Apple Watch 3 - $179

So it isn't the best running watch, but I'd love to have some of the other features, so I'm tempted by the $179 Apple Watch Series 3 for daily wear.

New iPad

The new iPad was announced. I think I'm going to break down and get one for myself - although I am considering the iPad Pro as well. We used our iPad 2 as our only tablet for years, so I consider this a long term investment.

The new iPad is only $329 (32 GB), but upgrading to 128 GB seems prudent. Amazon has the 128 GB model available for pre-order at $399 (a $30 discount).

The Pro models are really slick with the Pencil 2 that attaches/charges to the side, but it is double the price.

Streaming

Either you want to own physical media (CD/vinyl) or you are happy renting.

Refurb iPad Deal

If you don't mind refurbished, Amazon's Deal of the Day gets you some cheap 2018 iPads!

Alexa and Cortana

The new Laverne and Shirley...

"Available later this year, this collaboration will allow you to access Alexa via Cortana on Windows 10 PCs, followed by Android and iOS in the future. Conversely, you’ll be able to access Cortana on Alexa-enabled devices like the Amazon Echo, Echo Dot and Echo Show."

Which leads to interesting questions...

What happens if Amazon does a deal with Apple but Microsoft doesn't? "Cortana, ask Alexa to tell Siri to call mum"?

— Tim Bradshaw (@tim) August 30, 2017

I assume this will work with my new $29 Eufy Genie Echo Dot clone.

For Air Cooling!

@Pogue "Daddy, why did they put holes in computers?"https://t.co/WsXKjTs4De

— Rob Wensing (@RobWensing) September 6, 2016

Gun Emojis

Apple trades a pistol emoji for a water gun. Microsoft trades a toy gun emoji for a more realistic pistol.

So what you see will vary by platform. That doesn't sound like a good idea.

Emoji Gun Control

Because you can trace all gun violence back to the emoji?

Surface > iPad?

Maybe, sorta, a little bit.

New Macbook

Via Mike in the comments about the USB Type C Port... An Apple engineerTalks About The New 2015 Macbook:

USB Type C

The new Macbook has a Type C USB connector.

"USB-C port with support for:
Charging
USB 3.1 Gen 1 (up to 5 Gbps)
Native DisplayPort 1.2 video output
VGA output using USB-C VGA Multiport Adapter (sold separately)
HDMI video output using USB-C Digital AV Multiport Adapter (sold separately)"

I wonder if the Lightning connector will be replaced.

Microsoft Water

Google: Earth Apple: Air Amazon: Fire Microsoft: Really needs to make something called water…
— Dr. Sheldon Cooper (@SheldonSaid) March 6, 2015

Apple Surface Pro Clone?

So the question is, "Will Apple's next hit be a Microsoft Surface Pro clone?"

Sure, just slap a touch screen on the MacBook Air.

Slow iOS 8 Adoption

If users are slow to adopt iOS 8 because of disk space issues, then maybe Apple will stop making 16 GB devices and go to 32 GB as the smallest. I know that flies in the face of their strategy to push everyone to iCloud, but 16 GB is definitely on the smallish size these days.

PSA

Do not, I repeat, DO NOT put a Mac Book pro in your pocket! pic.twitter.com/HUwXZd2CZD
— Brad Colbow (@bradcolbow) September 25, 2014

Upside Down

So Apple had to pull back the iOS 8.0.1 update. And now there is the Shellshock BASH vulnerability.

Time to upgrade your Mac or Linux box to Windows for a secure computing environment!

iCloud Backup

My iPhone and iPad frequently complain that my iCloud account is full and that they cannot complete a backup. I always ignored it as I don't have anything on my devices that isn't backed up some other way. I saw this HowToGeek article via LifeHacker. It made me realize there is no reason to send my pictures/videos to iCloud when Dropbox is capturing them anyway. Duh. Problem solved.

iPhone/iPad Battery Life

A good article about the iOS battery life and how to resolve drain problems.

Via @Pogue

Upgrade Cycle

Speaking of iPhones...

So my wife's car is almost 10 years old and my car is about 9. Does this mean we will need to start upgrading every two years?

iPhone Air?

I love the speculation about the next generation of phones... in this case, the iPhone 6.