Nuclear Monster

  • Apple’s iPad devices are feeling more and more like laptop alternatives, for better or for worse they are now overloaded with features that let them multitask and confuse people who just want to use them without learning about hidden functionality that allows that multitasking.

    All of the multi-tasking functionality is hidden behind swipes and gestures that are so obtuse Apple has to explain in a series of videos:

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nSBZKr5kXYM

    If only they had just had some kind of interface around apps that let you handle these things, like, I don’t know, window borders…

    Still, it must be hard to go from an approachable app-based interface to one that adds multitasking when your apps didn’t really have room for multitasking functionality to start.

    Which brings us to Apple’s addition of mouse functionality to the iPad last year.

    Mouse support was hit or miss for a little while, but newer bluetooth mice work well, and the mouse cursor even adjusts to take over certain UI elements, a genuinely nifty trick that hasn’t been done before and improves the experience of mousing. Especially when so many apps end up using standard interface controls. The only downside is that many apps do not really support the new mousing modes, this is especially apparent if you use remote desktop software like VNC Viewer which expects a touch and so you have to click on the trackpad while you move the cursor or the mouse cursor won’t move at all. There is probably some VNC software that works better, but that’s just how some apps are setup. There is no “hover” state with touch like there is with a mouse cursor, so apps won’t work right away and this keyboard accessory has been out for almost an entire year.

    The first iPad shipped eleven years ago alongside an optional keyboard dock, an odd device that made ergonomic sense for a workstation but couldn’t really be picked up and carried around. It also had a portrait layout instead of the wider landscape view that people have come to expect. Portrait mode can be preferable for writing since you can see more of your document, but it might not work as well if you’re going to watch a show or movie or something else you’re writing about in a picture-in-picture window.

    Since 2015 Apple has sold a series of Smart Keyboards and Smart Keyboard Folio devices for the iPad line that just included a keyboard but also were handy and wrapped around the iPad to provide some protection and could be positioned with the keyboard tucked away behind the iPad while still holding the tablet upright or below it for typing. Handy, but also expensive keyboards. They’re still available, and bluetooth keyboards, including Apple’s own have worked for years, but Apple finally made a keyboard that includes one of their fantastic trackpads in the superfluously named Magic Keyboard for iPad.

    The Magic Keyboard for iPad is an exceedingly silly name, but it’s nice to see Apple being a little bit whimsical when they’ve altogether attempted to eliminate the easter egg and other nice things under the watchful gaze of Jony Ive before he disappeared into the white void. Sadly there is only one color available, and it is black.

    All that to say, the new keyboard is pretty good. For a company that fucked up their laptop keyboards for a great deal of time, the Magic Keyboard for iPad seems great.

    Typing on the blessedly-not-butterfly switch mechanisms is pleasant and makes a cute thocky noise that might sound a little bit like a cartoonish idea of popcorn popping. The arrow keys are spaced out well with enough distance from the rest of the modifiers and alpha cluster that your hands can find them easily. The keys are by default backlit and because this is Apple the illumination is very even behind the legends. Only on the larger keycaps (return, caps lock) show any variance in the backlight.

    The keyboard attaches to the iPad through a series of magnets on the back, it feels very secure in that sense but because the iPad is heavier than the keyboard the whole contraption can feel a little unstable on a lap when you’re sitting on the couch.

    Despite not being coated in some kind of fabric like the Smart Keyboard was, the Magic Keyboard for iPad still has a very odd, very prominent, seam that extends over every edge. Someone I know has used that Smart Keyboard for years and the fabric has peeled off and it looks terrible at this point. The seam presumably indicates that is what is holding the soft-touch plastic part on, but it isn’t exactly reassuring in terms of longevity for a keyboard that you would hope you could keep using even when there is a newer iPad.

    Since I have switched my desktop usage to mechanical keyboards I haven’t used a thin keyboard switch like this in a while, and even a traditional layout is kind of unusual. I’m a pretty big person so having my hands typing so close together isn’t as comfortable as I would like without an ergonomic split. I should say that I’m trying the keyboard for the 12.9” iPad Pro, I imagine that the 11” iPad Pro or 4th generation iPad Air and its smaller Magic Keyboard for iPad would be less comfortable.

    While the layout of this keyboard is pretty impressive for a small space, especially to fit the amazing trackpad, there are a few other quirks.

    For one, just like the Smart Keyboards that came before, there is no function row on the Magic Keyboard for iPad. This means no media keys, so no control over the keyboard backlight or media playback that you’ve come to expect from decades of Apple keyboards that included media controls. The backlight can be manually configured in Settings as can the touchpad. No escape key, either. However the good news is that you can reconfigure the modifier keys to serve other functions:

    You may also note the “Globe key” that is similar to the globe key on the software keyboard in iPadOS and iOS. This key lets you type emoji or in my case I use it to switch between different languages.

    On my mechanical keyboards I usually program the caps-lock key to be a modifier that unlocks additional functionality. Caps-lock and the 1 key gives me F1 and you can do all kinds of other wild stuff Apple would never include but I truly miss.

    Other reviewers have pointed out that this keyboard is a bit heavy, but I previously had a bulky protective case on this iPad so for me it is lighter than before.

    The substantial hinge mechanism adds to that bulk, and also adds another USB-C port to the left side of the iPad which conveniently lets you charge the iPad from desk-level instead of having a cable hanging out mid-air. Very thoughtful, but I believe it charges a bit slower through that C port. (Update: an earlier version of this article said there was no metal-to-metal contact for charging, closer inspect revealed the following) The back of the Magic Keyboard’s folio portion connects to the iPad through three pins that make contact with three contacts on the back of the iPad. That USB-C port also can’t be used for data, so an external mouse or thumb drive can’t be used with the port at the hinge. That port must transmit just enough data for the keyboard signals and power for the backlight, so the good news is that you don’t have to charge the keyboard separately.

    Sadly, the hinge also just isn’t as flexible as the Smart Keyboard. So you can’t leave the Magic Keyboard for iPad attached and use it like a stand but with the keyboard hidden behind the iPad.

    There also just isn’t enough protection built into this case. While it is very easy to intentionally detach an iPad from the Magic Keyboard for iPad using the magnetic mechanism, you’re left with no protection at all but that is the only way I’ve found to keep using my iPad to watch a show while doing something messy like washing dishes. The Apple Store sells another case for the iPads that are compatible with the Magic Keyboard for iPad but with the MSRP for the keyboard case at an eye-watering $350 I’m not sure adding another $70 for that case on top is reasonable. You can even buy some iPads brand new for $300!

    A basic M1 equipped MacBook Air is around a thousand dollars and is practically the most powerful computer you can buy right now, even more powerful than many of the “Pro” intel computers Apple still sells and it also has a keyboard built-in and runs macOS.

    The iPad Pro 12.9” is the same thousand-dollar-ish price, but doesn’t include a keyboard or trackpad and is less flexible in some ways but more portable in others and has a processor that for all real purposes hasn’t been updated since 2018. Granted, the A12X still feels plenty fast but that is only because iPadOS is so aggressive about memory management and processing management. Applications on iPadOS just can’t hog resources like macOS programs can. Adding on the Magic Keyboard for iPad makes the iPad Pro Keyboard and Trackpad chimera about $1350.

    The advantage the Magic Keyboard for iPad has is that it also works with iPad Pro devices from 2018 and the lesser-priced ($600) iPad Air. The iPad Air also has a newer processor (A14, non-X), but no FaceID and is only available in one size, 10.9 inches. The Magic Keyboard for the iPad Air and iPad Pro also starts cheaper, it’s $250. That is the iPad I’d probably recommend to someone who is desperate for one today unless you need the larger physical size (12.9”) and higher capacity of the 512 or 1TB storage on the iPad Pro. In which case the rumor sites are all imploring you to wait.

    Wait for what? An updated iPad Pro. Ah, but will it work with the same Magic Keyboard for iPad? I have no idea, but you hope so.

    Overall, I really enjoy the Magic Keyboard for iPad Pro more than I thought I would. I can be very productive with a bluetooth mouse and keyboard and the iPad, but bluetooth devices just aren’t as easy to set up and use as the Magic Keyboard for iPad.

    However, in a desktop scenario the iPad can’t really be separated more from the Magic Keyboard which just isn’t as good ergonomically and that is disappointing, your display should be at or slightly below eye level but this is just how laptop-ish devices are. There are other quirks, the biggest of which is the ridiculous price, and that is why this amazing Magic Keyboard for iPad and trackpad only gets 3 out of 5 stars. It is magic, but wow do you pay for it.

    Rating: 3 out of 5.

    Now, if I could dream, I’d have a real programmable mechanical keyboard attachment for the iPad, and could download an emulator or other software outside of Apple’s App Store without having to reauthorize the installation every few days.

  • Within the past week Apple has discontinued the full-size 2018 HomePod and the 2017 iMac Pro. Both of these devices have replacements, but I imagine some people are a little disappointed that Apple doesn’t keep updating these devices and selling them as they worked for certain purposes.

    The 2017 iMac Pro was originally intended to replace the 2013 “trashcan” Mac Pro that Apple supposedly ran into “thermal constraints” with and never updated, and now the 2017 iMac Pro is replaced by the 2019 Mac Pro. The newer Mac Pro actually has room for expansion cards and hard drives but is also in a hideously expensive case and like previous iterations only supports high-end Xeon configurations. The newer Mac Pro also doesn’t have an M1 or other ARM-chipset-based option and instead uses an intel-based platform that may not remain in Apple’s lineup. Both the iMac Pro and current Mac Pro started at an eye-watering $5000. These devices have always been out of my reach but they’re priced similarly to other workstations with the same hardware at first, the difference being that Apple almost never drops the price over time. Still, the iMac Pro included a 5K display and a stand for the display. To outfit the current Mac Pro with a professional display from Apple you’re gonna need to take out another loan, Apple’s Pro Display XDR is another $5000 but it doesn’t even come with a stand for that price. You can just use a VESA mount? That’s $200.

    The 2018 HomePod was originally $300, that price seems insanely high but it was similarly priced to other high-end “smart” speakers from Sonos and other companies. Every review I read or heard had high praise for the HomePod’s audio quality and uniquely capable microphones for hearing request. For the past year or two the HomePod was often on sale for closer to $200. Just last year Apple released the 2019 HomePod Mini and at $100 and much smaller it is a very odd product compared to similarly sized smart speakers. In the past year, Apple has also made their Apple Music subscription music service accessible on some other smart speakers. All of these smart speakers have enormous privacy concerns, and send what they capture (intentional or not) back to their manufactures.

    Of the three major makers of smart speakers, Apple, Google, and Amazon, I trust Apple the most because they’re the only one of those three whose motive is selling devices (and now service subscriptions) to people and businesses. Google is primarily funded by being the middleman for advertising publishing and in some cases an advertising publisher on their own products. Amazon is primarily funded by being an online store that breaks their workers, a middleman for other stores, and handling high-availability network and other hosting services for thousands of businesses. They are all corrupted by the profit motive, none are truly trustworthy for that reason, and only Google has some workers in a new union. Facebook makes some similar devices and I have no idea how anyone trusts them at all when they have helped and profited from the rise of white supremacy and at least one genocide that I can think of. I am not kidding about the genocide. Facebook’s primary funding is also advertising from other advertisers to their users.

    All of these smart speaker devices seemed to be destined for replacement or destruction when either nobody buys smart speakers anymore or when one or more of the competitors in that market drops out and the other two follow suit.

    Here in 2021 with climate change barreling down on us, it seems insane to buy electronic things that don’t have a shelf life of more than 4 years. Apple will no-doubt continue to support the iMac Pro with software updates for years to come, but the writing is on the wall for both it and the original HomePod. When it comes to the iPhone line, those devices are supported with software updates for years longer than their Android counterparts and Mac hardware from 2013 is still supported with the current version of macOS, Big Sur 11.3.

    The Apple TV box has not received a hardware update since 2017, and Apple’s confusingly-named Apple TV+ subscription service and Apple TV app available on other devices and TV’s I would not be surprised if it is the next device to expire. Apple’s Apple Arcade game subscription service and Fitness+ fitness subscription service seem like the only things keeping that device around and some of the Apple Arcade games I’ve tried perform terribly on the Apple TV.

  • Bonesweeper in sweeping for bones mode.

    Cheese, the developer of Hive Time and other games, has released a new free or “name your own price” game prototype with the most metal name for a game post-Crüe Ball called Bonesweeper for Windows, macOS, and Linux. In Bonesweeper you’re a paleontologist searching for fossils at a dig site and trying not to break them, just like Minesweeper but with fossils and a dig site instead of mines and a minefield. Not very metal, but there is also an assembly mode where you can attempt to put together skeletons for a museum exhibition after you’ve found their fossils in the dig site.

    I’ve been playing the prototype of Bonesweeper and giving feedback on the design to the developer and it has gotten me back into this Minesweeper style of gameplay. It is very fun to solve the little puzzles of where a fossil might be and try to flag and avoid that spot but if you give up on a level or make a mistake it can be extremely satisfying to hear the crunchy sound effects of accidental fossil smashes Cheese created using food and other objects in his kitchen.

    Here’s a tutorial from the developer:

    It’s unclear at this time if the prototype will be developed further, but I think it is pretty fun as it is.

  • Selaco looks like a fun new sci-fi FPS and it is using the free-software GZDoom engine which is a very cool thing to see as a proponent of free software game engines. Check out the first trailer of the game’s combat above.

    Hopefully the developers of this retro FPS don’t milkshake duck themselves like Ion Fury and Brutal Doom did. It almost goes with the retro FPS territory at this point. Though it was impressive when Ion Fury also milkshake ducked the entirety of whatever the hell 3D Realms is at this point.

    Selaco’s YouTube channel also has a little bit more world building in the original announcement video:

    There’s no release date announced yet for Selaco, but the developer says it’ll have a Steam page soon and there will be a demo later this year.

  • The second in Tim Hunkin’s eight-episode series for makers, The Secret Life of Components, is up. This episode focuses on LEDs. A subject I finally know a tiny bit about because some mechanical keyboards can use them, but there is a lot more to learn from Hunkin about LEDs and he goes through a short bit of history through all the options out there to brighten up your projects that he uses in his arcade machines.

    One of the things I like about Tim Hunkin’s new demonstrations is that there is no artifice. This is just him in his workshop and he is playing with some components and is happy to share that joy for exploring with others. While it would be funny for a moment if this turned into your typical polished YouTube video and Hunkin was shouting out his highest tier patreon subscribers and saying “…if you liked this video, make sure to give it a like and RIIING THAT BELLL!” he isn’t catering to YouTube that way today and that is a nice change of pace. There’s nothing wrong with the people who do those things, it is the way to succeed on video at the moment and people listen to these calls to action, the systems are at fault for not allowing us to do the things that make us happy like making videos without worrying about the dollars coming in when we live in a time of utter surplus that is dominated by a very few billionaires.

    With this new video I’ve also noticed two great updates to The Secret Life of Components web page, the first is a schedule for the upcoming videos, the second update is that Hunkin is going to re-release the original Secret Life of Machines with some kind of AI up-scaling via tapes made from the original film recordings.