All Apple All Day

There's no question that iTunes was a game-changer for Apple.   But has the time come for it to just... go away?

DirecTV's official stance regarding their equipment is " you get what you get and you don't get upset. " But this is the tech-blog world! We're powered on a constant cycle of early upgrades! Surely the AAAD household can get its hands on the latest and greatest DirecTV boxes. Let's find out. 

It's been a while since I did a High Five feature around here. And it's Christmas! So what are you hoping for this year? Here's what we're hoping for around the AAAD household for the 2013 holidays.  (Or, more accurately, for 2014... we aren't getting any of these things this month. They're PRICEY.) 1. Lutron RadioRA 2 I previously thought I'd do whole-home lighting with an Insteon system... and they've REALLY improved their product lineup this year - but I just don't really like the look of the keypads.  They look like old touch-tone phones. The Lutron keypads are the gold standard.  A few years ago, I stayed at the Andaz hotel at Wall & Water in lower Manhattan (by the way, a spectacular hotel!), and every room had a Lutron lighting panel. You had your choice of multiple "scenes" - hit one button, and all the lights in the room dimmed, except for the ambiance lights behind the TV, which turned on. So cool.  I fig

A few months ago, I wrote about the Redmere High Speed HDMI cables that are available at Monoprice. They're unbelievably thin... about the same size and flexibility as your iPhone charging cable. Last week, I finally got around to ordering four 15-foot cables. And literally the next day, I got an email about the NEW and IMPROVED Redmere HDMI cables! Good thing I hadn't opened the old ones.

This post starts with a rather embarrassing story.  Last summer, we were invited to a Friday evening happy hour at our neighbors' house.  (That isn't the embarrassing part.)

We had a bit of a crisis in the AAAD household last week.  It snowed in the Chicago suburbs (a little bit, and very unexpectedly), and our second-grader would not be allowed out for recess without snow pants . 

I'm a huge fan of the Nest Thermostat.  I'd been looking for a thermostat that could be controlled via iOS for a long time, but the Nest was just so far ahead of the competition in terms of design.  The use of brushed metal instead of plastic... the integrated LED... the "solid" feel to the spinning wheel, with just the right amount of resistance... it's just a beautiful piece of technology.  So when I learned that Nest was releasing an API, and had its eye on the entire home automation ecoystem, I was excited.  But how much is all of this going to cost?

We moved into our new house in June of 2012. And about a year after we'd moved in, we finally got around to the dining room. Not that there was anything really WRONG with it - it was just a bit more traditional than we'd prefer... we'd like to take our house from "transitional" back toward "craftsman". (Without spending much money, of course.)

AAAD readers may remember all of the troubles we were having with our First Alert smoke & carbon monoxide alarms last spring.  A visit from the fire department confirmed that we weren't actually having a CO leak - it was just a (constant) false alarm, due to the detector going bad.  Ultimately, I was able to replace the faulty smoke detector with the exact same model, and life went on. But MAN, I'd like to be able to control these sensors with an iOS device.  Enter the Nest Protect smoke and carbon monoxide detector .  It's literally everything that I've wanted from a smoke detector system, and many things that I didn't know I needed until now. 

I hope that your summer went as well as ours at the AAAD residence.  I started a new job, which I absolutely love. It's a long commute, (and my AAAD output has dramatically dropped...) but it's challenging, exciting work, and we're starting to see major results.  As we head into the last 3 months of 2013, I figured I'd take a look back at what we've accomplished, and a look forward to where our major projects are headed:

Back in March, there were rumors that Apple was going to produce a "low-cost" iPhone for low-income markets.  Obviously, there was a lot of consternation about that - people wondered why Apple would ever produce an intentionally "worse" product, and why they wouldn't just sell the iPhone 5 for a bit less, the way they did with the iPhone 3G and 3GS and 4 and 4S?   Well, except here... AAAD  CALLED IT .  (Please indulge me a little bit...)

It's KEYNOTE DAY! I know that we're getting new iPhones. (Let's see if my predictions from March   - iPhone 5S, "low cost iPhone" to entirely replace the iPhone 5 - were correct! I'm liking my odds.) But what else will we see today? Maybe a spec bump for AppleTV?

I'm obviously a huge Apple fan. And as a huge Apple fan, I swooned when Steve introduced the Time Capsule. " A router that also automatically backs up my entire hard drive - wirelessly?! Sign me up!" But over time, it seems that the central selling point -  a router and backup drive in one!  - was less of a selling point and more of an obstacle.

Remember 9/11?  Of course you do.  12 years ago next week.  9/11 was also the only day my brother ever spent at my parents new house.  Time goes on, and we forget things. Last weekend helped my family to remember. 

Well, it finally happened. After a pretty solid 5-year run, my 2008-era 1st-gen Time Capsule has apparently bit the dust. It's deceased. An ex-Capsule. And unlike the last time, I'm not sure if I want to repair it. But let's consider the options.

AAAD is primarily dedicated to the iOS-based renovations we're doing at our house in Chicago's suburbs.  But it's not just about that topic, or even that house. We also rent out our former house in the city - a duplex down in Chicago's Bucktown neighborhood. And last week, we dealt with one of the downsides of property management - our condo was burglarized. 

Our Summer of Vacations is almost over. The AAAD family just returned from a long weekend at Disney World. First things first - if you're going to Disney World, you need the "My Disney Experience" app.  Period. Full stop.  We were able to see and do essentially everything at all 4 Disney parks, in 4 days - almost SOLELY due to the real-time updates we were getting through the Disney app.  Here's a recap of our Disney Experience - and how the iOS app dramatically improved our experience.  

Here's a fun fact: my son was born on the same day as my dad, 55 years later - July 24. They've had a few joint birthday parties, and they were able to throw one in Turks and Caicos, and that was great.  Of course, 7 year olds need to have birthday parties with their friends, too... it's basically their primary social event. So this weekend, we threw a backyard movie night with about 25 kids.  To do that, you need a projector, a PA, and most importantly, a huge movie screen. Here's our review of the Airblown 12 ft. Inflatable Deluxe Movie Screen . 

As many of you may have noticed, AAAD has been "dark" for much of July. Sorry about that. There's a good reason, though - we've been traveling a LOT. (It didn't seem like a good idea to announce to the world that we'd be away from home for a few weeks.) But now that I'm back in Chicago, I can finally talk about our world tour.... (and because this is an Apple blog, I should probably mention the tech we used along the way.)

I know that I've written about this a lot in the past (and other people have written about it a lot MORE in the past) but there have been some pretty pervasive rumors that Apple is developing a "low cost" plastic iPhone. Here's where I think this is headed:

Hope you're having as much fun as we are at the AAAD household. Working on some "craftsman style" trim work today -- more on AAPL shortly.

It's been an incredibly busy summer at the AAAD household. And all told, things are going great.... and we're making some good progress on our slate of projects.

Remember how I was going to DIY the expansion to our home theater? Well.... that plan's out. This project is going to be one of the most, if not THE most, visible items in our home. Now that I really think about it, I should probably engage someone who knows how to calculate molding angles with a miter saw.

At long last, HBO has decided to make their HBO GO service directly available on the AppleTV. It's not a perfect situation - you still have to be a cable/satellite subscriber in order to access HBO GO - but it's a good first step.

It's vacation season.  And like many people with 7 year old kids, we're off to Orlando this August for a long weekend at Walt Disney World. I knew it was going to be on the expensive side, and we were ready for that. I had no idea how much was required in terms of comparison shopping, advance planning, and dinner reservations. Fortunately, Disney and Apple are ready for that. Meet the My Disney Experience website and (more specifically) the iOS app.

There were a LOT of new iDevices introduced at WWDC yesterday. iOS 7, OSX Mavericks, iTunes Radio, new (non-Retina) MacBook Airs, a new Mac Pro that looks kind of like an updated 20th Anniversary Macintosh... But here at AAAD, we're focused on how this stuff integrates with our home. So I'm focused on the new Airport Extreme and Airport Time Capsule . After all, that's the device that's going to be beaming our music and movies around the house.

It's been a long, boring winter in Apple-World. But our eight-month vigil ends today, with the WWDC Keynote! We can DEFINITELY expect to see iOS 7 - and it will be a departure from the first six iterations of the mobile OS. But what else will we see?

I know I've written about it a LOT, but today's news indicates that iRadio is finally, finally going to be a real thing. Probably as soon as Monday. According to a wide range of reports, the last of the major labels (Sony) has signed on, just in time for WWDC. But what's the big deal, really? Don't we already have plenty of streaming music services? Spotify, Pandora, and several dozen others? Heck, Google just announced one last week, and nobody really cared. So what gives, AAAD? Why does iRadio matter? Here's why.

It's only 5 days until the WWDC Keynote.... Only 4 shopping days left until Keynote Eve! I've written at length on this site about the importance of the Apple CEO Keynotes in fostering the unique relationship between Apple and its fans. Today's High Five lists the 5 Greatest Keynotes that Apple has ever given us:

It's been a long, long wait, Apple fans. But the end is near. Next Monday, at about this time, we'll be settling in for the first Apple Keynote in about 8 months. What can we expect?

I like Slate . I really do. It's been around a long time, and it has given us some great political and pop-cultural columns. I've never gotten the idea that Slate was intentionally trying to create controversy to drive clicks. Until yesterday.

The price of an iPad Mini has been dropping rather quickly. And based on Apple's established  modus operandi , that probably means that a new version is on the way.

Well, that answers THAT question!  Mark your calendars. In total, Apple will have gone over seven months between keynotes, which is an unusually long time - almost double the "typical" wait over the last 10 years.

Slate has an article this morning noting that Apple retail sales are doing really, really well . Not just "good", but "twice as good as the 2nd place finisher", in terms of sales per square foot. (2nd place was Tiffany, 3rd place was lululemon.) The author - correctly - notes that when your revenue is that far out of line with the rest of the industry, you're leaving money on the table. Add a bunch of Apple stores, and while the average revenue per sq. ft. will drop, you'll sell more stuff and make more money overall. But Apple is a unique case. And aggressive expansion into new markets - both in retail and in low-end devices - would cause long-term damage the most profitable brand in tech. 

We've been working with our village's government in order to find out what permits we're going to need on our hardscaping project. Turns out - not very many. But, built-in fire pits are strictly prohibited. Permanent outdoor fireplaces, on the other hand, are fine. And on second thought.... they're a lot better looking, too.

There is a serious problem with iCloud at the moment - and it's not that it's boring, crashes too often or that its overall purpose is vague and difficult to understand. No.... the problem is that iCloud has a data leak. It will CONSTANTLY use your cellular data - even when the phone is sitting idle. Even when all iCloud services are turned off!

We're only a few weeks away from the next Apple keynote - and it's fair to say that there's more anticipation around THIS keynote, in particular, than usual.

One of the primary "projects" for AAAD is a home server. My iMac is currently tasked with storing and serving up all of my media, and I'm not exactly sure why.... it's just how Apple does things. So I've been shopping for a Synology Diskstation home server - as I recently posted, the newest Synology software can run Plex, an iTunes Server, and can stream media via AirPlay. That's really what I'm hoping for. But why doesn't APPLE make a home server?

Apple has had a pretty great 10 year run. Really, as I've said more than one time before, one of the best 10 year runs of any company, ever. Lately, analysts have been itching for Apple to release another "hit" product. I think that an iCloud Home Server may be the next massive success, and that it's an opportunity Apple can't afford to pass on. Here's why.

Looks like DirecTV wasn't too far off with their original "late April" estimate - people have started to receive the HR44 Genie set-top box. And based on their early impressions, it looks like DirecTV has managed to improve on the best DVR of its generation. I'm going to put in a call and see if and when I can upgrade to the new box.... not that there's anything wrong with the current HR34, of course - I'm purely interested for AAAD purposes. 

We're coming up on the one-year anniversary of our move from Chicago's Bucktown neighborhood to the Chicago suburbs.  Like many other families in our situation, we became landlords when we moved.... and not by choice, but by necessity.  I don't think our situation was particularly unique - we'd been in the city for a long time, had a school-age kid, and wanted to move away from all that excitement.  But we'd purchased in 2005 near the top of the market, were underwater (or close to it), and weren't willing to take a loss when selling our place.  In many cases, taking a loss is not an option -- frankly, bringing a big check to the sale means you won't have a down payment on the home you're purchasing . 

It's been a slow week at AAAD and with Apple news in general, but it's been an incredibly busy week for me personally. As I mentioned in my last post, I've started working for a large corporation with some tech elements, and part of my onboarding process has required me to get familiar with our social media policy.

This has been a week of change at the AAAD household. After 4 years at a job I loved, I decided to move on to a fantastic in-house position. I'm still a computer lawyer, but now I have only one client. It's an exciting time, and I couldn't be happier to have this opportunity to move forward.

For a company that's in the midst of a "malaise", Apple sure generates a lot of excitement.  Tickets for WWDC 2013, which takes place from June 10-14, went on sale this morning. Of course, they sold out immediately.  It's fair to assume that there's going to be a Tim Cook Keynote somewhere during the conference - there always has been a Keynote at WWDC in the past. 

In all of the excitement about Apple's earnings announcement, I missed the 9to5Mac.com story about how DirecTV is adding a voice search to its incredible iOS app  later this year.

Well, that answers that. After putting up with weeks of spiralling stock prices, and even speculation about whether he's fit to serve as Apple's CEO, Tim Cook got his chance to provide us with some cold, hard facts today. Apple always plays their hand close to the vest. But how much fun must it have been for Mr. Cook to throw the number " 43 billion, 600 million" down on the table this afternoon?

It's been a busy few days here at the AAAD household. I'm starting a new job next week - still computer lawyering, but moving in-house - and we're working to get our new tenants in place when the lease expires June 1.  On the fun side, I got to chop down my first tree today. Just like George Washington! Tomorrow, it's replacing a garbage disposal unit, more tree-chopping, and general cleanup.  That's some quality landlording!  There's an iOS connection to all this - over the last year, I've learned quite a bit about how tech can help out first-time landlords.  But that property management stuff can wait for tomorrow. Today, a Videogame High Five!

I don't like writing about stocks and finance. This is a tech/home DIY blog, not a finance blog.  But Apple has gone SO long without any keynotes - or really, any product releases whatsoever - that we're left without a lot to talk about. And that, frankly, is the problem with AAPL as a stock.  When Apple doesn't give us something to talk about - to get excited about - Apple looks less like a "way of life", and more like another widget factory. 

My son's school was cancelled yesterday due to rain. RAIN. And you know what? It was the right call. I have never seen it rain this much over a 24-hour period. Our streets were flooded, our backyard was a lake. Fortunately, we cleared out that blockage in the underground gutter pipes last weekend. Unfortunately, our backup sump pump battery died.  And then the power went out. 

This weekend wasn't ALL home disasters and fire department visits. We also did a bunch of spring yard work (and completely transformed the dining room with new fixtures, paint & wainscoting, but that's another post.) And in doing our spring yard work, we happened across one lawn gadget that I can recommend for weekend warrior non-pros like me - the Scotts Snap Spreader.