In my hurry to move out, while having super checked the kitchenette and my bedroom to make sure I have either discarded, donated, or packed everything, there was one thing I did end up forgetting.
My Apple TV set box.
I don’t watch cable, but I still watch lots of Youtube, stream from my iPad, play a few games. Sometimes play music while doing laundry and chores.
Now that I have a job lined up, I finally treated myself to a refurbished TV—and it came two days earlier than expected. I could have gotten my own Roku or another third party streaming thing, but I also didn’t want to set up another online account with another service, nor do I care for Amazon’s or Google’s ecosystems. Setup was fast and simple, added AppleCare+ (like I do with all my devices), and am now streaming Twitch in the background while recovering from my booster shot.
I also updated my desk setup, as my old desk was little more than a tray table, where I couldn’t even my legs underneath. This new one now is large enough for me to comfortably have my iPad, peripherals, and extra like books, my coffee cup, and other doodads. The old table tray I will keep around for when I need more des k space, or if the family needs it for something.
As I have mentioned before, I am quote comfortable being within not just the Apple ecosystem, but specifically the iOS ecosystem. (I have no problem being quite the iOS fanboy.) This setup does everything I need or want to do—email, browsing, streaming, office documents, play music, not to mention make and recieve calls and texts if my iPhone is charging or in another room. AirDrop easily lets me transfer between devices without wires. Any peripherals I add via Bluetooth can easily be shared between devices. App UX is quite consistent.
iOS and iPadOS are more secure than the Windows OS, with no need to waste precious resources on anti-malware programs. I can more easily use it as a tablet or laptop, compared to the cumbersome 2-in-1 devices, with the added bonus that iPadOS is better overall in either mode, too.
While my gaming friends keep encouraging me to buy another laptop or even a console to expand the number of games I can purchase, I don’t suffer from FOMO after the Cyberflunk of last year, when I tried streaming Cyberpunk on Stadia before requesting a refund. Not factoring in multiplayer mode, there are plenty of quality alternative games on the App Store if I cannot play the specific game others are playing if it’s popular. I don’t want even a older PlayStation or Xbox console because, again, of needing to sign up for online accounts I neither want nor need, and because awards and XP do not transfer between platforms. I mean, yes, Keychain saves all my logins, but I could use it to login easily on non-Apple products; I also have too many to count to warrant getting a third-party service (which, again, requires another account), and still wouldn’t run on a console.
Very happy to be back in Jersey. After my new job starts and I can finally file my taxes, I’ll be looking into night courses to get my bachelors. In Spanish.
