Hi, Speed - iPhone event confirmed for 10/13 (1 Viewer)

[Nelson Au]

Hey guys, I know the excitement is on the new iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 Pro. And I’m excited to upgrade.

But was anyone interested in the HomePod mini? I’ll be curious if the new functionality they said the HomePod Mini has will be available on the HomePod? Maybe a update is sent to the old HomePod firmware? Or maybe it just can do it as is via the iPhone doing the actual work. I’ll have to review the new features like intercom and such.

 

[DavidJ]

The FUD keeps rolling. =)

Apple touted FaceID as more secure than TouchID in its marketing and launch of it. Hard not to make a note of that.

 

[DavidJ]

I was a little surprised the Pro iPhones are available before the iPhone 12 models. But great news for those who want the Pro.

I’m leaning towards the iPhone 12 Pro. The 6.1 inch size is closer to the iPhone X so it’s not a lot bigger. The Pro Max would be cool. But I’m not sure I want a phone that big. I’m still pondering, want to be sure it fits in my jeans pocket.

That's how I'm leaning too and for the same reason, but I haven't ruled out the Max. Unfortunately, I don't think I'm going to be able to pre-order because we are in the midst of buying a house.

 

[Sam Posten]

Apple touted FaceID as more secure than TouchID in its marketing and launch of it. Hard not to make a note of that.

uh and that’s not disputed anywhere. I have no idea what point you are trying to make?

 

[DaveF]

I was a little surprised the Pro iPhones are available before the iPhone 12 models. But great news for those who want the Pro.

I’m leaning towards the iPhone 12 Pro. The 6.1 inch size is closer to the iPhone X so it’s not a lot bigger. The Pro Max would be cool. But I’m not sure I want a phone that big. I’m still pondering, want to be sure it fits in my jeans pocket.

The 6.1" iPhone 12 and 12 Pro are pre-order this Friday. The 12 mini and 12 Pro Max are in November.

 

[DaveF]

Welp, starting to look like I might get the Pro Max despite my disinterest in the giganto screen. I need all the Computational Images for taking snapshots of my cats!

Bummed that "Pro" means boring colors. I'd rather have the bold blue of the 12 than the so-called pacific gray (errr..."blue") of the 12 Pro.

 

[DaveF]

I felt very strongly this year the iPhone maturity: very little of the announcements were particuarly interesting. A huge emphasis was put on 5G, but we all know that it's, at most, marginally better than LTE right now. And the use cases -- playing competitive video games while outside in the park, or being Dr Brain Surgeon while out for a jog -- are to me so laughably hyper-niche as to show how much of a non-feature 5G is presently.

LIDAR seems like it should be a big deal, but it was pitched as "better autofocus". Good, but not wowzers. Unfortunately, Augmented Reality has turned out to be a solution without a problem to solve (not until we're wearing AR glasses, IMO).

New glass. Good. But more incrementalism.

Further improved Deep Sweater imaging (Deep Fusion). Also good. Also incremental.

Dolby Vision...? I guess this is awesome for the couple dozen Hollywood professionals that use this...? (Explain to me what I'm missing here.)

Zero time spent on how much faster the A14 is than the A13. We like to say that Apple isn't into the speeds and feeds. But they've been touting with graphs and numbers how much better An+1 is than An for a decade. I'm wondering if this is because they're now running into the limits of "Moore's Law" for ARM Risc and it's modest increment over the A13. Or maybe maybe, after a decade, they finally decided those graphs were no longer worth the event time. Maybe they're saving those speeds and feeds for the Apple Silicon Mac event.

Which is not to say that the 12 and 12 pro are anything less than amazing new pocket computers. Upgrading from a three year old 8+ with TouchID, no Night Mode, big-bezel LED screen to a minimum-bezel, OLED, FaceID, triple camera + lidar iPhone 12 Pro should be a noticeably big improvement in much of what I do and care about with my iphone.

 

[DaveF]

If I were traveling again, the combo mag safe phone/watch charger would be insta-buy for me and my wife.

 

[DaveF]

Ok, found printable cutouts for the 11 Pro and 11 Pro Max, which are very close to 12 Pro sizes, and did some quick comparo to my 8+. I'm now reminded of how the Pro is appreciably smaller than the 8+, and the Pro Max is a skosh taller but same width.

I think I want Pro with Pro Max cameras.

 

[Nelson Au]

Dave, I could have sworn I heard them say that the iPhone 12 Pro and 12 Pro Max were available for preorder this Friday.

 

[DavidJ]

After reading the Halide blog on the cameras (thanks for linking their Twitter feed, @Sam Posten), I'm pretty sure I'm not going to be able to resist the cameras in the 12 Pro Max. And there's the added benefit that of the preorders coming after our home purchase. So now to find those printable cutouts you mentioned, @DaveF.

 

[DaveF]

Dave, I could have sworn I heard them say that the iPhone 12 Pro and 12 Pro Max were available for preorder this Friday.

Nope See the dates on Apple.com front page.

Also, the rumors were right. They predicted immediate ordering of the 6.1” and November order of the other phones.

 

[DaveF]

After reading the Halide blog on the cameras (thanks for linking their Twitter feed, @Sam Posten), I'm pretty sure I'm not going to be able to resist the cameras in the 12 Pro Max. And there's the added benefit that of the preorders coming after our home purchase. So now to find those printable cutouts you mentioned, @DaveF.

Printable iPhone 11, 11 Pro & 11 Pro Max Cutouts — See Which Size Is Right for You

Whether you're ordering a new 2019 iPhone model online or just want to know how they look in your hand before buying in person, use these printable cutouts to see which one looks and feels best.

ios.gadgethacks.com

12s are about 0.1” taller, so factor that in if you care.

 

[DaveF]

Quick thoughts on Apple’s October event

It was our second Apple event in a month, and as with the previous endeavor, Apple kept it tight and focused, discussing only two product lines: the HomePod and the iPhone. The HomePod gets mini Th…

sixcolors.com

 

[Ronald Epstein]

Rene Ritchie gives his reaction to the iPhone event and in the first three minutes once again addresses his concern with Verizon's 5G network.

If you are wondering about VERIZON coverage in your area, you can check the map here:

Verizon Coverage Map: Nationwide 5G and 4G LTE Network Cell Phone Coverage | Verizon

Even our 4G beats their 5G. Use our interactive network coverage map to check Verizon 5G and 4G availability in your area. Find out just how far our nationwide cell phone coverage map spans.

www.verizon.com

There is no 5G in my area at the moment

 

[DaveF]

looks like I’ve got 5G ultra wide band around me.
but also this is my home reception, at best. I need Wifi calling to ensure stable phone calls. So I’m skeptical about 5G at home.

 

[Carlo_M]

Good lord, a little bit of a pandemic and work-from-home craziness and I managed to totally forget Apple had an event. Gah, now I gotta carve out some time tonight to watch the event.

My X is now, what, 3 years old? Normally by this time, given my usage patterns, an iPhone starts to show its age. I had previously always updated every 2 years, this is the first time I've broken that streak. But to be honest, this X still feels very solid and snappy, and I do admit I don't miss paying the extra $$ a month for a new phone. It's a scaled down version of when you pay off your car. You're just so used to losing that money every month that it's a nice breath of fresh air when you don't have to!

But yeah, watching the event later will probably throw those plans out the window...

 

[Nelson Au]

I saw quick review report on ABC GMA3 of the iPhone 12. I had been really curious how the MagSafe charger works. The reporter, Becky Worley has an actual iPhone 12 and she said the back of the iPhone has a magnet now for the charger. So this had me curious because these reports are never super specific because they are jammed into two or three minites on these shows and just covers whatever aspect they wanted to show.

So the implication is there is a magnet in the iPhone for the MagSafe. And it appears there is a magnet in the iPhone. I figured the magnetic part would be on the MagSafe puck like on the Apple Watch charging puck. Probably there is a magnet in the puck too so there is not alignment issues, they will stick together in the right place.

I was very curious about where the magnet is because if it’s on the iPhone, then I think it’s a great thing as one could place the iPhone on a metal plate and maybe it’s strong enough to hold it. This would be great as a way to install a metal plate in my car on the console so it will stay in place. We’ll see when the iPhone comes out.

 

[DavidJ]

Good lord, a little bit of a pandemic and work-from-home craziness and I managed to totally forget Apple had an event. Gah, now I gotta carve out some time tonight to watch the event.

My X is now, what, 3 years old? Normally by this time, given my usage patterns, an iPhone starts to show its age. I had previously always updated every 2 years, this is the first time I've broken that streak. But to be honest, this X still feels very solid and snappy, and I do admit I don't miss paying the extra $$ a month for a new phone. It's a scaled down version of when you pay off your car. You're just so used to losing that money every month that it's a nice breath of fresh air when you don't have to!

But yeah, watching the event later will probably throw those plans out the window...

I can relate. I also have the iPhone X and this is the first time I have gone this long between upgrading too. I’m glad I have the excuse of needing to pass a newer phone down to my kid otherwise I’d feel a bit guilty about upgrading when this phone still works so well.

 

[Nelson Au]

The iPhone X is a really good piece of hardware. I checked the battery on mine a couple of months ago with the coconutbattery app. At 419 cycles, 33 months, the battery is at 92% charging capability. I have not upgraded it to iOS 14 yet but I will shortly.

While it’s still a good iPhone, after three years I’d like to go with the 12. It feels like a real upgrade.