iPhone 16 Pro Max Review

November 4, 2024
The iPhones look the same, there is no innovation, Apple sells the same phone every year. We have all heard statements like this and are almost tired of them. But is there any truth to it? Should Apple even be releasing iPhones yearly? Like it or not, the new iPhones are here, and I have been using the iPhone 16 Pro Max since day one. It's very similar to the outgoing iPhone 15 Pro Max, but there are a few cool new features too—let's dig in. The Design The last truly revolutionary change in the iPhone’s design occurred with the…

Apple’s new M4 Mac Mini – the price is the best feature

October 29, 2024
Apple's new Mac Mini looks great, but the star of the feature set is the price. I wrote about it when it was rumoured, and I said: …the Tim Cook way is to introduce a redesign of the new item with a price hike, and also keep the existing product at the same price. This just causes confusion and frustration with two different designs of the Mini lineup. But Apple has done this multiple times before, lately with the MacBook Air redesign. I hope this is not the route Apple will take with regard to the Mac Mini, but I…

The iPhone 16’s Camera Control: A Promising Great Addition with Room for Improvement

October 7, 2024
The iPhone was introduced in 2007, and at that time, the shutter button on the camera app was the only way to take a photo. In 2011, with iOS 5, Apple made the volume buttons on the sides of the iPhone act as the shutter button. Last year, with the iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max, we got a new button – the action button – which could be customised to do anything you wanted, including acting as the shutter button if you set it up to open the camera. This year, we have a new “Control” that allows us…

Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max : First Impressions

September 24, 2024
My iPhone 16 Pro Max was delivered four days ago, and I’ve spent around 96 hours with the phone. Not much has changed between the 15 Pro Max and the 16 Pro Max, but there have been many refinements. These are my initial impressions. Physical Impressions The interesting thing about this phone is that when I held it in my hands, it didn’t necessarily feel physically bigger than my 15 Pro Max, but the display feels larger. It’s only 0.2 inches bigger, but when I use my 16 Pro Max and then go back to the 15 Pro Max, it…

8 iPhone Camera Settings on iOS18 To Help Take Better Photos

September 16, 2024
I wrote something similar last year for iOS17 and most people said this was really helpful, so I have updated this for iOS18, nothing much has changed in terms of Camera settings between both version of iOS. I am not claiming to be a great photographer (my imposter syndrome ensures that); changing a few settings on your iPhone will give you more control over your camera and assist you in being a better photographer. [If you would rather see this guide as images you can view it here, or if you want this as a PDF you can buy it here.]…

Halide on iOS 18: Unlock Camera Access Directly from the Lock Screen – Finally!

September 16, 2024
Halide, one of my favourite iPhone apps can now be accessed from the lock screen - even when the phone is locked! This is thanks to iOS 18, which allows users to customise the torch and camera shortcut buttons on the lock screen. This is something I’ve wanted for ages, especially when the native iPhone camera app didn’t support shooting in RAW. Now that the default camera app lets you shoot in RAW, I don’t use Halide as much as I used to, but I often switch to it when I need more manual control. There are times when the…

iOS and iPadOS 18 Review by Federico Viticci

September 16, 2024
https://www.macstories.net/stories/ios-and-ipados-18-the-macstories-review/ This is the most definitive review you can read. Reading Federico’s past reviews sparked my love for technology and inspired me to write about it as well. I know what I am reading tonight.

Thoughts on the iPhone 16, 16 Plus, Pro, and 16 Pro Max

September 15, 2024
iPhone 16 and 16 Plus My initial impression of the iPhone 16 and 16 Plus was how great the colours are. They look cheery and vibrant, unlike the dull and muted shades of the iPhone 15. I’d say the colours are better than those on the Pro iPhones, but this has been the case for a while now. My favourite colour is the blue one. Apple, of course, has a different name for it—because “blue” would be too basic. “Ultramarine” is what Apple is calling it, and I think it’s a cool name. In terms of features, this is the…

Thoughts on the new 2024 AirPods

September 14, 2024
AirPods 4 The long stem design of the original AirPods is now gone, and the new AirPods 4 are an iteration of the AirPods 3. The original AirPods, launched in 2017 at £159 in the UK, whereas the new AirPods 4 cost £129 - making the entry price much lower. The case battery life has also been boosted to 30 hours. What’s new with this design is the introduction of ANC (Active Noise Cancellation), meaning there are now two models of AirPods 4 - one without ANC and one with. The ANC model raises the price to £179, but I’m…

Thoughts on the Series 10 Apple Watch and the Ultra 2

September 12, 2024
Apple Watch Series 10 When the Apple Watch was first introduced in 2014, it came in two sizes: 38mm and 42mm. Now, the smallest Apple Watch is 42mm (excluding the Apple Watch SE, which didn’t receive an update this year anyway). I don’t mind the smallest size being 42mm, but with each major design iteration, Apple seems to be increasing the size of the Watch. Where does this end? At what point does the smallest size become too big? On the wrist, every millimetre counts and can make a huge difference on how a watch wears and feels. Apple Watch…