The M1 does what Apple promised during the PowerPC transition 15 years ago but failed to deliver. What you hear coming from a millennial's face on YouTube is not hyperbole; the M1 clearly has processing power to spare since its able to translate/emulate non-optimized code at a speed where users don't even realize there's an extra computing layer in-between. In many cases, it's actually faster. Let me repeat: the M1 is running non-native code, through an emulator, faster than an Intel chip running the native code, natively, and is doing it with substantially less power consumption and with no active cooling. If a millennial is shocked at the performance of the M1 when compared side by side with an Intel equipped MacBook, they can't even imagine what I, and others my age or older, are experiencing. Our minds are completely blown. For those who aren't as tech savvy, a metaphorical example: imagine 2 people trying to read a book in Japanese. One of them can read Japanese while the other doesn't understand Japanese at all but has a device they can use to translate it for them. What's happening here, basically, is the person who needs to use a translation device is able to read the book faster than the Japanese person is able to read it directly. We witnessed first-hand this sort of wholesale transition before from the very same company. We cursed Rosetta. That was a hard shot of reality after being massaged with marketing hype, promises and a near total failure to deliver. This also came on the heels of the painful transition from Classic MacOS 9 to the Unix-based OS X, where little was offered and even that didn't work well. Once we get past the fact that we have software running in emulation at a pace that's faster than the same software being run on native hardware, we are then confronted with the fact that it's doing it cooler and more efficiently. The M1 runs harder for longer and with much less energy consumption and our imaginations are running wild at the prospect of just how much more performance we'll get once our entire workflows are coded to run natively. Even faster(?!?) and more efficiently, possibly gaining as much as 50% more battery life once Rosetta 2 is eliminated? We can't even fathom it. Hell, most of us can't even fathom what Apple has already delivered.
The Upcoming iPad Pro Magic Keyboard. A Lifestyle Choice…?
Coming soon from Apple is the recently announced Magic Keyboard for iPad Pro. Like before, it's a combined protective case and keyboard, but this one will have 2 dampened hinges and a secondary USB-C port for passthrough charging. The headline feature though is the inclusion of a trackpad and accompanying, underlying changes to iPadOS and the UI to accommodate the use of a pointing device for navigation. Basically, the iPad is becoming more laptop-like since the diversion from a unified iOS code base to separate iPadOS and iPhoneOS. Now the hardware will begin to reflect that change.
Has Fujifilm Abandoned X Raw Studio?
Maybe you've heard of Fujifilm's mostly ignored software companion, X Raw Studio. It was released sometime after the X-T2 and advertised to leverage the power of their X-Processor Pro image processing engine, aka onboard CPU, to post process your photos on a desktop or laptop computer. It did this by connecting your X-Pro2, X-T2, X-H1, or X-T3 via USB 3 or USB-C's superspeed bus and would allow you to edit your RAW files on a computer but would leverage the high speed bus and X-Processor Pro's power to process the images. Since it's release, it's sat collecting dust with only minor bug fix updates since, while Fujifilm has established partnerships with brands like PhaseOne's CaptureOne and Skylum Luminar to natively support the X-Trans system. All of this seems to be the result of traditionally poor support from Adobe, the long-standing leader in the industry. But I have a vision.
Gear Review: Finally, It Took LowePro to Show Peak Design How It’s Done
About a month ago, LowePro began to ship their newly design Freeline 350 Backpack. The one thing about the Peak Design pack was the fully configurable interior using a unique shelf design instead of a series of hook and loop pads. LowePro borrowed this interior design, improving it by making the whole system removable, not only to give the backpack more versatility but to make configuring it far easier. This was the first thing I noticed.
Back to my Nerd Roots: Upgrading my iMac
After 7 years, it was finally time to replace my mid-2011 21.5" iMac with something larger and more powerful. The transition to using Adobe Lightroom to process my photos, and the slow performance even when exporting JPEGs from the original RAW files was the driving factor toward making the purchase. It's my declining eyesight that convinced me to go with a 27" iMac over another 21.5" model, not to mention the lack of user-accessible RAM in the current 21.5" iMac.
How to Connect Your Fujifilm X-T2, X-T20, X-Pro2, X-E3, X100F or GFX-50S Camera with X RAW Studio
The question, "why don't the photos on my (insert model) camera show up in X RAW Studio?" has popped up far too frequently but wrong answers have been popping up even more. The X-T20's firmware was updated recently, bestowing upon it compatibility with X RAW Studio, leading to a surge in people downloading the firmware but not downloading the updated user manual linked directly below it. So now they seek people to give them the answer to their boggle in exchange for minimal effort expended, their keyboards lacking a button to activate any "search feature." The most popular response has been, "you must transfer the RAW files from your camera to a folder on your computer first." Wrong.
#SeattlePlayedOut: Skagit Valley Tulip Festival Edition
Hitched a ride with Craig and Brianna to Mount Vernon to find a tulip farm on Monday evening before the Skagit Valley Tulip Festival of 2018 came to a close. We figured Monday would be the best day of the week to avoid large crowds, while going as late as possible would afford us the widest range of natural light and hopefully include golden hour. Our needs were met by Roozengaarde Tulip Farm: They were open until 7pm and ejected patrons at sunset, far later than the oft shared Tulip Town, which closes at 5pm. As a welcome surprise, the weather was exceptionally nice as high temps crept to nearly 70 degrees Fahrenheit and mostly clear skies...
About My Reviews…
When I review a product, I want to make it plain that I do not receive products to review nor am I paid to do these reviews. When I review a product, it's something I've bought with my own money after days or weeks of research to ensure it will meet my needs. Because of that, my reviews will usually end positively, and that's the only reason why. I don't review things I have never owned, been gifted or am paid to write about. I don't seek out manufacturers or sellers and attempt to persuade them into gifting me a product in exchange for a review and "exposure." I am not a "mommyblogger" or an unemployed housewife with a camera. I will never shake down a product manufacturer nor refer to myself as a "social influencer." I review products because I like doing it, I enjoy trying new products and prefer to use brands that are less popular. It's these choices that I hope give my reviews a little more value due to scarcity. These are my opinions and my opinions only...
Review: ONA’s The Prince Street Messenger Bag
My review of the ONA "The Prince Street" camera messenger bag. ONA offers sizes ranging from single camera models up to accommodating 15” laptops. Their standard material offering uses waxed cotton canvas with leather trim for effective waterproofing and durability. Nylon is offered for less while leather is offered for more...
popularity of the apple watch will reveal the fatal flaw of any smartwatch
ever been the victim of a bad date and watched the person seated across from you constantly check their watch as time slows to a crawl and neither of you are willing to just throw in the towel and leave? ok, maybe you never experienced this firsthand if you're under 30 years old, but i'm... Continue Reading →
yet another opinion on the iPad Air, except i actually paid for mine.
despite the name, this is not a new category for Apple, much to the chagrin of analysts like Gene Munster, who uses his blog to skirt the SEC in his attempts to manipulate AAPL share price. whether the new "Air"moniker simply reflects the significant reduction in weight or the emergence of a future branch in... Continue Reading →
iOS 7 Beta 4 Showing Much Improvement
the freshly released Beta 4 update to the iOS 7 program has brought a few new bugs along the way, one being an especially annoying one that's killed inline remote control for most non-Apple headsets. however, this is a simple issue and the positives far outweigh the negatives. Beta 4 has seemingly reined in previous... Continue Reading →
AT&T’s “Next” Upgrade Program is a Total Scam
AT&T just announced a new program to allow morons to upgrade to a new device every 12 months. first, here's how it works: choose any device at full retail price, pay for the device in monthly installments over a 20 month period, at the 12 month point, you may return the device to cover the... Continue Reading →
DRO Concepts is now ShiftCases
Some may be familiar with my previous experience with DRO Concepts. Their cases were absolute crap that damaged my device and despite accepting my returned case, still haven't refunded my money and refuse to take my calls or emails. if you've ever been victimized by them, i truly feel for you and all can empathize.... Continue Reading →
Exclusive devices are only good for carriers. Retailers, customers always lose
Nokia's VP of Smartphones, Jo Harlow recently proved how little she understands how the retail market works from a retail and customer perspective in a recent interview with All Things D. She attempts to defend her decision to release Nokia's latest flagship device, the Lumia 1020, as an AT&T exclusive by claiming that carriers are... Continue Reading →
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