Vector

Google gets a lot of attention and even affection for giving away free services in exchange for our personal, private data. Apple doesn't want any of that. When you buy something from Apple, just like stickers and cables come in the box, hundreds of millions of dollars of educational programing and probably billions in free apps and services, everything you need to start exploring code and photography and video and music and much, much, more also comes invisibly in that box.

If you think Apple products are two expensive, this is where some of that money goes, so you should absolutely go, get in on all the free classes and training, and take that money back. Even if you've never bought an Apple product you can still take all of it, all for free.

It's not just one of Apple's biggest products, it's one of the least know and least taken advantage of, especially when it comes to things like Field Trips for schools and Apple Camp for kids, so make sure you let your friends know, let your schools know, let everyone know. Pick some classes, get some people together, and go, go go.

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LINKS:

• Today at Apple
• Budge Studios

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The old Steve Jobs product grid is gone. The old grid is dead. But I'd argue there's a new, almost as simple grid that's taken its place and can help you whittle down to your ideal MacBook pretty quick.

With the new Air and old, the low end and high end 12-inch, and the 13-inch no Touch Bar to 15-inch Vega MacBook Pro, with lots of room to fuss with exact processor, memory, and storage options in between, there's a lot of choice in Apple's current notebook lineup.

Which is why grids only ever really took us so far. So, let's try something better...

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Gramps may not beta, but he does return to Vector for a Holiday chat with Rene! They talk about the Microsoft Edge transition to Chromium, and taking the blame (and earning praise) for decisions at Apple. They also discuss Marvel shows getting canceled by Netflix and the content siloing of video streaming services. Plus, the pros and cons of hardware vs. software transcoding, and a ton more!

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iPhone XR has been out for just over a month, and I've been using it, sometimes side by side with an iPhone XS, often times on its own, and for the last few days side by side with an iPhone 6s. Why a 6s? Because I wanted to get a sense not just of how cool the new colors are, though they are, or whether the display and camera system were dealbreakers compared to the iPhone XS, which really depends on the individual, but how much of a difference the upgrade will make to a real person in the real world.

And a lot of people considering the XR, people who don't get a new phone to review every couple days, weeks, or months, have been using the same phone for a couple or few years already. That's the 6s. Maybe the 6, SE, or 7. But mostly the 6s. And, if that's you or someone you're close to, I want to take my head out of the tech bubble for a minute and put myself in your shoes.

Maybe you're ready to upgrade and you're considering giving up the familiarity of the Home button — you know, the one only tech hot takers ever thought that was boring — and try out the full screen future. But you're wondering if the $750 up front or the few bucks extra on your carrier plan is worth it for the iPhone XR. Whether it will provide value to you or yours beyond the price.

Just over a month later, that's what we're going to answer.

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LINKS:

• Jonathan Morrison: iPhone XR vs. 1080p challenge
• iPhone XR Review
• iPhone XR vs. XS Display
• iPhone XS vs. XR Camera

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James Cuda, is the creator of Procreate along with being the co-founder and CEO of its development studio, Savage Interactive. It's an astonishing tool that allows artists to sketch, paint, and create richly detailed illustrations. It's a killer app of iPad — one that soundly disproves the notion of tablets as "consumption devices" and "not for real work".

James joins Rene to discuss the immense power and potential of the latest iPad Pro models, and to examine the ways artists today make use of Procreate.

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• Savage Interactive

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I've been wearing an Apple Watch Series 4 with watchOS 5 for just over 10 weeks now, including a couple weeks with the aluminum, gold steel, Nike+, and now, for the last month, Hermès.

So, over 2 months later and almost 4 years in, which new features have flourished for me and which ones have failed? Has it been worth the upgrade or would an older Apple Watch still be just fine?

Hit play and let's re-review this!

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AirPower was announced alongside the iPhone 8, 8 Plus, and iPhone X at Apple's September event… in 2017. It was a preview, not a release, and Apple said it would only be available in 2018. Since then, the iPhone X has come and gone and another September event along with it. Now it's November 2018 — late November — and AirPower is still nowhere to be found.

Apple has launched products in December before. AirPods, of course, in 2016, and the Smart Battery Case for iPhone 6s in 2015. But it's certainly not the norm. HomePod, which was announced at WWDC in June of 2017 as coming later that year, then delayed early February 2018 after AirPlay 2 proved more challenging to nail down than initially expected.

If a December launch isn't in the cards for AirPower, and the lack of noise leading up to the last month of the year makes that seem increasingly likely, than early next year, be it February or March is the next likely window.

So, what's going on?

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LINKS:

• Best wireless chargers

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It's 2018. Why don't we have multitouch screen Macs?

The company line is that it's not ergonomic — that having to reach up and across to touch the screen of a Mac to get things done is inefficient and that trying to make the Mac interface work for mouse and for fingers would require too many compromises.

But adding multitouch to the Mac doesn't remove the existing keyboard or mouse controls any more than making the Smart Keyboard for iPad Pro removed the taps and swipes.

So, for real, why isn't Apple making any multitouch Macs?

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Just this last week where, following the launch of the iPad Pro, even basic typing tricks like trackpad mode and cursor movement spread through Twitter with viral shock and delight. Years old, many people still simply didn't know.

Well, let's fix that now.

I'm not going to go over basics like the magnifier and copy and paste, which I think are pretty well known to most of you by now. But, if you're not familiar with them, just drop me a line in the comments and I'll happily help you out.

What I am going to do is go over some of the lesser known, harder to find keyboard tips and tricks that can help you take your typing to the next level.

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Toronto-based concept art and storyboard artist Rob McCallum has been using iPad Pro for all of his work since 2015. And his body of work is extraordinarily impressive, with a resumé that includes: Pacific Rim, RoboCop, Total Recall, It, Suicide Squad, and most recently, Star Trek: Discovery.

Armed with the new 2018 model and his go to drawing app of choice, Procreate, he shares his experiences in being able to push the creativity and complexity of his work even further than before.

He and Rene talk about workflows, personal work vs. client work, and abandoning his drafting table and blue pencils.

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• Brilliant Go to http://brilliant.org/vector and sign up for free. First 200 people get 20% off the premium course!

LINKS:

• @Rob McCallum on Twitter
• @Robmccallumart on Twitter
• rob_mccallum on Instagram
• Rob McCallum Art web site

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