Not Just Apple

I ditched my standalone wallet back when Apple introduced MagSafe in the iPhone 12 series in favor of the midnight Apple Leather Wallet. Having your phone and your wallet together as one item is extremely convenient, and being limited to only holding 3 cards helped me to get rid of some unnecessary items that I would carry with me in my old wallet. I recently got rid of my Apple Leather Wallet for a MOFT Snap-on Phone Stand and Wallet, and boy do I wish switched earlier.

There’s three problems I have with the Apple Leather Wallet.

1. The design. First off, the design is very Apple. It’s the simplest, cleanest version of a MagSafe wallet you can buy, and it’s great at holding 3 cards, but that’s it. There’s no special tricks or anything, it’s simply just a wallet.
2. The “Find My” support. Second, when Apple added the ability to find your wallet via the Find My app, I assumed it had technology similar to the AirTags, where you could find your wallet wherever you may have left it. Unfortunately this is not at all how it works. The “Find My” support really only means that when you take your wallet off your phone, Find My remembers the location where you took the wallet off. Personally, I take my wallet off my phone every time I get home, and this feature really just seems gimmicky.
3. The price. The Apple Leather Wallet is $59.99, which is $10 more than it was a couple years ago (they added an extra $10 when they added “Find My” support 🤦🏻‍♂️). This just seems way too much for what you get. Like I said earlier, it’s the simplest version of a MagSafe wallet you could possibly make, and $59.99 just seems outrageous for what you’re getting.

This is something that Apple tends to do a lot; offer a really good, simple product and make it really expensive (i.e. the Apple Pencil, or even the infamous Apple Polishing Cloth), but there are more products out there that can do the more, for less.

The MOFT Wallet

I bought the MOFT Snap-on Phone Stand and Wallet a few months ago, and I have to say it’s easily my favorite MagSafe wallet. This wallet holds the same amount of cards as Apple’s, has an excellent build quality similar to Apple’s, and it doubles as a phone stand where you can have your iPhone be propped vertically or horizontally.

I’ve used this this wallet stand on the plane to watch videos horizontally and on my desk to stand up my phone vertically while I’m working on my computer. It really is a great design, and when it’s flat, it’s pretty much the same size as the Apple Leather Wallet. The best part is, the MOFT Snap-on Phone Stand and Wallet is only $29.99! You could get two of them for the price of Apple’s, and its so much more functional.

The MOFT wallet has become my every day wallet. Being able to have a portable phone stand with you wherever you go is something that I didn’t know I needed until I had this wallet, and I’d highly recommend it over the Apple Leather Wallet.

Tuesday evening, a report came out from Bloomberg stating that Apple had indefinitely postponed the development of their augmented reality glasses.

When I first read this headline I was absolutely crushed. The Apple augmented reality glasses were a product that I have been looking forward to for years. The first rumors about the Apple glasses started back in 2017, and the supposed release date just kept getting pushed back. They have always felt like they were just 1-2 years away, but unfortunately not anymore.

I’m not going to lie, I’ve spent a lot of time daydreaming what it would be like to have these glasses; whether it be driving in a car and having the virtual maps directions overlay right onto the road, or being able to read text messages right in your field of vision without having to look down at a device. The possibilities of what a user could do with augmented reality glasses are endless, and I’m really sad that we’re going to have to wait for many more years.

Luckily Apple is still working on their AR/VR headset (set to be announced in just a few months), that will most likely be virtual reality-oriented with some pass-through viewing features so you can see your surroundings. I still think this device is going to be a game changer, and I’m glad Apple is still moving forward with this device.

Part of the reason I was so excited about the augmented reality glasses is because how they were supposed to look. The rumors were all hinting towards a normal looking pair of glasses that wouldn’t be big or bulky; something you could wear around in public without getting weird looks. The AR/VR headset however, will most likely turn some heads. It’s going to be much bulkier than a normal pair of glasses, and is even rumored to come with an external battery pack that the user will have to carry around with them in their pocket.

Hopefully someday soon Apple will choose to revisit the plans for augmented reality glasses. I understand that fitting so much technology into such a small design is probably extremely challenging, but if anyone could do it (and do it well), it’s Apple.

On Tuesday Apple announced a new Mac mini with M2 and M2 Pro and a refresh to the MacBook Pro lineups with the new M2 Pro and M2 Max, and to everyone’s surprise, Wednesday morning they announced a refreshed version of the original HomePod.

Mac Mini

The new Mac mini with M2 starts at $599, and the Mac mini with M2 Pro starts at $1,299. This is the first time Apple has ever put a Pro chip in a Mac mini, and for $1,299 it’s a really great option for someone wants the power of the new MacBook Pro, but doesn’t want to spend the additional $700.

MacBook Pro

The new MacBook Pro with M2 Pro starts at $1999, and has a battery life of 18 hours on a single charge, while the M2 Max configuration starts at $2,499 and has a 22 hour battery life.

HomePod

The original HomePod came out on February 9, 2018 and started at $349, and was discontinued three years later on March 12, 2021. Since then the only smart speaker that Apple continued to sell is the $99 HomePod mini. Now Apple is refreshing the original HomePod with a few new features.

The new HomePod now has support for the Matter smart home standard which was released last fall, which will make the new HomePod compatible with a wide range of third party smart home products. The new HomePod also has new temperature and humidity sensors, which will open up the possibility of creating HomeKit automations based on the temperature and humidity of your room.

Apple also quietly announced that all of the existing HomePod minis have the same temperature and humidity sensors as the new HomePod, and they’ll be active in the next HomePod mini software update early next week.

Welcome to Not Just Apple, a new technology blog that’s mostly about, but not just about Apple.

For my first post, I figured I’d quickly introduce myself, as well as talk about why I chose to start this blog.

My name is Luke, and my first Apple product was the first generation iPod Shuffle (the one that looked like a stick of gum). I remember the feeling I had when I first saw my cousin using one, and being so intrigued and excited about how you could fit so many songs into one little device. With every Apple product that came out in the years following, that feeling just did not go away. I had to get the iPod Nano, and then the iPod Touch, and then the iPhone, iPad, Mac, the list goes on.

Anyways at this point in my life I’ve probably spent the equivalent of a down payment on a house solely on Apple products, but they’ve made my life exponentially easier, and frankly better. This is why I love Apple. This blog is going to be a space for me to talk about my opinions on Apple news, rumors, product launches and events, as well as anything else that comes to mind.

And here and there, I’ll write things that aren’t related to Apple; hence the name, Not Just Apple.

I’ve never done anything like this before, and I’m excited to have an outlet for my thoughts about Apple and about the technology industry. I’m not sure how long each post will be, or how often, but I’m hoping to post consistent, quality content.

Looking forward to starting this journey.