Before there was an iPod or an iPhone, and even before Microsoft had Windows 95, there was the Apple Worldwide Developers Conference. In those early years, I was a regular attendee at the WWDC. I was extremely fortunate to make great connections with many Apple employees and other Macintosh developers. I also established very close ties with the event organizers. Instead of sitting in one of the thousands of tightly packed stackable chairs in the main hall, where I would never see the slide shows, the WWDC team kindly offered me a backstage comfy chair, monitor and sound system. I was accidentally treated like a VIP for years. In that private setting, I got to meet much of Apple's leadership and all of the keynote speakers.
One year, during a short recess between presentations, I quickly tapped my way to the men's room for a brief break. I then promptly returned to the backstage area, and scurried around the heavy curtains. A security guard blocked my entrance.
"You can't come back here," she commanded.
"It's OK. I have a reserved seat."
She didn't budge. "I'm sorry sir, but this is a secured area."
"My name is Morgan Watkins," I said with ebbing confidence. "Please check with the conference coordinators and they'll clear me."
At this, her whole attitude changed. "I'm sorry Mr. Watkins. We were expecting you. Just a moment, there is someone sitting in your seat."
She approached the fellow who had taken my chair. "Sir, you are sitting in Mr. Watkins' seat. You are going to have to move."
"You don't understand," replied the polite gentleman. "My name is Bill Gates."
The guard was unimpressed. "I'm sorry sir. I don't care who you are. You'll have to move."
I had no idea what I should do. Now, I could have said, "Oh Mr. Gates, I'm so terribly sorry. I didn't realize it was you. Please keep my chair, as a gift." I could have fallen flat on the floor and declared myself unworthy. Or, I could have shown a little dignity and gone back to the men's room and taken a seat there.
But, I didn't move. No words escaped my lips. After all, what were the protocols for relocating a billionaire? Was it wise? Without comment, Bill Gates graciously stood up and I heard someone flip open a metal folding chair. Bill Gates then reseated himself behind where I had been sitting.
When I quietly reclaimed my comfy chair, I experienced something completely unexpected. The seat was warm, very warm. My first thought was that it must have been his wallet burning a hole in his pocket. Amazing. Physics in action. Who'd have thought?
Although my wallet is considerably thinner than those of most corporate executives, it is still prone to overheating. I believe that unused cash is a fire hazard. It should be put to work. I protect myself from sudden conflagration by purchasing toys. I'm just being careful. For years, my favorite goodies have been iPhones, headphones and Bluetooth keyboards. Although I am not one of those who will buy a new iPhone every year, I start daydreaming about future models as soon as my AppleCare policy runs out.
My current device is the iPhone 8. I did not consider the iPhone X models even though they launched at the same time. I liked the iPhone 8 for its price, size and Touch ID. I still like it. Even so, I have been fascinated by the new iPhone X models with their lack of a Home button, uninterrupted glass and Face ID. I recently began to ponder an upgrade to the new iPhone 11.
Unfortunately, as we approached the 2019 launch of new iPhones, every prognosticator of tech futures seemed to believe that 2020, not 2019, was going to be the really big and super-duper iPhone year. 2019 started to sound like the year of the "Ho Hum." Tell me it isn't so. Each article I opened suggested that 2020 would introduce the first 5G iPhone. And, purported insiders predicted both Face ID and Touch ID would work in tandem in the 2020 offerings. I would be very interested in a new iPhone for those features alone. Was this the best year to make a change?
However, I still wanted the iPhone 11 to tempt me. The geek inside was so hungry. I had heard about possible new ways of tracking personal belongings on an iPhone 11 with new electronic Apple tags in conjunction with the new U1 location chip, but that novel idea was not addressed in the Apple presentation. I had also heard that the 2019 iPhone 11 might introduce reverse wireless charging that could resuscitate drained AirPods and an Apple Watch, by laying the weakened accessories on the back of the iPhone 11, as the noble device sacrificed its own power for the greater good. I might even use that feature once in a while. So, was this announced on September 10? Nope. To be fair, I did hear about the extraordinary new displays, some great visual arcade games and the nearly supernatural cameras, but I am a happy blind guy and don't care much about those extras.
What if I did purchase an iPhone 11 without some really compelling new technologies? Granted, it would be faster than my current iPhone, but I really do covet some of the items on the 2020 wish list. I would likely spend the year kicking myself knowing that by buying now, I would not be buying then. It takes time for my wallet to heat up sufficiently. Ugh. However, if I wait and my expectations are not met next year, my wallet will surely set my back pocket ablaze.
Fortunately, during the September 10 announcement, Apple said that they would continue to sell the iPhone 8. Good. What they continue to sell, they will continue to support. And, my old iPhone 8 has been doing a great job.
Maybe I can survive with my current iPhone for one more year. With the support of my family and friends, with an intervention or two, I think I can wait. Maybe. Hopefully. One day at a time. That's the ticket.
Time to put my wallet in the freezer. I'll just buy the next iPhone with cold cash.
Closing Thoughts
The conversation detailed above was real, and comes from notes I created minutes after it happened. No names were changed to protect the innocent.
During the early years at WWDC, I enjoyed watching history unfold -- witnessing the evolution of the relatively new Macintosh computers, as well as the slowly retiring Apple IIs. I was there when Agnes and Victoria, two early Apple voices, began to speak. Access became more important. Talk2Me, my own very simple verbal interface for the Mac, was made possible because people at Apple cared. They still do.
I have written 22 other blogs for AppleVis, including "Say What? : Hearing Aids, iPhones and My Apple Watch," "Off My Chest: Confessions Of An Apple Watch Lover" and "Down To Earth: My First Hundred Days With AirPods."
I would love to hear from you. Please share your thoughts and comments below.
Comments
Assistive Touch
Does the latest iOS still allow users to have the Assistive Touch icon and menu enabled? I use it for just about everything other than unlocking.
Assistive Touch in iOS 13
Howdy Betsy,
Assistive Touch is available under iOS 13. I am currently running iOS 13.3 and found Assistive Touch by going into the Accessibility Settings, moving to the Physical and Motor heading and then tapping the Touch button. Assistive Touch can be found there. I did find some additional explanatory information on the Web by searching for "Assistive Touch" and "iOS 13".
I hope this helps,
Morgan
Okay thank you!
Okay thank you!
Prevented Another Wallet Super Nova!
Hi Morgan,
After my wallet reached critical heating levels, I went ahead and purchased the iPhone 11. Although my 8 Plus could have certainly lasted for an additional year, given my previous reasoning, I am glad I made the purchase.
To be perfectly honest, I was a little skeptical, after hearing from others, that after switching from Touch ID to Face ID, that you would quickly get use to it, I have to say that my initial concerns were quickly dismissed. Don't get me wrong, there are occasional moments where Touch ID has it's usefulness, but since getting the 11 and starting to use Face ID, I've gotten so used to it that I don't really miss Touch ID that much. Like I said, there are still moments where Touch ID is useful, but knowing that Face ID was the new norm and having waited a few years for the technology to mature, using Face ID has become natural and second nature now.
Like many whom have made the leap before me, getting used to the new gestures haven't taken as long as I initially thought and I have quickly gotten used to them. Although like some others, I still encounter bugs from iOS 13, including that one where the sound you hear when unlocking with Face ID disappears, and I have to toggle VoiceOver off and back on again to correct it.
This time though, prior to upgrading to the 8 Plus, I decided to splurge a bit and upgrade the memory to its maximum capacity. I am one of those who tends to keep my entire purchased music library on my device, and download a large amount of content, from audiobooks to films I get from Sero (formally known as iBlink Radio), to games and pictures/videos, that I wanted more memory in order to prevent one of the regrets from when I had purchased my 8 Plus with only 64 gigs of memory. One of the bonuses too, and not sure if this also applies in the US, but here in Canada, I can place the purchases of assistive tech on my income tax, including smartphones, as in my mind, is one of the most important assistive tech in a blind person's tool belt.
Besides that, putting iOS 13 numerous bugs aside, I am very happy with my decision to upgrade and will probably wait at least 3 years before upgrading this time, as with this purchase, I ended up buying it outright, instead of buying it on contract. Hence why I am glad I can put it on my income tax. Even though I may not get much, anything is better than nothing at all.
The only other thing I have to mention, when buying the iPhone 11, I did run into some obstacles with my provider. I first went to the store at the nearest shopping centre, and although they didn't have the particular model with the capacity I wanted, they did say they would order it and let me know when it came in. Well, after contacting them, it turned out the device was never bought because the representative I dealt with at the store, never mentioned that I had to put a down payment on it, and I only found that out the day before I was supposed to pick it up if it had been ordered.
I ended up having to wait for the representative I had originally dealt with, to contact me back, and let's just say, I'm still waiting for them to call me, and that was well over a month ago.
I ended up going to my local The Source store in my town, and they were able to order the model I wanted. Although their head office had originally sent me the wrong phone at first, I did eventually get my new phone and, for my troubles, they gave me a case for free. And now to the point of my story, when I chose the free case, although I had already purchased a Spigen Tough Armour case, I eventually chose, as my free case, one they had recommended, the OtterBox Simmetry.
Well, after getting home and checking out this new case, I came to realized that you definitely pay for the name. This $65 case was made a whole lot cheaply then my $20 Spigen case.
Anyways, I will stop here as if I were to continue, well, I would probably exceed the maximum allotted characters for a post.
Take care Morgan and hope you and your family have a wonderful and safe holiday season.
Ho, Ho, Ho
Dear Blinken223,
Wonderful to hear from you.
I really enjoyed your note. I totally understand your feelings about your new phone. After all my lamenting in the above article, I did go out and buy a discounted iPhone XR and have no regrets. The new gestures are now completely natural for me and I do not miss the Home button. However, I will admit that I miss Touch ID. The speed and dependable accuracy of the fingerprint identification is something I still covet. As I cannot see a thing, looking at my phone screen to validate with Face ID still feels a bit silly and it works only, perhaps, 75% of the time. So, I punch in my 6-digit code a bit more than I would prefer. I choose to be hopeful that Apple will introduce fingerprint identification with the next new iPhones, along with Face ID. Hey, I have been good this year. Perhaps Santa Tim will hear my request...
Back to iOS... Even though text editing with a Bluetooth keyboard is still mediocre in iOS 13, one new feature makes this OS especially valuable to me. I absolutely thrill to the new ability to create personalized gestures in the current operating system. My favorite customized personal additions are my two-finger swipe to the left and right to move between headers and the four-finger swipe down as an additional Home button. I also added a four-finger swipe up to go to the System Status Bar and a four-finger triple tap to go to VoiceOver settings. I feel so empowered.
If Apple would just pay some serious attention to iPhone text editing with a Bluetooth keyboard and give me back the option of Touch ID, I'll b a happy lad on Christmas morning. That's not too much to ask, is it?
Blinken223, as always, I am grateful when you write. I hope you and yours have a very pleasant and joyous Holiday!
Warm wishes from Texas,
Morgan
That don't impress me much
The mass production of large screen phones has really upset me to the hilt! Then came the SE 2020 with the A13 bionic chip and gave me some hope for the future. Just after which, the 12 Mini and I said wow that is my kind of futuristic phone which is pocketable and does not step the ladder to being a tablet in my pocket or hands. The price is for the wallet heavy individuals but the 12 Mini would satisfy me for years to come, something I hoped my first generation SE would do.
As we are at the end of 2020 the 12 iPhone models have all variants i.e. in size and capacity powered by the latest processing with the A14 bionic chip however apple has to really step up their game on affordability of their devices if they want to break even with the sale of android phones which are a dime a dozen. I am afraid after a certain point of time, I will experience Google accessibility to match and exceed apple accessibility and I will be the first one to drop out of the IOS eco system.
Don't get me wrong, I am from India and it's expensive business to own such a so called luxury like the iPhone. You could feed 2 families for a year with that kind of money you spend on a device like the 12 Mini 64 variant. Yet, I live with the hope that my economic conditions will improve before I hit the grave meanwhile apple will consider sensible pricing for their devices. Till then, I live content with my SE 2020 64GB variant till time does us apart. Happy new year to all of you and a rocking year ahead!
enjoyable read
hey.
thanks for a good read. Have a great Christmas and new year.
Bryan
enjoyable read
hey.
if this posts twice then I apologise however, this was an enjoyable read. Must have been a great time at WWDC; must have been really interesting.
cheers
Bryan
Thinking Small is great!
Dear Mister Kayne,
Happy New Year to you, too!
I agree with your assessment about large screen phones. I much prefer the smaller and lighter format, and I do love my new iPhone 12 mini. I am such a fan of the new iPhone that I wrote my last blog about its utility. It is titled, "Think Dainty: The iPhone 12 mini Kicks Butt". https://www.applevis.com/blog/think-dainty-iphone-12-mini-kicks-butt Although I deeply admire the quality of the Apple devices, they are admittedly rather expensive and inaccessible to many people simply because of the cost. I do like the trend being set by the SE 2020 though and I am glad you are enjoying your new iPhone!.
I noticed that the last time I had replied to a comment for this particular article was exactly one year ago, Christmas Day last year. What a different world it was at that time. Covid-19 was quietly spreading, but I had not heard of it yet. Now, we've been in lockdown for more than 9 months. And, exactly four years ago, also on Christmas Day, I was on my way to visit your home country. On that day, in 2016, my family was on an international flight to Nagpur, India for my son's wedding and a month-long stay which was an absolute delight.
It was really good to hear from you, Mister Kayne. May this New Year bring the return of good health, safety and contentment to everyone.
Warm Holiday Greetings,
Morgan
Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays
Bryan,
Thanks for your comments. I'm glad you enjoyed the story. There were no iPhones in the years that I attended the WWDC, but it sure was always a whole lot of fun, especially when synthetic speech really moved into the mainstream. I do have some other WWDC stories that I may yet share.
Happy Holidays and thanks for writing,
Morgan