04.29.2024: Some more impressions of the MacBook Pro, TikTok ban, and iPhone RAM Frustrations
The Great M3 Pro MacBook Pro
I have not finished my review of the MacBook Pro that I have had now for over a month. Part of this is because I really want to use it more to provide a more thorough review, but I also just haven't had the time to use it. As you can see from my lack of blog posts recently, I haven't had much time for writing either.
When I do have a chance to use the MacBook Pro though, I am reminded of how great of a computer it is. Not only is the Space Black color still striking when I pull it out of my bag, but the display on these MacBook Pros is just amazing. As I use the device, the clarity and high resolution never get old.
One thing that I have noticed about the MacBook Pro, especially when I am typing a lot, is that though the keyboard has improved from the previous butterfly switch nightmare of the past, I actually prefer the keyboard on the Asus Zenbook more. I feel like the travel isn't as good, and it is a little more clicky than I would like.
It isn't enough for me to say that I don't like this keyboard, but when I have the Zenbook and MacBook next to each other, I feel like the Zenbook just feels more comfortable to type on. One thing that I was surprised that I don't miss at all is the OLED screen on the Zenbook.
It could be that Mini-LED is just as good on this MacBook compared to the Zenbook, but I think the main reason is the operating system. I really like macOS and I feel like the high resolution and great color that the MacBook display offers make macOS pop, whereas Windows 11 is way better than I expected but just doesn't shine on the Zenbook the same as macOS does on a Mac.
I know you can't have macOS on a Windows laptop; my point is that I think the colors and style of macOS just make this MacBook feel better to me. Speaking of macOS, I also forgot about all of the benefits of having a Mac and being in the Apple ecosystem with an iPad, iPhone, and Apple Watch.
Being able to unlock my MacBook with a very old Apple Watch SE, get messages on my iPad or Mac when I am using them, copying and pasting back and forth between all my devices, and using Sidecar with my iPad Mini and MacBook Pro are all really great.
I think the biggest reason why I am so happy with the MacBook Pro is that I feel like I have a computer that I truly want to use again. It doesn't just feel like a tool that I have settled for, but a tool that I actually enjoy and love owning. Sure, part of this may be a consumerism thing, but because I have held off on buying such a premium computer for so long, I am enjoying my time actually having one.
Tick-Tock for TikTok?
I am conflicted on the whole TikTok bill that was passed by Congress and signed by the president this week. It being a part of a spending bill that has been needed for some time for aid in other countries feels a little icky to me. But I also just don't know how helpful to American citizens this approach is going to be.
If we are truly at risk of national security by having an app that has part ownership by a country that has bad intentions towards America, I get wanting to protect ourselves. But does selling a very popular app to a company in America truly protect customers or just shift the bad behavior locally instead of abroad?
We have had concerns about digital privacy for years. Many feel like misinformation, especially in politics, has run rampant. This can be scary for those uninformed or anyone else who doesn't realize the untruths that exist online. I have fallen for things myself many times and consider myself pretty tech-savvy.
For years, Facebook (Meta), Google, and Twitter (I refuse to call it by its "new" name), have been under suspicion of possibly harvesting and selling our data. I am sure many think Apple does too even though they portray themselves as the most secure and privacy-oriented.
Digital privacy needs to be addressed and I would have preferred that our Government focus on a more broad approach to protecting American citizens instead of focusing on just foreign apps collecting our data. I know that it isn't just about our data but the possibility of these countries spreading propaganda or using their algorithms nefariously.
But who is to say Facebook or Twitter won't do the same, or hasn't already? Who is to say Google provides the truly best search results and not what they want you to see?
Even though TikTok was just mentioned briefly in the bill and it is more geared towards protecting us from foreign entities, I feel like the time spent on putting this thing together should have instead been more about digital privacy and transparency of all online activities. Not just focus on one country and one app.
RAM in iPhones
I have a couple of thoughts about RAM in general but one thing that has frustrated me a lot lately that reminds me of my use of the iPhone Mini. The problem with not having sufficient RAM in iPhones is its lack of keeping apps open in the background causes apps to constantly refresh when you open them later.
The iPhone 11 Pro has only 4 GB of RAM which was the same with the iPhone Mini 12 that I had before and drove me nuts. Luckily one thing that hasn't been happening on the iPhone 11 Pro that caused me to stop using the iPhone 12 Mini hasn't happened, which was closing apps in the background that I was actually using.
Overcast and Castro, my two preferred podcasting apps, would just crash when I was listening to a podcast. This hasn't happened on my 11 Pro, but it is annoying when I reopen an app like Threads or YouTube, after just being in them, and the app refreshing entirely losing my place either in the timeline or video.
So far I have been just dealing with it, and if it gets too annoying I have my work iPhone 13 Pro that I can use if I want to jump in and out of something during the day. I will say that with all of the iPhone 15 Pro images on Instagram and how it used to lure me into wanting to upgrade my iPhone I have not been interested in the least. I really do love my iPhone 11 Pro and the feeling in my hand never gets old.
Another quick take on RAM in iPhones was something that I heard recently from a YouTube video that talked about how the iPhone 16 phones (maybe just the Pro) are rumored to have 16 GB of RAM. This is so odd when many MacBooks today still come standard with 8 GB.
I get the whole swap memory with the SSD but like my experience with iPhones with only 4 GB, swap memory can only go so far. On a Mac it is a whole different case. You can literally have as many apps as you want running at the same time which can require a lot of RAM.
I lean more on the side of people only needing 8 GB of RAM for what most use a Mac for but I think it is odd that Apple would have an iPhone pack more RAM than a base MacBook Air or MacBook Pro when the use cases for each are just so different. If they plan to up the RAM on the next version of the iPhones I say they do the same for all Macs and maybe bump up the storage on all iPads too—64 GB is just pitiful.