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Macbook 13 2020

Apple’s newest edition of the MacBook Pro 13 finally popped up on Apple’s website without much fanfare; and let’s hope it quietly disappears from there in the not too distant future in lieu of a proper upgrade to the line.

Unlike most lots of tech websites out there, this here is a private website who’s owner couldn’t care less about advertising revenue, pissing sponsors off or playing nicely with big corporations (add autocrats, dictators and sycophants to the list). Apple’s new Macbook isn’t just underwhelming, it’s insulting.

The two base models, already hobbled by having only two USB-C ports, are fit with outdated 8th generation Intel chips. Doubling the base SSD size from 128GB to 256GB isn’t a bonus, it’s fixing a flaw – or a rip-off, depending on your worldview.

Even the seriously expensive high-end models with the current 10th Gen Intel chips, don’t come with the newest Wifi 6 standard or the latest Bluetooth iteration.

They have the nerve to call their long overdue keyboard fix „magic“, as if having a reliable keyboard on a laptop in 2020 is something extraordinary.

Skip the reviews and skip the 2020 MacBook Pro. I would either wait for Apple to come up with something worth buying or consider alternatives like Dell’s XPS 13, to name just one very worthy competitor.

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Apple’s Angry Denial

Another day, another security breach; only this time, it was Apple, and it was massive. When Google’s Project Zero recently published its discovery (from early 2019, no less) of zero-day vulnerabilities and massive security lapses in iOS, virtually every tech blog and publication out there ran the story. Well, kind of – let’s face it, most of them tread lightly when it comes to Apple given its clout in tech world.

Who didn’t seem to have much to say, was Apple. Until Tim Cook finally stepped up to issue an angry statement to the effect of „it wasn’t such a big breach after all“. Just China doing what it does in terms of oppressive state surveillance, and since it’s Apple’s key market, this whole thing surely shouldn’t be blown out of proportion.

Unless, of course, you value your privacy, belong to an ethnic minority, disagree with China’s state propaganda, or use anything running iOS which may contain sensitive data like banking details. No kidding Mr Cook, now let me check my Android options right after I try to secure my iPhone as best I can.

So what can you do?

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Merkel und die Brandstifter

Die designierte neue EZB-Chefin hat Bundeskanzlerin Angela Merkel als Ausnahmepersönlichkeit gelobt und ihre Rolle in der Euro-Krise herausgestellt. Christine Lagarde spricht von einer „unglaublichen Erfolgsbilanz“.

(welt.de, 31.08.2019)

Da könnte einem das Mittagessen hochkommen. Ausgerechnet Lagarde, die bis hin zur ganzjährigen Sonnenbräune das (ab)gehobene politische Etablissement repräsentiert anstatt uns, das gemeine Volk. Die politischen Eliten die uns regieren sind schon so lange vom Volk abgekoppelt das man kaum noch von Demokratie sprechen kann; dafür gibts viel gegenseitiges Schulterklopfen. Man weiß schließlich wie der Hase läuft.

Kratzt man auch nur ein bisschen unter dem Teint, wird’s sonnenklar das Lagarde, Merkel, Macron und Co. wirtschaftliche Oligarchien vor demokratische Grundwerte stellen, und ihre eigene Macht vor die Macht der Leute. Darüber hinaus haben sie wenig zu bieten ausser dem Status Quo der uns ins Nichts führt. Mehr verkaufen, mehr produzieren, mehr Müll, und mehr wegschauen während die Diktatoren von Syrien bis China, Gewalt und Repression säen.

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Rotten Apple

For the past couple of years, I’ve been working rather firmly within the Apple ecosystem – and to be fair, the technology (mostly) works seamlessly. My watch unlocks the MacBook which plays nicely with the iMessages from the iPhone; the iPad does its job well on the couch and on those lightweight trips. On the surface, you have stylish devices that work well, enjoy good tech support and even seem to operate along some ethical principles. Or so Tim Cook, chief accountant, would have us believe.

That is, until you factor in the cost for all the istuff. We’re talking thousands of dollars here, and not for something that will grow over time like a plant or a dividend paying stock. The technology Apple (and to be fair, most other tech companies) provides is guaranteed to be obsolete within the shortest possible time they can get away with. And in Apple’s case, it’s even more insidious than that: on the path to planned obsolescence, they make sure nothing gets fixed or upgraded without their cut.

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Bigger Leaks than the Titanic

So now we’ve got several billion compromised email addresses, passwords and god knows what bits of personal data floating around the internet. Everyone from Adobe to Yahoo seems to have had a leak somewhere; and that’s just the stuff that wasn’t supposed to be out there in the first place. Now add Facebook and all the other creepy social media vacuuming up your data, and it’s enough to make you want to pull the plug on the net altogether.

For those of us using online tools in education, the writing on the wall couldn’t be clearer: we’ve got to take control of the sites we use with our students and stop being complacent (or just plain lazy, incompetent, whatever). There is no free lunch, and it isn’t exactly rocket science setting up the basics a school would need to function in all online aspects. And here’s the ultimate quick guide on what you’d need:

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GDPR & LMS

Digitization of schools and learning is taking on vastly different forms, yet the people they serve aren’t changing at nearly the same pace. On a technical level, the first major divide is whether an educational institution is running their own software or not. This is not to be confused with hosting your own software; it just means you’re in full control of the software with the ability to access server level settings.

The second big divide lies in the individual components of the systems in place. Tertiary institutions will typically run a learning management system such as Canvas or Moodle or Blackboard in addition to their own email server as well as a CMS and/or survey system (such as Lime Survey). Primary and secondary schools have less complex requirements some might argue, but will typically add a system for attendance and possibly a grade and report card generator. 17 years into teaching and e-learning, I’d actually say tertiary systems are frequently underused (and overly complex), while primary and secondary schools should be pushing the boundaries far more.

Lost in all the technology at whatever level, seem to be the teachers, the parents and the students. E-learning systems are still not delivering anything close to their real potential and their pedagogical impact remains questionable. Even more questionable, are the systems springing up that offer paid solutions for schools (or if free, the price will be data, advertising etc). There is no technological shortcut for integrity or work ethics among teachers, just companies waiting to make a profit.

So here’s my call for some very clear, implementable steps to best practices:

  • Retain full control over data at server level, even if you don’t want to get your hands dirty with self-hosting.
  • Run the minimum needed, but do that well. Bells and whistles can be added later.
  • The fish rots from the head down – systems not being adopted by teachers and students? Take a look at how management leads the way or not (and boy that goes for a lot of other aspects of education…).
  • Best practices in instruction still apply – have a proper curriculum, standards and procedures.
  • And finally (with lots still unsaid), it’s hard work; it’s not an alternative to real world teaching, it’s in addition to that!

To be continued…