Phoenix Rises From the Ashes of Tweetbot to Join Ivory
A couple of weeks ago I wrote about the surprisingly small amount of third-party Bluesky clients for iOS. After countless Twitter ones and now plenty of Mastodon options, it felt inevitable. Except very few developers seemed to be working on anything. For months, users (including me) had been …
Phoenix Rises From the Ashes of Tweetbot to Join IvoryThere Was Something in the Air After All
For the first time in 24 years, since the introduction of the first white iBook, Apple has a blue laptop again. While the new MacBook Airs are most certainly a “spec bump,” they make for a pretty good one. The new Air features the M4 (as expected), but also gets a massively upgraded FaceTime camera …
There Was Something in the Air After AllThese Might Just be the Prettiest Clock Widgets
Just a few days ago, a new iPhone app was released by designer Rasmus Nielsen. The app, while simple, is one of my favorites in a long time. It is called Tinker and it features some of the most beautiful clock widgets I have ever seen. Tinker is a super cool concept. You can build your own clock …
These Might Just be the Prettiest Clock WidgetsThere's Nothing in the Air
Apple device spec bumps are nothing new. Steve’s Apple did them all the time. He just didn’t tease them with iconic taglines that carry historical weight. Yesterday Tim Cook tweeted a teaser that said “there’s something in the Air” hearkening back to the 2008 unveiling …
There's Nothing in the AirFirst Impressions of the Insanely Beautiful but Baffling iPhone 16e
I’ve only had the iPhone 16e for a few hours, but I figured it was worth writing something out. Particularly because I am surprised by the device now that I have seen it in-person. It is no secret that I have been awfully skeptical of the value proposition and frankly I still am. But this …
First Impressions of the Insanely Beautiful but Baffling iPhone 16eOn Recent Apple Commercials and Billboards
Apple’s advertising has been hit or miss in recent years. They have run the gamut from controversies like the hydraulic press crushing beloved artistic tools to misses like the early Apple Intelligence ads to delightful surprises like recent heartwarming holiday ones. There has been a lot of …
On Recent Apple Commercials and BillboardsA Comet Approaches Planet Browser Company
If you have followed me for a bit, you know that I really love the work that The Browser Company has done with Arc. They built a browser that is ridiculously powerful, infinitely customizable, and even extended their ambitions to mobile with one of the nicest AI search tools. But something happened …
A Comet Approaches Planet Browser CompanyA Pretty Siri Can't Hide the Ugly Truth
We’ve been waiting for Siri to get good for quite a long time. Before the emergence of ChatGPT, Siri sort of languished. Outside of the addition of Shortcuts in 2018, it has generally remained at the same level of intelligence since 2015 when they added proactive functionality. Last summer, …
A Pretty Siri Can't Hide the Ugly TruthGemini Integration Could be a Huge Upgrade Over ChatGPT in Siri
A few weeks ago Federico Viticci wrote a great piece on MacStories about how one of Gemini’s greatest strengths in the LLM competition is that it’s the only one with Google app extensions. On Friday, Apple released the first beta of iOS 18.4 and while many of the AI updates that we were …
Gemini Integration Could be a Huge Upgrade Over ChatGPT in SiriApple News+ Food and Designing Concepts While Trying to Think Like Apple
Apparently, I’m on a roll with predicting new Apple services. Last year, when Apple introduced the Sports app I was tremendously excited. Two years earlier I had nailed the logo, the name, the color scheme, and the overall concept. While my imagined Apple Sports app was much more ambitious, we still …
Apple News+ Food and Designing Concepts While Trying to Think Like AppleThere’s No More Budget iPhone, Only a No-Frills One
Apple just unveiled their latest low-end iPhone and it’s… confusing! The iPhone 16e doesn’t replace the iPhone SE as many of us had expected. In fact the iPhone SE is gone entirely. There’s no longer a “budget” iPhone in the lineup. By “budget” I generally mean an iPhone under $500, whether that has …
There’s No More Budget iPhone, Only a No-Frills OnePebble Was More Than a Smartwatch Pioneer – Exploring Core, the Original AI Gadget
With Pebble returning to the smartwatch fray, I thought it would be fun to revisit their only non-watch product: Pebble Core. While Core never ended up shipping, looking back it gave us a glimpse of something that’s been happening over the past year or two. AI-centric gadgets like the Humane AI Pin, …
Pebble Was More Than a Smartwatch Pioneer – Exploring Core, the Original AI GadgetThe Most Exciting Year for iPhone Upgrades in Ages Kicks Off Next Week
This year’s iPhone lineup sounds like it is going to be the best one yet. It starts with the iPhone SE or what is now largely expect to be called the iPhone 16E. Apple announced that a new member of the family will be joining the fray next Wednesday and it is almost certainly the new …
The Most Exciting Year for iPhone Upgrades in Ages Kicks Off Next WeekWhat Remains of the Clients We Loved
I’ve downloaded thousands of apps as an iOS aficionado since day one. But none have typically inspired me as much as the third-party social media clients that helped build the industry as we know it today. I’m talking about Tweetbot, Twitterrific, Echofon, Twittelator, Tweetie, Alien Blue, Apollo, …
What Remains of the Clients We LovediPhone 16E, iPhone 17 Air, and the Single Camera Lens
Tim Cook has just tweeted about an Apple announcementent coming next Wednesday. If you know me, you’re probably tired of hearing me say we need some news. So this is great. I am excited. Tim specifically highlights that we’re going to see “the newest member of the family,” likely pointing to the …
iPhone 16E, iPhone 17 Air, and the Single Camera LensHopefully Pixelmator Follows in the Steps of Workflow Rather Than Dark Sky
It happened folks, Pixelmator is officially part of Apple. Pixelmator’s apps have been essential to me for more than a decade. I was both excited and mildly terrified by the announcement a few months ago that they were joining the fruit company. When Apple acquires beloved products, sometimes …
Hopefully Pixelmator Follows in the Steps of Workflow Rather Than Dark SkyAI Searches Just Got Way Faster
If you’ve been using Perplexity or any other AI-based search engine, you know that it takes a few seconds to get the answer to your questions typically. That’s why I was so psyched about Perplexity’s announcement today that they had shipped an updated version of their in-house Sonar model built on …
AI Searches Just Got Way FasterBluesky Can Also Be Your New Instagram and TikTok, Not Just Twitter
If you’ve been looking to escape the big social media platforms, but still stay somewhat connected and entertained, I have the apps for you. It’s no secret that I’m a big fan of Bluesky as a platform, though it would be nice to get some polished third-party replacement clients. …
Bluesky Can Also Be Your New Instagram and TikTok, Not Just TwitterApple Invites Screams That an iOS UI Overhaul is Coming
The rumored Apple Invites app has arrived. While I obviously haven’t had much time to play with it, I have quickly browsed through the UI and wanted to share some observations. The last new Apple app, Apple Sports, already felt out of place in iOS 18. It has a more visionOS or watchOS-like …
Apple Invites Screams That an iOS UI Overhaul is ComingTapestry is the Best Feed Reader Yet, and it Brings Twitterrific Nostalgia to Boot
Today the legendary development team at The Iconfactory finally released their long awaited feed reading app: Tapestry. I had regretted not contributing to the Kickstarter campaign, but man am I glad more than enough other folks did. Tapestry is a great app. It feels modern and new but has clear …
Tapestry is the Best Feed Reader Yet, and it Brings Twitterrific Nostalgia to BootOperator May be The Future, But it’s Still Too Early
A little over a week ago I reluctantly paid $200 last week to try out OpenAI’s new Operator web app designed to allow you to automate complex tasks. The tool, a new website included in the ChatGPT Pro subscription offering, lets you command a virtual machine to go out and complete requests via a …
Operator May be The Future, But it’s Still Too EarlyPerplexity Pro Now Has R1, o3-mini, and Just About Everything Else
I’ve used nearly all of the premium AI subscription services, but none of them come close to offering the value that Perplexity Pro does. Despite the company’s contentious relationship with publishers, I’ve continued to believe it is one of the best-positioned startups in the space. After the …
Perplexity Pro Now Has R1, o3-mini, and Just About Everything ElseWhere are the Bluesky Clients?
Let’s be clear, Bluesky has handily defeated Mastodon to be the main alternative to the big microblogging networks. It may be smaller than Threads or X, but it’s still far larger than the platform named after the long extinct prehistoric creature. Mastodon currently has around 9 million users, while …
Where are the Bluesky Clients?Fifteen Years of iPad, Apple’s Device with a Persistent Identity Crisis
It’s lunch o’clock, so it’s time to finish this blog post. Fifteen years ago today, I was sitting in my sixth grade classroom when my teacher called me over to her desk to show me what I had been waiting for Apple to unveil: the iPad. There it was on the screen, the first photo I had seen of Apple’s …
Fifteen Years of iPad, Apple’s Device with a Persistent Identity CrisisPerplexity Assistant is the Best Example of Apple Needing to Expand Extensibility on iOS
Last week Perplexity launched their latest product: Perplexity Assistant for Android. I’ve been a big fan of Perplexity for a long time. Despite its often contentious relationship with publishers, they make a spectacularly good tool. I love them, if only for the fact that they’re the …
Perplexity Assistant is the Best Example of Apple Needing to Expand Extensibility on iOS