Mac Studio Upgrade - M4 Max

I originally got the first Mac Studio with an M1 Max. I loved it. This year I upgraded to the new M4 Max. Noticeably faster than the M1.

What I Got This Time

• Apple M4 Max chip with 16‑core CPU, 40‑core GPU, 16‑core Neural Engine
• 64GB unified memory
• 2TB SSD storage

Great desktop computer, fast as hell. Should be great for years.

Also

Some minor site updates. Mostly in the Toy-Box.

• Changed controls to menus
  • Menus work via right-click or button that shows up for mobile.
• Added Mandelbrot toy.

WWDC 2023

I watched the keynote, but I still need to watch the Platform state of the Union

It was a packed presentation with a bunch of cool new features and a new device.

New Macs

They announced a new 15" Macbook Air, an updated Mac Studio, and an updated Mac Pro. The Pro is basically the same as the studio, but with more ports, better cooling, and lots of card slots. If I were updating my main computer this year, I would probably go for a nearly maxed out Mac Studio. But, my M1 Max Mac Studio is still going strong. I should wait till the next update.

OS Updates

There were a bunch of great updates to all of the OS's, but I think I'm the most interested in the Watch OS updates, and the iPad OS updates.

Apple Vision Pro

All of the rumors had me super hyped for this part of the presentation. And, it was better than I expected. They pitched it as a productivity AR centric device. But, they showed plenty of VR functionality that has me hopefull for VR games as well. I think showing it as an entertainment and productivity device is a really smart way to sell it. The price is high ($3499), too high for just a gaming device.

Don't get me wrong it will have to be a good gaming device as well. But, that's in addition to everything else. I think they will reveal VR controller support at some future point. It's just an obvious addition.

Apple Watch Ultra

This year, I got the Apple Watch Ultra as an early gift. It does everything the Series 8 does plus:

• Larger screen
• Brighter screen
• Titanium case
• Larger case
• 100m water resistance
• Larger / Longer battery life
• More precise GPS
• Depth Gauge
• Water Temperature sensor
• Better speakers
• additional button
• Emergency siren

I can't really explain why, but it feels better on my wrist than the regular large Apple Watch. I think the size is just a better fit for my wrist. I've also had much less of a problem with it locking while I'm wearing it. I'm not sure if the sensors are better or if it's how it fits on my wrist.

This is the first time I've had cellular on the watch, but for now I have not activated it. I'm never without the phone. So, I can't really justify spending extra for cellular on the watch.

It's a tougher, better looking Apple Watch. It has a bunch of features that I will likely never use, but I really love the way it looks and feels.

Mac Studio Upgrade

I finally upgraded my iMac Pro to the new Mac Studio.

What I Got

• Apple M1 Max with 10-core CPU, 24-core GPU, 16-core Neural Engine
• 64GB unified memory
• 1TB SSD storage

I probably should have went ahead and got more internal storage. I was worried about spending too much, but that would have been a good upgrade.

I need to think about updating our network storage anyway.

Initial Impressions

I've only started using it, but so far its crazy fast and very very quiet. My older iMax Pro's fan could get loud at times. The few thigns I have tried with this new machine have all been silent.

I also ordred the new Apple Studio Display. Until it arrives I'm using an LG 4K display, which is pretty good, but not nearly as good as the 5K display on my older iMac. I'm a big fan of Apples displays. I still use the older Apple Thunderbolt Display.

2021 Apple Replay Playlist

Apple Music Replay for 2021

I love these yearly playlists that apple creates based on what we play during the year. As usual there is a bunch of older music in this list. Along with the most recent Puscifer album, Existential Reckoning. You can watch the live concert for it on Puscifer TV. It is very much worth your time.

1971 Was Crazy

1971 The year that music changed everything.

I just watched this documentary on Apple TV+ and it was fantastic. So much music that I love came out the year I was born. So much turmoil and political change was happening that year. The whole world was in the process of becoming something new. And, so many people were trying so hard to keep things the same as they had always been.

It's very hard to not watch this documentary and compare it with how things are now. So many parallels.

Apple M1 Review and Looking Ahead

Apple released some entry level computers this year with their new in-house processor the Apple M1. There have been many reviews on these new machines. I got one of the 13" Macbook Pro and it is amazing. It makes my iMac Pro feel old. If you need a new Mac it would be hard to go wrong by getting one of these entry level M1 Macs.

But, what I'm more interested in is one of the rumored high end Mac Pros, that are likely to get the 2nd version of the new M1, an M1X, or even an M2. If the current Mac Pro had been a little cheaper I may have gotten one, but the price was just too damn high for me. The idea of a smaller Mac Pro with the new processor and even a new Apple made monitor gets me super excited. I just wish it was here now.

Defaults to case insensitive

So this has bit me twice in the last week. Once for work and once on personal projects. When my mac updated to use APFS a few releases ago. It chose the most compatible option and is case-insensitive. Which is wrong for any one developing code and deploying on linux or unix based case sensitive systems.

Mac Disk Utility format options

I can change this, but I would have to reformat and rebuild my system. So I'll likely not change it till I get a new machine.

Free Wallpaper

Fun Bike Ride