Apple, Copy This!

Bauhaus Clock for iPhone and iPad:

Bauhaus Clock for iPhone and iPad is a design-first, utility-second sort of app. It’s simple, doing nothing more than tell the time in one or two locations. But how it tells the time — with its gasp-worthy combination of visual, haptics, and audio features — make it one of those delightful apps you’ll love to have on your device.

I wish Apple offered more stylish and easy-to-read watch faces for the Apple Watch. While the hardware has been lagging a bit, perhaps Apple could improve the watch experience through a better time-reading experience.

Enjoying Stable Apple OSes?

It’s the time of the year where Apple’s operating systems are the most stable, right before the next WWDC edition. But, really, this year, it is the case? I’m not so sure. As of today, I see bugs in every OSes that Apple didn’t fix since their dot zero release. I home Apple will change course in 2026.

AirPods Ultra?

AirPods Pro With AI Cameras Reach ‘Advanced’ Testing Stage — MacRumors

The AirPods Pro will have built-in cameras that will feed visual information about the wearer’s surroundings to Siri. While there will be a longer stem for the camera in each AirPod, the device will otherwise look similar to the AirPods Pro 3.

I would take an AirPods upgrade over any pendant-like device for augmented reality with AI twists. I feel this is more socially acceptable than a pendant.

On Mac SKUs Optimization

Apple Cuts More Mac Studio and Mac Mini RAM Options as Memory Shortage Worsens — MacRumors

Apple has removed more desktop Macs from its online store as the global memory shortage continues. Mac mini models with 32GB and 64GB of RAM are no longer available for purchase, nor is the M3 Ultra Mac Studio with 256GB RAM.

While some RAM configurations were removed, I find it surprising that you still can configure your Mac with up to 16 TB of storage, another electronic component that is becoming scarce. Apple is, in fact, reducing CPU SKUs1, but might also reduce storage options in the future.

  1. RAM or system memory is on-chip. ↩︎

Come On Apple, Take It!

Manton Reece is struggling with Apple’s efforts to publish Inkwell on the App Store. He shared some details about his recent difficult experience, and I hope he will reveal more once the app is available.

The state of the App Store is astonishing, in a bad way. I recently spent a few minutes browsing the Mac App Store to find an iPhone app and check its compatibility on a Mac. The number of poorly made apps is incredible. It appears Apple no longer recognizes when an app is genuinely well-designed and serves a real purpose.

I use the TestFlight version of Inkwell every day.

Apple Watch Face Store?

watchOS 27 to Offer New Watch Faces, Including ‘Modular Ultra’ Variant — MacRumors

Apple is testing multiple new faces for watchOS 27, code-named “Orchid,” with one being a “simplified take” on the Modular Ultra design.

When is Apple going to introduce a Watch Face Store? Will Apple ever do this? Beyond Apple Watch Apps, it seems Apple is missing an opportunity to make even more money, even if it is open to a select few Watch Face developers and designers…

While reviewing my list of potential tech purchases, I found that the Rodecaster Video now has a new variant: the S model. It is more affordable but still retains most features, with fewer inputs and outputs that are still sufficient for my potential needs. The key question is: do I actually need it? Would purchasing this device allow me to resume producing YouTube videos?

Memory Is the Machine:

Apple did not win an AI race. Apple made a memory-architecture decision in 2020 that turned out to be the AI race, five years before there was an AI race.

Maybe we should stop focusing on Siri failures and, like Om Malik said, on the real story where Apple has a five year lead… which happens to make a big difference in an AI-distributed world.