I HATE APPLE

I am waiting for a smaller MacBook Air, ideally in the new iMac flavors

*licks*

"the introduction of all usb-c was good"

i have to strongly disagree. dongle hell was just so backwards.

if you're at a desk then using a dongle rather than lots of direct connections (i.e. one cable not lots) is *better*! the dongle is essentially a dock. it lives at the desk. you plug in one cable and you havepower, network, display, storage, audio I/O, etc. this wasn't possible until thunderbolt 3/usb-c (no power or display over usb-a). so it's still a newish way of working, and i feel like people haven't really got it yet.

if you're not at a desk then, well, what are you using that you can't connect to one of the four usb-c ports on a macbook pro? if it's old hard drives (or anything with a removable cable) then usb-a to usb-c cables are a few dollars.

the only port i object to them dropping is SD, and even then the set of people who need *mobile* access to SD is pretty small (but admittedly important). i'd like to see SD back more than magsafe.

"so it's still a newish way of working, and i feel like people haven't really got it yet."

guess thats me. i have like 7 dongles, not just one. got a link to the one you're talking about?

i have this one

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07QQ11BP6/

my one complaint is that the fixed cable that goes from this device to the macbook is too short (it's like 9") so i got one of these to make it a bit longer (https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B074K318JK/).

and i got a couple of these to replace the cables on a couple of old devices that shipped with removable usb-a cables (old hard drives mostly) so they could make a direct connection to the laptop.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B012V56992/

if you need more ports then you might want a bigger dongle (e.g. https://www.amazon.com/Docking-MCY-Displayport-Ethernet-Compatible/dp/B08L4RK1M7/).

if you need more power (as in literal watts of power, because you've got a lot of devices that draw power over USB) then you might need a dock (which has a power brick instead of using your laptop's power adapter, and costs a lot more, e.g. https://eshop.macsales.com/shop/docks/owc-thunderbolt-3-dock).

btw did everyone know they make portable displays that with a direct usb-c connection that don't need a separate power brick?! https://www.amazon.com/ASUS-MB169B-1920x1080-Portable-Monitor/dp/B013XFJKGI/

i knew that possible in theory, didn't realize they were now available

At the genius bar

not cheap but I use this to dock my work macbook pro. 1 cable goes to it, and I'm connected to 2 monitors, an audio interface, a few USB cables plus SD reader and few other ports.

thanks caek

dongles are just little docks. and docks are great except when you're travelling. so dongles are fine! good even! that's how i break it down.

I’ve been using one of these for the past year (literally grabbed it the day the office closed) and it’s been solid. Every once in a while it decides it doesn’t like the NIC, but a reboot fixes it. I haven’t tried it with dual 4K displays.

https://i.imgur.com/7hjXhFi.png

Okay, I've posted in this thread before and received great advice...here's hoping for another round.

I need a new phone. I've never had an iPhone, mostly because of price considerations that are no longer as much of an issue.

I want an iPhone, but don't really know which one to go with.

I mostly use my phone for chatting on Discord, texting, shitposting on IG, and taking photos. No intense recording or editing, nothing fancy. I actively kind of hate phones, tbh, but know I need one.

I'd like to have space to store some music so I don't have to keep carrying around my old iPod with me, as I don't use streaming services and don't trust the cloud.

What might my best options be? I'm totally overwhelmed by choices.

Do you like phone real big or phone real little?

I think the best phone for the price is the new iPhone SEs - and they are on the small side (which I like)

Try to find a store with display models so you can feel in your hand what size would be best.
the SE is sort of replaced by the 12 mini now
I'd say go for 128GB at least, though you could probably get away with 64gb if you're ok with managing playlists

Also TouchID vs FaceID (for unlocking phone / contactless payment for goods + transit) is an issue for some. The 2020 SE model is the only current device that still has TouchID; all the X/11/12 range are FaceID.

TouchID / home button eats a chunk of the front panel; you give up some screen real-estate to it (hence 12 Mini being a smaller handset than the SE, but bigger screen).

No headphone jacks on any iPhones now, of course; the 3.5mm-Lightning adaptor may/may not come in the box (but cheap enough to get one anyway).

128GB probably a good call if this is effectively replacing an iPod, and you're not streaming music. (64GB has been fine for me, but I don't have a vast library of music on there).

I have the 2020 SE; it's fine, but I may go with 12 Mini next year.

Note that you don't have to turn on FaceID

Also, I think a global pandemic where everyone had to wear a mask for over a year shows more succinctly why FaceID sucks than any other argument I've encountered (and I pretty much agree with all of them, FaceID can fuck off)

I will be so thrilled when they finally bring back TouchID with the 13 series or whatever

Yeah, you can use yr PIN, though I'd probably go back to using a bank card for contactless (esp on public transport) before I did that. I haven't commuted for 15 months, so I haven't really noticed what people are doing on the Tube. Pulling their mask down for a second so their phone lets them through the barrier?

They have express pay on the tube now - your phone doesn't have to be unlocked, you can just tap it

Oh duh! Of course. I actually use that!

Ok, I guess it's just the supermarket checkouts I'm bothered about then :)

Table you should get an iPhone SE. the mini is nice and has a better camera but it’s more expensive than the SE and it’s very small, which is going to make a UI like discord’s borderline unusable.

If you’ve never had a phone with a lot of storage 64gb might be enough but generally get as much as you can afford.

Is the mini that much smaller physically? it's only a few mm on paper. The 12 mini screen is also the same width in resolution - 375x812 vs 375x667

Thanks all, I think I'll probably be going with the SE— my partner has one, so I can feel it out on his, but I'm pretty sure I'll make the adjustment relatively easily. (I can't even remember the name of the phone I've been using, tbh— it's a 2017-era Android, and was top of the line for that period).

xp the 20% loss in pixel height is what gets you imo. i could never go back, and discord in particular is like looking through the wrong end of a telescope on a small screen iirc.

eh i feel like i'm doing the numbers wrong here. getting confused about DPIs. maybe the screen size doesn't feel that different. anyway the SE is cheap.

i have found the new SE to be a good buy

Aye, you get a bit more screen on the 12 Mini vs the SE (72cm2 vs 61cm2), even though it's a smaller handset (cos there's no home button and the screen's practically edge-to-edge), and it's higher resolution OLED - BUT it's no wider, merely taller, and I don't know how that affects things like Discord UI. Maybe it scales badly for the higher DPI. A 19.5:9 aspect ratio but the same screen width isn't going to make (landscape-mode) videos any better either (well, I guess you get "full HD" in terms of resolution, but with pillarboxing and the image is no bigger in your hand).

So, yeah, SE is great value atm. Maybe by next year the 12 Mini will be going for similar prices to the SE at launch. I do like those straight edges :) But, as I think has been pointed out, for all the noise coming from the small-phone contingent (me included), it has not sold well. Mini = 5% of the 12-series sales? People seem to have made their peace with big slabs o'glass.

I think a lot of that was all the pent-up demand for the mini going on the SE 2020 when it looked like that was the last gasp for small phones. Weird to launch that, soak up all the demand, and then launch the mini

we're probably biased here in loving the SE/mini size - sounds like they're not selling well

IMPORTANT LIFEHACK UPDATE:

https://i.imgur.com/SPM36TM.jpg

ok i'll bite: why the mirror, the USB fan and what looks like a rolling shelf vs. a desk

I don’t think they’ll sell the mini next year. It’s the worst selling phone they’ve ever made.

The se sells better (in spite of being smaller than the market appears to prefer) because it’s half the price.

https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2021/02/the-iphone-12-mini-hasnt-sold-well-according-to-multiple-estimates/
Geez - it looks like the older SE may have cannibalized sales from the 12 mini as well, with a lower price and better sales numbers. Comments complaining about battery life. Might not see a 13 mini at all.

I thought I was desperate for one but when it was announced the bad battery was nagl, but not having the good camera was the deal-breaker. so close, though

ok i'll bite: why the mirror, the USB fan and what looks like a rolling shelf vs. a desk

The mirror: So I can see behind me without turning around; see what I look like before I go into a meeting.

The fan: Sometimes I get hot.

Shelf vs. Desk: On a shelf because I've got other stuff on the desk. Also, I haven't forgiven myself for spilling a drink all over the last Mac Mini in 2014.

where is the keyboard, and mouse and monitor?

do you sit on the other side of this desk? this picture confuses me.

I almost don't want to ruin the vision y'all had in your heads.

https://i.imgur.com/gJ3DcVN.jpg

hahaha oh my god.

needed that touch of HDR
https://i.imgur.com/KubHDDx.jpg

lmao

Makes my mug of blood a little more conspicuous, but ok.

My iPhone SE (2nd Gen) developed some cracks on the glass back after less than a year’s worth of dropping it, which was not a problem for my iPhone SE (1st Gen), which I dropped on the ground repeatedly with no major ill effects for 5 years or so. So I bought an Apple silicone case (I’ve never used an iPhone case) and I just put it on and I hate it!

Might replace the case with a piece of tape over the back of the phone

i've always done fine with cheapo silicone cases for ~$5 off eBay or Five Below. they go yellow pretty fast, though