Rewind 2021: Articles
A look back at some of my favourite articles over the past year.
Ninety-two articles. I had to do a doubletake the first time to make sure I'd counted right. Over the past year, I published nearly 100 articles, ranging from apps I love (Day One, Endel), product histories (iPod Shuffle, iPod Socks), product reflections (iPad mini, iPhone 12 Pro), and much more.
My process for selecting topics is quite erratic. I might get a product or an idea on the mind and decide to explore its history, have a situation happen that leads me to explore a subject further, or just write about a product or app that I had particular thoughts about.
As the popularity of my wallpapers increased, I found that more time began to be allocated towards them than on writing articles. To compensate, I make an effort still to do a write-up or mini-history in the wallpapers I publish. Writing is as much a passion to me as these wallpapers, and I am grateful to many of you who read, share, and comment on these posts.
In this rewind, I look back at five of my favourite articles over the past year. Enjoy.
Traditional Watch Vocabulary
Published: February 19, 2021
I spent an inordinate amount of time on this piece, all to preserve as much detail in one place about one of my favourite Apple Watch bands: The Classic Buckle. I must've sunk hours into this post by writing about the bands' history, tracking the subtle changes over the years, and chasing down all the band's product images.
It should be no secret that I am a diehard Apple Watch lover, and along with last year's write-ups about the history of the Apple Watch Editions (Parts I & II), my Apple Watch posts rank among some of my favourite posts to date.
Click on the link below to read more about the history of Apple’s Classic Buckle.
What Does 'Air' Mean?
Published: May 22, 2021
This article is all about tracing the history of the 'Air' suffix in Apple's products. First debuting alongside the MacBook Air in 2008, Air has been a suffix to denote everything from the lightest and thinnest Macs to their basic and most popular offerings. Air has been attached to some of Apple's oldest products but has also been the product line that forged ahead, becoming the first Mac to get the Apple Silicon treatment. The suffix has disappeared and reappeared from Apple's lineup but has now come to represent the best product for most users.
Click on the link below to read more about the history of Apple’s ever-changing naming convention.
10 Days on The Rock
Published: July 21, 2021
I had a chance to flex my photography muscle with my first trip in nearly two years, this time on the West Coast of Newfoundland, Canada. I hope the photos captured a raw & beautiful part of the world that many people don't get to see. And all the images were photographed and edited on iOS devices: my iPhone 12 Pro & iPad Air. The iPhone has risen to be an incredible camera, and with a bit of finesse, good timing, and some post-production, the photos it generates can become spectacular.
I enjoyed creating a travel series that, when I had the chance to travel to Amsterdam in the fall, I posted a second gallery of photographs during my time in the Netherlands.
Click on the links below to see my galleries from my trips to Newfoundland & Amsterdam.
The AppleCare Hustle
Published: September 04, 2021
Genuine curiosity inspired this investigative post to determine if the money I am spending on AppleCare across all my Apple devices was well invested. AppleCare can be nearly 20% of the cost of the device it's purchased to protect, and this article broke down the past several years of service requests to find out whether the price of protection swung in mine or Apple's favour.
Click on the link below to read more about what I discovered about the value of AppleCare.
Here's to the Crazy Ones
Published: September 21, 2021
The legacy of Apple’s famous Think Different campaign can still be found nested inside many of the icons, emojis, and corners of the Mac & iOS. This entry is a tribute to the little Crazy One easter eggs across Apple's ecosystem over the years.
Click on the link below to read more about one of Apple’s most interesting easter eggs.
