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The iPhone 16e (released February 2025) is Apple’s newest member of the iPhone 16 family. Apple kindly lent me an iPhone 16e for review; since its release, I’ve spent a little over a month using the iPhone 16e as my daily driver and have enjoyed the experience much more than I ever thought I would. The speaker quality is head and shoulders above my much larger (and much more expensive) iPhone 16 Pro Max. VoiceOver performance is fast and responsive. Battery life is strong and better than…

iPhone 16e availability in the U.S. is less than 24 hours away, and ahead of the launch, I was provided a unit for review.

Going into today, I was looking forward to sharing the iPhone 16e with our community, especially as there has been much anticipation and excitement on AppleVis surrounding this phone in particular. Unboxing podcasts are a lot of fun, especially when the recording goes…

Apple today introduced the iPhone 16e, bringing a 6.1-inch display, Face ID, USB-C, the A18 chip, an upgraded camera, and more to the company's lowest-cost iPhone model. With the new design and display size, Apple no longer sells iPhone models with Touch ID or a physical Home button.

With a starting price of US$599, the iPhone 16e replaces the iPhone SE and iPhone 14 in Apple's lineup. Curiously, however, the iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus, which includes the Dynamic Island and MagSafe…

The iPhone 16 Pro Max is the largest iPhone Apple has ever made, and it offers the longest ever battery life on an iPhone. It also has the highest starting price tag of any iPhone (it starts at $1,199 and goes up very quickly from there). Some would never consider a Pro Max model because of the size alone; and that was before Apple increased the screen size this year. But for me, after…

Introduction

Fall is almost here in the northern hemisphere, which means it’s time for another major release of iOS. There are certainly mainstream changes of note, such as a new Passwords app; an expanded Control Center; changes to the Messages app like the addition of support for RCS messaging; and many more. This article from iDownloadBlog…

Decisions, Decisions...

I've used an iPhone 13 Mini almost since it came out. I got it in November of 2021, and have been very happy with its small size and light weight. The battery was great for a few months, but new iOS features and time took their toll. Now, despite a battery replacement, I'm lucky to get through a day of light to moderate use without having to recharge before bed. Going out in the evening is stressful, because I always wonder if my phone will have the juice.…

Intro

Today's Apple announcements, at an event entitled "It's Glowtime", were exactly what many of us expected: new iPhones, Apple Watches, and AirPods. We also got a release day for all the big software updates. watchOS, iOS, iPadOS, tvOS, and macOS will all get their big upgrades on Monday, September 16.

TL;DR:

• Apple Watch Series 10 is a bit thinner (9.7mm) than Series 9, and comes in at larger screen sizes (42mm and 46mm). The screen is brighter when viewed…

The ChatGPT app has found a place in my iPhone's dock. I use it for many things, both serious and fun. Part of me is convinced that it's going to turn into Marvin the Paranoid Android from The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy. There it is, brain the size of a planet, and I'm constantly asking it to answer very simple or repetitive queries. Yet, it always remains eager to assist with any question.

AI is a vast topic, and…

Intro

Today was Apple's annual announcement: the latest iPhone and Apple Watch hardware, and details on when the new versions of software for all Apple devices will be released.

I'll spoil the surprise: if you have an iPhone 14 or a Series 8 Apple Watch, you probably won't find too much to be excited about this time around. Still, there's all that new software to get excited about. The release dates are:

• iOS 17: September 18
• iPadOS 17: September 18…

Introduction

There has been quite a bit of discussion and debate of late around the merits of iOS and Android, and this has coincided with my own journey into using Android. In February this year, after thirteen years using iPhones, I bought a Samsung Galaxy S23. I had long been curious about Android and had dabbled with it over the years, primarily as my work phone. I had never really picked it up and used it as my primary day to day phone though, at least not since I spent a…

The marquee features of thee iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max are unquestionably upgraded cameras; a new always-on display; and a Dynamic Island’ that changes size and shape to accommodate various types of alerts, notifications, and interactions. For my circumstances and use case, I can roughly appraise these as having some potential utility, no utility, and some curiosity appeal.

However, digging deep in to the new iPhones'…

Introduction

I'm back yet again. Just like in years past, September brings us a new major release of iOS. This latest edition includes many mainstream changes such as a revamped Lock screen; enhancements to privacy and safety features; Focus Mode enhancements; new functionality in Messages and Mail; along with many other improvements. For Apple's official list of iOS 16 features and changes, see this webpage which Highlights many…

Intro

Today was Apple's Far Out event, introducing the world to the latest iPhones, Apple Watches, and AirPods. While the camera and screen improvements in iPhone 14 will surprise exactly no one, there was still an impressive amount of exciting news. Rather than trying to come up with more fluff for this introduction, I'll just get right to the fun part.

iPhone 14

As it has done in the last couple years, Apple introduced four new iPhones. The news wasn't all good…

The 2022 WWDC Keynote

Today, Apple kicked off its annual Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC). As it always does, it started the conference with a presentation of what's in the works for all its major platforms, sharing highlights of the iOS, watchOS, iPadOS, and macOS updates set to be released in the fall. There was also a surprise MacBook Air refresh, which we'll get to in a bit.

iOS and iPad OS

Let's begin with the iPhone and iPad. The below features are…

This review was completed after 10 days of use. Most of my comparison will be with the iPhone SE 2, since that was the phone I had been using previously. For the sake of clarity, when referring to the previous generation of iPhone SE released in 2020, it will be referred to as the iPhone SE 2. Apple refers to the current model of iPhone SE simply by that name. This was also true of the first and second generation.

The iPhone SE 3 is a…

Peek Performance

Apple's first major media event of 2022 has just concluded, and there were a surprising number of big announcements. A new iPhone, new Macs, new iPad, and a new professional monitor--and the year isn't even a quarter over! You can watch it here, or read on for our summary of what was announced.

iPhone SE 3

Let's go straight to the…

Intro

Today, as you likely know if you're reading this, was Apple's big September event, entitled California Streaming. For years now, Apple has used this time to announce the latest iPhones, often adding other launches to the agenda. This year was no exception. We have iPhone 13, Apple Watch Series 7, and new iPads, plus some new stuff for Apple Fitness Plus subscribers.

You can watch today's event…

I found a cure for the pandemic lockdown blues. Online shopping. I started clicking the buy button back in early November, bogging down Safari with megabytes of product page HTTP cookies. But after buying gifts for my spouse and grandson, I found it difficult to stop.

I felt a sudden urge to buy the iPhone SE 2020. I mean, that iPhone XR stretching the lining of my pocket just seemed so heavy. And how could I sleep at night knowing I could never upgrade my 2012 MacBook Pro to Big Sur…

For years, my early childhood only included me and my younger sister. We lived with our parents near Lake Michigan in a small Indiana town. We enjoyed the temperate summers and were buried in snow each winter. It was an idyllic time, nary a care, just us two little kids being adorable.

In the second half of 1958, life morphed in a new direction. My Mom began to expand. She had always been tall, slim and athletic, but now she waddled about with what appeared to be a watermelon hidden…

In 2020, Apple has given consumers the widest ever selection of iPhones to choose from. From the 2nd generation iPhone SE with its legacy home button design and a 4.7 inch screen, to the four new iPhone 12 models which range from 5.4 inches to a massive 6.7 inches, there really should be something in the line up to suit everyone’s preferences.

Why the 12 mini?

I won’t recap all of the ins and outs of the various options here, but I will say that from the earliest rumours…