I’ve put my Apple Watch back in the drawer, with changes around home working now I’m just not motivated to use it. It’s actually making me feel worse using it these days to be honest. I’m definitely moving to a mindset of it being a negative for me at least to track everything instead of just being human and let it be. I know I need to move more so I track a habit of getting out for a 30 minute walk around the block. I find that I tend to go through all of the health data too much if I wear one and it makes me feel more anxious. Anyone else dumped their Apple Watch to take a step back to a quieter tech life?

I always love to watch the keynotes but get lost in the details so always like to paw my way through the Apple info afterwards.

Apple has now created it’s iOS 14 preview page and I look forward to reading through it all as I digest the massive feature dump from today’s keynote.

I’ve been using the MacBook as a replacement for my iPad now for two weeks and wanted to share my updated view on how it’s gone in that time, adjusting back to a laptop and macOS.

As far as the hardware goes I’ve been impressed with the 12” MacBook, even the keyboard has grown on me (no sticky keys yet). I’ve not babied it and used it inside and out in the garden and I’ve pushed the 8GB Ram and to be fair it’s held up well.  The only area that frustrates me is using Photos, it runs like a snail compared to how it runs on iOS, maybe I should have gone with 16GB Ram but for 80% of what I’m doing (including podcast editing) this base spec machine has been fine and worked well. I’ve appreciated the USB-C and now when I’m at the desk I go into a Dell hub connecting my MacBook to a keyboard, mouse and 34” monitor. All works really well and has been great to use when podcasting in particular where I can have a lot of windows open at the same time, something I can’t do on iOS.

Where I’m starting to struggle a little is with some RSI and shoulder strain from using a laptop for my day job and now in my spare time. I didn’t realise how much the iPad had helped my RSI over time. I can use it in many different ways and am able to change my position to make using it more comfortable and this is why the MacBook falls down for me as an iPad replacement. I don’t have any particular issues with macOS and in some of the ways I work (especially file management) the Mac beats the iPad but I’m just not using it as much and therefore creating, something my Apple devices have always enabled me to do.

I miss the flexibility of the hardware, the pencil and the apps on iOS, using the Mac feels like work to me and I’m just not wanting to sit down and use it to do something creative - it just isn’t as much fun as using my iPad.

I’m going to have to count my pennies and I think I’ve finally decided on my setup. An 11” 2020 iPad Pro (1TB), Apple Pencil 2 and the new magic keyboard. My reasoning for not going 12.9” is I had a 1st gen pro and ultimately sold it on as I use it in tablet mode most of the time and found it to be uncomfortable for me on the sofa etc… I also have this bigger setup that I can dock it with and use a bigger screen as and when I want to. As I said I still have to count my pennies so don’t be surprised if I end up with a 2018 12.9” if I end up being able to get a good deal used but my intention is to go 11.

It’s been a good experiment to go back to macOS but I’m ready to go back home to iOS.

I’ve been figuring out what to do since destroying my iPad Pro and after initially recycling my MacBook with Apple I’ve decided to keep it after all. I was getting £175 for it as a gift card but on using it again today I’ve decided to keep it. Putting it into perspective that is less than it would cost to buy a new Smart Cover and much more than an Apple Pencil. This laptop is too good to take that little amount for and whilst I’m back on it as my portable device I think it makes more sense in this climate to stick with what I have available and reduce the load on others.

The keyboard is still too flat for my liking but I’m slowly adjusting and starting to get pretty quick on it, the trackpad is great and so is the screen. What still frustrates me is the speed compared to the iPad but that might get better as I use it, you never know…

I’m still dubious how long it’ll be without a keyboard failure now I’m using it every day but I’ll keep you updated on that one, which I think I’m covered on an extended warranty for (fingers crossed!).

I’m still going to use my iMac for any heavy lifting and podcasting mostly but the MacBook is going to be used for everything else.

I’ll report back on if the 2016 MacBook is worth buying cheap in 2020 once I’ve given it a good try.

We are only a matter of weeks away from WWDC so I wanted to (as it traditional) jot down some thoughts on what I’d like to see from Apple.

IOS

As you know I use iOS as my operating system of choice and use it many times a day be it consuming or creating content. The hardware that I use the most is the iPad Pro 10.5” along with the Apple Pencil and Smart Keyboard cover. Using it day in day out I’ve got an appreciation of what it does and more importantly what I’d like to see improved.

Productivity

There are enough rumours to make me believe that we are indeed getting a new Reminders app and a small (most probably) update to Mail. I use the Apple Mail app for managing my iCloud and Gmail accounts and to be honest it does everything I want it to. I’m not a power user of mail, I hardly use it to be honest these days but seeing Apple put some effort into their own app would be a positive. I’m more intrigued by the reimagined Reminders app and it certainly stands out as an app that needs an update, something I don’t think it’s seen for 5 years since iOS 7. It’s full (in my use) of UI bugs and if you try to use it on the Mac it’s even worse. I’ll be so happy to see it finally getting some love. It’ll be interesting to see how much it’s changed and if it can finally be my go to productivity app of choice.

The TODAY view could do with a bit of a clean up and I still get UI glitches but I’m not sure if that’s Apple or the third party developer.

Dark all the things

Dark mode on iOS will be interesting, most of the apps I use are in dark mode so being able to see the system in this mode will be great. I constantly blow my eyeballs out when I’m in apps at night and open up Messages to reply to something.

Audio enhancements

When I did a podcast I was ok on my own but when I guested I always used my MAC, I’d like some audio enhancements to allow me to record my local audio plus talk to someone on SKYPE for example.

Apple to embrace external keyboards on iPad

It’s bad how little the keyboard is being used in some of the Apple apps, the main offender for me is Photos. Every time I use it I get annoyed that I can’t use the left and right arrow to scroll through images. I’ve raised a radar with Apple but to be honest I can’t see how anyone using the iPad for any length of time and an external keyboard wouldn’t get frustrated with this one.

Ability to shoot in RAW using the in built camera app

Yes third party apps are great but I’d like to at least see a little toggle in the camera app that allows me to toggle RAW. This can be hidden somewhere in the settings not to confuse but it would be a good addition to the app (for me anyways).

Apple Music knows what I’ve downloaded

Every time I set up a new device I have to manually (remember) and download each album that I’ve downloaded in the past. I’d love it to ask me on first start up ‘Do you want to re-download all of your music you did in the last backup’. The iPad interface also needs a bit of work to clear up some of the UI glitches that I still encounter.

WatchOS

Generally I’m happy with watchOS and it’s been improved at a good rate of pace but I’d like to see:

Native sleep tracking

I can’t believe we are on the 6th iteration of the OS and we don’t have native sleep tracking yet. It’s the one question I get from anyone looking to move from a Fitbit.

More options or Third Party Watch Faces

When series 4 launched we got two new ones but it broke some of the older ones, such as changing the bottom complication on Utility to be more rounded. I’m not sure where I stand on third party ones but I’d at least like Apple to put a bit more effort into their own ones.

Dynamic Complications

I try not to use too many complications but it would be nice to have dynamic ones, what I mean is if there isn’t a timer set for example it changes to a secondary one like the current weather.

Keeping my fingers crossed for a big one this year.

An interesting post over at Bloomberg about iOS 13 dropped today and I’m more interested in it from a productivity angle.

An updated Reminders app that better competes with the several to-do list programs available on the App Store. The new app has a main screen with four default sections laid out in a grid: tasks to be done today, all tasks, scheduled tasks, and flagged tasks. Each section has its own different-colored page that users can add items to.

An update to Reminders is about 5 years overdue and can’t come soon enough. When I read this I thought, great but when I read ‘scheduled tasks’ I started to get a little concerned about what we’ll see. I’m thinking it’s going to simply be a skin on top of what we already have. The current scheduled view is basic and full of bugs and at the moment I have zero confidence they’ll address these issues but simply put a new front end to the content.

This also means that there will be no way to have a list of tasks due today. What I mean is every task will need a due time as it is today. This is one of my main complaints with Reminders today.

I’m hoping I’m being my usual pessimistic self and Apple will truly put in some effort into their own apps.

One of the more interesting points in the iOS 13 article by 9to5 was the mention of a new Reminders app. It’s interesting to me as someone that has tried and failed to use the existing app many times.

It’s a very basic app with bugs, some of which I’ve had open for 3+ years with Apple. It looks like from the outside there is literally no one working on it.

The thought of it having a refresh fills me with hope that I can do away with third party apps but I do have to be careful with my enthusiasm given their track record of looking after their own apps.

For me I’d love to see something along the lines of Things where we can have a scheduled reminder or an open Today list with no time commitments just a list of stuff you want to get done today. In fact I’d like Apple to either Sherlock or buy them outright and be done with it.

As Apple leans into services I think it’s important for them to put some effort into their core apps and not leave them in limbo only to be updated once or twice a year. I’d also like to see them stripped out of iOS and launched into the App Store like Numbers or Pages. That way we can get (hopefully) lots of updates throughout the year.

I was waiting for this day, yes the dreaded keyboard failures on the new flatter Apple laptop keyboards has finally hit my 2016 12” MacBook and I’m really glad I still have Apple Care+.

The key I’m having issue with is TAB, when I went to use it today it was stuck down and flat to the laptop. After a bit of tapping it came back to life but doesn’t feel like the rest of the keys.

Looks like I’ll be contacting Apple Care tomorrow to get this one sorted out.

I’ve been slowly growing tired of trying third party apps on iOS. I’m not sure if it’s me getting older or trying to consolidate my data in one place but an area I needed to look at was journaling. This is something that I’ve been using DayOne for but not being a premium member It’s becoming a pain as I need to manually remember to backup and manage my entries.

That got me thinking about using Apple Notes as a journal. I use it for everything else so why not? The first thing I needed to do was to figure out my folder structure. I had plans for an elaborate setup but in the end kept it simple. I created a folder in Notes simply called Journal. Then within this folder I created a note called Journal 2019. I also pinned it and then added the notes widget to my today screen so that I can quickly get at it. Every day I create a new entry with the date and just jot down my thoughts along with any images I want to add to the day. It’s pretty simple but will always be in the order of latest first. I can also add as many images as I want, something I can’t do in DayOne without paying and giving them my data. There were two areas I wanted to address. The first was searching, well after testing I’m happy with what Notes gives me. Secondly images, I can add but if I want to look back I need to see all of the text too. DayOne is great for showing just images but I’ve decided I can just use the photos app for this. That’s how I’ve initially setup but now I am looking at shortcuts to let me quickly jot down my thoughts rather than fire up Notes every time. I’m happy I don’t have to remember to manually export and backup but now I need to figure out how to get my DayOne into Notes.

Yesterday’s Apple keynote was certainly different and to be honest a little disappointing in places. I’m not breaking down everything but here are some of my initial thoughts.

News+

This seems like a good deal and if and when it does hit the UK I’ll be giving it a go. I used to subscribe to a few actual magazines, yes they used to come in the mail and I’ll be curious to see how they translate over to digital. I’m a little skeptical that publishers will put effort into Apple News long term but I guess we’ll just have to wait and see on this one.

Credit Card

Here’s where I start having problems with Apple. A credit card is useful and the benefits and rate that Apple are offering look good but it was the keynote presentation that felt wrong. Cheering and applause for a credit card seems wrong at an Apple event to me. This is especially bad for me when on the other hand they say they are very conscious of their environmental impact but are now encouraging us to buy more stuff. I’m not sure how to feel about this new Apple just yet.

Arcade

Based on the games shown and my general interest in games on iOS this isn’t very compelling to me. I think it’s a good idea but for me gaming is on consoles not iOS.

Apple TV+

This was pretty painful to watch and the point I dipped in and out whilst doing other things. I feel this should have been a trailer for each show not a presentation by each star. There was a highlight reel but didn’t give me much of anything. Not compelling me to subscribe based on what I saw. Don’t think Netflix are going to be too worried. Let’s see what happens over the next year on this and unless I missed it I didn’t see any pricing or dates.

What got missed?

I’d have liked to have seen a focus on service packages like an increase in iCloud storage and Apple Care+ as a package for one monthly fee.

All I can say to summarise it is I’m glad it’s over and roll on WWDC.

Listening to a podcast yesterday and then reading this article I feel Apple need to get ahead of this one. If they are sharing data to Foursquare everyone I use Apple Maps I want to know why.

I don’t see any of this on their privacy page.

This is pretty exciting stuff from Apple. The AirPlay page at Apple has had an update and it now states that AirPlay 2 is going to be a standard that TV’s can come with. I’m assuming this will need new hardware so I might be out of luck with my 2017 LG but fingers crossed it’ll be software enabled.

AirPlay 2 has already hit speakers I think but the TV portion is new.

Apple is really starting to go all in on services.

Wow, I’m in shock over this announcement by Samsung. So iTunes, movies, TV shows and AirPlay 2 all coming to Samsung TV’s this year. Never thought I’d see the day but looks like Apple are going all in with services. It’s great to see and looks like their own content will be available across a lot of different devices.

I really wanted to stay off the iPad bend-gate train but after this post from Apple I had to add my comment.

So first off wow, Apple have added their own support page for bending of the new iPad Pro. Something I don’t think I’ve seen since the days of the iPhone 4 losing signal if you held it wrong. This is on par with Tim Cook recently explaining that people getting cheaper battery replacements has meant that fewer people bought new iPhones this year. Good info but not necessary.

Secondly it shows us that only the iPad Pro with cellular are affected. Again good info but why call it out. They could have silently been replacing in store within 14 day return policy rather than call it out.

I’m all for transparency but it seems Apple are doing a less than ideal PR job right now.

BTW I appreciate this is a little negative but I really am trying to put more positivity out there this year just had to get it it off my chest.

Over the last year I’ve come to the realisation that I don’t actually like going to the Apple store. I used to go weekly as it was close to work and found browsing for 10 mins to be a pleasant experience but stood in line for an already late running genius appointment I had an epiphany, I dislike getting service at an Apple store these days. It took me a while to realise it but in the last few years it’s become somewhere I dread going.

Today at Apple

At my local store there isn’t a great deal of space and in the last few months what space there was to wait for an appointment has been taken up with today at Apple spaces. I’m not knocking Apple for running courses, it’s great but not all stores have the space for it. I found I was just loitering next to the guy doing the course, not ideal for either of us.

Online and in store are two different businesses

Maybe not technically but it certainly feels like it. Over the last few years I’ve been sent to the Apple Store by online only to be turned away. Most recently I had a problem with my leather loop band and was told online to go to the store to swap it out. On turning up I was told there were no appointments and online shouldn’t have sent me to the store. If online tell you to go in store make sure you don’t or take a record of the conversation. In my experience if it’s online then stay online don’t try to get service in store.

Appointment availability

This is slowly getting worse in my area, if online try to book for you or you do it yourself then it can sometimes be two weeks before you can get something. It’s worth noting if you go early without an appointment you should be ok getting same day if it’s emergency like a smashed screen.

Running tests

Regardless of any tests run online the genius will need to run them again. If you’re even thinking about going in store just go don’t attempt to resolve online first.

Forget it if you have an Apple Watch issue

The stores can’t do much when it comes to the Apple Watch, it’s better to deal with this via online.

My advice - stick to online

After this realisation I decided that I’ll only deal with Apple support online and avoid their stores as much as humanly possible.

I’ve had a few issues with my iPad and series 4 Apple Watch and dealing with online is much easier. Often it follows this process

• Chat online with their staff
• A box is sent next day via courier
• Pack up your device and take it to the courier the same day
• It'll go to Apple that same day, be looked at next day and typically you get it the day after that. So about a 3 day turn around, which I think is great

The only exception that would get me to a store is a broken screen.

What are your experiences of using an Apple Store at the moment?

I’ve been bumping up the font on iOS slowly over the last year or so but after switching my Apple Watch to bold text (and preferring the look of it) thought I’d do the same on iOS. I’ve done this on my iPad and iPhone and prefer the look, I’ve also been able to reduce the font size back to normal.

The keyboard is the biggest change that I’ve gotten to terms with but it’s much easier for me to see now with my older eyes.

Apps (well most of them) support this mode, some apps (looking at you Amazon) don’t seem to support bold everywhere.

Anyone else using this?

Over the holidays I’m juggling the XS with no case, the Otterbox and the Apple Leather case. After using the Otterbox constantly then going back to no case and back to leather I think the leather one offers me the best grip and size compromises of using a case.

Two things that are downside of the Otterbox, slippery back so it spins around on tables, buttons are stiff and the lower part of the case restricts the up swipe for multitasking.

The leather case offers a smaller footprint, is grippy and no restrictions on the bottom of the case.

With 2018 coming to a close I thought I’d reflect back on some of the Apple products that have been released this year, I’m starting with the Apple Watch.

As you know I’ve worn an Apple Watch since the beginning and although I’ve not fully embraced the fitness aspects I wouldn’t be without it. I enjoy it for tracking my walks (a new thing for me), replying to quick notifications and the design itself.

The series 4 was a purchase for me this year, coming from a series 2 I really appreciated the faster performance. Looking back on it now though if I still had the series 2 I’d probably hold off another year. The bigger screen is nice but not a game changer and some of the new health features aren’t available in the UK. I don’t regret the purchase (I went for the cheapest model I could) but if I advised someone today I’d tell them to wait it out until the new health features were available.

This is especially true if you want a stainless steel model. That’s what I wanted but Apple decided to only offer this model with cellular, something I have no interest in. The issue for me is that’s it’s almost double the price of an non cellular aluminium model. So I couldn’t justify the extra cost and went for the only model available to me, the 44mm aluminium in silver.

When I look back at the benefits I’ve had from the series 4 I’d say it’s an OK year for Apple Watch. Not blown me away but an ok update. If you have anything other than a series 0 or original Apple Watch hold off upgrading this year.

Looks like XR and XS sales continue to be a concern for Apple as it brings its increased trade in values to the UK.

Here’s what you can now get an XR or XS for in the UK when you trade in your perfectly good existing model. iOS 12 works fine on all these devices so personally I’d stick with what you have unless you really want a better camera.

Took a while to get here from the states but I’ve had through the Otterbox Marvel series case. This is the Symmetry series of cases but with an Infinity War flavour, which I’m loving.

These cases are a little bulkier than an Apple silicone but offers much more protection.

The only slight downside to the bulk is it’s a little harder to use the swiping up gesture on the X series but the width for me makes typing easier.

If you’re into Marvel or like style of case I recommend picking one up before they are discontinued.

I even did a little video.

Before new products are announced I like to play a little guess the pricing game. With the pretty much confirmed new battery case for XS, XR and XS Max I thought I’d have a guess at the price.

The current price is £99 for ALL battery cases, that’s is for 6 and 7. We are in new Apple pricing territory now and they aren’t ashamed to push up pricing so here’s my optimistic prices.

• XS: £149
• XR: £179
• XS Max: £209

These are the lowest I feel that we’ll see if they make it this year.

Durability isn’t great so I’d avoid getting the official Apple leather loop.

What’s happening at Apple marketing?

In the last few weeks we’ve seen more and more desperate moves to get people to update to the latest models. The reason I’m writing this is I’m getting concerned that Apple is spending too much time on this, especially with this latest report from 9to5.

Spamming the in store screens, especially the one at the Genius Bar isn’t a good look. Those displays show how to best use your products not be sold to. The others in store I don’t care about but the Genius Bar - NO.

When you’re waiting for an appointment sat on the stools there isn’t a lot to do and I’ve seen numerous people watching those how to videos and getting something from them. Moving them to advertising totally goes against the message of trying to educate its users.

At the moment all of this desperation (including the App Store push notifications) seems to be limited to the US so far but I’d expect to see it hitting the UK in the near future.

Not a good look Apple.

In an interview with CNET Apple have responded to claims that the iPhone XR isn’t doing well by stating it’s the best selling iPhone at the moment and is outselling the other models since release.

This is fine but how well is it selling? Without numbers this is a pretty useless interview and seems to be a defensive move.

I’m not proclaiming doom and gloom here but just wanted to take a step back from a lot of pro Apple sites reporting that this is a good thing, for me it doesn’t really prove anything.

Personally I love the look of the XR but feel it’s still on the expensive side. Recent reports of Apple reducing the price for carriers in Japan and the increased amount they are giving on their give back program has me wondering about how well it’s actually selling.

I’m really curious how these recent price increases are doing to their sales.

Another video from me about what’s on my iPhone.

Head over to YouTube.

I’ve never been a case guy but over the last few months I’ve been going between the Apple Silicone and Leather cases. I’m using an old black X silicone case on my XS and a saddle brown leather XS one.

After testing both a lot I’ve come to the conclusion I really don’t like the silicone. It might be the fact I have the black version but

• It picks up everything it touches
• It's almost too much grip to get it out of your pockets quickly
• It wears on the edges really badly and already frayed and breaking
• Now it's worn it feels sticky, not in a good way

So I just can’t recommend it. At £45 this is one of the worst value for money propositions Apple gives us.

Avoid and if you’re ok with animal products get a leather one instead.

As you most probably know I use the Apple Smart Keyboard cover, in fact I prefer typing on it than my 12” MacBook. I’ve owned my current version since June 2017, so at almost 18 months use I thought I’d report back on the durability.

For me the keyboard cover is attached to my iPad about 80% of the time, I carry it between meetings in work and it goes into my bag to form as protection to the screen. I’ve also dropped it a couple of times and it’s protected my iPad both times.

Overall for the 18 months of hard use I’ve given it I’d say it’s held up well. For the money I feel it’s a little on the expensive side but worth it if you keep hold of your iPad for more than a year. If you change your iPad each year don’t invest in one because it’ll be another couple of hundred that you can put towards Apple Care + or the iPad itself, these things aren’t getting any cheaper.

Where I’d like to see it improved

I’m yet to try the new iPad Pro and it’s new Smart Keyboard, I’m staying as far away from an Apple store as possible - especially if I have access to a payment method but from my experience of the current 10.5” here is where I’d like to see improvement

• Improved stability if using on my lap, the 10.5" is a little narrow and doesn't feel stable when I'm using it on the sofa
• Improved screen angles, not a couple but like the Microsoft Surface and more like a MacBook. I'd like to be able to adjust to wherever I'd like (if you know a good third party that does this please let me know)
• More durable material, as you can see in the images of mine the edge of the keyboard has frayed so I'd like to see some harder wearing material
• Bit more affordable, I know I know this isn't going to happen 😊

[gallery ids=“1075,1077,1078,1079,1080” type=“rectangular”]

I’ve talked a little off on the side about this but wanted to put it down in a separate post. I traded in my X and went all in with the XS Max (camera made it worth it for me). I’d struggled with the Plus models but wanted to give it a go based on how it felt in my hand at the store.

I kept it for a week but ultimately returned it for the XS, here’s why.

• I always felt like I was going to drop it. It's a two handed device, I like using one hand when I'm out and about.
• I didn't want to increase the size with a case, which made it even more likely to break.
• I felt it was too heavy and heavy in general. Getting back to an XS just felt right (for me).
• I didn't see any advantage of having the larger screen. Yes a bit easier to see but I didn't see any benefit in app layouts.

This time my RSI was fine but I just feel more comfortable with the 5.8” version that I can carry around and use with one hand more easily.

Really interesting Reddit thread here discussing the increases in Apple prices this year. Interesting how similar I feel to a lot of the sentiment in there.

Personally now I’ve taken a step back at least it’ll encourage people to hold onto their tech for as long as possible but there are going to be people switching platforms over this. For me I’ve accepted Apple are going to try to get as much as possible out of its existing user base with their sales falling or flat.

As i’ve already written up I’ve been priced out of a new iPad Pro but my 10.5” is fine and works well.

I needed to refresh my iOS devices and when trying to sign into the App Store with my AppleId (with two factor on) I had the message below.  I’ve logged it with Apple and its a known issue that’s being looked into. I wasn’t provided with a timeline so it’s a case of checking if it works once per hour until resolved.

I know I tend to complain about Apple accessory pricing after every keynote but this time it’s actually stopped me buying the new devices. When you add up the cost of the new pencil + keyboard vs what I can get for my existing ones used it doesn’t make sense. When you take the cost of this plus Apple Care I’d be looking at almost £1500 to get a new iPad. It’s made me stop and think more about my purchase this time.

Just look at the non Smart Keyboard cover, how can Apple justify £99 for some cloth and magnets?

Then take a look at the £30 increase for the new pencil, why? Some new tech yes but how does that add £30.

Then the keyboard also gets an increase in cost, £200 isn’t far off what a Nintendo Switch is to buy.

I’m sorry Apple but enough is enough for me, I just can’t afford to pay your accessory prices anymore.

You might think I’m bitter, I’m not. I’m just sharing some of my thoughts on the pricing of accessories. It’s happened with the leather case more recently for iPhone where £6 was added overnight.

Don’t get me wrong I love the look of the new iPad Pro but cost vs increase of functionality over my existing 10.5” Pro can’t be justified (for me).

I do genuinely like Tim Cook as a leader of Apple but he does love his profit margins…

Guess I’ll skip this update and keep using my already great 10.5”.

I was very tempted by the XR this year but I didn’t want to lose the 2x zoom capabilities of the XS. I’ll be tracking the availability later on but I think it might be a big seller.

I thought we were done with rotation issues in iOS, it turns out not quite. Sigh, I feel that this isn’t going to be addressed until we see a complete reimagine of the home screen on iPad.

Whilst I was looking at the new products within the Apple store app I noticed the above. They have increased the price of their leather case by £6 overnight. Why? I don’t see an increase in the cost of silicone but the leather got quite a big price increase. I know Apple are increasing the cost of a lot of their hardware but this seems unjustified.

It’s iPhone and Apple Watch preorder day and the store has gone down in preparation.

It’ll be back online around 8am (UK), if you’re looking at ordering I’d use the iOS app.

One interesting thing from the 12th that has stuck with me was the intro video.

Here’s the link.

If you watch when she asks Siri for directions it’s hands free.

This isn’t possible on the current models, you need to tap them.

So, did Apple intentionally leave them out? Is it me reading too much into it?

First time I’ve seen this.

Shared via Twitter we are seeing the rumoured 6.1” iPhone.

As you can see it’s available in multiple colours at launch and has dual sim slots.

As I talked about on the podcast this is going to be an interesting announcement, will it have the notch?, how low will the cost be? and who is this model aimed at?.

Only two days to go until we find out.

Another leak from 9to5 shows us the next two iPhone models, the XS… I’m not thrilled with this naming.

To us, the tech fans it’ll be 10S. To everyone else it’ll be XS or excess. Yes, with the pricing most probably over £1200 I can see the jokes rolling in now. Why haven’t Apple made it X+? I still think Pro would be a better name, like the MacBook or iPad.

Anyway, name aside it does look like we are getting a larger X this year.

It’s going to be a stunning screen at that size based on how great the X already is so looking forward to trying one out. I’ve never been a fan of the Plus model so it’ll be interesting to see if I take to it. I’m currently not planning on an upgrade this year but let’s see what happens…

Last observation on this is that it’s gold, so looks like Apple have sorted a gold finish on stainless steel.

What do you think?

So I’d say that this image is officially what the next Apple Watch is going to look like. 9to5 managed to get hold of some marketing material and have started to share the contents. I certainly wouldn’t want to be inside Apple right now…

Anyway what do I think?

Hardware

First off it looks like the current band mechanism stays, this is good. I’ve not invested as heavily as some but still have a few bands that I really like to use.

It’s hard to tell without side by side with the real thing but from the images I’d say it looks both thinner and wider than the existing model. It’ll be interesting to see if it stays 42mm, it’s hard to tell. It definitely has smaller bezels. If it doesn’t stay 42mm, it’s going to need additional bands so I’m guessing it stays at 42mm.

The red on the Digital Crown signifies it’s the cellular version, gone is the red dot (woohoo). For me personally I hope that they have this model non cellular as it’s not really taken off in the UK and is still limited to one carrier.

The side button looks to be more recessed. I’m thinking it’s haptic feedback based rather than mechanical.

It’s gold, not the edition version though. It looks like they have created a gold stainless steel model, makes sense if they are doing a gold iPhone X.

Software

That’s not a watchOS 5 beta watch face. I’m running the beta and it looks like we are getting some new faces to match the new screen size. It looks ace. I’ve been wanting a new face to enable a lot more complications so can’t wait to try it out. Looking at the image we have a lot of new weather data, which looks to match what’s available in the weather app on iOS 12.

We look to be getting 9 complications in this image, it’s a welcome addition to watchOS.

If this image is to be believed and I think it is then I’m so glad I held off on a series 3 as this is going to be a big update from my series 2.

What do you think?

After a week and a half the saddle brown case is finally getting some patina and grip. I think Apple put a wax or similar coating that protects the finish. This appears to have worn off now and as the case picks up oils and damage it’s become a bit easier to handle. [gallery ids=“672,673,674,675,676” type=“columns”]

We are a matter of weeks away from this years iPhone lineups and this got me thinking about this years top end model and specifically it’s price.

If rumours are to be believed we are looking at a 512GB iPhone X Plus as this model.

The current top end is iPhone X 256GB at £1,149.

I’m thinking that the iPhone XS will be the same price points.

So add £150 to get to iPhone X Plus 256GB retails at £1300.

This makes another £150 for storage, so iPhone X Plus 512GB at £1449.

Let’s see how wrong I get this in a few weeks.

Is it too much to pay for an iPhone?

Apple have collaborated with Logitech on a Qi charger for iPhone 8 and X. It retails at $69.99 and looks pretty neat.

Details here.

I know this is old news but the handwriting recognition in Apple Notes appears to have gotten better in iOS 12. I pretty much write all the time with the pencil in notes so I’ve picked up a habit of writing my title for the page in capitals, nice and clear. You can see in the image that it’s correctly picked up my handwriting and converted.

Go on, give it a go.

This usually means they are getting ready to release new colours. Makes sense with us only weeks away from a new iPhone announcement.

Wow this is a lot of testers for the next releases. I hope that they have a good sized test team.

Personally I’m running iOS, watchOS and macOS betas.

As part of trying to be more mindful about how I use my device I’ve simplified my home screen a lot. Here’s how it’s currently setup

• Only use utilities or methods of communicating with others on my first page, this covers most of the apps on there
• My wordpress site that allows me to share my thoughts quickly, like this post
• Access to my camera
• A browser to check news rather than Apple News algorithm
• Maps
• Everything else is on the second page with distractions like social media hidden away in a folder.When I want to launch apps I use spotlight.This is my setup for now, I'll report back on how it's helping me spend more time focussed on where I want to be using my smartphone.

As part of trying to be more mindful of my smartphone usage I’ve installed iOS 12 public beta specifically to try out app limits. The “Time Well Spent” movement I’ve been following isn’t about demonising technology but letting it help us get some control back. It’s obvious makers of social networks don’t respect us so thankfully Apple do. I’ve set myself a 30 minute time window for social networking rather than removing my apps completely. You can find all of this under Settings, Screen Time and then App Limits.

iOS 12 has some great new features that allow you to be more mindful about how you use your device, playing into the “Time well spent” movement. It helps in two ways

1. Being able to set a time where only your defined apps are useable
2. Setting up app limits e.g. 30 mins a day on social media

As I wrote about in a post yesterday I am very aware of how my iPhone causes me distractions and I’d like to test our iOS 12 to see if it can help on top of what I am already doing I.e. greyscale at times and a new designed home screen that stops my muscle memory of automatically going for that Tweetbot icon.

The more I read up on this new “Time well spent” movement the more I understood that it isn’t so much about stopping using Twitter all together but setting yourself some barriers to using it. It’s not about demonising technology but being more mindful of how you are using it (bearing in mind the creators don’t care about you and want you to use it more).

So, I’ll throw on the beta and set myself some limits.

Lory Gill over at iMore has written up a few thought on running iOS 12 beta on the iPhone SE. As resident tech support for friends and family this is encouraging and hopefully stays when released in September.

I picked up the leather loop in 2015 and have worn it probably 25% of the time since then. On using it last week I noticed the band has separated from the lug on one side. I raised it with Apple and was told it is only covered for 1 year. This got me thinking that for the money, which was over £100 at the time it should have lasted longer. In my experience with traditional leather straps they last the lifetime of the watch in my use case. I feel that Apple should extend the warranty on their higher end bands. What do you think?

Thought it was about time I cased my iPhone X for a bit. I’ve had a silicone case but never owned a leather one. I picked up a saddle brown one, here it is as day 1. Looking forward to seeing how it ages over time.

The home app isn’t the most intuitive bit of software from Apple. I wanted to unpair my new HomePod and it wasn’t immediately obvious.

Here’s how

1. Tap on the home app
2. Long hold on the paired HomePod icon
3. Tap details
4. Scroll to the bottom and you'll see ungroup accessories
5. Tap

I’ve been loving having a quality audio experience in my home office, as I wrote about before but the more I used it the more I loved having it in the office.

The issue I had is that I took it from the kitchen where the whole family could enjoy it. We had gotten used to calling on Siri to play our favourites and having already taken the Sonos out of action didn’t have a replacement.

I had a Sonos Play:1 and the thought of having to use it again after getting used to using Siri filled me with dread. The Sonos app is slow and being only able to call up songs via it rather than voice was annoying. After getting used to the HomePod and using either Siri or AirPlay without having to log on anywhere was a breeze.

I decided that we should get a second, but justifying over £300 for a second one needed me to be a little creative.

I decided to pick up a second one used so I traded in my Sonos Play:1, a couple of old iPhones and a couple of PS4 games I’m not playing. End result a shiny new (and still wrapped in plastic) HomePod for £5 after my trade with CEX.

At the moment I have them as a stereo pair to test (it sounds amazing) and then I’ll be moving the space grey one up to it’s place in the kitchen and leave the white one in the office.

As per App updates in iOS 12 you will be able to install software updates automatically. This is off by default, as it should be. I’ll be enabling this in the beta to see what happens.

There’s two native apps missing here, something to measure Nutrition and something to sleep track.

I’m hoping we get native sleep tracking in watchOS 5 at WWDC. There are a slew of sleep tracking apps out there but I’ve found none of them to work as I’d expect. Sleep++ is the most accurate that I’ve tested but I’d like the security of an Apple solution.

Apple should trust us to manage the battery and give us native sleep tracking. It’s an area Fitbit has over the Apple Watch currently, once they’ve offered it as standard they will be pretty much on par.

Please Apple give us native sleep tracking.

I’ve been asking for third party watch faces on watchOS for the last few years and have come to the conclusion we won’t get them - ever.

Apple work closely with brands such as Nike and Disney to create new ones but hasn’t as of yet opened it up wider. Based on this and the lack of focus on allowing developers to build their own I’m sticking my neck out and stating we won’t ever get them.

Apple are very precious about their brand values, I just don’t see them allowing any developer to create something that could potentially tarnish the Apple Watch brand.

The only way I see this happening is with strict controls on reviewing everything. I just don’t see Apple having the staff to do this on top of the already difficult to manage App Store.

I might be being pessimistic here but as with a refresh of Reminders on iOS Apple have disappointed me too much when it comes to my hopes for each WWDC announcement.

I hope I’m proven to be wrong.

If you’re heading to WWDC this year Apple has announced a special set of challenges for the week to get everyone moving.

This is a great idea and something I hope they do more of in partnership with other events.

Link.

I look at my home screen and generally I’m happy but I look at those app labels and wish there was an option to remove them.

[gallery ids=“337,338” type=“rectangular”]

This shouldn’t be the default behaviour but I’d like a user option to remove all app and folder labels. It looks much cleaner and I never have to use them. I’ve seen friends and family rely on these labels but for me they add visual clutter.

Making this change will also help remove this sort of eyesore from your device.

I look at the dock on my iPhone X and it looks so much better without labels underneath the apps.

Please Apple, give us some options here. Not that long to go now until WWDC so I’m keeping my fingers crossed.

With WWDC upon us I’m doing my annual review of what I’m storing in iCloud. When I did it struck me how limited Apple still are in terms of offerings.

Here’s my storage, I pay £6.99 a month for my almost 400GB of storage, where’s the 500GB option? Whilst I’m at it I also thought again how much Apple is taking it’s customers for a ride still only offering 5GB for free when we spend so much on products.

5GB in 2018?

It’s small and in my experience gives users a bad time using an Apple product. I’ve been asked by almost everyone moving or new to iPhone why they can’t back up. You can guess the remarks when I tell then they need to pay to back up their device or store their photos. Having spent upwards of £600 on a new device it’s a bit galling to have to pay anything to backup the phone you just paid a lot of money for.

I’m concerned with Apple’s focus on making revenue from services that a bigger free tier (to at least back up our device completely) isn’t going to be coming anytime soon. Apple have boasted for a while about how much services is making, you can bet that they are not suddenly going to offer everyone something for free.

I’d like to see Apple offer 50GB for free, for all it’s users. Not just ones that say bought an iPhone X but any device that exceeds the 5GB. I’m saying that if your device hits a limit in iCloud you should be given some more, up until the capped 50GB that they offer for free. This would be a much better user experience and would certainly stop all of the conversations I’ve had with friends and family around this matter.

Come on Apple, you can afford to do this.

Tier review

At the moment there is a jump from £2.79 (200GB) straight up to £6.99 (2 TB), for my use case I need 500GB or 1TB. I’d like to see Apple add new tiers

• 500GB at £3.79 a month
• 1 TB at £5.50 (including family sharing)

This would me to save just over £3 a month.

What about family sharing?

Regardless of if you set up family sharing (I don’t) or not I feel that offering this new costing is the right thing to do. Technically if you have a large family all with iDevices then maybe at £6.99 you’ll save some money but in my experience family sharing is a nightmare. I’ve tried (and failed) to set it up in the past and now don’t trust the service.

Saying that though most families would be ok with my new 1 TB tier, therefore saving families money over paying for 2 TB as I do.

Am I mad, is my maths our of whack? - as always, let me know…

I’m having a bit of a tech clear out and was faced with a second generation Apple TV that I didn’t have a remote for. I couldn’t get the Siri remote to work so was a bit stuck.

On looking at the back of the unit I realised that it had a mini USB port. I took it to my iMac, plugged in a usb cable and iTunes recognised it. It then gave me an option to factory reset.

I’ve written on and off about my experiences with the iPhone X and how it’s the one iPhone I’ve struggled to get used to. If you remember my one main draw to the iPhone X was the camera, it’s amazing. I loved having portrait available on a smaller device and made use of the zoom all of the time, I missed having it. I tried a plus again but ultimately missed the X. Long story short I’m writing this post up on an X and have some thoughts to share about how it’s affecting my photography habits.

I’d gotten used to travelling with my Canon 70D everywhere, it was in the car or at my side on most day trips. The main downsides was carrying it around, back issues mean I’m sensitive to the load I’m carrying and even though the 70D isn’t the heaviest camera Canon do it’s still DSLR sized. This got me thinking could the iPhone X replace my DSLR for my day trips?

It would considerably reduce the weight of what I carried and give me most of the shots I’d be after for these family trips and when I’m out and about walking.

Well, the good news is the iPhone X has been great at replacing my Canon. The only times I can now see me carrying it is when I go to air shows. There’s no way an iPhone can complete with it and a 400MM lens.

I’ll keep posting on how I’m getting on but these are the sort of day shots I mean that I’d take on my Canon.

With any Apple purchase I have to have that internal dialogue of “Do I really need Apple Care +?”. On something like an iPad Pro or iPhone X the answer is an obvious YES but on a device that lives at home what should you do?

I chose YES and I feel that if like me you fit this criteria then it’ll be a yes also

• Do you intend to move it around your home?, I'll be moving it between my office and kitchen
• Do you have kids?
• Do you have pets?

If you answer yes to any of these then I feel that Apple Care + is a must buy. Especially when Apple are charging over £250 for a replacement.

I’m in a love hate relationship with SIRI. Up until I got the HomePod I’d all but stopped using it on my iPhone, frustrated at the limitations and lack of seemingly being able to understand me. It was another story in the car though, with CarPlay I was using it all the time to get traffic, play music and deal with my messages. It was like it had a split personality.

Roll onto February 2018 and with the release of HomePod I’ve been pretty impressed with how well it’s been working for me.

First off the microphones in the HomePod are crazy good. I can pretty much talk as quietly as possible (like talking to someone next to me) and I’m picked up. I can even be in another room and I’ll be listened to perfectly.

My uses so far

• What's the weather like?
• How's the weather looking tomorrow?
• Set a timer for X minutes
• Play me some music
• Remind me to...

Where I’m limited so far

• What's on my calendar tomorrow?
• What's my next appointment?

So, it has some limitations but the good news is these can be fixed in software. The hardware is solid and I’m totally happy with it.

So, in a nutshell

• Microphones are amazing
• SIRI has me covered for the basics
• I'm hoping for more abilities via software, expecting this to be in September with the release of iOS 12

I’ve been using a Sonos Play 1 in my office for a year or so and when HomePod was launched I’d written it off. I was skeptical that it would sound better and be a useful piece of technology to bring into my life.

I know in this day and age you aren’t allowed to change your mind on ANYTHING but in reality you do change opinions and I did on the HomePod.

I tried one in store but was curious to test at home because the stores are so noisy. I decided to get one in to “review” with a view to return within the 15 days.

Well I’m pleased to report it won’t be going back, it’s settled in our kitchen and has turned out to be very useful.

First off it sounds great, the Sonos sounds muddy and bass heavy in comparison. The HomePod provides clarity to the music I’ve not heard before and really does live up to the hype.

Siri has been a mixed bag but on the whole fine for my uses. Setting a timer (you can currently only have one), asking about the weather and controlling music has all been great.

So I’m only a couple of days in at this point but so far I’m sold. Trying not to think about getting another one for the office…

After playing with the iPhone X for a month I decided it wasn’t for me, so I switched back to my iPhone 6S. I am looking at maybe getting a 7 Plus but for now wanted to see if I could still use it with the latest iOS. It’s also strangely relaxing not being on the latest and greatest hardware, it feels less fragile and somewhat comforting. For reference before my X I’d used a 7 since launch, until I got the X in November 2017.

Overall performance

I’ve been pleasantly surprised at how good this phone runs iOS. It doesn’t feel any slower than the iPhone 7 I’d used previously. I notice some lag using a few third party apps, most noticeably Instagram but iOS is pretty slick. Apple core apps run fine and navigating iOS is a good experience. It’s not what I was expecting to see. From everything I’d read I was expecting to be throwing it out of the window within a day but I’m really happy with it. Nothing I’m seeing so far would put me off recommending using a 6S on iOS 11. I know Apple gets a lot of stick about the quality of their software but credit where credit is due I have to give it to Apple on this one, well done.

Battery

In short, I need a replacement. I feel I have to keep it on charge to get through the day. Overnight it drains about 30% doing nothing. I’ve yet to get my £29 battery replacement but I think its time I booked my phone in for a battery change. I hate using the battery percentage indicator but for now I’m going to be leaving it on.

Camera

Coming from a 7 the 6S camera is fine, coming from an X I miss the zoom. Portrait mode has been hit or miss (and my DSLR does better) but having the option to tap to optical zoom is the feature I miss the most. I don’t take selfies so no opinion on the front facing.

Home button

Coming from the X its kind of nice having a home button back. Where I like it the most is being able to tap it to see the lock screen without it trying to unlock. Given it’s a physical button on the 6S coming from the 7 it does feel like I’m having to press it down harder than I would normally. I prefer the lack of home button as on the 7 and 8.

App switching

Gestures were nice on the X but I really didn’t care for how you closed apps. Getting to app switcher also seemed liked it was slower. Now being able to hard press on the side to bring up app switching then simply swiping apps up to close is more intuitive for me. It’s a habit I’ve developed and the main use of 3D Touch I use. I’m glad to have this back.The iPhone X gesture model needs a lot of work. Control Centre feels in the wrong place and closing apps are my worst offenders.

Headphone jack

I use AirPods most of the day but having an option to charge and use my expensive over the year headphones is nice I have to admit.

Screen

I don’t miss the OLED on the X. In fact I experienced eye strain using it. The technology used means the screen flickers, I must be sensitive to it. I see the benefits of the larger display and it’s one of the main reasons I’m considering getting a Plus.

Am I going to continue?

Yes, for now. I think I’ll ultimately switch to the 7 or 8 Plus to get the better camera though. I’m looking at used prices and I actually feel pretty good that I’m keeping an older device going rather than buying new.

I’m in no rush to move on from the 6S for now, I’ll enjoy not fretting over my X and battling with myself on the ethical choice of spending over £1000 on an iPhone.

I popped into the Apple store yesterday for a battery replacement, here’s my experience.

I also had a screen issue so my case might be a little different, who knows.

Apple are running a diagnostic and my battery came up as ok. I was then given the choice to replace it or not.

So, expect your iPhone to be tested but even if it passes you’ll be able to get it changed.

If like me you are looking to replace a battery with Apple and have anything prior to an iPhone 7 please call ahead of your visit.

See screenshot I got within the Apple support app I got today.

Having spent some time with both my current jet black iPhone 7 and the new iPhone X I wanted to share some thoughts on the differences I’m noticing day to day.

• Size: The iPhone 7 seems almost too small to me now, amazing how nice the X size is for my hands
• In hand feel: I'd always loved the feel of my jet black model but in the hand the X is less slippery
• iOS: Using 3D Touch to app switch is more natural for me and control Center much easier to access on the iPhone 7
• Weight: iPhone X isn't heavy but the lighter iPhone 7 is nicer to pocket
• TouchID: Is quicker for me, unlocking as it comes out of my pocket
• Charging: I miss Qi charging

Just a few thoughts on going back to last years model.

I’m so conflicted about the iPhone X, now I’m back on the iPhone 7 I’m finding I actually miss a few features that I didn’t think I would.

• Screen: I feel a bit boxed in now on my 4.7" screen. You do tend to only focus on the middle portion but being able to see all my calendar entries on one page etc was a good feature. I also miss full screen YouTube and Netflix viewing.
• Zoom on the camera: I didn't quite realise how much I used the 2 x optical zoom day to day.
• Extra keyboard space: Got to be honest, I'm feeling a little cramped on my iPhone 7 keyboard. I'm adjusting ok and is definitely a first world problem but I'm getting cramp. I'm actually finding my RSI is getting worse now I'm on a slightly narrower iPhone.
• Qi charging: I've been using the Anker Qi charger next to our entertainment system and didn't realise how convenient it was. With my iPhone 7 I'm running out of juice halfway through the day mainly because I'm out of the habit already of plugging it in somewhere.

Maybe I’ll revisit in a month or so but this year is one of the most conflicted I’ve been about an iPhone purchase in the 10 years since it was introduced.

As part of me trying out the iPhone X for 6 weeks I spent a lot of time testing the camera.

For me, getting the best camera available to me was the number 1 driver. I love taking photos on my iPhone and had previously enjoyed portrait mode in my brief time with the 7 Plus.

I’ve found the camera on the X to be on par with the 7 Plus.

• Low light on par with my 7 (in my testing)
• Portrait mode continues to impress me and I miss it on my 7, nowhere near my Canon 70D though
• I don't take selfies...

I ultimately chose to use my Canon more and save myself £1400 for now.

If you don’t own a DSLR and want to invest in having the best phone camera you can get (within the Apple ecosystem) then the iPhone X is going to be a good buy.

As you may know I’ve had an iPhone X for around 6 weeks and this week I decided to return it back to Apple within it’s return period. I picked one up to write some some freelance work and as a technology enthusiast also wanted to give one a try. I know I ranted about the price but I didn’t want to dismiss it out of hand, especially when it provided some extra work opportunities.I had the 256GB in space grey, picked up Apple Care + and used no case. It wasn’t cheap, £1380!Here’s why I returned it.

Price of entry is too high

I still can’t wrap my head around the fact that I was using a phone that was as much as my MacBook or iMac. Yes, there is a lot of technology but at a starting price of £999 I feel it’s about £100 too much.

FaceID

I’m glad to be back on TouchID with my iPhone 7. I can unlock the iPhone as I’m getting it out of my pocket, it doesn’t demand my attention. I also don’t miss swiping up from the bottom to get to the home screen. Call me paranoid but I also wasn’t comfortable being blasted in IR multiple times a day, it’s a small amount but there isn’t any good reporting on the effect of IR blasts into your eyes yet. Generally I feel that it doesn’t do any long term damage but after experiencing some dry eye I thought it couldn’t be helping.I really don’t miss FaceID or Animoji.

That bar at the bottom

Pretty much all the time there is a bar at the bottom of the screen to indicate you can swipe on it. I’m sure it’ll get fixed in iOS 12 but I find it annoying.

RSI

I experienced some shoulder pain using it over this period, maybe due to extra weight. In hand was fine, much better than a Plus for me.

In hand

It feels delicate and more slippery than the jet black 7. After using it for a while I think it’s the sides that make it slippery rather than the back. You need to be a fan of cases, I’m not.

It was only about the camera

Turns out the most enjoyable element of the iPhone X was the dual lens camera. I used zoom and portrait mode a lot and it was something I missed on my iPhone 7 having used a plus for a period of time. Aside from portrait I didn’t feel the shots were noticeably better than my iPhone 7. Low light still sucks and I could get closer if I wanted a zoom. At the end of the day I was paying £1380 for a camera update, more than I paid for my Canon 70D + lens.

Navigating iOS

I never fully took on board the new gestures. I hated closing apps, it was slower. App switching using 3D Touch on the edge of the screen feels more natural to me on my iPhone 7. I felt I was less efficient on my iPhone X. I’m sure over time I’d adjust and will have to if I want to use iOS going forward but I’m just not there yet.

What next?

I’m at a point where I might have bought my last iPhone. More than likely the entire range will adopt FaceID over the next two years and I’m not sure how I feel about that. I like my home button and TouchID. The iPhone 7 is still a great iPhone and an even better price now, especially in the used market.You might call me old fashioned but I hope Apple keeps TouchID on at least one model for a while yet.So whilst a marvel of technology that comes at a price the iPhone X just isn’t for me at this point in time. I’ll miss the camera and larger display but I feel at home on my iPhone 7. I feel efficient and comfortable, it’s where I want to be right now.

I’ve been using Apple News since release but something troubling has happened to my setup - Apple are adding unapproved News sources to my feed. To add insult to injury they are also enabling notifications.

It’s always been a good app allowing me to control what I see but I can no longer trust it not to add what it thinks I want to see.

You can see above that I set up News not to suggest or show me anything I don’t follow.

On firing up the app this morning the above has been added. I’m not happy. The mainstream news is something I’m avoiding (for obvious reasons) and not being able to trust my app is a deal breaker.

At this point I’m done with Apple News.

I’ve been using a mixture of Todoist and Reminders but now I’m into 2018 I’ve decided to make a switch back to OmniFocus.

Todoist was fine but it’s update to include little illustrations didn’t sit well with me. Reminders is ok for basics but not to plan a lot of projects.

So, I made the decision to go all in on OmniFocus.

The most important decision when choosing a to do app is trust. Do you trust that when you get something off your mind it’ll stay safe somewhere until you need to see it?

With OmniFocus and more importantly the Omnigroup I trust them as I do Apple with my data. I can’t say the same for most others.

I’ll keep you updated on my configuration and how I’m getting on.

As we’ve already talked about 2017 was a mixed year for Apple. Moving into 2018 it’s a good opportunity to think about what I’d like to see in 2018.

iPhone lineup

Between iPhone 8 and X Apple have had mixed reactions from the public. The 8 isn’t different enough and the X is too expensive. Personally I’d love to see how many iPhone SE and 7 models have been sold since the 8 and X were released, it may surprise you. I feel that they have sold rather well. I know a new line up has been rumoured already but here goes what I’d like to see

• A new 4.7" LCD that goes edge to edge, which replaces the current SE
• The current 8 gets replaced with an edge to edge 5.8" LCD
• Plus model dropped
• The current iPhone X gets a price reduction with 128GB storage option
• A new 6.5" OLED iPhone X to satisfy the current Plus owners
• All models except the SE have a dual lens camera
• All models have FaceID
• All models start at 64GB and offer 128GB

Thoughts?

iPad lineup

The current line up is solid, I don’t think we’ll see much on the iPad front aside internal bumps. No edge to edge design needed or FaceID this year I feel.

I’d like to see dual lens on the iPad Pro and FaceID but I don’t see it happening this year.

Mac

As someone that using a Mac maybe 20% of the time it’s a hard one.

I’d say improved keyboards on The MacBook and MacBook Pro.

Deliver on your promise of a new modular Mac Pro.

Wearables

I wear my Apple Watch everyday and love it, don’t see where the hardware can improve at this point.

I’d like to see improvements in software

• Third party watch faces
• Improved proactive health detection

Services

iCloud is pretty solid for me so mine is more around consolidation. Roll video into Apple Music or create a new video streaking app. Stop the bloat on iTunes and finally split it up.

Create a new Amazon Prime like service where you pay once and get all of the services in one package.

Software

Improvements to core Apple apps such as Reminders, Calendar and Mail. They are unusable for when you want to get things done and I often use a third party app such as Fantastical.

Consistency, this is something that should be top of Apple’s list when it comes to software improvements. I am a bit sick of Apple’s own apps all having their own personality rather than a consistent approach. For example Music has the new larger header style but Reminders has the older list view that is inconsistent. Please Apple chose one style and stick to it.

It emerged yesterday that Apple have implemented methods in iOS to slow down devices with less than optimal batteries. When thinking about this more I had to ask myself if I was ok with this.

I honestly believe they have the right intention but have executed it in the wrong way.

It totally makes sense for them to help users get the most out of old devices but slowing down a device you paid for without a notification is wrong.

Apple needs to move quick and ship an update and revised statement. All I’m going to get asked and see reported in mainstream media is that Apple is slowing down devices to make you buy new ones.

Based on my use of older devices I think this is being done to iPad’s too. I have a second generation Mini that with latest updates had become almost unusable.

I want Apple to either ship a battery health app or integrate this into iOS.

All it needs is an indicator and notification to allow users to check on the health of their battery. When it needs to slow the device down it lets you know.

What disappoints me is that Apple, by not communicating this looks like it’s tried to get away with something.

They deserve all the negative press they get on this one.

It’s been a mixed year for Apple, some great new hardware intermingled with some embarrassing software cock ups, here’s my highs and lows following Apple this year.

iPad Pro 10.5”

My favourite Apple product I’ve been using all year. As you know if you’ve been following me I love using iOS, I prefer it to using my Mac these days. I really liked my 12.9” iPad Pro with it’s pencil support and professional apps. But it always felt too big, sometimes embarrassingly so. When using in client meetings I’d always get comments on it, “wow, what’s that??”.

So, when Apple announced the 10.5” I immediately jumped on it. I picked up a Smart Keyboard cover and it’s been my go to device for the last six months.

For me it really does balance portability with power perfectly.

iPhone X

I was sceptical about the X, with it’s higher price and strange screen design I wasn’t sold. I waited it out but some freelancing work came in that gave me the opportunity to try one so I did.

I’ve been using one for almost a month and am sold. As a 7 and 7 plus owner my dream was to get the bigger screen and better camera in a smaller body, the X gives me this. Having portrait and zoom mode available to me whenever I want it has been great and something I always wished I had when using my 7. I’d take my DSLR everywhere and whilst the X isn’t a match for my Canon it gets me almost there and it’s something I can pocket.

I’ve been using it naked as Jony Ive intended and along with the jet black 7 it’s the best feeling iPhone that I’ve used since the iPhone 3G (still my favourite design).

I won’t go too much into it here as I have other posts planned on my time with the X.

AirPods

A classic Apple product, does something much better than the competition. I’m constantly amazed by the range on them and the ease of pairing is unparalleled. It took me a while to get them in stock but since owning them I’ve used them everyday.

I still think they look a little strange but wouldn’t trade them to go back to wires.

They are also good value for money when compared to the rest of the market I feel, there’s nothing like them out there.

iOS 11

iOS 11 brought a lot of changes to iPad (for the better) but also a lot of bugs. In fact I’m still recommending unless you have an iPhone 8 or later don’t even upgrade.

It’s not until I got an iPhone X that I’ve been happy on iOS 11. On my 7 it lags, I run into random crashes on Apple apps and overall it just feels like it’s beta.

On the iPad it’s turned it into a much more productive product for me. Side by side apps and drag and drop have made things like putting email into my to do system a breeze.

I really wish Apple had forked the iPad version properly though and created an iPadOS. iOS 10 was solid and iOS 11 on iPhone introduces new bugs, such as the weather widget never updating correctly.

Overall iOS 11 has been a negative though for me this year.

Software quality

A major negative for me this year. Between allowing root access with no password on macOS and all of the little user interaction bugs (auto replace it with I.T.) on iOS Apple have had it all.

Apple need to go back to basics and either improve QA or rebuild it.

I’d also like to see more of a focus on looking after its radar bug reporting system. I don’t even raise bugs anymore as I feel they get ignored.

This is my main negative on Apple this year.

What are your thoughts on Apple in 2017?

Watch for my “What I want from Apple in 2018” post coming soon.