• I figured out what makes it seem more artificial and less authentic. Every other sentence has this attitude setting statement. “It’s so easy!” “Now watch how I do x - isn’t it amazing?” And it’s the same across all the speakers, the same buzzwords and cadence. It comes across less as genuine enthusiasm than the marketing team trying and failing to come across as authentically enthused. It’s telling instead of showing, and comes across as off putting instead of engaging.

  • Stage Manager seemed to harken back to the early days of OSX. It has that inventive playful feel, at least in the demo. I don’t think I’ll use it, though - it looks like it takes up way too much space on screen, and places artificial limitations on how to arrange windows. macOS already has a good system for this: Spaces. If they’d made that feature easier to access and more understandable instead of hidden in Mission Control, that would have been enough. (Also, this looks like the perfect use for the much maligned Touch Bar, which I’ve come to appreciate more and more.)

  • I do not want Carplay as my dashboard! That interface should be purely mechanical! I’d be happy with the ability to collect data from my car that I can give to my mechanic, like medical data could be shared with a doctor, and the ability to access the radio without having to exit CarPlay. Everything else, though? You’re one software crash away from not being able to use your car safely.

  • The M2 chips and the new hardware models sound fine. I’m a big believer in reusing computers, though, and think the M1 is fast enough for my own and most users needs.

  • The core Apple apps are playing catch-up, and they’re still in last place. That would be fine, if the release cycles weren’t so slow.

  • I’m most excited about focus modes and lockscreen improvements. They look like fun and useful improvements to how I use my devices, and could enable me to control my temptation to waste time on them.

  • Apple Pay Later sounds like something Steve Jobs would have fired someone over. I’m not happy with the idea of an Apple Card to begin with, but this? It sounds like a straightjacket trap for the mind.