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AirPods 2 Vs. AirPods Pro – FIGHT!

by GeeksModo Staff

So… you’ve got that gorgeous iPhone and- if you followed the
previous fight
– a shiny new pair of AirPods 2 (unless you, like me, couldn’t decide and got both AirPods and BeatsX).
But… that colleague sitting besides you just went in on a pair of AirPods Pro… and you now have AirPod envy.
Are her Pro-labeled Pods better than your second-generation ear-toothbrushes?
In this article, I’m comparing the
AirPods 2
and the
AirPods Pro
because… well, just because. It’s up to the contest to determine which are the better choice. Set?
3… 2… 1… Fight!

Price

As with my comparison of AirPods 2 Vs. BeatsX, we need to talk about how much these toys are going to cost you. And, like with my comparison of AirPods 2 Vs. BeatsX, I feel obliged to remind you that your gorgeous iPhone came with a beautiful , perfectly usable pair of wired EarPods, EarPods that I personally misplaced within a week of getting the new iPhone. EarPods which cost $29.99 to replace, should you choose to.

Right. Let’s tear the band-aid. AirPods Pro will set you back the “premium” price of $249.99. Yowza. For that amount, you could have bought both pairs of headphones from the previous fight. We’ll discuss what that sum of cash gets you in a moment.

The AirPods 2 comes in two price tags: $159 for the regular pair, and $199 if you want the wireless charger case.

In case you haven’t bought AirPods 2, the Pro model will cost you an additional $90 over the standard 2’s, and $50 over the wireless charging Pods. Or, if you, like me, have already bought AirPods 2, you will have to fork out additional $249.99, which, admittedly, is a tough pill to swallow.

Winner: Too soon to tell.

Battery Life and Connection

One good thing about battery life is that both the AirPods 2 and the AirPods Pro have more or less the same battery life.

Both sets will get you around 5 hours on a charge, and both charging cases carry a max of 24 hours of recharge when you put the Pods away.
That does not mean everything is the same; if you choose to use the AirPods Pro’s Transparency or Noise Cancelling features, you’ll shorten the battery life by about 30 minutes per charge.
Having said that, Apple estimates that in the case with both pairs, you will get about an hour of use after five minutes of charging.

As far as the connection is concern, both are bundled with the same H1 chip and therefore will pair instantly and seamlessly with your Apple devices, and can quickly switch between devices associated with your Apple ID.

Winner: The AirPods 2 have a half-an-hour lead over the AirPods Pro if you utilize the more advanced features (which honestly, you are, because why else would you purchase the AirPods Pro?), but with the similarly quick charge time in the case, I personally don’t think 30 minutes is enough to claim victory here. So, tie.

Sound and Features

Finally. This is where the differences start to emerge. Because I talked a lot about the features of the AirPods 2 in my last fight, I’ll mostly discuss what the Pro’s offers in comparison.

I’ll discuss fit in another category, but the first and most clear difference between the two sets of Pods is the Pods themselves. Not only do the Pro Pods come with a wireless charging case without having to fork out a few extra bucks, but the Pro’s have a complete different form factor. Of course you still have the stem that makes them appear like EarPods with the wires chopped off, but what you’ll notice is the way they go into your ear. While the traditional AirPods have maintained the same design of the EarPods, the AirPods Pro have adopted in-ear design complete with removable silicone tips.

Personally, , I’m not a fan of silicone tip headsets. But outside of Apple’s Ear and AirPod designs and over the ear headphones, most companies have adopted silicone tips. It’s all you ever see. For me personally, they give me a headache and make me feel as if I’m underwater.

One thing I didn’t know until I tested the AirPods Pro is that this is because this style of headset is putting pressure on your ears. Unlike AirPods (1 and 2) and EarPods, which are open enough to still let air in and out of your ears, the silicone tip design block everything up. Except for the AirPods Pro. Apple’s design includes vents that reduce the pressure, making them feel more comfortable than any other headphones of the same nature out there.

But the true magic happens when you pop them in your ears. After identifying the right tip size for your AirPods (via Settings, you can do a size test to find which tips fit the best; Thankfully, mine work with all three, but the smallest ones felt the most comfortable) and you pop them in, they sound… well, they sound almost the same as standard AirPods. However, they include two different modes you can activate.
The first is Transparency Mode, which uses the microphones to allow outside sounds to get in, making it feel almost like you aren’t wearing them at all. This mode allows you to keep abreast of your surroundings and even hold conversations with the Pods in (keep in mind, if music is playing, it’s a good idea to keep the volume low to avoid asking people to repeat themselves). Having said that, there’s a stigma with wearing headsets while trying to hold a conversation; even though you are pretty sure you can hear the other person with Transparency on, there’s a likelihood that the person you are conversing with may think you aren’t attentive because you didn’t take out your headsets.

While the Transparency mode is convenient, comparing them to the AirPods 2 and the original AirPods (which allows in ambient noise by design, whether intentional or not) there’s not much of a difference. Granted, you may not always want your AirPods to let in outside sound (and we’ll discuss that in a bit ), but if Transparency is the main reason you are considering the Pro’s over the 2’s, consider that you will hear ambient noise just as easily with either pair.

The second mode- and arguably the best- is Noise Cancellation. The Cupertino based brand states that with this mode, the Pro Pods play “anti-noise” which cancels out the outside sounds before they reach your ears. Now, I think calling it noise “cancelling” is a stretch; in real-life usage, it is more like noise dimming. As soon as you enable it, it feels as if someone turned the volume down on the external environment. You can still hear it- especially louder noises and voices- but it is definitely muted. Listening to music in this mode certainly enhanced sound and clarity over the regular Pods, and it is better for you, too; you don’t have to turn the volume up to unsafe levels to hear the music.

With Noise Cancellation enabled, the AirPods Pro certainly have better sound quality than the AirPods 2. In Transparency mode or with all modes turned off, the sound quality is, frankly, similar. I switched back and forth between the AirPods Pro and AirPods 2 and couldn’t notice a difference. At least, not enough of a difference to justify the extra bucks. Similarly, with the AirPods 2 in, I could still hear my surroundings about as well as I could with Transparency enabled with the Pros. If you are planning on utilizing Transparency mode at all time, the AirPods 2 are perhaps a better- at least a cheaper- option for you. However, if the Noise Cancellation feature sounds interesting, then definitely go for Pro.

Since both includes the H1 chip, they both can activate Siri with your voice. But the way you control them is totally different. If you are used to regular AirPods, the Pro design takes some getting used to. Instead of tapping your Pod, you are required to squeeze the stem. Each stem has a touch-capacitive button that produces a satisfying click sound in your ear (the click is played through whichever Pod you are interacting with). One squeeze plays or pauses the media, two squeezes plays the next track, three the previous track, and a long squeeze jumps between Noise Cancelling and Transparency.

While you can customize the tap settings for regular AirPods, you can only customize the long squeeze, selecting between mode switching and Siri summoning, the latter which is redundant because you can easily activate Siri with your voice. That said, you do get more controls with the squeezing than with tapping, as the regular AirPods can only have a maximum of one control per Pod.

There is no way to control volume outside of asking Siri to do it or using your iPhone or Apple Watch to do it.

Winner: I give it to AirPods Pro in this category. The Noise Cancellation mode alone is a big leap forward, but I also like that Apple found a solution for the pressure that makes it hard for me to use this style of an headphone. I’m not sure if Apple is the first company to vent the pressure, but they are the first one that I’ve tried.

Fit

Ah. Now, here’s where we come to it. If there’s Been one universal gripe about the original AirPods, is been that they are one size fits few. How then to the Pro Pods stack up?

They fit quite well at first; and unlike the regular AirPods design that is one-size-fits-a-few, the inclusion of different tip sizes means you will surely find the size that fits your ears perfectly.

Having said that, original AirPods have always fit my ears perfectly. But the AirPods Pro are a bit slippery, and that’s even before you pop them in your ears. I fumbled or dropped at least one of the Pro Pods while taking them out of the case around 50% more often than I ever had with the regular AirPods.

To make things worse, while they are in my ears, they have a tendency to slip out. Actually, I’ve tried all three tip sizes, and with each after a few minutes, I find myself pushing one of the pods (usually the left one) back in place. Granted, the regular AirPods and the EarPods have always had this issue, and I am one of the lucky few whose ears wonderfully fit the original design, but it just feels more prevalent with the AirPods Pro, or at least more noticeable; if you have activated the Noise Cancelling mode, the moment a pod begins to loosen its hold on your inner ear, sound begins to trickle in, a sound that otherwise the Pods would be actively cancelling.

I did a headache-inducing head-shake test, and the standard AirPods stayed in longer than the Pros. And I’m not the only one facing this issue; A lot of people online have talked about the AirPods Pro getting slicker over time and having challenge keeping them in.

Winner: Depends on your ears; I give this to the AirPods 2 because I just can’t keep a decent enough seal with the AirPods Pro to make the noise-cancelling feature worthwhile- or to shake the sensation that sooner or later I am going to lose one of the Pro Pods in the toilet or something. And that would be quite unfortunate. However, you may be lucky, particularly if the standard AirPods don’t fit your ears pretty well.

Everyday Usage

So here, sadly, is where AirPods Pro started to fall apart for me. Especially since I am upgrading from AirPods 2, which, frankly, are still pretty new to my headset collection. But this is possibly the most subjective category, so your experiences might differ from mine.

The first thing I noted about my usage of the AirPods Pro was that I wasn’t using them; they spent more time in my pocket than they did in my ears. However, that’s also the case about the AirPods 2. Although, I can use Transparency with the Pro’s and can hear my surroundings pretty well with the 2’s, if I’m not listening to something, I don’t like to have them in my ears. That, however, is mostly a personal preference.
My other usage issue is also of a personal nature, and this, dear reader, is where you will need to do your own homework to find out if this will be an issue for you. The AirPods Pro make my head hurt.

Here is the thing: apparently my ears are sensitive to the anti-noise that the Pods produce to cancel out the regular noise. This combination of noise and anti-noise brings about sensation of pressure in my ears. Even with Apple’s pressure vent, it simply feels like it is strengthening. It only takes minutes of listening in Noise Cancelling mode for the symptoms to manifest themselves, and while the sensation dispels the instant I switch to my AirPods 2 or my BeatsX headsets, a dull ache radiates through the back of my head for a few hours. It’s quite sad, but it is there. I’ve read online that some people are able to get over it, and others don’t experience it at all. But sadly, I’m not one of those people.

I also suffer from Tinnitus, which becomes much more noticeable with active noise cancellation. While music is playing there is no issue, but if my ears are ringing before I put the AirPods Pro in, it can get worse once they are blocking out the sound. On a possibly unrelated note, I’ve also noticed some disorientation while using them in Transparency mode, as if the pass-through effect is fidgeting with my equilibrium.

Again, perhaps my ears are just too sensitive to certain things; I’ve tried other styles of headsets that cause similar effects; both the ANC on Beats Studio 3 and the vibrations of Aftershockz Bone Conduction headphones give me headaches of the same nature, and the BeatsX definitely give me a similar feeling of pressure when they are inserted (though I attribute that more to the stuffing of silicone into my ear canal). There is no absolute best pair of headsets out there. However, I’m not about to part with $250 to have headaches all the time, no matter how charming the noise cancellation feature is.

Winner: Again, I give it to AirPods, for the simple reason that they don’t give me headaches that last for hours.

Bonus Round

I’ve explained in details on how the AirPods Pro stack up against the AirPods 2. But I want to take a moment now to compare them to other headphones I’ve got lying around.

For starters, the BeatsX headphones that I compared the AirPods to in my previous contest. While the BeatsX have a lot in common with AirPods Pro in the style of headphone, there are some pros and cons in each. Of course, the BeatsX have no active noise cancelling feature, however, if with the right size tips on them (and I wish Apple would extent the ear tip fit test in Settings to their other headphones), I couldn’t tell much of a difference between the active noise cancelling of the AirPods Pro and the passive noise cancelling of the BeatsX. Though with the AirPods, you don’t get that irritating rustling sound that persists with the BeatsX cable. But on the flip side, the around-the-neck design of the BeatsX means that even if one falls out of your ear, it isn’t going anywhere.

When looking at headphones with active noise cancelling, I also considered the Beats Studio3. It’s almost unfair to compare the massive over-the-ear Beats to the tiny in-ear AirPods, but since they both bundle this anti-noise feature, they are worth taking a look. While the Studio Beats do have the advantage of passive noise cancellation given their design, comparing the ANC head to head with the AirPods Pro is about equal. If I had to choose one, I think I would have chosen the AirPods, as the silence of the ANC is- I don’t want to say more noticeable, but maybe more apparent- however, with the Beats, the Active Noise Cancellation is optional and doesn’t affect the sound quality of the music (again, that passive noise cancellation does a good job in most cases ), whereas you get a noticeable increase in sound quality when you enable active noise cancellation with the AirPods Pro.

And while the AirPods Pro design minimizes noise and adds bass that the original design can’t compare to, it’s still no match against a proper pair of headphones. The Studio3 (and even the wired, on-ear Beats EP and the aforementioned BeatsX) deliver much more punch than the AirPods Pro can achieve. Granted, Beats are popular for being bass-heavy, but even compared to my fiance’s Skullcandy Hesh 3 headphones or JLab’s GoFlex sports headphones, the AirPods Pro are still lacking in delivering the oomph that other headphones in this price range can deliver.

And if the price is a key determiner, with $70, you can get JLab’s Air Sport or Air Executive, both of which will probably stay in your ears better than the AirPods Pro (particularly the Sport, which have an over-the-ear hook too hold them in place), fantastic passive noise cancellation (when I tried the Sports last year, I could hardly hear the lawnmower engine through the headphones), and a similar pass-through feature to Apple’s Transparency Mode called Be Aware Audio (although this admittedly sounds much more electronic than Apple’s version; you won’t be fooled out of knowing you are listening to a recording of the outside world).

I’m not going to pronounce a winner here, as this fight is exclusively between the AirPods Pro and the AirPods 2, but allow me to say that even for the charm of the AirPods Pro, there are better- and cheaper- options on the market.

Conclusion

Parting is such sweet sorrow. That’s what flashed through my mind as I drove to the Apple Store to return the AirPods Pro. I really wanted to love them. I really did.
But as you have seen, the AirPods 2 won this fight hands down, at least for me. Again, many of these categories are subjective and you may not find the issues I faced affect you at all. Take this less as a condemnation of the AirPods Pro and more of a personal experience that I am sharing with you.

But for shits and giggle’s, let’s run it down. The AirPods 2 are cheaper (especially if you already own them). Personally, they fit perfectly (and while they might not fit you well, many users have complained that the AirPods Pro are unnecessarily slick and that the silicone tips do very little to help them stay in), and they don’t cause headaches.

But even if those don’t hit you the same way they hit me, consider that the Active Noice Cancellation with the AirPods isn’t really that much better than the passive noise cancelling you get with the BeatsX, which costs $150 less; the Transparency mode feature, while a cool party trick, isn’t really any more transparent than the standard AirPods already were; and for the amount of $250, you can grab a much better headsets(albeit without the H1 chip and Apple’s magic pairing). Actually, with the same amount of money, you can get both pairs of headphones from the previous fight and have the best of both worlds (and more battery life between them).

It’s all, honestly, up to you. Personally, they didn’t work for me, but that isn’t saying that the AirPods Pro aren’t outstanding pieces of technology. I really loved the idea of having one pair of headsets that could do everything I needed them to while fitting inside the smallest pocket of my jeans. But alas, earwax*.

*Earwax is something significant to consider when wearing your headsets; particularly if your headsets are getting shoved into your ear canal. Be sure to clean your Headsets on a regular basis. And fun fact; Apple included a mesh filter inside the silicone ear tips of the AirPods Pro to trap earwax before it gets all over the headset grill. Sounds good, right. If I had done a category about earwax, the AirPods Pro would have taken the crown. Oh well.

Tag: AirPods
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Off My Chest: Confessions Of An AirPods Lover

by GeeksModo Staff

AirPods have changed my life, mostly for good, but in some ways, for bad.
Since I bought my first pair of AirPods at the end of 2018, they have been in my shirt pocket almost every day.
Not only have they been in my pocket, but one is usually in my ear most of the day as well. As soon as I get up, I often pop one in. Then when going to bed, I pop it out when I am falling asleep.

I have always longed for accessible technology that was small, really small. When Apple
introduced AirPods,
I fantasized about its potential. I longed for a beautiful new device that could rest gently and comfortably on my ear, something gorgeous that would tell me everything I wanted to hear.

In 2019 I probably listened to more podcasts, audiobooks, and music than any other year. You can tell from my usage in the past ten days that I have listened to over 50 hours of audio almost exclusively using my AirPods.
I listen to a lot of podcasts, and lately, a lot of YouTube in the background as well. Usually, all of the usage for YouTube would fall under podcasts, making podcasts around ~45 hours of listening but have been on a YouTube Premium trial to test it out.

Music is usually more and is also being taken up by YouTube usage, and I have also been taking a break on books after reading (and listening to) over 24 of them last year.
Still, a total of 50 hours of audio for a period of ten days is a lot. And I honestly don’t know if I would have managed without the convenience of AirPods.

So what possessed me to even consider buying Apple’s wireless AirPods? They are small, lightweight, easy to forget and always perch precariously from a tiny shelf of ear cartilage. I have learned two great facts about my AirPods over the last two years: They are easy to love and easy to lose.

My old
wired EarPods
were just fine for a long time. If I dropped an EarPod, I could simply trail the wire like bread crumbs to rediscover the treasure.
But, Apple cut my audio umbilicus with the new iPhone models by removing the dedicated headphone jack. I understand that wired EarPods are packaged with the
new iPhones,
but they use the Lightning port, which is also the way I fill my battery during the day. I decided I’d better get used to the wireless lifestyle as early as possible.

I took a deep breath and made the AirPods investment. Around the same time, I also bought the BeatsX wireless offering, as well as the BT Waves much less expensive headset. Nowadays, I almost never touch the BeatsX or BT Waves products. The AirPods are well-engineered, delightfully intuitive and much, much nicer. I love them to the core.

Still, AirPods have a weakness. Gravity. Since I work at home, I generally only use my AirPods in the house. This helps as they are more easily found when they fall off. Fortunately, they don’t shatter on impact. However, I remain fearful. Even after all these months, I still forget when my AirPods are dangling in place. On many occasions, I have lifted an arm to reach up into a kitchen cabinet, knocking an AirPod loose, immediately sending me into a frenzy. There is no dignity in my dropping to my knees on the tiled floor, hoping I do not land on the precious item, then sweeping the surface with my fingers, trying to recapture the elusive accessory.

My AirPods are even vulnerable when I sit in my living room comfy chair. My dog is frequently involved in displacing one or both AirPods as I unwind.
Tom has a couple of endearing traits that cause me minor grief. At least once a day, while I am sitting, Tom will stand on his two hind legs and drape his front paws over my shoulders. He really likes to wipe his nose on my shirt. I am his handkerchief. And, if those two front paws do not successfully fling my AirPods into the abyss, his other little habit certainly will. Tom thinks it is important to sniff my ears, just checking my identity to be sure that I am who I claim to be. That wet nose of his has launched many an AirPod.

Fortunately, I usually find the missing AirPods pretty easily, but I have occasionally needed to use the AirPod “Play Sound” option inside
the
“Find My” app.
The audible beacon it triggers is just loud enough for me to locate the missing accessory. Because I almost only wear my AirPods indoors, I have never had to go hunting outside where the ambient noise might drown out the emergency audio alert.

Of course, the fact that AirPods are so comfortable and easy to forget has left me susceptible to feeling a little foolish. Recently, I took my iPhone upstairs to the master bathroom. I set down my phone and AirPods case and stepped into the walk-in shower. I waited until the rest of me was clean before I started to shampoo my hair. And then I noticed my AirPods dangling from my ears. I’d been in the shower for about a half hour and was mortified. Rather than immediately step out of the shower with soapy hair, I carefully rinsed out the suds and toweled off. I stepped out, put the AirPods on a dry washcloth, and felt dumb as dirt. I patted them dry and decided to just see how permanent the damage was. I popped them back into my ears, started the Music app on my iPhone, and I immediately heard Justin Bieber singing, “love yourself.” Perfect! No damage at all. Somehow they survived a hot shower and shampoo. Do not try this at home. Your mileage may vary.

The previously water-logged pair still works like new. No effect on sound or battery life. What a delight! In fact, recently, I bought a new pair of
AirPods Pro
because I use them all day, every day. After about five hours, I hear the warning signal in the ear piece that the current set is down to 10% of their battery reserve. I immediately put the
first generation AirPods
back into their charging case and start using the AirPods Pro. Rather than wait fifteen minutes to get a decent charge on the depleted AirPods, I simply use the extra pair so that I have no loss in productivity. For me, purchasing a new set of AirPods Pro was very much worth the cost.

The ability to take one out of its case, knowing that it is fully charged, popping it in my ear, automatically connecting to my iPhone, then pressing play on whatever it is I was planning on listening to, has been such a subtle but outstanding life improvement that is hard to describe.
But this improvement has a downside, of course.
Being able to listen to audio comfortably for hours at a time at such a fantastic convenience means I am allowing a separation between myself and the world too easily.
I realized that when I am at home, I always have them in, or at least one, listening to a podcast, audiobook, or watching a video. It has made chores that much more enjoyable, which is a plus, but some chores that I share with my wife have now become cold and quiet. It has even caused my wife to listen to her headsets when we are cooking or cleaning since I am not available to talk.

At work, I am continually listening as well. Even when I get up to go to the bathroom, I make sure to have an AirPod in to listen to a podcast or a song on the way there and back. At our desks, at work, everyone is usually listening to something, but I can’t even walk from the parking lot to my office without popping in an AirPod.

My AirPods, and you can argue Podcasts and AudioBooks, have become my new Twitter or FaceBook when standing inline. Whenever I am at the bank or queuing for food at a restaurant, everyone has there phones out as they wait for their turn at the counter. I know longer stare at my iPhone in line as much anymore because I usually already have an AirPod in listening to my 30th podcast for the day.
Just like using your iPhone for boredom or a time-filler doesn’t always have to be a bad thing, no matter what some people say. But allowing yourself to get bored at times can help you in other ways, such as relieving any anxiety or allowing thoughts to come in organically instead of being forced through social media, authors, or podcasts.

So one thing I have learned in owning Airpods for over two years now is that, to me, audio has become my new boredom filler. Podcasts and AudioBooks are my new form of distraction being fed to me through two beautifully designed white wireless headsets.
Instead of scrolling through the infinity pool of Twitter or Facebook, I now get endless voices in my ear at all hours of the day. This has been a huge advantage in being able to consume so many audio books and podcasts, particularly those that provide tips on life and self-help.
But I am also realizing at the middle of 2020 that I gained a lot of self-help and new ways of living my life last year. The remainder of this year I hope to follow that trend and new knowledge instead of feeling like I need to continue to consume it so much.

There is no way I can cancel some of my favorite podcasts on these topics like The Tim Ferriss Show and Focused, but reading books I am taking a break from this year. I have a stack, digitally and physically, that I still need to read that I may take my time with, but I am not going to try and continuously listen to books throughout the year as I did before.

I have yet to do an actual AirPods review. It is not that I don’t want too, I think it is because when I first got them, there was no friction in becoming my new and, almost, only pair of headphones. I just started using them and never stopped.
Usually, when I write a review about a device, I try to stick to some narrative. Coming up with some pros and cons on the device I am reviewing then counter those pros and cons with reasons why they either don’t matter or should be a deal-breaker.

AirPods, unexpectedly, came into my life and just became an integral part of it promptly. There are cons, besides the ones I described above, causing me to disconnect with the world so easily, but others like them having a hard time to connect to my phone sometimes or them having a hard time switching inputs to another device like my MacBook or iPad.

It took almost a year for my ears to be comfortable with the design of the headphones, too, since I never really like the original EarPods Apple provides in the box with iPhones. They usually start to not last very long on a charge after a year and a half. Also, losing them can be very easy, and the Find My app on my iPhone doesn’t always work when trying to find one.
This is all to say I am never letting my AirPods go, and when these die as the last ones did, I will probably replace them pretty quickly. But I am learning from the habits that these headphones are creating and trying to be better when around my wife or coworkers and be present more.

The AirPod’s biggest pro is the fact that you can listen to anything fairly quickly without fail from your iPhone with comfort and hours at a time. I am most comfortable with them when working in my office, relaxing in the house, or riding in a car. That is most of my day. Even so, I still keep a set of my trusty old EarPods handy for times when walking outdoors or when lying in bed. My AirPods Pro are nice, and I’m glad I bought them, actually, I use them more when I travel by plane or train, when I am in a crowded venue or when I really want to block out the world.

Tag: AirPods
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Three ways the iPad beats the Laptop

by Dave Johnson

You probably use a laptop as a primary productivity tool, since it’s powerful and makes any task possible. And you probably think the iPad is a gorgeous tablet that is useful for people who don’t work with numbers, and who don’t multi-task between powerful apps to get work done. Which was the case until a few years ago. Since I replaced my laptop with an
iPad Pro
a few months ago, it was surprising to see how the iPad somehow managed, ten years later, to become a better productivity tool than a laptop.

1. The physical structure

The physical structure of the iPad Pro is a significant evolution from laptops. The iPad Pro is a tool that can be used in an array of contexts. First, the iPad Pro can have a similar setup to laptops, where it’s attached to the keyboard. The
Smart Keyboard Folio
resembles a toy, but is surprisingly fan to type on. The keyboard is narrow, so the hands can easily reach for the screen. The keyboard attaches magnetically to the back of the iPad Pro, making it easy so it’s practical to alternate between holding the iPad by hand, and attaching it to the keyboard. And that’s one aspect of the evolution. I use the keyboard to type, then hand hold the iPad to read and produce media. It’s no problem at all to keep alternating between the keyboard and the hands in one sitting. It might sound silly, but it’s very pleasant to sit back on a sofa, attach the keyboard, and edit a movie. This is particularly for the 12.9 inch screen, and might not hold true for the 11 inch. Since iPad OS uses the large Display size efficiently, I rarely think about a smaller Display. A nice side effect here is how portable this device is. Suddenly the train table is quite spacious. The backpack space needed for the iPad, keyboard and charger is negligible.
See also:
Why I Choose the Smart keyboard Folio for the iPad Pro!
The last physical piece of the evolution is the Applepencil. I thought it’s just for artists. Turns out it’s well integrated with iPad OS in helpful ways. Touching the pencil while iPad is turned off automatically presents you with a blank note you can sketch on. You can also use the pencil to annotate screenshots. Move the pencil from the side of the display to
take a screenshot,
then draw directly on it. If you do that in Safari, you can take a whole webpage screenshot, then save it as a PDF. You can also pull up any PDF, then use the pencil to highlight things or fill out a form just like you would on paper. Sketch an idea effectively in a Keynote presentation, or review a
Microsoft Word
document by using the pencil directly on text. In Adobe Lightroom, you can use the pencil to selectively edit parts of a photo, and move the sliders with more accuracy.

2. The internal hardware

The power that comes from such a small device is surprisingly impressive. This thing is a beast, even compared to MacBook Pros. Intensive apps like Lightroom and LumaFusion works quite smoothly, even as they are exporting videos and raw photos simultaneously. Even without a fan, the iPadPro hardly heats up.

The multiport adapter offers quite a number of opportunities too, because it has HDMI, USB-old-school, as well as USB-C ports. There’s the traditional things such as connecting an SD card and a hard disk. But more interestingly, by connecting the HDMI adapter, I can mix live audio and video from Algoriddim’s djay app, while at the same time previewing the next song on my headphones. Various apps make use of the multi-port adapter. For instants, Luma Fusion can play a 4K video preview on the TV, while keeping the editing interface on the iPad itself. And the USB ports can be connected to a hard disk and SD card, giving me the ability to import photos into Lightroom.

The battery power of an iPad Pro surpasses that of a Macbook by far. I don’t have to worry about forgetting to carry my charger. Apps like Google Hangouts, which generally drain macbook batteries, perform much more efficiently on the iPad Pro (by the way, screen sharing to a Hangouts call is so easy). Lastly, compared to a Macbook or Surface, the iPad’s cameras have better resolution, the speakers produce great sound, and the mic is more accurate. It’s funny that a Device smaller and thinner than a laptop performs better in every aspect when it comes to what needs space the most – hardware.

3. The operating system

It took ten years, but iPad OS is now an evolution of desktop-based systems. Especially for multi tasking. It always seemed that the way desktop systems do multi tasking is the right way. I never questioned the time it takes on desktop to setup apps side by side, dragging and resizing them until I see all the necessary content. And even then, there is so much wasted screen space left because of how apps organize content. content. Then I need to resize a window to reach an item in the toolbar. And even then I always ended up with wasted screen space. Or if not wasted, it would be another app on the back of the screen that adds clutter and makes it harder to navigate my way through the many windows. If i want to drag an image to an app, I have to align the finder and app so I can move things around.

I don’t know if the iPad engineers questioned these drawbacks, or if they were trying to come up with multitasking within the existing iPad operating system. But it looks like they hit the jackpot. The way multiple windows work together is an evolution in the efficiency of multitasking. Apps use all the properties of the screen and the system makes it easy to work with a few apps at a time. That is without ending with a stack of apps on top of each other that I eventually navigate like a maze. Two apps can be displayed simultaneously using drag and drop. I have control over which app takes up more space, and I don’t have to constantly resize each side of a window to display that last button in the toolbar. If I need a separate app for quick reference, as I often do with Google Keep or Slack, I can turn it into a slide over app, which I can slide in and out when I need it. And if you switch from Netflix to another app, the video will continue to play on the side, taking up only the space of a video. With all that said, it actually feels like a desktop system is completely unaware of how we all use multitasking these days.
The iPad system benefits significantly from drag-and-drop interactions, and not just for setting up multiple windows. It uses people’s ten fingers and that natural gesture to make moving things powerful. For instance, grab a file from the Files app. Or multiple files by keeping the first file handy and tapping the other files you need. You can even browse folders and choose files from different places, as long as the selected files are at hand. Then feel free to browse further to the desired folder, and have the files ready so that they all go there. Did you actually want to put these files in another app, for example to send them by email? You can keep the files in place, quit the files app, go to the Mail app, tap to create a new email and drop the files there.

The power to keep items on hand is not limited to files. I can grab an image in Safari with one finger, switch back to Google Docs with another finger, and drop the image into a document. Or grab some videos in Photos, switch to LumaFusion and drop the videos in the edited timeline. Or select a sketch I drew in Notability, grab it and straighten it in a Google Slides presentation.

Being a bit of a powerful user, the Shortcuts app is the last piece that really makes the iPad system powerful. My workflows often include small technical things, such as encoding an audio file to a different format, converting a PDF to images or combining 3 screenshots into just one image. There are apps and websites that accomplish these little technical things. But the experience of finding these services and having to go through ads is not productive or enjoyable.
Shortcuts
allow me to quickly save a series of powerful actions that complete many of these technical things. So far this is comparable to the Automator app on Mac OS. But Shortcuts goes further. You will find that installed apps can also add their own actions, making it easy to perform a series of actions involving multiple apps. And since shortcuts appear in the shared sheet and within Siri, it’s much easier to activate a shortcut.
So this is how the iPad redefined the main tool I use for learning and producing. Ten years after the launch of iPad, it now stands as the evolution

Tag: iPad Pro
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How to be More Productive With iPad Pro

by GeeksModo Staff

With the right tools and the right adjustments, the iPad Pro can become a productivity workhorse. In this article, i’ll show you exactly how to be more productive with iPad Pro.

We keep hearing stories that the iPad Pro can be even more capable than a laptop to get things done. It’s very tempting to switch from a computer to Apple’s top of the range tablet, as it’s often described as the best portable computing device. It has a stunning Display, fantastic processing power, all packaged in a small, light mobile design.
However, even if the device is marketed as a “Pro” machine, it can be heard to know if the iPad Pro will be sufficient to get your job done. Depending on the review and experiences you read about, people are either in love with the device or consider it as a toy only suited to play a few games and watch Netflix.
In this article, I’ll give you some of my favorite iPad pro productivity tips, as I’ve been using this device as my primary computing device for an array of tasks for the past six months.

The iPad Pro’s Design Limits Distractions

The first thing I loved about the iPad Pro was how it focuses on single tasks. Apps display fullscreen, the dock is hidden, and if you get rid of notifications (which you should do), you can’t be distracted by anything else than what you are currently doing.
Although The Cupertino based brand has been putting a lot of effort on the multitasking features of the iPad Pro, I think the split-screen features aren’t that easy and smooth to use. I find it quicker just to hit the command + tab shortcut on my keyboard to switch between to apps than having to place to windows side-by-side. While this may look like a drawback, I think it helps you concentrate on your tasks without being distracted ever. The amount of effort you have to put out to be able to multitask or switch apps is higher than on a laptop, which makes focusing on a single task in a single app a lot more practical to do.
Notification settings are also a lot more flexible than on a desktop device. You can choose just to disable banners but still see notifications in the notification center of your iPad Pro. This way, you eliminate the interruption of a banner at the top of the Display, while still being able to stay up to date with whatever app or conversation you are having.
The iPad Pro’s design makes it a lot easier to do deep work than a laptop experience. Distractions are easily expunged, and staying on one full-screen app is incredibly fantastic.

Getting the Best Keyboard and Mouse for the iPad Pro

You won’t manage to accomplish many tasks if you don’t have, at least, a hardware keyboard for your iPad Pro. Apple has improved the virtual keyboard of the iPad over the years and is now better than ever, but it’s not sufficient if you have to produce content, and it doesn’t allow you to use any keyboard shortcuts that simplifies and streamlines your workflow.
The good news is that there is an array of options out there now. Apple has the
Smart keyboard Folio
which is great and Super portable, but it doesn’t offer a great typing experience. They recently released the
Magic Keyboard
for iPad, which appears to be way much better but is quite heavy and very expensive. My personal preference goes to the
Canopy
by Studio Neat, which is a keyboard case for the Apple Magic Keyboard that opens up as a stand for the 12.9 iPad Pro. To me, it’s a way lighter, cheaper, and more portable option than the Magic Keyboard for iPad.
See also:
The Cheapest iPad Pro keyboard that Doesn’t Suck
As far as the mouse is concern, I have been using my Logitech MX Anywhere 2X for a while, and I’m fine with it. I don’t think the mouse is as necessary as a keyboard. If you know your keyboard shortcuts pretty well, you can navigate on the iPad Pro without having to touch the screen much. But having a mouse or a trackpad can help you with some tasks like formatting or editing.
If you are considering the iPad Pro to get work done, you need to have at least a keyboard and maybe a BlueTooth mouse to go with it. Spend a little extra time finding the right keyboard for you, you won’t ever use your iPad if you hate using it and typing on it.
See also:
Why I Choose the Smart keyboard Folio for the iPad Pro!

Using the Right Apps on the iPad Pro

This part will be the toughest to cover, as getting the appropriate iPad Pro productivity apps depends a lot on your current workflow and your personal preferences.
Actually, most apps on a Mac have a proper iPad version or an equivalent that will cover, at least, most of the basic features you need to get your work done. Depending on the tools you use, you will have to do some research to figure out if the iPad will be limiting you in any way or not.
In my case, I create content using the minimalistic writing app Bear. That’s where I take my notes, brainstorm, write my blog content. I edit my website using Squarespace on Safari, even if it is a bit limited. I edit my other sites directly on WordPress, and everything works pretty well. I edit my pictures in Lightroom and Photoshop. Photoshop isn’t as complete as on a Mac, but for Basic photo editing, it works just fine. I edit 4K videos in Lumafusion. It’s enough for short, not too ambitious, social media videos and stories, and it works incredibly well. I can also manage my Google Drive as well as on a Mac, manage my files directly in the Files app, and even do backups and file management on external hard drives.
The only job that I needed a desktop for, was to do some editing on my Squarespace website, which i trust will be possible sooner than later after a few updates and patches.
There are numerous resources online now about professionals going deep into details about their workflow since many people have fully transitioned to the iPad Pro already.
It’s worth noting that that your workflow will have to change a little bit from the one you are used to on desktop, but ultimately, you should be able to be as productive on the iPad Pro as you are on a laptop, but with even fewer distractions and unnecessary features.
The iPad Pro is a very powerful device if you commit to it, and if you spend some time adapting your workflow. If you don’t spend this time and effort, the iPad Pro will only appear like a little cool toy that won’t get you anything done. But with a good keyboard and mouse, with an adapted workflow, and with some smart notification setups, the iPad Pro can become the ultimate productivity machine.
It’s a very minimalistic Device. Push aside all the details and things that don’t matter. With the iPad Pro, you can totally focus on the 20% that contribute to 80% of your results.

Tags: iPad Pro, Productivity
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Fake AirPods Pro 2: how to tell fake Vs real (2022)

by GeeksModo Staff

Apple AirPods Pro 2 were released in September 2022, and it wasn’t long before scammers flooded the market with cheap knockoffs. With a hefty price tag of $249+ and talk of being Apple’s premium Samsung Buds contender, it’s no wonder fake AirPods Pro 2 became a hot counterfeit item so quickly.

The second-generation AirPods Pro and new charging case.

Now, it’s harder than ever to know the difference. Without a bit of know-how and background info, it’s easy to get duped into a scam. We’re here to help make sure that doesn’t happen.

Below, we’ll walk you through everything you need to know about fake AirPods Pro (2nd generation) so that you can avoid scams and find good deals on authentic earbuds.

What Are Fake AirPods Pro 2?

Fake AirPods Pro 2 are imitation earbuds built to look like Apples’s AirPods Pro 2, but they lack the sophisticated hardware and software to warrant the high price tag. Scammers use cheap materials that lack iOS compatibility and often break down much faster than the authentic AirPods.

Apple doesn’t create fake AirPods Pro 2, so you’ll get no customer support if (more likely when) your AirPods stop working. You’ll be on your own.

Unfortunately, there’s not one tell-tale sign of a fake pair of Apple AirPods Pro 2. Expert scammers have nailed the design, and some will even sell the AirPods Pro 2 at a premium to fend off any initial buyer suspicion. You’ll need to inspect the nitty-gritty details to find the counterfeit giveaways.

Where Are Fake AirPods Pro 2 Sold?

Scammers sell fake AirPods Pro 2 all across the internet and local listings. So unless you’re buying from Apple, Best Buy, or another credible tech store, you’ll have to deal with fake products to some extent.

Here are the most common places scammers are selling fake Apple AirPods Pro 2:

  • Craigslist
  • Amazon
  • Wish
  • eBay
  • Facebook Marketplace
  • Walmart
  • Alibaba

Scammers operate on other e-commerce platforms, too, but these are often the most prevalent. And that’s because these sites sometimes have mind-blowingly low legitimate discounts on high-quality tech items.

How to Identify Fake AirPods Pro 2

1. Check the Box

Apple is meticulous about its packaging, so if you still have the box your AirPods Pro 2 came in, check here first. The box may look legitimate at first glance, but there are a few areas to check.

The AirPods Pro 2 come in a very familiar, minimalist white square box. The earbuds are the only thing you’ll see on top of the box, printed beautifully, and even embossed.

Stickers on the side of the box, and the printing on the bottom reassure you that these are 2nd generation AirPods Pro with a MagSafe charging case (hard to tell otherwise, at least at first).

The box itself should fit quite snug. If the inner box and its lid come apart very easily or don’t line up correctly, this is a sign that something may be amiss.

The lettering used for the AirPods name and the Apple logo on the box are another area to check. If these are reflective and not flat gray, for example, you may be dealing with a counterfeit.

Getting to your new true wireless earbuds is the usual ordeal for Apple products – you hold the top of the retail box, with the bottom part sliding out slowly, so you can really savor the moment.

Inside the box you’re greeted with your new AirPods Pro 2 wrapped in protective plastic, a Lightning-to-USB Type-C charging cable, paperwork (no Apple sticker though), and not the usual three, but four pairs of ear tips.

Those are extra small, small, medium and large ear tips too choose from, with the medium ones already pre-applied to the earbuds.

Second-generation AirPods Pro’s ear tip sizes, including the new extra small ear tip.

2. Check Your Case

The original AirPods Pro 2 charging case has a few new things going for it, visible almost immediately. First, it now has a metal lanyard loop to the right, which is a nice little touch to see make a comeback in general. But perhaps even more noteworthy – the AirPods Pro 2 case now has its own speaker on the bottom, and thus, a little speaker grill next to its Lightning charging port. Yep, no USB Type-C, but fake models will sometimes have a USB-C port at the bottom instead.

Lanyard loop attached to a backpack on the all-new charging case of the second-generation AirPods Pro.

Besides that, the AirPods Pro 2 case is a familiar rounded rectangle, with a solid-feeling lid, and a metal hinge. On the front of the case, we still have a single LED light, and on the back of the case is the Bluetooth pairing button you’ll likely never need to use. If your case doesn’t have either of these features, it’s a fake.

3. Closely Inspect Your AirPods

For some reason, the very ends of the AirPods seem to be difficult for counterfeit manufacturers to match. On the original AirPods, the bottom should be an oval-shaped vent. If this is circular, it’s likely counterfeit.

The low-distortion audio driver and custom amplifier on the second-generation AirPods Pro.

Original airpods Pro 2 have the familiar straight stems, with touch-sensitive spots that serve as playback controls. We also have generally the same glossy plastic build as always. If the headsets lack any of these features, it’s a fake airpods Pro 2.

4. Check the color

Now let’s talk about the AirPods Pro 2’s color options – there are none. As you may have expected, the AirPods Pro 2 only come in glossy white, for both the case and the earbuds themselves. If you see a different color, it’s a fake airpods Pro 2.

5. Try pairing

Pairing genuine AirPods Pro 2 with an iPhone is as easy as ever – simply unbox your new earbuds, open their case close to your iPhone, and a pairing prompt will pop up on screen. It’s a very quick and easy process.

However, if you’re pairing them with an Android phone, you’ll have to go the longer route – navigating into the Bluetooth settings on your phone, then finding and tapping your new AirPods to pair them that way. If they’re not appearing, press and hold the circular button on the back of the AirPods Pro 2 case until the LED on the front starts flashing, which means they’re in pairing mode. If the airpods Pro 2 are not detected by your devices, they’re probably fake.

6. Check the Serial Number

The most definitive method of making sure your AirPods Pro 2 are the genuine item is checking the serial number with Apple. If the company has never heard of the serial number, you’ve probably got a fake.

To check, open the lid of your AirPods case and look on the underside of the lid. It’s on the section that is closest to the charging status LED when the case is closed.

You can also check on the underside of the right earbud, even though the type is smaller, and it’s more difficult to see here.

Once you’ve found your number, head to https://checkcoverage.apple.com and enter the serial number.

What to Do If You Purchase Fake AirPods Pro 2?

Mistakes happen. If you accidentally purchased fake AirPods Pro 2, not all is lost. Depending on when you bought the earbuds and where you bought them from, there’s still a lot you can do to recoup your money and right the wrong. The processes differ depending on the platform you purchased the product:

  • Wish: Contact Wish’s customer service to take advantage of their 30-day return policy. Check their list of exceptions to make sure your purchase qualifies. Wish is notorious for selling fake products, so always be cautious buying on the platform.
  • Craigslist: Craigslist won’t be able to protect you from scammers and counterfeits. You’ll need to do your due diligence to avoid getting scammed. However, if you believe you’ve been scammed, Craigslist still appreciates you reporting the fraud so that they can protect future buyers.
  • Facebook Marketplace: Facebook Marketplace doesn’t provide protections for sellers and buyers.
  • Walmart Marketplace: Request a refund via the Walmart Marketplace Promise to recover your funds.
  • Amazon: Contact Amazon customer support to file an A-to-Z Guarantee to start your refund process.
  • eBay: Contact eBay to ask for their money-back guarantee.

Contact the FBI’s digital division to submit a fraud report. They’ll provide additional advice, and this information will hopefully help them catch the bad guys.

Where to Buy original Apple AirPods Pro 2

You can find authentic AirPods Pro 2 at various in-store and online retailers. Here’s a shortlist of the most reliable places you can buy real AirPods Pro 2:

  • Apple
  • Best Buy
  • Walmart
  • Target
  • Verizon
  • Microsoft

You can find real pairs of AirPods Pro 2 on popular e-commerce sites like eBay and Amazon, but you’ll always run the slightest risk of getting scammed. That’s not the case with the authentic websites listed above.

Tag: airpods pro 2
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5 Amazing Productivity Apps for Mac in 2022

by GeeksModo Staff

Whether you use your Mac for work or just for your personal projects, you’ve likely found yourself wondering how to improve your productivity. There are only so many hours in a day, and so much mental stamina you can muster before you run out.

There are a number of tricks you can use to
improve productivity on your iPhone
but if you’re looking to do the same on
macOS,
the best thing to do is equip your Mac with productivity apps designed to help you do more in less time.

In this article, I will discusssome of the best productivity apps to help you get the most out of your Mac:

#1. Alfred

Free, with option to upgrade

Alfred is an amazingly powerful productivity app that essentially acts as the native macOS app Spotlight, but with a seemingly endless array of features. What separates Alfred from the park though, is the ability to create so-called “Workflows” which are chains of actions that can be triggered using a hotkey, a “snippet” (keyword that expands to longer text), a keyword, among others.
The Alfred app is free, and while the free version is incredibly fantastic, the Alfred Powerpack (£25 for a single license, £45 for a lifetime of free updates) adds a range of new and enhanced features to the already impressive array of features offered in the free version.

#2. Notion

Free for personal use
Notion is a very powerful app that can be used to perform a wide range of tasks. The app acts as a workspace that lets users integrate text, databases, Kanban-style boards, and many other forms of information.

Notion features an incredibly clean Interface that puts usability and function above anything.
My primary use for Notion has been note-taking during conferences. The ability to quickly drag photos into a note, create tables, and split pages into columns is essential for fast note-taking and clean final note. Moreover, being able to search the whole Notion catalog with the key command ⌘P comes in handy when you want to find specific pieces of information quickly.

What makes Notion to stand out from the park however, is ease of use and the ability to quickly navigate different pages which is extremely important for a smooth workflow.

#3. All-in-One Messenger

Free
All-in-One Messenger ties together the messaging platforms that you use the most into one single app. The app uses each messaging platform’s website to present them in a tab format. It just works.

The only real drawback that I’ve experienced while using All-in-One Messenger, is the absence of iMessage therefore you still have to use iMessage in its separate app when using your Mac.

#4. 1Password

$2.99 (billed annually)
The iCloud Keychain it’s not the most intuitive and user-friendly password manager out there. Thankfully, you can take advantage of1Password which is a super simple password manager that allows you to store all your passwords in one place, accessible with a master password. The beauty of 1Password really shows when using the 1Password Safari Extension, though.

1Password sits idly in your toolbar waiting for you to unlock it when you want a password to a given site, credit card information, or other sensitive information that you may need faster.
When you create a new login for a website, 1Password shows up and asks you if you would like to save the recently created login. If you allow it it’ll automatically save the login which saves you a huge amount of time if you sign up to so many services on a regular basis.

#5. Things 3

$50
Even though Things 3 has a high price point, after using it for a long period of time you won’t bat an eye at the price tag. With an extremely polished user interface Things 3 looks like it could be included in the inbuilt range of macOS apps. Things 3 integrates well with your iCloud calendar and allows you to easily arrange tasks in Projects and Areas.

Things 3 is easy to navigate and use. The simplicity of just being a to-do app makes it fantastic and is why you’ll most likely stick with it for years without switching.
You can simply dump any task that comes your way into the Inbox, and later on, sort them into the fitting categories. The status circle next to the project name is a nice feature that allows you to see an overview of your progress in that specific project. With a simple shortcut (⌥space for me) you can add tasks to a certain folder without launching the app.
And those are my best productivity apps for macOS. I hope you enjoyed these app recommendations. Feel free to leave a recommendation of some of your favorite Mac productivity apps in the comments!
See also:
How to Setup your iPhone for a Better, Less Stressful Life

Tag: Productivity
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Amazing Trick to Unlock Real Productivity on your iPhone

by GeeksModo Staff

When you’re using your iPhone like I’m using the kitchen, you’ll definitely know your way around all of the functions, how you can save important time and how to get things done.
But after your successful battle you’ll also leave a battlefield of dirty pans, squirts of tomato sauce on the microwave, and desperate parents (or at least a dad). Talking about your iPhone this means: You’ll have a pretty cluttered home-screen with lots of different apps and folders and notification badges all over the place, desperately trying to maintain some sort of order.
The problem with that is while I have to clean the microwave from its tomato sauce stains before using it the next time, you’ll feel overwhelmed with the different apps and notification badges lurking around before you effectively can use your iPhone again.
The funny thing is, if you ask folks most will tell you that iPhones look great and that this is one of the main, if not the single one reason, they’ve bought this freaking expensive device in the first place.

Now, I wonder if most folks find the looks of an iPhone visually appealing and if they love the minimal design, why do they clutter their home-screens with apps, with some they only use once a month?
Why do they take so precious care of the gorgeous outside and don’t pay any attention to the inside?
Poll: Are you using your iPhone to show off or as a tool to improve your life?
I don’t want to get started on society and its focus more on outward presentation than on inner values here…
But why don’t you organize apps on iPhone home screen in a way, that it’s pleasing in the eye, too? Why don’t you want to use your good-lookingiPhone as a tool to add value in your life?
Question-Time:
What if you can match the minimal outside of an iPhone with a minimal, visually appealing home screen? What if you can combine the visually appealing looks of a minimal home-screen with the powerhouse productivity you’ve been looking for? What if you can combine having less input to achieve more output?
It’s easier than you can imagine
Actually, it’s not even a combination. It’s one and the same. With less distracting input, you’ll have a more productive output.
And if you like minimal design, you’ll like the looks of it too
With the minimal ways to organize your iPhone home-screen I’d like to explain in this article, you’ll have a new way to avoid being overwhelmed from using your iPhone and use it more as a productivity tool than as time-killer.
With that in mind, here’s your simple guide on how to organize iPhone home-screen to suit your needs:

1. Become clear about your priorities

What do you intend to use your iPhone for, largely? Want to get organized and stay on top of your calendar events? Looking to get work e-mails out of the door, faster? Or do you need a small organizer keeping you up to date about milestones of a project?
Whatever it is, pick the three most important apps. The three iPhone productivity apps you need to achieve your goals and place them down into your dock. I don’t mention your most-used apps on purpose. Because, when you want to use your iPhone to help you be more productive and creative, it won’t help you to put your favorite social media apps in your dock.

The idea is, if you need to call people, why would you put the
Twitter apps
down there? Yes, you can only choose three apps for your dock, because you’ll need the 4th space for the following:

2. Place all apps in a folder

After you determine the three most important apps to use your iPhone in the way you want, the next step will be to place all the other apps in a folder and move this folder down in your dock.

3. Organize your “one-for-all” folder

Although you’re using only one folder, it needs to be organized. It shouldn’t be hard to find the apps you need with a few taps.
To solve a problem of placing all apps into one folder and then searching back and forth between the different pages of apps, I arrange them in an order according to how often I use an app.
Let me explain: On the first page, i’ve put the apps I use most often, on the second page i’ve put the apps I use the second most often and so on…

4. Use Spotlight to launch your apps

As you may already know, it could still prove tricky to find the right app in this one folder in which all of the other apps are. Swiping back and forth between 70 or even 130 apps can consume a lot of your time, however, the good news is that, we have a solution for that as well.
Apple has made it really easy to
find an app on your iPhone
by incorporating the Spotlight search feature. By swiping down on your home-screen you access it and have the chance to search for the app you want to use.

It takes way less time to use Spotlight to search for an app which is buried deep in your “All” folder, compared to searching this app with scrolling your “All” folder or looking for it on your different screens.

5. Turn off the notification badges

In my article on
how to make your iPhone work for you, not against you,
I explained why I decided to turn off almost all of the incoming notifications and the related notification badges. Here, the idea is pretty much the same. Because one of the primary reasons why you want to have a minimal iPhone productivity setup is because it appears attractive. But if you leave your notification badges on, things will get cluttered easily and quickly, which can lead to losing time in fishing for the right app and trying to “fight down” the number of unread messages, e-mails, tweets, etc. Another benefit you get after you
disable iPhone notifications
is that you won’t check your iPhone, whenever a new number pops up. In addition, you have more control and can determine the time which you check the latest news, respond to your messages and e-mails, and act on the latest social media notifications.

Bonus-Tip: Turn on Siri App Suggestions

On my spotlight search, there are additional two rows of apps, which I can access easily and quickly. These apps are suggestions from Siri (this personal assistant from Apple, everyone forgot about), based on which apps I often use on my iPhone. As such, you can use this panel with another 8 apps to your advantage, because if you use these apps all the time, they’ll be displayed there all the time, right? And this also means that you can re-structure your dock and your all-in-one folder to stop these apps from appearing first. You can simply access them via the Siri panel if you need to.
After showing you the ideal iPhone productivity setup and explained my interpretation of this principle, I would be grateful if you show and explain to me your iPhone productivity tips.
Leave your thoughts in the comments section below!

Tags: iPhone Tips, Productivity
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The Best iPad Apps for Students in 2023

by GeeksModo Staff

if you are looking for the best iPad apps for students, here are the apps that can help you increase productivity, retention, and workflow.
The possibilities to study smart and efficiently have never been greater. For the last couple of years, Apple has made some big strides to accommodate students. The release of the first iteration of the Apple Pencil in 2015 marked the beginning of what is undoubtedly the best handwriting experience on any tablet. iOS (now iPadOS for selected iPads) continued to improve steadily over the years and today the prospect of replacing laptops with the iPad Pro is within a shouting distance.
One of the things that makes the iPad such a great device is the seemingly endless number of apps in the App Store. Whatever task you want to do, there’s a high chance that there’s an app for it. Developers have made tremendous efforts to make use of the powerful operating system and outstanding hardware, making the iPad one of the best investments you could make as a student.
With that in mind, here are some of the best iPad apps for students. Enjoy!

#1. Notion

I found it challenging to come up with a perfect description of what Notion is, so I navigated to the App Store page. Notion is “the all-in-one workspace for your notes, tasks, wikis, and databases”. It’s so much more, though. You can use the app to count down days until deadlines and exams, keep track of projects, take notes, write article drafts, keep track of job applications, and much more. The list goes on and on.

Pros

  • Very user-friendly — can be very advanced if you want it to be
  • Clean user interface
  • Versatile — no need of many other apps by using Notion
  • GIF integration
  • Top notch support that takes feature requests seriously and releases frequent app updates

Cons

  • iPad app is not as polished as the macOS app.
  • Drag-and-drop for images does not function — you have to manually copy and paste (minor con, but other note-taking apps have included this feature)
  • Requires a keyboard to have most comfortable note-taking experience

#2. Notability

Looking for a great note-taking app for handwritten notes? Well, you’re going to want to choose between Notability and GoodNotes 5. I happened to start using Notability first, so I became used to the pen dynamics of Notability.
I’ve tried both applications, and while Notability is a little more “bare-bones” I find it to be incredibly powerful and a little polished than GoodNotes 5. The iPad + Apple Pencil allows for some really beautiful notes — if you have the time and patience.

Pros

  • Fantastic user interface and note sorting system
  • Runs very smoothly
  • Users can record, take notes, and then play the recording back with note-taking recorded on top
  • You can export directly to Google Drive

Cons

  • Very few paper and pen options

#3. ScanPro

If you’re a student you probably know the struggle; Handouts. Loads of handouts. For The vast majority of people, using an iPad is all about going paperless. So, if you are looking for the Best iPad Pro apps for students, ScanPro is a very simple document scanner that converts your handouts into nicely scanned PDF:s. The scanner automatically crops the image you take of a document (you can manually do it too.

Pros

  • The interphase is easy to navigate and use.
  • Does exactly what it’s says.

Cons

  • OCR scanning hidden behind paid upgrade
  • (there are loads of sites that do this free of charge)

#4. Anki

The science of memory and information is an interesting field, especially when applied to the area of studying. Two of the most common methods of studying are active recall and spaced repetition. Basically, active recall involves actively retrieving information on a subject as you study. The most efficient method of doing this is to use flashcards. As doctor and YouTuber Ali Abdaal preaches: active recall is a way of life. Spaced repetition means that in order for information to truly stick, you need to revise it at increasing intervals. When it comes to tying the two methods together, Anki is arguably the most well-built flashcard app on the market. The Anki app for iPad costs $24.99, which is a high price point considering that the macOS app is free, but being able to revise on-the-go definitely makes it worth it.
I trust you enjoyed these app recommendations. Feel free to leave a recommendation of some of your favorite iPad apps in the comments section below!
If you found this article useful, do consider Sharing it with friends.
See also: Best drawing apps for iPad

Tags: iPad Apps, iPad Pro, Productivity
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How to Use Your Apple Watch to Get Fit In 3 Steps

by GeeksModo Staff

Indeed, with the current situation, you might have an excuse that you don’t need a beach body to show off. Nevertheless, fitness isn’t only about looking good. Moreover, it’s about feeling good.
Which makes it more relevant than ever. We aren’t doing the most for our personal well-being currently, with all of us sitting mostly inside and consuming media. Actually, it could be easier than you may think. Because we literally have the solution at hand. It’s called
Apple Watch.

The Apple Watch is a super useful fitness-tracking device. However, you don’t have to use all its features and trends to become fitter. One thing that makes an Apple Watch to stand out from the pack though, is its simplicity. You simply close your rings to get fitter. That’s pretty much it.

It’s more of a game. We can quickly become part of it. We play it with friends, whenever and wherever we are. No matter if we’re going for a run at 5 am or if we hike a volcano on vacation, independently from us being in Europa, Asia, or America.
In this guide, we’ll keep it as simple as possible. That means, I’ll discuss just three simple steps on how to use your Apple Watch to get fit into time. Without further ado, let’s dive into it!

Step 1: Set an uncomfortable move goal

By doing so, you ensure that you need to leave your comfort zone. Because in your comfort zone, there is no progress taking place. It’s straightforward, right?
Set your individual move goal smartly
You don’t want to set it too low or too high. Too low and it won’t help you. Too high, and you’ll quickly lose the motivation to pursue it.
At the start, the number doesn’t matter. If you’re used to having a move goal around 400 calories a day, go for 500 instead. If you have 600, go for 700. Simply do more.
Now, let’s look at the critical part of things.

Step 2: Make closing the move ring a habit

Closing your move ring becomes your top priority now. Treat it like that. It doesn’t matter how you close your move ring. In fact, it’s a good idea to try different sports.
Tip: Use exercises that require a high pulse.
This burns more calories, helping you to lose weight and get fit. Cycling, running, skipping rope, swimming, HIIT, and exercises of that nature are recommended.
Gain momentum and keep it going. Although it might prove challenging during the first few days, you’ll feel the rush soon.
Personally, I’m about to hit 185 days of closing my move ring in a row. The start was difficult, especially in winter. However, with time you don’t want to break the streak, which is a great motivation to keep going.

Step 3: Enjoy how you get fit

I understand it doesn’t feel like that. As they say: Your journey is more important than your goal.
Enjoy the progress, and see how you’re getting fitter. How you become more performant, breaking your own records. And how much better it feels to see yourself naked in the mirror (oops).
Tip: Adjust your goal
If you figure that you met your move goal easily every day, adjust it accordingly. As such, you ensure lasting progress.
Have a good time, enjoy the journey, and make the most out of it.
See also:
Sleep tracking with the Apple Watch – how it works

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I Switched from Google Chrome to Safari! Here’s Why

by GeeksModo Staff

I did it. I ditched the behemoth browser that is Google Chrome in favor of Safari. And here are the reasons.

#1. Safari is faster

For a long time, the collective response to the above points was “Sure, but nothing is better”. However, recent versions of Safari are faster, sleeker, and better than Chrome.

Seriously, if you haven’t tried this browser out for a while, you don’t know what you’re missing. Even the extension ecosystem has come a long way; the most common tools are already waiting for you. It’ll be an adjustment, but you’ll never look back.

Chrome is a very fast browser… except when it isn’t. When it hangs and gets stuck before loading the page. Safari, however, has always been responsive when I’ve used it. It never lags or crash, like Chrome.

#2. Chrome Drains Your MacBook Battery

MacBook battery life has been a big feature for Apple in recent releases of macOS. Cupertino brought energy impact measuring tools to the operating system, which you can access by clicking the battery icon in your menu bar. If you’ve got Chrome running, Chrome will often show up here.

Chrome also consumes up a huge amount of battery life and RAM, which is terrible when you’re trying to use multiple apps on your MacBook simultaneously. Safari, however, is optimized to work on Mac hardware and uses almost no Power when it’s sitting in the background, in addition to taking up way less RAM than Chrome. Because of this, if battery life is important to you, avoid using Chrome on your MacBook.

Google is reportedly working on the issue, and has made progress, but the job is far from finished. And you don’t have to take my word for it: launch the Activity Monitor on your Mac, then go to the Energy section. Open some tabs in Chrome and the same ones in another browser—Chrome will almost always use more energy for the same task.

#3. Chrome Works in Its Own Way

Unlike Safari, many of Chrome’s features have their roots in ChromeOS, as opposed to macOS. This results into a less than ideal experience.

Most Mac apps close instantly when you press Cmd + Q; Chrome, by default, makes you hold the combo for a while (though you can disable that feature Most Mac apps have their own preferences window; Chrome uses a website in a tab for that.

Chrome is also slower to catch up with macOS features. macOS Mojave introduced Dark Mode in September 2018, which Safari supported out of the gate. But Chrome didn’t implement this feature until March 2019 which is six months later. Safari also has a feature that will turn supporting websites dark, whereas you have to install a Chrome extension to enjoy this feature.

The old notification system was also a mess. Chrome used its own notification setup that didn’t integrate with the Notification Center. The good news is that this is no longer the case, but it was a huge pain for a long period of time.

Obviously, it’s less than ideal to compell a user to learn an entirely separate interface when they’re accustomed to one already. Safari uses the same buttons and symbols as the rest of macOS, which leads to a more seamless experience.

#4. Chrome Extensions Come With a Price

It’s true that in the head-to-head Battle of Chrome vs. Safari, Chrome is the clear winner when it comes to extensions. Even so, a big extension library comes with a price.

One of the main reasons Chrome uses so much of your CPU and drains so much of your battery life is due to installed extensions. Extensions can also introduce privacy problems, as many of them need extensive access to your browsing. As great as extensions often are, their strain on your system can be a high price. If there are a few you can’t live without, don’t forget that Safari has numerous great extensions as well.

#5. Google Is Watching You

While Google and Apple’s interests might seem like they overlap, the companies are structured quite differently. Google’s revenue is primarily ad-based, meaning that as the user, you aren’t really the customer; you’re the product. Google only makes money if it can somehow collect information about you to sell.

While you can tweak Chrome to protect your privacy to some extent, you’ll never be entirely safe with a company whose business model is built on collecting your data. If that sounds Orwellian to you, Chrome on Mac probably isn’t for you.

#6. Apple Watches You Less

Apple’s business model is based on selling you, the user, its hardware. Its software is usually free, and is only valuable as much as it makes Apple hardware more attractive to the customer. The company has a more direct incentive to provide you with a browser that works well with other Apple products.

As a sign of this good faith, Apple introduced a whole suite of privacy protection measures in macOS Mojave. Intelligent Tracking Prevention 2 (ITP 2) is an update to a feature introduced in High Sierra that attempts to combat cross-site tracking, making it more difficult for websites to follow you on the web. It also attempts to scrub fingerprinting, which makes it more difficult for websites to identify you in the future.

#7. No Chrome Support Below Yosemite

Chrome’s system requirements cut off any Mac that’s below macOS Yosemite. Sure, you can update your Mac free of charge, but many people don’t want to for a number of reasons. This includes users on older computers that don’t support the latest version of macOS.

#8. Safari’s Reader Mode Is Great

Have you ever tried to read an article, but couldn’t get past the ads? Safari’s Reader mode cuts through all the bad formatting, strange fonts, and ad splash pages to deliver what you came for: pure, streamlined text. Images, videos, and links are included, all in an easy-to-read format.

#9. Safari Integrates Better With the Apple Ecosystem

If you’re all-in with the Apple platform, Safari is the better choice. All the little aspects just integrate better: your passwords, for example, are managed by Apple’s system-wide tool and synced using iCloud. The same goes for your Bookmarks.
Because I already use Safari on my iPhone, using Chrome instead on my MacBook meant that none of my passwords would sync across devices, which was a major headache. Now, with Safari on my Mac, my passwords are synced across my devices automatically, and I can autofill them using Face ID on my iPhone or Touch ID on my Mac.

Continuity
with iOS only works with Safari. If you use an iPhone or iPad,
Handoff
allows you to go to a site on Safari on your mobile device, pick up your Mac, and go immediately to the same site.

That’s pretty much it. I’m done with Chrome. And the only thing I’ll miss is the dinosaur game.
Thanks for reading! If you have any questions or feedback, drop them in the comments section and I’ll answer them.

Tag: Safari
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