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Oct. 30, 2023

Apple Halloween Event, Managing Subscription Costs, Rock Paper Pencil, and FineWoven is…Fine?

In this episode:

  • What to expect at Apple’s upcoming “Scary Fast” event
  • Apple is raising the prices on some of its services again
  • Managing your subscriptions and their ever-increasing costs
  • A Better Writing Experience on iPad? - Rock Paper Pencil iPad Screen Protector and Apple Pencil Tips
  • Jeff’s spent a month with the FineWoven case and it’s…fine?


Links from the show:

Apple “Scary Fast” Event
AppleTV+, Arcade, and News+ subscription prices increase from today
Rock Paper Pencil - Magnetic iPad Screen Protector and Apple Pencil Tips

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Intro Music: Psychokinetics - The Chosen


Show transcripts and episode artwork are AI generated and likely contain errors and general silliness.

Chapters

00:00 - Intro

01:21 - Apple’s Scary Fast Event

03:56 - Apple Raising Prices on Services

07:12 - Life With Subscriptions

21:12 - AstroPad Rock Paper Pencil

27:42 - FineWoven is Fine

32:12 - Close

Transcript
WEBVTT

00:00:00.261 --> 00:00:01.883
It's sweet temptation, sweet sweet.

00:00:12.131 --> 00:00:12.932
Hello and welcome in.

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It's another episode of Basic AFO podcast that's mostly about tech.

00:00:17.670 --> 00:00:22.260
I'm Tom Anderson, joined as usual by my co-host, jeff Battersby.

00:00:22.260 --> 00:00:23.103
Jeff, how are you, sir?

00:00:23.103 --> 00:00:24.025
I'm well.

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I am very well.

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This is a gorgeous fall day in New York today.

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Same in Virginia today.

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It's been splendid all week.

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A little late summer Feels like mid-September, no humidity, but the temperatures have been sweet.

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Oh my gosh, it's been.

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I've been sitting on my front porch writing every single day.

00:00:44.328 --> 00:00:46.390
Nice yeah.

00:00:46.470 --> 00:00:46.831
Okay.

00:00:46.850 --> 00:00:48.713
All right, well, welcome in to everyone.

00:00:48.753 --> 00:00:49.115
Welcome back.

00:00:49.115 --> 00:00:51.406
No, just we're going to a 30-minute episode today.

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We're going to try and compact these things out of respect for your time.

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Let me up quick and we're going to try switching the format up just a little bit.

00:01:00.612 --> 00:01:02.948
So let us know what you think about this one.

00:01:02.948 --> 00:01:06.650
As always, if you have a question, hit us up for you back at basicafshowcom.

00:01:06.650 --> 00:01:13.852
Also, be sure to follow us, subscribe, whatever the terminology is in your favorite podcast app.

00:01:13.852 --> 00:01:16.606
So, without further ado, let's jump into this one.

00:01:16.606 --> 00:01:20.768
We had a couple of announcements this week from Apple.

00:01:20.768 --> 00:01:26.608
Jeff Yep, we did, and so, as we record this, it is October 28th.

00:01:26.608 --> 00:01:30.108
Show will come out on October 30th in the afternoon.

00:01:30.108 --> 00:01:39.066
So, depending on when you listen, it may be before or after the event that Apple announced for this Monday, october 30th.

00:01:39.066 --> 00:01:43.927
Interesting time slot for this one 8 pm Eastern time, 5 pm Pacific.

00:01:43.927 --> 00:01:48.207
Do the math if you're in Europe, I think it's one in the morning or something like that.

00:01:49.019 --> 00:01:49.581
So good luck.

00:01:49.581 --> 00:01:55.370
So, given the tagline for this one, scary fast.

00:01:55.370 --> 00:02:00.585
This looks to be a Mac update from everything that I've read and kind of makes sense.

00:02:01.140 --> 00:02:02.483
Yeah, people guessing on.

00:02:02.483 --> 00:02:08.432
Is this some guesses both sides of an M3 iMac or an updated M2 iMac.

00:02:08.432 --> 00:02:12.086
Who knows, maybe a, I don't know.

00:02:12.086 --> 00:02:13.729
You think they'll throw Macbook air in there.

00:02:15.004 --> 00:02:16.098
I doubt it.

00:02:16.098 --> 00:02:37.471
Bloomberg had a post article yesterday I think it was Mark German and it looks like 14-16 inch MacBook Pros will get updated, imac will get updated and then after that it didn't seem to be much Makes sense for maybe the weird time I think they're kind of leaning into the holiday of Halloween coming up.

00:02:37.471 --> 00:02:41.469
Maybe they'll play off of that if Tim Cook comes out and like a Dracula outfit.

00:02:41.680 --> 00:02:42.783
It's worth watching just for that.

00:02:44.120 --> 00:02:45.986
And there might be something to that.

00:02:46.600 --> 00:02:51.231
But yeah, I guess it's time for me to go back to the Heggenburger in and out burger.

00:02:52.582 --> 00:02:54.046
Right, it's time for you to get refreshed.

00:02:55.700 --> 00:02:56.544
That time has come.

00:02:56.544 --> 00:02:59.426
I am headed back to the Bay Area on the 10th of November.

00:02:59.507 --> 00:03:00.149
So it's possible.

00:03:00.149 --> 00:03:00.710
Maybe it's right.

00:03:01.599 --> 00:03:04.889
Maybe a little in and out and get myself a new.

00:03:04.929 --> 00:03:05.911
Macbook Pro.

00:03:05.911 --> 00:03:07.645
Yeah, that could work.

00:03:07.645 --> 00:03:08.804
So it does sound like that.

00:03:08.804 --> 00:03:14.909
It is an interesting time, though eight o'clock Usually 1 pm, eastern time, and 10.

00:03:15.020 --> 00:03:25.792
So it makes me think maybe they're just having some fun, but it's probably not a huge announcement either no, and well, and the nice thing is and this was brought up you know, no more, these are not live.

00:03:25.792 --> 00:03:27.245
You know it's not right.

00:03:27.245 --> 00:03:32.971
People sit around watching this, so they record it and they put it out in prime time on the East Coast.

00:03:32.971 --> 00:03:36.106
You know this is same time you'd be watching Monday night football.

00:03:37.971 --> 00:03:38.412
That is true.

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I think it'll probably.

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Let's see football starts at 8.30.

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Does?

00:03:42.123 --> 00:03:44.066
it, I think, off for Monday night, I think Maybe maybe.

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I think this will be done by 8.30.

00:03:46.128 --> 00:03:47.189
Yeah, yeah.

00:03:47.229 --> 00:03:47.971
We'll just take a guess.

00:03:47.971 --> 00:03:49.173
Usually they're roughly an hour.

00:03:49.173 --> 00:03:50.413
I'm going to give this one 30 minutes.

00:03:50.735 --> 00:03:55.788
Okay, well, trying to, and now see we're trying to keep up with Apple by keeping this podcast at 30 minutes.

00:03:56.030 --> 00:04:01.318
Yes, Well, I think they got inside word from us that that's what we were doing, so they yeah Awesome.

00:04:01.318 --> 00:04:12.807
Not so good news in terms of announcements Apple's jacked up prices on their services again, which is just great by the way, this is not just Apple doing this.

00:04:13.960 --> 00:04:22.305
Every single one of these streaming services is screaming another dollar out of your pocket, which raises some questions which we'll get to.

00:04:22.305 --> 00:04:23.627
But go ahead to the prices, tom.

00:04:23.848 --> 00:04:30.552
Okay, so they have increased prices of Apple TV plus and Apple News Plus by $3.

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We're going to do US prices.

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It'll be different with currency stuff depending on where you are listening.

00:04:35.870 --> 00:04:40.271
But anyway, plus $3 for Apple TV plus and Apple News Plus.

00:04:40.271 --> 00:04:43.459
So Apple TV plus is now $9.99.

00:04:43.459 --> 00:04:46.226
Apple News Plus $12.99, which seems like a lot for that.

00:04:46.226 --> 00:04:52.249
Apple Arcade went up $2 to $6.99, which seems a lot for that.

00:04:52.249 --> 00:04:58.567
Apple won bundles, which I think you have a bundle right.

00:04:58.747 --> 00:05:00.391
I do yeah, premier.

00:05:01.639 --> 00:05:10.276
So, of course, in conjunction with seeing their prices go up as well, the individual plan has gone up $3, the family plan up $3.

00:05:10.276 --> 00:05:13.930
So individual is $19.95.

00:05:13.930 --> 00:05:16.279
Family plan is $29.95.

00:05:16.279 --> 00:05:18.627
The premier plan you really get screwed.

00:05:18.627 --> 00:05:22.699
It's up $5 to $37.95.

00:05:22.699 --> 00:05:25.600
I'm not a fan of that.

00:05:25.620 --> 00:05:28.884
started at $29.95, if I recall A few years back.

00:05:30.060 --> 00:05:30.300
Again.

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No surprise, but do not lose faith, dear friends.

00:05:34.651 --> 00:05:37.665
The free iCloud storage plan is still five gigs.

00:05:38.728 --> 00:05:39.168
You know what?

00:05:39.168 --> 00:05:40.612
Just enough to do nothing with.

00:05:40.911 --> 00:05:43.978
Exactly it might as well be zero.

00:05:43.999 --> 00:05:53.064
Yeah Well, and what's interesting is I was reading around, actually reading Turing Fireball last week, and he Groober, was.

00:05:53.064 --> 00:05:53.425
John.

00:05:53.425 --> 00:06:09.271
Groober was talking about these upgrades and you don't usually hear him get too ugly about this kind of stuff, but he was like he doesn't understand why there isn't a little more storage on the table.

00:06:09.271 --> 00:06:10.233
And I don't either.

00:06:10.233 --> 00:06:22.750
I mean I am using, you know I've got the two terabyte plan, so I'm using, you know, a fair amount of that, still not all of it between and I'm the one that uses up most of the space.

00:06:22.750 --> 00:06:33.259
I have almost completely gone to iCloud Drive for most of my stuff other than the Synology disk station that I have here, and occasionally Dropbox for stuff that I need to do Dropbox for.

00:06:33.259 --> 00:06:38.983
But I have five gigs Come on.

00:06:39.800 --> 00:06:41.665
And Apple could afford to give a little more away.

00:06:41.665 --> 00:06:47.971
It feels I don't know, it feels icky that they don't it does.

00:06:48.800 --> 00:06:51.680
It feels very cheap and I think it was a basic.

00:06:51.680 --> 00:06:59.624
Apple guy made that chart of the iCloud's free storage tier and it's been five gigs since it was released.

00:07:01.047 --> 00:07:05.117
Yeah well nice a decade or more ago, right, so, which is great.

00:07:05.117 --> 00:07:08.449
So now might be a good time.

00:07:08.449 --> 00:07:14.355
If you do have a bundle, then maybe you just picked up because I went out.

00:07:14.355 --> 00:07:17.911
It's only a couple of dollars more and I get these other things, which is kind of what we did initially.

00:07:17.911 --> 00:07:20.963
Because I don't really care about fitness plus.

00:07:20.963 --> 00:07:21.584
I don't use that.

00:07:21.584 --> 00:07:25.009
I don't use Apple news plus, apple Arcade.

00:07:25.009 --> 00:07:26.499
I checked out, don't really use that.

00:07:26.499 --> 00:07:37.096
So I was thinking, as as I talked to you about this weekend messages, that I was Maybe going to jump out of the bundle and move just to music plus and iCloud plus.

00:07:37.096 --> 00:07:42.935
But it turns out Someone in the household is a big news plus user which you haven't seen.

00:07:42.935 --> 00:07:44.237
So I'm staying put.

00:07:44.237 --> 00:07:46.490
But yeah, glad I asked.

00:07:50.226 --> 00:07:53.259
Little, little little time sleeping somewhere else.

00:07:53.300 --> 00:07:56.750
If you had done it wrong, yeah it's like when I asked she's oh yeah, use it.

00:07:56.771 --> 00:08:05.755
all the time I was like whoa, I had no idea and she listed off six or seven, maybe eight magazine and she thumbs through when she's bored.

00:08:05.755 --> 00:08:09.029
Okay, wow, all right, so we kept it.

00:08:09.029 --> 00:08:28.372
But if, if you're considering it, you know it's probably a good time to take a look and maybe say, okay, well, I really only use these two, so I'm going to drop that and save 10 or 12 bucks a month, because that adds up, I mean, it's 120 bucks a year so Because I've trimmed some things out of late.

00:08:28.413 --> 00:08:30.358
We've talked about that a little bit in the show book.

00:08:30.425 --> 00:08:37.414
We've talked about it quite a bit outside of the show, so you know I've gotten rid of some app subscriptions, like I got rid of drafts.

00:08:37.414 --> 00:08:42.825
I got rid of craft, which I still need to get a bunch stuff out of there.

00:08:42.825 --> 00:08:45.475
So mark this down in our book.

00:08:45.475 --> 00:08:51.794
If we had, one of things Tom planned to do but didn't do Is to get my stuff out of craft.

00:08:51.794 --> 00:09:03.297
So I'll probably get to that December 1st and be like, yeah, I'm not getting that stuff out, I'm just gonna feed them another 40 bucks for the year, which, in comparison to the premiere plan at $38 a month, seems pretty cheap.

00:09:03.297 --> 00:09:06.710
So so I did that.

00:09:06.710 --> 00:09:15.304
I got rid of some streaming services for TV shows and things like we got rid of Hulu, we got rid of Disney Plus.

00:09:15.304 --> 00:09:20.375
I would love to get rid of Netflix, but that's her news plus of streaming services.

00:09:20.375 --> 00:09:21.457
I'm not gonna touch that one.

00:09:22.629 --> 00:09:24.283
So I've tried to terrain some of these in.

00:09:24.283 --> 00:09:32.034
I did pick up a new one this week, which we're not gonna get into too much today, but I got the chat GPT plus subscription at 20 bucks a month.

00:09:32.034 --> 00:09:35.251
Selling your soul to Satan, that's okay, he's saving me time.

00:09:35.251 --> 00:09:45.029
Saving me time up front is gonna cost me dearly in the end, right right, that's what it always is T-Sweet sweet, sweet.

00:09:45.029 --> 00:09:47.609
So what about you?

00:09:47.609 --> 00:09:49.977
Have you trimmed down any subscriptions?

00:09:50.018 --> 00:09:54.009
Yeah, I have gone through and done a lot of things I, like you, craft got rid of.

00:09:54.009 --> 00:09:57.817
I think that runs out and I don't have anything substantial in there.

00:09:57.817 --> 00:10:03.032
I was using we were using it, I should say, mostly for this show, so there's nothing in there that I need to keep that way.

00:10:03.032 --> 00:10:10.625
I am dropping fantastical, not because I don't like it, but I just don't think I'm getting as much benefit From it.

00:10:10.625 --> 00:10:16.038
I've started as I think I should be getting from it for the dollars that I'm spending.

00:10:16.038 --> 00:10:20.985
So I'm jumping back to Apple Calendar, which for me, is working just fine.

00:10:20.985 --> 00:10:28.535
It has actually gotten to be a much better application in the latest few versions of the OS, so I'm dropping that.

00:10:28.557 --> 00:10:41.115
I Did get rid of my cable subscription a little bit ago and I'm still kind of fooling around with the what ifs and what Forge for that, so I no longer have an HBO or whatever it is called now.

00:10:41.115 --> 00:10:45.952
Max Max is no longer in my house, so I don't have that.

00:10:45.952 --> 00:10:47.635
That was part of my cable subscription.

00:10:47.635 --> 00:10:53.779
I'm Playing around with a couple of different streaming services.

00:10:53.779 --> 00:11:14.798
Here's the thing that kind of drives me crazy, and that is that, you know I I watch some sports, not a ton, you know, but like to, I'm watching the the World Series Great game last night by the way, rangers win and a walk off in 11 innings, which was frigging brilliant, also frigging exhausting.

00:11:17.385 --> 00:11:22.230
Uplilly yeah, it and it.

00:11:22.230 --> 00:11:33.085
I watch soccer, you know, and in fact you know, pay for a peacock plus or whatever I think that thing's called subscription so I can watch Premier League soccer and and enjoy that again.

00:11:33.085 --> 00:11:35.150
I don't really sit down and watch those games.

00:11:35.150 --> 00:11:42.760
I'm doing other stuff in in the office, typically while I'm, while I'm watching, but I like to be able to keep my eye on on the Premier League and do that kind of stuff.

00:11:42.760 --> 00:11:55.153
I Would love a package that just allowed me to choose this, this, this kind of all a cart, you know, and and have it be all the things that I need it to be.

00:11:55.394 --> 00:12:01.134
I do not watch any broadcast television, zero other than sports.

00:12:01.134 --> 00:12:13.654
I am currently trying out YouTube TV, much to my chagrin you know how much I hate to do any of that stuff but have bounced around from a couple of those.

00:12:13.654 --> 00:12:16.735
It's frustrating.

00:12:16.735 --> 00:12:38.774
Here's a crazy thing, by the way, and speaking of subscriptions, which I've dropped this subscription as well I got an ESPN subscription thinking that I could watch ESPN, but it's not an ESPN subscription, it's ESPN plus, which does not give you, like you know what you expect it to Game on, sign into your cable provider, what the frig is that about?

00:12:38.774 --> 00:12:42.645
Like I'm paying you dorks, give me, give me what it is.

00:12:42.645 --> 00:12:47.327
So I am, I am in the process of doing the same thing that you are in the process of doing.

00:12:47.327 --> 00:13:03.340
I am, I am Pulling out what it is that I want to spend money on, and I may eventually fall back on the, you know, the Hulu plus stuff which gives you ESPN.

00:13:03.340 --> 00:13:05.634
With all this stuff on it, how much is that a month.

00:13:05.816 --> 00:13:09.899
Typically I'd have to go back and check probably 12 14 bucks.

00:13:10.078 --> 00:13:11.683
Yeah, it's not that expensive really.

00:13:11.683 --> 00:13:13.890
Yeah, it's, it's, it's pretty okay, it's.

00:13:13.890 --> 00:13:15.577
I think it's maybe 19 bucks for that.

00:13:15.577 --> 00:13:18.429
Okay, you know, for all of the because I do.

00:13:18.429 --> 00:13:22.642
You know, I am like really enjoying Loki on Disney.

00:13:22.642 --> 00:13:28.182
Really it's a really good one of the few Marvel things that seems okay.

00:13:28.182 --> 00:13:30.654
There's a lot of crap on there too.

00:13:30.654 --> 00:13:34.823
It just seems like they're throwing you know content out to have content out there.

00:13:34.823 --> 00:13:40.383
But all these streaming services could do a much better job of offering some a la carte package.

00:13:40.383 --> 00:13:45.714
You know that they could easily have access to that.

00:13:45.714 --> 00:13:47.740
You could easily have access to the stuff that you want.

00:13:47.740 --> 00:13:51.350
I do not need any of the other 70 channels that YouTube TV offers.

00:13:51.350 --> 00:13:53.292
I don't Nothing.

00:13:53.292 --> 00:13:54.013
There's nothing on.

00:13:54.013 --> 00:13:55.998
Truthfully, there's a lot of content.

00:13:55.998 --> 00:13:59.751
There's nothing there and what we're Bitching.

00:14:00.971 --> 00:14:01.975
We don't do that here.

00:14:02.376 --> 00:14:03.000
Never.

00:14:03.000 --> 00:14:05.477
It's the bitching AF show.

00:14:05.477 --> 00:14:17.169
If the the other thing that's starting to drive me a little crazy is is all of the content that is like is subscribe to me, subscribe to me, subscribe to me.

00:14:17.169 --> 00:14:21.902
There are a lot of people that I want to read and I think we mentioned this couple, or I mentioned this couple episodes back.

00:14:22.965 --> 00:14:30.277
I really, you know, I really miss like the normal magazine newspaper idea.

00:14:30.277 --> 00:14:38.158
You know you got medium and you've got sub stack and you've got all these other little things and medium is I'm canceling that subscription to.

00:14:38.158 --> 00:14:40.032
It's Valueless.

00:14:40.032 --> 00:14:42.217
There used to be pretty decent.

00:14:42.217 --> 00:14:42.799
It's garbage.

00:14:42.799 --> 00:14:50.937
Yeah, a lot of people have gone to sub stack but in order to read their stuff you gotta subscribe to a bunch of individual people.

00:14:50.937 --> 00:15:06.193
So, come on, you know like how many of those I, for the same 40, 50 bucks a month that that I would have gotten with a magazine, like I do subscribe to the Atlantic and Read that on the regular.

00:15:06.193 --> 00:15:07.216
I get a print subscription.

00:15:07.216 --> 00:15:11.374
I have accessed all that, but there's a good way to go in old school With the print subscription.

00:15:12.035 --> 00:15:12.758
Oh, dude, I am.

00:15:12.758 --> 00:15:14.261
You know I like.

00:15:14.261 --> 00:15:19.360
Just before I came down here to record with you this morning, I sat and read my New York Times, tom.

00:15:19.360 --> 00:15:21.589
Well, I can still.

00:15:21.589 --> 00:15:24.437
I Can smell the newsprint on my fingers.

00:15:24.437 --> 00:15:30.721
The fish round, I like the start fires and start my grill.

00:15:30.962 --> 00:15:33.129
Well, it's good for you Very artisanal here.

00:15:34.434 --> 00:15:42.695
So, yeah, anyway, kind of rant over, but I'm I'm a little, I'm a little worn out by all the little, all the little subscriptions.

00:15:42.754 --> 00:15:54.634
Yeah, it's moving to that death by a thousand cuts Kind of thing, and if you're not careful, I mean and again, I don't mind subscriptions necessarily, but there's, there's.

00:15:55.397 --> 00:16:04.254
The thing is there's so many to choose from and it's like, well, I'm not going to spend $300 a month on, you know, 75 different subscriptions.

00:16:04.797 --> 00:16:25.990
So you know, and I think that's part of what I'm doing with this Changes that I've been with, these changes I've been making is not so much I'm getting out of subscriptions, but I do think it's a good idea to Just evaluate and I think you've mentioned that before too Just reevaluate what you have, because sometimes you know an apps a good fit, don't mind paying for it.

00:16:25.990 --> 00:16:52.919
But then, if you know job roles change or maybe you drop a hobby and you're not really needing it anymore, well, drop it, pick up something that's more applicable to what you need, which is part of what's the big reason I went into the chat GPT plus Subscription this week is we've got a big AI focus at work right now, so I thought I need to spend some time with that and and really get to know it and what it can I can't do, and there's a hundred Plus of those services available, so that's just one of them.

00:16:53.511 --> 00:17:01.498
But so digging into that and I have found some value from that already with some time savings, and so that that's been to me that's worth the 20 bucks.

00:17:01.498 --> 00:17:09.712
Now, if it gets to the point where I just don't use it anymore or I'm not seeing that value and then I'll drop it too Fantastic, how I think is what?

00:17:09.712 --> 00:17:10.555
60 bucks?

00:17:10.976 --> 00:17:14.654
Yeah, it's getting super expensive and it's nice because you got apps for every put.

00:17:14.654 --> 00:17:20.740
You know every device that you're you're working on but do yeah, it's, you know it's a calendar.

00:17:21.469 --> 00:17:28.652
Yeah, and the the thing that keeps me in it for now, like if they jack the price up again, like another 20%, like they did last time, I'll probably drop it.

00:17:29.453 --> 00:17:40.743
The calendar sets I use a lot, and so that's where you go in and if you've got you know five calendars Maybe you've got a work calendar or three, like we have at the office, like I've got my calendar.

00:17:40.743 --> 00:17:50.358
We have a Campus community calendar that shows, you know, it's registration for fall, it's Administrative offices are closed for holiday, those types things.

00:17:50.358 --> 00:17:55.789
And then we've got a couple in interdepartment that are like you know, here's who's out today.

00:17:55.789 --> 00:17:58.134
Here's the planning calendars.

00:17:58.134 --> 00:18:05.400
I probably have 12 to 15 between work and home and so I can set up sets and you can have those be.

00:18:05.420 --> 00:18:10.640
I Think they tie into the focus stuff as well, which I don't really use.

00:18:10.640 --> 00:18:12.049
That but I do have them set up for time.

00:18:12.049 --> 00:18:18.878
So like at 8 o'clock it switches to my work view calendar during the week and then at 5 o'clock it automatically switches back to my home calendar.

00:18:18.878 --> 00:18:19.842
So I don't see you work stuff.

00:18:19.842 --> 00:18:22.304
Again, I like it a lot.

00:18:22.304 --> 00:18:29.074
But if they Say go from 60 bucks to 80 bucks, I'll be like I don't like it that much, I'll just get them.

00:18:29.816 --> 00:18:33.730
You know, a cheaper calendar app and keep work stuff in that app and use my personal stuff in a different app.

00:18:34.633 --> 00:18:42.499
And then the question is can you do the same things that you're doing with fun, fantastically using focuses and and things that which I haven't played with yet?

00:18:42.499 --> 00:18:44.246
That those are ideas and right.

00:18:44.246 --> 00:18:54.930
Much like you, you know, I work from home mostly, so I don't have, you know, I I do have a 9 to 5 calendar, but sometimes I don't have a 9 to 5, if that makes any sense right?

00:18:55.291 --> 00:18:56.278
No, it does work in the evening.

00:18:57.913 --> 00:18:58.656
So it.

00:18:58.656 --> 00:19:03.131
Those kind of focus changes don't work for me.

00:19:03.131 --> 00:19:08.372
They're not always reliable in terms of what it is that I'm doing.

00:19:08.372 --> 00:19:11.064
Sometimes I'm doing some schedules and something and signing them at night.

00:19:11.920 --> 00:19:12.784
Then mine might be yeah.

00:19:13.540 --> 00:19:15.503
So yeah, we'll see I don't need to spend that.

00:19:15.503 --> 00:19:20.167
Money is basically what it comes down to, and I'm trying to find ways to do that better.

00:19:20.167 --> 00:19:21.943
There are apps for that.

00:19:21.943 --> 00:19:32.468
Now I can't even remember what the name of it is, but there's one that's advertising all the time now, but they see it during football games, right in between the betting and ads.

00:19:34.359 --> 00:19:41.406
No coincidence, I'm sure yeah right, spend less money on your subscriptions and more money betting on football.

00:19:41.406 --> 00:19:46.669
Draft Kings yeah, exactly, but there is a I think it's Rocket is what it's called.

00:19:46.669 --> 00:19:49.301
It used to be it's a part of Rocket Rocket more.

00:19:49.301 --> 00:19:56.744
Rocket is the name of manager subscriptions, correct, but you're paying the subscription for that no manager subscription.

00:19:56.744 --> 00:19:57.426
That's wild.

00:19:57.828 --> 00:19:57.989
Yeah.

00:19:59.102 --> 00:19:59.825
So have a nice day.

00:20:00.165 --> 00:20:00.446
Yeah.

00:20:00.446 --> 00:20:03.789
So I guess takeaway is those things.

00:20:03.789 --> 00:20:15.626
I think it's just something that is probably good once a year just to look at, say, do I still need this If you do keep moving forward, if you don't, or something else, or move to nothing, it just keeps going for other things.

00:20:16.141 --> 00:20:23.826
When it comes to streaming services, the nice thing about those is you can drop one and then if some show comes on, you pop it on.

00:20:23.826 --> 00:20:26.284
You watch the show that you want to watch and then you drop it again.

00:20:26.284 --> 00:20:29.467
You know it's a little less.

00:20:29.467 --> 00:20:34.826
You know, in the old days it was like cancel cable, yeah, you cancel 50 different things.

00:20:34.826 --> 00:20:45.307
This is a little, from that perspective, you know, a little less onerous when it comes to, you know, figuring out what it is that you want to watch or want to do.

00:20:45.307 --> 00:20:47.165
But yeah, I don't know.

00:20:47.165 --> 00:20:48.846
And, by the way, max has gotten a little janky.

00:20:48.846 --> 00:20:56.087
Anyway, like Apple TV for me, there's a lot of good content on there If you're interested in watching, you know, tv.

00:20:56.087 --> 00:21:02.271
Apple TV for my money has kind of taken the place of HBO.

00:21:02.271 --> 00:21:06.105
Hbo is now all sorts of junky other stuff.

00:21:06.105 --> 00:21:09.308
You know, right, tv shows I don't give a crap about Yep.

00:21:10.140 --> 00:21:14.748
And speaking of your money, of my money, what have you spent some money on recently?

00:21:14.748 --> 00:21:15.643
You've got some new stuff.

00:21:16.065 --> 00:21:16.487
Yeah, I did.

00:21:16.487 --> 00:21:27.744
I picked up and I've played with it some an Astropad screen cover for the iPad, which is a kind of interesting concept.

00:21:27.744 --> 00:21:35.890
So you get a new tip for the iPad pencil, for the Apple pencil, and it is a screen cover that goes on.

00:21:35.890 --> 00:21:38.909
That feels a lot more like paper.

00:21:38.909 --> 00:21:49.490
I you may or may not know this time right With you know, typically pencils or I have a couple of fountain pens that I use that provide a lot of resistance when I write.

00:21:49.490 --> 00:22:05.705
My handwriting sucks so and it sucks worse with you know, with slippery pencils or pens or things like that that don't work very well and that's a problem for me with the Apple pencil, the Apple pencil you know, against.

00:22:05.767 --> 00:22:09.929
Glass is slidey, you know it's not, it's not very precise.

00:22:09.929 --> 00:22:19.180
So my already junky handwriting becomes really, really junky with with the introduction of, you know, glass in that little tip.

00:22:19.180 --> 00:22:22.516
This actually provides this.

00:22:22.516 --> 00:22:30.219
This Astropad screen cover provides a it's a magnetic, basically cover that goes on the on the display.

00:22:30.219 --> 00:22:33.255
So not a pain to remove and put back on again.

00:22:33.255 --> 00:22:36.619
It's pretty simple as far as that's concerned.

00:22:36.619 --> 00:22:46.926
Special tip that you put on the pencil and it's got kind of hard to explain, hard to explain it's.

00:22:46.926 --> 00:22:50.715
It's a slightly more resistant cover.

00:22:50.715 --> 00:22:55.383
So in other words, it's, it's dabbled a little bit, it's got little dots on it.

00:22:55.383 --> 00:23:06.186
You know it's more like paper, that's all I would say so that you can write with this, draw with it, do all the other things that you might do with it, and it works quite nicely.

00:23:06.288 --> 00:23:10.711
For that I spent a while writing notes.

00:23:10.711 --> 00:23:19.925
I'm working on a project right now where I'm actually keeping a notebook on the work that I'm doing kind of like day to day, and jot down ideas and doing things of that nature.

00:23:19.925 --> 00:23:35.646
That project may be revealed at some point in time later, but I am taking some time, you know, to write things down in a notebook, essentially keeping a diary, but not exactly that Also ideas and things that go on, and I use a combination of things.

00:23:35.646 --> 00:23:37.527
I use notes when I'm doing that.

00:23:37.527 --> 00:23:46.450
So I took some time to write with the, with the Astropad and the Apple Pencil, and it works really well for me.

00:23:46.450 --> 00:24:04.694
The downside for me is, while it's on it considerably dims the screen, that that the protector itself essentially puts a fog over it.

00:24:04.694 --> 00:24:15.088
So if I'm going to watch something, which I often do like, if I'm cooking dinner or washing dishes or doing things of that nature, I'll have the iPad up there.

00:24:15.088 --> 00:24:17.486
You don't want that on while you're watching.

00:24:17.486 --> 00:24:19.926
You know, whatever it is, that you're watching the football game.

00:24:20.039 --> 00:24:32.449
I think that's the brilliant approach to this one that's quite a bit different, like Paperlike, of course, is very popular One of those covers that you slap on the iPad and gives you that more paper-like.

00:24:33.039 --> 00:24:34.060
Yeah, semi-opaque though.

00:24:34.382 --> 00:24:39.232
Yeah, it does impact the display quality.

00:24:39.232 --> 00:24:44.609
Like you get a little rainbowing from the cover itself, the way the light refracts off of that.

00:24:44.609 --> 00:24:46.266
But I like that.

00:24:46.266 --> 00:24:50.272
This one's magnetic, so you just drop it on there, you're right.

00:24:50.272 --> 00:24:51.308
When you're done you can take it off.

00:24:51.308 --> 00:24:53.432
Yeah, yeah, that's a real that's pretty slick.

00:24:53.987 --> 00:24:54.208
It is.

00:24:54.208 --> 00:24:56.391
It's a real benefit, that is a real plus side to it.

00:24:56.391 --> 00:25:06.448
But you know then, when you take it off, you have to care for it as well right you have to make sure it goes back into, you know, and they provide.

00:25:06.448 --> 00:25:10.573
It's like a sleeve, it's more like, you know, a peachy folder.

00:25:10.573 --> 00:25:12.571
That's gonna make me like 5,000 years old.

00:25:12.571 --> 00:25:13.970
You remember peachy folders?

00:25:15.228 --> 00:25:16.491
No, tom doesn't even remember that.

00:25:16.491 --> 00:25:18.268
Yeah, okay, I probably wouldn't.

00:25:18.268 --> 00:25:21.173
Maybe, if I saw it, yeah, you would.

00:25:21.173 --> 00:25:23.452
So how does it attach to the iPad with the magnets?

00:25:23.452 --> 00:25:25.949
Does it go around to the backside, just straight on the front?

00:25:25.949 --> 00:25:26.672
Nope, on the face.

00:25:26.924 --> 00:25:28.249
So it's got on.

00:25:28.249 --> 00:25:43.698
If you've got the iPad in portrait mode, what it has is it has bands on either side, just on the left and right hand side, that attach to the magnets that are on the display itself Anyway.

00:25:43.698 --> 00:25:47.163
So you just swap it up there and it connects little.

00:25:47.163 --> 00:25:51.045
You know, it doesn't snap into place if that makes any sense.

00:25:51.045 --> 00:25:53.471
You kind of have to adjust it a little bit so it's.

00:25:53.471 --> 00:25:56.701
You know, even with the edges you can put it on cockey if you want to.

00:25:56.701 --> 00:25:58.878
When they say, if you want to, it's easy to.

00:25:58.878 --> 00:26:04.924
You know it's easy to make that mistake and have, you know, a little edge hanging over the top and the bottom.

00:26:04.924 --> 00:26:07.884
But it easy to readjust, it's not really difficult to do that.

00:26:07.884 --> 00:26:09.218
So does it squirm?

00:26:09.238 --> 00:26:11.165
around much as you're writing, or once it's on, is pretty strong.

00:26:11.165 --> 00:26:12.002
No, it's on, it's on.

00:26:12.692 --> 00:26:26.684
And it's really good and a little bit of you can sense and there may be a way that I can fix this a little better you get a little sense of distance between the actual protector and the glass below.

00:26:26.684 --> 00:26:30.164
So like when you press on that there's occasionally there's like you can feel the gap.

00:26:30.204 --> 00:26:36.484
That's what I was wondering, like with the attachment piece like cause I was thinking if it were the magnets on the front.

00:26:36.484 --> 00:26:40.365
Like it, you can only get it so close to the display.

00:26:40.788 --> 00:26:42.300
The magnets are super, super hard.

00:26:43.954 --> 00:26:52.404
I mean it's yeah, they don't need to be very big, it's almost indiscernible, and it could be, when I've experienced that, just a matter of you know, maybe I need to stretch the edges out.

00:26:52.404 --> 00:26:57.845
You know, like when you're making a bed right, you kind of have to tighten everything and then tuck it underneath.

00:26:57.845 --> 00:26:59.144
It's kind of that same thing.

00:26:59.144 --> 00:27:03.384
You got to make sure that when you're laying it down, that you're laying it down as tight as possible.

00:27:03.384 --> 00:27:06.388
It's not bad, it really is not bad.

00:27:06.388 --> 00:27:10.634
So I do like it a lot and I will use it for those kinds of notes.

00:27:10.634 --> 00:27:12.269
What's the?

00:27:12.309 --> 00:27:13.071
price tag on that.

00:27:13.071 --> 00:27:20.644
It's like 35 bucks and that includes pencil tapes and the sheet itself, so it was not too bad.

00:27:21.268 --> 00:27:22.676
I might have to get one of those Jeff.

00:27:23.098 --> 00:27:24.085
I think, so have me tent it on.

00:27:24.105 --> 00:27:26.133
Because I do like to write.

00:27:26.133 --> 00:27:27.450
I don't write on the iPad a lot.

00:27:27.450 --> 00:27:34.990
It's usually when I'm trying to do some like serious thinking and just kind of get my head wrapped around some concepts and sketch stuff out.

00:27:35.625 --> 00:27:36.911
But yeah, it could be interesting.

00:27:36.911 --> 00:27:37.707
Maybe I'll give it a shot.

00:27:38.249 --> 00:27:41.211
Good, All right and next up next up.

00:27:41.325 --> 00:27:43.309
Talk about that fine woven case.

00:27:43.590 --> 00:27:44.051
Let's do it.

00:27:44.071 --> 00:27:45.174
You've had that for a while now.

00:27:45.174 --> 00:27:45.715
I have now.

00:27:45.715 --> 00:27:53.749
I've had it on my phone now for at least a month it's been at least that long and I'm calling BS.

00:27:53.749 --> 00:28:02.856
I'm calling BS and all the people that says that it's piece of crap and it's going to stain easily and do all that stuff.

00:28:02.856 --> 00:28:13.213
I have been using this as I would normally use it, as I used my leather case before, and fact of the matter is I like the thing.

00:28:13.213 --> 00:28:15.048
Is it worth 60 bucks?

00:28:15.048 --> 00:28:16.753
Ok, maybe not.

00:28:16.753 --> 00:28:22.108
I can eat that, but all this, ooh, it's crappy, it's scratches.

00:28:22.108 --> 00:28:24.352
You had to be doing something to make it.

00:28:24.805 --> 00:28:58.097
Well, I wonder too, because it's new, if they were just some early batches, they maybe were not as good as some others, because we've seen that with leather cases when they come out, some come out and they're like creases, like production creases in it not wear and tear creases and stuff, because I've seen pictures on Mac rumors that people have had and Steven Robles did a YouTube video with different cases and things and what I like about Steven is he is one of the most balanced YouTubers and Apple thought people.

00:28:58.097 --> 00:29:05.816
He does the Apple Insider podcast too and he didn't like it because he didn't like the way it felt.

00:29:06.586 --> 00:29:14.811
But I wonder if that was maybe some of it too, or some of that was an issue, because some people were saying that the cutouts at the bottom were off center and were kind of janky.

00:29:14.811 --> 00:29:20.790
But we've seen that with the leather cases, though, before too, and so maybe that's all it was.

00:29:21.125 --> 00:29:22.449
It was just as first runs.

00:29:22.490 --> 00:29:24.255
We've fixed most of that stuff.

00:29:24.884 --> 00:29:29.992
Yeah, I got this, though at the time that they were released, I ordered one almost immediately.

00:29:29.992 --> 00:29:33.048
So, yeah, that's possible, but that's hard to say.

00:29:33.048 --> 00:29:34.628
I'm looking at it now.

00:29:34.628 --> 00:29:37.613
I did get a blue case, which is unusual for me.

00:29:37.613 --> 00:29:50.856
I'm not really a blue guy, blue's not my favorite color, but I took a dark blue one and there is nothing wrong with it from my perspective.

00:29:51.365 --> 00:29:52.048
Let it go, folks.

00:29:52.048 --> 00:29:57.096
Thumbs up, two thumbs up, two thumbs up from Jeff Jeff on the AstroPad.

00:29:57.096 --> 00:29:58.045
Flame me for it.

00:29:58.045 --> 00:30:04.971
The fine woven case, yeah, yeah, I mean that's good, you see what everyone else says, but you've got firsthand experience of that.

00:30:04.971 --> 00:30:07.125
You got that thing, did your leather case and.

00:30:07.145 --> 00:30:08.616
I'm going to go back to naked too, oh you are.

00:30:08.616 --> 00:30:12.230
Yeah, yeah, I mean that's kind of the goal in this, but this is a lot.

00:30:12.230 --> 00:30:13.570
Anyway, what was the next question, tom?

00:30:13.570 --> 00:30:15.372
No, I was just going to ask if that leather case showed up.

00:30:15.372 --> 00:30:20.829
It has not showed yet Because I ordered the wrong one and then a million other people ordered the right one.

00:30:20.829 --> 00:30:27.335
I'm getting my right one when they finish production on it.

00:30:27.335 --> 00:30:28.671
So I have not seen that yet.

00:30:28.671 --> 00:30:32.710
So it's coming, but it ain't here yet, ok, all right.

00:30:33.085 --> 00:30:34.173
So not there yet.

00:30:34.173 --> 00:30:39.690
Not there yet, ok, so fine, woven is good.

00:30:39.690 --> 00:30:43.334
Yeah, we'll wait to see when the bullstrap case shows up.

00:30:43.334 --> 00:30:45.271
Maybe do a little comparison between the two.

00:30:46.266 --> 00:30:47.790
Yeah, they're going to be significantly different.

00:30:47.790 --> 00:30:49.910
I can tell you that there's definitely going to be a.

00:30:50.065 --> 00:30:53.188
Yeah, because that bullstrap is like legit sweet leather case.

00:30:53.188 --> 00:30:57.596
Oh yeah, because you had the 15 Pro Max, like you felt that You've seen it, you know what's coming, you just need the right.

00:30:57.596 --> 00:31:03.796
Or you had 15 Pro because you have the Pro Max phone, but yeah, so you're just waiting for the right one to show up.

00:31:04.285 --> 00:31:18.981
Yeah, and I'm just going to say again too that I thought the jump from the 15 Pro to the 15 Pro, from the 13 Pro to the 15 Pro Max, was going to be significant Hand issue in like not not comfortable.

00:31:18.981 --> 00:31:20.910
I'm finding no problem with that either.

00:31:21.330 --> 00:31:24.040
Have you adjusted to the placement of the action button or?

00:31:24.060 --> 00:31:25.305
is no hate it.

00:31:25.707 --> 00:31:28.576
Okay, yeah, yeah, that's actually about needs to be down below.

00:31:28.756 --> 00:31:30.180
Yeah, it's, it is.

00:31:30.180 --> 00:31:33.875
What I find myself doing is hitting the volume button.

00:31:33.875 --> 00:31:38.922
Yeah, when I want to hit the action button, it's currently a look and find.

00:31:38.922 --> 00:31:44.163
So that needs to be Midpoint of the midpoint of the the phone.

00:31:44.163 --> 00:31:46.130
It needs to be below the volume buttons.

00:31:46.351 --> 00:31:47.394
Yes, that's probably what.

00:31:47.394 --> 00:31:48.500
So this is the 15.

00:31:48.500 --> 00:31:54.901
They'll get another year or two out of this 16, 17, so iPhone 18 will probably really good Okay so maybe I'll wait till then.

00:31:55.871 --> 00:32:01.103
By that time, you know, then you'll just be able to tap two fingers together with your headset.

00:32:01.103 --> 00:32:04.494
Yeah, exactly.

00:32:06.070 --> 00:32:07.135
Yeah, with the headset.

00:32:07.135 --> 00:32:11.361
So All right, I think that's it, tom.

00:32:11.361 --> 00:32:12.503
We did it in 30 minutes.

00:32:12.523 --> 00:32:14.569
Yes, look at us go dang.

00:32:14.569 --> 00:32:16.174
That was pretty good.

00:32:16.174 --> 00:32:19.105
Finish your whole workout and enjoy the whole show.

00:32:19.105 --> 00:32:20.210
We've done it right this time.

00:32:20.490 --> 00:32:25.702
We may have, so I said do let us know, though, which think of the shorter format versus the longer.

00:32:27.951 --> 00:32:34.083
That seemed to go pretty well, I thought yeah, no, I think so too, and you can tell us at feedback at basic af showcom.

00:32:34.083 --> 00:32:38.361
You can find us on the web at basic af show.

00:32:38.361 --> 00:32:42.176
Tom Anderson has a newsletter.

00:32:42.176 --> 00:32:43.000
How do you get that time?

00:32:43.240 --> 00:32:48.049
you go to Tom F Anderson com and there's a sign up link there.

00:32:48.049 --> 00:32:54.130
It's also in the show notes for every episode, so if you want to just tap over to that in your podcast app, you can do it right there, yep, yep.

00:32:54.289 --> 00:33:06.950
So make sure to share us with all your friends, all your enemies, all your friend of me's, anybody that you, uh, you know that you think should, anybody that you think would be nice to have them listen to us, because we're good.

00:33:07.431 --> 00:33:09.036
We appreciate you just need more.

00:33:09.276 --> 00:33:19.386
We need more people listen to us, as always, our Podcast artwork is by Randall Martin design highly recommend.

00:33:19.386 --> 00:33:21.894
As I mentioned, he's been working on a book with my sister.

00:33:21.894 --> 00:33:23.678
He did a fantastic job, looks great.

00:33:23.678 --> 00:33:25.482
She's got that coming out here pretty shortly.

00:33:25.482 --> 00:33:34.722
And music by Psychokinetics also same dude, different, different group, celsius seven.

00:33:34.722 --> 00:33:41.923
So look up psychokinetics and Celsius seven on your favorite streaming services.

00:33:43.131 --> 00:33:44.978
Sounds good and we do thank them for that.

00:33:44.978 --> 00:33:45.640
All right?

00:33:45.640 --> 00:33:47.406
Yes, indeed, so that's gonna wrap us up.

00:33:47.406 --> 00:33:50.073
Thank you Once again for being here.

00:33:50.073 --> 00:33:52.336
Have a great rest of your day or night.

00:33:52.336 --> 00:33:55.299
Yes, see ya all later.