Chance Miller, writing at 9to5Mac:

Notably, CBS This Morning host Gayle King also teased that more of the interview will air tomorrow, as Apple is expected to make a “big announcement” of some sort — but it’s “not a product.”

My money is on a pandemic-related announcement. Perhaps mapping out testing centers, or a vaccination ID in Health Records on iPhone or Apple Wallet.

It’s odd for CBS to pre-announce an Apple announcement. Not long left to wait.

Read the article on 9to5Mac.

UPDATE: I would have lost my money. Turns out it was a few new major projects for Apple’s Racial Equity and Justice Initiative. The Apple Developer Academy courses in Detroit, and the Propel Center look particularly interesting.

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Jason Snell, who recently finished the incredible 20 Macs for 2020 project on Six Colors:

Now, note my choice of words there: notable. I’m not saying these are my favorite Macs—a bunch of them I only knew in passing and never used myself. I’m not saying these are the best Macs ever—a difficult thing to measure, since (with a few obvious exceptions) the best Macs made are the most recent ones, otherwise we’d all still be using G3 iMacs.

If you’re an Apple nerd like me, you’ll appreciate the depths to which Jason dug to put together these 20 stories, podcasts, and videos. Sometimes I forget that the Mac was introduced way back in 1984 — 10 years before I was born¹ — so I looked forward to learning a little more of the full story each week. With the introduction of the M1 Macs a few months ago, I have to believe the Mac’s best years are ahead of it, and I’m thrilled to be along for the ride!

I have owned three Macs so far, with the fourth, an M1 Mac mini, arriving later this month. The first was an original Intel MacBook Pro in high school, then a 2011 iMac throughout college, and finally a 2016 MacBook (Adorable) which is still kicking around as my daily driver. The most notable of that collection has to be the MacBook Pro. It was one of the first with that sleek all-metal enclosure that still informs laptop design to this day, and was my gateway drug into the Mac ecosystem.²

Linked Podcasts

1. People have timed out how to watch movies so that their climax happens exactly at midnight. I bet there are more examples out there. I’ll file this away for next New Year’s Eve. [David Sparks]
2. At least anecdotally, the volume of subscribers and payout for building apps as a side project is much lower than I expected. [Becky Hansmeyer]
3. I should probably get some bottled water stashed away. [Stephanie Czekalinski]
4. The idea of circular time vs. linear time. But I particularly enjoyed the picture at the bottom of the post which shows how to think about time in a more human, rather than analytical, way. [Austin Leon]
5. Could be just me, but I always thought that the US Postal Service was largely funded by tax dollars. Turns out not at all for operating expenses. [USPS]
6. Not even during the Civil War did the Confederate Flag make it across the Capitol’s threshold, but it was flaunted by the terrorists who stormed the Capitol this week.¹ The whole ordeal was disgusting, and I hope eye-opening as to the intentions of the MAGA group. [Maria Cramer]
7. This app, Longplay, should help with my recent habit of listening to albums straight through to appreciate their stories. [Jason Snell]

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1. Excepting, of course, that its symbolism was featured on the Mississippi state flag until it was finally changed last summer. Better late than never, I suppose.↩︎

7 Things

I’ve spent some time with the AirPods Max after a long wait, and I could wax rhapsodic about how much I like them. But M.G. Siegler, writing at his site 500ish, wrapped it up better than I ever could in the title of his post alone: ‘Pretty Great, Pretty Loud, Pretty Expensive, Pretty Heavy, and Pretty’:

That leads back to the main purpose of these things: the sound. Again, I’m hardly the person you should listen to in this regard, but they are fantastic to my ears. Yes, better than the QC35s and certainly than the smaller AirPods (as you might hope given the price). I’ve turned them up loud, they not only get loud, they do not seem to distort.

It’s well worth a read.

Other reviews that I’ve read or watched and largely agree with:

• Heavy is the Head the Wears the AirPods Max by John Gruber at Daring Fireball
• AirPods Max Review: An Audiophile’s Perspective by Quinn Nelson at Snazzy Labs
• Apple AirPods Max review: luxurious sound for a luxury price by Chris Welch writing at The Verge
• AirPods Max Review: Luxury Listening! by Marques Brownlee at MKBHD

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With everyone and their brother starting a streaming service in the past few years, it has never been easier to consume amazing television. Budgets are bigger, special effects better, and great writing bountiful. Here’s my list of favorite TV shows that I discovered in 2020.

I’m pretty specific about how I watch TV, which drives my wife crazy. It’s hard for me to keep track of a bunch of plot lines, so I prefer only a few going at once and to watch them all the way through before starting a new series. Thankfully, streaming services make that possible, but it means that my “up next” queue grows rapidly.

Ted Lasso (Apple TV+, 2020)
As I mentioned in my personal Upgradies picks for 2020, Ted Lasso was my TV Show of the Year. Reading the tin, you’d think it was a classic fish-out-water story about a clueless American hired to coach professional soccer (football) in England. But it’s so much more.¹

Released in the midst of the pandemic and social unrest in the United States, this show was the right show at the right time. I think Ted’s optimism in the face of challenge helped a lot of us get through tough times. It was refreshing to see a strong male figure work through problems with kindness, care, and respect rather than with classic toxic masculinity.

Ted Lasso has it all: lovable characters who grow throughout the season, many laugh-out-loud bits in every episode, endearing and frankly tear-jerking moments of vulnerability, and an awareness for the real world that navigates actual challenges people face in the best ways without overdoing it. Don’t underestimate Ted Lasso — it’s hilarious and heartfelt, and I’m thrilled that it’s been renewed for a second and third season.

The Queen’s Gambit (Netflix, 2020)
I recall discovering The Queen’s Gambit organically through Netflix’s banner almost the same time it exploded in popularity. My wife and I looked at each other and agreed it looked interesting enough to add to the queue. As mentioned above, I don’t like to have a ton of shows going at once, so it sat for a couple of weeks until I heard its praises sung often enough that we just had to start. The fans weren’t wrong — it’s exquisite television.

Beth Harmon is a child chess prodigy and singularly commanding force. Beth is played by Anya Taylor-Joy — though that does a disservice to her incredible performance. Anya captures Beth’s character with the confidence and grace of a jungle cat on the prowl. The series follows Beth through her young life fraught with addiction to tranquilizers and alcohol, which Beth uses to cope with her gift of genius. Though there are dark parts concerning Beth’s relationship with her birth parents, the orphanage she grew up in, and spiraling as a young adult — but I don’t think I could describe The Queen’s Gambit as a dark show. It uses humor and fun to take the edge off.

Equally impressive to Anya’s performance is the writing and camerawork for The Queen’s Gambit. Despite chess being a largely silent game, the writers snuck in enough dialog to inform and engage the viewer without being conspicuous. As someone who appreciates the details of cinematography, what this show does with lighting and framing is breathtaking. It all works together to transform chess, a typically slow game, into a dramatic battlefield that kept me on the edge of my seat. I’ve even gotten back into playing casually after watching this show.

The soundtrack is also excellent, and makes great focus music.

Central Park (Apple TV+, 2020)
Central Park, developed by Josh Gad, is simply a delight. It’s an animated series in the style of Bob’s Burgers, and brought together an all-star cast. You might recognize Leslie Odom Jr. and Daveed Diggs of Hamilton fame, Titus Burgess, Kristen Bell, Stanley Gucci, and Katheryn Hahn (whom I know from Parks and Rec). Josh Gad rounds out the cast as the zany narrator.

I don’t know that I could adequately explain the plot of Central Park, but it’s ultimately unimportant. What you’ll love from this show are the catchy musical numbers, and the general hilarity that ensues between the family living in the park and the mega-rich villain on a quest to purchase and flatten it. I ended each show wearing a smile, and my wife immediately restarted the series when we finished it.

Trying (Apple TV+, 2020)
Trying is a British comedy series that follows a couple along their journey seeking the adoption of a baby. Nikki and Jason are certainly no perfect couple, but they’re lovable and real. “Trying” was the perfect title as they work through their shortcomings in an effort to be accepted by the adoption agency. I thoroughly enjoyed it from beginning to end and eagerly await season two. Oh, and I’ve only known Imelda Staunton as Dolores Umbridge in Harry Potter, so it was a shock to love her as Penny, the adoption social worker.

Little Voice (Apple TV+, 2020)
When I finished Little Voice, I wouldn’t have placed it on my favorites list. The plot was fraught at times, and I had frustrations with some characters’ actions. But as time passed, I couldn’t get this show out of my mind and I realized that it made an achievement: I had grown to care for the characters. Little Voice follows Bess as she struggles to kickstart her musical career, while also being a caretaker to her family.

The music, written by Sara Bareilles and performed beautifully by the cast, made it onto my most played playlist. Seriously, even if you don’t watch the show you should listen to the soundtrack.

Brooklyn Nine-Nine (Hulu, 2013)
I’m late to the game on Brooklynn Nine-Nine, but I’ll concur that it has earned the praise I’ve heard over the past seven years and seasons. It’s so funny, and I like all the characters. Brooklyn Nine-Nine joins Parks and Rec, The Office, and How I Met Your Mother on the list of shows that I initially resisted and ultimately loved.

I’m Sorry (Netflix, 2017)
My wife discovered this show, and I’m so glad she did. Created by and starring Andrea Savage, I’m Sorry had me in stitches every episode. In the show, Andrea and her husband Mike navigate parenthood with a lightheartedness and confidence that, frankly, I admire. The openness they have with their daughter got them into some sticky situations, but the fun in the relationship between Andrea and Mike is worthy of #MarriageGoals. I’m sad that I’m Sorry won’t be coming back for a third season, but I now have more incentive to finally start Veep, which also stars Andrea Savage.

Schitt’s Creek (Netflix, 2015)
Yep, I jumped on the Schitt’s Creek train this year. I was unsure about continuing on after the first season, but ended up drawn in by the ridiculousness of it all. Each season was better than the one before, and the Rose family developed from spoil and grievance into truly decent people in a way that I did not expect. The absurd situations were complemented by heartfelt compassion resulting in my own teary eyes more times than I’m willing to admit. Patrick singing to David in their apothecary gets me every time.

Letterkenny (Hulu, 2016)
You’ve likely noticed that this list is dominated by comedies, and for that I have no regrets. 2020 was a difficult year, and it was a relief to escape into shows that made me laugh. There was no show that had my eyes watering from laughter more than Letterkenny. A fast-talking sitcom, Letterkenny started as a YouTube series based on creator Jared Kesso’s experiences of local rivalries in small-town Canada. Letterkenny straddles the intersection of slapstick, profanity, and morality — a weird place, to be sure — but it’s a joy. I’m through six of nine seasons, and it keeps getting better. Oh, and cute puppies make regular appearances.

If you want to get a sense of if you’ll like Letterkenny, do yourself a favor and watch the season cold-opens on YouTube for a taste.

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It’s true that Apple TV+ shows make up much of this list. As a completionist², it brings me a small amount of joy to know that I’ve tried almost everything on their service. But it’s not just that point of pride, I’m genuinely impressed by what Apple was produced in their first year. I agree with those who say after the fiasco of HBO Max that Apple TV+ has the opportunity to take up the mantle of prestige television, and I’ll be continuing on with many of the second seasons.

Having a never-ending stream of great television to pass time during quarantine was a blessing this year. With so much great stuff coming out it’s difficult to keep up, but no complaints here. If you enjoyed these shows, you can check out what else I’ve been watching and other years’ favorites on my Trakt.tv profile.

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Just tonight as I was finishing up this list, I learned from 9to5Mac that Apple is premiering season two of Dickinson tomorrow and anyone is invited! Dickinson was one of my favorites from 2019, and I’ve watched the first season through twice. It will be a thrill to experience a true premiere — and for a show that I’ve been eagerly awaiting! I’ll report back about the whole affair.

UPDATE: I tried to get in on watching the premiere tonight. I was on time with iPad in hand and ready to test out Spatial Audio at the same time. The count tick down to zero and then…black screen. It never started for me. #Dickinson on Twitter indicates that it’s great a return. I can’t wait to watch tomorrow.

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1. The show’s backstory is pretty cool if you haven’t heard it yet. Basically, the character of Ted Lasso started as a commercial for the Premiere League coming to NBC. But then Jason Sudeikis and Brendan Hunt drafted the series only to be repeatedly passed over before getting picked up by Apple and becoming their breakout hit.↩︎

2. For keeping track of shows and seasons, I can’t recommend TV Forecast highly enough. It works with a Trakt account, has a great design, and does the job efficiently without too many bells and whistles.↩︎

Favorites TV Shows

I was struck today by the hero image of Apple’s press release about the success of their services in 2020:

Is it just me, or does that two-tone iPhone with matte black rails and shock of color on the back look awesome? It’s almost certainly not a tease of phone designs to come, but I do like it. A black and orange, or black and forest green iPhone, please!

Well done, Apple, for the design of image in general. It’s fun, colorful, and the services are instantly recognizable.

As pointed out by John Vorheeres of MacStories, it’s also interesting to note the order in which Apple presents their services year-to-year. This year it was as follows:

1. App Store
2. Apple Music
3. Apple TV App
4. TV+
5. Apple News
6. Fitness+
7. Apple Pay
8. Apple Arcade
9. Apple Books
10. Apple Podcasts
11. iCloud

We used to think that Apple couldn’t “do services” back in the early days when iCloud and Siri were unreliable. They have come a long way since then, and I now rely on many of Apple’s services every week.

• Living in Brunswick, OH with my wife and our three pets.
• Working at Lake Erie Council, Boy Scouts of America. I’m a Senior Program Executive in the outdoor adventures department and I have recently gained new responsibilities as the lead for our “external experiences”. I’ll be creating camps and other program opportunities for any kid instead of primarily for Scouts. And hopefully partnering with schools to experience Scouting through outdoor education.
• Starting to get back into fitness by trying to close my rings every day. I’m getting stronger with Fitness+ and looking forward to getting back to running outdoors when the weather allows.
• I’m trying to work a bit each day on this site. Every bit helps whether it’s collecting ideas (and I have a bunch!), writing a short linked post about something neat, or getting something substantial out of my head and on the page.
• Journaling at least one sentence each day. Usually it’s simply an answer to the question, “What am I grateful for today?”
• I’m (still) reading Morning Star by Pierce Brown, but also trying to listen to A Promised Land by Barack Obama. I also just started All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr, which I received for Christmas.
• Playing Sudoku, a little Chess, and Crossy Road Castle.
• Watching Brooklyn Nine-Nine, Letterkenny, and Life in Pieces. My wife and I are almost done with all of Schitt’s Creek. Really looking forward to a couple of new series starting this month, like season two of Dickinson, Servant, and I’m going to check out WandaVision. I just finished up the second seasons of both The Mandalorian and His Dark Materials (of which I remain as mystified by the plot as I was when reading the books).
• Listening to Jazz again for focus. I got some fancy new headphones that it sounds amazing through, so I’m trying to listen through some full albums of the great old musicians.
• Reverting our home from a Christmastime wonderland to its year-round spacious glory.
• Looking forward to the rollout of the vaccine and Inauguration Day.

Now Journal

On the most recent episode of Do By Friday, Merlin Mann shared bits of wisdom he’s picked up over time. Here’s one example, but you should really read the whole list:

If you have a small household responsibility—no matter how lame or quotidian—just do it now and without being asked. If you think the trash may need to go out, do not “check” to see if the trash needs to go out. Just take the fucking trash out. And quit reminding everybody you took the trash out. This is not Vietnam, and you are not a forgotten hero.

I aspire to glean and curate wisdom like this. Note how many of these are about being attentive to, and caring for, other people’s needs. Merlin overflows with these little life gifts, which speaks to his character.

I’ll be revisiting his list each year.

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When Apple announced the AirPods Max, my first thought was, “It’s about damn time!” I had been waiting for over four years for this particular product to be released.

Love at First Listen

The original AirPods released back in 2016 remain, to this day, one of the best items I have ever purchased. They opened the door to playing media and taking phone calls anywhere and everywhere, unobtrusively and with ease. If you’ve used similar completely wireless headphones, you know that it’s not an exaggeration to say that the lack of wires¹ is a total game-changer. With the special sauce that Apple added for easy pairing and using with multiple devices, and it’s no wonder that they were back-ordered for months. I used my pair every single day and beat the crap out of the batteries until they barely held a charge. It’s a great product.

But they also left me wanting. AirPods are perfect for casual listening on the go, but there are many times that I listen to music with large headphones to be immersed in it or to block out the world for focus. I had experienced the greener grass and now found any headphones with wires to be inordinately annoying. I could no longer tolerate the limited range and experience of Bluetooth headphones that lack the W-series (now H-series) chips found in AirPods.

Enter the Beats Solo3 Wireless

They’re perfectly fine. But fine in the way that you tell someone, “I’m fine,” when you actually mean, “I’m bad, but I don’t want to complain.” A pair of Beats Solo3 Wireless headphones arrived along with my MacBook as the perk of Apple’s back-to-school promotion. The Solo3 headphones are compact, have decent sound quality, and provide the same magical experience of pairing and extended range as the AirPods. And that exhausts their good qualities.

The Solo3 headphones sit on top of the ears, which, for me, are uncomfortable — but tolerable — from the moment I don them. The way they sit on top of the head makes them distractingly painful on the crown of my head after an hour or so of wearing them. That lack of comfort coupled with their inability to block external sound (unless I crank the music way up, which is terrible for my already poor hearing) meant that they have never earned a place near the AirPods in my heart. I knew I wanted a pair of over-ear headphones with the feature set of the Solo3 pair, but they didn’t exist.

Tempted

Until they did exist with the arrival of Beats Studio3 Wireless. By the time they finally came out, however, the Beats brand had lost its allure. I was wary of their comfort level and the design didn’t appeal to me. Eventually, the Bose QuietComfort and Sony WH-1000 series headphones became mainstream and I was sorely tempted. I tried them all on at every opportunity and marveled at their comfort. Pair after pair sat in my Amazon cart. I lusted after, but never succumbed to, the “Buy” button.

You see, I thought it inevitable that Apple would follow up the runaway success of AirPods with larger fist-party headphones. “I’m sure it’ll happen this year,” I’d tell myself. “I can wait just a little longer.” Noise cancelation became a must-have feature, and the quality that Apple pulled off with the AirPods Pro was another game-changer.² But my white whale remained ever-elusive.

So, it should come as no surprise that when the AirPods Max finally dropped, unceremoniously through a press release, that I would buy them. Rumors of the launch of “AirPods Studio” (as they were colloquially known³) had waxed and waned, but my desire for them had never wavered. Over time, Apple had earned its place as a leader in audio quality, so I had little doubt that they would sound great. Yet, I did not instantly make the purchase. Because, oh my, that price.

Worth the Wares?

In my heart, I had known that these headphones would cost more than the roughly $350 that similar pairs from the likes of Sony and Bose cost. But I had fooled myself into thinking that $400 would be the appropriate price. At $400 I would have bought AirPods Max sight unseen and sound unheard. At $550, I was given pause. I wanted them dearly, but would they be worth it?

In my head, I had already spent the $350 years ago when I decided that over-ear headphones were in my future. I had waited and saved for that purchase. Another $200 is a significant amount — but — there are no other options with the Apple-centric feature set for which I had waited. I couldn’t spend $350 on lesser headphones now while knowing that what I actually wanted finally exists.

It turns out that the high sticker price was the motivation I needed to finally try to sell a few of my unused items. I’d also kept my pair of Beats Solo3 in great condition, and lost no sleep in saying goodbye to them. I’ve made up more than half of the cost of the AirPods Max so far, which helps take the edge off the pain of that price tag.

Closure

In the end, Apple had me where they wanted. They created features that I convinced myself that I had to have. They had me hanging for years while watching other options enter the market. They made staying within the Apple ecosystem even more enticing with iOS 14. Then they charged a premium for the AirPods Max.

But damn if they don’t sound, look, and feel like $550. Money well spent, and time waited with no regrets.

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1. Of both the tangled and yanked variety. My old earbuds would tangle the instant I put them in my pocket. While wearing them, I’d endlessly and painfully catch the wire on desk corners and door handles. You know the experience, I’m sure.↩︎

2. I tried the AirPods Pro too. But I couldn’t last even a day with them. Their sound was amazing and the noise canceling was impressive, but the combination of in-ear tips and the noise cancelation made my head dizzy. I sold them to a friend who loves them.↩︎

3. And which I still think is a more elegant, and ultimately better, name for such an elegant product.↩︎

Gear

My friend Jamie made the most of her extra time found during COVID quarantine and became a published author back in September:

Have you ever wanted to know your favorite food, once and for all? This is the book for you! This collection of over 50 different tournament-style brackets will help you to decide everything from the sport where you’d like to go pro to the worst vegetable to put in a smoothie. Each bracket includes 16 first level contenders just waiting for you put them to the test, head to head!

I’m an enthusiast, and frequent user, of wacky conversation starters with strangers. In fact, in college where I met Jamie, our friend group at Larzy 2nd West spent endless nights debating answers to questions like, “What’s the best animal tail to have?” and “If you discovered a new fruit, what would you call it?” This book fits right up that alley.

My wife and I were were thoughtfully gifted a copy for Christmas by a family member, and I’m looking forward to pulling it out for friend and family gatherings. It’s going to live with my go-to set of party games. You can check out What’s all that Bracket?: A Collection of Brackets to Turn Life Into a Tournament on Amazon.

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