Wow. Apple has an event and no one mentions it?

[RABid]

That has to be a first for MusicPlayer, so here goes. Apple announces iPhone 15, Apple Watch series 9, and, not sure there was anything else other than bragging about how green they are. During the "green" bit there was no mention of soldered in components that make it extremely difficult to service their products. The iPhone 15 Pro got a nice boost in the camera, but not enough to get me to turn in my model 13 Max. I did order the watch after seeing the event. Honestly, it is about time. I bought an original series 1 when it was announced. It got misted with soap at a car wash and the face fell off. Replaced it with a series 3 and still have it. I will pass it on to a relative when my 9 arrives on the 22nd. I want the always on screen and independent Seri service. I often use the watch for timers and it only works if the iPhone is in range. One thing bothers me. They really push the benefits of the sleep monitoring. If you sleep with it on, when do you charge it? I don't think it will charge enough as I shower. Anyway, here is a link to the event on YouTube.

 

 

[jazzpiano88]

The consensus seems to indicate there’s no compelling reason to upgrade.

I’m still on the X, and other than an occasional desire for a better camera, I’m perfectly happy.    The X seems like the 1st version that did everything well enough that there’s no pain points.  Kind of like PCs in the last 5 years.  

[ProfD]

I'd imagine someone would have mentioned the event if Apple was offering an...iKeyboard.😁😎

[RABid]

16 minutes ago, JazzPiano88 said:

I’m still on the X, and other than an occasional desire for a better camera, I’m perfectly happy.

I jumped from the 6 to the 13. Guess I still have a while...

[Anderton]

I've been waiting to upgrade my iPhone 7 until a phone came out with USB C, so I'll be getting the 15. I have to say, though, I hope it's a big jump from the 7. My Samsung S23+ is a fantastic phone, and runs rings around the 7 for a lot less money. I know I'm not with the cool kids for using my iPhone instead. But sometimes, I'm just not cool.

 

1 hour ago, RABid said:

That has to be a first for MusicPlayer, so here goes.

 

I think there's less interest here in the consumer products compared to the computers and tablets. If Apple had announced a Mac Pro Desktop for $5K, I believe a lot of people would be thinking "hmmmm...it's worth stretching another $1,000 compared to the high-end Mac Studio."

 

On the other hand, I can't think of a better way to throw $34,000 in the trash than to buy this refurbished Intel 2.5 GHz Mac Pro from Apple. No, this is not a joke. I must be missing something...

[jazzpiano88]

13 minutes ago, Anderton said:

On the other hand, I can't think of a better way to throw $34,000 in the trash than to buy this refurbished Intel 2.5 GHz Mac Pro from Apple. No, this is not a joke. I must be missing something...

 

Somebody configured this thing to the max.   1.5TB RAM??   2 massively expensive graphics cards.    I'm surprised they took it back.   

[Anderton]

13 minutes ago, JazzPiano88 said:

 

Somebody configured this thing to the max.   1.5TB RAM??   2 massively expensive graphics cards.    I'm surprised they took it back.   

 

Well, maybe someone will think a computer that doesn't run software for Apple Silicon natively is a great a long-term investment

[analogika]

No new Macs, no new iPads, and the dB meter on Apple Watch has been working fine since Series 5. 
 

This event was of little relevance to the musician. 
 

Also, re: “no compelling reason to upgrade” — there almost never is, from one generation to the next. It’s usually cumulative over several generations, barring something major like the Apple Silicon switch. 

[o0Ampy0o]

12 hours ago, RABid said:

...I did order the watch after seeing the event. Honestly, it is about time....

 

Yes, it is still a timepiece no matter how much else they add to it.

[analogika]

13 hours ago, analogika said:

 the dB meter on Apple Watch has been working fine since Series 5. 

 

BTW, this is one of my favourite features of the Apple Watch. The "Hey, ambient noise level is hitting 90 dB" warning is a great reminder to insert hearing protection. 

It's also legitimate justification to write it off as a business expense, which is nice. 

[RABid]

Didn’t know it has a db meeter. Will try it.

[Dr Mike Metlay]

I have been waiting for the iPad mini 7 to be released for months now. The mini 6 (or 7) is very likely to be the iPad that I will be using extensively for years to come, for music and a lot of other things. However, until I officially know the specs of the mini 7, I don’t want to jump. Very frustrating for me, at least.

 

I have a very specific set of desires for the model 7. I will know within five seconds of reading the specs whether I am buying a new mini 7 or a discounted mini 6. Five seconds. Aargh.

 

Also, update: Covid still sucks. That is all.

 

mike

[Anderton]

7 hours ago, analogika said:

It's also legitimate justification to write it off as a business expense, which is nice. 

 

Brilliant!

[Stokely]

I've never actually owned a phone, I've been working at the same place for 20 years and they provide all of us with one.  Gone from nextel push-to-talk (how annoying were those things) up through whatever I have now, which is I think an iphone 13.   

Don't really get excited by them.  I'm cheap so if I had to buy my own it's an open question what I'd get...almost certainly not an iphone at their prices.  My wife did get me an apple watch though so I'm sorta invested (the watch is another solution looking for a problem but I digress, it does look cool!)   I do however use gps a LOT, it might be the only critical "smartphone" thing I need since my car doesn't have gps.

2nd critical thing would be a tablet function and that is to run mixer apps--but most of the time I don't need those because I use a monitor mixer that connects up to our main mixer.  I certainly wouldn't use in-ears without some way to control my own mix though, and I wouldn't be gigging most gigs if I couldn't use in-ears.

[Anderton]

2 hours ago, Stokely said:

I'm cheap so if I had to buy my own it's an open question what I'd get...almost certainly not an iphone at their prices.

 

I have a Samsung S23+ and an iPhone. The S23+ was part of an AT&T promotion. It has half a terabyte of memory and cost me $300. Unless you're a "power user" and need the advantages of Apple's closed ecosystem, a good Android phone is utilitarian and the gap between iPhone and Android performance continues to narrow. The resale value of Android phones is much worse, but they cost so much less that you may still come out ahead. Apple supports their phones longer so you may want to trade up to a new Android sooner than you would with an iPhone, but again, the low cost makes that less of an issue.

 

FWIW I use the Android for my business line and iPhone for the personal line. That's probably bass-askwards compared to what most people would do.

[RABid]

42 minutes ago, Anderton said:

I use the Android for my business line and iPhone for the personal line. That's probably bass-askwards compared to what most people would do.

Not if you use the iPhone for personnel pictures. I have not used any of my camera equipment since I got my iPhone 12 Pro Max. I also pay for a bit more cloud storage and have my sister on the Apple family plan so we have plenty of room on the cloud for our pictures.

[JohnH]

If I wasn't out of town last week and having trouble ordering I would have already ordered the Iph15 pro max w 512GB. Very fed up with my 64GB Iphone pro max, the speaker volume is too low (already checked everything- it's just broken) and the speed and lack of storage is horrible. Hopefully can get this done today, also moving on from ATT to Verizon or TMobile, because ATT hardly works everywhere, and I can't take it anymore.  It's never gotten better, whether the Apple phone I get is brand new or not. They just do not upgrade their network.

[Anderton]

Move to T-Mobile with caution. It seems they have the best coverage in metropolitan areas, but then it falls off.

[Dr Mike Metlay]

2 hours ago, Anderton said:

Move to T-Mobile with caution. It seems they have the best coverage in metropolitan areas, but then it falls off.

I’ve been on T-Mobile for over 25 years, and after the first few years, they’ve had consistently among the best connections where I live and work. If they are second-best, once in a while, their extraordinarily good customer service makes up for that.

 

I know other peoples experiences have been variable, but it would take a lot to make me switch away.

 

mike

[RABid]

Wow Tony. Tell us how you feel!

 

 

[KenElevenShadows]

On 9/19/2023 at 1:36 PM, Anderton said:

Move to T-Mobile with caution. It seems they have the best coverage in metropolitan areas, but then it falls off.

 

This has been my experience with them when I had them a few years ago. And given that I go into remote mountain and desert areas to do photography often, that's an issue. That's why I switched to Verizon.

 

That said, if you don't care about that, my experience with T-Mobile was positive. Their customer service was responsive, they worked well in metropolitan areas, and they had really great international coverage.

[RABid]

Well, my watch came in. Wish they had told me in advance that I have to upgrade the phone to iOS 17.  I’m wondering if iOS 17 just came out today. My phone is on automatic updates and it had not been installed.

[analogika]

13 minutes ago, RABid said:

Well, my watch came in. Wish they had told me in advance that I have to upgrade the phone to iOS 17.  I’m wondering if iOS 17 just came out today. My phone is on automatic updates and it had not been installed.

 

iOS 17 came out on Monday. We're at 17.0.2 for the iPhone 15 today. 

[ProfD]

On 9/19/2023 at 3:33 PM, Anderton said:

a good Android phone is utilitarian and the gap between iPhone and Android performance continues to narrow.

I never bought into iAnything personally.🤣

 

Have zero idea of what I'm missing being Apple-less.  Android has always been good enough for me.😎

[ElmerJFudd]

Another phone? 🥸 

I’m always a few generations back on whatever is the newest.  It’s pricey keeping up with these yearly upgrades.  
 

Someone be sure to wake me up when Apple puts out a convertible MacBook Air.  Why we need both a laptop and an iPad is a question for the ages.  

[KenElevenShadows]

I do own an iPhone 14 Pro, which is the first time I've ever owned a "flagship" phone. I got an offer through Verizon that seemed to good not to do. The camera on it is very useful, and I like that I am now able to take photos of products I am reviewing for Photofocus and simply take it with the iPhone. Nice and quick and easy. Yes, it's that good. Does it replace a DSLR or mirrorless camera? Of course not. But is it good for an article review? Sure.

 

But typically, I had older phones or budget phones, and they always worked great.

 

I'm not an Apple fanboy, but so much of their stuff. Just. Works. And I like the extra security measures and insulated eco-system, as everything runs super smoothly all the time. Or about as close as you can get to all the time.