On computer shops in 2026

Today, on a short errand walk, I came across a local computer repair shop. I don’t remember ever seeing this place, yet it appears they’ve been established for quite a while. They offer computer parts, mobile phone repair, new computers, and general IT services. The place was closed for the day, but it looked messy from the outside. I wonder how such a small business can survive these days. Maybe it’s a side hustle for something providing a more sustainable revenue source.

Interesting fact: since iOS 27 and Siri AI, my use of non Apple AI services dropped close to zero for answering mundane questions. Integration within apps plays a major role in this change.

First photowalk today with my iPhone 18 Pro Max. The main camera produces new visual artifacts: the dot is well known, but the weird shape is new. Thankfully, Apple Intelligence can easily remove these, especially in that image. Yet… 😔 you can see the removal of these using Apple Intelligence here.

My dictation success on the 18 Pro Max is not very good, a real regression compared to my 15 Pro Max. Dictation often stops in the middle or comes up with missing word. I don’t know how to explain this. Very disappointed. 😔

It’s fun to see developers share their first screenshots as they try running their apps on the iPhone Duo simulator for the first time… it goes from great to… utterly weird.

Quick update on my writing in public project: I received my first comment/feedback today, which triggered some small changes. I hope to get more feedback like this. As a reminder, this project is an article I’m writing about upgrading to the just-released iPhone 18 Pro Max.