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Good morning! āļø *Tim Cook voice*
Today, weāre discussing my hot takes from this week, the latest software, and more!
Estimated reading time: 3.5 minutes
šĀ Poll
In the last poll, I asked: When do you plan to buy your next Mac?
Here were some of my favorite replies:
No - āI think 18 inch would be too big for portability. The idea personal notebook is portability and ergonomics. Even though Apple makes 16ā and 14ā MacBook I still prefer the 14ā as the largest screen size I would go for.ā
Yes - āI find myself using my laptop as a full computer for all my daily tasks. I like my laptop being portable, but I would be willing to carry around a few extra pounds if it means I get even more screen real estate while Iām workingā
This week: Do you use lens protectors on your iPhone? More on this below.
Do you use iPhone lens protectors? |
š«¢Ā My Controversial Takes
This week has been interesting because I made some controversial takes on X that not everybody agreed with.
8GB of RAM is Enough
This is the one that ruffled a lot of feathers. Let me explain:
I think the base model - yes, the one with 8GB of RAM - is sufficient enough for most people who are considering an entry level MacBook Pro
I made a video on the M3 vs M3 Pro and showed how similar they perform despite the vast memory difference
The pros who do the 'hyper intensiveā tasks are not considering a base machine, they already know they need M3 Pro or M3 Max machines.
So to say I need to test out 8K video editing and crazy 3D renders is pointless because the people IRL who would do those tasks, are not even considering this base machine.
The M3 MBP has 2x NAND chips, compared to 1 in the M2
Because of that + the M3 efficiency, 8GB RAM with M3Ā performs much better than on previous machines, especially Intel MacBooks
Memory swap does not hurt the SSD. Thatās a myth, there is no data that supports that claim
I personally think the whole ā8GB in 2023!? Apple is insaneā take is overblown.
Do I think Apple should be giving us more than 8GB for $1600? Sure, but given the efficiency, itās not the same as 8GB RAM on a Windows machine or an old M1 MacBook. So it makes sense given the lineup structure of MacBook Pro these days.
At the end of the day, if you need more RAM than the base M3 machine offers, just get 16GB for an extra $200, or pay up for the M3 Max. Iād skip the M3 Pro this year, as itās not a whole lot better than M3 in my testing, and plus, M3 Max is just an absolute beast.
iPhone Lens Protectors
I used iPhone camera lens protectors for the first time ever.. and it will be my last. Hereās why:
The iPhoneās camera is made with sapphire. Even if itās not āreal sapphire,ā itās stronger than normal glass and is very scratch resistant
Lens protectors hurt image quality. I noticed a lot of hazy images with these on, mostly with Macro shots
If/once you take them off, you will have adhesive residue all over your lenses to clean off
Use a case with a raised camera lip, so that your lenses donāt take direct impact when falling
And for those saying that the lens protectors āsavedā their iPhone from needing repairs: I doubt it.
Just because the lens cover cracked does NOT mean the camera lens wouldāve cracked. They are just made of less durable glass, so theyāre bound to break easily. Thatās why theyāre typically sold in packs of 4+.
Even if youāre a āno caseā type of person, just get AppleCare+ and avoid the lens protectors.
āļø Software Updates!
This week, we saw several software updates across Appleās platforms:
iOS 17.1.1 and watchOS 10.1.1 were released to patch some critical bugs. Hereās my video on them
macOS Sonoma 14.1.1 was released to patch the strange bug where M3 Macs came installed with macOS Ventura and could not be updated to Sonoma
iOS 17.2 Beta 2 was released with the first Vision Pro features added & more. Hereās my video on whatās new
New AirPods Pro 2 update 6B32 is out. Apple said it is a bug fix update
Expect iOS 17.2 Betas to continue throughout the month. The final release should come in early-mid December.
š°Ā Quick News Bites
Apple Briefly Paused Work on New Features for iOS 18 and macOS 15 to Clean Up Bugs
Resident Evil 4 Coming to iPhone, iPad & Mac on December 20th
iPad Pro OLED Display Production Reportedly to Begin Around February
Humane officially launches the AI Pin, its OpenAI-powered wearable
Valve reveals the Steam Deck OLED: $549 buys better screen, battery, and more
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