Matt Birchler / is on Nostr

Product designer at NMI, YouTuber, and podcaster

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/ABetterComputer
Birchtree: https://birchtree.me
Quick Reviews: https://quickreviews.app
Comfort Zone Podcast: https://www.macstories.net/comfort-zone/

Last Notes

2024-08-06 15:08:29

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Also I'll say again that I have deja vu with this debate because I was arguing that iPads should get mouse input for years, only to be told that it would ruin iPadOS and make it too confusing on a "touch first" interface. It turned out great there, and this feels like the same situation all over again.
Apple should never add inputs…then they do…and everyone is still happy 😝

2024-08-06 15:02:59

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Out of curiosity, do you not consider iPadOS to be a success here? It does exactly what you're saying and I don't think anyone thinks it's a disaster.
I am actually curious what you mean by ruining the cognitive accessibility of macOS? Again, iPadOS does all this already and I don't think people are pulling their hair out on whether they tap or click on something, right? Not arguing Microsoft is bad at software interactions, but that doesn't prove much IMO about it being impossible.

2024-08-06 12:32:34

What the "can't do real work on an iPad" narrative is really about https://birchtree.me/blog/what-the-cant-do-real-work-on-an-ipad-narrative-is-really-about/

2024-08-02 00:44:13

It’s actually hard for me to express how terribly useless the auto-generated alt text is on Threads posts.
https://cdn.masto.host/isfeelingsocial/media_attachments/files/112/889/656/001/534/092/original/d06e3452117a6207.jpeg

2024-07-16 23:13:19

The most interesting thing about Overcast’s update isn’t in what it adds today for users, which admittedly isn’t a ton.
What’s most interesting is this week’s @npub1f30…d2kp where Marco breaks down just how hard it was to overcome the technical debt in the app, and what it took to rebuild that app…to the point of him questioning if he even wanted to be a developer anymore.
I hope this fresh start lets Marco feel revitalized working on the app and deliver cool things.
https://atp.fm/596
https://cdn.masto.host/isfeelingsocial/media_attachments/files/112/798/701/290/231/532/original/d0447770af68c80f.mp4

2024-07-05 22:01:58

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I know, I was thinking about you doing this at times 😅
I think you’re squarely in the VR/AR niche, and it’s amazing for you, it’s just gotta get more people who experience the joy you get! Closest I can empathize here is maybe when I wore a Pebble watch and was like “trust me, this is amazing!” but it hadn’t hit the mainstream yet.

2024-07-05 20:26:35

Also of note, the Quest 3 is actually better than the Quest Pro in almost every single spec (minus eye tracking, which honestly I dont miss at all on the Quest 3).
Apple isn’t competing with the $999 Quest Pro, they’re 100% competing against the top-of-the-line Quest, which happens to cost $499.
https://www.meta.com/quest/compare/
https://cdn.masto.host/isfeelingsocial/media_attachments/files/112/735/760/259/041/988/original/739ad91e11c4fc8b.mp4

2024-06-18 21:55:08

Busy day of work, but just watched the Nintendo Direct and damn, what a show!

2024-06-10 23:49:29

There is a very subtle animation that plays when you press the physical buttons on your phone in iOS 18. It’s *very* subtle, but kinda cool.
https://cdn.masto.host/isfeelingsocial/media_attachments/files/112/595/000/240/816/649/original/0e471e38e1f9077d.mp4

2024-06-08 23:28:47

What happens when you defederate a server https://birchtree.me/blog/what-happens-when-you-defederate-a-server/

2024-05-31 22:39:20

Well now that’s one hell of a phone case.
https://www.threads.net/@mikkulakov/post/C7pNsUUoBP-/

2024-05-18 21:37:19

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Oh man, I downloaded this and have yet to start it. Can not wait.