2020 worth it/not worth it list (with flowcharts so you don’t even have to think!)

5 min readJan 1, 2021

Now that we have left behind 2020, it’s safe to talk about a lot of things that happened this year and make it to the news. And my job, as developer by force, is actually to check on things (I am actually a quality engineer) so let’s make a list of things that have enough quality to be considered to buy, enjoy or at least be interested on it (or not). Also, in this special Doom’s year edition, there are flowcharts so you can have an assessment without even having to think! Full refund if not happy with the outcome.

iPad Pro (apple pencil + magic keyboard)

I felt like I really needed it. But in the end, it wasn’t that indispensable. But it does feel really good sometimes. The main reason for my decision is that I work in tech, and I will always have a business computer for programming and stuff. So I don’t want to have another personal laptop. Also, I wanted to have something I can’t code or do the stuff I do every day at work. That is why it seemed the right time for the iPad fully equipped. But some things still annoying me, like working with some websites and files… it’s not as easy as it seemed to be. There is stuff that just don’t work yet, and it has to be done with a computer and that pisses me off after paying what I paid for. Uploading some pdfs, jpegs, there are websites that still doing weird things on the iPad, Google drive apps are a mess and there is no way to make them work from the browser. Come on, it has a 12-inch screen! So again, we are a step forward into the laptopify journey but we are not there yet. However, other things are really pleasant, like drawing with the apple pencil (in Procreate), carrying something that doesn’t feel like a laptop and it’s ultra-light, the cameras, the amateur studio on the go (iMovie, Garageband) that can save you in many different scenarios, the microphone, the hardware shape and size for reading things like medium or ebooks or for watching movies or writing.

The iPad Pro still no laptop, but it starts to bring feelings that are different from a laptop giving you nice rewards in exchange. But we still have a long road of UX to make it the final one. Also, right now I would choose the new iPad Air instead of the Pro, as it seems way too expensive for what I was actually looking for. Still, I will do the video review for the iPad Pro 2020 with a lot more details as it is actually an interesting piece of work.

Apple Watch (series 3)

One of the best things that happened to me this crazy year, is the opportunity to cross the required threshold to start enjoying running. At the time, it felt like a life vs death choice: start running or let your mind go dark and finally kill you during lockdown. So I started running again, and doing it consistently I finally developed a sense of joy when accomplishing it and, even sometimes, I actually felt motivated to go for a run. Part of this is due to tracking my progress, a thing that I’ve tried before with a smartwatch but didn’t felt that well. In any case, the Apple Watch gave me what I needed, so let’s just say that for the price it’s totally worth it if you know what you want.

Future Nostalgia — Dua Lipa

Catchy vibes, actually retro futuristic.

Youtube

Oh, Youtube algorithm. You know me better than my mom and my wife planning some present for me together. You always know what is the next step for my lifestyle. You are a visionary. And I love it. I love you, you know that already. We’ve spent so many nights together… but you always have the last word and I always have to leave because, you know, I actually have a life. But you are so interesting. So immensely interesting that I can’t stop thinking about you and the things that I need to do, that I need to watch to become the man I want to be.