Re-retiring the old iPhone SE

I’ve only had it out again for a few weeks, but I’ve already put my beloved iPhone SE back in the drawer. As much as I love its size, shape, and Touch ID, the little SE doesn’t fit as well into my life as well as the X. Its battery only gives me about a half-day of use. It doesn’t fit in my car holder. It’s a lot slower, and the camera is much worse. I could probably take care of most of these if I tried hard enough, but I’d just be swimming upstream.

Apple isn’t going to make another small phone like the SE. I’m better off moving on. It’s disappointing, but fine. It’s just a phone.


My iPod Shuffles Off This Mortal Coil

My 3rd Generation iPod Shuffle no longer holds a charge. It’s not like I’ve used it much lately, but still. It’s so tiny!

3rd generation from 2009


Back to boring keyboards

I’ve been using a Happy Hacking Keyboard Professional (HHKB) for almost exactly 2 years. It’s my favorite keyboard since the original Apple Extended Keyboard II. I bought two, one for home and one for the office. Those Topre switches are the greatest.

And yet, I’m now using a couple Apple Magic Keyboards instead. Why? Consistency.

Working from home means that I often move around the house and switch between the big iMac and the MBP. The differences between the HHKB and Magic Keyboard layouts aren’t trivial, and switching between them requires significant adjustments to my muscle memory. It’s too much.

I can’t tell you how nice it is to have actual arrow keys.

I expect to buy the new Magic Keyboard for the iPad once it’s available, so that’s yet another keyboard with “normal” layout and feel.

I’m going to sacrifice perfection for consistency for a while. Oh, and the 16" MBP keyboard is great. So good that I’ve nearly forgotten about that butterfly abomination from earlier. Forgotten, but not forgiven :).