Sorry Apple, iPhones aren’t for pro video! -OR- What I learned arguing with people on Twitter!

The main takeaway, which became resoundingly clear over the last 48 hours?

Marketing works.

Tuesday we all sat through a round up of new product announcements from Apple, with the stock boiler plates of innovation and improvement. The most amazing products yet created. The most powerful products on the market. We were shown this year’s collection of bar graphs touting the huge lead Apple hardware enjoys over the competition.

Revealing “pro” versions of the iPhone, Apple leaned heavily into video creation to showcase the new cameras and the new A13 chipset.

The iPhone 11 Pro is so powerful you can make movies on it! Just don’t pay attention to the multi-million-dollar sound-stage, and the hundreds of thousands of dollars spent on equipment, lighting, and the talented team of filmmakers behind the phone, but I digress…

It’s those bar graphs though. Since the PowerMac days, Apple has had a love affair with simplistic, unlabeled bar graphs. We’ve seen them through so many keynotes over the last decade, that we just take them for granted. It’s just common knowledge that iPhones are more powerful than Androids.

But what happens when we test Apple’s performance claims against their video production claims?

iOS fans on Twitter get REAL flustered… Continue reading “Sorry Apple, iPhones aren’t for pro video! -OR- What I learned arguing with people on Twitter!”

What do we really get from “more powerful” smartphone processors?

When a new phone is announced, manufacturers often point to improvements like new processors and GPUs as things consumers desire. We want more powerful gadgets, but what does that really mean? What do we actually get with these generational improvements?

More gratifying benchmark scores don’t correlate with performance improvements for your favorite services.

Continue reading “What do we really get from “more powerful” smartphone processors?”

My iPhone XS Case: Goodbye Zizo, Hello ZeroLemon

For $1000, the iPhone XS is too fragile to use outside naked, especially for how costly repairs can be. I’ve been a big fan of Zizo cases, but when their customer service fails to address a significant issue, it’s time to move on. Thankfully ZeroLemon was able to help a tech reviewer out…

Read moRE

iPhone XS One Month Later: Good Phone, POOR Value

Every manufacturer makes claims about their products, but Apple is makes a HUGE claim about their smaller, premium, iPhone XS by attaching a HUGE price tag. Judging value is extremely difficult (and often very personal), but let’s break down the pros and cons one month later. Does the iPhone XS live up to its price tag? Continue reading “iPhone XS One Month Later: Good Phone, POOR Value”

Friendly Reminder: You Have Two Months Left to Replace Your iPhone’s Battery for $29

Just got my iPhone SE back from the Geniuses, and all is right with the world.

Apple got into trouble for throttling performance on iPhones as their batteries aged. It was a reprehesible business practice disguised as a consumer experience “benefit”. Apple installed a meager battery capacity, basically the bare minimum size battery your phone would need to last the day brand new. As those batteries aged, they would no longer power your phone completely through the day.

Instead of disclosing this, Apple’s “solution” was a special (low) performance mode baked into iOS. Apple activated this mode with no user notifications or permissions. At around the one year mark, your phone would get slower based on the wear and tear on the battery. Right around the time you might be looking to shop a new phone, if you like to stay on the leading edge of Apple hardware…

This was a consumer hostile move towards planned obsolescence, and it isn’t the first time Apple has had issues with phone batteries. This manufacturer ignored iPhone 5 problems until the weight of a class action lawsuit forced Apple to address the issue out of warranty. Of course, by the time the iPhone 5 issues had been disclosed, the iPhone 6 had already launched. Wouldn’t it just be EASIER to get a shiny new phone then deal with a battery warranty issue on your OLD iPhone?

The situation with performance throttling was a bigger deal still, spanning SEVERAL generations of iPhones. The resolution? A cheaper out of warranty replacement for anyone affected (basically everyone who owned an iPhone).  From the iPhone 6 to the iPhone X, you can get your battery replaced for $29, instead of the normal price of $79. The price on this repair jumps to $49 after December 31st on all phones except the iPhone X which jumps to $69.

Of course, Apple hasn’t made a lot of noise about this replacement program. Your phone doesn’t alert you in any way. You have to dig into the iPhone settings to see your battery health, but it’s not like there’s a link to schedule a service appointment there. You have to know where and what you’re looking for on the Apple Support site to get the right info, which I’ll just go ahead and link directly, right here.

There was a brief flutter of discussion about this issue in the general media. Tech enthusiasts held on to this conversation a little longer. What’s disturbing though, this replacement program has reached NONE of my family and friends using iPhones.

Aunts. Cousins. Grandparents. I’ve sent roughly twenty people to the Genius Bar, but each one of them had to be told and reminded about this situation individually. Every single one of them has decided to hold off on a future iPhone purchase. Before the replacement they were all complaining about terrible performance. With a new battery, it’s like their phones are brand new again. Why spend more money on a new phone, when their old phone FEELS new again. It’s almost like you could make a business model out of breaking a consumer’s gadget, and charge them to fix what you broke… Apple would never do that right?

If you’re reading a cranky editorial like this, you’re probably a  little tech savvier than the average bear. It’s also VERY likely that you’re a resource for your family and friends when it comes to making future tech purchases. I think all of us gadget enthusiasts have a responsibility here. The message on this battery replacement program really didn’t break through to general consumers. With only two and a half months left for this program, I would highly encourage all of us techie folks to reach out to our family and friends. Make sure the people we know personally are aware of this program, and are able to take advantage of it before the price hikes.

Everyone I’ve encouraged to do this replacement has felt better about a $30 battery, than having to buy a more expensive new phone.

Face ID is still SUPER dumb…

Coming from an iPhone SE as my daily iOS driver, it’s really tough to beat the convenience and security of Touch ID. I was hoping that one year after the iPhone X launch, Face ID would be smarter or easier to use, but no. Face ID is still really dumb.
Continue reading “Face ID is still SUPER dumb…”

Tech YouTubers Talk: Is the Headphone Jack Really Obsolete? – Painfully Honest Tech

I’m a big fan of Jason Lewis over at Painfully Honest Tech. When he reached out to chat about smartphone audio, I was game to join the conversation.

I complain about the removal of the headphone jack all the time. I know it gets annoying. Sorry. But I thought I’d bring in some friends to help me work through the problem and answer the question: Is the Headphone Jack Obsolete?

feat. Dom Esposito, Logan-Tek Syndicate, Booredatwork, Juan Carlos Bagnell, Tailosive tech, Gamesky

Continue reading “Tech YouTubers Talk: Is the Headphone Jack Really Obsolete? – Painfully Honest Tech”

Apple Watch Series 3 Review (The Things I liked And Did Not Like) – TK Bay

Today I have for you my review of the Apple Watch Series 3 after using it for over 2 weeks with the iPhone 8 Plus. I am very surprised how the watch performed on a daily basis and how the battery lasted over 2 days on regular usage.

Hope you enjoy the video.

Continue reading “Apple Watch Series 3 Review (The Things I liked And Did Not Like) – TK Bay”