June 5, 2021

WWDC 2021 Wish Lists

With Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference right around the corner, I thought I’d round up a bunch of wish lists and predictions from the fine folks I follow on the web. They all think deeply about Apple’s platforms, are very imaginative, and I agree with many of their suggestions. Of course, with only a few days left before the conference, this would be a lot of content to get through, so I’ve pulled out a favorite wish list item from each to prime the pump for you.

AppStories - John and Federico at AppStories ran an excellent series laying out their wishes across several episodes of their podcast.

  • macOS: John and I are on the same page about the Music app still being clunky, and the absence of Handoff is frustrating. I’m hoping that we’ll see Music completely redone with SwiftUI as proof of its enhancements.
  • iOS: I would also want improvements to sharing from Safari, particularly into Shortcuts. It kills me that web views in apps don’t have the same functionality, and John is correct that the nuances between sharing from selected text and the share button are confusing.
  • iPadOS: Federico is spot on that we need a rethinking for the concept of spaces on iPad.
  • watchOS & tvOS (joined by Alex Guyot): Alex makes a good case for a more functional side button on the Apple Watch.

A Better Computer - Matt Birchler, who does an excellent watchOS review every year, made great suggestions for watchOS 8 on his YouTube Channel. Yes, please, for a better always-on screen experience!

Connected - Stephen, Myke, and Federico make their passionate picks on their Rickies podcast episode. You’ve got to listen to this; it’s a ton of fun. Fingers crossed for that DAC. 🤣

Upgrade - Jason and Myke draft the most likely things we’ll see during the keynote. I always have their scorecard pulled up during the show to grade it live. I don’t know what kind of things I want to see added to the Messages app, but I’m open to improvements as it’s one of my most-used apps.

ATP - Marco, Casey, and John take a less structured approach to their WWDC predictions but mix in some smart observations into the conversation. I do think that we’ll see a new MacBook Pro with the next iteration of Apple Silicon (probably M1X).

Stacktrace - John and Gui make their predictions with a poker game, betting point values on each pick. I would be down for John’s bet on a lock screen redesign, especially if it takes better use of the OLED displays to light up only parts of the screen at a time.

Those folks might be the professionals, but, as an invested and nerdy guy myself, I have my own hopes and dreams for Apple’s operating systems! So here’s what I’m hoping to see.

watchOS

  • Better Shortcuts support. This should include more system functions like toggling cellular and silent mode during workouts. Or let those things be configured in the Workout app itself rather than having to build an automation for it.
  • Speak workout status over headphones. The Nike+ Running app has done this for years, and I’m astounded it has never come to the Workouts app. I figured for the first couple versions that Apple just forgot it, but come on, have Siri be more useful during a workout and tell me my pace and progress at regular intervals, rather than just tapping my wrist (which is easy to miss).
  • Widgets. I’m someone who misses the old Glances feature of early watchOS. I think it would be better to use the side button to bring up scrollable widgets for my favorite apps.
  • A better solution for status icons on the watch face. I hate waiting for the status indicator to cycle through all the active icons: notifications, now playing, workout, walkie-talkie. Trying to tap into the right one at the right time before it cycles out is like a terrible video game.

macOS

  • Shortcuts app. It’s where I’ve already built and curated a ton of automations, and I want to be able to use them on my most powerful machine.
  • Fix Notification Center. The notifications themselves are frustratingly hard to manage, and the way they stack up with the widgets view makes both less usable.
  • Widgets on the desktop. Most of the time, my desktop is pretty clean with tons of room for widgets. I think that it would be a better home if Apple’s not willing to bring back Dashboard.
  • Fix the FileVault system. The way it works now, I cannot have both an encrypted drive and still use a non-Apple Bluetooth keyboard upon reboot.

iOS

  • Better family sharing for photos. I’d really like a family library solution for sharing most, if not all, photos with a partner.
  • A full-on Authentication app. It should be the home for passwords, 2FA, Sign in with Apple, and include Family Sharing. Unfortunately, shared accounts using Sign in with Apple are clunky in their current implementation. I’m a happy 1Password for Families customer. Still, I would like to see Apple’s take on a standalone app and know it would be more accessible and better overall for the security of iOS users if a complete solution were baked into the OS.
  • Multi-stop planning in maps. Bonus points for a more effortless flow for finding locations along a route while navigating in CarPlay.
  • Support for dynamic wallpapers that change throughout the day. I love this on macOS, but iOS and iPadOS are limited to wallpapers that change only with light and dark mode.

iPadOS

  • A refinement, if not overhaul, of multitasking. It’s altogether too fiddly to get the right apps on screen together, manage the open windows (chiefly when some don’t fully support multi-windows), and determine which app is receiving input. Vidit Bhargava’s concept for a Menu Bar on the iPad could be a good solution.
  • App Library and Widgets on the Home Screen. Do I need to say anything more about these?
  • Useful external monitor support. I’m jumping on the bandwagon for this feature. I’m a big fan of multiple monitors, and I want to use them in a meaningful way with any app.
  • System extensions that can be always-on. I’m thinking of utilities like clipboard managers and text expansion. These are workflows that I rely on when using my Mac, and I’d love to see that functionality come to iPadOS as well. I know it would take significant changes to the sandbox architecture, but they’ve been locking down macOS for a while, and these apps still work there. It would speed up so many workflows and bring more continuity when switching between platforms.

Grab Bag

  • An Apple web search engine. I’m not holding my breath for this, but I think it’s time for Apple to introduce their own search engine to compete with Google. Would it be the best? Probably not, but engines like DuckDuckGo and Ecosia do well enough. Apple already has the AppleBot crawler, and I think it could be empowered to give so many of their services a boost. For instance, tvOS could have a more functional TV app if it didn’t rely on each application building in support but instead could pull episode data from the open web. Likewise, Siri could be more useful if they leveraged a knowledge graph using the search engine as a foundation, like the Google Assistant. Not to mention that Apple platform users would have another choice for more private web browsing.
  • Overhaul the Music app across all the platforms. I say burn it down and reimagine each for the streaming age and the maturity of all the platforms. I don’t want to switch to Spotify, but their app is so much faster, has better discovery, collaborative playlists, listening stats, and looks better than Apple Music. Just make sure to keep the Live Lyrics, which are fantastic and beautiful.
  • In-App Purchase improvements for developers. I think that Apple needs to earn back some goodwill after recent events. While I’m not a developer, I agree with Marco Arment’s take that allowing other in-app payment options would go a long way without massively impacting Apple’s core business. Furthermore, it would make them compete with better features rather than being the only way to pay in apps.

Will all my wishes come true? Almost certainly not. But I’d be happy to get a few of them fulfilled. We complain and make wishes because we care. But no matter what, I’ll be eagerly following along to see what software, and maybe hardware, goodies get announced next week.

WWDC


As I recently wrote about, I’m writing right now on a Magic Keyboard attached to a 2020 iPad Pro. While I love this new keyboard and, more importantly, the trackpad, I wanted to take a moment to recognize the Smart Keyboard, which I think goes unappreciated in the wake of the Magic Keyboard.

When Apple released the first iPad Pro in 2015, it ushered in an era of incredible modularity, enabled by innovative accessories, which continues to this day. The debut accessories at that time were the Apple Pencil and the Smart Keyboard. The keyboard looked so similar to the Smart Cover, which had adorned iPads for years, that you’d be forgiven for overlooking the fantastic functionality hidden within its genius design. This product not only let iPad users write anywhere with a permanently attached physical keyboard, but it also unbridled the screen from being largely blocked by a software keyboard.

The iPad, with its ultra-portable design, has been a great writing machine from the very beginning. Putting text on a page doesn’t ask a lot of a computer, and the nature of its OS to excel at using a single app at a time makes it ideal for focused writing sessions. Connecting a Bluetooth keyboard has always been possible, but the Smart Connector, which powered the Smart Cover, eliminated fiddling with pairing and battery life problems. You just opened the iPad and started typing.1

A More Versatile Cover

Of course, this is old hat now, and readers might wonder why I’m praising the Smart Keyboard in particular since all of this functionality is still available in the Magic Keyboard. What sets the Smart Keyboard apart, I think, is its versatility. The origami-like folding of the Smart Keyboard lets it be used not only in laptop mode,” but it also enables many other configurations.

(Left) iPad with keyboard out on a lap, (right) iPad held up with Smart Keyboard folded behind.
Laptop mode (left) and handheld mode (right).

There’s handheld mode” when you open and flip the whole Smart Keyboard around to the back of the iPad, just like the original Smart Cover.

(Left) iPad in lap for drawing with the Apple Pencil, and (right) and on a counter propped with the Smart Keyboard folded behind to display a movie.
Draft table mode (left) and movie mode (right).

Folding the triangle stand and keyboard around to the back gives you both draft table mode,” great for gaming and while using the Apple Pencil, and movie mode” to prop the iPad up with a vastly smaller footprint than the Magic Keyboard.

iPad laying on raised knees with Smart Cover draped over top.
Knee mode.

And then there’s knee mode” achieved by draping the cover over propped up knees with the iPad handing down onto the front of your legs. I used the iPad this way all the time to watch videos in bed. It made the iPad hands-free without it sliding down into my lap.

One of the other things I already miss about using the Smart Keyboard is easily opening the iPad to check an email or dive into an app quickly. With the bulkier Magic Keyboard, it is much more of a commitment to open the iPad up and use it.2 The Smart Keyboard Folio and Smart Folio, introduced with the iPad Pro’s new industrial design in 2018, offer similar folding functionality to the Smart Keyboard. Unfortunately, they also add more material and weight than the original, and without the benefit of a trackpad.

Ultimately, I’m delighted with my purchase of the newer iPad Pro and Magic Keyboard. The battery life, processor speed, clicky keys, and trackpad for using the pointer make this whole package precisely what I wanted. But I will always fondly remember the Smart Keyboard as the accessory that added tremendous functionality within a deceptively simple design, and that kicked off the iPad’s modular era.


  1. As an aside, I also immensely enjoyed the feel of its fabric-covered keys. The switches were fully encapsulated, so spills and debris weren’t a concern. It was perhaps the best implementation of the butterfly keyboard for that reason. ↩︎

  2. Seriously, it takes two hands and some effort to get this thing open. Please let me know if there’s a technique to it. ↩︎

Favorites


I said goodbye this week to two of my favorite Apple purchases ever: the MacBook (2016) and iPad Pro (2017). In their place sits a new iPad Pro and Magic Keyboard. But not the new new iPad that everyone has been reviewing and enjoying. Instead, I purchased the iPad that basically no one recommended when it came out. I welcomed last year’s iPad, the 11-inch iPad Pro (2020).

iPad and Magic Keyboard and Apple Pencil open on a table.
The newest member of the tech family.

Some History

12” MacBook (2016) - Before I get to why I chose this particular iPad, I want to say a few words for my dearly departed technology. The MacBook was my third Mac ever, the second one that I purchased, and my favorite of all. After accepting an internship across the country in 2016, I sold the iMac I used throughout college and got by without a computer for a few months. My computer needs at that time were minimal, and I knew I would be traveling a lot, so I saved up to purchase the lightest Mac ever, the MacBook (Adorable). Living a primarily wireless life made the single USB-C port less of an issue for me than for others, and with my basic media consumption, email, and web browsing, I rarely found that this Mac felt slow. I reveled at the sharp Retina display and the silent fanless design. I didn’t doubt Apple’s claim that this MacBook was a peek at the future of notebooks.

After my internship, I took a job that issued Windows laptops to employees, a setup which lasted all of a month. I started bringing my MacBook to work — I was more efficient and much happier. That little notebook was a trusty companion, and while it wasn’t the fastest, it did whatever I asked of it. I rendered videos, hosted multi-camera Zoom calls, powered external displays, and even tried to run Windows as a virtual machine (a task with which it did struggled, but who can blame it?). It survived summers at camp, constant travel, and precarious balancing possible only due to its impossible lightness. I loved it. Eventually, the underpowered processor and six-year-old battery showed their age, so I added an M1 Mac mini to the family but kept the MacBook for travel. I couldn’t quite give it up yet.

10.5” iPad Pro (2017) - The iPad Pro that I just sold was another well-used and well-loved device. After many years of an iPad mini 2 being my only iPad, in 2017 I was finally taken in by Apple’s product marketing and convinced that I needed an iPad Pro. I mean, just look at this ad! And it was a marvel for the four years I used it. I loved the fast Touch ID, larger high-quality screen and speakers for movies, Apple Pencil support, and the excellent Smart Keyboard. The Pencil transformed how I took notes in meetings since it was far more approachable than a laptop between me and a client or coworker, but I could still flip the keyboard around if things got serious. The iPad was my fun device that could still get work done.

Like my MacBook, the iPad Pro was used heavily, and its battery and processor issues became noticeable, then annoying. Since macOS and iPadOS are better at different tasks, I’d taken to carrying both the iPad Pro and my MacBook in my bag. With the advent of pointer support in iPadOS, I dreamed of being able to remote into a desktop Mac if needed and using only the iPad as my go-to portable again.1 As rumors of updated iPads Pro circulated, I resisted a purchase until this spring’s announcement of the M1 iPads.

The Sirens’ Call

The M1 iPads boast considerable gains in performance, a Thunderbolt port, and a massive increase in RAM.2 In addition, the 12.9” iPad Pro got a killer new mini-LED XDR display. I had hoped one of these iPads would be the ideal package, but damn are they expensive! A new setup would have cost a minimum of $1327 for the 11” iPad, which lacked the feature that I would have appreciated the most: that XDR display. I decided it was too much to spend on a device that would have felt out of date the moment that new display tech came to the smaller Pro, which is the size I prefer.

So I started searching for an older iPad that would still be an upgrade but down in price. I wanted the flat edge design introduced in 2018 to hook up to the Magic Keyboard and (vastly improved) second-generation Apple Pencil. But I didn’t want to purchase an iPad that was only one year newer than the one it would replace. In the end, I found a great deal on eBay for a 2020 iPad Pro with Magic Keyboard3 and some additional cases and protective skins. The sales of the MacBook and old iPad Pro covered the cost, so it felt like a true swap.

The Forgotten Pro

When the 2020 iPads Pro were introduced, it was rare to see a review that recommended their purchase. Instead, most reviewers concluded that the camera upgrade and one additional graphics core in the A12Z chip were too small of spec bumps to upgrade from the previous generation. Since it seemed that most people in the market for an iPad Pro had already sprung for the new design in 2018, it was a logical conclusion. But I can tell you that if you’re coming from an older generation, this iPad deserves a wholehearted recommendation.

I’m a few days into using this new setup, and I love it so far. Going from the A10X to the A12Z chip and from 4GB to 6GB of RAM was a significant upgrade, and this iPad feels zippy. The Magic Keyboard with trackpad is marvelous, and I love not having to reach up to poke at the screen all the time. However, it does lack some of the versatility of the Smart Keyboard.4 I’m enjoying having the Apple Pencil again as another input option, and I’m thankful that its magnetic charging means it’s always ready to use and less likely to get misplaced. Having the LiDAR sensor on the back isn’t useful day-to-day, but I appreciate having it available knowing how hard Apple seems to be charging toward an AR future.

A Worthy Upgrade

Looking forward, I have no trouble predicting that this mobile laptop” setup will last me at least until the next major revision for the smaller iPad Pro and probably beyond. Of course, I am a sucker for new screen technology, and I’m optimistic about the rumors about OLED coming to iPad, but honestly, I’m thrilled with the 2020 iPad Pro. This setup fills the needs I had of my trusty old MacBook and iPad, and the new design and accessories satiate the technology-enthusiast within me.

I’m excited to see what Apple does with the iPad line next, both in hardware and software (fingers crossed for a great iPadOS 15 update at WWDC next week), and I hope that it keeps getting ever more capable.


  1. I realized that I wasn’t fond of being a multiple Mac user during my few months of using both the Mac mini and MacBook. I expected things to work the same across both computers (like apps, keyboard shortcuts, and other configurations), but that meant a lot of manual effort to keep things in sync and frustration when they weren’t. So I didn’t want to replace the MacBook with another Mac laptop but knew there would be times that I need access to macOS features while on the go. I figured that apps like Screens or Duet Air would be enough, and I think about 80% there, but it hasn’t been as smooth sailing as I had hoped. A story for another time. ↩︎

  2. Although, shouldn’t this be called Unified Memory with the M1 SOC? It is in the M1 Mac lineup. ↩︎

  3. This Magic Keyboard, not to be confused with that Magic Keyboard, nor that Magic Keyboard. 😓 ↩︎

  4. I’ll have to write about why I loved the Smart Keyboard soon. ↩︎

Gear Reviews


BasicAppleGuy put together a fun look back at how the Air” brand has evolved at Apple over time:

Over thirteen years, the Air suffix has taken on many diverse roles across Apple’s product lineup. Contained to Apple’s portables, the Air has represented a gamut of qualities, from Apple’s boldest & most cutting-edge tech to its oldest, most beleaguered designs. I’m most satisfied with Air’s current placement in the lineup; as the defacto best-for-most consumer device balancing specs and most sought-after features. Notwithstanding this history, Air continues to command respect as a brand within Apple, with its longevity highlighting its appeal and brand reputation among consumers.

Personally, I think Air” as a suffix on products has been good for Apple, but it’s run its course. If it were up to me, I’d phase out the Air brand now that we’re approaching the limits of thinness for both laptops and tablets. I’d like to see Apple return to the simple regular/pro branding, which would match the iPhone lineup.

With hardware products like AirPods and AirTag (and previously AirPort), and software solutions like AirPlay, Apple has a good motif going for their wireless products, and that’s where I think Air” should stay.

Go to the linked site →

Linked


The new Apple TV 4K came out last week, and they did rejoice. Well, I rejoiced because it meant that my year-long wait was over after purchasing a 4K television last March. It felt a little anti-climatic since the new box looks exactly the same, but at least (and most importantly) the Siri Remote is completely reimagined.

Joe Rosensteel has put together a comprehensive review on his blog, and I found myself nodding along. I recommend reading through the whole blog post. While I’m overall delighted with the new box and remote, Joe noted many things that I was feeling during setup, even though I didn’t realize I was frustrated by them at the time.

This was a little deceptive. I had all these apps, and they were arranged as they were on my prior Apple TV, but these apps were all completely blank slates. It was as if I had downloaded each one of them for the very first time. The email addresses I had used for logins on my previous Apple TV weren’t copied over either, so every login prompt expected me to use the email address associated with my Apple ID, which is not helpful, because the same email wasn’t used across all of these services. Also, this means any future logins, logouts, or password changes aren’t synchronized and need to be performed separately, manually, on each device.

It took me a good chunk of time to sign back into all of my apps and services. iOS has done a good job the past few years at preserving login state through restores, and tvOS could use some of that magic.

Despite the nitpicks you’ll see in Joe’s post, I really like the new Apple TV 4K. I’m glad that I no longer have to jump into my TVs webOS applications to get 4K Dolby Vision goodness. I love the new remote with its clickiness, larger body, and heft, although I do need to get used to the new position of the play/pause button. With the A12 processor, the UI is speedy, and I’m looking forward to playing more games. I’d have preferred it to have gotten the latest and greatest processor, such as the A14, but I’m confident about it lasting another five years as my Apple TV HD has done.

Speaking of the Apple TV HD, that box and old remote have made their way back to our old TV. That unit has sat upstairs, lonely and disconnected, waiting for this upgrade. It’ll be nice to have a secondary screen for using with Fitness+ and for guests (now that guests in our home will soon be a thing again!). It remains to be seen if I’ll resist purchasing a second Siri Remote for consistency between the two TVs.

I’m not holding my breath, but I hope to see some meaningful tvOS updates at WWDC this year. But with a new box and a glorious new remote, the Apple TV is already well on its way to a better year-end score than in 2020.

Go to the linked site →

Linked Reviews


It’s been quiet here at HeyDingus for the past couple of months. I had some big projects at my day job that kept me busy long past the day hours, followed by some significant changes in my personal life, which I intend to write about soon. And while at first I simply didn’t have the time or energy to write, I then fell out of the habit of not writing. Habits are hard to make and easy to break, as they say.

But I hadn’t lost the desire to write, and my pile of topic ideas (dutifully held in Drafts) has grown to a frightening height. So I figure there’s no better way to start than to just do it. As part of those changes in my personal life, I am able to try out some new pursuits like coding, which I look forward to chronicling as I stumble down that path. And with WWDC coming up soon there will be no shortage of announcements to celebrate and critique.

I hope you’re buckled back in and ready to go!

Blogging


March 26, 2021

Shuffling HEY World

I continue to have a hook in my brain about HEY World. Even though I’m not abandoning HeyDingus, I still think of it as a dam that’s broken to allow a flood of new folks like me to publish their writing on the world wide web.

The barrier to entry is so low (besides paying for HEY, which is less expensive than a lot of blogging platforms anyway and comes with a great email service) that I was sure there would be dozens? hundreds? thousands? of new blogs to explore. But how?

At first, I used a Twitter search, which is how I discovered JF Martin’s post:

Have you tried: http://world.hey.com/~shuffle? I did. A lot. I even created a Shortcut on my home screen named HEY World Dice”. Tapping on the icon opens Safari with this URL and boom, I’m presented with a random HEY World user’s wall (can I say that?).

Genius! A Shortcut would definitely beat Twitter’s terrible search UI. So I created the shortcut, put it on my home screen, and I’ve been using it to discover all sorts of new writers. I’ve set it to open the page directly in Safari View Controller, so with a press of the Home button it’s gone forever and ready to open the next blog. I usually check the author’s wall” and if there’s more that I like then I subscribe with RSS. Easy.

Certainly, there are plenty of other ways to discover great writing on the web, but shuffling HEY World blogs brings me straight to people who are excited about trying something new. It’s neat to see the creative ways others are using the service.

Feel free to download my Shortcut, or recreate it yourself.

A shortcut with one action to display a webpage at the URL that shuffles up a random HEY World post.
It’s as simple as it gets with just one action.

Shortcuts


I’m a little late in commenting on this news, reported first by Matthew Panzarino at TechCrunch:

Apple has discontinued its original HomePod after four years. It says that it will continue to produce and focus on the HomePod mini, introduced last year.

I love the way my HomePod sounds, and I don’t get as annoyed as others seem to be with Siri. So this news makes me sad even though I wasn’t in the market to buy another. I hope that, whatever Apple does next with the HomePod family, it doesn’t abandon the supremely good sound that the full-size HomePod produces.

Go to the linked site →

Linked


Adam Savage, of MythBusters fame, coming in clutch with a detailed view into how he manages projects with checklists:

I almost never begin at the beginning. Usually, I examine the subcategorized list and I look for the toughest nut to crack. The real ass-kicker of a problem. The one for which I have the most difficulty imagining a solution at first glance. Once I find it—in the case of the ray gun it would probably be fabrication of the top scope—that’s where I start. I do this for three reasons: (1) I don’t want to get caught out toward the end of a project with unexpected problem solving that takes way longer than I expected; (2) once I’ve cracked the tough problem, I’ve built a lot of momentum, and I’ve already slayed the beast that might kill my momentum later on; and (3) I like coasting to the finish with the easy stuff. It’s one of the ways I manage the stress of a project. Get the hard stuff out of the way first, then the specter of all those empty checkboxes becomes less intimidating, because the tasks get successively easier and the checkboxes get filled in just as quickly.

As a follow up to my task list concentration tactic, Adam’s is a strategy I desperately need to deploy. The rest of the article is worth reading through, but knocking down the biggest domino first is something I don’t do, but should. Typically I let it weigh on me until the situation reaches boiling point, and that’s a mental load I can’t bear any longer.

Go to the linked site →

Linked


March 24, 2021

7 Things Last Week [#11]

Quotes That Move Me

  1. ‘We all have our own tides inside. They go in. Out.’ He shrugs. Not really ours to control.’” [Golden Son by Pierce Brown]
  2. For thirty years they had the work of my hands. They could have had the work of my head and my heart at no extra cost, but they never asked.” [2 Second Lean by Paul Akers]
  3. If you want an answer, you have to ask a question. People typically have a lot to say, but they’ll volunteer little.” [Guide to Internal Communication by the Team at Basecamp]
  4. Being able to listen well is a superpower. While listening to someone you love keep asking them Is there more?”, until there is no more.” [68 Bits of Unsolicited Advice” by Kevin Kelly]
  5. The human mind: We start with a strong emotion and then we find reason to explain it.” [Merlin Mann]
  6. The reason that most of us are unhappy most of the time is that we set our goals not for the person we’re going to be when we reach them, but we set our goals for the person we are when we set them.” [Jim Coudal]
  7. If your words can be perceived in different ways, they’ll be understood in the way which does the most harm.” [Guide to Internal Communication by the Team at Basecamp]

7 Things