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Let me get this out of the way: Apple’s AirPods are good. They pair seamlessly, sound at least as good as their wired equivalents, and are fun to use. From what I’ve read, no other company offers truly wireless earbuds anywhere near as good as these. And “truly wireless” matters; I love that I don’t snag my headphones on every doorknob. It’s nice that I don’t have to snake a cable through my many layers when prepping for a cold-weather run.
But I have my quibbles:
Control issues. Nerds have fretted about the AirPods’ lack of playback / volume controls since Apple’s initial announcement back in September. After ten days using them, it’s clear to me: using Siri for this is annoying. Two examples:
First, skipping podcast ads[1] with the AirPods is a chore. I can command Siri to jump ahead two minutes, but playback does not restart automatically afterwards. I then have to invoke Siri again and say “Play.” In other words, it takes two separate double-tap gestures, two spoken phrases, and at least ten seconds to complete this simple task. With the wired EarPods, accomplishing the same thing took literally two seconds.
Second, this shouldn’t happen:
Yes, I have a “Ray” in my address book. But Siri has to get smarter than that.
Again, AirPods are delightful in many ways. They’re an impressive technological achievement. But in introducing new conveniences, Apple has also eliminated some familiar, critical benefits of the old tech. This give-and-take makes me hesitate to recommend the AirPods. For $160, your experience will be both better and worse than using the free EarPods that came with your iPhone.
But as a proof-of-concept, the AirPods’ potential is clear. If Apple can pare down the price[2] and sand off the rough edges—particularly by adding physical playback and volume controls—AirPods v2 would be a no-brainer purchase for many iPhone owners.
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Panos Panay, who runs Microsoft’s hardware team, has earned a reputation as the “M. Night Shyamalan” of tech presenters; there’s always a twist. Last year, the Surface Book’s detachable screen wasn’t unveiled until halfway through his explanation. This year, Panay introduced the Studio as an industrial-looking iMac competitor, then pivoted and revealed how the machine converts into a digital creator’s easel, controlled via touch, pen and an intriguing new accessory called the Surface Dial.
I could quibble (the event ran a half-hour too long), but it’s hard not to be impressed with the device and its carefully-orchestrated introduction. In the video above, when the music paused and the artist placed the Dial on the screen, my jaw dropped. I felt it in a visceral way.
Others seem to agree; Microsoft ruled nerd Twitter this afternoon.
Google’s co-founder, Larry Page, has invested heavily in a startup focused on flying cars. What might synergy between his two companies look like?
Apple announced changes to the App Store today; these updates will incentive developers to embrace a subscription revenue model. Silly idea: what if iOS went the same direction?
No wonder Bloomberg hired him.
Painting from a new perspective: Tilt Brush lets you paint in 3D space with virtual reality. Your room is your canvas. Your palette is your imagination. The possibilities are endless.
VR grows more interesting by the day; it’s encouraging to see the medium do more than port first-person shooters.
For example, this VR painting app (launching with the HTC Vive headset) is intriguing for both artists and art-lovers. Imagine stepping into a comic book or viewing a portrait from your preferred, alternative angle.
Be sure to check out the demo videos.
UPDATE: Watch Glen Keane play with Tilt Brush. Keane helped animate several classic Disney films (e.g. The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast)