Chris J Wilson

I’ve got a few camera options

• iPhone
• Ricoh GR (10+ year point and shoot)
• Olympus Mju ii (pocket film camera)
• Hassleblad 500c
• Nikon z50

The recent bout of new film cameras has given me a desire to hit the streets with my Olympus again, but I suspect I’ll end up just taking my iPhone for the same reason I normally do.

Camera decision fatigue

Here’s how my typical thought process looks.

• Oh that’s makes me want to use my [insert camera] again
• Ah, but that camera [doesn’t have enough photos/is too big/needs more film/is fixed lens/required me to bring more lenses/]
• I’ll take [Insert other camera] instead
• Ah, but that camera [doesn’t have enough photos/is too big/needs more film/is fixed lens/required me to bring more lenses/]
• Repeat X times
• Oh, it’s late. I’ll just not take a camera. (but I always take my phone).

By trying to pick the best option, I pick no option.

There are exceptions, but as I just wrote, they are exceptions, not the norm. And that’s a real shame as every camera I own is great. Sure, I’d love a newer GR with IBIS and wifi to make transferring images faster, I’d also love a full frame Nikon, but those are small details in the big picture.

While the iPhone is a great camera, the other cameras have their own charms.

A mission to use other cameras more

So I’m committing to rotating my cameras better.

They all need a run around and stretch of their legs to make sure they aren’t getting rusty (in some cases literally). And by forcing myself to take one picture a day on one camera, I’m sure I’ll have some fun experiments.

I’m fully aware that I will probably have failed this by next week, but if I don’t try then I will certainly have failed.

**If you are struggling with camera decision fatigue, maybe you’d like to try too. **

Now where’s my Olympus…

On Monday, I popped into a local tech shop to try the new iPad Pro and iPad Air.

I wanted to see what the new pencil was like and how the Air’s screen held up. Why? Well, I’d love to replace my current iPad with its multi-year-old white spot on the screen and Apple Pencil 2.

At the same time, I don’t have unlimited money to drop on any old tech purchase I want. So if an M2 iPad Pro or Air fits my needs, then that’s far better for me. (Of course, either would. My current iPad is fine and I could do my little sketches with any device, so it’s not really a question…and yet.)

Apple pencil issues

I picked up the Apple pencil straight away and… nothing.

My guess was the pencil wasn’t charged so I clipped it on and tried another iPad (the Air this time) — the same issue.

I went back to the first iPad thinking the pencil would be ready now. NOPE!

Eventually I managed to use the pencil on the 13" Air but it was a real hassle and I’ve heard similar pairing issues from other users. I don’t know if this is caused by the new magnet position but it’s not something I’d expect from a display iPad with 100% charge in the pencil.

What screen difference?

I know the Pro’s have an amazing screen and I’m sure John Siracusa can spot that instantly…but I couldn’t point to a difference. (Although I’ll walk this back in a second)

I was really expecting to notice the slower screen refresh especially with the pencil but I didn’t pick up on it with the Air. It seemed great quality and responsive.

Now, I didn’t really get to try the Pro (the pencil didn’t work) and I didn’t really stretch or directly compare the two screens. I’m 100% sure that if I had, I would have noticed the difference. But from just casually picking the iPads up and having a 10 minute play around in procreate, I didn’t spot any weaknesses in the Air.

Where’s the home button

I found my muscle memory kept searching for the homebutton on the side of the iPad — but there was none.

I know I’d unlearn this habit within a day or two but it’s amazing how ingrained these things become. And while swiping up from the phone felt very natural, the iPad didn’t seem as natural to me.

So what will I get?

Honestly, I think I’m not going to get one…yet. BUT if my iPad died today and I had to get a new one…I’d probably buy an iPad Pro M2. The new features sound great, but I don’t need the power of the m3 and I’d sacrifice the pencil pro’s benefits for the faster screen refresh of the Pro.

I’m sure if I played with the m3 pro more, justified it as a business expenses, and if the next iPadOS adds some extra advantages of the m3 or new iPads, then that might change. But as for now, I’m still happy (ish) with my current iPad.

I used my iPad heavily when I was teaching but there was one thing that always brought me back to a PC: logging reports and data in the terrible student management system.

That was despite the promises of “a mobile friendly version so you can take registration anywhere”. They promised us it would reduce paperwork but during the role out they said some features weren’t ready so we had to continuing keeping paper records… and then the paper records never went away.

So our wonderful new system “to save teachers' time” made us spend far more.

I knew it wasn’t really about the teachers. It was so they had better data on student attendance and engagement so they could take actions to maintain student enrolment.

And if that meant teachers had to do more (unpaid) work to achieve those goals, well that’s a price the executives were willing to pay.

So, a certain high up at a company that may or may not be mine has decided that Slack threads aren’t good. Apparently, we (read, the high up) lose track of updates and don’t know what they are about. Related, we…I mean some company… have stopped using campaign specific channels and now have area channels (i.e social media/ SEO).

So, now there can be two people asking about two different projects/articles and responses where you just have to guess which project it’s about. Plus you have to scroll through every single response even if it’s about something you’re not working on.

I get that this is easier for a manager.

You need to go through everything and check all the action items, if you miss a comment or two then it can be a real pain. But there’s a better solution to this: Comments next to tasks.

We have project management systems, including ones that show who needs to take action and add tasks only once the previous one is completed. We can even discuss issues in these projects. BUT, then we see the comments rather than them disappearing off into the infinite scroll ether of Slack.

So of course we don’t use them.

The biggest irony in this whole situation is that by trying to make things easier to manage, they’re actually harder to manage and keep track of…in this hypothetical company.

The iPad event is today. I’m interested to see what apple brings. Mine is six years old and apart from a pixel burn in the screen, it’s great. Okay, it lags a bit more than it used to and the battery life is no where near what it once was, but it still does all I need. That said, I am really intrigued what’s coming especially as this could be my next iPad. And if not, it means the current, amazing iPads (with wireless charging Apple Pencils) will come down in price. Win win win.

A few years back I read a terrible self-help book. It was one I’d never buy for myself which is probably why I didn’t like it much. BUT, it did have one useful idea.

Know exactly what you want and don’t water it down.

It’s been on my mind recently because I’ve been reading a far better business book — “The Coaching Habit” by Michael Bungay Stanier.

While it can be summarised in one sentence — give less advice, ask more questions, let the other person speak more — it also has a ton of value inside and one of the biggest is the question

What do you really want here?

Admitting what we want

Most of the time,

1. we don’t know what we really want
2. when we do know, it’s the surface level desire
3. and we prevent ourselves from knowing because we are afraid to say what we actually want

This makes us discuss ideas or solutions that don’t actually get to the core of what we want. When we can admit what we want — even when we feel like it’s selfish, impossible, or “not what people like us do” — we can find real solutions.

Those may mean compromises including ones that consider those factors, but they may not too. When we are clear about what we really want, it makes it a lot easier to make appropriate compromises and know when we shouldn’t.

Here’s a simple example

You might say “I want a more managerial role” and so gun for a promotion. But when you get down to what you really want, it’s more free time, but you’ve been conditioned to think 1. a more senior role is easier (The reverse can be equally true). 2. more money = more free time (but it can come with more overhead). 3. The more senior your role, the more likely you need to respond outside regular hours.

The better solution might be to go freelance, consult, or even take a lower paid, more hands on position but with more free time.

Now, that might be you, but it might not be you too. If you see that example and accept the conclusions without knowing what you really want, that’s a recipe for disaster.

What do I really want?

This is the part of the post where I should give a personal example to help illustrate it, but I can’t do that so easily.

You see, I’m not really sure yet.

But I have a new note in my obsidian vault and I’m using the 5 why’s technique to help dig deeper.

Maybe you just need a piece of paper, but I recommend you give it a go.

I’m interested in getting a new iPad (eventually) and I’ve heard a few interesting rumours about the next iPad updates (But I’m not following religiously). But, here’s my take on where the product lines should go.

These are not what I expect Apple will do, but I what I believe would be a good, clear delineation and attractive line up.

TLDR

• iPad mini is the small one
• iPad is the cheap, causal device
• iPad Air (change name to studio) is the Artists one
• iPad Pro is the future touch laptop replacement one.

iPad mini

This is the one iPad Apple has nailed. There are a few performance compromises over the larger ones, but it does a great job as a small reader iPad that you can also sketch on. You can even hook it up to a display if you really want.

Just keep on this track and you’re fine.

iPad

The iPad is doing…okay. It’s better now with the USB pencil avoiding that confusing usb to lightning cable and adaptor. It’s great as a first computing device with the folio keyboard or casual browsing device. Just give it a chip update and improve the screen refresh.

iPad Air (Studio)

The Air is the strange one at the moment. It’s a halfway house between the regular iPad and pro. Some of the compromises are just to make the pro more attractive, while it has some really impressive spec that make it almost as good. I suggest Apple makes this take the place of the current Pro in their line up, make it more for artists and designers, and call it the studio.

1. They don’t have to compromise and hold the Air back
2. Air is a strange name, it suggests lightweight but it’s more pro than the regular. Calling it the Studio helps fit with the mac naming system.
3. Artists/aspiring artists are a great market and keen users of the iPad. By tailoring this device for them, they can really hone in on what they need.

One other factor to mention, add a 13" size. That’s a bit plus for some artists.

But what about the pro? I’m glad you asked.

iPad Pro

The rumours for the iPad pro are that it will be a foldable device and gain even more power. That sounds really intriguing and could help push the pro more towards the hybrid laptop/tablet so many users want. But, will a foldable be great for the artists? How will it affect using a pencil on the screen? I have no idea but let’s imagine there are some compromises for the first couple of years. By elevating the air to the studio, you mitigate against those risks AND can still charge more for both devices (I’m pitching to Apple execs right now).

Plus this would allow the Pro to really stand out as a different device from in the line up.

And, if this is perfect for an Artist with no compromises from the folding of the screen, you can pitch this as a larger cintiq replacement too.

Final line up

• iPad Mini (7")
• iPad (11" ish)
• iPad Studio (11")
• iPad Studio (13")
• iPad Pro (7-14" foldable)
• iPad Pro (12 - 24" foldable)

Not perfect at all, but I’d certainly know what I’d buy next.

I love my iPad pro. It’s probably my favourite Apple device (although my m1 Macbook Air and iPhone are great too). But, do I have to stick with it?

For years, the iPad was the only choice of tablet.

Sure, Microsoft had some more powerful tablet-shaped laptops, but that’s what they were. Big heft laptops that could dress up (or down?) as a tablet if you really wanted (but no one would want to read an ebook on them for an extended time).

While there were several factors that kept me in the Apple ecosystem, the portability and battery life of the iPad was a big one (it was the perfect EFL teacher’s device) and Procreate made it more inevitable than Thanos.

But now I’m not a teacher and there a more than viable (and arguably far suprerior) alternative to procreate in Adobe Fresco (Concepts is great too but I’ve never quiet got on with it).

So what if I switched?

I’ve had a long term plan to replace my iPad after the screen got a white spot due to overheating. It still works, but obviously isn’t great for drawing (and it doesn’t harm that the new Pros have a better pencil, better support for external displays, new multitasking, and so on.

But, if I’m using Adobe fresco, maybe there’s a cheaper or better alternative? (I just did a quick check and it’s not looking great. Surface options look pricey and don’t have great battery life. Sure, it’s more of a computer when plugged in but I have other needs).

For a long time I’ve liked Apple as a company.

Their philosophy of devices that work well together, opinionated products and commitments to environmental causes have resonated with me. But their attitude to recent anti-monopoly regulations has left a bad taste in my mouth.

That said, Apple still does seem to align with my values (though I’m sure there are alternatives who do align more). And buying an Apple or alternative device so close to rumoured release dates for updates would be crazy — I don’t have the funds anyway!

In all likelihood I’ll still end up with an iPad. The combination with my Macbook is fantastic and it is probably the best tablet tablet for me around. But it’s not a guarantee.