Numeric Citizen Blog

Getting ready for Thailand

Fri, 30 Oct 2026 10:00:10 -0400

Finishing packing up my bags for Thailand! It’s getting real. This is our last trip of the year after Egypt, Jordan, France and Mexico. My wife and I were on a roll to celebrate our twentieth anniversary together!

On a side note: I’m doing some tweaks to my Scribbles Poster mini web app to add image uploads… it will be useful. 🖼️👀

The iPad generation expectations

Fri, 30 Oct 2026 06:57:43 -0400

I like how Apple introduced touch-screen support on the new MacBook Pro. Sure, the company was under pressure to add it, but its framing is clever and bodes well for future MacBooks. Thanks to the switch to an OLED panel, Apple didn’t have to compromise on the screen or macOS to add touch support. It’s clear that Apple will move its MacBook line to OLED panels over the next few years, which should also bring touch support to the rest of the lineup. The iPad launched in 2010, sixteen years ago; people entering higher education in the next few years can reasonably expect their laptops to support touch.

Pondering potential trade-ins

Thu, 29 Oct 2026 20:52:20 -0400

When buying a new Mac, you can have only one trade-in. I plan to return my M2 MacBook Air which offers a greater trade-in value than my Mac mini. I’ll either try to sell the latter myself or keep it, in last resort, to act as some home server. Keyboard wear is easy to notice by a potential buyer but Apple doesn’t seem to care too much. But Mac minis are a harder sell, so there is that.

Thu, 29 Oct 2026 19:32:26 -0400

Having Siri AI record requests to start a timer in Siri.app is bunker. What is this? I mean, not all Siri AI requests have to be saved in this app! Rich and longer interactions, yes, maybe, but beyond that, this is useless.

All problems solved, now?

Thu, 29 Oct 2026 06:59:07 -0400

Apple has long been known for the best trackpad on its laptops, with great OS-level support, so it didn’t need to add touch support to its screens. The trackpad is a solved problem, and it has been for a long time; what’s left? Add touch support to the screen with a great OS-level touch implementation, because they knew how; they’ve been doing it on the iPad since 2010.

About this new MacBook Pro with touch support

Wed, 28 Oct 2026 21:25:57 -0400

First, let me set the context: I own an aging 15-inch M2 MacBook Air and a M4 Mac mini. The former is my daily driver while the latter is occasionally used. I have a few more projects that I want to tackle early next year: building native iOS-iPadOS-macOS apps using Claude Code.

Second, here’s the plan: buy the 14-inch MacBook Pro with touch screen support while returning the MacBook Air for a credit and selling the Mac mini. Both will help me finance this upgrade. Here’s why it will be worth it.

This is a massive upgrade: the best screen, a much more powerful Mac in an attractive and portable machine. The screen will offer more room for content, in a much higher image quality while getting rid of the notch, to be replaced with a much more useful Dynamic Island. This new MacBook Pro will be able to drive both of my displays, an Apple Studio Display and a 4K UltraFine.

From what I’m seeing, Apple did a great job at making macOS touch friendly. I can’t wait to try this out.

I’m winning on all counts. Still to be decided, though: adding the nano texture option. I’ll pay a visit to an Apple Store in the next few weeks to decide.

One more thing: the Apple logo now is glowing! 🤩

Simply MacBook Pro

Wed, 28 Oct 2026 06:49:43 -0400

What’s Left for ‘Pro and Tell’ Week: Touch-Enabled OLED MacBooks:

So I’m just wondering if tomorrow’s new touchscreen OLED MacBooks aren’t replacements for the current MacBook Pros, but instead are the start of a new MacBook family with another name. I don’t think they’d call them MacBook “Duos”, because they’re not two-in-one devices. MacBook “Ultras”, maybe — with the same specs as the MacBook Pros but more expensive displays? But “Ultra” seems like a wrong name for a MacBook because Apple’s M-series Ultra chips are (to date at least) desktop only. It’d be weird if the M5 Ultra is exclusive to the Mac Studio while the MacBook “Ultra” maxes out with the M5 Max. So maybe they just are the new MacBook Pros and this first OLED/touch generation uses the same chips as the ones from March?

If we project ourselves into the future where all MacBooks get upgraded to include a touch screen, then the ‘Ultra’ naming wouldn’t make any sense for today’s MacBook Pro being named ‘Ultra’. They will simply keep the MacBook Pro name with a short tagline, ‘MacBook Pro with touch support,’ or something similar.

The sad state of the App Store for developers with ideas

Tue, 27 Oct 2026 21:39:54 -0400

I’ll slowly, quietly¹ start thinking about this Micro.blog super app. It doesn’t have a name yet. I have no idea what the app icon could be. I’m not an icon designer, and I don’t have the money to commission one. I’m not even sure it will see the light on the App Store. But one thing is clear: I’m afraid Apple will refuse or reject the app when I submit it to the App Store.

Well, not so quietly, because I’ll blog about this journey right here. ↩︎

Tue, 27 Oct 2026 19:36:39 -0400

One vibe-coding project I’d like to tackle in 2027 is building a native app for Mac and iPhone. I already know what I’d try to build: a Micro.blog super app—something @manton isn’t willing to create. And I’m okay with his decision; it’s an opportunity for others like me to take the challenge.

Mon, 26 Oct 2026 12:33:38 -0400

I’m afraid of what Apple will ask us to pay for the OLED MacBook Pro… 🫣

Mon, 26 Oct 2026 12:29:14 -0400

There is nothing mini about the iPad mini except its size. Price-wise, we left the mini territory a while ago. 😒

Some companies need to wake up

Mon, 26 Oct 2026 06:51:26 -0400

Now that almost anyone can build a native iPhone app using vibe coding or more sophisticated AI-agent methods, companies that keep releasing shitty apps for their products should pay attention. Synology is one example. They make great NAS devices¹, but their iPhone apps aren’t great. Unlike Ubiquiti, they don’t offer an iPhone app for managing their devices. I came across this app on Reddit this morning, and it looks well done. That guy essentially replicated Synology DSM capabilities in his app. That’s cool and useful. If Synology cannot hire good iPhone developers, fine, but with AI-based coding, they have no excuses to try a different approach.

I’ve been using a DS720+ since 2020, and I’m quite happy with it. ↩︎

New MacBook Pro: what's in it for me?

Sun, 25 Oct 2026 21:58:43 -0400

I’m really looking forward to Apple’s announcements this week: an updated MacBook Pro. While the rumored CPU is believed to be an M5 series, not an M6, that’s not what I find most interesting. It’s all about the screen.

First, I would prefer to have a Dynamic Island instead of a notch. I prefer pill-shaped holes. Small detail, I know.

Second, I prefer the OLED screen because I love photography with deeper blacks.

Third, I want touchscreen support because I think it makes sense. Sorry, Steve, but we’re in 2026. When Apple introduced mouse support in iPadOS, it was exciting to see the iPad grow into a new territory of user interaction. It’s macOS’s turn, now.

Fourth, the 14-inch MacBook Pro screen resolution will fit more content into a more compact design than my current 15-inch MacBook Air, thanks to a higher-resolution display (3024 ✗ × 1964 pixels vs 2880 ✗ × 1864 pixels).

Sun, 25 Oct 2026 19:55:11 -0400

I’m just realizing where I’ll actually end up next weekend: Singapore Changi Airport¹. This might surprise you, but 90% of my travel planning is done by my wife. I barely know or remember the travel milestones. This evening, I was wondering whether there were any Apple Stores in Singapore. Oh boy. There are three, and I can visit two of them. I can’t wait.

It will be a long ride with two long flights, with the first starting from Montreal, Canada, to Istanbul. ↩︎

Sun, 25 Oct 2026 10:52:47 -0400

It’s fun to play with Snapseed.

Sat, 24 Oct 2026 12:48:35 -0400

My late father passed away in 2021, but only today did I convince myself to delete his Facebook account. It’s a weird feeling. He would have been 98. 😔

Sat, 24 Oct 2026 12:21:26 -0400

I got a notification this morning from the Apple Store app: my HomeView order was bumped up by a week, so I’ll get it right after I come back from Thailand! 😃

Bye bye OpenClaw

Sat, 24 Oct 2026 10:28:29 -0400

I barely knew you. Fully removed all traces of this cancer from my M4 Mac mini. I feed much better now.

Fri, 23 Oct 2026 07:37:52 -0400

Following my recent post about the demise of the ARC Browser, as a Kagi Search subscriber, I’ll give Kagi’s Orion a serious try. I’ve been using it for about half an hour now, and I like what I see, though it may use a lot more memory¹.

This issue has already been reported on Orion’s discussions forum. ↩︎

Thu, 22 Oct 2026 19:50:26 -0400

Most of the recent improvements to Ghost seem to focus on newsletters and monetization. I moved to Ghost to leave WordPress and get basic newsletter capabilities. That’s it. I appreciate Ghost’s openness to the Fediverse, but most of these improvements aren’t targeting users like me. Ninety percent of my publishing goes elsewhere… like here on Micro.blog. Maybe it’s time to reconsider a few things…

Thu, 22 Oct 2026 18:04:59 -0400

Bye bye ARC Browser Should I trust them with Dia? I’m not so sure. Moreover, I don’t want to switch to Chrome. Safari’s extensions support is lacking… what else can I do?

Thu, 22 Oct 2026 08:23:56 -0400

As Apple enters in more uncharted territories for them, I expect more controversies. A bunch of world-class designers imagining new stuff creates a fertile set of conditions. We are in exciting times again.

Notes of interest from watching iPhone Duo reviews

Thu, 22 Oct 2026 07:06:15 -0400

I watched many iPhone Duo video reviews for you. In no particular order, these are my notes.

The return of Touch ID in lieu of Face ID received negative feedback. People don’t like changes like this. It is seen as a step back. I disagree. It’s not the end of the world.
I feel a level of excitement about the iPhone that It’s been lacking for a long time… it feels even higher than for the iPhone Air. Many reviewers say the iPhone X was the last time they felt this excited.
The iPhone Duo is a very polished product for a version 1.0 for Apple. But some reviewers feel it’s a polished prototype.
Right-handed users are the target of this phone.
The right-positioned Dock might auto-hide in a future iteration of iOS, so the screen real estate feels less cramped.
Many issues can be fixed with a few software updates.
It seems obvious Apple will extend the camera plateau to include more hardware capabilities like Face ID.
A Pro chip without the Pro cameras.
Many third-party apps aren’t optimized for the iPhone Duo, which reduces the device’s value proposition. Next year, though, it will be a thing of the past.
Many issues can be fixed with a few software updates.
The nano-texture inner screen gets praise, but the texture reduces contrast. Photography enthusiasts might not be thrilled.
Opinions differ on the image quality of the FaceTime camera on the inner display.
The crease is not an issue, but there is a groove, for sure.
Multitasking on the inner display really feels like the future of what multitasking on the iPad must become.
About the outer display: it’s like having an iPhone 5 in a Pro Max world.
There are so many different ways to use and interact with the iPhone Duo; it makes the learning curve a little daunting.
The iPhone Duo experience cries out for software design tweaks and improvements in the next few iOS releases.
Reviewers seem to rediscover the iPad software experience in some ways while reviewing the Duo. Weird.
The iPhone Duo is the heaviest iPhone ever, heavier than the Pro Max!
It’s not for photography enthusiasts. Even for 2000$. The lack of a telephoto lens is a major drawback.
Using a case on the iPhone Duo is odd but mandatory for such an expensive device?
The iPhone Duo might be the modern version of the first MacBook Air: a device full of compromises but also full of potential.
Using the outer screen is where most compromises show up, but using the inner screen is where things feel incomplete due to the lack of third-party support; that should improve over time.
Reviewers recognize Apple’s design prowess but also lament the lack of Face ID.
The iPhone Duo might create a new wave of support for the iPad, as developers are working to adapt their apps for the Duo, which requires dynamic resizing of their apps.

Surprising lack of singularity

Wed, 21 Oct 2026 06:59:33 -0400

How can eight YouTubers create nearly identical HomeView commentary video thumbnails? Are they following a code of conduct? Is this AI suggestion slop? A few YouTubers go a little bit more imaginative than others, though. Fascinating. Found on Ben Thompson’s blog, in a blog post with an X.com embed¹.

I don’t link directly to x.com by principle. ↩︎

Mon, 19 Oct 2026 18:06:59 -0400

Heard today: asking questions is a form of leadership. 👌🏻