Tag: #apple

iPhone 13 Pro vs iPhone 12 Pro :: First impressions

I am moving my stuff from an iPhone 12 Pro to an iPhone 13 Pro. And I am shooting some quick photos with a Fujifilm camera. I apologize for the bad photo quality, but I cannot shoot the iPhones with the iPhones. We will return to the old quality after this. 🙂

Here are some quick observations:

I knew that the new camera is bigger than the old camera. I did not imagine how much larger it is. Very hard to see in a photo, I used perspective to make the difference more pronounced. Just by looking at the camera I know which iPhone I am holding.

Although the iPhones look very similar at first glance, the iPhone 13 Pro is noticeably thicker and heavier. All buttons have moved slightly towards the bottom and that is a very good thing for my fingers. Also, the SIM card slot has moved quite a lot towards the bottom left side, but I only touch that twice, when I put the card in and when I finally remove it.

The bigger camera, the thicker case, the moved buttons all mean you cannot use an old case. That was to be expected.

I use a MagSafe Duo charger and I was worried it would collide with the new camera hump, but it does not. It has actually become easier to put the phone down on the charger. Just place it face up, a little bit too high, and then draw towards you. Bamm. I always have to do this in complete darkness and it worked better on the first try then did after months with the iPhone 12 Pro.

However, if you get the Apple leather case, you will get a collision between the high lip that protects the camera and the Duo charger. The normal MagSafe works just fine.

This collision is purely cosmetic. The charger works just fine and it does not apply to me since I have used the iPhone 11 Pro and the iPhone 12 Pro without a case, and will also do the same with the iPhone 13 Pro.

This is just a first impressions before getting too much use out of the iPhone. I only got it yesterday but I am already liking it. Moving data and apps from one phone to the other was a breeze. The only thing that always worries me is the TAN generator one of my bank uses. You have to enroll it again on the new phone. For those who don’t move iPhones as often as I do: you basically place the old phone next to the new one and follow the default options. After that it moves the data, reinstalls the apps, pairs the Apple Watch and the Apple headphones. Only the information stored in the secure element needs to be recreated.

The mother of all iPhone camera reviews

We’ve spent the last week in southern Tanzania, exploring this vast natural habitat and capturing all its beauty with the iPhone 13 Pro’s camera. As I watched Apple’s keynote about this year’s iPhone release, I was most excited about the new macro capability, increased telephoto zoom, and Cinematic mode.

Check this out. I do not want to spoil the pleasure with just one photo. You have to see it yourself.

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Apple did not compare A15 to A14 CPUs – for a reason

The rest of the industry may be ready to catch up to Apple, who lost the lead architect and some hundred engineers to a new startup, that was bought by Qualcomm.

Regardless of the paltry CPU gains and potential core architecture delays, Apple is still the leader in performance per watt. With Intel design teams starting to get back on track, AMD executing almost flawlessly, and Qualcomm coming in soon like a hammer with Nuvia cores, we aren’t sure if this lead will be sustained. The A11 to A12 generation was seen as Apple starting to asymptote out on gains with only a 15% gain, and the A13 to A14 looked even more weak with 8.3% gains, but now with no CPU gains, let’s cross our fingers and hope the A16 brings a large architectural change.

Dylan Patel

A very interesting analysis.

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A few thoughts on the Apple event

Just watched the Apple Event, like many of you. I am not going to list every detail announced. Other people do a much better job at this. Instead I am going to comment on what stuck in my head.

If you followed all the leaks, you were mostly mis-lead. I don’t pretend I know what will happen and that’s good. I would have been very wrong. No, Apple Watch 7 will not have a boxier design.

For the easy part: new iPhone in the same fashion as last year. iPhone 13 and 13 mini, iPhone Pro 13 and 13 Max. They look very similar, with new camera modules. On the iPhone the lenses are now in opposing corners, not on one side. The cameras are also noticeably larger. Beautiful new colors to show you have a new one.

Halide compares the iPhone 13 Pro camera to previous models

It’s the cameras that blow me away each year. The Pro models now have a 3x tele. Last year it was 2x for the Pro and 2.5x for the Pro Max. Very welcome change. The ultrawide gets a much-needed macro mode. Video recording now provides a new mode, where it automatically sets the focus bracket “intelligently” and you can change it in post. You have to see it to believe it. Insanely great.

Apple Watch 7 gets a larger display that is rounded into the body. Apple claims it is also much more durable. The display remains brighter in the off state. The body keeps compatibility with all bands, Watch gets a faster charger that connects to USB-C. I hope they maintain compatibility to old chargers. Apparently there are no new sensors.

iPad gets a small spec bump to A13 Bionic which was introduced with iPhone 11 and new cameras with a 12MP ultrawide front camera supporting automatic framing in video calls. The enclosure keeps the old almost iconic form with wide bezels at the top and bottom. It now looks seriously dated.

The new iPad mini was the secret star of the show. It’s actually more of an iPad Air mini than an iPad mini. TouchID in power button, same body design, now with Truetone flash. Best of all, it now has a USB-C port, unlike the new/old iPad. This is now the real iPad lineup: 12.9″ Pro, iPad Air, iPad mini. The smaller Pro and the iPad somehow don’t fit in this range anymore.

Fitness+ is coming to more countries and Apple just subtitles instead of dubbing the audio. I am not sure how well that will work with people who have to stare at the screen during workouts. 1 month free trial, and 3 months if you buy a new Watch 7.

Speaking of which: Apple isn’t ready to ship. While you can preorder the iPhone from this Friday to be shipped a week later, Watch does not yet have a release date. Later this fall. I guess there will be a run on Xmas gifts.

It’s always interesting what Apple does NOT say. No performance comparisons between A14 and A15 for instance. I also missed updates on availability for iOS and watchOS, assuming they are coming next week. (Update. next Monday)

And to end on a high note: the iPhone Pro models get displays with variable refresh rates all the way from 10 to 120 Hz. That is going to save a ton of battery. It made the always-on Watch 5 display possible.

What were your highlights?

Video-Loops mit Apple Clips

Letzte Woche habe ich dieses Video mit viel Spaß gesehen und hatte nun Probleme es wiederzufinden. Darum poste ich es einfach hier. 😊

Es geht um die App Clips und wie man damit Video-Loops baut. Clips ist ziemlich unbekannt, aber ich nutze es gern, um blitzschnell Videos zu schneiden. Dazu nimmt man die Videos zunächst auf, um sie dann in Clips zu montieren. Man kann auch direkt in Clips aufzeichnen, aber das finde ich unhandlicher.

Apple MagSafe Battery Pack

Ganz oben auf meiner Wunschliste, das neue Battery Pack für die iPhone 12-Generation. Hängt einfach per Magnet am MagSafe und lädt induktiv, in beide Richtungen. Man kann das Ladegerät ans iPhone oder das Battery Pack hängen und beide auf einmal aufladen. Dabei wird immer zuerst das iPhone aufgeladen und der Akku zuerst entladen. Das kennen wir schon von den Smart Battery Cases. Vorteil hier: Steckt das Kabel im iPhone, hat man gleichzeitig eine Datenverbindung. Oder umgekehrt: An fremden USB-Ausgängen immer das Battery Pack als “Firewall” anschließen.

Ich habe ein paar falsche Spekulationen zur Kapazität gelesen, weil die Autoren in mAh und nicht in Wh rechnen. 11 Wh hat Marco korrekt ausgerechnet. Das muss man aber testen, denn induktiv geht einiges verloren.

iPhone 12 mini und iPhone 12 mit MagSafe Battery Pack (Foto Apple)

iPad Pro 12.9 deutlich billiger

Ich bin ein großer Fan des iPad Pro, und zwar des Modells mit dem großen Bildschirm. Beim kleineren Modell in “normaler” iPad-Größe greift man besser zum iPad Air und spart eine Menge. Dabei ist das neue iPad Pro mit M1 Chipset teurer geworden: 1309 Euro kostet es nun im Amazon Apple Store. Das 2020er Modell aber kostet satte 400 Euro weniger und geht jetzt für 909 Euro und kostet damit kaum mehr als das iPad Air. Das finde ich ein ordentliches Schnäppchen.

AirPods Max :: Sechs Monate später

AirPods Max und das unbenutzte Case

Vor einem halben Jahr habe ich einen der ersten AirPods Max in Deutschland in Betrieb genommen und war vom Start weg begeistert. Der Kopfhörer hatte eine mir bis dato unbekannte Qualität, sowohl in der Verarbeitung als auch im Klang.

Dann begannen die üblichen Dramen: Untaugliches Case und fehlender Ausschalter. Mon Dieu! Ein halbes Jahr später kann ich sagen: Kein Drama. Im ersten Software-Update hat Apple das Schlafproblem gelöst. Und das Case habe ich zu all den anderen Cases in den Schrank gelegt. Ich brauche es schlicht gar nicht. Aber wenn ich es brauchen würde, würde es eher einen Platz finden als die anderen Hardcases.

Ich nutze den AirPods Max jeden Tag mehrere Stunden. Er hat nichts von seiner Faszination eingebüßt und zeigt bisher keine Abnutzung. Es ist einfach ein tolles Produkt.

Wenn ich mir was wünschen dürfte: Ein 3.5 mm TRRS-Anschluss wäre hilfreicher als dieses flimsige Apple-Kabel. Ich habe noch kein 3rd-Party Produkt als Ersatz gefunden. Der Apple Kopfhörer-Adapter funktioniert nicht und damit wohl auch alle anderen Lösungen, mit denen man einen Kopfhörer am iPhone betreiben kann. Oder hat da jemand andere Erfahrungen?