What’s in Rene’s WWDC 2018 gear bag?

Posted by Michael
Posted in Okategoriserade

What does our editorial director, Rene Ritchie, carry with him to cover events? Here's the list!

Apple's WWDC 2018 kicks off with its traditional keynote on Monday, June 4, at 10 am PDT / 1 pm EDT, and I'm already figuring out what I'll be packing my bags. Right now, all the gear I'm taking with me is on standby for final review. The specifics of that gear has grown, shrunk, and changed over the years. I used to lug a DSLR and several big hunks of glass with me as went. Now I increasingly go iPhone-only. Sometimes it's with a MacBook Pro, other times an iPad Pro. So, what's my go-to go-bag this time?

Tumi Alpha Bravo Knox Backpack: Kevin Michaluk recommended this bag to me and I love almost everything about it. It's stylish and small, but holds a ton of gear.
Travelpro Platinum Magna 2 22-inch: I travel light and try to stick to carry-on. A lot of suitcase recommendations I've gotten have been too big for the airlines I fly. Travelpro has been perfect. I just wish it didn't have the front section so I could have full depth in the main compartment.
13-inch MacBook Pro: This is the MacBook Air with Pro power I've always wanted. Yeah, I've now experienced the dreaded KEY DEATH, but overall it's still the best laptop I've ever used and I'll be using the hell out of it all next week.
10.5-inch iPad Pro: 10.5-inch iPad Pro packs almost as much productivity into its frame as the full-on 12.9-inch version but is much easier to carry around. Especially if you're already carrying an MacBook Pro.
Smart Keyboard: I know my colleagues have been wooed by Logitech but I already have a MacBook Pro with me so this is more about sleekness than clickity-clack-ness for me.
Apple Pencil: For sketching on iPad Pro on the go. Maybe I'll diagram more this year?
Apple Pen: Picked this up at the Infinite Loop Apple Store. Sadly, customs forms still require ink.
iPhone X: The closest thing yet to a hand computer. I can run almost everything from this, and for WWDC, I'll need to. Also: Thanks to the 2x zoom and Portrait Mode, I can even take real product shots now. Swoon. I'm also going to bring an iPhone 8 Plus so I have a spare in case the iOS 12 beta is too brutal for daily use.
Apple Watch Edition Series 3: It's gotten to the point where, if I'm not wearing my Watch, I notice it almost immediately. This year, that means the gray ceramic edition. It's such a great look. Also bringing a spare one of these, in case the beta is a challenge and I want to keep my regular watch on the release.
Bose QuietComfort 20 headphones: Yup, they need to be charged and there's a huge dongle on the bottom, but when you flip the switch and the sound of the aircraft engines or din or the coffee shop disappears, you don't care. You just enjoy.
Apple AirPods: I've been using them since they were first announced and, while I can't use them on the in-flight entertainment system, I can and do use them for everything else.
Pokémon Go Plus. I won't have time to play, but I may have time to click. So, I'm taking the PoGo Plus with me so I can keep racking up the XP while I'm gone.
mophie Powerstation: Tons of juice, and both USB-A and USB-C so I can charge everything. Because nothing shreds battery life like roaming.
SanDisk Extreme 500GB SSD: Because video takes so much space...
Arc Hub: How I handle dongle life. It may look like something Tony Stark wears in his chest plate, but with 2x USB A, 2x USB C, and an SDHC card slot, it handles pretty much everything I throw at it — in style.

I'm also bringing a bunch of power adapters, port adapters, and cables.

There's a chance I might buckle and bring a proper camera, shotgun mic, etc. You know, the classic vlogger setup, because YouTube. If I do, I'll update with that set up as well. Either way, the keynote kicks off at 10am PDT/1pm EDT on Monday, June 4, 2018 and we'll be bringing it to you live!

You can follow my travels @reneritchie on Twitter or @reneritchie on Instagram.