New 12" MacBooks Coming Soon?

Like many of you, I am eagerly waiting for Apple to release the new updated 12" Macbooks.  It's been more than a year since we have yet to see anything new on that front.  However, with the extended sale going on at Best Buy for the 12" Macbook, there is a slight glimmer of hope that we might see an update sooner rather than later in June when Apple holds its next event, the Worldwide Developer Conference.  For weeks now, Best Buy has been pushing out the 12" Macbook with a $300 discount. 

What is more interesting is that for the low-end model, only the gold is available while the silver is the only model at the higher price.  It's worth monitoring some more over the next week or so.  A check at other retials showed that they have some models in stock while Apple's own online and retail stores does not seem to have any shortages.  However, checking other models like the Macbook Airs similar situations where there are certain models that are no longer on sale.

It does mean that we could be looking at a refresh of the Macbook line sooner rather than later.  Personally, I don't buy the speculation and rumor that Apple is waiting for the WWDC in June to unveil the new Macbooks.  Perhaps, if there is a new Mac Pro, that might be the venue to do that.  Apple has not always release new Macs at the WWDC.  It's rare that it happens.  My guess is that Apple wants to allow more time between the just released 9.7" iPad Pro and the future release of the new Macbooks so that the iPad Pro can have a window of a few weeks to itself to take off. 

And this does make a lot of sense.  Apple has been trying to stem the dwindling iPad sales for many quarters now.  Given that the iPad is the computing platform of the future that Apple is betting on, it's crucial that demand for the iPad is strong.  A couple of quarters of increase sales could go a long way in easing concerns of both Apple brass and Wall Street. 

So, I'll be waiting for the new Macbook update whenever that is.  But I'm hopeful that it'll be a shorter wait than most anticipated. 

Mobile And Battery Life Ready For Primetime In Power Outages

Because of some work being done on my house, I did not have power last night.  Of course, I would have appreciated some warning from the contractor but it was a good "drill" if you will of what an emergency without power would be like.  In some respect, I was ready.  Almost. 

I had my banks of USB-charged batteries, one with more than 10,000 mAh and two with more than 20,000 mAh.  Not to mention a couple of LED lights that were solarly charged.  How did I fare?

No power meant no Internet service.  Now, I don't know what would happen in a 10+ earthquake on the Richter scale which we may we see one day living in California and all or a Category 5 hurricane which we are never going to see in drought stricken California, it's possible that we may see all of our power knocked off along with cell towers toppling over.  But since this was a drill, I had cell service.  And best of all, I have T-Mobile so I was able to Bing-On with music and video. Not an issue at all.  No worries about data overage. 

As for power, I have an Anker solar charger that should for the most part help me get enough juice at least for my smaller handheld devices, an iPhone 6 Plus, and charge my Asus tablet and the iPad mini.  Beyond that, I would have to fall back on a solar generator that I have never used before.  It's charged but I have not tested it for some time.  If the power issue persists today, it would be a great time for me to set it up and see if it is still working. 

As for other aspects of preparedness should this have actually been a real natural or man-made disaster, like most urbanites, I would have been out of luck.  I have some dried food and enough water for a couple of days but nothing that would last me a week or two. 

For this drill, I'm glad I managed to get through it well enough.  Perhaps, there are some other adjustments and equipments I should get.  I'll revisit this once I do.

What I Want From Apple Next: 15" Macbook

I've waited a year for an update to last year's super-ultra-thin 12" Macbook.  And while I had hoped that Apple would do one of those quiet refresh of the Macbook line with the still new-ish Intel Skylake chips that offers better performance and longer battery life, I suppose we will have to wait a few months longer until the next Apple event, which is the June World Wide Developer Conference.

But the possible bonus to the extra three month wait is that Apple may refine the Macbook line, specifically the Macbook Pro.  However, I have a Macbook Pro and I'm not looking for another one.  It does what I need it to do for the most part so I'm looking at the 12" still.

However, should the 15" Macbook Pro manage to shed a couple of pounds, I may give it a second look.  In fact, I would not mind a bigger retina Macbook should Apple release one with 15" and manage to have it come out to about 3 pounds.  Considering that I am very mobile as in that I move about quite a bit, shed the 1.5 pounds will be welcoming. 

Can Apple some how make the 15" Macbook go below 3 pounds?  That would be even better.

AI And Robot: Apple Unveiled A Robotic Tool To Take iPhones Apart For Recycling - How About Putting an iPhone Together?

Sure, tech and Apple-centric pundits are not impressed with Apple's announcement today with the game changing iPhone SE with powerful specs and 6S Plus-like battery life and the 9.7" iPad Pro that should make investors very happy. But what most missed today is Liam, Apple's robotic tool, that if it works as advertised in the video below, could be the most revolutionary thing out of today's announcement.

Liam, designed to take apart old iPhones Apple received for spare parts and reclaim rare and expensive minerals, may well be just the beginning of robotics for Apple and its future factories.  If Liam could be designed for sophisticated tasks as pulling apart nuts and bolts and separating batteries and metals,

Liam could potentially have an even more sophisticated sibling that will one day put together our iPhones, iPads, Macs, and Apple Watches.

This could be the next major step in manufacturing from Apple that could revolutionize robotics and, perhaps, even AI.

iPhone SE Has Plus Size Battery Life - Very Promising For iPhone 7

Look at the battery specs for the new
IPhone SE. It has a battery life comparable to the iPhone 6S Plus. This bodes well for the next iPhone 7 Plus. 

What does this mean? For mobile warriors such as myself who are constantly worried about battery life, the iPhone SE can be an excellent daily driver.

This was truly unexpected. At best, I expected to see iPhone 6S numbers of 10 tip 11 hours of use. But with 12 hours of estimated Internet use, this was beyond anything I had hoped for. 

What does this mean? For mobile warriors such as myself who are constantly worried about battery life, the iPhone SE can be an excellent daily driver.

What this means is that we can expect even better battery louder from the next iPhone 7 or Pro update this fall.

- Posted using Mobile

Apple Watch: Bands Are Nice But We Need More Pocket Watch Options

Why aren't there more pocket watch accessories for the Apple Watch?  That's what I want to know.  And for that matter, just something that you can loop around your belt or pant loop would suffice. The only accessory I can find is this one that started off as a Kickstarter project.

 

Bucardo, the company behind these pocket watches that allow you put use the inserts for the bands that let you substitute the top for the cover and the bottom for the chain.  For $199 each, it's more than I'm willing to pay for.  It's not bad but I feel there could be less expensive options.  Unfortunately, there are none after a couple of Web searches months apart.

if anyone knows of other designs and options, please us all of us know.  I'm sure there are quite a few who would love this optional use of our Apple Watches.

Why It Is Worth Waiting For the Next 12" Macbook Update - Graphics Update in the New Intel Skylake

By all accounts, the 11 month-old 12" Retina Macbook is an engineering and design marvel from Apple.  And by most accounts, the Macbook is an adequate computer that performs to the likely of most owners and reviewers.  However, there are more than a few who found the Macbook to be underpowered at times.  How that is the case varies and certain tasks may not have been the intended use from Apple.  Saying that, with this Macbook now in need and likely close to being updated with new Intel chips, the Skylake chips, the best recommendation is to way.  Not just for the new CPU muscles but also the boost in graphics performance.

According to Intel (by way of Macworld), its integrated graphics processors can hold their own against 80% of discrete graphics cards on the market.  This could not have been the case even a couple of years ago.  And Apple likely has an influence on this advance from Intel.  More and more, consumer class PCs require more processing power for not only daily computing needs but where the future of computing is headed.  VR, anyone?  Artificial intelligence? 4K monitors?

And with rich media continuing to be a part of the computing experience, not to mention multi-tasking, more CPU and graphics power would be greatly appreciated.

For gamers, integrated graphic setups from Intel will not work for the most part in that some compromises are demanded from users to not being able to play the games at all.  A much more powerful Macbook Pro with discrete graphics chips from AMD or Nvidia are needed.  Perhaps, even a Windows machines.  But for games that are couple of years or older, it is possible the Macbook can labor through it, albeit, some requires that the settings be lowered.  

Furthermore, there is the likelihood that with the new chips, the Macbook will have a slightly more improved battery life.

The Macbook was introduced in April of 2015. With Apple holding a press event for Apple Watch and the iPad, many hope that Apple would also refresh the Macbook line, including the 12" Macbook.