Monthly Mini-Bytes - June 2023

 

Let's Talk About Apple Vision Pro At this month's World Wide Developer Conference Apple introduced the most technologically advanced virtual reality headset ever made for public consumption. It is an astonishing device, well thought out, and offers features that no other comparable headset has. It is brilliant, but who is this for? First, the price puts this out of reach for most people. It starts at $3500, meaning there will be more expensive configurations. That is a lot of money, and with that money you could purchase a Mac, iPhone, and iPad if you are a savvy shopper. That's a full suite of Apple products. It is isolating by its nature. This is something only one person can use at a time. When technology is moving to be more collaborative, it is an interesting shift away from creating a community. The Apple Vision Pro only has about two hours of battery, and that battery is external to the headset, meaning it would need to be clipped to a belt or placed in a pocket. And it is heavy. One pound may not seem like a lot, but all that weight hangs off the front of your head. Early users noted that it does get tiring wearing it for more than an hour. But who is this for? What is it supposed to replace? Apple's presentation at WWDC didn't answer this. They did not present a use case for a device that starts at $3500. Wendy and I have talked a lot about the Apple Vision Pro and we can't honestly figure out what problem it is trying to solve. The iPhone expanded the way we use our phones. The iPad let us leave our laptops behind, and the Apple Watch extended the features of the iPhone and presented new ways to interact from fitness to ApplePay purchasing. It will be interesting to see what happens with the Apple Vision Pro. Right now it looks like a solution looking for a problem, and at such a high cost Apple won't get those who are simply curious and would purchase it on a whim. Of course, I could be wrong and maybe in 18 months everybody will be walking around Whole Foods with one of these things on their heads. Only time will tell. For more information about the Apple Vision Pro, visit: https://www.apple.com/apple-vision-pro/

The 15-Inch MacBook Air is Here! Apple did it! They released a super-sized version of their powerful M2 MacBook Air. The 15-Inch model was announced at WWDC and it's just as good as the 13-inch, only with more... And more is always better.  If you are looking for a new Apple laptop and are not involved in heavy video editing and complex 3D modeling, then the M2 MacBook Airs should absolutely be on your short list. There's no need to invest in the more expensive MacBook Pro for most folks. To find out more, visit: https://www.apple.com/macbook-air-13-and-15-m2/

Summer Time Is Hot! Protect Your Devices

All Apple products have an acceptable operating range with respect to temperature, and here in Arizona summer time temps go way beyond them. Talking outside in 110 degree heat on an iPhone is not a good idea. Don't leave MacBooks or other devices in hot cars, and even AirPods are sensitive to high temps. Linked below are three FAQs from Apple to help you out. MacBooks: https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT201640 iPhones and iPads: https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT201678 AirPods:https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT211884