The Apple Thread

General Chat
69

I used to buy replacement sport bands off AliExpress and they were so much cheaper than the real deal so I loved getting all different colours and styles, but the silicone rather quickly became shiny and grippy, losing the comfortable matte texture that the genuine article retains due to being made of fluoroelastomer instead - and at the end of the day this difference in materials is what makes the knocks offs not worth buying, IMO. Lint would also stick to them like crazy, which just wasn’t an issue with the real ones.

The sport loops (Velcro ones) are a different matter - a couple of quid gets you a pretty good one, which is almost identical to the Apple official version.

I’d imagine that the AliExpress solo loop knock offs would also be made of silicone instead of fluoroelastomer sadly. It’s a shame Apple charge such ridiculous prices for their straps. You can find genuine brand new sport bands on eBay for around £12 if you’re lucky (normally salvaged from the boxes of surplus old Apple Watches), but with solo loops being so new that isn’t the case.

I wonder what the third party braided loops are like quality wise? The braided Pride one looks pretty cool, but I think £100 for it is an absolute joke.

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70

If you get beyond the wondering phase and receive some +ve intell…. Keep us posted. :+1:t3:

71

All this pride band talk made me order one from AliExpress. £5 with 10-day shipping, I’ll see how it is when it arrives. If it’s the wrong size I’ll order another one, and if it’s the right one, I’ll get a few more colours

72

Do let us know how it is! Is it the braided variety?

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￡1.01 30％ Off | Braided Solo Loop For Apple watch band 44mm 40mm 38mm 42mm FABRIC Nylon Elastic belt bracelet iWatch series 3 4 5 se 6 strap
https://a.aliexpress.com/_mrBsX05

I’ve ordered a M and L

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74

Now I wish I would’ve ordered more sizes! I’ll test the M though and that’ll give me a good idea of what size to order when I buy a few more colours. Might just mean waiting longer before I can wear it

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75

Judging by this review, the straps must be fantastic :joy:

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76

Thanks also ordered a medium and large. Will forget I ordered them and in 3 months they will just arrive…!
Might be upgrading to series 7 so if the strap connection changes it is a race for how long I will be able to use it!

77

Do you have a current Apple TV. I have the original 4th gen from launch day. Considering upgrading as will eventually get a 4K tv and heard it is faster smoother experience so want to know if that makes it worth it!

Any reflections appreciated.

(Also the new remote looks good and the power button would be a nice touch!)

78

I used both the Apple sizing tool and a tape measure and both say I’m an M. Tempted to order some more colours if they take so long to arrive

79

My first ever AppleTV arrived yesterday. I’m very happy with it, especially once my new HDMI2.0a/b cable arrived today. Fantastic colours and detail, but then all I had was a 3 year old fire TV and a £15 Roku. It’s quite smooth, but every now and again you get a bit of a loading circle

I have a few complaints, but those are all related to tvOS so if you have one already, you know how it all works

80

Very familiar with tvos. I generally rate it. Main grips is the Apple TV app not having the uk live channels (like Bbc itv, 4 etc) also itv player quality is awful, but that is an itv issue.

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81

BBC iPlayer is quite terrible (how come they don’t have subtitles? As I have difficulty distinguishing speech from background noise if they’re about the same level, I hate it) and I dislike the half-arsed multi-user support too

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82

Both valid. I have noticed the iplayer subtitles issue. Surely a bug! Haven’t bothered with the multi user support so no comment! Set it up but never actually used it….

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BBC have a support article about it and apparently as the Apple TV requires vastly different technology to deliver subtitles, they don’t support it and don’t have a timeframe as to when they will.

I smell a distinct aroma of something, I just can’t tell what… :poop:

84

My bigger gripe with iplayer is no 5.1 which is the same on all platforms. And iplayer shows on Netflix have surround so clearly they are recorded in it! Been an issue since 2010 or so based on bbc support articles so I wouldn’t hold your breath on the subtitles unfortunately!

85

Do we have any thoughts or knowledge about the next iPhone? Or any leaks etc

Haven’t been paying attention but I already put the money aside for it haha

86

Apparently it’ll have a smaller notch but bigger camera (at least the Pro). There’s also a pink and a matte black colour rumoured. I’m on the upgrade programme so every year is new iPhone year

For now I’m really looking forward to installing the iOS 15 beta then moaning that bank apps don’t run anymore. I hope it brings some of the neuomorphism from macOS to the phone

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87

I just want USB-C and faster charging… removal of the notch would be a lot nicer too tbh, it’s really irritating as it stands when trying to watch videos

Pair it with front facing speakers and we’re talkinf

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I actually don’t really care much about this. The lightning port is a physically better port IMO, and it does the job when I use it on occasion.

I doubt we’ll see front facing speakers (I assume you mean moving the bottom speaker onto the screen area of the device?

I’d like to see faster/improved wireless charging and magnetic capabilities though

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