Well, the tease is on (Apple store is down that is). I know there are not a lot of Apple followers among our tribe, so didn’t want to even attempt a WWDC Keynote Bingo card, but just had to ask how many times will we hear Timmy and company use the word “magical” today? Setting the over/under at 20…
I couldn’t even begin to guess — the thing which I find trying is what we won’t hear:
- no “Unix expert” checkbox
- no “light” Mac OS which only allows Carbon apps to run (yes, I know, to a certain degree this is iOS, but w/o access to the file-system or the ability to run arbitrary apps it’s not suited to my needs)
- no MacPad w/ Apple Pencil support
- no licensing of the Mac OS to companies which make hardware which doesn’t compete (I’d give my interest in Hell to be able to run Mac OS on my Samsung Galaxy Book 3 Pro 360)
- no dual-screen device to compete with Lenovo’s Yogabook 9i
- no e-ink e-reader version of the iPad/no version of the iPad suited to outdoor usage (and no, trying to out-bright the sun on a battery-powered device is not a viable strategy)
- no iPhone w/ Apple Pencil support
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Unfortunately I have to agree with all those “no’s” @WillAdams 
BUT - I hear Tim closing now - “ONE MORE THING - MacPad!” A 1tb M3 iPad Pro, MacOS, miniLED, 5g, bundled with Magic Keyboard and Apple Pencil for “only $2999,” coming this Fall…
Yeah, absolute zero chance of any if those things. Why set yourselves up for disappointment? You know there’s no hope of Apple going off into one of our very niche directions. Right?
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I was going to say that it was like asking Porsche to come out with an eBike but then I realized…
So maybe some of those things are within the realm of possibility? Whatever happens it’s not going to be easy on your wallet.
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Hey - hope springs eternal - Tesla just announced the Model 3 qualifies for the full $7500 fed tax credit. since they don’t UPCHARGE (market adjustment) like Toyota, a 330 mile (long range) Model 3 costs $41,000 after credit, while our local dealer is selling the RAV4 Prime base model (plug in hybrid) for $57,000 (a $9995 “market adjustment” just because they can gouge with impunity).
Unfortunately, even the 330 mile rated model barely gets me to Lubbock or Abilene and back; just short of Fort Worth, and 50 miles short of Dallas. A one way trip to my old home town of Colorado Springs takes at least two long (45 minute+) stops if I can find an open supercharger that is working. Big distances out here…
@Dellaster - oh ye of little faith…
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OK - I’LL START - I’m taking the OVER!
Because I am quite disappointed in Apple’s current offerings already (the only reason I own a MacBook is because an employer purchased it for me), as well as the other offerings from other manufacturers — the Samsung Galaxy Book 3 Pro 360 only barely squeaked over my purchase threshold (as was hashed out at length in other threads) — if nothing better than it appears, my next purchase will be a Wacom Cintiq and Linux box.
Sounds like a good plan.
@Dellaster - I’ve been looking at your signature:
OG Watch SE | iPhone 13 Pro | iPad mini 6 | Endgame Mac (M2 Pro Mac mini)
How is that working for you, especially the combination of Endgame Mac with the iPad Mini 6? I’ve seen a few M1 Mac Mini’s coming across the refurb site at pretty decent prices and wondering if they would make a good base camp to go with my M1 iPad Pro (it’s a 1tb/16gb/5g model that would look to have a lot of life left in it as I approach retirement)…
RETRACTED - my old buddy @Bronsky reminded me that retirement is about as attainable as my unicorn grail quest!
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Yes, but expensive, and limiting in terms of having a different stylus technology/frequency, and lacking portability.
I’m going to be trialing it a bit when I get a spare Raspberry Pi 4 and try it out w/ my Wacom One.
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94 seconds in “Magic” from Timmy…
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Snap thoughts:
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The new 15" MBA - it really is 13" M2 MBA but bigger screen and 3.3# weight. Nothing more. $1299 for the base (assume it is 8gb/256gb) and you can still get the M1 Pro MBP 14 (15.2" vs 14.2") with its vastly superior miniLED, HDMI and 3 TB4, 16gb/1tb ssd - for $1599…
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Mac Studio now has M2 Max and M2 Ultra; finally a Mac Pro on Apple silicon (according to their promo video major movie studios are using these for sound editing?)
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iOS 17 Oh boy - more emoji and interface c r a p - woo hoo…you can use your whole emoji sticker collection anywhere now - sorry, but everything they are focusing on is fru-fru and fixes (autocorrect is going to be corrected) - I’m just too old and set in my ways to get much use out of lipstick on the…
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iPadOS 17 Another “oh boy” we get interactive widgets on the home screen; customize lock screen (catching up with iOS 16); health has been added (a good one); good PDF improvements incorporated in Notes app; claims there will be more windowing controls in Stage Manager - but no real specifics…
Back to work time…
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So unimpressed with iPadOS 17…definitely see a Surface Pro in my future.
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The Endgame Mac is the anchor for everything and is doing extremely well. I kept waiting for a gotcha with my Windows gaming on it but it takes care of everything that I currently play or that I expect to play anytime soon. A better solution for me than any laptop since there’s no chance it’s going to go anywhere.
I had laptops before in a desktop replacement role because there was always the idea that I would need to do my freelance work away from home. That’s no longer a consideration with retirement.
The iPad mini 6 in particular I’m going to have to ask for a rain check since it’s due any moment and I haven’t ever had a chance to play with a previous iPad mini with the Endgame Mac as the anchor.
OK @Desertlap - see anything interesting? What is a real shocker to me is the price compression that is going on. I know comparing new to refurb is often a no no, but the 15.2" MBA with M2/16gb/1tb is $1899, but an Apple refurb 14.2" MBP with M2 Pro/16gb/1tb is $1869? The MBA 15 is only 0.2# lighter than the MBP 14 and lacks all the ports and miniLED.
What am I missing?
AND @WillAdams you win - all your “no’s” came true…
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Last thought for today - you can summarize most of the WWDC keynote simply:
“Stickers, and widgets, and emoji’s - oh my!”
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Missed the keynote due to work commitments, but quick takes as follows.
The headset has an eye popping price, but OTOH the hardware is multiple orders of magnitude more powerful and capable than anything anyone else has released to date.
Macbook Air 15- more than anything, it’s a niche filler designed to keep the Apple faithful in the fold for new/existing users that want a bigger display device akin to the MB Pro 16 but don’t otherwise need the full power specs of that model.
PS: A couple of engineers that had a bit of hands on said that it may be the best keyboard Apple has put in a MacBook yet.
Mac Pro- ridiculously powerful in anything above the base configurations and the large majority of actual buyers will likely order custom configurations. Additionally, as with the previous Mac Pro it partly serves as both aspirational device (in other words buyers may actually opt for other models such as the studio on the idea that they have an upgrade path if needed) and as a flex statement of what Apple can do.
This won’t be of interest to everyone, but I was pleased to see the increased focus on and improvements for gaming on the Mac. Such as Game Mode which will be essentially a copy of the Windows feature of the same name. Also their streamlining of game development, particularly for the ease of porting over Windows games.
But the biggest surprise was unspoken:
In short, Apple put in the time and effort to create a Windows + DX12 translation layer for Rosetta 2 that allows recent Windows games to run on Macs. The stated reason being for evaluation purposes—to let developers instantly see how much or little work will be required to get a game working perfectly.
Andrew Tsai did a little digging and discovered the Apple made all the code open source and uploaded it to their GitHub page. So, potentially, CrossOver and others can use it to do for Macs what Steam Proton does for Linux. Watch the video for a better, fuller explanation.
It’s the only WWDC thing that has me a bit excited. 
Edit: he added in a comment “On closer inspection of the source code, it looks like this ‘emulator’ (not an emulator if it is built on Wine) is actually a modification of Wine which is based on CrossOver 21.1.1 with a whole bunch of DirectX 12 additions and patches.”
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