iPhone Air

Exactly a month ago, I switched my phone from my adored iPhone 12 Mini to the new iPhone Air. In that month, I have been surprised by the iPhone Air in good ways and bad.

I held onto my 12 Mini because I really didn’t want to give up the size, weight and form that it offered. It was a joy to use case-less and single-handed. Those years made me realize that I care about how the phone feels in my hand, and kept dissuading me from buying a new iPhone for almost 3 years (I copped out of a 16 Pro purchase at the Apple Store last year!).

I didn’t consider buying the iPhone Air until ~2 weeks before the launch. It was time to buy a new phone (my 12 Mini was starting to choke on most daily use), and was pretty confident I’d go the route of the beautiful orange 17 Pro. But just as I was catching up on the rumors before the announcement, I started entertaining the idea of the Air: Could Air really be a better form and function balance that my 12 Mini had been?

I decided I was buying the Air at the Apple Store, on launch day, after holding one in hand. In a month since I’ve had the Air, I am extremely pleased with my choice and am glad I bought it over the 17 Pro. Here’s a few quick notes about things I’ve reflected on, as I’ve compared the Air to 12 Mini (my previous), 15 (my work phone) and 16 Pro (my partner’s):

• Yes, this phone is ridiculously light, especially because of the weight distribution. There have been moments when my 12 Mini has felt heavier when I’ve held them one after the other.
• The screen is larger than the 15 or 16 Pro, but it handles much better than them because of how easy it is to grip around the device.
• The battery life is a non-issue, atleast with how I use my phone.
• The cameras are great. I miss the ultra-wide, every once in a while.
• Multi-year iPhone jumps remind you just how much has changed. Everything is faster, smoother, and more tuned. The year-on-year improvements stack up nicely.
• I smile at least once a day when I pick up this phone. It is a joy to hold and touch. In so many ways, it reminds me of my Jet Black iPhone 7 Plus.

Maybe Apple won’t sell this phone like hot cakes, maybe it is just a stepping stone to the iPhone Fold, but I am glad they made it.

iPhone 12 Mini

I walked out of the house this morning without my watch; one of the rare times I have done that in months. I tried to unlock my phone, and it asked me for my passcode because it couldn’t recognize my face. A few minutes later, same thing again. I wasn’t sure why it kept asking me for my passcode over and over. It felt unusual. And then it hit me: I was wearing my mask.

Just over 3 months ago, I switched to an iPhone 12 Mini (despite saying I wouldn’t) and I absolutely, thoroughly enjoy it. There’s a few reasons that I adore it.

1. Face ID Unlock with Apple Watch: A few months ago, I said:

   the only thing I miss from the X-class phones is Face ID (which is not really a bane in these mask-totting days)

   which was indeed what happened to me earlier today. I bought the 12 Mini after iOS 14.5 released, which meant I have been unlocking my phone with my watch, when I was wearing my mask, all the time I’ve owned it. I cannot over-state just how incredible a feature this is. I got frustrated without it in a 5-minute walk this morning!

2. Perfect One-Handed Size: My first iPhone was the iPhone 5. That size balanced one-handed use and screen size for 2012. The 12 Mini feels tiny compared to my gigantic 7 Plus, but it is almost the same size as my 5 (they share a design language, too!). I didn’t realize how much I missed using my phone with one hand until I could do it again.

3. Not a top-of-the-line phone: I bought the cheapest iPhone from the flagship line with mid-range storage. That’s unusual for me, but that has made me freer about my phone. I use it case-less and do not worry about damaging my phone anymore. I feel less materialistic. My phone feels more utalitarian than a precious object. It is just a phone and I happily use it without a case. (To contrast, I didn’t use my 7 Plus without a cover for a single day even after 4 years of use.)

Despite everything that I like about the 12 Mini, there is one thing that I really miss from my 7 Plus (and the 12 Pro line-up): the 2x telephoto lens. My ideal phone is one of the 12 Mini’s size but Pro’s camera system (or a 12 Mini Pro, in John Gruber’s words) with all 3 lenses: macro, normal and telephoto.

Here’s to dreaming about an iPhone Mini Pro, and in the meanwhile, enjoying the 12 Mini :).

Why I'm not Buying a new iPhone

2020, like everything else, has changed my perspective on how to decide whether to get a new phone. Some of the reasons I switch to a new iPhone are: a) Camera, b) Software, c) Design, d) Speed, e) Length of ownership. I compare the state of my current phone, with the new phones, to decide whether to buy that year’s iPhone to replace my current iPhone.

Once I buy a new phone, I use it for years, and thus always buy the top-of-the-line phone from that series. 8 years ago, that meant it was the iPhone 5 (64GB). When the time came to replace it 4 years ago, that translated into an iPhone 7 Plus (256GB). Plus because of its better camera (first iPhone with a telephoto lens).

Every iPhone released thereafter (8, X, XR, XS, 11, 11 Pro, 12) have ticked off atleast one of the boxes on my list, but none checked off all the boxes. For instance, the 11 Pro checked off everything except design (the 11 line-up had a dated design).

Until the iPhone 12 Pro. [I thought] I was due for a new phone, and the iPhone 12 Pro intro was like a checklist down my wishlist. And yet, the pandemic is the black swan which has changed my plans.

I have no complains with my current phone. It works well, is fast, and has been stable (battery life notwithstanding). I love the design because of the color (hey Jet Black!). It supports iOS 14 and from the software-perspective the only thing I miss from the X-class phones is Face ID (which is not really a bane in these mask-totting days), and ProRAW. It all comes down to one single criteria: Camera. And the 12 Pro appears to have that comparison in the bag.

As I contemplated which of the new phones I should order, I started wondering if I should order one at all. Most of the photos I click are when I’m traveling. In the middle of a pandemic that has meant I’m not traveling nearly as much, what am I even going to take photos of? Yes, it will not be the same forever, but won’t there be a new iPhone next year when I probably will be closer to resuming more travel? So why buy a new iPhone now, to replace my very-capable 7 Plus?

Handwashing with an Apple Watch

One of the two standout features in WatchOS 7 for me was handwashing. Today, it has been just over a week since I turned on handwashing notifications.

Some background on the new feature:

• Apple Watch can now detect when hands are being washed and encourages you with gentle taps on your wrist to continue for atleast 20 seconds.
• When your return home, it can now remind you to wash your hands.

My observations so far:

• When I said “Hand washing countdowns are cute and I love that they exist ☺️,” 3 months ago, I under-estimated it.
• Handwashing is detected only when actually washing hands, typically about 5 seconds after I start scrubbing my hands.
• It appears to be relying on accelerometer movements to determine when hands are being scrubbed, not microphone to determine flow of water.
• I haven’t experienced a single false positive yet on notifications to continue washing my hand.
• No false positives when rinsing hands or doing the dishes.
• The first time I returned home after turning this on, I was reminded to wash my hands just after I had removed my shoes as I was about to change my clothes. Pretty darn incredible feeling, that.
• That same day, a permission dialog popped up asking how frequently I wanted ‘Handwashing’ to have access to my location. Cute.
• It does not detect movement within my apartment complex (mailbox, parking) as leaving the home and returning.
• It can, however, get reminders for returning home wrong. I was once asked to wash my hands just as I was driving out of the parking garage.
• It doesn’t appear to be using barometer readings to determine the height, so the parking level is treated the same as my home (a couple levels over).
• I was out camping over the last weekend, and washed my hands with water that was a few degrees over freezing. Those were some pretty rough 20-seconds, but the Watch’s motivation made it a game that I had to win.
• I didn’t realize just how many times I had a tendency to not scrub my hands for a full 20-seconds; it seems I was often in the 15-second range. (No, I do not have a handwashing song.)
• I appreciate the gentle nudges whether I am anticipating them or not. It leaves me with a smile on my face everytime I wash my hands :).

Definitely one of those Apple-y things that surprise and delight. Truly.

Online Privacy Should Be Modeled on Real-World Privacy

I read Daring Fireball often and one of the things I strongly agree with Gruber on is privacy. I think privacy ought to be a fundamental right and I loathe the practices of tech companies that are formulated on invading it. That is also why I use DuckDuckGo as my default search engine.

John Gruber wrote this post following Apple’s new iPhone ad (watch it, it is a great one) about companies act as privacy thieves by tracking people across the internet. I agree with it in its entirety.

They have zero right, none, to the tracking they’ve been getting away with. We, as a society, have implicitly accepted it because we never really noticed it. You, the user, have no way of seeing it happen. Our brains are naturally attuned to detect and viscerally reject, with outrage and alarm, real-world intrusions into our privacy. Real-world marketers could never get away with tracking us like online marketers do.

We definitely wouldn’t accept this type of behavior in the real world!

The tracking industry is correct that iOS 14 users are going to overwhelmingly deny permission to track them. That’s not because Apple’s permission dialog is unnecessarily scaring them — it’s because Apple’s permission dialog is accurately explaining what is going on in plain language, and it is repulsive. Apple’s tracking permission dialog is something no sane person would agree to because this sort of tracking is something no sane person would agree to.

Yes.

The privacy thieves have, unsurprisingly, come out against these expected changes coming in iOS 14, and tried to defend their entitlement. They should have none. And they would have none if their business models were based on asking users for permission (as Apple’s system is expected to).

More privacy for one and all.

Takeaways from the WWDC 2020 Keynote

I am an Apple enthusiast, and I just watched the WWDC 2020 keynote. Here’s what I thought (in no specific order):

iOS 14

• Reaching for the top row apps on my iPhone 7 Plus is not easy. I can rarely, if ever, use my phone with a single hand anymore. So, I appreciate the new home screen layout. It definitely appears useful at first glance.
• I can see myself adding Dark Sky (wait, will it still be updated?!) and Fantastical widgets, but I don’t think I’ll add much else. We’ll see.
• Pinned conversations, inline replies, mentions… Love it all. Also, mask Memoji 😷!
• As someone that obsessively downloads (and keeps) apps from cafes, stores, and parking apps I only need about once every year, and refuses to delete them for the one time time I might need them again, I love the idea of App Clips. I can (hopefully) get rid of all those unused apps.
• I am nitpicky about my home screen layout, so I’m conflicted about the new dynamic App Library. I can imagine it being useful, but it might also play against my muscle memory.
• No more full-screen popovers for phone calls or Siri! YES!
• Rarely use iPhone to watch video, so couldn’t care less about picture-in-picture.
• Lot of appreciation for the new privacy features. I have desired approximate location for so many apps that I don’t trust, but still have to provide location information to.
• Camera and microphone usage indicators are godsend. I have often wondered how many apps exploit those permissions because they have them.
• Overall not a lot is changing, which is a good thing.

Apple Maps

• Biking directions with elevation! I have wished for this to have existed for months as I struggled with mapping my bike rides. This alone will make me update to iOS 14 on day 1.

iPadOS 14

• Neat improvements to handwriting recognition and scribble.

AirPods

• Seamless switching: Why did it take so long?!
• Spatial Audio: Tempting me to buy a set of AirPods Pro.

watchOS 7

• Hand washing countdowns are cute and I love that they exist ☺️.
• Sleep tracking appears cool, but I also don’t like wearing my Apple Watch while I’m asleep.

Safari

• Amazing new privacy controls. I use Safari all day, everyday. It is already very fast, secure and neatly integrated. The privacy improvements take what is great and make it even better.
• I’m going to obsess for a while over the Privacy Reports of some of my most visited websites.
• The new hover-on-tab feature that displays a tiny thumbnail is also really nice. It is one of the things I miss the most from my days of Firefox.

macOS Big Sur (11.0!)

• I like the new design aesthetic in the apps, but hate the new icons. The iOS-ified icons feel out of place. Maybe they’ll grown on me over time.
• Control Center is neat, and so is the new notification pane.
• Messages and Apple Maps are Catalyst ports, but get feature parity with iOS. Cool!
• Overall: A slate of nice updates for a mature desktop OS. Lots of polish, I hope.

App Store

• Simple, easy to understand privacy policies for every app before you download it? Yes, please!

Mac’s Transition to Apple SoC

• This might actually go through in a seamless way than I had thought.
• A12Z running Final Cut Pro and 3 streams of 4K, and driving the 6K Pro Display XDR? Damn, that’s powerful.
• Emulation also appears to be fast.
• Not a fan of iOS and iPadOS apps running on macOS. That sounds like a recipe for lazy developers to not make good, native macOS apps, while allowing Apple to boast ‘millions of apps on day 1’.
• I can’t wait to learn more about the upcoming Mac line-up. Such an exciting time!

Miscellaneous

• The production quality of this year’s presentation was exemplary.
• It was uncanny (and weird) to look at close-ups of Tim Cook and Craig Federighi as they talked to the camera. It was too close and too in-my-face.

Playing with Apple's COVID-19 Mobility Data for India

I came across Apple’s COVID-19 mobility dataset in mid-May. Instantly, I was curious. I have been interested in understanding how the world is changing ever since the pandemic begam, and thinking about what it means in the short and long-term.

As I started exploring the data and seeing some interesting patterns in there, I started thinking about if there were ways I could share it and make it public. Of course, there’s always Jupyter Notebooks, but I don’t enjoy making my notebooks overtly formal and presentable.

Around that time, I remembered streamlit (a UI framework for converting simple Python apps into websites) as something I had wanted to try for a few months. Next question: How do I host it? Well, I had heard and read about Heroku¹ being a simple and fast way to deploy websites and web apps.

Lo and behold, it all came together over a weekend into something I like. I just updated it today with more recent data and some additional notes.