Watching Today’s Apple Event with the MPU Gang

For Today’s “It’s Showtime” Apple event, I’ll be in this thread over at talk.macpowerusers.com. We’ve done this for prior events and it is usually pretty fun. Join us if you are watching live. You can watch the event live at Apple’s Website. With all the hardware announcements last week, this Apple event looks to be different than most.

My Setup

For years now I’ve been receiving emails from readers and listeners asking me to keep a post on the website describing my current setup. It’s always been a page I’ve wanted to add to the website but also something just out of reach in my OmniFocus lists. In the upcoming episode of Mac Power Users, Stephen and I stray into our individual setups, and I committed, on air, to have my setup posted on the website by the time of publication. It’s still a bit of a work in progress but … alas … it lives!

Waterfield’s Sutter Tech Sling

While I generally prefer backpacks when carrying a lot of gear, over the past year, my load-out has got a lot smaller. The iPad Pro, with its relatively light weight, is as powerful as a MacBook Pro and I don’t have a laptop anymore. Often I want to head out to Starbucks (or Disneyland) with an iPad and a few odds and ends. The gang at WaterField bags were kind enough to send me their new Sutter Tech Sling to try out for just this purpose.

The Sutter Tech Sling is, as the name implies, a sling-style bag that can be adjusted to go over your left or right shoulder. It does this with a D-ring on the top of the bag and two separate mounting points at the bottom. On long days, it takes just seconds to move the strap and switch shoulders. Also related, the strap has a cam lock buckle that is easy to adjust while you are wearing the bag and there is a built-in shoulder pad to give you more comfort. Like other Waterfield bags, the back of the bag has a mesh padding to keep your back from getting sweaty on a hot day.

The Sutter Tech Sling comes in either brown waxed canvas and brown leather (my preference) or black ballistic nylon and black leather trim. There are two sizes: Standard (11.5″ x 8″ x 3″ with 4.5 liters of volume) and Full (14″ x 9.5″ x 3″ with 6.5 liters of volume). I have the Full size, which is required to carry a 12.9″ iPad but even the Full-size Sutter Tech Sling is the smallest bag I’ve used in some time. The bag has a main compartment that contains a separate padded sections that I use for holding my iPad. There’s also a front pocket compartment for holding incidentals.

On longer outings I’ve got the bag stuffed with my iPad, external battery, a rolled up jacket, small umbrella, water bottle, paper notebook and pens (they sell a matching pen case), and the other bits I normally carry with no problem. The bag has side zippers on both left and right sides for the front pouch and long zippers that go to the side on its main compartment, so it is easy to slide the bag forward onto your stomach without taking it off and access your gear. I often use the Sutter Tech Sling while biking. Being able to access my sunglasses in this fashion is great.

The thing I like about Waterfield bags most is the way they sweat the small stuff. The Sutter Tech Sling is no different in this regard. The clip on the key fob has a high tension spring, so I don’t have to worry about losing my keys. The three pen holders are big enough to hold my larger pens (or Apple Pencil) but also tight enough to keep them from falling out in the bag. The aglets on the end of zipper pulls aren’t cheap plastic but metal barrels that look like tiny lightsaber hilts. The interior is lined with gold fabric, making it easier to find stuff in the bag. The zippers are inset and waterproof. We’ve (thankfully) had a lot of rain in southern California this winter and I’ve been riding my bike in the rain with this bag a lot. At no point did I see any evidence of water getting inside the bag.

My well-loved Sutter Tech Sling. Click to enlarge.

Here’s my Sutter Tech Sling after two months of abuse through rain and sun. If anything, it looks even better now than it did when it was new.

The Sutter Tech Sling has become my go-to bag. I love the compact size and the easy carry over either shoulder. Because I can switch shoulders, I am able to carry this bag with a full load through a whole day. I’ve received numerous compliments on the bag from strangers, and I’m not surprised. It’s a great looking and highly functional bag. If you are looking for a sling, this is the one.

AirPods, G2

Today Apple released the second generation AirPods. (I thought that may happen.) Big differences:

Two Price Points: $159 and $199. If you want a Qi charging case, it will cost you an extra $40.
New Chip: H1 replaces the W1. It connects faster, has less latency, and gives more phone talk time. I never noticed any problem with connection speed or latency with the G1 AirPods. I will, however, gladly take more talk time. I want all the talk time. No sharing.
“Hey Siri” Support: No more tapping your ear, assuming this features delivers as promised.

I ordered a pair immediately. I spend a lot of time on the phone and I’ve had my G1 AirPods in daily use since I first bought them. I use them so much that I killed the battery in the right one and now the left one is acting up. I don’t feel bad about buying the product twice. I don’t see that I really have any choice until battery technologies improve.

Focused 69: The Intentional Life

Mike and I continue to explore the topic of intentionality and the role it has in every area of your life on the latest episode of Focused. Also, we catch up on some listener feedback, I get ready for a (hopefully) productive work trip, Mike answers my questions about Masterminds, and we discuss the importance of space and margin in living the life you want to live.

This episode of Focused is sponsored by:

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Don’t Blow It

Apple continues to ramp up its stance on privacy as a marketing point for the iPhone. As I watch ads like these, I agree with the point and they certainly can distinguish themselves from their competition when it comes to privacy. At the same time, with every statement Tim Cook makes about privacy and every additional ad like this that runs, the stakes get higher for Apple to live up the very public position they are taking. All I can think is, “Don’t blow it.”

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A Few Thoughts on the New iPads and iMacs

Apple’s been busy the last few days with announcements for new iPads and new iMacs. I’ve got a few thoughts:

The New iPads

I’m pleased to see the iPad mini returning with updated hardware. Pencil support on the iPad mini makes so much sense to me. I would have been disappointed if they hadn’t included pencil support.
A 10.5 inch, lower cost iPad Air makes a lot of sense. I’ve given my old 10.5 inch iPad Pro to my daughter, and she’s been using that, along with my old iMac, to get through college. She reports she’s not alone in that. The small bump from 9.7 to 10.5 inches makes a significant difference, particularly if you want to attach the Smart Keyboard.
Overall, I feel like Apple now has something of quality at every reasonable price point for anyone that wants an iPad. In that regard, the whole iPad line seems better positioned than the MacBooks.
While I get that an Apple Pencil 2 needs a flat surface to attach and charge, I sure wish they found a way to use the new pencil with these new iPads. Having used both old and new Apple Pencils, there is no question in my mind that Apple Pencil 2 is superior in every way.

The New iMacs

There is nothing particularly innovative with the new iMacs. They are, in large part, speed bumps, but they are nice speed bumps. The iMac definitely got better today.

I’m still confused about inflection point between high-end iMac and low-end iMac Pro.

Jason Snell did an excellent interview with Apple’s iMac Product manager about the new devices. In it Jason asked the question most on my mind, why are they still shipping with spinning disks in 2019? The answer wasn’t clear, but it seems they want to hit a price point and that’s just the way it is. I’m trying to decide if that is a cop out or I’m just an entitled nerd that thinks nobody should have to deal with spinning drives at this point. The jury is still out.

Part of the reason for my thoughts on SSD is that, in my heart, I’d hoped the next generation iMac would be designed, thermally, like the iMac Pro. I believe it to be a superior design, even with the lower speed iMac hardware. Maybe next time.
No T2 processor in the new iMac. Now the Mac mini has one and the (non-pro) iMac does not.
There are also some options tweaks to the iMac Pro.

Next Week’s Apple Event

The fact that they are dropping all these hardware announcements this week makes me believe next week’s big event is going to be all about Apple’s new streaming service. The service is the worst kept secret at Apple in recent memory, and I expect it will be an Apple event unlike anything you’ve ever seen before with a lot more talk of movie stars than terabytes. I’ve written before about the challenges I think Apple faces on this. I’m eager to see what their plan is.
Given the above point, I would not be surprised to see updated AirPods announced in the next few days.

Mac Power Users 474: Using the iPad as a Laptop

When thinking about replacing your notebook with an iPad, there are a lot of factors to consider. On this week’s episode of Mac Power Users, Stephen and I talk through the hardware and software that can make — or break — this experience.

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Automators 19: Shortcuts Updates

In the latest episode of Automators, Rose and I dive into the recent and upcoming updates to Shortcuts. Then we nerd out on weather and notes, and talk about our love for the dictionary updates.

This episode of Automators is sponsored by:

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