Battery Life: Apple's Solving for X

Okay, so this was never my original idea to begin with, but I heard Jason Snell propose this theory on a podcast—can't remember which one, he's on so many—several months back, and I immediately agreed with him. Then, as time rolled on, I had considered writing about it myself. But, luckily my procrastination paid off and Jason finally put his theory in writing and now I can link to his piece (I've been meaning to post this for a couple of weeks), which is excellent. 

Snell:

Over the years I’ve said numerous times that when it comes to battery life on iOS devices, Apple appears to have a target battery life in mind and builds its hardware—a balance of power-saving software, hardware efficiency, and battery capacity—to hit that number.

It’s an observation born out of reading spec sheet after spec sheet over the years while writing reviews of new iPhones and iPads. Every year, people who are frustrated with their iPhones running out of juice before the end of the day hold out hope that the next iPhone will ameliorate the issue. In general, those people have not been satisfied.

I think that this is Apple's medium-term strategy. I believe, that just like MacBooks hung in the same range of battery life for several generations before making recent leaps, the same thing will eventually happen with iOS devices. As all the technologies that suck up power in iOS devices—screen, processor, radios—get more power efficient, and battery technology improves ever so slowly, there will eventually come a time when iOS devices can make a similar leap. Apple will likely also get to a point where diminishing returns of making devices thinner will result in less battery space being stripped out of the devices with each new generation. 

I've got the iPhone 6 Plus, and the extra volume in the device really does make for much improved battery life, as Jason Snell points out. It's by far the best feature of the bigger iPhone 6. I like the big, beautiful screen, and the camera is supposedly better with optical image stabilization—I'm not good enough to be able to tell—but the biggest advantage of the big one is the battery life. If it wasn't for the battery life, I'd most definitely opt for the smaller form factor of the iPhone 6. 

For now, I'm happy with my more-than-full-day battery life of my iPhone 6 Plus, but I definitely look forward to the day when iPhones double or triple their battery life while staying the same size or even thinner than the iPhone 6. 

Coinbase Secures Approval to Launch Regulated US Bitcoin Exchange →

Jon Southurst, writing for CoinDesk:

Coinbase has until now acted largely as a brokerage for bitcoin users. By expanding into this new vertical the company will be able to "offer greater security for individuals and institutions to trade bitcoin and monitor real-time pricing of the cryptocurrency", the company told the Wall Street Journal.

This is exciting news. I think this is a positive step to continue to legitimize Bitcoin. Coinbase also has a "To the Moon!" teaser page up right now counting down the launch of the exchange. It looks like it will be live at 9am EST tomorrow. 

31 Years Ago Today, Apple Broadcast the Legendary Apple 1984 Ad →

Time flies.

How Amazon Tricks You Into Thinking it Always has the Lowest Prices →

Jason Del Rey, writing for Re/Code:

Boomerang, founded by Amazon veteran Guru Hariharan, makes software that tracks prices on shopping sites that compete with its clients, then recommends price changes dynamically. Those changes are based on rules its clients set about which products to match prices on and which to boost higher or drop lower than a competitor’s to boost profits or sales, respectively.

I find this stuff fascinating. It just seems like the way of the future. Imagine trying to implement dynamic pricing that's algorithmically calculated based on price-comparisons to competitors in a brick and mortar retail setting. I just can't see all those blue-smocked Walmart employees out there physically swapping price tags daily, based on head office directions. It just doesn't scale in the physical world like it does for an online retailer like Amazon.  

Samsung to Buy BlackBerry? →

Speaking of BlackBerry, the rumours are flying around today that Samsung might be looking at buying them mostly for the patents. 

Ina Fried, writing for Re/Code:

As for the patents, making a huge deal based on their value alone can be a dubious prospect. Just ask Google, which bought all of Motorola on the strength of its patents. It had little success in court with Motorola’s patents and was forced to operate an ill-fitting hardware unit, only to unload it to Lenovo at a loss.

Samsung and BlackBerry have both issued denials, but that doesn't mean anything. They'd deny it either way. 

BlackBerry is Tweeting From an iPhone →

I've seen this mistake made many times by celebrities who are paid to endorse one smartphone brand and then get caught tweeting from an iPhone, when Apple is not the brand they represent. But this is the first time that I've actually seen the official Twitter account of a smartphone maker tweet from the Twitter app on an iPhone. Not smooth.

Somebody is in big trouble. 

Google Translate Can Now Interpret Signs and Conversations in Real Time →

This stuff is pretty cool. Google's GIF of the sign translation in The Verge's article seems too good to be true. Google's services and apps paired with iOS hardware really is an amazing combination. Some of my most used apps are made by Google, including Maps, Search, Translate, and others. 

The update is rolling out on both Android and iOS in the coming days.

Here's also a video of Google Translate being used to translate a conversation in real time.

Eight Years Ago Today the iPhone was Introduced to the World →

I don't think it's hyperbole for me to say that the world changed 8 years ago when Apple and Steve Jobs introduced the iPhone. If you've never seen the video of the keynote, you really should watch it. It almost feels as though it's our cultural duty in 2015 to watch this video in order to understand why the world is the way it is today. 

Jason Snell has some great advice:

If you’d like to hear some fantastic analysis of the event, I highly recommend episode 30 of The Prompt, in which Federico, Myke, and Stephen break down the entire event, complete with clips.

Canadian App Store Price Increase Now Live →

As mentioned earlier, prices in the App Store were set to rise, and now they have. It looks like the price increase is about 15-20%, depending on the app's original price. 

$0.99 increases to $1.19

$1.99 increases to $2.29

$2.99 increases to $3.49

Etc. 

Apple Set to Increase App Prices in Canada and Most of Europe by Tomorrow →

Well, that sucks. But, I suppose with the current state of the Canadian dollar, this isn't a huge surprise. 

Netflix Responds to Reports of Crackdown on VPN and Proxy Users →

Netflix statement:

Virtually crossing borders to use Netflix is a violation of our terms of use because of content licensing restrictions. We employ industry standard measures to prevent this kind of use. There hasn’t been any recent changes to the Netflix VPN policy or terms of use.

So far, I don't think we're in too much trouble, from what I've been reading. Here's a story on this same topic from CBC. It sounds like it's difficult for Netflix to defeat VPN, DNS, and proxy services. And they don't seem to care enough to put a lot of effort into fighting it. Besides, those customers are still paying customers. They're just customers that are accessing additional content from other countries. If didn't have access to that content, then maybe they wouldn't subscribe at all. The Canadian Netflix library really isn't that great. 

I wrote about Unblock-US last year, and I haven't heard about any issues with their service, either. I wouldn't worry. 

The New Tesla Model S P85D Shames the Old Model in the Quietest Drag Race Ever →

Want one. 

Pet Peeve of the Week: You Mean 'Wary', Not 'Weary'!

I think these particular types of English language crimes are some of the most forgivable. You know, the ones where the person is repeating a phrase they've heard spoken all their lives, but have rarely—if ever—seen it in writing. However, have you actually thought about the words you are saying? I know that the answer to that is probably 'no', but these are not obscure words like jibe. Wary and weary make look and sound similar, but they are common enough and have very different meanings. Getting them confused really shouldn't happen.

To be wary is to be cautious or to be on guard. To be weary is to be tired or fatigued.

Now that we've set that straight, you are not "weary of making a mistake" or "weary of that backstabbing coworker". You are wary of them! However, I am weary of hearing people say that incorrectly. 

Professor X Fires Wolverine

I can't believe I hadn't seen these before. Pete Holmes does a bunch of sketches called "Ex-Men", where Professor X fires members of the X-Men team. Very funny. 

Here's the outtakes from this particular sketch, too.

[via Back to Work]

Johnny Carson's Last TV Appearance

So cool.

[via Back to Work]

The Story Behind "The Song"

A little "making of" video for the new Apple holiday ad. 

You Can Now Control Your Nest Thermostat With Your Voice →

It works through Google Now, or the Google app on both Android and iOS.

Apple's New Holiday Ad

The Song

'We Talkin' About Napkins'

The Burger's Priest does a fantastic parody of Allen Iverson's infamous 'Practice' press conference. This is spot on. 

Here's the original Allen Iverson 'Practice' video, almost 8 million views later.

Not a game.

[via BarDown]

John Oliver Takes on the Miss America Pageant

Okay, this is an old one, but it's just so good. 

My favourite line of the video is Oliver's description of Donald Trump: "a clown, made of mummified foreskin and cotton candy". And, he even uses literally correctly.

John Oliver and the writers on his show are really funny.