Archive for April 2016

Why the new MacBook Pro needs to happen

Image credit to Apple

With WWDC coming up, new device predictions have gone wild. A slump in Apple's sales has shown to the public the slowdown of innovation within the company. The Mac line has become stale, and the new MacBook has not helped much. The world isn't ready for it, so a new device needs to fill the gap.

The MacBook Air has lost its once important roll in Apple's lineup of portable computers. At one time, the Air was the thinnest MacBook with great specs to boost, but now it has become little more than a MacBook Pro with a worse display. The display's resolution, compared to the smaller 12-inch MacBook and MacBook Pro with Retina Displays, is much worse. The specs are not terrible by any means, but paying the small upgrade fee to the, now only slightly, heavier and more powerful MacBook Pro with Retina Display. The Air and Pro line need to merge to give the new MacBook a proper place in the lineup. The current Pro and Air designs have remained the same since 2012, and the ports on the devices are stuck in the past. USB-C should become the standard for Apple products if they plan for it to catch on, and Thunderbolt 3 must be there.

Apple's lineup is stuck in the past and a new professional-level laptop with USB-C will push the standard to the mainstream, instead of being stuck on only the highest end devices.

What we need to see in a new MacBook Pro:

14-inch and 16-inch models

The same display area can be used, but the bezels need to be cut down.

A retina display

There is no longer room for a Mac to ship without a retina display. Once I used a newer display, I cannot imagine going back to a lower resolution.

USB-C and Thunderbolt 3 ports

USB-C needs to be used as the charging port for the new MacBook Pro. I love MagSafe 2 as much as the next guy, but having a do-all port alongside traditional USB availability would push the standard.

One traditional USB 3.1 port

A standard type A USB socket with USB-C would ease the worry of users that need the older standard for a device they use every day, and want to charge at the same time.

Thinner or as thin as the current MacBook Air

Although the new MacBook is much thinner than the Air, the Pro needs to be about the same size as it. The MacBook 2015 and 2016 showed how compact a computer could get, and the Pro should use the same technology, maybe even using the new Intel processors from the MacBook 2016.

MacOS 11 shipping with the device

Shipping the new OS with the device would show how radical a change it brings to the market, sparking interest in Mac OS again.

Apple needs a new MacBook Pro to get consumers talking and make it affordable, around one thousand US dollars. Having a laptop that outperforms the competition at a price point that is viable to most professional users would help make every new innovation Apple is pushing (USB-C, Thunderbolt 3, MacOS) come to the mainstream.

Android vs. iOS

iOS 9 vs Android Marshmallow

Round 1: 3rd Party Apps

Android:

Android Marshmallow's app selection has improved greatly since its predecessors. The Play Store has grown exponentially since its early days as the Android Market. Many new apps are released on iOS first, and piracy is very easy with an Android device. A lot of apps are half-baked, or incomplete. The blame isn't on the OS, but the developers. Many applications are high-quality, but for every great app, two terrible apps are released. Malware is a growing issue, but it still is not too significant. Privacy settings in Android Marshmallow give users better control of the components an app can access.

Pros:

Newer apps have a unified "Material Design" UI
Universal navigation in most apps with the navigation buttons at the bottom of the device
Development for the platform is free

Cons:

Development for Android is sometimes an afterthought
Malware and junk apps fill a lot of the store
Many apps serve no function, or are bloated

Conclusion - Google Play and its unified Google account support is very nice, especially with the ability to download apps across a large range of devices. Android also allows you to use other app stores, such as the Amazon Appstore and AppBrain. Android app files, known as APKs, can be downloaded right from the device and loaded without the need for a store. This leads to possibility of malware, but the built-in security features should keep it out.

As I said previously, the app support does not match iOS yet.

Rating: 8/10

iOS:

iOS 9 gives developers new APIs, such as Swift 2 and Metal, with optimizations made for every device that runs iOS. The specifications of the iPhone 6S on paper are much worse than the newer Android phones such as the Galaxy S7, but the application optimization is significantly better on iOS due to the smaller range of handsets. Malware is not much of a problem without a jailbreak, although it has slipped through the cracks before. A majority of apps on iOS are a decent quality, but many are throw-away, or can't run properly due to lacking updates. The same can be said for Android, but iOS gets most new apps first.

Pros:

iOS gets most apps first
Apple has a history with providing proper development tools
Apple developers must pay $100 USD a year as a precaution to stop useless apps from entering the store, along with strict review processes

Cons:

Apple is 100% in control of their app store
Emulators, tweaks, and custom launchers are not available
Many apps have no function
Apple developers must pay $100 USD a year to publish their apps

Conclusion - The iOS App Store was revolutionary, and had the edge on Android for a long time. The Google Play Store has caught up to it, and now gives developers more options and allows for apps to be placed in the store for free. Apple's developer fee has slowed new developers from joining, while filtering junk apps from the store. The lack of 3rd party app stores and app-loading from the device cause it to lack an openness that I personally would like, although most users don't use the feature in any case.

Rating: 8/10

Round 3 is coming soon. Comment your opinions below!

Android vs. iOS

iOS 9 vs Android Marshmallow

Round 2 will be released next week, 4/17/16.

Round 1: Usability

Although my judgement is skewed because I use an iPhone 6 on a daily basis, I have used Android extensivly and have written tutorials on how to run it on your PC or laptop. Android Marshmallow has come a long way since 2011, when I dismissed it as an operating system not even comparable to iOS, dude to the lack of app support and specs that were better on paper than in real world usage.

Android:

Android Marshmallow is a very good operating system. It is lacking a few things compared to iOS, but the same can be said the other way around. It is hard to compare usability because Android is an operating system, and there is not a definitive version. The apps that come packaged with most devices can be broken down and compared to iOS quite easily. Every one of them is tolerable, and some are better than any alternative in the Play Store.

Updates - Most Android devices get updates for 6 months - 1 and a half years. Nexus phones are guaranteed updates much longer than that, but most handsets are released and receive one or two updates.

Browser - The default browser app that comes with most handsets is usable. It doesn't exceed expectations, but that is because it doesn't have to. You can easily download Chrome from the Play Store.
Email - It works, and its a mail client. There are still plenty of alternatives, so it is not an issue, but the app is okay and can handle most email services.
Gallery - This app feels out of place on modern Android devices and most phone or tablet manufacturers replace it with their own version. The app feels stuck in 2012, and it is basic compared to newer apps like Google Photos, which supports backing up all of your photos into the cloud cross-platform. I usually put this in a folder and forget about it.
Google - Google Now and all the benefits of having Google at your fingertips is great. Now on Tap, a new feature in Android Marshmallow is incredible and can search the internet for things on your screen. This app is amazing.
Contacts - It's contacts. It syncs with your Google account, so you never have to worry about losing your contacts.
Messaging - It is passable, but not great. Other messaging apps have tried to replace it, and nothing is that remarkable. Hangouts is a great messaging app, on the other hand, but can't fit in with your cellular plan like the original Messaging app. Hopefully in newer updates it will be polished a bit more.
Phone - It dials phone numbers!
Maps - Google Maps is probably the best map service on the planet. It has been tried and tested for years now, and is accurate. Apple Maps is catching up, but with native integration, Google Maps beats it by a lot.
Settings - Settings has improved a lot over the years. When not restricted by the device's manufacturer, it gives a lot of options and allows you to install .apk files right from the device.
Clock, Calculator, Downloads, Calendar - These apps do what they say, but nothing special.
Find My Android - All you have to do is Google "Find My Android" and you can locate your device anywhere. It's great!

And most importantly,

Google Play - Android Market has done a lot of growing up in recent years. Developers are beginning to take the store more seriously, and Google has been Apple-esque with their app rejection recently. The biggest problem with having so many devices is that a lot of apps just aren't compatible. For most, this is not a problem, but not being able to get an app because your screen is too small, or if your phone can't update to the next version to get an app you really want is infuriating. It is not Google's fault, but it is an issue. It is difficult to aim an app at such a wide variety of devices, so many developers accept their losses and determine a demographic.

The app support have matured, but the quality does not match iOS yet.

Conclusion: Android 6.0 is completely usable, but lacks native split-screen multitasking and a truly customizable control center. Other device manufacturer's forks of Android, or their own editions, have filled in the gaps of Google's Android. The susceptibility to malware and viruses is still an issue, but most Play Store apps are fine to use.

Rating: 7/10

iOS:

iOS lacks many features that Android has, but its exclusives can outweigh the shortcomings. iCloud and iMessage are two features that keep many people locked in the ecosystem, but that will be discussed in Round 2 of this segment. The apps all work, but feel trapped in 2007, with few major changes since their initial release.

Updates - iOS devices get updates for typically 3 or 4 years. This is noticeably longer than Android devices, which gives it quite an upperhand.

Safari - One of the few apps that has changed significantly since its debut, it is quick and reliable. iCloud tabs sync the websites you visit to all of your Apple devices and iCloud Keychain sync the passwords as well. It supports ad blockers, something Android does not currently do. Not much else to say, but it is a nice app.
Mail - The app has not changed that much since 2007, but the few features it has work well for most people. It is a basic mail client, and that's about it.
Photos - iCloud Photo Library gives the Apple Photos app an edge over the competition. Built-in to the device, all of the pictures taken can be stored on iCloud for free just like Google Photos, but its cross-platform compatibility is lacking. It requires using the (in my opinion, abysmal) icloud.com, and it feels bogged down by too many proprietary APIs.
Siri - Siri is one of the best features on iOS. I use it daily, but it has started to fall behind Google Now recently. Most of its features can be replicated through Google, and it misunderstands me more than it previously had. It is not cross platform (yet) so the only way to use it is on the device itself.
Contacts - It's contacts. It syncs with your iCloud account, so you never have to worry about losing your contacts (unless you switch to Android).
Messages (and Facetime) - This app is decent, but has a killer feature, iMessage. You can message any Apple device with the Messages app (manufactured after 2010 running iOS or OS X) for free, as well as Facetime video call and audio calls. Sorry, Android users.
Phone - It dials phone numbers!
Maps - Apple Maps has improved since the iOS 6 disaster in 2012, where it led people to abandoned streets and alleys. Today, it works almost as well as Google Maps, but is missing accurate mapping in many rural areas.
Settings - The app is now searchable, and it helps navigation a little bit. Nothing special, and the options are very, very, limited.
Clock, Calculator, Calendar, Music, and Notes - These apps do what they say.
Find My iPhone - It works. I admittedly use this a lot, and now, finally, it is web-accesable on icloud.com.

And most importantly,

App Store - The iOS App Store was released in 2008 and has had incredible developer support. Because the iPhone has always been a high-end device, app developers know that people that use the platform are more willing to spend higher ammounts of money for quality. This drives the apps to be released on iOS first. Android has begun to step up the quality of apps, but the solid user-base and monopoly Apple has control of on their devices make it superior to Google Play in many ways, but options is not one of them.

Conclusion: iOS 9 is a great operating system, but lacks customizability. In iOS 10, a lot of users are looking forward to see what the new features will be and hopefully iOS devices will be able to replace the native apps like Android users have been able to do for so long. Because iPhones and iPads still surpass a majority of Android handsets in stability, and receive updates much longer, the usability is better.

Rating: 9/10

Round 2 is coming soon. Comment your opinions below!

Tools Required:

Tweaks for SideLoaded Apps by iMokhles

https://github.com/iMokhles/Tweaks-for-SideLoaded-Apps

A cracked Snapchat.ipa (The App Store version is not compatible)

https://www.appaddict.org/ (or something similar)

TweakApp by iMokhles

https://github.com/iMokhles/TweakApp

Before you start:

(Recommended) Optool Install:

Download optool

Go to Finder and press ⌘ + Shift + G (all at once). Then type:

/usr/bin

Copy and paste the optool file into that folder.

(Necessary) OpenSSL:

dyld: Library not loaded: /usr/local/opt/openssl/lib/libssl.1.0.0.dylib
Referenced from: /usr/local/lib/libimobiledevice.6.dylib
Reason: image not found

Many users have this issue. I recommend installing the proper utilities before you start. Most people won't be able to complete the tutorial without this:

1. Open Terminal and type these commands:

/usr/bin/ruby -e "$(curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/Homebrew/install/master/install)"

brew install openssl

Now all of the issues should be resolved.

Sideloaded Tweaks Tutorial:

Click Create a new Xcode project

Click Next when Single View Application is selected

Name it something you can remember, or use this example

Make sure you have a free or paid Apple developer account. You can sign up for free.Click Fix Issue and it should resolve itself if you've already connected your account. It will prompt you if you haven't.

Copy the bundle identifier from your Xcode profile to TweakApp and click your developer account.

Go to Finder and press ⌘ + Shift + G (all at once). Then type:

~/Library/MobileDevice/Provisioning Profiles

From that folder, drag the provisioning profile to TweakApp.

Drag the downloaded cracked Snapchat.ipa file to the IPA location. It must be dropped on the scrollbar.

Drag the SCFeaturesLite.dylib file from the Tweaks-For-SideLoaded-Apps folder downloaded from Github.

Click Extract and you're ready to go.

Press the escape key on every prompt. Follow the instructions the text on TweakApp gives you.
Only type the administrator password when you click Sign.

Click Patch Now and skip the administrator password by pressing Esc every time it appears.

Click Sign and type your administrator password each time it appears.

Click Install and make sure your device is connected.

That's it! TweakApp should have correctly installed the app. The instructions are similar for every other tweak. Good luck and comment with any issues you have!

Recommended Guide: Sideloading deb files without a Jailbreak

Why the new MacBook Pro needs to happen

What we need to see in a new MacBook Pro:

Download Windows Virtual Machine Images

Download Abandonware Operating Systems

Windows 8 Consumer Preview and Developer Preview Downloads

Android vs. iOS

Round 1: 3rd Party Apps

Round 3 is coming soon. Comment your opinions below!

Create a Bootable OS X Installer USB

Disk Maker X Method (Easier)

Apple Method (Requires Terminal)

PPSideloader Tutorial

Android vs. iOS

Round 1: Usability

The app support have matured, but the quality does not match iOS yet.

Round 2 is coming soon. Comment your opinions below!

Clover Boot Flags:

Troubleshooting:

Common Issues:

Tools Required:

Before you start:

Sideloaded Tweaks Tutorial:

Download the Safari Technology Preview

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