.

(the previous poster was making a phone pun)

Re: Apple Special Event [video]

#366
post #27
post #15

It might be a dummy question, but what does FDA clearance mean exactly? Does it make the watch a medical-grade device and I can do ECG using the watch instead of going to the hospital?

I missed the part in the stream about FDA clearance, but my guess is yes, it would be some sort of medical device. However comparing the ECG functionality available for an apple to watch to even a standard portable 12-lead ECG is like comparing a slide rule to a modern GPU. It is definitely _not_ a replacement for going to the hospital, but it is a novelty and might be a good way to tell someone when they should go t…

One of the presenters mentioned this, but a good use of the Apple Watch ECG will be for patients to take an ECG when they feel weird or bad, and then the doctor can review when they come in.

It's not at all uncommon for patients to say things like "sometimes my heart races" or "sometimes I feel faint", but unless it happens when they're actually at the office, the doctor does not have any actual data to go off of.

Re: Apple Special Event [video]

#367

The loss of 3D touch on the Xr seems pretty disappointing. I use that feature quite a lot on my iPhone 8, especially for moving the cursor around in text messages. It seems like the Xr would be a lot less efficient for that, unless they have found another good UX for that.

Tapping and holding the spacebar moves the cursor in ios12, but selecting text becomes much more awkward without force touch..

Re: Apple Special Event [video]

#369

FDA approval to market the new Apple Watch as a medical device is a huge deal.

More than a huge deal, simply astonishing to this retired long-time neurosurgical anesthesiologist. To have 1)shrunk the giant oscilloscope/monitor (1-1.5 cubic feet/±50 lbs.) atop my anesthesia machine AND eliminate the long tangled lead wires connecting to the never-available sticky gel pads that sometimes came loose in the middle of a sitting craniotomy, necessitating the anesthesiologist's equivalent of the death crawl under the stifling drapes without disturbing the surgeon, glued to his operating microscope in which every movement, even the slightest, appears like Mt. St. Helen's; 2)eliminated the need for an electrical outlet and extension cord; 3)included the capability to store endless ECG traces without needing paper for the oscilloscope printer, which more often than not wasn't working, and when it was only recorded on demand such that if you missed ectopic beats, you couldn't show them to a colleague in real time to get a second opinion: this is a magnificent engineering and design achievement. Using a thumb from the opposite hand to close the loop and act as the third functional lead is so sublime, I'm gobsmacked. The red ring on the crown is perfect as an accent for this function, along with its acting as a cellular capability indicator. Knowing just what this device has accomplished in the terms above, I might just get one just to marvel at the greatness of American engineering. "Designed by Apple in California" — indeed.

Re: Apple Special Event [video]

#370

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Sony offers top tier Xperia models in compact sizes, and has for several years. https://www.sonymobile.com/us/products/phones/#filter= (ctrl+F for "compact").

Amazingly, they also offer official AOSP builds ( https://developer.sony.com/develop/open-devices/latest-updat... ). LineageOS is also supported on the Xperia Z5 Compact. GApps optional for the privacy conscious.

> LineageOS is also supported on the Xperia Z5 Compact.

There's also unofficial support for the more recent XZ1 Compact.

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