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The Gimmicks-and-Features Edition Monday, April 18, 2022

5 Free Zoom Alternatives That Break The 40-minute Barrier, by Doug Aamoth, Fast Company

If you’re using the free version of Zoom and you’re not a huge fan of meetings to begin with, the 40-minute meeting limit could arguably be seen as a feature.

But sometimes you’ve just got to meet for longer than two-thirds of an hour, right? And if you’re looking for free Zoom alternatives that are more generous, have we got a list for you.

Use The Right Tools, by Matt Gemmell

You should absolutely use multiple tools when one would technically do. You should absolutely prioritise effective creativity, and efficient facilitation of thought, over some notional and irrelevant benefit of having fewer tools. A sketch isn’t a mind map, and a mind map isn’t a linear outline, and an outline isn’t a novel. When the shape of the information changes, that’s your cue that you should be checking for the optimal tool to fit your way of working.

Apple Rivals Add Tricks And Treats To Compete In Noisy Earbud Space, by Tim Biggs, Sydney Morning Herald

Against Apple’s third-generation AirPods, brands are pulling out all the stops to attract switchers and upgraders with a range of new gimmicks and features.

Bottom of the Page

Personally, what I like to see is a new MacBook Air, one that lives out the promise of the 'Air' modifier. Apple has been adding weight and thickness to many of its product lines recently, which, in my humble opinion, is the right thing to do. (More ports! Longer battery life!) But Apple should still have an 'Air' product line that compromises in favor of thinness and lightness. There need to be a MacBook Air that approaches the lightness and thinness of an iPad Pro.

There shouldn't be a need for iPad Pros to 'replace your laptop', as many critics have been asking since day one. Let iPads be iPads -- a third device for doing things more suited for a tablet, and let the laptop-replacement be... well, a laptop running macOS.

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Thanks for reading.