It’s been a long time since I last wrote in this space and the blog had another name at the time. So it’s time to get back in the saddle. The world was in a much different place in April of 2021 than it finds itself in in June 2023, but some things remain constant, like the things we’d like for Apple to gift us with on iPhone, iPad, Mac and all the other Apple platforms.

Among the things I was asking St. Apple for in 2021 were the ability to use Excel formats natively in Numbers, a capability for the Apple TV make and receive FaceTime calls (with the use of an attached mic and camera), and an Apple display that did did not cost $5,000. So how did I do with my wish list? I score it 1.5 out of three.

While I still consider the ability to work natively in Apple’s office suite with MS Office formats, that is open, edit, and save in the MS Office formats without ever exporting or importing and without loss of fidelity, essential to significant uptake of Numbers et al, it will likely never happen. And it did not, or at least not yet.

I still have some hope Apple will see the light, nobody is sitting at home wishing there was a different format to save their files in that would confound their friends and co workers and cost them endless hours importing, editing and exporting. But Apple is nothing is not stubborn. So that, to this good day, is a zero for me.

Firmly in the win column was my request for a way to make FaceTime calls on the biggest screen in my home. To be able to sit on my couch with my wife, not in a desk chair with our heads jammed together, when we FaceTime our grandchildren. Apple answered in a different way than I imagined and two years later than I asked.

I have concerns that putting my iPhone on a stand across the room from my couch will not provide good good video or audio for the call. I also wish there was a provision to attach a dedicated mic and speaker to an Apple TV via Bluetooth so that I could answer calls easily just using my Siri remote. I can see answering it on my phone, fumbling to get the call shifted to the tv and the phone connected as the mic and camera while the five year old on the other end looses interest in the call.

My concerns notwithstanding, just having Apple acknowledge how people would like to use the biggest screens in their house with Apple services is a win, and who knows how this could develop. I will certainly try it out.

My request for an Apple display costing less than $5,000 could be deemed a success. It would appear I did not completely describe what I was looking for which was/is a 27 inch Apple display with speakers, USB/Thunderbolt ports and ethernet port for around $1,000. So I got what I asked for in the blog post, but not what I really wanted. So I give that a .5.

Over the past couple of years there were several things apple brought to its platforms that I did not ask for but like a lot. I’ll write about those later.