It’s iPhone 13 launch day! Congratulations to very who is getting a new iPhone this weekend. I sincerely hope you enjoy it for years to come!
So, what did I get this year? Since I really liked the look and feel of last year’s iPhone 12 Pro Max, it should come as no surprise that I decided to get another Pro Max this year. For my 2021 iPhone, I picked the iPhone 13 Pro Max in Sierra Blue with 256 GB of storage.
I have to say for the first 24 hours after last week’s iPhone 13 keynote address, I was waffling a little bit between White and Sierra Blue. My iPhone 12 is Pacific Blue. I think the thing that pushed me to Sierra Blue was the selection of Apple leather cases. To go along with my new iPhone 13, I picked the Golden Brown leather case. I think that the feel of the leather case and the inset metallic buttons just feel so good in the hand.
I was pretty good this year. I only purchased the iPhone 13 Pro Max and a single leather case. I resisted the urge to get more than one case, a MagSafe Wallet, or AirPods Pro. If Apple drops an 11-inch iPad Pro with Mini LED, that will absolutely be an insta-buy pre-order as soon as something like that goes up for pre-orders. Until then, I’m trying to hold pat with what I’ve got.
Since I opened and setup my iPhone 13 Pro Max at the Apple Store, here are some faux unboxing photos for your enjoyment.
Today, Apple began delivering iPhone 13 models to customers who pre-ordered last Friday for either in-store pickup or home delivery. So, naturally, my Dad and I got up at zero-dark-thirty, pulled out our Apple Store t-shirts, and set out for the Trumbull store.
One of the significant changes of picking up a new iPhone on launch day at an Apple Store is the use of pickup windows. When you place a pre-order for in-store pickup, one of the things that you must do now is to select a 15-minute window to pickup your iPhone. I simply can’t wait for a new iPhone to be delivered, so I get up early to make sure that I get an 8:00am – 8:15am window. Now that everyone has a pickup window, there are practically no lines at the store. This is a vastly difference experience from just a few years ago when the iPhone X launched with a new industrial design and Face ID. The pre-order and standby lines snaked down the hall.
Empty parking lot
Empty hallways
No long lines outside the store
When we arrived at the mall, there was an empty parking lot. Likewise, the hallways were empty and there was no long lines outside the store. My Dad and I were easily the first in line. While waiting for the store to open we chatted up some of the employees. Is this iPhone launch day? Sure is! But thanks to scheduled in-store pickups, there’s no need to get to the store early.
To be honest, this was one of the most subdued iPhone launches in a while. I think that this is mostly due to the use of the pickup windows. For the 8:00am store open, there were only a few people in the standby line. Even without the huge crowds from years past, I was excited to be privileged enough to be there and able to buy a new iPhone. Cell phones are quickly becoming a necessity in our society, however, my year-old iPhone is still in perfect condition and there are only a few reasons why someone would need to upgrade from an iPhone 12, 11, and possibly an iPhone XS. As a long time Apple fan, new iPhone day is my ‘thing’ and so I order a new one very year. I like getting a new iPhone each year because I want all of the new features, specifically the new camera system. And if there are only two headliner features for iPhone 13, it’s the 3x optical zoom on the Pro models and the improved battery life.
Coordinating details for the pickup queue
Taking care of last minute details
All hands team meeting just before the 8:00am launch
My Dad and I worked with Scott to get our iPhones unboxed and setup. Dad used the iCloud backup process. I used the transfer cable option. The transfer cable isn’t a single cable. It is actually a Lightening to USB-A cable connected to a Lightening to Camera adapter. I brought both cables with me. While Scott was right, the iCloud backup/restore process would be ‘quicker’, and my Dad was able to start using his iPhone sooner than me, in the end, it still took about an hour for the data to transfer over my cable and for Dad’s iCloud over-the-air Wi-Fi restore to complete. So, I’m calling it a draw. The lesson that I learned is that for next year, I will likely use the iCloud backup/restore process so I can complete the setup faster and move on to transferring my cellular service over from my ‘old’ iPhone to my shiny new iPhone. To upgrade family members or co-workers, I still think that the cable is the better way to go.
Newton MessagePad (1993)
iPhone (2007)
Apple Family Photo
Making a debut appearance at the Apple Store this year was my recently restored Newton MessagePad (OMP). My OG iPhone that has made this trip many times in the past. It was going to be a busy day for the Apple Tea, however, we did manage to get a few minutes for an Apple family photo.
As usual, the staff at the Trumbull Store were fantastic. Scott, Tyler, Mariam, and the rest of the crew working this morning make user we had a great launch day. One the way out, I made sure to stop and talk with the store and district managers to make sure that they knew how happy I was with the service I always get at the store.
Naturally, I’m already looking forward to the next product launch. Hopefully, I will be able to line up for an 11-inch iPad Pro with a Mini LED display.
The stage is set, and in just under an hour, the curtain is about to go up for the annual iPhone pre-order window. iPhone enthusiasts are getting ready to place their orders for the new iPhone 13 line up starting today at 8:00am EDT (the one true time zone), or for my West Coast friends, 5:00am PDT.
If you are new to this game, welcome! In years past, getting your pre-order in early to guarantee that you get a new iPhone on launch day used to be more difficult. Now a days, the process is pretty easy.
If you haven’t already done so, install the Apple App Store iOS app on your current iPhone. Then, at 8:00am EDT, launch the app, wait for the store to reload (this can take a few minutes after 8:00am), and then walk thru the wizard to select your options and then check out. Easy.
My Pre-Pre-Order (?) is in!
So, what am I getting this year?
I waffled back and forth pretty much all day this past Wednesday after watching the California Streaming iPhone, iPad, and Watch introduction keynote that was posted on Tuesday.
I knew I wanted the iPhone 13 Pro Max, but I was trying to decide between the new Sierra Blue color and Silver (white). In the end, I chose Sierra Blue. Why not have a blue phone two years in a row. This year, I’m in for an iPhone 13 Pro Max in Sierra Blue, 256GB of storage, and the Golden Brown leather case.
If you are pre-ordering this morning also, I hope that you are able to get the devices that you are looking for.
Earlier today, Apple Senior Vice President, Worldwide Marketing, Greg “Joz” Joswiak tweeted out a teaser for this year’s iPhone event later this month.
Now that we have an official date from Apple, it’s time to pull out the darts and board to try to determine what is getting announced, when those items, will start showing up in customer’s hands, and when will iOS 15, iPadOS 15, macOS Monterey, watchOS, and tvOS hit our devices.
And, this doesn’t even get to any new secret hardware and software features that may drop with the new devices that are likely coming on new iPhones, iPads, and Macs.
For me, someone who is unable to attend WWDC or WWDC adjacent conferences every year in California, this is the most exciting time on the tech calendar and I am looking forward to some new goodies to play with this fall.
A couple of recent segments on Relay FM’s Connected podcast titled Roast My Menu Bar and Roast My Dock had gotten me thinking about a weird way that I like to use Spotlight Search.
“Spotlight can help you quickly find apps, documents, and other files on your Mac. With Siri Suggestions, you can also get the latest news, sports scores, weather conditions, and more. Spotlight can even perform calculations and conversions for you.”
Spotlight was added to Mac OS X 10.4 Tiger back in 2005. Back then, I was not a heavy user of of the tool. I would occasionally use it when I misfiled a document and wanted to quickly try and search for it.
Oddly, the tool that I did end up using, a lot, was a feature of Palm’s Web OS called Universal Search (Web OS 1.x), and its successor feature, Just Type (Web OS 2.x and 3.x). With Web OS, you would just start typing what you were looking for and the Palm Pre would look it up for you.
Web OS 2.x and 3.x Just Type search bar on a Palm Pre, Source: WebOSNation
Web OS Just Type search results, Source: WebOSNation
When I moved from the Palm Pre to the iPhone 4S with iOS 5 in 2011, the Universal Search muscle memory transferred over to Spotlight Search.
While Mac OS X Spotlight and Web OS Universal Search were meant to search for all sorts of things, both on the device and across the Internet, I fell into a pattern of using both technologies as a quick way to launch applications. First on my Web OS Palm Pre and then on my Macs with Spotlight.
On the Mac, Spotlight had gone from being a skinny search box in the upper right of the screen to a fully centered search tool that lives at the center of the Mac’s display. As the types of content that Spotlight could search, the search results became longer and longer. But for me, Searchlight would be considered an application launcher first and foremost as a quick way to launch applications without having to take my hands of the keyboard.
Spotlight Search in macOS Big Sur 11.x
In recent versions of Mac OS, now known as macOS, I found myself fighting with Spotlight Search for some system apps, like Snapshot, which also has an alias of ‘grab’. (The ‘grab’ alias also works in Microsoft Windows 10 and 11.) I’d want to quickly ‘grab’ a screen capture, pop open Spotlight with the keyboard shortcut Command + Space and type in grab. Rather than getting the Screenshot.app, Spotlight would often put a reference to something ont the web as the fist hit in the list. In past versions of Mac OS, applications would show up first in the list, but that wasn’t always the case in late version of macOS 10.x and Big Sur (11.x).
Spotlight Settings: Uncheck to declutter search results
In a recent fit of the machine is working against me rather than helping me, I opened the the Big Sur Settings app, clicked on the Spotlight preferences control panel and unchecked everything in the list except Applications and System Preferences. I may turn on the option to search for definitions in the Dictionary app, but for now, that option remains off.
So roast my Spotlight usage and preference settings. But for me, this is one time where I chose to customize my Mac to work for me rather than against me.
The other day I mentioned that I was getting started one last time to try to get my 1998 PowerBook G3 up and running again. This is the third time it has failed after having replaced the Sound/AC In board (820-0986-B) and having to replace the 4GB ATA IDE OEM hard disk (and the keyboard, because I’m a klutz).
The PowerBook G3-Series
It is important when planning your repair of a PowerBook G3 that there are multiple version of this laptop. It says so right on the bottom of the laptop – “Macintosh PowerBook G3 Series“.
Identifying the specific version of PowerBook G3 can be a bit tricky.
My particular PowerBook G3 is identified as being the September 1998 edition, using the code names PDQ (Pretty Damn Quick), or the one I knew it by, “Wallstreet”. According to EveryMac.com, PDQ was a refinement to the Wallstreet model to address inventory problems that Apple was grappling with at the time. Looking at the Wikipedia page for the PowerBook G3 Series, you quickly realize that there are three generations of PowerBook G3: The original Kanga version (1997) based on the earlier PowerBook 3400c, the Wallstreet models (May 1998 and September 1998), Lombard (1999) and the final revision known as Pismo (2000). Technical distinctions aside, I still plan on regerring to my particular unit as ‘Wallstreet’, since it is the style the PDQ is a descendant of.
When verifying which vintage Mac I am working with, I like to use the excellent MacTracker application for macOS, iOS/iPadOS and the EveryMac.com website.
Technical Resources
Now that we can identify the particular model of Macintosh, we will need to refer to technical documentation to get a specs readout and learn how to disassemble the computer for repair.
If you are more of the get straight to what I need to know tear down kind of person, PowerbookMedic.com and iFixIt.com have Wallstreet disassembly directions. To help diagnose the problem with your Wallstreet G3, iFixIt.com has put together a troubleshooting checklist.
Both vendors offer spare parts sales. PowerBookMedic.com also offers send in repair services, however, when dealing with computers that are over 20 years old, finding a good source of reliable replacement parts is becoming difficult to source.
Mac OS 8 Software Disc
Once the hardware is repaired, you may need to reinstall Mac OS. This is something that I like to do with all of my restored systems. At the time of this post, I was able to track down a restore CD on MacintoshGarden.org for the entire PowerBook G3 Series of laptops. You will need to burn the disk image .dmg file on to a physical CD before using it.
Some time ago, I purchased a used PowerBook G3 Wallstreet laptop. I had used one at work in the early 2000s and wanted to add one to my vintage collection.
Being over 16 years old when I purchased it, needing some work to getting it running properly again was to be expected. Shortly after purchasing it, the Sound/AC board had gone bad. I was able to source a working part and a repair guide from PowerBookMedic.com.
G3 motherboard in chassis with sound/AC in board (top) and charger board (bottom).
More time passed and the stock 4GB ATA IDE hard disk failed. I sourced another OEM part and installed it. While reassembling the G3, I accidentally broke one of the clips for the spacebar takes to a stupid mistake. Another OEM part later, the PowerBook G3 was put back together. Except, after replacing the disk drive and the keyboard, the laptop refused to power on again. And, so, the 1998 PowerBook G3 sat. And sat. And sat. Until today.
Today, I decided to stip the unit down and look for the reason why my troublesome PowerBook refused to boot. Using the repair guide, I disassembled the 22-year old computer once again. As I removed components from the chassis there were no obvious defects. The main Lithium Ion battery pack was not swollen and did not show signs of leakage. Likewise, the motherboard, the sound/AC In board, and the charger board did not appear to have an erupted, bulging, or leaking electronic capacitors. Aside from a few soldering jobs on my eMate and Original Newton MessagePad, my knowledge of electronics is fairly limited. Still, nothing appears to be out of order.
System components: modem (top), processor card with PowerPC CPU and RAM (center left), Apple 4GB ATA disk (center right), charger board (bottom left) and the sound/AC in board (bottom right)
Having torn down the PowerBook and not finding any obvious defects, I am going to attempt one more round of repairs on my G3 laptop. My plan this time is to source another sound/AC In board, since it was the cause of the first failure. After having had to replace the power supply during my Power Macintosh G4 Quicksilver rebuild, I also plan on sourcing a replacement charger board.
Since this will likely be the last time I will attempt to service my old guy, I am also thinking about options for replacing the battery pack. It will eventually leak, and I don’t want to have to deal with electrolyte damage. The G3-series PowerBooks were designed to accept two battery packs – one in each of the two module bays. I would ideally like to keep the 20x CD-ROM module in the right bay and loading in an Apple floppy disk drive or a third-party Iomega Zip Drive in the in the left module bay. As a last resort, I will look for a period accurate spacer that might be available.
I also plan on looking into replacing the OEM 4GB ATA IDE hard disk with a 2.5″ SSD solution. I used a similar 3.5″ SATA SSD to IDE conversion kit in the aforementioned G4 Quicksilver rebuild project. It really speed up machine performance and I am hoping to do the same with the G3 Wallstreet if I can find a bridge accessory that can fit into the 2.5″ drive tray.
It would be nice to rebuild and upgrade my G3 Wallstreet laptop. However, given it’s age and previous failures, for me, this rebuild attempt will be more about the journey than the end result. That said, if I have learned anything from NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope, launched in April 1990 and still making scientific observations today, it’s that you shouldn’t count out old hardware as long as someone is still willing to service it.
Running Mac OS X Tiger? You’ll have some Java updates to apply!
When restoring vintage Macs, I like to upgrade Mac OS / Mac OS X / OS X to the latest release to make sure that I have the very latest software on my gear. For my latest project, I am installing Mac OS X 10.4 Tiger and all of the available updates from DVD and Software Update. Looks likes Java has had quite a few updates.
I have been talking about the Apple Newton a lot lately. If you want to skip all of the soldering and just take a stroll down memory late, Pablo Marx has created a web-based Newton OS 1.0 browser-based emulator on the web called Leibniz.
Leibniz lets you relive a stock Newton OS 1.0 playing with the software that comes bundled in ROM. The mouse pointer acts as the stylus for touch screen input. If you mouse to handwriting is as bad as mine, you can bring up the on screen keyboard and use the mouse to peck out typewritten input.
Experience the thrill of Notes in a vNewton in your browser
If you are so inclined, you can also download a version of the Leibniz emulator for your modern Intel or Apple Silicon Macintosh. To legally use an emulator like Leibniz, you need to dump a copy of the ROM chip from a Newton you already own. As many iin the Newton community have found, dumping your Newton ROM can be a bit of a pain, so Pablo Marx links to several ready-to-go ROM images for you.
An Original Newton MessagePad with the Getting Started PC Card
Over the last year, I have gotten into retro computing. More specifically, restoring vintage computers to keep myself busy. Since the start of 2020, I have restored a 2001 Power Macintosh G4 Quicksilver, a 1997 eMate 300 notebook, and a 1993 Original Newton MessagePad (OMP).
When I got my OMP, it was sold as-is, broken, and incomplete. To get the OMP working again, I just needed to put in a few hours of research, another couple of hours for electronics soldering work, and a pair of inexpensive electrolytic capacitors. I still have lots of room for improvement with my soldering skills, but as far as my OMP was concerned, the hard part was behind me. Now, it was time to find the missing pieces for my little green guy.
Front and back of Apple’s 1993 Getting Started Newton Card
One of the accessories that I have been searching for is an Apple Getting Started program card. After several months of searching eBay, I finally won an auction for one of these cards. These black and red credit card sized PCMCIA cards, PC Cards for short, include a few little programs that new Newton owners use can use to get to know their device better. For example, on the 1993 version of the card that I have, are the Handwriting Instructor (Instructor), Newton Tour (Tour), and CalliGrapher (Game) applications. When my card arrived, I early loaded it into my OMP. I was created with an error message that stated that the card couldn’t be read and prompted me to erase the card.
I was not expecting this error message.
I also tried the card in my other Newtons and my eMate and got similar results. I was starting to think that the card might be bad or the previous owner might have tried to use it for something else. Still, this is a ROM card, which can only be read, so I started to thing that my recently refurbished OMP, specifically, it’s card reader, might have been bad. So I started searching the Internet for clues.
One real possibility was that I was jut holding it wrong 1. I started to get the hang of Newton OS 2.x and the MessasgePad 2×00, but I am less familiar with Newton OS 1.x and the 100-series MessagePads.
I found a NewtonTalk.net archive that lead me to a blog post by Pawel over on his AppleNewton.co.uk blog. Pawel was having a an issue where his cards weren’t being recognized by his OMP either. Thankfully for Pawel, his solution was an easy one. Unlike the MessagePad 2×00 and eMate devices, the OMP requires that the card lock switch be re-engaged before the card can be read. But, that wasn’t my problem because I had inserted the card and engaged the card lock. So, what was my problem then?
The OMP had a PC card lock switch in addition to the eject button.
Fortunately, the solution to my problem was also straight forward, if not slightly more difficult to implement than flipping a slider on the OMP.
Early Newton devices, including the OMP and it’s 100-series siblings have volatile memory in them. Unlike or iPhones or later model Newtons, when the batteries deplete, the contents of memory are lost on these old devices. To save your data from being lost, there are three ways to protect your data. The first is a backup coin cell battery in the Newton that can preserve the contents of memory while you are changing out the main battery. You can also plug-in the Newton to achieve the same effect if you don’t have a coin cell battery installed. A bold move, but some people like living life on the edge. Secondly, you can back up the contents of the Newton to a backup PC card. These cards were available from Apple and third-parities. The third option is to use the Newton Backup Utility (NBU) to save the contents of the Newton’s memory to your Classic Mac OS or Windows PC. All of this is to say that my OMP had lost the contents of RAM memory long before I received it. As a result, when I was able to finally start it up again, it had reverted to the software that was loaded into it’s ROM, which included Newton OS 1.00.
The Getting Started card needs Newton OS 1.01 or later to work.
With the answer in hand, I turned my attention to the task of actually installing Newton 1.01. Like a fool, I read the release notes for the Newton OS 1.05 update. It specifically mentioned that users should backup your Newton before installing the update as installing any of the 1.0x updates erases your Newton. Except, I couldn’t get my OMP to backup to any of my computers. Not my vintage Power Mac G4 Quicksilver; not my iMac; and not my M1 MacBook Pro. It also didn’t matter which tool I used. Newton Connection Kit (NCK), Newton Connection Utilities (NCU), macOS Newton Connection (NCX). I decided to give up on the backup step since I didn’t have any data to save. I put NCX into Newton 1 install mode and the 1.05 update package immediately transferred to the OMP. From there, I was able to run the update without issue. Once the upgrade to Newton OS 1.05 was complete, when I loaded the Getting Started PC card into my OMP, everything worked as expected.
