For some customers, different accessories are going to be far more important than others. Not talking about headphones or anything like that. But something like a case or screen protector. For some folks, buying a new phone just automatically means buying a specific type of accessory to go along with it, too.
Sometimes, it can be easy to forget that in 2021, there is an iPod touch still available to buy. Apple actually launched the thing in early 2019, so it's not even that old! But with so many newer devices out there in the wild, especially the iPhone, no one could blame anyone for forgetting about the iPod.
More often than not, Apple does a good job when it comes to hardware and software. After all, it's Apple. One of the few true juggernauts in the tech industry. And they accomplished that feat by doing right by the customer, and what the customer wants, over the years.
Once upon a time, Microsoft had a plan to keep Windows 10 as the version of its desktop operating system. There would be plenty of updates after the initial launch, but 10 was the number to stick with from there on out. But in June 2021 Microsoft decided to change things up and announce a brand new version of the OS.
Apple put itself in a unique position before the start of this year's Worldwide Developers Conference. Not necessarily one it had to find a way out of, per se. However, a lot of people expected Apple to do just that.
I can still remember what it was like hauling around a portable CD player with me everywhere I went back in my high school days. That was before MP3s really took off. Forking over money for some worthwhile headphones was worth it back then, maybe even more so than it is today for most use cases. But that digital takeover was inevitable, and, eventually, I was hauling around all sorts of different MP3 players instead of that CD player.
It's that time of year again. We're just a few days away from Apple executives (and probably a few others) talking about what's next for its major platforms at this year's Worldwide Developers Conference. And, as usual, there's a lot of expectations swirling around the company.
I have very down-to-earth goals for an iPad mini: I just want to use it to read books. And that form factor is still my favorite iPad size to date. But even I know my aspirations for the small tablet are insane.
Because while the iPad mini is a great tool to use Apple Books on, even if it has a dated LCD screen, that price tag makes it an outrageous eReader. And this is when someone would say, well, it's an iPad. You can use it for more than just an eReader, and that's the real appeal. And that person would be right!
We expect the new device that's replacing our current one to be better in some way or another. Some reason to justify the upgrade. Some category of products are better at this than others, and some companies are better than others. But, the general rule of thumb is present across the board: make my new thing better than the last.
With the release of macOS 11 Big Sur, Apple welcomed a primarily iOS-focused feature to the desktop: Control Center. Now that it's been available for a few months, it's time to get your thoughts.
There are some great alternative options when it comes to cases for the new 12.9-inch iPad Pro. But, if you prefer Apple's Magic Keyboard, the company has a new one of those, too. Which, at one point, sounded like the only option for folks getting the new large tablet -- even if they owned the old model.
Dongle. Dongles. It's one of those words that if you say it enough times, it starts to lose its meaning. And yet, for some companies looking to drum up a competitive spirit against Apple, those dongles are an important factor.