Remember, remember the fourth of November. Because I nearly forgot to write this weeknote.

Published stuff

Over at Stuff this week, I wrote some positive and non-snarky opinion pieces. Clearly, I must be ill. Anyway: wrap your eyes around ‘Good, better, best: With M3 MacBook Pros, Apple’s pro laptops make sense again’ and ‘Why I’m worried the M3 iMac upgrade means the end of Apple’s all-in-one’.

I also wrote about apps for NaNoWriMo (as in, writing novels), and the latest mammoth Lego modular.

Over TapSmart way, I wrote about 30 days with Apple Watch, apps to help you stay informed, and the wonderful Forget-Me-Not, which is now part of my ongoing classic apps series.

Upcoming stuff

Given what happened in tech land last week, you can probably guess what I’m working on right now. Beyond that, I’m starting to compile end-of-year app and game lists.

Other stuff

A few random thoughts knocking around this week.

One was about returning to Forget-Me-Not and realising it’s stuck in GameClub, which itself appears to be dormant. I wish I could somehow magic it into Apple Arcade as a ‘+’ game. Alas. But it also again made me think about old mobile titles that have vanished and now leave people with no way to access them. I look forward to the day when we can emulate iPhones – albeit probably (with some irony) on Android devices.

With news YouTube Premium pricing is going up, I’m starting to wonder whether in a few years every streaming service will cost £25 per month or something. Or if they’ll bin monthly options to stop people service hopping. It’ll be £100 per year or nothing.

Clearly, the entire industry is not sustainable. But people have been trained to pay – albeit relatively low monthly amounts. So what happens when those amounts are no longer low? (My guess: music will do better than telly, because you have access to ‘everything’ vs just a slice, and also you more often ‘relisten’ to songs than rewatch shows.)

Finally, Apple announced it had made billions but not enough billions. Its revenue dropped by 1%. Naturally, lots of publications raced to dust off their ‘Apple is doomed’ narratives.

It made me quite grumpy and the press response to me suggested a lot of what is wrong with the commercial world. Here was one of the biggest companies in the world, making billions in profit, being called beleaguered and in a rough patch because it cannot maintain endless massive growth and instead has ups and downs.

Parts of the world are literally on fire. We should be prizing sustainability. But no. And we are collectively never going to learn this lesson.

On a brighter note, after a recent trip to Spain, I again recognised the value of walking, versus hoofing for half an hour on the elliptical trainer. Turns out, I’m solar powered. So I’m struggling with the clocks going back. (I’d love to be on BST all year, but understand why that can’t happen.) However, on every dry morning, I’ve headed out early, walked to the local pond, and attempted to point my head at the sun. It feels good. I never want to leave.

One-handed typing isn’t fun.

Published stuff

For Stuff, I wrote about the hidden meaning behind the upcoming Apple event. I’m pretty sure it’s the only piece about Monday’s ‘Scary fast’ that includes the line “And then gets all upset later when people ask him why he was impersonating an owl”.

Also, does it feel like you’ve been working on a Word document for decades? Just imagine how Word itself feels. I did with Microsoft Word hits 40 – and Clippy is nowhere to be seen.

Meanwhile, over at TapSmart, I wrote about 30 days with the iPhone 15 Pro Max and added OmniFocus to my classic app series.

Upcoming stuff

Another retro console is on the way. Because I don’t have enough of those. And Apple is doing things on Monday, which I imagine will require me to write about them. Although not during the middle of the night when the event finishes in Europe. Tsk. (Strange that Apple’s running an event so late compared to usual. Must be something something China or something something Japan and gaming.)

Other stuff

Everything is going up in price. But companies can choose how they communicate this to customers. One of my comics went up recently, and the editorial apologised and said rising costs had forced this. Simple. Honest.

Then Netflix emailed me, with a message that said: “We’re updating our prices – here’s why: to deliver even more value for your membership – with stories that lift you up, move you or simply make your day a bit better”. This approach felt like an insult, especially when the offering is not changing. I’m just now going to pay more for what I already had.

Spotify offered similar BS language in its comments about payment changes to artists. “We’re always evaluating how we can best serve artists”, it said, while seemingly preparing to punch small indies in the face. Gnh.

Clearly, honesty isn’t the best policy or more companies would use it. Either that or those streaming services are about to learn they perhaps should.

Finally, much tech is frivolous. But today I unfortunately discovered first-hand that Apple Watch fall detection works. Fortunately, I’m not badly injured (although will be one-handed for a spell), and was aware enough to halt the emergency services countdown the watch had instigated. But it’s nice to know I’d have been in a better situation if I’d been unlucky enough to fall in a different and much worse way. And I’m now seriously considering pushing this tech on my parents more forcefully.

In short: some tech really does matter and can make a meaningful difference. It’s down to those of us who report on such things to make that clear. That’s certainly something I’ll be bearing in mind far more in future.

Also: typing one-handed isn’t fun. My brain churns out works too quickly for me to keep up. I suspect I might be exploring dictation over the coming weeks.

Eek! Nearly late!

Published stuff

My column for Stuff this week: I want a new iPod Touch for my kid. The world wants her to have a phone instead. When Apple killed its iPhone without the phone bit, it left no good solution for people who want an affordable and small access point to Apple’s mobile ecosystem.

I also wrote a bonus column about the new Apple Pencil: Why the new Apple Pencil suggests huge confusion at the heart of the iPad lineup. It’s perhaps summed up by its original title: Apple Pencil joins the Apple Pencil line-up alongside Apple Pencil and Apple Pencil.

Finally, I reviewed the HyperMegaTech Super Pocket, which I referred to as “Taito and Capcom retro gaming arcades in your trousers”. TL;DR: the Taito one’s the better buy, but both are solid options for an affordable and immediate slice of retro fun.

Meanwhile, over at TapSmart, I wrote about Apple’s upcoming spatial video: Why the iPhone 15 Pro’s spatial video capture is more than a gimmick. This aligns with a piece I filed last week for Stuff, which talks about capturing memories. In short, do so in the best format available to you, because otherwise one day you’ll look back on what you have and wish you had more.

Other stuff

I don’t have a great deal of time right now, and so am not thrilled when it’s wasted. So congratulations, HomeKit, for sitting at the very top of the I HATE YOU list for at least the entirety of 2023. Actually, it’s not specially HomeKit that’s the problem – it’s iCloud. Again. This time, it resolutely refuses to share Home details among my family, which makes me especially glad I spent quite a lot of money to swap out our Amazon Echo for a HomePod. And also that Apple’s advice is, apparently, to wipe my device and my wife’s device and start them from scratch. How about, you know, not making iCloud an opaque and broken garbage service?

And breathe.

Now it is the beginning of a fantastic story!

Published stuff

For Stuff’s 300th issue, I wrote a gargantuan feature that covered the best gadgets released during the magazine’s long life. It’s now online, with our picks from 1996 to the present day.

I also wrote about Lego Animal Crossing (or, given my age, what looks like The Revenge of Fabuland), and the mobile gaming revolution that wasn’t – the N-Gage.

This week’s column: I’ve had it with new streaming tiers. ‘Good enough’ subs are the way forward for me. Which goes a bit Black Mirror in several different ways.

Over at TapSmart, Blackbar is added to my classic apps series, and I take a look at the best interactive widgets for iOS 17.

Upcoming stuff

Aside from my regular features for the next issue of Stuff, I’m immersed in yet more mini-console shenanigans. This time, I’m digging into two Super Pocket units. These are essentially mini Evercades with a bunch of built-in games – either Taito or Capcom.

They’ve proven divisive among the Evercade community, which I understand. Evercade creators Blaze went big on physical media, and yet now has two consoles out with built-in games. (The Capcom titles are also bundled with the EXP). But I see the Super Pockets as perfect gift fodder for people keen on a bit of retro, with the cart slots being a bonus for anyone who fancies exploring further afield than the dozen or so titles that come with the handheld.

Still, more as and when I’ve put them through rather more rigorous testing than firing up and cooing at Bubble Bobble and Puzzle Bobble.

Other stuff

Before smashing out these words, I was supposed to be working on articles and sorting taxes. So naturally I spent half an hour arranging a loop that’s been sitting around forever (with the catchy title ‘chiangmai 48 – in-between track to work on — edit’) into a full track. It turned out really well. That made me feel… relaxed. Happy. Whole. Clearly, I need to be doing more of this music thing again…

Hello. And welcome to Jazz Club.

Published stuff

Reviews week! Over at Stuff, I reviewed the iPhone 15 Pro Max, during which I spent far too much time having fun with the USB-C port. I plugged the phone into SSD drives, my TV, a clunky PC keyboard I found in a drawer, and more. And, er, I checked out some other things too.

Helpfully, the device also got an OS update to deal with its overheating problem a couple of days after my review went live. Tsk! Anyway, it’s a great phone – the best of Apple. And the overheating fix meant I got to write about that too.

I also reviewed the Apple Watch Series 9. This was less exciting, primarily because its biggest user-facing feature didn’t join it for the launch. I’m also not thrilled about Apple having messed around with all the gestures. Sure, stop folks being able to swipe between watch faces by default, but not allowing people to bring that feature back via a setting is maddening.

Finally, my column this week is I think Apple should steal these killer Google Pixel 8 Pro features for the iPhone 16. I select four things from Google’s recent keynote that struck me as needing to be mashed into the iPhone with a fork. Features cameo appearances from phone snark, a Ford Fiesta, a terrifying dystopia, and the heat death of the universe, as is perfectly normal for a tech gadgets column.

Over on TapSmart, I’m more serious, mulling over why Dynamic Island won’t be another Touch Bar and looking at the best apps, accessories and tips for iPhone bookworms.

Upcoming stuff

I’m still wading through a pile of iOS 17 interactive widgets for an upcoming piece. Thanks to all the app creators who pitched their products. This initial selection likely won’t be the end, but I had to cut it down to an initial 17.

Spoiler alert: my favourites of all of them are from Longplay. If you’ve not used this app, it presents your music collection as a scrolling feed of cover art and emphasises playing albums rather than tracks. The main interactive widget is like a streamlined version of the app itself. It’s remarkable. And then there’s a second widget for firing off a random album. I wish Apple Music had that. Thinking about it, I now need to try seeing whether Longplay will talk to the Mac version of Music…

Other stuff

Speaking of Home Screen widgets, I find them very weird on both Android and iOS. Android had the lead and then, as far as I can tell, did almost nothing with it. Current widgets on that platform are a mess and woefully inconsistent from a design and interaction standpoint.

Apple, meanwhile, upended the entire system fairly recently, atomising interactivity. And now it’s brought interactivity back. So that’s good. But the system itself has never worked for me reliably.

I can install the same apps on a bunch of devices. The widgets system will then seemingly randomly decide whether or not to allow access to widgets from said apps. Even when they are listed, they might appear as blanks. Sometimes, a device restart fixes this. Or an uninstall/reinstall dance. But this has been going on since the revamped widgets first appeared and, judging by online grumbles elsewhere, it seems like a common problem.

Like everything else, it’s another case where the closed nature of the system makes it impossible for you to figure out any potential solution. The same’s true for iCloud, which when it breaks leaves you with no means to fix it. Worse, devs often can’t do anything either. Just this week, Dan Moren outlined an iCloud issue that should never happen. And back in August, it was doing weird things for me.

Apple is increasingly dependent on services revenue. It forces people to increasingly rely on iCloud. It should be rock solid rather than unreliable and flaky. We should be able to trust it. Right now, I half the time feel like I can trust iCloud as far as I could throw an iCloud server. (Which might have fixed Dan’s problems and my own. Perhaps I should suggest this cunning plan to Apple tech support. It’d be cathartic for them if nothing else.)