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!
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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?
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.
Some people are one or the other and in my choice of phones, I have always been the Apple other. I started with the 3Gs, then the 4s, the 5, the 6 Plus, the 7 Plus and now my 6th one, the X (ten).
I had a brief fling with Android for a bit (for research purposes only lol) but it was more for nostalgia (remember Sony-Ericsson? They had the dopest phones back in the day when the word dope meant something else) and the camera (which was 50-50 for me).
But I'm a creature of habit so I've gone back to Apple, will stay committed to it and will continue to buy every worthy new iteration that comes out because that's just the way it is.
My thoughts on the new iPhone:
1. Just when you thought they couldn't make it any more beautiful, they do. The trade-off with its looks is that it's fragile. It has never been a phone you can use sans case without risking scratches and dents. I ordered a case and a screen-protector prior to pre-ordering and put them on the phone the moment I took it out of the box.
2. I hate dimmed devices and I sometimes become a source of distraction when riding with friends in darkened cars as I would have my phone at full brightness. But maybe its the OLED screen? Or the so-called True-Tone display? But at something like 40% brightness, text has never been truly crisper, more well-defined which makes me think, Retina display was never really what it claimed it to be; that this is the true superior display.
3. People complain about the lack of this, or what Apple has taken away and I think, they've probably haven't used Apple devices enough. I've had Apple devices for over a decade and the evolution of their ecosystem has been so consistent and controlled that changes improve your experience and use of them. Sure, there will be the odd annoying feature, but overall, the change is tremendous but never announces itself in an unnecessary aggressive fashion. Just barely half a day since I started using the iPhone x, handling my iPhone 7 Plus seems like several steps backward. The home button proved itself to be a significantly unnecessary tedious step. To be able to simply swipe away app windows within the screen area itself makes for a faster, smoother control of the phone.
4. Even before I realised it, my main phone usage is photography. I have taken to picture taking as my de facto note taking, my daily journal. I had high hopes for the camera, especially for the front-facing ones. But the promotional photos aside, photos taken from the rear of the camera are better. I have this beef with iPhone cameras, perhaps my only beef with it- I don't think I ever looked good in photos taken by them, hence the lack of selfies even if I am apparently, super vain. But I'm not vain enough to ditch it for Android just because I'm not happy with how I look.
5. I love the animojis!
Had high expectations of the front-facing camera with the portrait mode, but results have been meh. I can hear my sisters telling me, it's really your face, your face!
A little bit lighter. Just
