I know where I’ll install Apple’s upcoming HomeHub… sorry, HomeView¹, when I can get my hands on it. It needs to be central but not distracting when it displays photos². Central enough so I can ask questions and get audible answers, like with the HomePod³. Close enough to reach and interact with on a whim. HomeView capabilities could be a deciding factor in where it lands in my house, or whether I get more than one.

I’m really looking forward to Apple’s new home device. I wish it would be called “the HomePod” because it reflects what the device is about. Now that Apple already uses that name for their rather dumb speaker, reusing it would be tricky, but not impossible. Apple could rename the current HomePod and the HomePod mini, yet it’s tricky. HomeHub might be the second-best name and would fit the personal-hub concept John Ternus discussed recently. Your iPhone is your personal hub, while the HomeHub is your home hub… duh. You can see a great device design approximation on YouTube from ‘fpt’. It’s rather cute.

I’m already trying to figure out where I will install it in my house.

Lately, because token usage in subscriptions has become costlier, I’ve become more selective about the models I choose for prompts. I switch between models like Haiku, Sonnet, and Opus based on the complexity of the prompt and the effort needed to produce a high-quality response. Is anyone else adopting this approach?

In a recent social media post announcing Apple’s next event on October 13, we see people actually creating a very likable Apple logo. Not AI. Thank you, Apple, for caring.

In recent days, as we head into colder, wetter fall weather, I restarted my daily treadmill routine while listening to educational videos on YouTube. It’s the best I can do to keep learning new things while staying in good shape. I conclude my exercise session with stretching and meditation using Apple Fitness+.

Memory gold rush bonanza makes billions for Micron — Blocks and Files

Even with additional industry DRAM cleanroom space plans, with robust demand trends including new upside requests from customers, we do not have line of sight to when supply and demand will return to balance.

That’s not great news for all of us.

According to the latest rumors:

“The hub is about as thick as an iPhone, and its display is surrounded by a quarter-inch, black bezel reminiscent of older iPads. It has rounded corners and no sharp edges. The device lacks a battery, so it has to be plugged in at all times, and there are no volume or power buttons. The product comes in Apple’s standard gray aluminum finish and includes a USB-C port for power. The screen sits above a metal, round base with multiple rings of perforated speaker holes and connects to it through a polished metal arm. Users can manually tilt the display forward or backward. And the base has a rubberized bottom to help it stay on a table. The standard version looks reminiscent of the famous iMac G4 from 2002 that has a large display that sits on a half-dome-shaped base.”

The Intelligent Home Hub might be a good name that fits the Intelligent Personal Hub moniker John Ternus used recently when referring to the iPhone.

Another set of thoughts about OpenAI’s recent announcements, which trigger all sorts of reactions in me.

• OpenAI seems to be trying to be more like Apple; it’s obvious in their slides during their keynote.
• I think OpenAI shows courage by doing live demos of things that are clearly not ready for prime time. Since people would like Apple to return to live events, I’m not sure I want to see those kinds of failures, as they might overshadow the message.
• I saw a different Sam Altam during the keynote, who appeared more enthusiastic than usual, but it felt a bit off.
• Many of the new features are available only to Pro plans, which I’m not willing to subscribe to because they are too expensive.
• They make progress on their desktop app, but it still feels bloated, just like Anthropic’s desktop client. None of them are native apps, yet they brag about AI coding capabilities and still depend on Electron. Go figure.
• You might find Dots a cute name for agents, but the last thing I want from AI is to be cute. I would argue that I want an invisible AI.
• I still don’t see a use case for agents like Dots or Muse (Meta). I don’t trust that technology to take over my digital life, even for the simplest task. I don’t feel good about asking an AI bot to check off an item on my to-do list. And I certainly don’t want an AI bot to do shopping for me. BTW, who’s responsible for buying errors: the bot, the AI company or the one paying for it?

I haven’t felt this anti-AI attitude as strongly as I do this week. I wonder why.

Random thoughts after watching OpenAI’s keynote today and reading AI news in general.

I rewatched Apple’s Surprise and Shine event today and found the iPhone Duo segment really good. In fact, the device seems to have a magical touch. Even though it doesn’t make sense, I would love to get a foldable iPad. I would love an iPad mini when folded and a large iPad when unfolded. While I wait for such a device, I would gladly use the new multitasking gesture to put two apps side by side on my current iPad Pro. Apple, I hope you get the message.