Review: Apple AirPods

By Gadjo Cardenas Sevilla

I would say that Apple has had two major innovations for 2016. The first would be TouchBar on the new MacBook Pros and the second are the Apple AirPods.

The TouchBar, I hear, was actually in development for many years with the price of OLED touch panels a huge factor in integrating it into the MacBook Pros. The AirPods, which are a culmination of various Apple technologies and the biggest answer to the, “why get rid of the headphone jack?” question remind us why Apple shouldn’t be counted out of the innovation game.

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The Apple Beat: Apple's year in Review

By Gadjo Cardenas Sevilla

Looking back at Apple’s 2016, it was hard to expect the company to match the frenetic pace of product releases from 2015. After all, the previous year saw the introduction of the Apple Watch, iPad Pro, the remixed Apple TV, new and improved iPhone 6s as well as major moves in the areas of car infotainment (Car Play), home automation (Home Kit), Health (Health Kit) and the inception of Apple Music. So, let's look back at what 2016 was all about.

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Tim Cook: "Great desktops," are in the roadmap

There's been growing concern that Apple has somewhat neglected its desktops. Sure, the iMac was updated in 2015 with impressive new 5K and 4K variants, but it's been two years since the Mac mini has gotten revised and three long years since the Mac Pro was launched. Well, Apple CEO Tim Cook reassured Apple staff that desktops are very much a part of Apple's roadmap in an internal memo to employees.

Some folks in the media have raised the question about whether we’re committed to desktops. If there’s any doubt about that with our teams, let me be very clear: we have great desktops in our roadmap. Nobody should worry about that.

This is very good news for Apple desktop users who have been waiting patiently for an upgrade path from their current desktops. Like most manufacturers of the PC industry, Apple's likely been held back by Intel, who supplies the processors that power notebooks and desktops and whose latest Kaby Lake processors are trickling out. The Mac is also a shrinking part of Apple's business. Notebooks may be on the upswing but desktops are a tough sell all around. Tim Cook's reassurance that great desktops are coming will help put a lot of speculation to rest.

Source: TechCrunch

Apple AirPods could be weeks away

Apple's bluetooth AirPods, which were promised back in October and which have been delayed, are apparently a few weeks away from coming to market according to Apple CEO Tim Cook. The AirPods are the wireless solution to the removal of the headphone jack on the new iPhone 7 and are the best bet for users who aren't keen on using dongles or Apple's Lightning EarPod headphones included in the case. Cook reportedly told a customer via email, "Thanks for your note. Sorry for the delay---we are finalizing them and I anticipate we will begin to ship over the next few weeks." This means that the AirPods should be hitting Apple Stores in early to mid-December, just in time for the frenzied shopping season.

Source: MacRumors.com