I love the world of technology. I love the world of technology so much so that I got into programming a few years ago and as a result now have a few apps on the App Store. Those who know me know I’m really proud of one app in particular.
So, WWDC…
As I’ve been a high school student for the last few years, I’ve never been able to take time out of school in June to attend WWDC. Well, I suppose that’s only part of the reason. The other part is that I’ve never had the finances to do so.
After some thought, I’ve decided I will apply for a student scholarship for WWDC in 2016. Yes, that’s a year away. WWDC 2015 hasn’t yet happened so I am getting a bit ahead of myself. And no, this probably isn’t a good reason to be writing a blog post. But I am, simply because the thought excites me.
For years I’ve wanted to attend WWDC, and knowing there’s a possibility that I might next year makes me very excited. I’m aware the chances of winning a student scholarship are slim, but it’s the only way I’d be able to afford to go.
Even if I don’t win a scholarship to WWDC, there’s a chance I’d go just to witness the keynote and to hang out with all the cool people in the industry who attend. It would be an absolute pleasure and thrill to meet people whose work I read and listen to on a daily basis, and whom I admire so much.
So because I felt like writing about something tonight, I’m posting this. It’s nothing definite, but still remains an open possibility at this point and that’s good enough for me.
When Steve Jobs took the stage over 8 years ago to announce the original iPhone, he pitched it to his audience as 3 devices…
First, it was a widescreen iPod with touch controls.
The second was a revolutionary mobile phone.
And the third, a breakthrough Internet communications device.
From his keynote:
Well, today, we’re introducing three revolutionary products of this class. The first one is a widescreen iPod with touch controls. The second is a revolutionary mobile phone. And the third is a breakthrough Internet communications device. So, three things: a widescreen iPod with touch controls; a revolutionary mobile phone; and a breakthrough Internet communications device. An iPod, a phone, and an Internet communicator. An iPod, a phone … are you getting it?
Looking back many years later, I’ve now carried a magical device of these sorts for around two and a half years. Not long compared to some, I’m aware. But thinking about this made me review my own usage of my iPhone today. It’s fair to assume that when Steve said what he did on stage, all 3 uses of iPhone were of equal importance to him.
Years on, I would say I use my iPhone approximately 50% of the time as an Internet communications device. Mainly for instant messaging (iMessage & WhatsApp are the two main services I use for that), social media (Twitter is my main addiction here), keeping up to date with news and sport scores as well as general web browsing.
Strangely enough, I probably use it 49% of the time as a “widescreen iPod with touch controls.” This almost matches my use for it as an Internet communicator, and mainly consists of listening to music while running as well as a tonne of Podcasts while I travel. Podcasts are my favourite medium of entertainment, and make up a significant portion of my phone use.
Lastly, I use my iPhone as a revolutionary mobile phone probably <1% of the time. I only make two or three phone calls in a typical month, and rarely send “Text Messages.” (I try to avoid having friends acquaintances who invest in the peasantry of the Android or Windows Phone mobile operating systems.) That being said, I do use my phone fairly often for FaceTime Audio, but I consider that an Internet usage feature and not a “mobile phone” feature. It’s gotten to the point now where I could almost comfortably drop paying for voice & SMS each month, and instead go on a data-only plan. With each passing day, traditional phone features become less and less a part of my life.
So there you have it. In summary, I use my iPhone 50% of the time as an Internet communicator, 49% as an iPod and <1% as a traditional phone. An interesting mix, but I thought it was worthwhile sharing.
I’m curious as to how everyone else uses their iPhone, and I’d love to hear from you. Feel free to reply to this post, or to reply to me on Twitter (@ZachSimone) with your estimated iPhone usage breakdown.
I did not buy Apple Watch. I did not buy Apple Watch. Say it with me.
I decided against the purchase of Apple’s newest innovative product: Apple Watch. It took a lot of willpower to restrain myself from pressing the “Pre-Order” button but I think I’ve finally overcome my desire for this object. Now that it’s out in the wild, it’s been brought to my attention that it’s “cool” but certainly not necessary.
Simply put, I couldn’t justify the price. $579 here in Australia for a 42mm Sport model… that’s ludicrous for something which is meant to be an accessory to my iPhone. With that money I can sell my current iPhone, buy this year’s model and still have money to spare! (I will not be doing this, by the way.)
Yes it’s a well-designed, desirable product. But the second generation will be even more so and I think I’ll wait until then. Apple Watch does not have enough unique functionality. My Original Pebble can do the large majority of the things Apple Watch can, and it can do them a lot better at that.
As the date of shipment of my Pebble Time nears closer and closer, I become more convinced I made the right decision to buy the Time and wait until the next generation of Apple Watch.
Apple Watch Sport on the left, Pebble Time on the right.
Those three words are never too fun to hear.
However this time around it feels a little bit different. It’s almost as though I want to go to school… for I know that every day I spend there now is one day closer to finishing. I’ve enjoyed high school immensely over the last five and a half years, and have certainly not wished it away. But now with only six months remaining I’m ready to finish. Ready to move on.
It almost feels like the calm before the storm at the moment. They next half year will be extremely hectic, with very little time for rest between immense loads of study, work and socialising.
But I’m prepared. I’ve never been disorganised, and that’s going to be a quality which will help me more than ever in the coming months. I don’t get brilliant results, but they’re good. Enough. At the end of the day, my aim is to get into the course I want and I’m on track to do that.
So as I say “back to school” for what will possibly be the last time, I know I’m approaching the beginning of the end. It’s an end that will be rewarding if I make it so – and I certainly have the ability to do that.
And just yet another reason as to why I love my Pebble Smartwatch so much. I was kept informed of the score throughout tonight’s NRL match between my mighty Dragons and the Broncos. A thrilling and fantastic win for the mighty Dragons tonight.
How long until I can purchase Grand Final tickets? 😛
I’ve been meaning to write this up for a while now. Apologies that it’s taken so long.
This will just be a short post outlining my first thoughts and impressions of the Apple Watch. A bit of background: last Friday Apple opened up Apple Watch pre-orders. They also opened up their stores to try-on appointments. While I’m not pre-ordering or buying this first-generation Watch (happily sticking with my original Pebble until my Pebble Time order ships), I did book myself in for a try-on appointment.
I tried on a multitude of watches, including: - 42mm Space Grey Sport. This one was my favourite, as it was extremely comfortable & lightweight. The sports band feels amazing, and happened to fit my wrist perfectly - which is more than I can say for some of the other bands. I also feel as though 42mm is definitely the right size for me, as 38mm is just too small.
- 38mm Stainless Steel with Milanese Loop. I was most disappointed by this one. To begin with, it was the only 38mm watch I tried on and I didn’t like the size at all. It felt microscopic. Secondly, the Milanese Loop wasn’t as comfortable as some people have made out and I also didn’t think it looked very nice.
- I also tried on a few others, including Stainless Steel with both the classic buckle and Leather Loop. I don’t have too many interesting thoughts on those bands.
After the try-on, if I was to purchase one I’d certainly be going with the 42mm Space Grey Sport model for the reasons listed above.
A few observations about the watch:
- Apple Watch looks INFINITELY better in person than it does on Apple’s website or in any other photos of it. I went in with the intention of not wanting one, but if there’s one reason as to why I slightly want one now it’s because of just how good it looks on the wrist. Seriously, I encourage you to go and check it out in a store - Apple Watch looks incredible.
- However, it is small. I mean really small. I did not expect it’s size. Even the 42mm is feels tiny on my wrist. Apple’s marketing material don’t show the size of the watch in comparison to any other objects, hence I was fooled into thinking it was the size of an average male wristwatch. This is not the case, and took me by surprise.
- The Sport band is insanely comfortable, and *feels* more premium than other bands even though it’s the most simple looking one.
- The leather loop felt more solid and more magnetic than I thought. The layer of leather was really thin which made the band feel cheap, in my humble opinion.
- The stainless steel Apple Watch collection is noticeably heavier than the Apple Watch Sport. Not in a way which is uncomfortable however, it’s just worth noting for the sake of this post.
- The Apple Watch Edition loops surprisingly good. I thought the Gold might look too fancy for my tastes, but that was not the case. If I had the money I’d go for the 42mm Gold Apple Watch Edition with the black sport band. Unfortunately that costs A$17,000 here.
With regards to the try-on appointment itself, I made a few observations. I didn’t feel rushed at all. I felt as though I was allowed and able to try on every watch I wanted without being rushed away. I did, however, feel restricted in what I could do when I had the watch on. I know this hasn’t been the case for everyone, but the particularly Apple Store employee who was focusing on me made sure that I didn’t loosen/tighten any of the bands myself, and whenever I would try to take a watch off or put a new one on she was sure to assist me. It was as if I was a toddler who wasn’t trusted to play with a fancy collection of toys. She was nice about it, however I did want the experience of fiddling with the straps on my own. The only exception to this rule was when I was trying on the Leather Loop and the Milanese Loop - she put the band on most of the way and told me to “lock” it in place at a tightness which felt comfortable. I also didn’t get to swap any of the bands, or try out different band combinations other than the defaults which I was presented with. Who knows - maybe if I’d been able to put the Milanese Loop on a 42mm Steel Watch my opinions of it would be completely different.
Overall, my experience last Friday afternoon inside of the Sydney Apple Store on George Street was a pleasant and enjoyable one.
It’s worth mentioning that at the time I went into the store, there was no new MacBook to look at. At that time, Australian stores had no idea when it was getting released in Australia - they couldn’t tell me that or when they would be getting stock. As I left the store and Apple Watch pre-orders began around 5pm local time, the MacBook magically became available on the Apple Online Store in Australia, so I presume it’s now available to look at in stores. From the online photos, it truly looks like an amazing machine and I imagine I’ll be writing up another post about it when I take another trip to the Apple Store to check it out (hopefully soon!).
I’ll leave you with some photos from my journey to the Apple Store:
The above image contains A$48,000 worth of Gold Watches.
Was surprisingly unimpressed with the above combination - 38mm Stainless Steel Apple Watch with the Milanese Loop. Behind my wrist you can see the store employee taking out another watch for me to try on. The display case is standard for every try-on - all of the watches are lined up inside of it. Here, they are attached to chargers until they are taken out of the case. All of the watches inside the case are available to try-on during the appointment, however the employee will ask you a few questions to get to know you and your interests before suggesting only a few to try on. The idea is to pick something based on the style you like and then they begin the try-on based on that.
Last - but certainly not least - the above image shows my favourite watch combination: 42mm Stainless Steel Apple Watch Sport. It was the appropriate look of style meets stealth. In conjunction with the sport band, it was also very lightweight which made it the most comfortable of the watches I tried on.
At the beginning of this post, I said it was going to be a short one. I’ve gotten a bit carried away here - oops! I do hope, however, that you’ve found this post enjoyable and informative in some way or another. That’s it for today folks.
Late last night, I finished my shift at work and went out to the car only to find I’d left the lights on. Expectedly, the car didn’t start after multiple attempts. Fantastic… a flat battery.
I’m not going to write a long post detailing what happened, because that isn’t the interesting part. Long story short, it took nearly an hour for the NRMA roadside assist worker to arrive, and he spent about an hour diagnosing the battery, communicating with his warranty/insurance team who were eventually happy to replace the car battery for me under warranty.
The part of the night which really stood out for me and which I am most thankful for was that my dad was kind enough to drive down to my work and wait with me. This involved a tired man, who I’m sure would’ve preferred to be sleeping, staying with me for two hours - including the first half hour of his Easter holiday - waiting patiently, never complaining or getting angry. That’s what family is all about, and last night made me realise that. So dad, thank you once again and please know I can’t thank you enough.
One day I hope to be able to return many of the favours that my dad has done for me over the years.
Stop and think. How many times a day does your phone beep or buzz? Too many? I think that’s the answer for most people these days.
Take a step back. Does your phone really need to alert you every 5 seconds because there’s a new message in a “group chat” you’re a part of? Or do you really need to know what your favourite celebrity just Tweeted? Is is that important to get an update EVERY time someone “likes” a post of your on Instagram? The answer to all of those questions is NO. If you stop and truly think about it, you’ll agree with me.
These are not important notifications, and we do not need to see them. All of that information is still well and good, and can be sought out by you when and if you choose. But the difference with having to “pull” information as opposed to having it “pushed” to you is that YOU’RE the one in control. Not your friends, and certainly not the slab of metal and plastic that is your phone. You can see how many “likes” you got, or who Tweeted what in your own time, and when you’re ready to see it. Don’t let your attention be taken up by small slabs of text.
Our lives are constantly interrupted by notifications. And now, with the popularity of wearable technology such as Watches taking off… we’re going to be interrupted more than ever. I’ve worn a smart watch for nearly 18 months now, and I’ve had a lot of time to think about the importance of notifications. It’s also made me get rather annoyed whenever I get notifications. I feel my wrist vibrate and find myself thinking, “Oh, this had better be good.”
I, like many people who are reading this, am a part of a group chat (sometimes multiple) and would often get frustrated when my phone just. would. not. stop. vibrating. every. five. seconds. Whenever I felt my smart watch vibrate, I would think “Oh not again, it’s just the group going at it.” Often that would result in 5 minutes worth of vibrating notifications which I would just ignore. But when I took my phone out of my pocket an hour later, I’d missed an important message from someone else (outside of the group chat). The useless notifications had drowned out the one that was really the most important to me. But I’ve learnt to turn notifications off for things which truly aren’t important, and it works great. I now check my group chat messages when I have time to, not when my phone or smart watch tells me to do so. I can check my “replies” on Twitter when I’ve got a spare minute, and not because my wrist vibrated and demanded my attention.
I’ve left notifications turned on for a very small amount of applications, including messages. But only from people who are in my contacts. That way, when I feel my wrist vibrate and I glance down at my wrist, I know it’s for something worthwhile… from someone worth while. And the beauty of having a smart watch is, that if the notification doesn’t require any immediate action, once I’ve glanced at my wrist I can casually look away and resume the task I was consumed in before the notification interrupted.
I urge you to think about how notifications from your phone are interrupting your life, and what you can do to make your phone a little less intrusive.
