On Apple Intelligence Notification Summaries

December 10, 2024
All the Apple Intelligence features promised during WWDC are not yet fully released, but one current feature is the ability to summarise notifications. This feature has been the subject of many jokes, but for me, it's mostly been excellent. I'm in numerous WhatsApp groups with numerous messages, and I lack time to read each one. When I return to my phone after an hour or two, Apple Intelligence collects and summarises discussed content in short, simple messages. This is an example of fifteen individual messages correctly summarised into something succinct: Because this feature has been widely mocked, I still read…

Apple and Sony teaming up to bring PSVR2 controllers to work with Apple Vision Pro

December 8, 2024
Mark Gurman of Bloomberg is reporting what feels like the best Apple Vision Pro news in a while. I recently purchased the PSVR2 and am having great fun playing Gran Turismo 7. Sony has been accused of not giving the PSVR2 much love since its release, and Apple has been similarly criticised regarding the Apple Vision Pro. For someone interested in both Apple and Sony (mostly PlayStation), this feels like two close friends deciding to get married. This partnership means most games developed for the PSVR2 can come to the Vision Pro, addressing the lack of third-party apps and games…

iPhone to go eSIM only in more countries

November 26, 2024
MacRumors is reporting that the iPhone 17 “Air” and other models will go eSIM only in more countries. This rumour pops up every year stating that the next bunch of iPhones will drop the physical SIM in many countries, in addition to the US. My first reaction is to dread the day this will happen, but then, on second thought, this isn’t going to be as bad as it sounds. I have been lucky enough to do a bit of travelling in the past few years. And have used an eSIM in every single country apart from one - Egypt.…

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.