Musings
- I wanted a Mac layout, while most keyboards are made for Windows,
- I needed the ISO layout, while most keyboards has the ANSI layout,
- and the Norwegian layout is a subsection of ISO.
- Have all features (except Touch ID) that she uses on her MacBook Air. This includes:
- All letter, number and symbol buttons,
- arrow keys,
- escape,
- and brightness and sound/music controls.
- Be simple enough that she could just sit down and use it without any prior knowledge.
- I also want to try to not have a function row. So closer to a 65% than a 75%.
- It’s better for them if you stay in their app.
- The reason is that they can advertise new stuff (you’re not watching yet), to make sure you stay with the service. This is also why Continue Watching isn’t always at the top.
- If you’ve finished watching a show (perhaps through Apple TV (app)), you’ll might go on to something from another service next. And then you’ll might cancel your subscription after a while.
- They don’t have to.
- Even though they’re not as dominant as they used to, Netflix is really popular. So they feel like they can get away with not participating.
- Photos.app is the largest culprit, using 128.7 GB.
- Backups use 27.3 GB – but I intend to set this up to back up locally to my Mac Mini.
- iCloud Drive only uses 4.5 GB, as I’m babying it quite a bit.
- Messages uses 3.8 GB – but this could probably be removed as I don’t use iMessage as my default chat app.
- My wife is currently on her own 50 GB plan – but we do have an iCloud family. (So I wouldn’t mind combining these.)
- How would you feel about buying the factory’s products?
- And would it matter if you lived upstream or downstream from it?
- Their main markets, especially the smart phone one, is extremely large in absolute terms.
- As opposed to things like the gaming market, it's one everyone* has to participate in.
- Many people game on a PS5, but also on PC and mobile, etc. Very few daily more than one phone OS.
- A complete monopoly isn't the only way to have anti-trust issues. For instance, a duopoly doesn't necessarily mean healthy competition.
- Connecting some external storage, and using it for
- backups,
- and as a media server. (Jellyfin, perhaps?)
- Maybe use it for some smart home stuff.
- And I’ll also connect it to my TV, via HDMI, for some light big-screen gaming. (Like UFO 50! But also things that I want to play with a controller that’ll run at least as well as on my M1 Pro 16 GB laptop.).
- 3x Thunderbolt 4/5
- HDMI
- Ethernet
- Power
- 2x USB-C
- Mini-jack
- How many ports should the enclosure size account for?
- And then, which ports should those be, and where?
- If we agree that open social media, free from ad-tech monopolies, is a good thing, everyone deserves the chance to take part in it.
- This includes those who use online platforms to make a living, and those who want to follow them.
- And resources flowing through the ecosystem, makes it more realistic to achieve this goal.
- The name
- The price
- The split
- The privacy
Making My Phone More Boring
Not More Dumb
There are numerous reviews of the new Light Phone III going around – and this has invigorated discussions about having a dumber phone. There are also Android e-ink devices going around, with 🖇️ or without 🖇️ a SIM slot, which are cool. A friend of mine is considering how far he can get with the combination of an Apple Watch with a SIM and a Boox Palma. 👌🏻
I’m 100% in the category of too dependent on my phone. However, I don’t think having a dumber phone is the solution for me. I want one that’s more boring.
The problem with out phones isn’t that they’re too useful. It’s that they’re “too fun”. And by that I mean “too fun” like how junk food is “too good” for our own good.
Because, things like being able to buy transit tickets, pre-heat my car, and control my lights are not issues for me. And neither is easy access to a camera, calculator, music, weather forecasts, etc.
I do have some issues with my phone, though…
I have ADHD – and also a history (and not only a history) of anxiety and depression. So I really struggle with being uncomfortable with my mind wandering and being left to its own devices. This has led to me “needing” to fill every void with … something.
I want to try to work on this – especially as we’re expecting a baby next month.
Before mentioning what I have done to my phone: One thing I’m choosing not to tackle at the moment, is my over-usage of podcasts. Not listening to anything makes me uneasy. And often music isn’t even enough, and I require something like a podcast. That’s because the latter demands more of my mind. To put it a bit exaggerated: I want to listen to a podcast while going out with the rubbish. I intend to think more about this – but at the moment, I haven’t deleted Overcast or anything.
I do want to try to have it be more quiet around me, though – or at least “only” have music. (However, I know that will make things less quiet on the inside…) So, I’ve deleted the YouTube app from my phone. I don’t want to never use my phone for video, though – but maybe more intentional TV shows, etc. instead.
I also have an issue where I want to fill every little sliver of free time (like waiting a minute for something to load) with reading something quick – often in Mona (Mastodon) or Narwhal (Reddit). So, I’ve deleted all social media apps like this. I’ve kept Lire, my RSS reader, for now. I’ve also loaded up my phone with some ebooks.
Milestone Achieved: Linked to on a Podcast I Like
And a Guide to Pronunciation of My Name
One of my favourite tech podcasts, is Comfort Zone. It’s hosted by Christopher Lawley, Niléane Dorffer, and Matt Birchler, and is simply a pretty chill time with neat people.
Last week they asked for listener input, so I sent them a relevant blog post – and I got a little shoutout. ☺️
I’m thoroughly in the writing into the void phase of blogging. So every share, mention, and email really means a lot.1
My name(s)
Matt made a valiant effort to pronounce my weird Norwegian name – but obviously failed spectacularly. So I thought I’d use this occasion to provide a little guide!
My name is Erlend. The d is always silent – but for some Norwegian dialects, the r is silent as well. And for English speakers, this is my recommendation.
Then you pronounce it like the name “Allen”, but slower: Alen
However, if you have r’s like me, or the French, you can pronounce it like this: Erlend
Oh, and then there’s my blog. The name Havn is Norwegian for harbour. The a is like the a in “car”: Havn
Go and give the podcast a listen! The banter is good, and they have interesting challenges every week.
Furthermore: Share and/or email a small blogger this week. 🫶🏻 It’s lovely when the void answers – and many of us don’t get any help from algorithms.
Why I Don't Use LLMs for Facts
A Simple Story About iPhones and Perplexity
A couple of mates and I have a little (private) Telegram group called The Nerd Garden (in Norwegian). And, among other things, we talk about technical equipment there. Recently, a friend asked for advice on buying a used iPhone. He said he was considering the 15 Pro vs. regular 16, and shared a link to Perplexity.1
Part of the answer he got there, was this table:
| Feature | iPhone 15 Pro | iPhone 16 |
|---|---|---|
| Build material | Titanium frame, matte glass back | Aluminium frame, glossy glass back |
| Display | 6.1-inch OLED, ProMotion (120Hz) | 6.1-inch OLED, standard 60Hz refresh rate |
| Processor | A17 Pro chip | A18 |
| Camera System | Triple-camera system with telephoto (3x zoom) | Dual-camera system (no telephoto lens) |
| Main Camera | 48 MP quad-pixel sensor | 48 MP quad-pixel sensor |
| Zoom Capabilities | Up to 3x optical zoom + digital zoom | Up to 2x lossless zoom (cropped from main sensor) |
| Video Recording | ProRes video support | Standard video |
| Action Button | Customisable Action Button | Standard mute |
| Battery Life | \\~23 hours video playback | \\~22 hours video |
| Price | Higher price due to Pro features | More affordable |
If you don’t know all the facts in this situation, nothing jumps out as being off here. However, not only does the iPhone 16 have an Action Button – it also has Camera Control. And I think it has slightly better battery life than the 15 Pro.
Design Challenge: 65% ISO Mac Keyboard, Usable by Everyone
I Want Your Opinion!
I like custom keyboards, and a couple of years ago, I made my own:
However, three things made this process harder/more expensive (at least at the time):
Enter: 3D printer
This spring, I’m moving from a tiny flat (in the city) into a large house (not in the city). And one of the things I’ll now get room for, is a 3D printer.1 And as someone who likes tinkering and soldering, I want to try to create a keyboard, perhaps hand-wired, in the style of the legendary Joe Scotto.
In time, I would like to make a split keyboard for myself. But before that, I wanted to try to create a more standard keyboard. And I thought a fun challenge would be to design:
A simple keyboard for my wife
This provides the following criteria:
The main issue with having no function row, is the escape key. It needs to be the top-left button, but then the button we use for apostrophes (next to 1) needs to be moved somewhere. I solved it by moving it to the ISO-key between Shift and Z, which usually is < and >. And then I access those with a special modifier. However, this wouldn’t work for a keyboard that’s supposed to be instantly usable by everyone.
3D print everything
AITAH for Wanting 50% of Someone's Income, to Drive Them to the Hospital?
Last night I came across a guy, who had been mugged, stabbed, and was bleeding out. He desperately needed me to drive him to the hospital.
First I said: “Well, you shouldn’t have started it, when you allowed yourself to be attacked!”
Secondly, I said I could help him if he promised me 50% of his income, for the rest of his life. And then, for some reason, he got mad??
I said to him: “You don’t have any cards here.” And I told him that keeping 50% his income is better than the 0% he’ll get if he dies…
Am I the asshole, just because I wouldn’t help someone innocent in need, unless there’s something in it for me? Should I be punished, just because I had the means to help, with a car and all the time in the world?
(On a completely unrelated note: Slava Ukraini! ✊🏻🇺🇦)
On the Need for Friction
Imagine talking to a medieval farmer, about the concept of excercise. Giving yourself “useless” physical strain, to improve your health? Let’s call this idea artifical physical excercise. That wouldn’t make any sense to someone who would get more than enough strain through just living their life.
And while it will vary greatly, from person to person, how much artificial exercise is needed, everyone agrees that we need to look after our physical health in today’s society.
When discussing this, people will mention which of these they enjoy the most, which they find effective, how to fit it into their lives, etc. Some of it are games, competitions, sports, and more – and it can be your job, a favourite pastime, a hobby, or just something you tolerate.
It can also be adjustments you make to your life, like riding a bicycle to work, or changing your desk setup. Let’s call this incidental physical exercise, in opposition to deliberate physical exercise.
But, in this context, this is my main point about this: It’s very accepted to talk about doing things for your physical health, even though it might not be the most comfortable, fun, or easy.
And similar to how technological improvements increased the need to look after the health of our bodies, it has now made it important to look after the health of our minds as well.
Learning and AI
If you’re at the gym, there are many examples of how technology can enhance the effectiveness of our artificial physical exercise. However, using a forklift to lift weights might be more effective and comfortable, compared to doing it yourself – but it also makes the action completely useless! The point isn’t that the weights get lifted, but that you do it. This is in contrast with a warehouse, where the point is to get the stuff lifted.
In Defence of Netflix Not Being in the Apple TV App
I like the Apple TV (box). It’s the only way I watch TV! I like that it’s a competent and fast piece of hardware, without ads*, that gives me easy access to all the streaming I want.
That it’s an app platform, makes it easy for even my niche Norwegian services to be a part of the platform. It can also have things like the excellent Infuse media player (for local files and Jellyfin).1
Apps can also choose to serve their content to Apple’s frameworks: This makes the content searchable with the global search, and also adds the content to the Apple TV app. A section of the app is “Up Next”, where you can continue watching things from different services:
However, annoyingly, Netflix doesn’t participate.
And before I defend them, I want to highlight the cynical reasons they don’t:
The mistake
Last week, there was a bit of writing because someone accidentally flipped the switch, and made Netflix actually participate:
Netflix quickly turned it off again – and the take that was the most popular in this cycle, was perfectly summarised by this great quote:
Netflix deeply regrets accidentally making Netflix a better product for its customers.
As someone who uses both Netflix, the Apple TV (box), and Apple TV (app), Netflix participating would be better for me. But I think I have more understanding towards Netflix than most.
The defence
My first thought was that it was funny hearing someone like John Gruber criticising the move. When Apple themselves don’t play nice with others, to instead give users a unified experience (or whatever), he’s usually quick to defend them. And when they do this, it’s also because they’re dominant enough to not have to.
But I also think John Siracusa had plenty of good points on this, in the latest episode of Accidental Tech Podcast. And I’m stealing some of these here.
Let's Try to Always Provide a Dignified Way Forward
And a Message to My Fellow Straight, White, Cis Men
It’s been a rough couple of days over at my part of the internett…1 And this has made me think about something I learned on a teacher seminar once: While dealing with tough student situations, always provide a way for them to come out of the situation with their dignity intact, while still achieving the goal behind the intervention.
It’s not an easy exercise, I can assure you! But I think it’s an important principle, that can be applied to many other situations as well.
We can disagree and still love each other – unless your disagreement is rooted in my oppression and denial of my humanity and right to exist.
— James Baldwin (via Patrick Rhone)
It’s a time for vigilance.
Especially for straight, white, cis men like myself. Because, people not like me are under attack (so they’re vigilant whether they want to be or not) – not because of what they do, but who they are. And we can’t let them fight this battle alone.
So here’s a little message to my brethren (and I’ll try my best to do my part):
I Don't Have to Convince Myself That "The Model Y Is Bad, Actually" to Not Buy One
As we’re expecting a child in May, we need a bigger car. And here in Norway ~90% of new cars are EVs, so we’ll obviously buy one of those.
If I look at price, range, charging, tech, and practicality, the best choice is the Tesla Model Y.1 I have to pay significantly more to get something similar, or get something significantly worse. However, I do not want to add that much money to Elon Musk’s bottom line – so I won’t buy one.
And to land on that conclusion, I don’t have to first convince myself that “the Model Y is a bad car, actually”. It’s OK to admit that it’s a great car (for the price), and perhaps point out things you wish others could learn from it2 – while still not choosing it for other reasons.
But my car purchase isn’t the main point of this post. I use it as an example to point out a fallacy I see too much. Because, the following pattern is both dishonest and (sometimes) counter-productive:
| Elon Musk is a terrible person → | Model Y is a terrible car → | I won't buy a Model Y |
Because, suddenly, your purchasing decision hinges on “Model Y being a terrible car” (which it simply isn’t). Now, this might not matter to you! But if someone hears this, and then finds out that the car is good, they’ll lose the reason to not buy it. So, I think this is a better thing to communicate:
| Elon Musk is a terrible person → | I won't buy a Model Y (whether it's good or not) |
You are, of course, allowed to actually think the Model Y is a bad car! My point is that one thing doesn’t necessarily lead to the other.
Is Apple Forcing Me to Pay Them for Much More Cloud Storage Than I Need?
It’s pretty well-known that the 5 GB of cloud storage Apple includes for free (when you buy a €1,000 phone) is quite pathetic. However, I’ve actually found the 200 GB plan for 39 NOK (€3.33) a month to be decent value. But as I’m close to reaching the limits of that plan – I think it’s highlighting some anti-competitive issues.
My use
I’m currently using 86.7% of my storage.
My default cloud storage provider is Dropbox
In my opinion, the largest tech companies have far too much power already. So I like to use services from other companies if I can.1 I also like how, in general, using third-party alternatives can give you flexibility. So, since we’re using Dropbox in my band, and I think it does the job, using this is my default cloud storage provider makes sense to me.
However, some pros of using third-party alternatives can be thwarted by first-parties, like Apple:
Problem #1: Backups
Guess What Apple Paid to "Buy" the Firefox Extension for iCloud Keychain
Good news! As of today, there’s an official Firefox extension for Passwords.app / iCloud Keychain.
“What? There wasn’t one already?" you might say.
Fair question! Maybe it was a bit much to ask of the famously cash-strapped company to take care of those of their users who want to use the only* independent* browser. (To me, this reveals one of the reasons why I think you should rather store your passwords with a third party you trust.)
Luckily, the lonely lad (or lady) Aurélien has been maintaining an unofficial add-on for years! 🫡
“But now Apple has managed to scrape together the cash to build one themselves??"
Not quite… Apple reached out to Aurélien, through Mozilla, to ask if Apple could simply get the code of the unofficial plugin. (Source)
“Ah, so instead of starting from scratch, they instead bought a good starting-point. Smart."
Well, not quite… From the GitHub thread linked above:
✉️ Feedback on the The Verge Subscription
The excellent tech website, The Verge, just launched a subscription – which I know they’ve worked on for a while.
Generally, I think the way they’ve approached it seems pretty sensible – but I still have some feedback. And hopefully, the fact that I’ve subscribed for a year will increase the odds of it getting better, and not decrease it.
Some quotes from the launch, to get you up to speed
All the emphasises are mine – meant to guide you towards the most important parts.
Today we’re launching a Verge subscription that lets you get rid of a bunch of ads, gets you unlimited access to our top-notch reporting and analysis across the site and our killer premium newsletters, and generally lets you support independent tech journalism in a world of sponsored influencer content. It’ll cost $7 / month or $50 / year — and for a limited time, if you sign up for the annual plan, we’ll send you an absolutely stunning print edition of our CONTENT GOBLINS series, with very fun new photography and design.
At the same time, we didn’t want to simply paywall the entire site — it’s a tragedy that traditional journalism is retreating behind paywalls while nonsense spreads across platforms for free. We also think our big, popular homepage is a resource worth investing in. So we’re rethinking The Verge in a freemium model: our homepage, core news posts, Decoder interview transcripts, Quick Posts, Storystreams, and live blogs will remain free.
Our original reporting, reviews, and features will be behind a dynamic metered paywall — many of you will never hit the paywall, but if you read us a lot, we’ll ask you to pay. Subscribers will also get full access to both Command Line and Notepad, our two premium newsletters from Alex Heath and Tom Warren, which are packed full of scoops every week.
Our vision has always been to build The Verge like a software product, and we have a big roadmap of features to come, like a true dark mode toggle, the ability to personalize the homepage feed, and a lot of wacky ideas about what it might mean to follow authors, topics, and streams across the site and — eventually — decentralized social platforms like Bluesky, Mastodon, and Threads.
In general, it seems OK
I'm Getting a New Car, and I Don't Care About CarPlay
Am I insane?
Time and time again, I’m hearing people say that they wouldn’t buy a new care without Apple CarPlay/Android Auto.1 (The after-show on the latest episode of Mac Power Users was the last example.) I also hear how stupid some companies are for not including these systems in their cars. And I just don’t get it. Or, to be honest: I think I know some reasons why my opinion seems to differ from most people’s.
I live in the land of EVs
Norway has been subsidising EVs heavily for many years. And I think this statistic shows the effect well:
| Year | EV market share |
|---|---|
| 2020: | 54.3% |
| 2021: | 64.5% |
| 2022: | 79.3% |
| 2023: | 82.4% |
| 2024: | 88.2% |
To put things into perspective: The EV market share in the US is currently at 8.9%, which is well below the 13% we had all the way back in 2014 – ten years ago.2
A welcome effect of this, is that we also have a healthy used-market for EVs – so I literally can’t remember the last time I talked to someone who weren’t buying an EV.3 I’ll come back to why this is important!
My experience
The car I’ve had for the last 3 years, is a 2019 Tesla Model 3, which I bought used. My wife and I are expecting our first kid in May, and we have a large dog – so we need something larger in the next 6 months. That’s why I’ve been looking at new cars again.
I’m pleased with my Model 3! And the Model Y would probably be the best purchase for us. But I simply don’t want to buy one, due to *gestures in the general direction of Elon Musk*. Luckily, we have tons of options over here. But when I started doing my research, I found myself not caring about whether the cars had CarPlay – even though I’m heavily entrenched in the Apple ecosystem.4
The reasons I haven’t missed CarPlay
Please Care About the Factory's Effect on the River
No Matter Where You Live
Let’s imagine a town, where the river is the main source of fresh water for everyone. Then, one day, someone builds a factory, near the middle of the river. A side effect of what the factory produces, is that it releases toxic waste into the river. The owners are aware of this – but they won’t do what’s needed to clean it up, as it would cut into their profits.
Blog posts about Substack
Today I read John Gruber’s blog post Regarding – and, Well, Against – Substack, which also linked to Anil Dash’s post “Don’t Call It a Substack”.
We constrain our imaginations when we subordinate our creations to names owned by fascist tycoons. Imagine the author of a book telling people to “read my Amazon”. A great director trying to promote their film by saying “click on my Max”. That’s how much they’ve pickled your brain when you refer to your own work and your own voice within the context of their walled garden. There is no such thing as “my Substack”, there is only your writing, and a forever fight against the world of pure enshittification.
Anil Dash
This is a great point – and all three of us are in agreement here!
A slight disagreement
However, while I have a slight (and perhaps unimportant) disagreement with the next quote from Dash, I strongly dislike Gruber’s comments on it.
Substack is, just as a reminder, a political project made by extremists with a goal of normalizing a radical, hateful agenda by co-opting well-intentioned creators’ work in service of cross-promoting attacks on the vulnerable. You don’t have to take my word for it; Substack’s CEO explicitly said they won’t ban someone who is explicitly spouting hate, and when confronted with the rampant white supremacist propaganda that they are profiting from on their site, they took down… four of the Nazis. Four. There are countless more now, and they want to use your email newsletter to cross-promote that content and legitimize it. Nobody can ban the hateful content site if your nice little newsletter is on there, too, and your musings for your subscribers are all the cover they need.
Anil Dash
Substack is the factory in my simple analogy at the top. And “normalizing a radical, hateful agenda” is the toxic waste in the river. My small disagreement, is that I don’t think the factory was made with the purpose of polluting the river.
Some might say that’s an unimportant distinction, and that what matters is that they don’t care that they’re doing it. And I get that! My point is that I don’t want to give people the opportunity to think, “Of course they didn’t create an entire factory just to pollute 🙄 – so let me disregard all the points about the factory’s effect on the river."1
Gruber’s post also shows another way this type of hyperbole can be unhelpful:
I think Substack sees itself as a publishing tool and platform. They’re not here to promote any particular side. It makes no more sense for them to refuse to publish someone for being too right-wing than it would for WordPress or Medium or, say, GitHub or YouTube. Substack, I think, sees itself like that.
John Gruber
Technically, I think he’s right here.2 But Dash’s (I believe, exaggerated comment) allowed the discussion to be dragged into Substack’s intent rather than effect – which is not unimportant, but way less important.3
A large disagreement
However, I really don’t like where Gruber goes next:
What I can say, personally, is that I read and pay for several publications on Substack, and for the last few weeks I’ve tried using their iOS app (more on this in a moment), and I’ve never once seen a whiff of anything even vaguely right-wing, let alone hateful. Not a whiff. If it’s there, I never see it. If I never see it, I don’t care.
John Gruber
Gruber doesn’t even try to dispute that the factory is poisoning the river. The only thing he’s saying is that, as someone who lives upstream from it, he doesn’t care whether it pollutes. His water tastes good, so why should he care?4
Alternatives to Forcing Apple to Provide Solutions to Their Competitors
On Anti-Trust, APIs, and Market Participation
This week’s episode of the Upgrade podcast, was a good one as usual. I especially liked the discussions surrounding a potential pair of Apple smart glasses, and the way this connects to the regulatory scrutiny Apple is under currently.
Jason refers to the fact that Federico Viticci loves the Meta Ray Bans, but still really wants Apple to create a pair. And he then asked what I deem to be a crucial question:1
Do we want smart glasses from Apple because of what they do better than the competition, or because of what they are allowed to do, but that they bar their competitors from doing?
Let me use earbuds as an example, as they are more common. I’m delighted with my AirPods Pro – and they’re a better fit for me, and my Apple hardware, than a pair of Sony buds (for example). But when looking at the reasons why I pick one over the other, here’s something I think it’s crucial to distinguish between: Which of them are due to things Apple does better, in fair competition (maybe I prefer the sound, or noice cancelling), and which of them are due to things Apple blocks Sony from doing (like pairing fairy dust)?
A side point: Why I think Apple's main markets require more regulatory scrutiny than something like the gaming market:
This brings me to a clip I wanted to share from the podcast, where I agree with a lot, but wanted to add something:
More solutions
What I wanted to add, was that there are more solutions than Apple being forced to make stuff for its competitors. And I think the European Commission holds this opinion as well.
Solution 1: Don’t block
Why Spec Bumps and Yearly Device Releases Are Good
This week, Apple released multiple new Macs. And we’re not that far off the yearly iPhone release. And in the after-math of this, I’d like to address some comments I see a lot.
Because, the Mac releases were, in general, very unremarkable. The jump from M3 to M4 isn’t the largest, and they got few other new features.1 So I’ve seen plenty of comments along the lines of this just being an unnecessary and weak spec bump.
And just as predictable as the yearly phone releases, are the comments that this schedule pushes people to upgrade every year.
However, while I’m, in general, pretty sceptical towards the tech giants:
I don’t think these things are big problems
If people have data to prove otherwise, I wouldn’t mind seeing it! But I just don’t think people upgrading yearly is a big problem. Firstly, I don’t think (or at least don’t hope!) many people do it. And I assume most of those who do, will pass their “old” devices on – either to family members and friends, or by selling them on the used-market (through refurb stores, or privately). Personally, I don’t think, at least Apple, really communicates that people should – even though they of course brag about the latest devices.
I reckon most people upgrade their devices something like every 3–7 years. And every day there is someone who will hit this interval – and frequent updates makes it so they will get the best device possible. So this year’s iPhone isn’t for everyone. It’s for those who need, or want, a new iPhone this year.
To anyone willing to listen, I always recommend waiting until a device is newly updated, before purchasing, and to try to plan your purchases in advance. For instance, I knew I wouldn’t buy a new phone this year (regardless of what Apple would release) because I’ve intended to upgrade my iPhone 13 Mini after next year’s releases. And I waited until now to buy a Mac Mini. But I know that this isn’t always possible, for a multitude of reasons!
So the simple reason I don’t mind yearly releases and minor spec bumps, is that it makes this planning easier (as the average overdue time will be shorter), and also makes it less punishing if you can’t wait. And let’s just all help remind each other that most of us don’t need the latest and greatest.
Early Mac Mini Takes From Someone Who’ll Probably Get One
For a while now, I’ve thought that I’ll most likely get a Mac mini when it gets refreshed. My intended use case is pretty specific — and not as my main computer:
Thoughts regarding my use case
I got to say, the update is pretty perfect for me. The new form-factor is great for my TV furniture, and I can probably get by with the absolute cheapest one. The only upgrades I’m considering, are 24 GB RAM and 10 Gigabit Ethernet. Would love input on this!
General thoughts
In general, I think this is a great update at a good price. And at last we’re finally out of the 8 GB hole! 256 GB is pretty rough, though… But it’s OK for me! So, in principle, if Apple had non-criminal upgrade pricing, I wouldn’t mind it starting that low. But they don’t.
They made the right choices regarding the ports
The new Mini has the following ports on the back:
And the following in the front:
There are two questions we need to look at:
Partially I think, in a world where the Mac Studio exists, they went for a sensible size and port number (9 — one more than the M2 Mini, and one less than the M2 Pro). It’s OK to disagree with that — but I think we have to keep that separate from the port types and placement.
I’ve seen some disappointment voiced about the jack being on the front. And while I have zero issues with someone preferring that for their specific setup, I still think it’s wrong to say that Apple made the wrong choice for the majority of people. For those with speakers connected permanently, there are _so _many options for connection. And which port on the back should’ve been moved to the front instead, then?
I also think it would’ve been a travesty if they sacrificed USB-C ports for USB-A ones. Just get over it…
The power button placement is fine
I mean, it uses very little power while in sleeping, so how often do you need to turn it off? And it’ll probably be OK to reach anyway. (Remember that the back of the Mac will be closer to you than with the last one, as the footprint is smaller.)
I’ll have to think about it some more, but I think this will be my next purchase. And I think this will be a great Mac for many people for many years.
Waste Your Money on Things That Last
A Defence of Buying Things
A couple of years ago, I was working full time as a teacher. And even though the pay in that profession is far too low, I was still quite comfortable (economically). However, the last few years, I’ve had way less spending power. I wanted to take a master’s degree, which (sadly, and luckily) led to my mind sort of rupturing, and me getting diagnosed with ADHD.1 Now I’m learning how I really work, while trying to get a freelance lifestyle up and running. I’m lucky in that I know that I can get a teacher job if I like (and need) to.2 And even luckier: I’m in a position where I can survive on less income for a while. So, we’ll see what the future holds – but nonetheless: Currently, I don’t have a lot of money to waste.
Some notes on privilege:
I live in a wealthy country, with plenty of social security, and come from a middle-class background. And the reason I talk about 'not having money to waste' instead of 'being poor' (even though I don't have a lot of income), is that I still have everything I need (and more). After all, this post is about being in the position of having money to waste! So I do know that I'm very privileged. However, I hope the principles I'm trying to get across can be relevant for several levels of affluence.
I’m not saying it’s wrong to spend your money on things like holidays and experiences. And you can absolutely argue that these things last in their own way! But I just wanted to give a little shout-out to something I feel like gets recommended less than those.
Pre-purchased luxury
I'm Anti Anti-Growth and Anti-Commerce on Open Social Media
I don’t like it when people say “People on this platform are like this” – because all platforms contain multitudes. However, one quite prevalent multitude on Mastodon, and other open social media platforms,1 is the idea of being against growth and commercial activity on these platforms. And while I agree with some parts of these notions, in general, I really don’t agree with them.
The reason can be summed up in three points:
Let’s name this abstract “good thing” after something else most people agree is good: Cake
I think everyone deserves cake! But we might have to bake more of it to have enough to go around. And being able to do that, and delivering it in a safe and timely manner, is a big challenge.
Nuances on growth
So, the main reason I think there should be some focus on growth, is that everyone deserves things like good privacy.2 And to achieve this, we need to focus on accessibility, usability, communication, actually being enjoyable, and more. Now, some of those who argue against growth, are really talking about being against “growth at all cost”, “growing past the security measures”3, etc. And with that, I’m 100% aligned.
Nuances on commercialisation
The Idea of Marques Brownlee's App Panels is OK
But I Have Several Problems With It
With the review of the latest iPhones, Marques Brownlee/MKBHD also revealed his latest project: The app Panels.
And I don’t mind the idea:
He’s hinted at expanding it in the future, but currently the app is an app to get wallpapers. You can get some of them for free (and by watching ads), but you can also buy packs of them, or subscribe to the app to get access to everything. The money is split between the app and the artists.
Wallaroo, by Iconfactory, is already a paid app for wallpapers, and Walli is an example of an app with a model where artists can upload their work.
In general, I feel like people’s expectations of stuff being free online is too high, so I don’t mind a new paid option in the market.