Gadget_Apple – frederikboving

From iPhone 14 Pro to iPhone 15 Pro – worth it?

I recently upgraded from iPhone 14 Pro to iPhone 15 Pro, despite the fact that I previously have jumped at least two generations to make sure I would notice the difference. Somehow the new features of the iPhone 15 Pro got me convinced – let me elaborate!

Same same but different

First of all, the similarities between the iPhone 14 Pro and the iPhone 15 Pro are many more than the differences: the screen is the same, battery life is the same, water resistance rating is the same, the size is roughly the same with the 15 Pro being a little shorter and a little more slim, etc.

The first thing I noticed was that the iPhone 15 Pro is somewhat lighter than the 14 Pro, as Apple switched from steel to a combo of titanium and aluminium. It dropped from 206 to 187 grams, and although you may think this is a small change, the relative difference is around 9% and I was surprised to learn how noticeable those 19 grams are!

Further, the 15 Pro comes with a newer chipset (A17) that boosts performance both CPU and GPU wise, but unless you are using some very demanding (game?) applications, I doubt you will notice the performance difference. Maybe some more demanding future applications will highlight the difference between the chipsets, but for now I really doubt you will notice at all.

The little slide button top left on the iPhone 14 has been replaced by a push button in the same position. This button is configurable, but out of the box it does the same as the old one – switch between ring and silent. I like this change for sure, but a revolution it is hardly.

Industry standard (in EU at least)

One of the big changes from 14 Pro to 15 Pro is the switch from the lightening port to USB-C. I was hoping and waiting for for Apple to make this change already in the iPhone 14 generation, but I was disappointed. Not this time around, though!

If you like USB-C or not is of course personal preference, but owning an iPad for several years where USB-C is the norm, I really welcome the USB-C connector. I have lots of chargers and cables that use USB-C and being able to reduce the number of cables an chargers I use is a very welcome change.

I use a lot of different cameras where the more modern ones have made the switch to USB-C for both charging and data transfer. But not the older ones. If you knew how many different chargers I have owned over the years for proprietary charging systems and batteries, you would also welcome the simplicity and standardisation of USB-C!

Serious video camera!

The iPhone 15 Pro is indeed a very serious video camera: ProRes LOG in 4K at up to 60 frames per second (fps)! Wow! Not all newer dedicated video cameras can keep up with this! The ProRes LOG format gives you lots of headroom and options for editing in post to color grade and edit your footage. If you just want the video to be ready out of the camera, then ProRes LOG is not for you, but if you want to do serious editing and have as many post processing options available for you, this is the format you want to use!

Now, here is where the iPhone 15 Pro really stands out: if you want to shoot ProRes LOG in 4K at 60 fps, then you need to make use of an external drive or storage facility to transfer the required amounts of data fast enough! If you drop to say 24 frames per second, you can make do with the internal memory. But for 60 fps, the internal memory transfer speeds can’t keep up! And this is where the upgrade to USB-C comes in handy: it offers transfer speeds to support this demanding flow of data!

With an external drive, the iPhone 15 Pro turns into a professional level video camera and if you consider buying a dedicated video camera or a capable hybrid camera, then the capabilities of the iPhone 15 Pro may save you this investment! Of course, if you are planning to use long lenses on a video camera, then the iPhone can’t keep up, but for most other applications the iPhone 15 Pro with an external drive may well be all you need!

Conclusion

I am currently evaluating the video performance of the iPhone 15 Pro, but so far – a few weeks in – I really like what I seen and I am seriously considering switching from system hybrid cameras to the iPhone 15 Pro for video recording. And as such, I find that the iPhone 15 Pro is a really interesting offer and alternative to a dedicated video or hybrid camera. And that is what drove me into the arms of upgrading to iPhone 15 Pro. The USB-C is a nice bonus, other than being a precondition for the high data transfer speeds required for recording in ProRes LOG at 60 fps.

If you have no ambitions for shooting video and the proprietary flash connector does not bother or annoy you, I doubt that the move from iPhone 14 Pro to 15 Pro is worthwhile.

Review: Apple iPod Pro (1. generation)

Design darling

Well designed products is how we know Apple, and the Apple iPod Pro 1. generation is no exception. It is a beautifully made product – even the packaging is well designed and leaves you with a feeling that everything is designed and carefully considered down to the slightest detail.

I have the version 1 of the iPods and one of the big things I miss is the ability to regulate the sound level on the iPods themselves. That has been fixed in version 2 and is probably confirms that Apple themselves knew that this was one of the design flaws of the 1st generation. So you need to find your iPhone to turn the sound up and down.

As a former audiophile, I can say that the sound is far from perfect. Apple has clearly put emphasis on a pleasant and “round” sound rather than a precise and “dry” sound with high fidelity. So if the fidelity of sound is on top of your list, this product may not pass the first item on your list! No matter what, I recommend that you try the sound of the iPods before buying – it is very much up to personal preference and taste, so give them a try before buying if you want to be sure the sound it spot on relative to your taste. I think however that most will agree that relative to the standard iPods the sound and fit here is levels above!

Apple iPod Pro (1. generation) — The cradle that doubles as a battery pack works really well. And wireless charging is a plus.

Another detail that bugs me senseless is the lack of USB-C connectors. As a photographer with tons of gear (camera, flashes, etc) that needs a charger, I have come to appreciate the industry standard USB-C and the dramatic reduction in number of chargers I need to have on stock. I look forward to Apple moving to USB-C also on the iPhone and the iPods (my iPad has USB-C, so it is coming ever so slowly).

A mitigating factor however is the support for wireless charging of the battery in the cradle (aka the wireless charging case). And then I think the cradle that doubles as a battery pack is a little strike of genius – it was probably not Apple that got the idea, but their implementation works really well. The combined battery power with the combined battery in the iPods themselves and the cradle is really good and for my daily commute I have never run out of battery power.

I have had many in-ear earphones, and the iPods are the only ones that fit my ear right out of the box. This may be a coincidence that is specific to me and the way my ears are, but I can assure you that if you do not feel comfortable with the in-ear “hook”, then you will never be good friends with your earphones. Fit and comfort are number one. I do not run and cycle with my iPods, but I walk a lot and often take the train wearing the iPods, and I enjoy every minute. I think one of the reasons is that they are much lighter than my previous in-ear earphones.

The noise reduction is super effective and if you are not comfortable with closing out the world that way then the transparency mode that lets in ambient sound is for you. Especially at work where some noisy colleagues can be a pain, the noise reduction feature is a life saver!

In daily life the iPods just works. They connect to the iPhone via Bluetooth and it works really well. You can move to the next and the former song by pressing the iPods 2 or 3 times respectively, and if you take the iPods out temporarily and insert them again, the music picks up from where you left.

When you insert the iPods in the cradle and close it, the iPhone tells you the battery status for both the left iPod, the right iPod and the cradle. It is little details like that which makes the iPods such a pleasure to use. And then of course that it is wireless, probably needless to say.

The iPods are in many dimensions delicious to use, but expect the pods themselves to be less delicious after some time of usage. They do go into your ear after all! This is where the distance between what you see in the ads and what you experience in real life starts to kick in!

Conclusion

So as you have probably guessed I am really happy with this product. The sound is decent although not the best in the market, they fit my ears really well, the design and user interface is well made and works, etc. So my overall assessment is a very positive bias. They are really easy to use.

Other than being expensive as we know Apple products, my biggest reservation is the lack of volume control on the pods themselves. And for this reason I suggest you go for 2. generation, as it really is THE annoying thing about generation 1.

My iPhone walking steadiness generates no data – or does it?

Walking steadiness does not work – or does it?

You can find plenty of posts related to the setup and activation of the walking steadiness, that works with more modern iPhones and more recent versions of IOS. It uses data from the sensors in the iPhone together with number of steps, step length and walking stability to calculate a walking steadiness index number, that translates onto: OK (best score), low or very low (worst score). The idea is to monitor your walking patterns and predict if you have a heightened risk of falling, as injuries from citizens age 65+ is a problem in growth. So the intention is good.

The problem however is that it appears not to work! I have followed every instruction on how to switch on the walking steadiness to minute detail, and re-done it over and over again: no result. Then I tried to google if others had the same issue, and yes! But no solution.

What to do? I waited!

I do not know how the software or the logic works, but suddenly my iPhone (a 12 with IOS 15.1) generated a walking steadiness score! It was on a Thursday. And after that? Silence. No update. Until it became Thursday again! New update!

So currently it looks like my iPhone calculates the walking steadiness once every week!

The strange thing is, that my wife who also has an iPhone with the IOS 15.1 installed gets daily updates! Not real time updates though, but daily updates. The only difference I can spot between the two is that I have a Garmin Phenix 3 connected to the iPhone and she has a Garmin Vivoactive watch. I doubt however, that this is the cause of the difference, as the waking steadiness is based primarily on data generated by the sensors in the iPhone.

So what to make of all this? My point is that if you experience lack of data and results when it comes to the walking steadiness function in the iPhone, maybe a bit of patience is all you need. Keep walking with your iPhone in your pocket for a week or so, and see if it results in scores generated.

As you can see from the image below, a few weeks later, it is confirmed that the updates follow a weekly pattern. Every Thursday the data is updated. I am not sure if the Thursday is the day of updating, or of it is a coincidence that is more determined by when I started to log data. But it does confirm that when you have turned on walking steadiness, patience is key, subject to what tracker you use to collect the data.

Please let me know in the comments how you are doing and what frequency your iPhone has in updating the steadiness score – it seems to me there is very little data on the subject out there, so it would be great if we could fix that via this post.

Review: Apple AirTag

Seek … and you shall find!

The Apple AirTag is as it says, a little tag that you can attach to literally anything, but most of us probably want to start with our keys. Then comes the wallet, backpack, laptop, etc. The options are endless. Thats probably why Apple offers a package of 4 with a good discount.

The leather key ring is designed to hold the AirTag and provide a key ring at the same time. It comes in many different vibrant colors, but as you can see I chose to go with a more conservative option:

Apple Leather Key Ring box. Apple AirTag box to the right. — Apple Leather Key Ring box to the left, Apple AirTag box to the right – combined result in the key ring in the middle.

Setup is easy

Setup is easy – hold the AirTag to your iPhone 11 or 12, and it will initiate the installation process. Select from the list of pre-defined options (in my case: keys) and you are good to go.

IPhone 12 and keys with the AirTag and Leather Key ring.

Use

The AirTag can be followed in the “Find My” app. It took me a bit to dig it out from one of the folders, as it was not an app I have used previously.

You can also just say “Hey Siri, find my keys” and it will activate sound from the AirTag and after that open the “Find My” app. It works really well.

The sound is especially useful if know the keys are close nearby, and you just forgot exactly where you left them. If distance is greater, the “Find My” app comes in handy.

How it works

If your iPhone and the AirTag are close nearby, the the AirTag communicates with your iPhone via Bluetooth. If not, then the AirTag sends out a Bluetooth signal that can be received by Apple iPhones, iPads etc. close nearby. They listen to the Bluetooth signal, and forward the position encrypted and anonymously to you via iCloud. So provided you have “friends” nearby, the location of your AirTag can always be found. If not, then you can find the most recent location a “friend” of yours was close to the AirTag.

You can also register your AirTag as lost, and get a notification if it suddenly appears “on the grid”. It really is a clever design.

Conclusion

I cannot really find something not to like here.

Normally I find Apples prices a bit steep, but the price of 33 EUR here in Denmark seems more than fair, and you can drive the price down even further if you buy a package of 4 AirTags.

The design and ease of use is as always with Apple from the top shelf.

I cannot speak to the battery life. Apple promises that the batteries will last long as as it is an advanced version of Bluetooth that puts very little strain on the batteries, but that remains to be seen.

With regards to anonymity of the data we can only hope that Apple delivers to promise, otherwise hacking these apps would be the shoplifters dream come true! And then of course you need a lot of “friends” out there, but I guess that someone eventually will drop by your AirTag if you live in a not too desolated area of the world.

Shopping link

Apple Airtag

Category: Gadget_Apple

From iPhone 14 Pro to iPhone 15 Pro – worth it?

Same same but different

Industry standard (in EU at least)

Serious video camera!

Conclusion

Related reading

Review: Apple iPod Pro (1. generation)

Design darling

Conclusion

Related reading

My iPhone walking steadiness generates no data – or does it?

Walking steadiness does not work – or does it?

Review: Apple AirTag

Seek … and you shall find!

Setup is easy

Use

Conclusion

Shopping link

Related reading