Increasingly Familiar Apple Lust Objects for 2016 and onwards

I do that. I have iMac on desk and Dell monitor. When I want to use my work laptop I plug in the Dell cable and switch input. Then I usually use a second keyboard because I hate switching Bluetooth connections.

I have an external monitor / hub with a keyboard plugged into it, and a Magic Trackpad (Bluetooth, obv.)

I didn't find a good way to reliably switch the Magic Trackpad between two laptops, other than turning Bluetooth off on one of them. I considered getting a USB Bluetooth dongle, plugging it into a spare port on my monitor, and connecting the trackpad to that, but never got around to it.

This is good if you want a hand wavy explanation of why the M1 is fast and whether intel/amd can catch up https://erik-engheim.medium.com/why-is-apples-m1-chip-so-fast-3262b158cba2

Thanks for that!

Alternatively, get a bluetooth keyboard that can pair with multiple devices and a monitor with multiple inputs

KVM switches still exist!

i think the very expensive ones support multiple 4k monitors and thunderbolt and things like that. they're basically this sort of thing combined with a kvm (which is not to say $900 is reasonable) https://www.nytimes.com/wirecutter/reviews/best-thunderbolt-dock/.

i would never spend more than $50 on something like that but cool they exist i guess

i'd be tempted to just buy a bunch of cables and a DIY breaker switch before paying that kinda dough. but you don't have to!

once you've used some shitty KVMs you understand why people who need them for daily use will drop hundreds of dollars on a decent one

also I got an M1 Air and I am excite (although I won't get it for weeks yet)

Would it be a nutso suggestion to Remote Desktop into the laptop from the desktop rather then KVM?

Pretty laggy for anything other than basic icon dragging and typing text.
I’d just plug the keyboard into the monitor and buy a second trackpad (e.g. used or refurb).

in the end i got an HDMI switcher for £8 and a USB switcher for £18 (which can connect 4 peripherals). i think i’m going to be able to just hit two buttons and be done with it.

I got a pretty expensive Thunderbolt dock because my MBA has only 2 ports, and I need to power it, connect an external monitor, ethernet, one to three external hard drives (including key drives), plus charge my peripherals.

Remoting in shouldn’t be laggy if you use adaptive or whatever it’s called. I’m working remote and half the time I remote into my work computer because it has a faster connection to the work server than if I use vpn

These machines esp the “pro” only having 2 ports is just a slap in the face to customers

Eh it’s fine.

Airpods Max are £520? When you can get Sony MDR 1000s for about £200 now that seems insane pricing.

V-Moda headphones are also better and not at a price point that screams "mug me on general principle"

no wireless charging, less space than a Nomad.

That’s a silly price

Target market: rich people called Max

I think the new Max headphones have a 3.5mm jack, but they don't show it in any of the photos. Does anyone know?

I don't think they do – in fact, they won't work with anything other than Apple devices on the very latest OS releases, according to the small print

eh, they’ll probably work but without all the extras? just no firmware updates, etc

Yes, that looks right. The smaller small print:

AirPods Max can be used as Bluetooth headphones with Apple devices using earlier software and with non-Apple devices, but functionality is limited.

the spatial audio would be pretty sweet if you’re watching movies on the couch and have a sleeping housemate

xps yeah I think they have a lightning jack and there is a $35 cable to hook up other gear.

this company is so absurd

Their crusade against the 3.5mm headphone jack is a goddamn crime against humanity.

“spatial audio”

Funny that they've kept the headphone jack on the 2019-20 MacBooks... but chucked most everything else.

Headphone Jack Pro Max*

*dongle is available that gives you an actual computer should you need it for some reason

The jack must infuriate them - simple, robust, reliable, can't be made obsolete (covers full frequency range, humans persist in having two ears)

Apple exposing all the ways Facebook tracks you with it iOS app is really quite something pic.twitter.com/hDhB85qk1L

— Tom Warren (@tomwarren) December 16, 2020

https://www.wired.com/story/ways-facebook-tracks-you-limit-it/

(...billlions of ways facebook tracks you, explained...)

...It's worth emphasizing that Facebook, like Google, promises to use this treasure trove of data to improve its services and make life safer and more convenient for its users, as well as generating more profitable ads across its network. You are, after all, using everything Facebook offers for free. If you don't trust Facebook's intentions—which is by now understandable—then you really need to quit using it altogether.

"maybe get somebody to take that bear trap off your foot?"
"but i like the clanking noise it makes when i walk!"

something something “my wife” joke

Traded in my pro max for a mini, so much easier to hold and use. I’m a one hander I guess

re: Big Sur, i am very grateful that MacOS has now been brought into the Screen Time/Downtime fold. still slightly confusing to select which device you're looking at, and how to time-limit websites, but it basically works, and works consistently across devices, which is the first time this has really been possible in the Apple ecosystem afaik. The ability - as a parent - to remotely and immediately grant requests for time on certain apps BUT NOT OTHERS is huge.

i will also say that after 30+ years, Apple Music née iTunes now finally remembers the position of the playhead on whatever track you were last listening to, even across restarts, the app closing, etc. No more scrubbing to find where you were in that 3+ hour Luciano mix you were listening to.

30+? exactly how long have I been isolating in my house?!

lol uh yeah i meant 20+ whoops

I was so close to loving Apple Music but it doesn't properly sync play counts and Last Played data back to my Mac library. You almost did it, Apple.
(I know, 99% of users will never care...)

^play count bug irks me as well

https://www.reuters.com/article/uk-hyundai-motor-stocks/hyundai-motor-shares-surge-17-5-on-report-of-battery-tie-up-with-apple-idUKKBN29D02A

Anyone got an M1 yet?

me
it's fast! but it won't change your life if you are a regular bozo like me

I use Macs primarily for scores so even though I'm itching to upgrade my machines, I'm not doing it until the larger screens are updated.