Volatile Inputs

Volatile Inputs

@volatileinputs.bsky.social

I write about Apple and tech. Considered takes, no hype. https://volatileinputs.com

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Volatile Inputs
@volatileinputs.bsky.social

Apple Responds to the iPhone Duo’s Cracked Screens.

volatileinputs.comApple Responds to the iPhone Duo’s Cracked ScreensMark Gurman on Twitter: Apple Responds: “We are aware of an issue impacting the inner display on a small number of iPhone Duo units. If users experience issues with their iPhone Duo display, they should contact AppleCare for a replacement.” And also: More from Apple: Impacts a very small number of units and most iPhone Duo units are not susceptible to this inner display issue.
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Apple Can’t Wait 22 Days on the iPhone Duo’s Cracked Inner Screens. #apple

volatileinputs.comApple Can’t Wait 22 Days on the iPhone Duo’s Cracked Screens.There is always some controversy around new iPhones. Be it Antennagate, Bendgate, the iPhone 15 Pro heating up, the iPhone 17 Pro scratching and denting easily, or the iPhone 18 Pro’s Face ID not working as expected. With the iPhone Duo, it’s the inner screen breaking. I saw a lot of posts on Reddit and in Facebook groups (don’t even ask why I still use Facebook) showing the inner display of the iPhone Duo breaking at the exact same spot, and my initial thought was, oh, this is definitely some AI nonsense, people trying to capitalise on the new iPhone Duo and make a fuss out of it for engagement.
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The iPhone Duo Has Me Confused, and I Like It #Apple #iPhoneDuo

volatileinputs.comThe iPhone Duo Has Me Confused, and I Like ItI've had my iPhone Duo for the last five hours, and I have a lot of thoughts. If I had to describe how I feel about this device in one word, it would be confusion. Every time I buy a new iPhone, I know what to expect. The camera's going to be better, the battery's going to be better. The material might change from titanium to aluminium.
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The Evolution of iOS Design: Screenshots #iOS #Apple

volatileinputs.comThe Evolution of iOS Design: ScreenshotsA few months ago, around WWDC, I took photos of how the iOS screens have evolved. That wasn’t really comprehensive, as I had around 40 different screens. I knew I could do much more, so I wanted to take screenshots across 4 different stages of iOS: skeuomorphic, flat design when it started, flat design when it ended, and Liquid Glass when it started.
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The iPhone Duo Reviews Are In, and I Can’t Wait for Mine #iPhoneDuo

volatileinputs.comThe iPhone Duo Reviews Are In, and I Can’t Wait for MineI spent a lot of time watching iPhone Duo reviews on YouTube and made some notes along the way. Here’s what stood out from each of them. MKBHD MKBHD’s review was mostly positive. He praised the hinge and the durability, which is reassuring, but he did have some negatives. The first is the weight. He compared it mostly to the Galaxy Z Fold 8.
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My iPhone Duo Preorder Went Smoother Than I Thought #Apple #iPhoneDuo

volatileinputs.comMy iPhone Duo Preorder Went Smoother Than I ThoughtToday I preordered an iPhone Duo. I started at 1pm, and by 1.03pm I had it confirmed for launch day delivery. It went smoother than I thought. On Monday this week I had already prepared for the preorder, by picking the SKU I wanted, a 512GB Star White, and preauthorising the payment from my bank. I knew these phones were going to be in demand. I live in a tech bubble online, so going by all my social media, everyone was trying to get a Duo and I knew it was going to be tight.
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The iPhone 18 Pro Max Review #apple #iphone18ProMax

volatileinputs.comThe iPhone 18 Pro Max ReviewLast year, when I upgraded to the iPhone 17 Pro Max from the 16 Pro Max, it brought in an amazing telephoto lens, with both great quality and great zoom. The thermals had nothing to complain about, the display went up to 3000 nits (a jump from 2000 on the 16 Pro Max), battery life was great, and the Cosmic Orange colour was just chef's kiss. Aluminium felt like a downgrade, but it was the switch to the aluminium unibody that enabled a lot of the features I just listed. An iPhone with Pro in the name felt truly pro, finally.
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The S Stands for Siri #apple

volatileinputs.comThe S Stands for SiriFifteen years ago today, on the 14th of October, nine days after the death of Steve Jobs, the iPhone 4S released. The headlining feature was Siri. The 4S was the first iPhone, and the first Apple product, I bought. It’s the iPhone I used for the longest time, until the iPhone 6. Ever since the 6, I have been upgrading yearly. So I have fond memories of the iPhone 4S. It’s what got me hooked on iPhone photography, it’s what got me hooked on Apple. It’s one reason this blog exists, it’s one reason I wanted to write.
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Thoughts on Apple’s Home Event #apple

volatileinputs.comThoughts on Apple’s Home EventApple introduced four new items, or categories of items, today, and for once, even before the announcements, I knew I wasn’t in the market for any of them. I don’t do much in terms of home automation. I have a few Philips Hue bulbs, which we control via Siri, and some smart plugs that we use to turn appliances like the fan on and off. I do have the third-generation Apple TV 4K, which is plugged into my LG CX TV. The Apple TV is a godsend compared to the webOS that the LG uses.
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Thank You, Steve.

volatileinputs.comThank You, Steve.Today marks fifteen years since Steve Jobs died. I knew I loved tech and wanted to start up this blog because of Steve. The iPhone keynote in 2007 was a pivotal point in my life. I was studying accountancy, and if it wasn't for the iPhone I would have been an accountant or something. I don't know if I would have liked that life, and I don't know if I could have a blog on accountancy. I knew the moment I was watching the keynote that I wanted to know how software worked.
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The iPhone 18 Pro Camera App Finally Caught Up. Almost. In the past, I've always had to resort to Halide or Spectre to take photos I couldn't take in the native iPhone Camera app. A lot of iPhone photographers will tell you to use apps like Moment, Halide or some other third-party app, but I've…

volatileinputs.comThe iPhone 18 Pro Camera App Finally Caught Up. Almost.In the past, I've always had to resort to Halide or Spectre to take photos I couldn't take in the native iPhone Camera app. A lot of iPhone photographers will tell you to use apps like Moment, Halide or some other third-party app, but I've always stuck with the native app and gone towards third-party apps only when I need them.
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Will the 20th Anniversary iPhone Finally Kill the Dynamic Island Cutout? #apple

volatileinputs.comWill the 20th Anniversary iPhone Finally Kill the Dynamic Island Cutout?I like noticing patterns, and I have been thinking about next year's iPhone, aka the 20th anniversary iPhone. The iPhone X was the 10th anniversary iPhone, and it was something revolutionary. Apple reinvented the smartphone with the original iPhone, and the iPhone X reinvented a lot of things about the iPhone. One such thing was the housing where the Face ID components resided. In other words, the notch. The iPhone X, iPhone XS, iPhone 11 and iPhone 12 all had the notch. Then with the iPhone 13, the notch was still there, but it got smaller.
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Double the Neural Engine, Almost No Difference #apple

volatileinputs.comDouble the Neural Engine, Almost No DifferenceOne of the callouts during the iPhone keynote about the A20 Pro chip is how this chip is really good for AI-related tasks, "double the amount of neural engine cores" is something that was said, maybe even multiple times. We all know Siri is finally a capable assistant, but it's slower compared to the Siri of yore, there is a lot more processing that happens, so when Apple spoke of these extra neural cores I thought that this might make a difference. It didn't. So I did some tests in my last YouTube video, I split the tests into three categories and here's how the tests fared:
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Why the iPhone Duo Has Two Different Pixel Densities #apple

volatileinputs.comWhy the iPhone Duo Has Two Different Pixel DensitiesI was going through the iPhone Duo specs and realised the inner screen has a different pixel density to the outer screen. The inner 7.6-inch folding display runs at 1878×2670 and 430 ppi, while the outer 5.4-inch display runs at 1398×2034 and 460 ppi. That's a 6.5% difference in pixel density, and Apple hasn't explained why (yet). But then I remembered this has always been the case. iPhones have always had higher ppi screens than iPads. Here's every iPhone and iPad Apple sells right now: iPhones iPhone 17: 6.3″ · 2622 × 1206 · 460 ppi…
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On Setting Up my iPhone 18 Pro Max

volatileinputs.comOn Setting Up my iPhone 18 Pro MaxI preordered my iPhone 18 Pro Max and got it on launch day, same as every year. I filmed an unboxing, got to the setup screen, and that's where things didn't go as smoothly as I had hoped. The first screen asks you to pick your region. In previous years, it's always been set to United Kingdom by default. All I've ever had to do is tap next. This time it was set to the Netherlands. Out of habit I'd already tapped next before I noticed, so I had to go back and scroll all the way down to find United Kingdom.
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The iPhone Duo Has a Left-Handed Problem #apple

volatileinputs.comThe iPhone Duo Has a Left-Handed ProblemGruber has a great post on his thoughts about the 'Surprise and Shine' event, and I've been thinking about one section in particular since I read it. On the iPhone Duo's right-side-only UI layout and whether it's a problem for left-handed users, he writes: This layout puts these controls on the right not because 90 percent of people are right-handed and Apple thinks lefties can get bent, but, I think (and so I've been told in conversations with Cupertinoites), because that's the nature of a book-like shape. The arrow keys on keyboards always fall on the right, publishers don't print left-handed books, and carmakers don't make left-handed steering wheels.
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Thoughts on the iPhone Duo #iPhoneDuo #Apple

volatileinputs.comThoughts on the iPhone DuoApple's $2,000 iPhone Duo feels not like a simple extension of the iPhone or the minification of the iPad, but like a new product altogether. When Steve Jobs introduced the iPad in 2010 he positioned it as a device that sits in between a Mac and an iPhone. The Duo, when it was rumoured, felt like it was going to be an iPhone when closed and an iPad mini when opened, but I don't think it's quite that dual a device (excuse the pun). The changes Apple has made to the software, moving the controls and the toolbars to the right, is such an Apple thing to do, and it makes using this device feel unlike any iPhone or iPad we have used before.
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The Smoothest iPhone Pre-Order I've Ever Had #apple #iphone

volatileinputs.comThe Smoothest iPhone Pre-Order I’ve Ever HadI completed my iPhone 18 Pro Max pre-order earlier today, and it was the smoothest pre-order I've ever had. I've been pre-ordering iPhones for a while now, and every year I carry this anxiety about my bank rejecting the transaction. It goes back to the iPhone X. A couple of weeks ago, when I wrote about my experience with the iPhone X, I mentioned how my bank flagged the payment as fraudulent and almost got my order cancelled. I was on the phone with both my bank and Apple trying to sort it out, just to make sure I got the thing on launch day.
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Should You Buy an iPhone 17 Pro Now That the 18 Pro Is Here? #apple

volatileinputs.comShould You Buy an iPhone 17 Pro Now That the 18 Pro Is Here?So the other day I made a video on whether people should buy the iPhone 17 Pro before the iPhone 18 Pro launched. My conclusion was that they should wait to see what the iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max brought. Now that we know about these phones and by how much the prices have gone up, I think waiting was the correct choice and I was right. For £100 more we are getting a lot more. The 17 Pro was £1,099 and the 18 Pro is £1,199, and it's a no-brainer to just go for the 18 Pro.
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Thoughts on the iPhone 18 Pro #Apple #iPhone18Pro

volatileinputs.comThoughts on the iPhone 18 ProThe iPhone 18 Pro is what I'd call an S year. From the outside the phone is identical to the previous model, but on the inside a lot has changed and that's where the upgrades are. Apple sells a lot of phones when the outside of the device changes, like the iPhone 17 Pro, which I see almost everywhere. People like to buy things, and they sure want to let the world know they have the latest. This has always been the case with iPhones. A design change is easy for the marketing department to go "hey look, it looks new" and iPhones fly off shelves.
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iPhone Duo: Not Original, But Better Than Ultra #apple

volatileinputs.comiPhone Duo: Not Original, But Better Than UltraMark Gurman seems to be pretty confident that the foldable iPhone launching in around 6 hours today will be called the iPhone Duo. I think iPhone Duo is a much better name than iPhone Ultra. The Ultra moniker Apple uses in its other products means the most Apple Watch you can get, or the most CarPlay you can get, or the most M-series chip you can get. With the foldable iPhone not having the best camera system, having Touch ID over Face ID, it doesn't sound like it's the most iPhone one can get.
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The iPhone 17 Pro Max Exit Interview #apple #iPhone

volatileinputs.comThe iPhone 17 Pro Max Exit InterviewIt's iPhone season and as tradition, I like to look back at how the outgoing iPhone has fared during the course of the year. I upgrade every year, and if you are in any way reasonable and sensible, and are not a content creator, there is no reason to upgrade every year, but it helps me see what has gotten better and what has gotten worse. Smartphones are a matured platform so the year-over-year gains aren't as significant as they used to be, but for people like me who upgrade every year, it helps to put things in perspective and to look back and reflect if the upgrade was totally worth it, or if it was just a vice I keep giving into.
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The iPhone 15 Pro Is the Smartest iPhone You Can Buy Right Now #apple #iPhone

volatileinputs.comThe iPhone 15 Pro Is the Smartest iPhone You Can Buy Right NowI made a video a few weeks ago about whether now is a good time to buy the iPhone 17 Pro with the rumoured price hikes for the iPhone 18 Pro. A lot of the comments and questions that came in weren't about the 17 Pro though. They were about what the best value iPhone is right now. What should someone buy if they want to spend the least amount of money and still get a proper, modern iPhone. The answer I kept coming back to was the iPhone 15 Pro.
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The MacBook Between the Air and the Pro #apple

volatileinputs.comThe MacBook Between the Air and the ProTim Hardwick on MacRumors: Apple may introduce an entirely new 13.8-inch OLED MacBook model in 2029, potentially creating a new product tier between the MacBook Air and MacBook Pro, according to an updated product roadmap from research firm Omdia. The firm's latest roadmap sandwiches a new 13.8-inch MacBook between the projected time line for the Air and Pro models. The surprise model is said to use a single-stack hybrid OLED panel, rather than the more sophisticated tandem OLED technology that is expected in the upcoming OLED MacBook Pro models, which are set to launch either later this year or early next year.
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On the New iPhone Handoff Feature #apple

volatileinputs.comOn the New iPhone Handoff FeatureJoe Rossignol, for MacRumors: Apple has added a new “iPhone Handoff” feature to iOS 27 that will allow you to switch between two iPhones while using the same phone number on each device. Last year I experimented with an iPhone 13 Mini for a month. I went back to the 16 Pro Max because of the battery and the camera, and the Apple Watch syncing to only one phone was annoying too. But if I had something like this, I would have had a slightly better experience. I don’t think it would have swayed me into using two phones, but this feature would have let me go out with the bigger 16 Pro Max for when I needed a massive battery and a better camera.
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Will Both iPhone 18 Pro Models Get the Variable Aperture Camera? #apple #iPhone

volatileinputs.comWill Both iPhone 18 Pro Models Get the Variable Aperture Camera?The new iPhones launch in a week but thanks to the leaks we pretty much know everything about the iPhone 18 Pros. One rumour that has been mentioned multiple times is the main camera lens will have a variable aperture. But will both variants of the 18 Pro — the Pro and Pro Max — get this lens, or will it be limited to the bigger phone? I looked at all the previous Pro iPhone cameras and checked if the Pro Max variant has had anything extra going for it.
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Tim Cook’s Legacy Isn’t a Product

volatileinputs.comTim Cook’s Legacy Isn’t a ProductTomorrow is a new dawn for Apple. When I wrote about the CEO transition back in April, I focused on why John Ternus is the right person to lead Apple now. But on the eve of it actually happening, I keep thinking about what Tim Cook is leaving behind. When Tim Cook became CEO I remember reading articles titled “without Steve Jobs, Apple is turning into another normal tech company”. But in the last decade and a half, I think he’s proved the naysayers wrong. We’ve heard a lot of “Steve Jobs wouldn’t have done that” over the past fifteen years, but that’s precisely what Steve Jobs wanted for Apple.
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The Mac Mini Lost Its Best Feature #apple

volatileinputs.comThe Mac Mini Lost Its Best FeatureWhen the redesigned M4 Mac Mini launched it was a powerful, but small computer, it started at £599 and I wrote that the price was its best feature. In June this year, Apple raised prices across almost every Mac and iPad, and the Mac Mini went up to £799. Two years later we now have the upgrade to it. The headline upgrade is the M6 processor and it starts at £899. Since the MacBook Neo's intro, Apple has had to put up prices on a lot of its products and the Neo, launching at £599, now retails for £699.
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GTA 6 Leaked, and None of It Matters #gaming

volatileinputs.comGTA 6 Leaked, and None of It MattersGTA 6 leaks are being spread around, and I think this could have easily been preventable. The first trailer came out in December 2023. Two and a half years later, there still hasn't been a single clip of any official gameplay. Pre-orders started a couple of months ago. Rockstar could have showed off something. Instead they kept it all under wraps, saving it for a later date and for some exclusivity with Netflix. That hasn't helped. I've seen a few of the leaked clips on X. I have no interest in going looking for more.
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The Last iPhone Everyone Wanted Is Now Obsolete #apple

volatileinputs.comThe Last iPhone Everyone Wanted Is Now ObsoleteApple deemed the iPhone X obsolete last week and I have been reminiscing about it. I remember the hype, I remember almost everyone I knew who were on an iPhone 5 or 6 and everything in between were looking forward to upgrading to it, although it was priced at £999 (the previous year the iPhone 7 was priced at £599) and this was a massive jump but most of my friends were ready to jump on it. It was rumoured for a while that the 10th year anniversary iPhone was going to be special and there were a lot of leaks (
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Camera AirPods Are Coming. Good Luck, Apple #apple

volatileinputs.comCamera AirPods Are Coming. Good Luck, AppleAaron Perris on Twitter has unearthed AirPods with a camera in action on the macOS 26.7 RC. This has been rumoured for a while from Mark Gurman, and this leak cements it. Oops. I recently wrote about how smart glasses are not being welcomed by society, and I had to cut some bits out of that article so I didn't go off on a tangent about what Apple would or wouldn't do. But I did have thoughts. Apple is usually never first to the market with a new product, and this is one instance I was wishing they were.
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Apple Will Build Its Own Magic Capture. I'd Bet on It. #apple

volatileinputs.comApple Will Build Its Own Magic Capture. I’d Bet on It.I was watching Dave2D's video on the new Google Pixel 11 phones and one thing caught my eye: a feature called Magic Capture, in his own words: There’s a new mode called Magic Capture that records video. But while you’re recording, it also intelligently selects and captures still images from the footage. So, alongside the video file, you get these automatically selected photos. They’re cropped, unblurred, and tweaked to look as good as possible, all without you having to do anything. When I first heard about this feature, I thought, …
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Creeps Ruined Smart Glasses for the Rest of Us...

volatileinputs.comCreeps Ruined Smart Glasses for the Rest of UsI've been using my Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses for at least two years now. I initially bought them mostly for taking behind-the-scenes footage of me taking photos on my iPhone, so I could create Instagram reels and all that. I eventually ended up using Meta AI a lot too, and I have kept using it because it's much better than the Siri of yore. I have another pair of Ray-Ban aviators which I've been using for nearly a decade now, which is still the classier pair of sunglasses. But I've found myself reaching for the Metas, because they are much more than glasses that protect your eyes.
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I’m Still Buying the iPhone 18 Pro Over the Foldable

volatileinputs.comI’m Still Buying the iPhone 18 Pro Over the FoldableYesterday I wrote about how the Galaxy Z Fold 8 sold me on the foldable iPhone's form factor. This is the part where I explain why I'm still not buying one. Every year for the past twelve years or so, the reason I buy a new iPhone is the camera. The iPhone 18 Pro is rumoured to have a variable aperture lens. And based on the current rumours and mockups the foldable will not have a telephoto lens (the telephoto is my most used lens on my 17 Pro Max). So am I ready to give up the…
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The Galaxy Z Fold 8 Changed My Mind About the Foldable iPhone #apple

volatileinputs.comThe Galaxy Z Fold 8 Changed My Mind About the Foldable iPhoneBack in April I wrote that Apple's foldable iPhone had an aspect ratio that made no sense to me. Wider and shorter when closed, and I couldn't work out what that would mean for typing, or Maps, or the things I actually do on a phone every day. Now the Samsung Galaxy Fold 8 is here. I've watched plenty of reviews and wanted to try one myself, so I walked into my local Currys the other day and had a play with one. I'm not worried about the aspect ratio anymore.
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Clicks Power Keyboard Review: Great Keyboard Idea, Bad Battery Decision

volatileinputs.comClicks Power Keyboard Review: Great Keyboard Idea, Bad Battery DecisionI pre-ordered the Clicks Power Keyboard, which should tell you how much I wanted a physical keyboard back on my iPhone. I pre-ordered mine on the 4th of January, and I got it delivered on the 24th of July. It was a long wait, and I'm still not sure it was worth it. The Wait When I pre-ordered, the Clicks website said that I should have the product shipped around the end of May, that did not happen, I got my initial "your product has shipped" email on the 15th of July.
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Is the iPhone Ultra Really Deserving of the Ultra Name? Ryan Christoffel writing for 9to5Mac on why the iPhone Ultra sounds truly deserving of the 'Ultra' name: My main arguments against the Ultra name involve hardware features. iPhone Ultra will lack the Telephoto camera that iPhone 18 Pro…

volatileinputs.comIs the iPhone Ultra Really Deserving of the Ultra Name?Ryan Christoffel writing for 9to5Mac on why the iPhone Ultra sounds truly deserving of the 'Ultra' name: My main arguments against the Ultra name involve hardware features. iPhone Ultra will lack the Telephoto camera that iPhone 18 Pro offers, and battery life might be worse than iPhone 18 Pro Max. Justifying 'Ultra' when certain features don't match the 'Pro' line seems tough.
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Safari Profiles Are Great. Switching Between Them Isn't. #macOS

volatileinputs.comSafari Profiles Are Great. Switching Between Them Isn’t.I purchased a Stream Deck recently and I have been trying to set it up so it can assist me in being productive. It's been about 3 weeks and I am getting more utility out of it compared to the TourBox controller that I returned. Safari is my browser of choice, mostly because it syncs to my other Apple devices and it respects my privacy. Ever since Safari Profiles was a thing I have been a massive fan of them. I have multiple profiles for separate things, but there are three that I use a lot:
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Apple Upgrade Gives Apple Permission to Raise iPhone Prices #apple

volatileinputs.comApple Upgrade Changes the iPhone Pricing ConversationM.G. Siegler, writing on Spyglass: While Apple still didn't raise iPhone prices alongside this move, it's clearly another lever to pull getting ahead of that inevitable increase in a few weeks. Now a $100 or $200 price increase on the iPhone 18 Pro – perhaps soon to start at $1,299? – will look far less daunting when Apple can also tout the option to pay, say, $33.99/month I have always argued that Apple will not raise the prices on the iPhone 18 Pros coming this September. Mostly because the base iPhone 18s are rumoured to land next March, and an iPhone with an 18 on its name starting at $1,299 — when the 17 started at $799 — was never going to sit well with the public or Wall Street.
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About Time MacBooks Got a Touchscreen #apple

volatileinputs.comAbout Time MacBooks Got a TouchscreenThe next "new" MacBook is rumoured to get a touchscreen. I belonged to the camp that touchscreens are bad and MacBooks should never have one, until I started using a Microsoft Surface at my work. The Surface laptop itself, I don't have anything good to say about it. It heats up, the trackpad is bad, and the display isn't worth talking about. But I have started to appreciate the touchscreen, to the point that when I'm on my M1 MacBook Pro, I miss it. There have been moments I've actually touched my MacBook screen to dismiss a pop-up, only to realise it does nothing.
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Turns Out Play Does Have Limits #gaming #playstation

volatileinputs.comTurns Out Play Does Have LimitsFrom the Sony PlayStation blog: As consumer preferences and the broader entertainment industry continue to shift away from physical discs to digital, physical game disc production for all new games releasing on PlayStation consoles will be discontinued starting January 2028. Following this date, new games will be available on PlayStation Store and at retailers in digital formats only. This transition has no impact on games that already released, or will be releasing, prior to January 2028 in disc format. A couple of weeks ago, when GTA 6 pre-orders went live, we already got a taste of this.
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The Hardest Part of Siri Now Is Remembering to Use It #apple #iOS27

volatileinputs.comThe Hardest Part of Siri Now Is Remembering to Use ItI was listening to the latest episode of The Talk Show, and John Gruber said the hardest thing is to remember to use it. He meant Siri, and he's right. There are two kinds of people when it comes to Siri. There are people like me, who decided a long time ago that Siri is bad and never really went back to check. I use it to set timers and alerts, to remind me to buy things and to turn the lights on in my flat. That's all I ask pretty much.
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Apple's Pricing Escalator Usually Goes One Way #apple

volatileinputs.comApple’s Pricing Escalator Usually Goes One WayApple, in a statement shared with MacRumors: The consumer electronics industry is facing an unprecedented challenge. The rapid expansion of AI data centers has created an extraordinary surge in demand for memory and storage. We have never seen a component price increase this much, this quickly. We have shielded our customers from these increases so far, but we have now reached a point where we need to begin raising prices on a number of products, including today's increases for iPad and Mac. We know this is not welcome news, and we are working tirelessly to find solutions.
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Apple's UK Price Increases, in Pounds This Time #apple

volatileinputs.comApple’s UK Price Increases, in Pounds This TimeApple raised prices across most of its lineup today. The UK price increases hit Macs, iPads, HomePods, Apple TV, and Vision Pro, some of them steeply. If you've been following the news, none of this is a surprise. Most of the reporting is in US dollars, so I dug through the Wayback Machine and put together the UK numbers. Macs MacBook Neo: +£100 → £699 MacBook Air: +£200 → £1,299 MacBook Pro: +£300 → £1,999 iMac: +£200 → £1,499 Mac Studio: +£400 → £2,499 iPads iPad Pro: +£200 → £1,199…
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The iPhone Air 2 Could Get a Second Lens. I'd Still Want Three #shotoniPhone #Apple

volatileinputs.comThe iPhone Air 2 Could Get a Second Lens. I’d Still Want ThreeJohn Gruber has a post about which camera lenses he's used most on his iPhone 17 Pro, and reading it I knew I had to check my own. My results didn't surprise me, mostly. Across over 9,000 photos, my lens usage breaks down like this: Telephoto (4×): ~47% Main (1×): ~38% Ultra Wide: ~15% The telephoto being ahead of the main lens doesn't surprise me at all. I love zooming onto things, getting that reach, and the compression that comes with it. What does surprise me is the ultra wide. I'd have expected that to sit around 8%.
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iOS 27 Is Making Me Angry #Apple #iOS

volatileinputs.comiOS 27 Is Making Me AngryI've got the iOS 27 developer beta on an iPhone 15 Pro and I haven't had any major bugs so far. And the performance, I feel, is better than my iPhone 17 Pro Max running iOS 26. Apple could have done this ages ago, but they didn't. I am aware that this is because refinement alone doesn't sell phones, new features do. But it still makes me angry that it took iOS 27 to show what was possible. The last time we had a "Snow Leopard" year for iOS was in 2018 with iOS 12.
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What I Noticed Using iOS 27's New Photo Tools #Apple #iOS27

volatileinputs.comWhat I Noticed Using iOS 27’s New Photo ToolsI wanted to play with the new photo editing tools on iOS 27 and ended up making a video out of it. I did almost no preparation. The only thing I did beforehand was pick about twenty photos to edit. Everything else I noticed while filming, and a few of those things are the reason I'm writing this. The biggest one: iOS 27 won't let you use Clean Up on a Pro RAW image. iOS 26 does this without complaint, and there's no obvious reason a RAW file should be off limits.