iPhone 12 Mini: As Productive As Ever But More Is Possible

There were times this past couple of weeks when I was out and about as I tried to juggle between work and immediately family matters and I was only able to steal a few minutes here and there to work on my side projects, jot down thoughts, and continue my slow but steady  march toward becoming a coder.  With the iPhone 12 mini, I'm able to do all that and come away feeling rather productive and had no issues getting what I needed done. 

Of course, it's not Mac or the iPad. Nor was it the 6.7" iPhone version. Here is a list of what I've been able to do:

• With a stylus, I was able to come up with a couple of sketches for a project I am working on. 
• Record a 20 min recording that i will edit later for a podcast. 
• Average out about 400-600 words a day for blogs and other writing. 
• Took some photos and edit them for uploading to a site that lets me sell photos. 
• Practice come codes. Wasn't able to run them till later but
• Mind-mapped and plotted out an online store I'm trying to start with my wife. 

And I am writing this post using the mini. Writing a few hundred words on the mini is easy. I have yet to writing anything close to, say, a chapter length article. It can be done. I once read that a woman write an entire book on a cellular phone using only the numeric pad. 

I am kinda scatter-brained but if I work at it, I think can become even more productive with just the iPhone mini. I think I am only scratching the surface of the potential of Apple's smallest Face ID era iPhone. And I am sure smarter and more creative people than I am have done much more with less. 

Going With the iPhone Mini - Let’s See If It Is the Right Move After A Year Using It

I got the iPhone 12 Mini.  A few years ago, I would have gotten the iPhone 12 Pro Max without a second thought.  Things have changed.  I no longer want the best but only need enough to maximize my productivity in both my daily life and my work.  

Let me get some of the obvious shortcomings of the mini compared to the bigger iPHone 12s out of the way:  the Pro have better cameras including the 2x zoom camera which I miss but not as much as I expected, battery life is shorter than the other iPhones, and its smaller screen.  Other than that, it is still an iPhone 12 in a smaller body with the fastest Apple developed chip available for the iOS devices.  Not even the iPad Pro has the latest chip yet.  

Still, if the sale stats are correct, the mini is the worst seller of the iPhone 12s.  If Apple is disappointed, I would be surprised because they likely know the mini served a specific market, a niche segment of the iPhone market that remember the perfect iPhone 5, 5S, and original SE size that allow one to easily hold and operate with one hand and stow away in a pocket without having to give it an extra shove.  And over time, the iPhone SE could adopt the iPhone 12 min form factor with a lower price, opening up an even bigger market for Apple.

I am going to keep updating my personal uses of the iPhone 12 mini over the year, concluding whether I’m going to hold onto it, upgrade it to another mini in 12 months, or go back to the Pro version.  

Let me start with the intimacy of the iPhone 12 mini.  when I’m out and about using it in public, I enjoy being able to use it without a 6.7” screen for all the world to see.  And the smaller form factor also satiate the nostalgia of devices past - the Palm devices, the original iPhone, and, yes, even a couple of Windows Mobile devices.

I send messages back and forth between friends on various messaging apps, hardly something requires bigger iPhones.  And among other things that I use the mini for:  Twitter (no Facebook/Instagram or any other social apps - by choice and also no need to use anything else), consume news, writing, and, once in a while, play games.  And on occasion, I use the iPhone for work as well but only as needed.

And I do need any iPhone.  Today, I left the house without it on purpose.  I had my cellular Apple Watch 6.  And it was a Sunday after all.  And I’m not all that important that I could go without my iPhone for a few. Hours.  But when I needed to take a photo of something, that was when I realized there are still times when I had to carry around a smartphone.  I tried to remember the details of what I was trying to take a photo of.  But the time I got home, not only had I forgotten the information, I had completely forgotten what I was trying to photograph.  

That will be all for now.  And I definitely think I made the right move going with the iPhone 12 mini.  There will be times when I wish I have some feature like the better camera on the Pro or longer battery life but I think those times should be quite rare.

Hybrid iOS and Mac Device - It Would Need To Be Done Right

Source:  Google Search.

It is common knowledge that Apple's own chips used in the iOS devices for years and now on the just updated MacBook Air and MacBook Pro are very fast.  There is almost nothing on the market that comes close to the processing power and the amount of power it needs.  It's the main reason why Apple is moving away from Intel chips. Apple's chips are simply faster and runs cooler.  It is why Apple's iPhone blow competing Android devices out of the water.  It is why Apple can arm its devices with only a few GB of RAM and the Galaxy devices need 16 GB.  Given how fast Apple's new M1 chip is and the potential for even better upgrades in the future, it is time to revisit a subject hat has divided the Apple community:  a tablet that runs both the iOS and Mac OS.  

First let me say this, with iOS and Mac OS the way they are not, it would not work.  It would be a nightmare.  Mac OS would not work with the current touch interface that works so well on the iPhone or iPad.  I would not buy such a device even if it was available now.  And I'm sure there are other problems that goes along with this.  

However, make no mistake - such a device is something Apple either has thought about or is a bit further along. Think an engineer at Apple has not managed to get MacOS running on and iPad Pro?  Perhaps an iPad Pro with the yet to be released M2 chip running MacOS like hot knife on butter?  

It will require Apple to rethink how the touch interface would work.  It would require an intelligent interface that knows when touch interface works better and when traditional PC interface works better.  But there is another way that Apple will make this happen.

How exactly would Apple do this?   I'm going to come back with a couple of thoughts on this later.  For now, I think it is worth bring up this discussion again.  

iOS Devices - Upgrade Or Change The Battery?

Yesterday, my brother decided to change the battery on his iPhone X and iPad Pro that would enable him to continue to use his iOS devices for another 2-3 years.  I had debated advising him whether it was time to upgrade his devices.  But for his current situation and needs, I think spending nearly $200 on was the the choice.  Whether that is the right choice depends on your needs and the timing of upgrades from Apple.

The iPhone X was released in 2017 and his iPad Pro in 2016.  Going into 2021, it would be about 4-5 years and he'll be keeping these devices for at least another two years. For today's mobile needs and annual releases from tech companies, this is eons ago.  However, Apple really build these devices to last whether it intended it to last this long.  Both of his devices still run the latest iOS and has no discernible performance issues that he could tell.  The only shortcoming is that his iPad Pro storage could not be upgraded. 

Paying $200 at a local shop might be a bit high.  At any other time, he would have taken it to an Apple store but we live in times of a potentially deadly and unpredictable pandemic so there was not a lot of options and Apple stores were all closed.  Why did he decide to upgrade the battery now?  The health of his battery was down to around 80% and losing that extra 2-3 hours changed his mobile activity to a certain extent.  Put it another way, adding back 2-3 hours is a relief and it did made his iPhone X feel like a new device.  

As for his iPad Pro, his children use it from time to time for viewing videos, doing school work, and playing games.  He is also using it for his personal work as well.  I had suggested that he get them another iPad back during the Holidays when various retailers had iPads on sale.  I did not push too hard on it.  

As for you or me, it really depends on our mobile needs whether upgrading the battery or getting whole new devices make sense.  As someone who is learning to code, blogging, and possibly podcasting in the future, the current lineup of iOS devices works but there are hoops I would have to jump through and going with a MacBook would make more sense.  Right now, the iPad Pro, regardless of which version, simply is not as versatile as a Mac.  Perhaps, future iOS will gain some OS X features and apps like Xcode that will allow coders and content producers to run apps that have feature parity as Mac apps.  I know there are video producers looking (hoping) for Apple's Final Cut to finally run on an iPad.

But if the Mac is not necessary for your needs, the iPad or iPad Pro is the way to go.  And if you already have one, albeit an older one with the battery running down, that is working for you, replacing the aging battery that would allow you to go another 2-3 years is like more cost effective.  For a low end iPad Pro like what my brother has, the cost of the battery ran about 10% of a brand new iPad Pro.  For the next few years, it does not look like he needs any features on the new iPad Pro, like the new LiDAR Scanner, for his mobile and computing needs.  So it might make sense for him to go this route.

Timing is also an issue.  If you are waiting for the next new iPad Pro, there is no telling when Apple will release a new one.  Perhaps it is this spring.  And even if Apple would like to release it in February or March, circumstances can happen (again, we live in uncertain and uncharted times with the Covid virus) that could delay it.  If the battery life on your iPad is not long enough for you to limp through for the next few months, perhaps, upgrading the battery will allow you to work through until the upgrade is released.  And if you're using for work, perhaps you can expensive it.  

Personally, I cannot get enough battery life.  I have the new iPhone 12 mini and I am less inclined to upgrade my iPhone as much as I did before.  I really like the mini despite it having less battery life than the rest of the bigger iPhone 12 lineup.  So, once the battery drops to about 85% in a year or so, I'm changing out the battery if I am still using it and decide against the iPhone 13 mini.  My iPad mini is a couple of years old now.  The battery life suffice but I am waiting to see when the next iPad mini will be released and what new features it will have.  If I'm not impressed or find that it has no added value to my mobile needs, I will weigh the cost of a new battery against the new mini.

For the most part, if your iPhone or iPad meets your needs and you're satisfied with it, then it would be more economical to swap out the old battery for a new one.  If you decide your iOS device is dated, slow, and crave the new features on the newer iOS devices, then your choice is clear.  Of course, it also depends on your pocketbook as well.

Apple Perfected Its Future - Cars, AR, and Health

 Apple's future seem secured.  It's making billions and there seems to be no end to how many iPhones it can sell.  And now, it's making Macs based on its own internally designed chips.  And the next steps for Apple will be critical for both the company and consumers like ourselves - staying in touch with our iPhones, consuming (sometimes working) media on the iPad, trying to stay healthy with the Apple Watch (or trying to avoid being connected too much), or creating, coding, editing on the Mac.  

What is the most likely to come out of Apple?  One would think it's going to augmented reality but you would be wrong.  It's health.  Whether this is on the Apple watch or in the background working with insurance and healthcare companies (whatever they are), it will be health that will impact Apple users for decades.  

HEALTH

The Apple Watch is the face of Apple's health push.  With Apple Watch 6, it has solidify it's place among consumers - people who want an extension to their iPhone, health conscious users, and athletes.  Personally, the Apple Watch 6 with its speed, cellular connectivity, and added health sensors (blood oxygen meter) has been critical in the last month (got Covid).  It has allowed me to stay in touch as well as being able to monitor my health.  Prior to that, I used it to keep track of weight loss and workouts.  

One of the most under appreciated part of Apple's health initiative is the Health app on the iPhone.

I have been using the Health app more in addition to the Activity app but it is in the Health app that I am able to find more information.  Some numbers are daily updates like the number of calories burnt, steps, and workouts while others like VO2 max and weight can be changed over time through hard work.  

Furthermore, Apple will add more sensors to the Apple Watch in the future - two Holy Grail features users are looking for - glucose level and blood pressure monitoring.  It will happen over time.  

PRIVACY

Privacy is the war being waged now between Apple on one side and the other side being lead by the likes of Facebook.  Although privacy does not have a tangible price tag that we see like on the Apple hardware, it is a feature that is going important to users as law makers all over the world are seemingly unable to come up with common sense legislation to protect consumer privacy and data.  Hence, Apple has stepped up to the plate - in the face of public opinion, Apple seems to be winning the privacy battle (Facebook employees point out Facebook hypocrisy in battle with Apple over privacy and Electronic Frontier Foundation sides with Apple against Facebook over privacy).

The main battle is the new privacy feature in iOS 14.3 that will offer users details on what information apps are syphoning from users - it will be like looking at nutrition information when you buy products from markets - privacy nutrition labels.  Not only is Facebook and other companies that trade and sell user information against such transparency, App Tracking Transparency is a new feature that will give users even greater control - it requires that users opt-in (instead of opting-out that is favored by social media apps) to allow apps to begin collecting user information (Apple Developer).

We will heard and learn more about this in 2021.  This is a multi-year battle between tech titans with a lot of proposals from Congress and the EU as well as additional hearings, lawsuits, and antitrust cases.  

AUGMENTED REALITY

Apple will be pushing hard in this realm - it's a decade long push.  As anything with Apple, we will not know what the company's full vision.  With each iOS update, each iPhone upgrade, and perhaps even new hardware like the rumored Apple Glasses, we will see Apple open up doors for users across the spectrum in many markets - cars, research, health, daily tasks, and, of course, mobile computing.  

It's likely the iPhone you already own already have some AR features.  And this year with the introduction of the iPhone 12 Pro joining the iPad Pro with LiDAR, Apple is pushing further into this potentially vast market.  

So far, my AR experience has been limited to placing furnitures in the house, having dinosaurs show up in the living room and having a moving Baby Yoda using Google in the driveway.  I look forward to experiencing more in the coming year especially if Apple does release new hardware to support it.

Even now, Apple's own website is limited (Apple Augmented Reality).  The Warby Parker is one of the most useful apps I've used.  The rest is placing plants, furnitures, and other objects in an area.  There are AR games and I have not been all that impressed with them.  Apple's own list of AR apps is a bit short (Apple).

APPLE CAR

If you're waiting to see if Apple will develop and manufacture its own car, I would bet against it at this time even though Reuters came out with an article professing that Apple will be releasing a car by 2024 with a new generation of battery.  I'm sure by now, you've heard of Project Titan, started as far back as 2014.  PT has changed and morphed over the years - from Apple developing a Tesla killer to just creating its own AI driving system that other car makers can use in their vehicles to improves in Car Play to making a car again or not.  

The situation for Project Titan is fluid with many changes in leadership as well as what Apple hope to eventually develop and release.  Will App ever release a car?  Personally, I doubt it.  We will have to see what the market is like in 4-5 years.  Apple certainly is capable of changing a market once it decides to enter it.  What's less certain is that there is a vast demand for an Apple branded vehicle even if it manages to develop one that is better than what Telsa and other automakers will develop by 2024.  Even now, late comer Toyota with its hybrid only push will be develop a prototype EV this year and could potentially have something on the marker by 2024.  And even now, traditional auto makers are taking the EV market seriously as more consumers demand electric cars with some governments like California are looking to phase out gasoline car sales as soon as 2035. And where California goes, so goes the country.

The most likely scenario is this.  As Apple continue work on Project Titan, what Apple is learning is also being translated to features on the iOS, OS X, and Car Play.  There could also be hardware improvements as the result of Titan research.  And it works the other way as well - mobile tech from the iPhone and iPad teams could end up in an Apple car.  So the research regardless of whether Apple will eventually make a car or just release a Car OS for automakers is helping Apple improve its line of products.  Even AR tech Apple is developing will work across all of its hardware.

I'm hoping Apple does release a car, plane, or even a personal transportation device (better than Segway).  But I would bet against that happening for now.

So that is where we are with Apple.  I am sure Apple will be leading the technology push for years to come.  Apple will continue to be predictable in some areas and surprise us in others.  Just make sure to check your expectations and expected to be surprised in the sense that there could be no surprises.  Apple has been some what predictable during the Tm Cook era.

COVID Update: I think I Am Getting Better But Not Out of the Woods; Apple Watch Helped Me Find Trend (Downward and then Back Up)

 My Apple Watch oximeter has been return values of 91-93% during ongoing battle with COVID-19.  Prior to my infection, I have never seen anything lower than 94%.  So, something definitely is affect my ability to breath properly.  If I breath too deeply, I would get into a coughing spell that affects my upper body and it would ache all over, feeling as though my body is going to fall apart.

I have been getting chills and spikes in temperatures, usually signaling that it was time for another Tylenol.  And last night, I woke up after finding myself in heavy sweat but feeling much better than any other night.   I am still trying to determine if that is a good thing or not.  It happened again this morning as I was working.   I felt cold but it was not the type of chills I was feeling earlier during the week - they felt like the cold embraces of death's fingers.

And then this:

I saw a few in the range of 86-91% for a day before climbing back up.  The 86% was the lowest.  I was about to emailed my doctor but I decided to wait it out and see if my condition continue to improve.  Luckily, it did.

I don't know how accurate my Apple Watch 6 oximeter really is.  I have definitely used it as a general guide to see how the trend goes.  Prior to getting Covid, I had been running a lot on November and had seen my oxygen level gone up a couple of percentages to 98-99%.  I was pretty excited by it and the weight loss I was losing.  December was supposed to be a continuation.  But then...

As these last few days, I saw a downward trend when I started developing breathing issues and the trend back up.  

Overall, I'm really glad I got the Apple Watch 6 just for its ability to measure the level of oxygen in the blood.  Again, as far as accuracy, well, Apple may need to work on it.  I really don't know (I have read a few articles regarding the accuracy of the oximeter but not really seen anything support its accuracy) if Apple needs to or not.  

What I find most annoying are the unsuccessful measurements.  I'll have to test the placement of the watch on my wrist to see if I get more successful readings than not. Or else, Apple has do something for users to get better and successful readings or through better hardware upgrade on the Apple Watch 7.

Again, if you're contemplating whether to get the Apple Watch 6, hands down - Yes!  Get it!  

And to my dear readers, stay safe and head all safety protocols and public health guidelines and warnings. Covid sucks.

Apple Watch Needs A Thermometer - With Heart Rate and Oximeter and Other Health Data, It Could Help Users Avoid Spread Covid

 Apple will release the next Apple Watch in less than 2 months.  There are a lot of rumors out there but there is no concrete evidence what new medical sensors will be included if at all.  While oximeter is the likely candidate given the era of Covid we live in (and Apple likely has been working on it for years), another overlooked feature is just as important it not more so:  a thermometer.

When I was little, electronic watches was all the rage.  Watches that play games.  Watches that has a number pad on it for doing calculations.  The Apple Watch can do all that.  But I also had a Casio watch that was able to give me the temperature.  I did a search on Amazon and found that Casio still sell watches like these.  For you kids out there, sure look and feel a bit vintage.

The Casio one measure the temperature outside, not body temperature.  But fear not, such a technology already exist and Apple should be able to build a body temperature sensor into the Apple Watch.  

During the initial month of the Covid lockdown in Asia, I often saw someone outside of a building taking temperature of people before they are allowed into the building.  I thought that was pretty cool.  We see that here in the US but it's not enough.  Often, the infected are asymptomatic and able to spread the disease.  With the right combination of sensors, we might be able to detect possible infections before symptoms develop.  In a study, researchers found signs of Covid infection 9 days before symptoms developed using watch sensors.

Consider if Apple Watch, which already has a heart rate sensor, is paired with an oximeter and body temp sensors, it would provide even better warnings about Covid infection and perhaps even earlier warning signs.  

A ring called Oura has a body temp sensor that is widely used by the NBA in the current season at the Orlando Bubble. With the Oura, the user is able to get a wide range of data on his or her body through the day, it even tracks sleep.  This allows the user or in the case like the NBA, to see the readiness of its players and see if they could be suffering from any ailment like Covid.  

An Apple Watch with similar sensors could also do the same thing, and possibly more given that there is a bigger market for it than the Oura at this point.  With more data, volunteers could also allow researchers to pool more information regarding health and diseases.  A variety of early warning signs could be developed not just for corona viruses but others as well.

And I could really use something like this for my Apple Watch.  There are been times during the last couple of months when I thought maybe I was infected.  I could not tell if it was just allergies or something worse.  Of course, once I turned on the air filter and after half an hour or so, my symptoms went away. Perhaps with these sensors in my Apple Watch, I could save myself from worrying about nothing.  After all, I had not gone out during my allergy period so it was not likely I had caught Covid.

Oh, if I want all that now, I can get the Oura.  However, I'm not a ring person. As great as the Apple Watch is, well, let's just say that I tolerated it on my wrist.  I would not want something that I have to wear 24/7 on my fingers.  

Bottom line is that there is much improvement that Apple can make to the Apple Watch.  It's impact has been felt widely, mostly from people staying or getting healthier, but also from people saved by the watch because it had warned them of a previously unknown medical condition.  With the oximeter and body temperature sensors, the Apple Watch and save tens of thousands more if not millions during this pandemic.

Note:  Here is a link to the Apple Watch at the Amazon store if you like to help out.  I don't know how much I would get from Amazon if you buy your gears from them through my link but anything would sure help.