September 2018 - Technology Mini-Bytes

iOS 12 is Out & It's Good! Everyone had major issues with iOS 11. It slowed down phones, contained numerous glitches, and brought us “Battery Gate.” On Monday, Apple introduced its successor — iOS 12. It looks exactly like iOS 11 — in fact, if you have the new operating system installed on your phone it’s hard at first glance to tell that it’s there. The feel is the same, which is good. The improvements in usability are noticeable, which is better. With every release of it’s mobile operating system, Apple tries to include something new and innovative. But this year the killer app is stability and speed. I put iOS 12 on both my iPhone 8 and iPad Pro 10.5 and the difference is significant. The first thing I noticed was the speed. Both devices are much faster, and paired with watchOS 5, which I installed on my Apple Watch Series 3, everything seems to be working like premium Apple products should. Yes, there are a myriad of tweaks and the new Measure app shows us a useful side of Augmented Reality, but for the most part the iOS 12 update is about fixing the problems with iOS 11 and it seems that Apple has done just that. To learn about all the features of iOS 12, check out Apple’s official page at: https://www.apple.com/ios/ios-12/ iOS 12 just came out on Monday, so if you’d like to wait a while to see if any bugs pop-up it’s totally okay and a prudent idea. You don’t have to be an early adopter like Wendy and myself. If you do want to take the plunge, back up your device (make sure to backup), and then back it up again just to make sure. And after confirming the backup of the backup, go to Settings -> General -> Software Update to begin… after you backup.

The Apple Watch Series 4 is a Game Changer I love my Series 3, but Apple hit it out of the park with the new Series 4. Both editions are slightly larger by 2mm, but the screen now goes edge-to-edge like the iPhone Tennis (Xs, sorry). Yes, there is an improved processor, too, but the big news is all the health monitoring. It has fall detection, the ability to sense atrial fribulation, and an FDA (yes, that FDA), approved ECG. Wow! You can take an ECG (single lead electrocardiogram) with your watch. How cool is that! The speaker has been moved to the other side of the watch and is now 50% louder. The back is made of ceramic so it will help with connection to wifi and cellular networks.  To learn all about the new Apple Watch, go to: https://www.apple.com/watch/

The New iPhones: Should You Upgrade? The new iPhones are here! Or they are coming on Friday the 21st… or in late October for fans of the new XR. But what are they? Should you upgrade? Do you have $1500 burning a hole in your pocket and no place to spend it? Do you like candy? I do! But what does that have to do with the new iPhones? Nothing. But the following does: This is an “S” release year, which in iPhone terms means a very mild update. The new iPhone Xs looks no different from an iPhone X. It has all the same external features, and that notch. Yes. It has a newer processor and all the benefits that go with it, but nothing really new or earth shattering. The iPhone Xs Max (Really? The name, Apple?), on the other hand, is all new. It has the largest screen in iPhone history at 6.5 inches. If you are looking for a big screen phone, here it is! Then there is the humble iPhone XR. But is it? Not really. It has all the internals of the iPhone Xs with the new processor, etc., but it has a larger screen at 6.1 inches. The three big differences is that the screen is LCD vs. OLED (higher resolution) and there is only one camera lens on the back. It also does not have Force Touch, which Apple is starting to shy away from. Think of the LCD screen as a larger cousin to the iPhone 8. It’s good… really good, and the XR starts $200 less than the iPhone Xs. They are going to sell a lot of these things. So to the Purchasing Money Making Decision Matrix Questiony Things: Should you upgrade to the Xs if you have a X? No, they are essentially the same phone. Differences are small and the new processor only adds for things like games. It’s a mild update. You have one of the “Pluses” and need an upgrade? The iPhone Xs Max [name] is a significant upgrade to the Plus series of phones. The screen is much larger and the OLED technology offers a significant gain in resolution. You also have another option in the iPhone XR. It has the same LCD screen as your current Plus phone, but bigger at 6.1 inches in a similar form factor… and it’s $300 less than the Max.  You have an iPhone 6s or earlier. Should you upgrade? Yes. I know that iOS 12 will make the phone faster, but the lifecycle for mobile devices is two years. Time for a treat! To learn more about the new iPhones check out Apple’s site at: https://www.apple.com/iphone/