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How do you prepare for he Apple event?
- Thread starter iClone
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I wake up, have a cup of coffee, eat breakfast, go to work. It feels awfully similar to what I do every weekday.
I get up, have my OJ and coffee, then set up a second laptop near the main one -- sometimes it's the rMB, sometimes it's the 13" rMBP -- and fire up that machine to the Verge's website. Close to the time I then put the main computer on the Apple.com website so that I can follow the event on it, with the second machine serving as a backup in case there is a glitch with Apple's site (remember the woman talking in Chinese one year?). Sometimes I'll have a notepad handy, too, in case I want to make a note or two of specific dates something will be available, prices, etc. (Usually I do this when there's an iPhone or iPad update being announced.) Then I relax and enjoy the presentation! 
Yes I remember the Chinese ladyI get up, have my OJ and coffee, then set up a second laptop near the main one -- sometimes it's the rMB, sometimes it's the 13" rMBP -- and fire up that machine to the Verge's website. Close to the time I then put the main computer on the Apple.com website so that I can follow the event on it, with the second machine serving as a backup in case there is a glitch with Apple's site (remember the woman talking in Chinese one year?). Sometimes I'll have a notepad handy, too, in case I want to make a note or two of specific dates something will be available, prices, etc. (Usually I do this when there's an iPhone or iPad update being announced.) Then I relax and enjoy the presentation!
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Do you get to watch the event at work?
I've prepared three lengthy posts for MRF, depending on how the event goes I'll post one of them.
And which one did you post?I've prepared three lengthy posts for MRF, depending on how the event goes I'll post one of them.
Slow DSL so what I do is wait for the keynote to show up in iTunes, download it, then watch w/ popcorn of course..
Not in any special way.
Most of the time, I don't watch them at all - I read the headlines (here) subsequently, and they tend to tell me all I need to know.
This time was a little different, as I was curious about the MBA; thus, I kept an occasional eye on the feed posted here on the site, checking in every ten minutes or so - most of what was discussed held little interest for me. However, I did actually read the section on the MBA when it scrolled by.
Most of the time, I don't watch them at all - I read the headlines (here) subsequently, and they tend to tell me all I need to know.
This time was a little different, as I was curious about the MBA; thus, I kept an occasional eye on the feed posted here on the site, checking in every ten minutes or so - most of what was discussed held little interest for me. However, I did actually read the section on the MBA when it scrolled by.
Scepticalscribe, you have the 11" MBA, right? Now that it is being discontinued, what will you do when you're ready to buy a new Mac? Go with the 12" MacBook? Something else?
For now, I am looking into buying a maxed out 11" MBA, preferably 2015 specs, and have my young man - who is the manager of the Apple shop where I have made most of my purchases in the past four years - out prowling to see if they can source one for me.
To some extent, it is my own fault, as I held off ordering one because I wanted to see what the "Event" would bring.
I love that combination of power, portability, great battery and stunning reliability that the 11" MBA (and indeed, the 13" MBA) represents. Once you get used to the 11" for travel - and it is my constant travelling companion - it is hard to adjust to the larger machines.
Mine dates from 2014, - and is a CTO maxed out computer. (That is, 11" MBA, with 8GB RAM, 512 GB SSD, and Core i7; Applecare and Office for Mac were also included, as I find them both indispensable).
So - as it is a computer from 2014 - clearly, there is still some Applecare to run on it; however, I had just begun to contemplate a replacement.
We shall see.
You really might want to take a serious look at the 12" MacBook, too, before making a buying decision. The 2016 m7 that I have is just terrific for traveling -- it's incredibly thin and lightweight and the retina screen is wonderful for aging eyes. there's not quite as much scrolling when viewing pages as there is for the 11" MBA. Excellent battery life, too!
Yes, the rMB has only one port, but so far I have not found that to be much of a problem -- most of the time I don't need to plug anything into the machine anyway, as everything is wireless; my printer is wireless and I use Apple's Magic Mouse 2 as well as the computer's trackpad. When I first bought the 12" rMB, I did have to put some things into it, of course, and used the Apple adapter for that purpose, plugging in one of my USB 3.0 external drives in order to transfer files and folders. I could've used Air Drop but the other way was quicker since I had a number of files. Since then I have also purchased a G-Drive USB-C external drive which works quite nicely on all of my machines since it has both USB-C and USB-A cable connections. The USB-C cable also works nicely with my T3 SSD external drives as well. I use the external drives for backups and also as supplementary drives when I don't want to keep something on the computer itself but want to have it quickly available when need be.
Just a thought..... In the long run you might be better off going with what is current and forward-facing rather than spending money on an MBA which has older hardware and no retina screen.
Yes, the rMB has only one port, but so far I have not found that to be much of a problem -- most of the time I don't need to plug anything into the machine anyway, as everything is wireless; my printer is wireless and I use Apple's Magic Mouse 2 as well as the computer's trackpad. When I first bought the 12" rMB, I did have to put some things into it, of course, and used the Apple adapter for that purpose, plugging in one of my USB 3.0 external drives in order to transfer files and folders. I could've used Air Drop but the other way was quicker since I had a number of files. Since then I have also purchased a G-Drive USB-C external drive which works quite nicely on all of my machines since it has both USB-C and USB-A cable connections. The USB-C cable also works nicely with my T3 SSD external drives as well. I use the external drives for backups and also as supplementary drives when I don't want to keep something on the computer itself but want to have it quickly available when need be.
Just a thought..... In the long run you might be better off going with what is current and forward-facing rather than spending money on an MBA which has older hardware and no retina screen.
Well, my printer is not wireless, it is very wired, and I also use a Superdrive (as I am the sort of person who still buys CDs, rips and burns them, and watches movies - occasionally - on DVD).
My original MBA had one USB port, which was an inconvenience; the current 13" has three, whereas the wonderful 11" had two; three are nice, but not terribly necessary, - but two is the perfect number.
The terms Magic Mouse and AirDrop are completely new to me - in that I don't know what they are.
The G-Drive USB-C external drive sounds interesting. What exactly is that?
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Do please introduce me: What divine beverage is that, exactly?
[doublepost=1477764245]
Do please introduce me: What divine beverage is that, exactly?[/QUOTE][/doublepost]
Whiskey of entirely unknown origin. Just a stock image I Googled up.
Do please introduce me: What divine beverage is that, exactly?[/QUOTE][/doublepost]
Whiskey of entirely unknown origin. Just a stock image I Googled up.
One can use the Superdrive with the 12" rMB; I have done so a couple of times, actually! It works with the Apple adapter (but not with ALL adapters, so one has to be careful about that when considering the purchase of a third-party brand). I still buy CDs and DVDs, too. Also I download albums from iTunes and then like to create my own playlists and burn them to CD for the car. Couldn't manage without my Superdrive!
Yes, I remember the first-generation MBA (I had one) and most of the time the one USB port didn't bother me much -- until the time I wanted to download images I'd just shot from my card reader into my external drive -- both devices were using USB 2.0 at that time. Oops....I quickly realized that instead, I'd have to first get all the images into the MBA itself and then unplug the card reader and plug in the external drive in order to get the image files where I wanted them. Since I had a number of images to transfer it was a royal pain and the whole process seemed to take forever. I vowed never to make that mistake again.....
Times have changed, of course and since most everything is wireless and since I do have other Macs in the household to use, too, I'm not as fussed about that sole port as I otherwise would be, and if I were to take another photo trip where I'd be doing a lot with shuffling image files around, I'd take my 13" rMBP instead. On that machine I can easily plug in two USB 3.0 devices at the same time and do my thing.....
The Magic Mouse is the rather sleek, elegant looking wireless (Bluetooth) mouse that Apple brought out several years ago; the first generation required that one insert batteries (rechargeables were great!), but with the current version I simply plug it in for recharging at a time when I'm not using it (usually overnight) and it works a treat -- no more batteries to keep track of and carry around. Haven't used a wired mouse in years...... I'm a mouse person, never really felt wholly comfortable with the trackpad, especially for attaining precise results. Now I sort of do a combination of trackpad and mouse, using each device as the fancy strikes me. My 15" rMBP functions as a desktop substitute so also have the Magic Keyboard and Magic Trackpad to use with that machine.
Air Drop is Apple's app meant to make it easy to wirelessly and without additional devices transfer files to another of one's computers or to a friend's/relative's computer if their machine is close by. I haven't really used it all that much, to be honest. Just as easy to use Home Sharing (in iTunes) or to pull out an external drive.
The 1 TB G-Drive USB-C external drive is bus-driven and has the USB-C port on it. The great thing is that it comes with both a short USB-C - to USB-C cable for direct connection to my rMB and a short USB-C - to USB-A cable for direct connection to my rMBP. That way, I can plug the thing into my 15" rMBP and snag a folder, file, whatever, and then turn around and connect the USB-C to USB-C cable to it and stick it into my rMB for quick transfers. I was happy to see that the USB-C to USB-C cable also works VERY nicely with my tiny little Samsung T3 external SSD drive as well. When traveling I can carry the T3 and have the contents of important files that aren't necessary to have on the rMB itself but which I might find that I need anyway. Also this provides plenty of extra space for adding new files while on the road.
Thanks for taking the time & trouble to compose that very informative post, @Clix Pix; much appreciated.
What does 'bus-driven' mean?
Re peripherals, I hardly ever buy third party; if Apple makes a version of something useful or necessary in that area, I'll but it and pay whatever premium charge they have stuck on it. Thus, I would use Apple adaptors.
Oddly enough, since I bought my first Apple - a MBP in 2008 - I haven't used a mouse at home. Indeed, the only times I have used a mouse in recent years has been when working abroad - mission computers invariably tend to be antiques with Windows software - invariably accompanied by a mouse.
What does 'bus-driven' mean?
Re peripherals, I hardly ever buy third party; if Apple makes a version of something useful or necessary in that area, I'll but it and pay whatever premium charge they have stuck on it. Thus, I would use Apple adaptors.
Oddly enough, since I bought my first Apple - a MBP in 2008 - I haven't used a mouse at home. Indeed, the only times I have used a mouse in recent years has been when working abroad - mission computers invariably tend to be antiques with Windows software - invariably accompanied by a mouse.
"Bus-driven" means that the external drive is portable and does not require a separate external power source -- it uses the machine itself to provide the power..... I have external drives which are meant for the desk and which have power cables and power adapter; the much smaller portable external drives which are so handy for travel don't need the power cables and power adapter. The lack of a power adapter means that there are limitations to these and that they aren't going to be able to handle some really heavy-duty use situations, though.
Like you, I tend to go first and foremost for Apple adapters, reasoning that these are most likely to successfully work well with whichever product for which they are intended -- and so far I have found that indeed to be the case.
My first computer was way back in the early days of Windows 3.1, where I learned to use a mouse and learned to love it. Time went on and in 2005 I purchased my first Mac, the G5 Rev B, which of course came with a mouse....a one-button one. I was greatly relieved when only a short time after that Apple came out with the two-button mouse! When I bought my first Mac laptop, the Powerbook, I found that just as with my previous Windows laptops that I still felt that I just had to have a mouse with it, too -- and have continued in that pattern ever since then. The arrival of the wireless mouse has made things a lot nicer. Right now I am sitting in my bedroom, feet propped up on my bed, my rMB on my lap, and my mouse conveniently at hand on a nearby table..... Works for me!
If I know Apple will be releasing something I'm interested in, I call up my financial adviser, request a sizable sum of money (last versions price + 30%) moved to my checking account. Then I pour myself a few shots before checking out the details incl. price and hitting "purchase".
Otherwise I in no way prepare for an Apple release.
Otherwise I in no way prepare for an Apple release.
I'm still picking myself up from the floor, after seeing the prices...
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Whiskey of entirely unknown origin. Just a stock image I Googled up.
[/QUOTE]And here I was, dreaming of some nectar of venerable antiquity - perhaps an 18 year old, or, better still a single malt whisky that was twenty years old......