MyAppleMenu

The 16GB Edition Saturday, November 5, 2016

Apple Cuts USB-C Adapter Prices In Response To MacBook Pro Complaints, by Jacob Kastrenakes, The Verge

Apple released a statement explaining the price cut: "We recognize that many users, especially pros, rely on legacy connectors to get work done today and they face a transition. We want to help them move to the latest technology and peripherals, as well as accelerate the growth of this new ecosystem. Through the end of the year, we are reducing prices on all USB-C and Thunderbolt 3 peripherals we sell, as well as the prices on Apple's USB-C adapters and cables.”

Apple Drops Prices Of 4K And 5K LG Displays By 25 Percent, by Juli Clover, MacRumors

Along with dropping the prices on all of its USB-C adapters accessories to help new MacBook Pro owners transition to USB-C more affordably, Apple has also introduced some significant price cuts to the 4K and 5K LG UltraFine Displays that were announced at its October 27 Mac event.

Can We Put The 16GB “Pro” Myth To Rest?, by Jonathan Zdziarski

I have no doubt that there will be some edge cases where a user legitimately uses up more than 16GB of RAM, and Apple really should consider refreshing their line of Mac Pros for such needs; the MacBook Pro is designed to be portable and energy conscious first, and I think that makes a lot of sense. It’s not a desktop machine, and it’s not going to act like a desktop machine as long as it’s operating within these constraints. With that said, I think many (not all) of the arguments about people using up all of their 16GB RAM are caused by factors that are within their control – whether it’s running crummy software, not adequately maintaining their startup items, not properly configuring their applications, or possibly even malware. Get those things out of the way first, and even if you’re still a high memory user, I bet your performance will be a lot more tolerable than it is now.

The MacBook Pro, as I’ve demonstrated, is more than capable of running a ridiculous number of “pro” apps without crossing the 16GB limit. It is, without a doubt, capable of adequately serving a vast majority of resource-hungry professionals such as myself, without breaking a sweat. The only thing, incidentally, breaking a sweat, are the people complaining about the number 16 on social media without actually understanding just how far that number gets you.

The New MacBook Pro 2016 Almost Makes Sense, But Apple Missed A Trick With iPhone 7, by Aaron Brown, Daily Express

Unfortunately, the painful transition period between USB to USB-C as a mainstream standard, coupled with a few inconsistencies between products in the current line-up, means that for many customers this will no longer be the case. At least not without a few £20 dongles, that is.

Stuff

Sun: A Seriously Beautiful Weather App Powered By Dark Sky, by Margaret Rhodes, Wired

Sun offers neatly parceled amounts of information.

Novation Update Launchpad App For iOS, by Mick Wilson, DJ Magazine

Audio Import is one of the main new features now available for iPhone, plus users can now easily bring in their own custom sounds and loops from almost anywhere including Google Drive, iCloud, Dropbox, AudioCopy, AudioShare, Airdrop.

Develop

U.S. Government Launches Code.gov To Showcase Its Open-source Software, by Jordan Novet, VentureBeat

The White House today is announcing the launch of Code.gov, a website that shows off U.S. government open-source projects and offers relevant resources for government agencies. By launching this site the White House is hoping to improve public access to the government’s software and encourage the reuse of software across government agencies.

Notes

Man Hacks Alexa Into Singing Fish Robot, Terror Ensues, by Russell Brandom, The Verge

A developer named Brian Kane has hacked his Alexa to speak through the avatar of a wall-mounted Big Mouth Billy Bass. It’s not clear exactly how he did it, but it’s probably related to the Alexa API — opened in April just after the release of the Dot — which allows developers to embed the smart assistant in third-party hardware.

Bottom of the Page

Maybe I should stock up on some USB-C dongles while they are cheaper?

~

Thanks for reading.