Iterate Weekly - Issue 187
This week we're talking about the new Mac Mini, surviving election season with the Calm App, The election of the EV, Apple scales back Vision Pro and "Agatha All Along"!
Welcome to issue 187 of Iterate Weekly.
Let’s just jump into today’s stories shall we?
Thank you as always for reading!
🖥️ Tech
Could the Mac Mini get any more…mini?
I don’t currently own a Mac Mini but I’ve been lusting after one for years.
I’m not sure what it is exactly. I suppose it’s the mini part? But with the latest redesign to make the computer even smaller and more powerful, I think it’s going to be my next computer purchase.
My setup of Macbook Pro with external monitor works just fine, but I like the downright old fashioned idea of having a proper desktop computer that stays in one place. Now that I have a more permanent office space, the allure of the Mac Mini is strong. And just look at how cute it is!
The Mac Mini has long been arguably Apple’s best value in computing. Sure, you always had to bring your own monitor, keyboard and mouse, but that was ok. It let you mix and match peripherals from different companies to Frankenstein together the perfect Apple desktop configuration.
Upgrading to an M4 processor should make these tiny powerhouses even more enjoyable to use. And while it is a slight bummer that they’ve removed USB-A plugs on the new model, they make up for it by increasing the number of USB-C/Thunderbolt ports. So I’d consider that a win overall.
Anyone else excited to plop one of these things down on their desktop this year? Hell, they’re almost small enough to be a stocking stuffer!
🎓 Education/Productivity/Work
The Calm App is helping us survive election season
The Calm App is one of those services that I purchased a Lifetime Subscription for many years ago and have been very pleased with that decision. A quick side note, lifetime deals for things are typically a wise option in my humble opinion.
Anyway, Calm recently put together a collection of audio sessions to help its customers “Survive the Election Season”.
I don’t believe there are any new courses included here but it’s a nice re-packaging of audio around a very timely topic. Sure, maybe it’s just capitalizing on a distraught American public for a few weeks, but I like the move.
No, I’m not going to get too political here but there is undoubtedly an extra anxious vibe in American media right now leading up to the election. No matter where you lie on the political spectrum, we can surely agree that a bit of meditation over the next few weeks is not a bad idea.
♻️ Health/Environment/EVs
The election of the EV
OK, I guess it’s impossible to totally avoid political coverage this week.
I really loved this breakdown from The Verge about how electric vehicles have really been at the center of this year’s election.
President Biden did quite a bit to improve charging infrastructure and incentivize purchases of EVs. Now Donald Trump is pledging to reverse much of this action as soon as possible if elected. Michigan is a key swing state filled with anxious auto workers who are concerned about EV production taking place outside of U.S. borders.
It’s a perfect storm of politics around something that was once just a simple form of transportation. What type of fuel your car uses has seemed to spark an unreasonable amount of public discourse.
If you’ve read a lot of my EV coverage, you know where I stand on the matter. I think the vast majority of consumers would be quite happy with a fully-electric vehicle but I also understand the outlier cases and hesitation.
“I never thought the propulsion system on a vehicle would be [political],”
-General Motors CEO Mary Barra
The outcome of the election could certainly have a big impact on this space moving forward. And I will likely have way more to say in the coming weeks.
But good to see that the CEO of GM is as dumbfounded as I am about how this became a question about politics rather than just a choice on how to get around.
🛍 Grab Bag
Apple scales back production on Vision Pro
Apple’s Vision Pro has been either a colossal consumer flop or just an amazing piece of tech that is ahead of its time. I suppose it could be both at the same time.
But no matter how the public receives it, Apple is reportedly scaling back production of the high-end headset.
It’s hard to believe that the $3500 device has been available for a year and a half and still seems to be unsure of how it fits in the tech landscape. It seems like a very “un-Apple” situation. The price hasn’t been radically reduced. There haven’t been too many killer apps to incentivize curious consumers to give it a try. Apple seems to be treating it as a true test product to learn from before pivoting to something perhaps less expensive or aimed at a different audience.
There are rumors that production will halt completely in the next few months and Apple will direct its attention to a smaller, cheaper headset as well as some other fun products like more traditional smart glasses or a potential pair of “Airpods with cameras”.
Consider me intrigued by the thought of earbuds with cameras but I’m pretty bummed to see that the Vision Pro seems to be failing. There could be a product liquidation in the next few months to get these in more hands to hopefully seed software development for the next iteration. I’m sure we haven’t seen the last of Apple’s AR/VR intentions.
💬 Quote of the Week
"Every day is Halloween, isn’t it? For some of us."
-Tim Burton
📺Content Review
Agatha All Along
How about some more spooky Halloween viewing this week?
If you’ve been following along with Marvel’s latest Disney+ series, “Agatha All Along” culminates this week to coincide with Halloween.
I’ve been watching the series each week and have mostly enjoyed it. It’s not as clever as WandaVision but it has had its high points. Kathryn Hahn is wonderful as the titular Agatha Harkness. And the ensemble crowd of witches has mostly had good chemistry. Sasheer Zamata was always an SNL favorite of mine and I’m happy to see her flex some more dramatic acting chops in this series. I do feel like we were promised more Aubrey Plaza in the previews and she hasn’t been featured in a majority of the episodes. I’m sure that will change for the finale.
Happy Halloween and hopefully this series has been a treat rather than a trick for beleaguered Marvel fans!
Thanks for reading, I’ll see you next week!
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