Perhaps you’re like me, with a wrist that doesn’t fit perfectly into an already-prepared Apple Watch Sport band hole. If you find that you’re in between hole sizes, with one slightly tight and the next size slightly large, then don’t worry–you just might be in luck. Continue reading
My thanks thanks to sponsor LongScreen, my favorite app for merging and sharing screenshots. Read why I like it so much.
I’ve had the privilege of being one of the first owners of Apple Watch and the last week has been a delightful one. This is the first of six weekly reviews in which I’m going to share my thoughts about Apple Watch. My goal is not to focus on whether you need Apple Watch, the limitations of the device, or how to use it. Instead, my goal is to write from the intersection of technology and liberal arts, that is, exploring how this technology impacts our lives in what it means to be human and to truly live.
I don’t think Apple Watch is a device you can evaluate in a week. It’s neither technology, nor fashion, nor both; it is something utterly different than we’ve experienced before. You won’t find a “pronouncement” about Apple Watch’s future in this piece and only as time goes by will I offer more of my opinion about Apple Watch and its strengths and weaknesses. For now, let me relate reflections on how Apple Watch has helped me be more fully human in the last week. Continue reading
Thanks my sponsor Iconic: The Ultimate Tribute to Apple. Iconic is not just a stunning book of Apple photography, it is a chronicle of amazing design. Learn more here!
The first Apple Watch units have hit the streets and we’re beginning to get a good sense of how people are finding the watch fits into their lives. A common theme has been that some of the greatest value is that the watch makes it easy to see information that is of high value and importance. As I predicted weeks ago, notifications are as valuable to Apple Watch as apps are to iPhone, but only if they are truly notifications important enough to interrupt us on the wrist. Ben Bajarin put it this way in his excellent Apple Watch review:
Since we engage with the Apple Watch for only a matter of seconds, we need to know the information delivered is extremely valuable. Therefore, the notifications I allow to come to my wrist are ones I have ranked as the highest priority…With the Apple Watch app, you can filter the notifications you want to allow to get your attention. This is the most compelling aspect of the Watch experience.
Apple Watch is bringing to attention to the fact that our world is changing to one in which notifications play a larger role than ever before.1 Unfortunately, one part of the iOS experience is not ready for this new day: Messaging. Continue reading
My thanks to Iconic: The Ultimate Tribute to Apple for sponsoring markdmill.com! 
Last week I shared how Iconic, with its attention to detail and design, is a fitting tribute to Apple, as delightful as Apple’s own devices are. But Iconic is more than just a collection of brilliant photographs: it is a chronicle of history that will surprise and dazzle even the most die-hard Apple fan. Continue reading
Update 5/25/15: This offer no longer valid.
In honor, excitement, and anticipation of Apple Watch, I am announcing a huge sponsorship discount for items related to Apple Watch (apps, bands, accessories, etc.)! If you’ve got a cool item and are looking to promote it, markdmill.com will give your app exposure to thousands of Apple fans for just $10–80% off the normal sponsorship rate! I am that excited about Apple Watch and everything it’s going to bring!
During the months of May and June, I’ll be writing weekly review posts about Apple Watch, apps I’m using, and how the device fits into my life. Grab this chance to get in front of thousands of early adopters! You’ll get the same great benefits of a normal sponsorship, including the Start-Up Sponsor Bonus, but for one-fifth the price.
If you’re interested, contact me via email or on Twitter to choose your sponsor date.
This offer only good for Apple Watch app sponsorships…however, if you can make a good case that your sponsorship is related to Apple Watch…I’ll listen.
Thanks to Iconic: The Ultimate Tribute to Apple for sponsoring this site. Iconic is a stunning book of photography that lives up to its name. Learn more!
In late February, Forbes interviewed Google’s Sundar Pichai who said that Google was interested in re-entering the Chinese market:
Pichai said Google planned to make a renewed push in areas like payments, commerce and enterprise apps this year, and he suggested that Google would welcome the opportunity enter the Chinese market again…Pichai said…“I don’t think of China as a black hole. I see it as a huge opportunity in which we are playing as an enabling platform today and hopefully we have a chance to offer other services in the future.”
It’s no surprise that Google wants to re-enter the largest market on earth, with its hundreds of millions of increasingly-online users. But despite Google’s interest, their attempt at re-entry will be frustrated as their core mission statement is at odds with Chinese values. To understand why this is the case, we must first examine Google’s mission, the Western culture which enables it, and how that mission is at odds with Chinese culture. Continue reading
I still remember the day I bought my first MacBook. I came home from the Apple Store, giddy with excitement. When I opened the box I noticed how every detail–down to the position plastic tabs–was crafted to surprise and delight. I had the exact same experience this week when I opened the book that is this week’s sponsor–Iconic: The Ultimate Tribute to Apple, a compilation of stunning photographs that chronicles Apple’s devices and design. Continue reading
My thanks to my sponsor, LongScreen–the best way to merge and share screenshots. Read why I love it or just download it today!
I was able to spend an hour yesterday at the Apple Store both trying on Apple Watch and testing it out. Here are some thoughts in no particular order: Continue reading
I’ve very excited that one of my favorite apps, LongScreen, is this week’s sponsor of markdmill.com. 
If you’re anything like me, you frequently take screenshots of articles, tweets, images, SMS conversations, and anything else you want to save or share. The problem is, whatever you’re trying to capture is often longer than a single screenshot. For a long while, I searched for a solution and was never able to find something that was satisfactory–the worst apps were downright spammy and the best apps were designed for making Instagram collages, not displaying screenshots. LongScreen is as good at screenshots as those other apps were bad. In fact, I use it so often and love it so much that it’s now on my homescreen–yes, it is that good. The developer has thought through all the details and gotten them just right. Continue reading
My thanks to this week’s sponsor, World Time Widget, an app that puts timezones in your Today View. Read my full review or why you’ll like it.
Far too much time and energy has been spent in the last days talking about whether or not the Apple Watch is “necessary.” Many of yesterday’s reviews, in fact, addressed this issue specifically. Consider just a few:
Do I really need another connected screen blinking, beeping and buzzing all day?
CNET:
[M]any manufacturers have set sail with ambitious wearables; very few are bona fide successes. Most people aren’t even sure they need one.
The Title of Bloomberg’s review in fact was “You’ll Want One, but You Don’t Need One“:
So far, the biggest question about wearables—there are already plenty of products on the market—is really: Who needs one?
Its second task—making me feel that I need this thing on my wrist every day—well, I’m not quite sure it’s there yet. It’s still another screen, another distraction, another way to disconnect, as much as it is the opposite. The Apple Watch is cool, it’s beautiful, it’s powerful, and it’s easy to use. But it’s not essential. Not yet.
The question of necessity isn’t irrelevant to a review, as many people will be asking that question themselves. That question, however, actually prevents both reviewer and reader from understanding the true value of Apple Watch. Continue reading
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