Last week on The Sweet Setup, I completed a setup interview showcasing my office iMac setup. I used to use this iMac for study, writing, and photo editing, but I repurposed it earlier this year after getting the itch to see if I could pull off a dual-OS work setup. So far, the iMac has succeeded with flying colours.
There are a few hiccups with the setup, though. The biggest is RAM — our Intuit ProFile tax software is Windows-only and eats an enormous amount of RAM. I have 12GB of RAM dedicated to the Windows virtual machine in Parallels and have next to no software installed on the VM. That ProFile app eats that 12GB RAM in two tax returns — sometimes I have to open five tax returns at once for a single family.
When this happens, the iMac can bog down to a standstill.
Part of The Sweet Setup setup interview is the final dreamer-worthy question: “How would your ideal setup look and function”. Here’s an excerpt from my answer:
My ideal setup would be a 13-inch MacBook Pro that is capable of running two 27-inch displays. There’s an Intel-based 13-inch MacBook Pro capable of this right now, but I’m hesitant to double-down on an Intel-based Mac given the inevitable Apple M-chip future. I’d like a laptop so I could work from home in the evenings during tax season rather than beaming in via Screens from my home office M1 MacBook Air.
I’m hoping this MacBook Pro debuts next Monday at Apple’s “Unleashed” event. It’s this theoretical MacBook Pro which much hope hinges on for the upcoming tax season.
Assuming Gurman and all the Apple journalistic community is correct, we’re getting 14-inch and 16-inch high-powered MacBook Pros on Monday. There is no way these MacBook Pros debut without 32GB RAM options. I’d also be utterly stunned if they only supported a single external display.
I wouldn’t be surprised if I came away from next Monday’s keynote with pure excitement. I think the odds are high Apple debuts the computer I have hoped for since I converted my iMac to office use.
Of course, there’s also the M1/M1X/M2 silicon issue — Microsoft Office for ARM hasn’t debuted to the public just yet, and I need Microsoft Excel like I need breakfast in the morning.
If the stars align and Apple debuts a 32GB RAM MacBook Pro which can drive two external displays and can operate Microsoft Office for ARM, I’m looking at a new computer purchase.
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I picked up an iPhone 13 Pro last week Wednesday — not my original plan, actually, but I think the better choice after all — and it’s been a fun weekend of testing. I haven’t felt this big of a year-over-year upgrade ever. Serious — the Mini-to-Pro upgrade has been substantial and has little to do with feature-set improvements between the iPhone 12 and the iPhone 13.
I generally setup new iPhones as new iPhones. I don’t restore from an iCloud backup and I didn’t pull off the apparently-magical new iPhone setup process in iOS 15. I just setup as a brand new iPhone and download apps as I need them.
The process for setting up my new iPhone is usually pretty simple:
Clear the home screen of all unused stock apps. This is a little better now that I can banish them to the App Library and never think about them again.
Download 1Password to ensure I have logins for all required apps.
Plug in the iPhone to a Mac and install Cleartones.
I cannot believe installing custom ringtones still requires a Lightning cable and a Mac after all these years. I’d put this up there with 5GB of free iCloud storage. And the muscle memory isn’t there either — a plugged-in iPhone now shows up as a connected device in Finder rather than inside Music (iTunes) like days of old.
My current Cleartones ringtone choices on the left. A smattering of Cleartones ringtone options on the right.
Nonetheless, Cleartones. Cleartones are awesome. They’re simple notification tones and ringtones made with simple instruments. To me, these are the ringtones Apple would make if they, you know, made better ringtones.
I currently have the following tones chiming from my iPhone:
Ringtone: CTP Morning Call
Text tone: CTPN Indexed
New voicemail: CTPN Blip
New mail: CTPN Request
Sent mail: CTPN Completed
Calendar alerts: CTPN Accurate
Reminder alerts: CTP Firm
AirDrop: CTP Return.
I own Cleartones Pure. If you’re looking for something extra, extra simple, look at Cleartones Organic. Pure has just a little more nuance to the sounds, to my ear. Classic has some great options as well. If you’re curious about what each of the packs sounds like, there are nice previews on the Cleartones site. There’s even a free trial set if you tweet about them.
If you want Pure, Organic, and Classic — 300+ custom ringtones — the entire package is only $35. I bought these over 5 years ago and I’ve received great value in having something unique to my iPhone.
My iPhone isn’t my iPhone until Cleartones are installed.
The Apple MagSafe Wallet on the back of an iPhone 12 mini. Thank you to Matt Birchler for sending me the MagSafe Wallet.
I ordered a MagSafe Wallet for my then-new iPhone 12 mini last year September sometime. I can’t remember exactly why, but I ended up cancelling that order. So when all the reviews came out and most were lukewarm, I put the MagSafe Wallet off to the side and never once thought about it again.
In fact, I went so far as to go the opposite direction — I purchased a gently-used Bellroy Premium Note Sleeve off a friend. Bellroy’s new Premium line may be the company’s best wallet line yet. It’s a wonderful function of high quality leather, function, and price.
But I digress. This is about Apple’s MagSafe Wallet.
Another friend (I love having friends!) was kind enough to send me his unused-and-unloved MagSafe Wallet late last week. Though this is the non-Find My MagSafe Wallet, I was more than happy to give the MagSafe Wallet a go and see where I ended up.
Here are a few quick thoughts after a week of use.
Exceptional Utility
This is purely coincidental of course — a year ago, nobody had COVID-19 vaccination cards that needed to be carried around. Here though, this is a reality. And will likely be reality for a while to come.
So that’s one card that needs to be carried.
Though we giggled about the former iPhone battery case looking like a backpack, the MagSafe Wallet probably takes the prize for the most backpack-like look right now.
I live in a rural city. There’s no public transportation system to be found. As far as I’m aware, there are no plans to create one.
So a drivers’ license is a second card that needs to be carried around.
And though I haven’t come across a credit card terminal in years that doesn’t have tap-to-pay, a credit card has to be Card Numero Trois.
You can’t put anything more inside the MagSafe Wallet. Three cards is the max.
You can put just a single card into the MagSafe Wallet thanks to the tapered card slot. The taper is so, so subtle, but you can feel the tension when you slide just a single card into the Wallet. The card grabs and you can’t flip the Wallet upside down and shake out the single card. This is very well done, Apple.
Two cards is the same experience. Nothing falls out and all cards slide in and out with ease.
Three cards starts to get a bit snug, but it’s more than easy enough to use in this manner. The only hiccup I’ve run into: all three cards have to slide out when you push up on the thumb hole on the back side of the Wallet, and then you have to pick the card you need.
Four cards just won’t work. I’ve tried.
Even with three cards in tow, the MagSafe Wallet adds very little bulk to your pocket.Carrying the MagSafe Wallet piggybacked to the iPhone 12 mini is a breeze. It almost feels like the old battery cases Apple made for iPhones X and 11.
If I do need more cards, I’ve continued to carry my Bellroy Note Sleeve sans credit card, vaccine card, and drivers license in my messenger bag. I don’t have this bag everywhere, but it is with me most days. If I need to swap a card, that Note Sleeve is rarely very far away.
The perfection of a three-card-capacity in the Apple MagSafe Wallet has provided exceptional utility in this first week of use. Retailers don’t want to handle cash at all right now. You need to have your vaccine card and drivers license to get into any restaurant or recreation center right now. The MagSafe Wallet carries these three cards with extraordinary easy and has eliminated the contents of one of my pockets.
Using the MagSafe Wallet
I had every intention of writing about the MagSafe Wallet after testing it on an iPhone 12 mini, 12 Pro, and 13 Pro Max. I got tired of waiting for the 13 Pro Max to arrive, however. So I have hands on experience with the MagSafe Wallet on the 12 mini, 12 Pro, and 13 Pro.
By and large, how the MagSafe Wallet feels on the back of the 12 Pro and 13 Pro is identical. However, there is a very large difference in how the Wallet works and feels on the back of a 12 mini.
Straight up, the MagSafe Wallet feels more secure on the back of the iPhone 12 mini. I’m unsure why this is. It could be the uniform edge of the Wallet and MagSafe Leather Case eliminates anything to grab onto to remove the Wallet. It could be that the magnet is more aligned in the 12 mini. It could be that the Leather Case on my 12 mini is worn down and much less smooth than a brand new MagSafe Leather Case.
Whatever it is, the MagSafe Wallet feels more secure on the 12 mini’s back than the 13 Pro’s back.
The whimsical MagSafe animation appears when you attach the MagSafe Wallet to the back of the iPhone. Here, you can see the borders of the animation extend right to the edge of the iPhone. This isn't the case on larger iPhones.
It’s also much easier to keep the MagSafe Wallet straight on the 12 mini’s back. A quick adjustment to line up the edge of the Wallet with the edge of the case is all it case. This is more difficult on the larger-backed 13 Pro.
The Wallet feels much like past Apple Battery Cases — the ones that looked like the iPhone was carrying a backpack. On the small iPhone 12 mini, the Wallet actually provides a nice holding grip. I found my hands a little less cramped when typing longer messages on the mini when the Wallet was attached.
Sliding cards up and out from the back of the Wallet obviously requires two hands. First, it requires you remove the Wallet from the back of the iPhone. Then, you probably need to put your iPhone into your pocket, as you’ll likely need your hand to pull the cards out of the Wallet. It’s a bit cumbersome at times, especially if your hands are full — I haven’t enjoyed this process while holding my 1.5 year old daughter.
But you also need two hands for a normal wallet, right? So I’m not sure if anything is lost here for the MagSafe Wallet.
Leather Quality
Really quickly: I’m extra impressed with the MagSafe Wallet’s leather quality. The burnished edge is really nicely done. The stitching around the corners is clearly done by a machine, but it’s well done nonetheless. And I have found the Wallet to be weightier and heftier than I expected.
Apple’s made more than a few leather products over the years. The MagSafe Wallet is some of their best leather work, in my opinion. I haven’t had a chance to try the larger MacBook Air/Pro Leather Cases, but this Wallet certainly ranks higher than MagSafe Leather Cases for iPhones.
I’m Impressed with the MagSafe Wallet
The little digression at the top about the Bellroy Premium Note Sleeve was mostly to give an impression about where I’m coming from. The Note Sleeve feels like perfected wallet technology. The Premium Bellroy line has some of the company’s best leather work in years.
I don’t think the MagSafe Wallet will usurp the Bellroy Note Sleeve. If I’m going to an event, I think the Note Sleeve is both a more functional choice and a more stylish choice. If I’m moving around with extra pockets — specifically, during the winter with a winter coat — I think the Note Sleeve will be my sidekick.
But in the summer months where I’m shorter on pockets or when I’m more keen to head uptown for a quick jaunt, the MagSafe Wallet is an extraordinarily handy wallet to have in my arsenal. I’m thinking the MagSafe Wallet is the perfect golf-game wallet, the perfect quick-beer wallet, or the perfect quickly-get-a-jug-of-milk wallet.
I’m quite impressed with Apple’s MagSafe Wallet. The Wallet will most certainly remain one of my most-used iPhone accessories going forward.
