After another few days away, there are too many stories to get to in one go. I’m going to focus on Apple and NASA today, and will get to some other stories from the last week in the future.
Apple Announces Slew of New Products
Apple’s “Spring Loaded” event featured a number of new products, from computers to iPads to mobile accessories. And a purple iPhone.
First up we have a redesigned iMac featuring the M1 processor. The new iMac comes in up to 7 different colours, and is significantly thinner than the Intel iMacs. The more I look at the design of these computers…. The uglier I think they are. I love the colour options, but the deeper, better colour palette is only on the back of the computer, with the stand and front getting almost a pastel palette that looks much worse. And the iMac just does not look very modern from the front. The large “chin” below the display holds the “computer” part of the computer, and it seems like Apple could have made the iMac just a bit thicker and eliminated that chin, making the iMac look like just a full screen from the front. The white bezels around the display also betray how large those bezels really are, when there are much more modern looking displays on the market. Overall the iMac design is well thought out on a technical level, but practiacally, that’s one ugly computer. The iMac also sports just 2 USB-C/Thunderbolt 4 ports in the base configuration, and higher end models include 2 more USB-C ports. There is an option on the higher end models for wired Ethernet, but that’s built into the power adapter. The iMac also comes with a colour matching Magic Mouse which sadly has not seen a redesign, and an updated Magic Keyboard that has an optional upgrade that includes a TouchID sensor.
Another product announced was an updated iPad Pro, which also features the M1 processor, instead of the A series processors every other iOS device has featured to this point. It isn’t clear what the M1 processor in an iPad brings from a practical standpoint, as the existing iPad Pro and iPad Air models are more limited by iPad OS itself, not the physical hardware of the device. Perhaps iPad OS 15 later this year will bring some features that actually let the iPad Pro use the M1 to its fullest potential. Until then, an iPad Pro, even with an M1, is still just an iPad, and can only do iPad things. The larger 12.9” iPad Pro also now features a mini LED display, which should result in a significantly brighter, higher contrast display that I’m sure will look quite good. The tradeoff is that the 12.9” iPad Pro is $100 more expensive than last year’s model.
AirTags are up next. AirTags are Apple’s answer to Tile. Small, Bluetooth equipped devices that can be attached to keys (with an optional key loop), stuck in a backpack, or anywhere else someone would want that can help people track lost items. AirTags use the Find My network, which means any iPhone passing within about 30 feet of an AirTag can register its location. Devices like this have existed for years, but Apple is banking on the vast number of iPhones, at least in North America, to make its product much more useful than Tile’s trackers. AirTags also use UltraWideband, something found in recent iPhone models, for even more accurate location tracking at short range.
Lastly, Apple is introducing paid subscription podcasts in Apple Podcasts. This is like Patreon, but only for Apple devices. I think that one could be a tough sell.
Oh, and the iPhone 12 now comes in purple.
NASA’s Ingenuity Successfully Flies on Mars
It is hard to overstate just how big of an accomplishment. Ingenuity, a small helicopter that piggybacked on the larger Perseverance rover that landed on Mars earlier this year, has successfully flown on Mars. Ingenuity took off, hovered for about 20 seconds, and then landed safely. This is the first powered flight on another planet, and is one of the biggest technical accomplishments of the space age. Now that Ingenuity has successfully proven flight on Mars is possible, this opens up possibilities for the exploration of the Martian surface that were not possible before. I’ve watched the video of Ingenuity flying on Mars 50 times, and I could watch it 50 more in a row.
Mars’ Perseverance Rover Creates Oxygen on Mars
This is another proof of concept which has significant implications for future exploration. Perseverance has successfully converted carbon dioxide captured from the Martian atmosphere into pure oxygen. The test created 5 grams of oxygen, which would be enough for an astronaut in a space suit to breathe for about 10 minutes. At a larger scale, creating oxygen on Mars could allow for human travelers to go to Mars and create their own oxygen supply, which would be critical to any future long duration Mars mission. Liquid Oxygen is also used in rocket fuel, which means this could also assist in creating fuel for future expeditions as well. This is almost a bigger accomplishment than Ingenuity flying. Almost.