An Apple a day...

I have to admit that more than anything, the aspirational quality of Apple products is what’s hooked me into its ecosystem all these years. Though some of its products for me have lost that specific lustre- the iPhone for one, expensive as it is, has become so pedestrian that it’s become just another phone (among many). Though I wouldn't switch to Android in a million years- and I have tried at least twice- because the system is manically tedious.

I call myself a sort of Apple geek and yet probably don’t know half of every iPhone iteration’s functionalities or use any of its shortcuts and this is precisely why I like it because it leaves you alone. Save for the system updates which most of the time it does automatically anyway, it leaves you plenty of room to make choices if you want to use these features or not. Non-Apple users accuse you of being locked into an ecosystem without realising that this is what every other company wants (even Android).

I’ve ‘locked’ myself in and I like it- not that I have any choice at this point. I have files and photos all the way back from 2011 when iCloud was first launched; currently over 40,000 images would you believe- going through them, I had months on end where I took a photo every single day. I’ve had every iPhone that came out save for the 1st one and the minor models (the SE and the XRs).

I’ve been an Apple Watch user since it 1st came out; bought the 2nd gen when the 1st one broke, and gifted myself last Christmas with the 6th generation in stainless steel for a dressier look. It’s always on my wrist, the 1st thing I put on after showering, and the last thing I take off before I go to bed. It has kept me fit and updated on news, Covid-alerts, iMessages, because I have a confirmed case of FOMO.

I had the 1st generation iPad and currently have the (old) 2nd generation 10.5 inch iPad Pro; I’ve been obsessing with getting the M1 chip powered iPad Pros, but there’s absolutely nothing wrong with my old one to justify a nearly $3,000 upgrade. These damn things never break.

I’ve ever only bought one iMac- which is now being used by Chini- and fortunate that because I use it for work (the 27-inch ones), I get to keep them after the end of the three-year upgrade cycle which means I’ve had two since.

And Macbooks…I remember my very 1st MacBook which was the 2006 matte black version. I split the cost of it with my sister Binky- her half was her gift to me- and her sister-in-law hand-carried it to the Philippines from the US. To this day, I remember and continually look for its distinct smell- this crisply sharp plasticky smell.

When I moved to New Zealand, it became a bit easier to acquire them. I knew the tech suppliers well from my 1st job for a publication company, and my next two MacBooks- 2009 and 2012 15-inchers in the iconic aluminum unibody with the lit Apple logo cut-out- were actually leases that I got from them at cost.

But as I’ve said, aspirational products can actually make you better. I learned to create new forms of content, I moved on to a new job that offered an accelerated path upwards if I was willing to go beyond what I already knew. I learned video, high-end graphics and 3D rendering. I brought it everywhere with me and my workflow was and is always melded with my personal schedule (because my idea of relaxation also meant being online or editing a photo). So when the fourth-generation MacBook Pro with the (pointless) Touch bar came out in 2016, I was able to buy it outright -didn’t even use a credit-card.

I was happy with it until Apple dropped without warning, the 16-inch model in late 2019 which I currently have. When you’re not expecting something, the impact of it on you is greater and I didn’t think twice about getting it. But the same issues are there- the battery doesn’t really last (it’s almost always plugged) and there’s still a struggle doing just baseline graphic work such as 3D renders or Adobe Premiere. These are the issues that the new MacBook Pros with the M1 Pro and Max chips are supposed to address.

But more than the technical aspects, it’s about learning new stuff! Logic Pro! XCode! Blackmagic Design DaVinci Resolve! I’ll probably never get to first base on some of this stuff, but the whole point of life is in trying and evolving- to aspire, remember?

Don’t ever be that basic bitch.

However, the price is not basic- prices for the 16-inch, M1 Pro chip starts at $4299 while the M1 Max version starts at (gasp) $6049.

The year of the Apple

If there's one thing I've learned to be true is that you should take care of yourself first because if you don't, you won't be any good helping others. I think though that when this is extended to the issue of gifts-to-oneself, I have to admit that 2017 was pretty extravagant. So take me off your Christmas lists because I have that covered! 

The new MacBook Pro with touch bar

I thought it was going to be lighter than my previous late 2014 MacBook Pro, but the weight difference is so incremental, that it's nothing. Clackier keys. Visibly better resolution which is a miracle that I can still notice it even with my fucked-up eyesight. Still a great, hassle-free machine even if the current iOS has baffling, unnecessary features. What I mourn though is the disappearance of the lighted Apple logo, and I didn't even know that until I had bought it.

Apple Watch Series 2

Never really thought of upgrading until one day, the back-plate of my series one just popped off. Apple replaced it with what seemed like a new one, but at that point, it felt like I was over it. Time for a new one. While I understand the motivation for Apple doling out the features in annoying increments, it's never to a degree where I think it's a rip-off. At least not yet. Everyone else has had a wearable before Apple brought out theirs but make an assessment comparison and it's shocking that others (who grumble and accuse Apple of being glorified copy-cats) haven't caught on Cupertino's strategy- make it way better-looking than the competition. Everyone nearly has the same features and functionalities to play with anyway, so what's the icing on that? Samsung Gear which one of our office IT guys one proudly showed me, looks like one of those shiny clever fakes you see at a Thailand shopping mall; rough-edged metal, 2nd rate leather straps. Disgusting.

Use it for what it's intended for

I promised myself (and my doctor) to up the ante on improving my cardiovascular fitness. Apparently, 2km walks are not enough. When an effective health and fitness regime is all about getting the numbers right, you need something to track it with some degree of accuracy. And that's where the watch comes in- a part of its ubiquitousness is certainly annoying (like the email notifications which admittedly you want to turn off but loathe to), but it's also the factor why you're kept committed to your fitness goals. Without its consistent presence, you will forget. You will park your ass on the bed to eat and watch stupid Youtube. You will groan and procrastinate. You will possibly die- no kidding. 

The iPhone X

I've been an iPhone user since the 3GS, skipped a few (4, 5), did Android for less than a year, and been pretty much clued into what's happening. Baffled by the iPhone 8- anyone who's been using iPhones for a long time would know that Apple passing it off as a new variant is bullshit- but hey, there are those who are buying into iPhones for the 1st time who would be fine with it. The only disappointment is the camera and it's only because it's my fault for having un-informed, ignorant expectations (New Years Resolution: study up on photography). Other than that, it succeeds because after using it for just a day, you're utterly convinced by what it can do and not because Apple said so.

10.5 inch iPad Pro

I've hemmed and hawed about this since the first iPad Pro came out because the truth is this- tablets never really age. They've fallen into that category of gadgets that are good for something you hardly need advancements for like reading and plain internet browsing. I've had the 2nd generation, Retina-display iPad for years far longer than my iPhones and it was perfectly fine. But this one dangled the creative carrot in front of me and it's a trap (the verdict is still out on this one) I've fallen for time and time again, albeit willingly.

It's brilliant

Apple keeps most of its promises and this is why you're hooked because just when you thought you have seen everything you realise that you haven't. But woe to those who buy it off the bat; first generation versions are always never perfect when the next, better one is just 12 months away (except for the iPhone X in my opinion). This size at 10.5 like the iPhone X's much smaller over-all specs is the absolute sweet spot. And the Apple pencil- in spite a weird way to charge it- it is what Apple claims it to be and I even use it for non-drawing purposes like navigating the iPad and turning pages when reading. Why would I want my smudgy fingers to ruin the gloss of that gorgeous screen?

Starting over

I know that the genetic gifts are strong (because how else would I be currently earning a living as a graphic design person when I never studied it formally??) but I also feel that one should also be informed; to learn contexts, to practice. Practice, practice, practice. To immerse yourself until you find your voice, your groove, when one day, a simply drawn line becomes identifiably you. You'll probably never get there but no one knows that. You don't know that. The one truth that I continue to struggle to hold onto every single day is that you will never even get to answer that question if you don't start. And that's the worst fate- to have had a life where you didn't bother to try.