Sean isn't sure about Virtual Reality. He used the Oculus Rift and thought it was really cool. But as an Apple User, he can't use it. Leo says that not only that — he can't use any virtual reality with Apple. It comes down to the high end video cards that are required, and Apple hasn't been serious about putting them in their computers.
Corey wants to know if Waze can be used on her Hyundai's Android Auto screen. Leo says Waze just got out of beta for Android Auto. But Corey has an iPhone, which uses CarPlay. He knows that Waze is in beta for CarPlay, but it's a bit tricky to install it. Check out Carplaylife.com for tips on how. Currently, it won't display on CarPlay, and Google has no plans to do so.
Serj wants to know what he'll miss out on with the next generation iPhone if he makes the switch to Android. Leo says that a lot of what Serj is feeling is due to the Apple hype machine. Since he's concerned with how much more fragile the iPhone has become over the years, Leo points out that Android phones have become just as fragile.
Apple employees have begun to move into their circular spaceship campus designed by Steve Jobs and Jony Ive. The campus has open area offices with no closed doors. The idea was to encourage collaboration, but some are complaining about not being able to have privacy or a quiet place to focus on their work. The building is also one floor and you can get anywhere in the building in less than a 1/4 mile.
The Chinese government made using a Virtual Private Network a crime this week. Microsoft and Apple moved quickly to remove any VPN software from their Chinese App Store. These companies have to obey the law in China if they want to do business there. So both are supporting the censorship, whereas Google still leaves things wide open.
James wants to know if Gazelle offers reliable refurbished Apple devices and if it's worth it to buy from them. Leo says that he's used Gazelle, and they offer a 30 day money back guarantee. So it's worth buying from them as an alternative to the factory refurbished items from Apple itself. He should remember that he's still buying a used device, but it's certainly better than buying from eBay. If he buys from them, he should stress it for those 30 days. He should charge it, run it down to zero, and charge it again. He should do that several times to test the battery life.
This past week marked the ten year anniversary of the release of the original iPhone. Leo remembers waiting in line for that iPhone. By today's standards it's tiny, but it was so much better than anything else that was out at the time. When Steve Jobs first talked about it in his keynote address, he introduced it as three new products — a widescreen iPod with touch controls, a phone, and an internet communicator. He kept repeating those three things until everyone understood it was one product, the iPhone.
Thomas is going to college this fall, studying computer science. He wants to get a new laptop to supplement his desktop at school. Should he buy a MacBook Pro? Leo says that he should and the reason is that Macs are built on the Linux kernel, making it ideal for computer programming. Before he buys anything, though, he should call the school and talk to the head of the Computer Science department and ask their recommendations. Worst case scenario, he can buy the Mac and then install Windows or Linux on it. The downside is that they are more expensive.
This week is the tenth anniversary of the iPhone's initial release. Leo says he actually waited in line for it for a few hours, and was a part of the fun of that new product. But he also says that we don't see lines anymore. The head of Apple's consumer division says that it isn't good business to make people wait in line anymore, though it's good for PR purposes. Which is why Apple shifted to a preorder model.
Apple announced new iPad Pros at its event a couple weeks ago, and Leo has the new 10.5" iPad in studio. He's had it for a little more than a week, and he has thoughts on it after using it for awhile. It looks very familiar compared to past iPads, and the changes to the new one are incremental. There's finally a decent camera in it — it has the same camera as the iPhone 7. The new screen is remarkable as well, it has richer colors and is more accurate. It also has a snappy A10X processor, which is noticeably faster — it even bests the latest 13" MacBook Pro.
