Apple’s New MacBook Pro…A Major Let Down?

Immediately after Apple’s keynote announcing the new MacBook Pro, there was an uproar of mixed feelings among Apple fans. We had finally gotten what we’d been waiting for, and it was, to say the least, underwhelming. The Pro model, which has for so long been a staple piece for Photographers, Web Designers, and Graphic Designers, has eliminated many of the features that they had loved. No more HDMI port, SD card slot, or even a typical USB port. These have been replaced with 4 Lightning ports, which can be converted to any of the above ports using “dongles” that Apple sells.

Now many users were willing to look past this, and purchased the Pro anyway. Cue uproar part II. As people get more familiar with their new laptops, they’re noticing a lower battery life than Apple had originally boasted. Many users are looking to Apple with hopes of a future software update alleviating some of the stress on the battery.

 

Air Pods Now Shipping!

The wait is over!

The Apple Air Pods are now available on the Apple website!

Buy them here.

For those who haven’t been following Apple’s announcements, the Air Pods are a wireless version of the iconic white ear buds. These bluetooth ear buds are completely wireless, with no wires connecting the two buds, as you’d see on a pair of Power Beats, for example. There is an optional connection strap, to prevent the pods from getting lost if they are to pop out.

What do you think of the new accessory? Let me know in the comments!

Instagram’s Latest Overhaul: Is It Working?

Over the past few months, Instagram has been introducing a ton of new features. From “stories” and live video, to advertisements and an updated post algorithm, users are sure to have noticed the difference.

Instagram’s most controversial change has been the post algorithm. In the past, users were shown photos in videos in chronological order, from newest to oldest. I, personally, preferred this style. As someone who checks the app throughout the day, it was easy to see a picture twice, and know there is nothing new further down in the feed. Now, posts are sorted by an advanced algorithm, placing things that Instagram thinks you’ll like closer to the top of your feed. This is great for some users. However, for users that follow a lot of pages, especially celebrities, this may cause a heavily skewed timeline, with extremely popular posts outshining the others.

These changes, while sometimes controversial, have helped Instagram to surpass the 500Million user milestone. They’ve added more than 100Million users in the last month, a very substantial rate of growth.

Instagram and it’s “sister” apps continue to grow and expand.

What do you think is the future of the Instagram lineup?