Links
Austin Mann’s iPhone 8 Plus Review
Austin Mann has done another amazing review of the newest iPhone’s camera:
While the iPhone 8 Plus looks essentially the same as the phone we’ve had since the 6 Plus, there are some new features in the 8 Plus which really impact creative pros across the board — most notably Portrait Lighting, along with
feature
watchOS 4: The BirchTree Review
Last year's watchOS 3 was met with glowing reviews as it was a jam-packed release that drastically
podcast
The BirchTree Podcast #32: watchOS 4 Review Preview
Why watchOS reviews are fundamentally different from iOS reviews, and 3 of the features in watchOS 4 that I think you'll love.
Subscribe to The BirchTree Podcast here.
ios
Apple’s removal of the App Store from iTunes screws over users, publishers, and developers
Removing the iOS App Store from iTunes makes a lot of sense. iTunes needs to slim down and become the best media player in the world again, but Apple’s latest decision to remove the App Store without having a replacement ready is madness.
I’ve rolled it around my head for days and I’
Android
The “not really bezel-less” wars: iPhone X vs Samsung Galaxy S8 vs Essential
There are 3 big phones on the market that are making a splash this year for having “bezel-less” screens. I will get out of the way that none of these are actually bezel-less, and we need to stop being so willy-nilly in handing out that label. Today we’re going to look
watch
Looking back on Android Wear 2.0
Jerry Hildenbrand has a nice overview of Android Wear 2 after 6 months over on Android Central. There were a few points that stuck out to me.
It's worth mentioning that a Project Fi SIM gives you a great data connection and there are no restrictions on how you use that data, but
iphone
2017 iPhone Rumors Roundup
I thought it would be fun to look back on calendar year 2017 and judge all the iPhone rumors now that we know what the new iPhones actually are. I used only rumors that made it to MacRumors since it was the best “pulse” I think is out there for this sort of thing.
Overall
watch
Just how impressive is the 38mm Apple Watch with LTE?
I mentioned yesterday that the fact that the 38mm Apple Watch having LTE built in is a technical achievement from Apple. I spouted out the numbers in that piece for how much smaller Apple’s smallest LTE watch is compared to Samsung’s smallest, but I didn’t have a visual yesterday. Today I threw
watch
Apple Watch apps are growing up
David Smith has some great thoughts about Apple’s Watch announcements this week:
While previously there have been technical capabilities where watchOS apps could connect to external services without their iPhone present, the expectation I think has always been that this would be rare and unusual. Now it may very well be common and expected.
The Power of Apple
I read this Washington Post article this morning and it really hit home how much power Apple has in the world today. Android phones have had facial recognition features for years, and people use Snapchat’s facial recognition features many millions of times a day already, but when Apple jumps into the ring, people are
watch
The good, the bad, and the gaudy of the Series 3 Apple Watch
The new Apple Watch was indeed announced today, and it looks to be another solid update to the Watch family. I personally plan on ordering a Series 3 LTE watch this Friday so I can enjoy the iPhone-free lifestyle from time to time. Let’s break down what Apple announced to figure out why
podcast
The BirchTree Podcast #31: This isn’t some generic sky!
My first impressions of the Apple iPhone event. We talk iPhones and Apple Watches and Apple TVs, weeeee!
goodie
The best BirchTree wallpapers updated for the new iPhone X
Because I love you guys and expect a good portion of you will be buying the new iPhone X this fall, I decided it was worth updating some of my most popular wallpapers to match the new wallpaper dimensions for iOS 11 devices. These will look great on any iPhone though, so hopefully there is
Links
AMP-ing up search traffic?
Ethan Marcotte on AMP:
Rather, those companies use AMP to ensure their articles appear in the carousel that appears on Google’s search results, a carousel that only displays content published with AMP’s proprietary format—which then, in turn, drives more traffic to publishers’ content. (At least, theoretically.)
This may be true for some
goodie
Apple removed their Jupiter wallpaper in the iOS 11 GM even though I made them such a nice one
9to5Mac got their hands on the iOS 11 GM release and it has a ton of new wallpapers, including updated Earth and Moon ones, but Apple sadly does not seem to have taken my nice Jupiter one I made for them last month. That said, Apple does have a couple weeks before iOS 11 actually
Links
The future of Microsoft Office for Mac is just fine
There has been some worry in the Apple community about the future of Office on the Mac since Microsoft announced that Office 2011 will no longer work on High Sierra. I think David Sparks nails it though:
I think a more likely explanation for the lack of support for Office 2011 in High Sierra is
podcast
The BirchTree Podcast #30: Lessons from first week on the App Store
My first app, Today's Forecast, on the App Store was released 7 days ago and I'm still catching up on sleep and emails as we roll into week two. There is lots to do when releasing an app, and I wanted to take a few minutes and talk about some of
