7 Things This Week [#42]
A weekly list of things I found interesting, posted on Sundays. Sometimes themed, often not.
It’s the first issue of 2022 (🥳), and this week I have a mixture of new and very old links.
1️⃣ 3 features that prove Apple’s headset is hiding right in front of our eyes | Macworld
Dan Moren:
But setting aside all the information garnered from the likes of supply chains and analysts, it’s always worth taking a step back and looking at what Apple is doing right now that might provide clues as to where it’s headed. The company is meticulous about laying groundwork for new products in its existing line-up, and if it’s rolling out something as major as a brand new platform sometime in the next six to nine months, you can bet that today’s Apple devices hold some indications.
I think Apple is going to have very full experience ready when they ship their AR product. We often talk about the breadcrumbs Apple leaves before making a big announcement (size classes before the bigger iPhones were introduced, for example), but the AR technology has been in development for a long time. Dan’s article highlights a few features — Memoji, SharePlay, and Spatial Audio — that will make a ton of sense on a glasses platform. I’m getting more excited about it by the month.
2️⃣ Does it make you enjoy? | Jason Fried
Jason Fried:
This morning he told me he was worried that it wouldn’t make him happy.
Of course it won’t, I said. But that’s the wrong question.
The better question is “Will I enjoy it?”
Making you happy is too high a bar for anything. It’s unfair to ask that of anyone or anything — it’s something you can really only ask yourself, or bring yourself.
But enjoying something? That’s possible! It’s very much within reach.
I read stuff from the guys at Basecamp with a large grain of salt ready to down these days, but this post by Jason Fried spoke to me. I’ll be trying to do more enjoying this year and attempting to fret less about making decisions.
3️⃣ Comment: 3D Touch was one of the best technologies Apple ever created, and I still miss it | 9to5Mac
Filipe Espósito of the magic of 3D Touch:
3D Touch on iPhone was mainly used to access quick actions on app icons when the user pressed them hard. Apple also created an API for a gesture called “Peek & Pop,” which allowed pressing your finger on a link or conversation to see a quick preview of that content. With an even harder press, the content was fully opened.
But then it suffered a slow death over a couple of years:
In 2018, when Apple introduced three new iPhone models, only the iPhone XS and iPhone XS Max had 3D Touch, while the cheaper iPhone XR model was equipped with Haptic Touch — which is a fancy way of saying “long press with vibrations.” The following year, all three iPhone 11 models were released without 3D Touch.
These days, we all use the slower, cut-off-at-the-knees version, Haptic Touch:
Sure, a long press might do the same thing as 3D Touch to access quick actions in iOS, but that will never be as fast and precise as accessing them instantly just by pressing harder on the screen. And things like Peek & Pop and the actions to select text using pressure on the iPhone keyboard were extremely convenient.
I was a heavy user of 3D Touch and miss it often. Poping into messages and different app views was probably my primary way of getting around my phone at the time. Long presses get me by, but the precision from 3D Touch was so unique, fun, and fast to use.
4️⃣ Cores, colors, and lucky 13: How 2022 could be the Mac’s best year ever | Macworld
Jason Snell:
After such a momentous 2020 for the Mac, it was hard for 2021 to measure up. But with the Apple silicon transition well underway, the question remains: What does the Mac’s 2022 have in store? Good news, friend. You’re reading a column about where the Mac is going in 2022. Let’s get to predicting the future.
Predictions done right. Jason sums up my basic expectations for the next year for Macs. A few tidbits that I found interesting from his forecast:
- A single M1 Max chip would satisfy most pro customers, but Jason predicts that dual-chip iMac Pro would be an option. With all the extra room inside a desktop computer, I say go for it!
- Jason thinks that an imminent external display won’t cost anything near the Pro Display XDR, but with ProMotion and mini-LED becoming the new standard for Apple displays, it’s hard to imagine that it won’t cost an arm and a leg, too.
- He’s the first I’ve seen to expect an intel Mac Pro to stick around for specific industries. Makes sense.
5️⃣ iPadOS 15 Walkthrough: EVERYTHING You Need To Know! | Christopher Lawley on YouTube
Chris Lawley:
Even after six months(!) of using iPadOS 15, I still learned a few tricks from Chris’s video. It’s like the MacStories iOS Review of videos, and I can give it no higher praise than that. I found myself practicing the keyboard shortcuts while watching the video and am excited to recreate the ‘Quick Note for Drafts’ shortcut.
6️⃣ Frank Abagnale | Catch Me If You Can | Talks at Google on YouTube
[Frank’s] transformation from one of the world’s most notorious con men to an international cybersecurity expert trusted by the FBI has been mythologized in film and literature — but the takeaways he shares are the real deal.
Frank’s contributions to the world of security are immeasurable. He has become a hero to hundreds of public and private sector organizations for his indispensable counsel and strategic insight on safeguarding information systems and combating cyber-fraud.
With an eye on the latest techniques developed by high-tech criminals to deceive and defraud, Frank leaves audiences with a deep understanding of today’s evolving security landscape, and more importantly, a vision of how to make the world a safer place.
I thought I could just put this video on in the background and listen, but that was impossible. Frank’s story about how and why he successfully impersonated so many roles as a young man is fascinating, and his candor while telling it is intriguing. Even though I know the story well — Catch Me If You Can, now 20(!) years old, is probably my all-time favorite movie — he drew me in. Frank talking about his father’s influence and how he’s tried to take those lessons to be a good father to his kids had me tearing up.
I do not doubt that the FBI has significantly benefited from his contributions over the past 30+ years. Now, his prediction that passwords would soon be eliminated would speed up a little…
It’s a long video but very much worth putting on your watchlist.
7️⃣ And finally, the New Years’ tradition I’m looking forward to doing next year!
A Happy New Year! pic.twitter.com/lpbyxaA4TZ
— Everything Out Of Context (@EverythingOutOC) December 31, 2021
This video sealed the deal after Marvel rounded out 2021 by giving us the gift of Spider-Man: No Way Home. I’ve seen plenty of other midnight-timed movies, but this made one me laugh the hardest.
Happy New Year, everyone! 🥂
Thanks for reading 7 Things! If you enjoyed these links, or have something else neat to share, please hit me up on Twitter or send me an email!