The Apple Beat: Apple Pay now an option for donating to causes and non-profits, MacBook Pros in the wild

 

By Gadjo Cardenas Sevilla

Apple Pay has been touted as the next generation mobile payments platform and Apple’s done a great job of securing global banks and partners, making ApplePay an option in major retailers and restaurants and even tuning their hardware so Apple Pay is one fingerprint or password away from enabling a quick and secure sale, even the new MacBook Pros feature a Touch ID button to make this easy.

According to their newsroom, Apple Pay now ‘makes it easier and more security to donate to nonprofit organizations.’ This is a great and safe option not just for responding to emergencies such as earthquakes, floods and other catastrophes but also for sending funds to causes, nonprofits and other charities. The list of nonprofits and charities is up on Apple’s website, it’s mostly from International and American organizations, I hope Canadian nonprofits can be included soon, specially as we’re headed into the season of giving.

New MacBook Pros in stores

The lightweight 13-inch MacBook Pro sans Touch Bar

I recently visited the Apple Store in Georgetown, DC to finally get my hands on the new MacBook Pros. I’ve reserved comment on the new Pros until I had a chance to try them first hand. This is one product that’s met the frustration and anger of many longtime Apple Pro users, and at the same time, Apple says that it is their bestselling notebook by a wide-mile. 

One thing is certain, the MacBook Pro line is forever changed and whether or not pro users will change with it remains to be seen. The new MacBook Pros take a lot of design and tech cues from the 12-inch MacBook, which means fewer more universal ports but the need for dongles to connect to ‘legacy’ I/O. Apple recognized this and temporarily discounted the price of these dongles to appease some users.

I consider myself a pro user. I’ve been exclusively on pro Mac notebooks since the late 90’s. The list includes a PowerBook G3, a Titanium PowerBook G4 667, a 12-inch PowerBook G4, and various 13 and 15-inch MacBook Pros. These notebooks were prized for their great design and build, abundance of I/O connectivity and if course the rock solid macOS software. 

The new MacBook Pro (I have only seen the in-store non Touch Bar model), is a different beast altogether. Design and build are still there, no doubt, but I’m on the fence about the move towards Thunderbolt 3 (USB Type C) ports across the board and the typing keyboard just doesn’t feel as good as the previous generation.

The larger trackpad seems intuitive and the thinner profile is attractive. The removal of MagSafe, however, feels like a definite step back and the increase in price will be hard to swallow. Granted that I’ve only spent 30 minutes in store with the MacBook Pro so my experience isn’t rooted in day-to-day use. I can’t comment on the Touch Bar, which seems the real killer feature for pros, as the models on display in the store didn’t feature those models yet.

Super Mario Run coming to iOS on December 15

 

Video game nostalgia is thick in the air thanks to Nintendo’s ridiculously unavailable new Classic NES Mini console which crams 30 classic games in one sweet mini package.

iOS users who love Mario will be able to get Super Mario Run on December 15 for $13.99.

Super Mario Run is compatible with iPhone, iPad and iPod touch devices running iOS 8.0 or later. Starting on Dec. 15, the game will launch in 151 countries and regions. Super Mario Run supports English, Japanese, German, French, Spanish, Portuguese, Italian, Dutch, Russian and traditional Chinese language options.

Super Mario Run is the first Super Mario Bros. game developed specifically for mobile devices. In the game, Mario runs forward on his own, but relies on the tap of a single finger to jump over obstacles, avoid enemies, pull off stylish moves, collect coins and reach the flagpole to complete courses.

Apple celebrates 20 years of design in a book

Apple has just announced  ‘"Designed by Apple in California"a new hardbound book chronicling 20 years of Apple’s design, expressed through 450 photographs of past and current Apple products. The book is available beginning tomorrow, Wednesday, November 16, in small (10.20” x 12.75”) at $199 (US) and large (13” x 16.25”) at $299 (US) exclusively from Apple.com in Australia, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Japan, Korea, Taiwan, the UK and the US, and select Apple Stores.*

Apple Design has been widely celebrated as an industry leader and innovator and this book is a must-have for any Apple enthusiast and collector. More importantly, the book is apparently dedicated to founder Steve Jobs.

“The idea of genuinely trying to make something great for humanity was Steve’s motivation from the beginning, and it remains both our ideal and our goal as Apple looks to the future,” said Jony Ive, Apple’s chief design officer. “This archive is intended to be a gentle gathering of many of the products the team has designed over the years. We hope it brings some understanding to how and why they exist, while serving as a resource for students of all design disciplines.”

Do watch the video above, not only does it explain the idea behind the book it also shows a super rare glimpse at the sanctom santorum, Apple's design labs as well as the small team that's behind all of the company's iconic products.

I’m just curious about the timing of this book’s release. Is it designed to serve as a bookmark to a new era in Apple and Apple Design? Is this the libretto to Jony Ive's final tour of duty at Apple? I definitely hope not, but there's no question that the design direction and concept of this book is very much influenced by the design generalissimo himself.

For similar outstanding books focusing on Apple industrial design, try and find a copy of Iconic: A Photographic Tribute to Apple Innovation and, even rarer now, Apple Design: The Work of the Apple Industrial Group which feature outstanding photography and a great collection of Macs, iPods and other Apple products.