Apple Media Event

Posted on 9th Sep 20199th Sep 2019 by andrewjmeekins87

10th September 2019 – “By Innovation Only”

Source: Apple

It’s that time of year again. The big Apple September media event is almost upon us. Being a big Apple fanboy I always feel like this event is like Christmas Day for me, so as ever I am very much looking forward to it. The rumour mill has been gathering momentum recently and the purported leaks of iPhone handsets seem to come earlier and earlier every year. So what can we expect this year? In this post I’ll take a dive into what the main things are that I think will be showcased at the event this week.

iPhone

Tech media has been awash the last few months with supposedly leaked images of the new iPhone handset. It’s reported to feature a triple camera system on the rear of the device, housed in a square camera enclosure. These ‘leaked’ images make the design look quite un-Apple like to me. They seem to be a far cry from the seemingly perfected iPhone 5 design a number of years ago – I’m always looking at you camera bumps! However I guess as camera improvement seems to be the main innovation with smartphones, a more industrial design is probably the least we can expect with this new handset.

It has been reported that the naming system for iPhone is going to change, with the updated iPhone XR being renamed simply iPhone, and the more expensive updated iPhone XS being renamed the iPhone Pro. I’m not sure how I feel about this if it does come to fruition. On the one hand, the renaming will bring the product into line with the iPad, and the Mac. But how “Pro” will this iPhone really be? If it is simply just an incremental upgrade, with faster processor and OLED screen etc. then I don’t think it should warrant the “Pro” moniker. If Apple went down the route of making their own interchangeable camera lenses, in the same manner as Moment lenses, then I would be on board. But after reading the rumours it just seems that they would make the move to differentiate the two handsets.

What I would like to see is a really competitive line up of phones, with the re-introduction of an updated iPhone SE with a smaller form factor. Give it an LCD, Face ID and a single camera system. This would cater to that market that want a smaller handset and aren’t interested in a camera system with all the bells and whistles. For non iPhone users this type of device would represent an excellent and cheaper entry point into the Apple ecosystem, and if the company want to get as many subscribers to their TV+ service, then this could only help that move.

In the middle of the line up you could have the updated version of the iPhone XR. Large six inch LCD screen, improved camera system, a choice of coloured finishes. Make this the go to iPhone.

At the top of the line up there could be the flagship – an updated iPhone XS Max with 6.5-7 inch OLED screen. Make this for the power users – give it all the innovation they’ve got, and make it the best device possible.

I have also heard that this year Apple may change the cable supplied with the new devices to a Lightning with USB-C, with a view to changing the device to full USB-C connectivity in 2020. In my opinion it’s quite simple, if Apple are truly serious about switching to USB-C then they should just bite the bullet now and change the connection on the device. Sure there will be a proportion of people that complain but it just seems indecisive to me otherwise and by trying to please everyone they may actually create more hassle.

Apple Watch

The big update to the Apple Watch was last year when the Series 4 was released. This year I see it simply being an incremental upgrade to the Series 5. I expect the design to remain the same, but I would like to see improvements to the battery, and added support for more types of Qi wireless chargers. It would be great if you could place your watch or your Airpods on top of you iPhone for a quick burst of wireless charge but maybe I’m living in a dreamworld. At WWDC they Apple showed us that apps will be able to run straight from the watch. I wonder whether this is the start of a move to un pair the device from the iPhone, and perhaps make it usable with other devices which could be good for Android users.

Apple TV dongle

If Apple were to release a smaller dongle for their Apple TV service in a similar fashion to the Fire TV stick and the Google Chromecast AND price it competitively, say under £50, I really think this would help people to subscribe to their new Apple TV+ streaming service. It could just be 1080p, no need for 4K. It would just be to get people through the door. If people like the product and the service they may then consider upgrading to the powerhouse Apple TV 4K and moving the dongle into a bedroom.

HomePod

This is an interesting product category. Apple have been severely left behind by Amazon and Google in this category. Both of those tech companies seem to release new devices all the time and consumers lap them up. I know that I have added a number of Alexa devices and Smart home peripherals because of their accessibility and big discounts throughout the year. Apple really needs to do something in this area if they want to be a force in the Smart Home arena. I wonder if Apple needs to rethink this product a bit. Make it less of a very good expensive speaker system (we have Sonos and other alternatives for that), and more of a Home hub. Like J.A.R.V.I.S. from Iron Man. Stick Paul Bettany’s voice into Siri and maybe I’ll buy it straight away.

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The Matrix Re-turns

Posted on 23rd Aug 2019 by andrewjmeekins87

“Whoa!”

Wednesday saw the announcement that Warner Bros. has apparently lit the green light on production of a fourth Matrix film, to be written and directed by Lana Wachowski, and starring returning actors Keanu Reeves and Carrie Anne Moss. Initially I missed this news until Thursday…How the actual f**k did I miss this?

Over the last few years there have been numerous stories about Warner Bros. trying to get a new movie off the ground, most recently with a reboot starring Michael B. Jordan, which did have me excited provided there was going to be care taken with the choice of writers and directors.

I cannot emphasize it enough, The Matrix Trilogy had a profound and almost life changing effect on me when I was growing up. When the first film came out in the Summer of 1999 I was too young to see it. I saw it first on VHS (who?) and my mind was blown. Well and truly. I literally couldn’t watch it enough and every time that I did I felt like I got something more out of it. It was the first time that I realised a film could have so many layers and so much hidden meaning. I first saw the trailer to The Matrix Reloaded when it was played before Minority Report. I was so hyped and could not wait to see where the story was going to go. I went to see the second film on a preview night and once again I was blown away – the film could literally do no wrong in my eyes. When the third film came out my hype machine was going into overdrive. When I saw it I liked it…however like many final chapters I was slightly underwhelmed I have to say, even though I have never wanted to admit it because of how much I treasure those films. As time has gone on I think I have actually switched my opinions slightly on the two sequels. When it comes to Reloaded some of the CGI has not aged well and for me detracts from the film. When it comes to Revolutions I actually think it was quite a fitting end, even though it has always felt like a film of quite low mood. I now come to agree with a lot of other people on the internet that the sequels could have benefitted if they had simply cut them both into one sequel.

Increasingly Hollywood seems to take less risk on properties. It seems like it is only Steven Spielberg and Christopher Nolan that get to make big budget films that are not a direct sequel, prequel, spin-off or reboot. So it is finally the turn of The Matrix. Underneath all of my undeniable pleasure that Warner Bros. are resurrecting this property, I can’t help but think that they are riding the wave of the Keanu resurgence. John Wick, Toy Story 4, Bill & ted, Cyber Punk – Keanu is reeves is arguably as popular as he has ever been. Even if that is the case I for one am really happy with this news. Yes there is going to be sceptics due to the critical reaction to the sequels and the patchy track record of the Wachowskis as directors.

However I still think there is an appetite for these films and I would love to see them work in current technologies and associated anxieties. I want them to spend a lot of time within The Matrix, bending the rules of reality. The more I think about it I would love to go back to this world now, and experience it in the ways which cinema and effects have progressed over the last 15 years. Will anything match our reaction when we first saw bullet time?

Currently its only Keanu Reeves and Carrie Anne Moss that have been slated to return. It will be interesting to see whether any other members of the original trilogy will return. Personally I would like to see a bit of a passing of the torch in a similar way to The Force Awakens, where the original actors hand the baton over to a new generation.

I can’t wait to see how much further the rabbit hole goes.

Let me know what you think of this news.

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When plastic got drastic and being more green

Posted on 3rd Jul 20193rd Jul 2019 by andrewjmeekins87

Wednesday 3rd July 2019

So for my first post I thought I would share how I’ve recently really switched on and have started to wake up to the crisis of trying to preserve our planet. In the last few months things have really hit home to me about how bad things have got with regards to plastic waste. Thanks David Attenborough and Blue Planet 2! Let’s get real here, we can all do more to reduce our carbon footprint, our plastic waste and just generally be more green and eco friendly with the way that we live our lives. By now we have all seen the pictures of the islands of plastic waste out in the world’s oceans, and we are bombarded with news stories about how the world is warming up at a dangerous rate. Surely as the supposedly intelligent species on the planet it’s more than a choice to look after our world, it’s our overriding duty to pass it on to the next generation in the best state possible. So I have started to make some proper changes to my lifestyle to try and incorporate this and do my bit.

I recently watched the three part series titled “The War on Plastic” on the BBC and would thoroughly recommend it to anyone that hasn’t seen it. In watching that what was clear to me was just how much single use plastic we all have in our homes that we are basically unaware of, at least I was anyway. What was also clear was how easy it is for us all to reduce how much single use plastic we use, and the positive impact that can have, however small it may initially seem. I used to be of the mindset that why should I bother if no one else is? This is clearly the wrong attitude to have and is part of the problem that we are all contributing to. If everyone started to make small changes and really do their bit I’m confident we would start to see some positive impacts and maybe the problem sources (supermarkets) would actually start to take note.

So the changes which I have made are as follows:

Started cycling to work / using more public transport. Obviously this will only work if your place of work is within a reasonable distance. It saves money and get’s you fit and as a family we have been able to switch to one family car.

Switched energy supplier to Octopus energy, who claim that all of their energy comes from 100% renewable sources.

I bought a Chillys bottle to use rather than buying bottled water. Although they may look expensive initially, they’re extremely well built and keep your water ice cold for ages!

Purchased an rCup reusable coffee cup for coffee on the go. I’ve become slightly addicted to coffee (and the odd slice of cake) and let’s be frank the amount of coffee cups we use every day in life which are never recycled borders on being criminal. This cup so far seems really good and is also made from recycled plastic. Some coffee shops will also offer you a small discount for using a re-usable cup. It may seem like a small amount but multiply that by how many cups of coffee we buy in a year and it will be a worthwhile saving that you can use elsewhere.

Getting big food shops delivered. This reduces the amount of vehicles driving to and from supermarkets by having one vehicle deliver several customers’ shopping. With an almost two year old daughter it’s also a lot less stressful as I don’t have to constantly prevent her from touching and removing every single item from the shelves.

Switching to bamboo toothbrushes. Apparently toothbrushes can’t be recycled. I’ve also switched to replaceable heads by LiveCoco for my electric toothbrush as these claim to be recyclable if you send them off.

Getting milk delivered in reusable glass bottles.

I made my own household cleaner. It uses all natural ingredients and reduces the amount of spray bottles which I use which contain a lot of different plastic parts and are difficult to recycle.

Switch to LED lightbulbs throughout the house. These use a lot less energy than normal lightbulbs so in the long run will save you money on your energy bills.

Reduce use of single use wet wipes. In the recent BBC show “The War on Plastic” these types of wipes were found to contain a shockingly high amount of plastic. If you look around your house I reckon you will have a few types of these wipes around the home…baby wipes, toilet wipes, disinfectant wipes. Do we really need to use that many?

Obviously many of the points which I have listed above require some form of initial investment, however I think it’s time everyone wised up to the cost our 21st century lifestyles are having on the world around us.

Moving forwards I would like to continue to reduce the amount of single use plastics that I use at home. Where I do have to use household products for cleaning etc. I would like to switch to products which claim to originate from natural sources. I would also like to tackle the huge problem that we have of waste and single use plastics at work. I’ll keep you posted.

I’d love to hear what steps anyone else is taking to be more eco friendly in their lives.

Thanks for reading

Andrew

Finding Focus