PSA: Record your unboxings so you can prove your innocence.

I bought an Apple Watch Ultra 2 from Best Buy Geek Squad Refurbished, and I had a “unique” unboxing experience. It was advertised as “Open Box Excellent,” and when I opened the outer packaging, I got excited because the inner box that holds the Apple Watch still had the white plastic seals on it, signifying a brand new, unopened watch.

I tore the tabs off, and inside the box was the charger…and no watch.

I was not disappointed as much as I should have been, but I was actually impressed. How did they seal this package back up and make it look like a brand new seal? I inspected the pull tabs on the seal and on the box, and nothing looked like it was put back together or jimmy-rigged in some way.

There was still the watch band to unbox, but this time I recorded it. The box felt suspiciously light, but the Alpine Loop is light too, so it was anybody’s guess if there was a band inside. When I pulled the sealed tab, there was an empty cardboard shell that holds the Alpine Loop.

Ouch.

The thieves have upped their game, but thankfully Best Buy is siding with the customer (me) and will be refunding me without even needing my video proving my innocence.

Not sure if other retailers/sellers will make it this easy to get a refund, but do yourself a favor and record your unboxings of any high-demand product, especially if it’s used.

The iPhone 16E will be Apple’s new “buffered” iPhone.

Tim Cook on Twitter:

Get ready to meet the newest member of the family.

Wednesday, February 19. #AppleLaunch

I’ve been thinking about this (probably too much,) but I don’t think it will be a new iPhone SE.

As a matter of fact, I think the SE lineup will be killed off.

What we will probably get is a new variant of the iPhone 16, rumored to be the iPhone 16E. This makes perfect sense for several reasons.

The iPhone SE lineup has defining features that make it an SE, the biggest two being the classic top and bottom bezels and the Home Button. If you get rid of both of those, you might as well get rid of the name too since it won’t make sense. People have associated the SE branding with those two hallmark features.

I know what you’re thinking. Apple has transformed many other devices and kept the same name, but in this case, pricing is a huge factor.

The 16E will have to support Apple Intelligence since Apple is heavily pushing it, meaning it will have an A17 Pro or A18 chip. Putting a faster chip in an iPhone SE model that beats the iPhone 15 in performance, and pricing it lower than that is nonsensical. If this device is part of the 16 lineup as the 16E, it becomes easy to make the price higher than the SE, but lower than the regular 16. I think it will take the place of the iPhone 15 and start at $699.

So now you have the following price points:

1. iPhone 16 Pro Max - $1,199 (starts at 256GB)

2. iPhone 16 Pro - $999

3. iPhone 16 Plus - $899

4. iPhone 16 - $799

5. iPhone 16E - $699

6. iPhone 15 Plus - $699

7. iPhone 15 - $599

The iPhone 14 and SE will be discontinued like in the EU, and the starting iPhone price takes a huge jump up from $429 to $599. I don’t think that’s a real shocker even though the click-bait headlines will definitely scream, “Apple raises lowest iPhone price by 40%.”

Seriously though, who really is buying the iPhone SE these days? I’m sure most people are being upsold into the iPhone 14 which is leagues better than the SE, making the real starting price of an iPhone as of today, $599.

Tim’s headline, “newest member of the family,” sounds like a whole new branding, and I think the “E” lineup of iPhones will fall in-line with the “A” line of Pixel phones.

The “E” lineup of iPhones also doesn’t have to be refreshed every year. It will be like the SE, acting like a price buffer to accommodate for technological advancements, laws and regulations, consumer demand, and company performance.

This is my speculation for this coming Wednesday.

Did Apple fix its Drug Interaction Checker for Pregnancy?

I have tried out Apple's Drug Interaction Checker once again, a year and a half since the last time I looked at it. I had 4 complaints about the Interaction Checker when I first tested it:

1. Two drugs in the same category that are taken together do not bring any warnings to consult your Healthcare Team, even though they can cause severe problems.

2. Two of the literal same drugs, with one being the brand and the other being generic, when taken together do not bring any warnings to consult your Healthcare Team, even though taking the same medication twice can cause problems.

3. The Medications section does not give you warnings if you are pregnant and are taking dangerous medications.

4. The Medications section does not give you warnings if you are pregnant and drink alcohol, smoke tobacco, or use cannabis.

Has Apple fixed these issues? 

They have not fixed problems 1 and 2, which you can read about in more detail.

Problem 4 is also not fixed. You do not get any warnings about pregnancy or lactation when you tell the Health app that you’re consuming alcohol, cannabis, or tobacco, even though these are all red flags.

Problem 3 has been fixed. I am glad to say that the Cycle Tracking section, which includes pregnancy, "talks" to the Medications section and gives you the proper warnings about your medications if you are pregnant.

Here was the list of drugs I used to test out the Health App (same as last year):

1. Crestor (generic name is rosuvastatin) - cholesterol medicine.

2. Zocor (generic name is simvastatin) - this is the same drug category as above, used for cholesterol medicine.

3. Simvastatin - literally the same drug as Zocor.

4. Rifampin - used for treating tuberculosis.

5. Lisinopril - blood pressure medication. 

6. Accutane - for severe acne.

7. Chantix - for smoking cessation.

8. Promethazine VC with Codeine - used to treat cold, stuffiness, and allergy symptoms.

Now when you go to the Medications section in the Health App, you get critical alerts right at the top:

If you scroll to the bottom, you will see a new "Medication Information" section that lists your Drug Interactions, as well as Pregnancy and Lactation warnings.

If we go into the Pregnancy warnings, we get very useful information for each drug that is problematic. There are 4 other alerts mentioned, but are not as critical and don't have the yellow banner.

Critical alerts are highlighted in yellow to catch your attention.

Even though these drugs are not highlighted in yellow like the critical alerts, the information here is still important.

Lactation warnings also are available, which is great and gives people more time to consult with their Healthcare Team.

None of this information was available last year, so Apple did a great job of integrating medication alerts with a woman’s pregnancy and lactation status.

They still need to fix the other 3 issues I mentioned, and treat alcohol, cannabis, and tobacco as drugs instead of “medication factors,” which is their legal classification.

How Apple will probably implement their blood pressure technology.

Whenever I go to my annual Doctor’s visit, it's nice to notice certain technological advancements when getting that initial screening by the nurse. 

Your height is measured by what I would call an extremely large digital caliper connected to the weighing scale, where they lay the top part of the “caliper” on your head, and instantly know your height. 

Your weight is digitally and effortlessly measured. I do miss the old scales where you had to move the weights and find that point where the balance finally starts to budge. It was more dramatic since you could see the nurse constantly sliding the weight past the point where you would hope the scale would balance out, only to realize you put on a few more pounds.

Your pulse is checked with an oversized digital clothespin that they put on your finger instead of the nurse clutching your wrist. 

Your temperature is checked execution style as they shoot your forehead with infrared rays instead of sticking a thermometer up your…in your mouth.  

Finally your blood pressure (BP) is checked…the old-fashioned way. You still have to remove your bulky jacket and strap that overly “velcrofied” arm cuff on while the nurse uses her stethoscope to check your blood pressure.

It’s the one vital information of your health that still requires old methods to get right. As a matter of fact, one could argue that your blood pressure reading is the most important reading of that visit because high blood pressure, or hypertension, leads to worse outcomes for every other health condition.

It’s the most important, yet it is also the most tedious because your blood pressure constantly changes throughout the day. If you buy any sort of portable blood pressure machine, you will notice a whole list of prerequisites before you take your blood pressure. Here is what the CDC says you should do before taking your blood pressure:

Don't eat or drink anything 30 minutes before you take your blood pressure.

Empty your bladder before your reading.

Sit in a comfortable chair with your back supported for at least 5 minutes before your reading.

Put both feet flat on the ground and keep your legs uncrossed.

Rest your arm with the cuff on a table at chest height.

Make sure the blood pressure cuff is snug but not too tight. The cuff should be against your bare skin, not over clothing.

Do not talk while your blood pressure is being measured.

There are other factors as well, such as “white-coat syndrome,” where a patient is nervous about getting their blood pressure taken, and it becomes falsely elevated.

This is all assuming you’re using an arm cuff, which is the most accurate. Wrist cuffs are more convenient but less accurate, and now you have to factor that into the equation.

There have been advances in how blood pressure is measured leading to more convenient choices in the future, such as photoplethysmography (PPG). This is where your device can be used to shine infrared lights into your skin to detect blood volume changes. It is a graphical representation similar to an ECG, where people who know a heck of a lot more than me can determine what is wrong with a person's heart. 

This PPG technology can be used on your finger, your wrist, your foot, and even your ears. (Apple Ring and Apple Toe Ring anyone?)

It’s really inexpensive compared to an ECG, and your Apple Watch uses PPG all the time to get information about your pulse, blood oxygen levels, and your cardio health. If someone had a sensor on their wrist and on their finger for example, you can then calculate the pulse travel time (PTT) between the wrist and their finger, and use that time measurement to estimate blood pressure.

According to a study by Nature, that is still less accurate than using an ECG along with one PPG datapoint, such as your wrist or finger. This is actually better for the end user because you only need to have one device, along with an ECG which your Apple Watch already measures.

So in theory, your Apple Watch measures an ECG which has its own waveform, which can be correlated with a PPG waveform that measures changes in blood volume. You end up with 2 waveforms that can then be studied and analyzed along with machine-learning and anonymous, historical user data to determine blood pressure.

That would be how the Apple Watch can analyze blood pressure without any other complicated cuffs that inflate on your wrist, which would be a disaster since so many things can go wrong with an “Apple Cuff.” 

“You’re using it wrong.”

“You’re placing it wrong.”

The Apple Watch by itself naturally sits on the flat part of your wrist, and you don’t have to tell anyone how to wear it.

But it doesn’t end with the Apple Watch.

Apple already has another device that can be just as good, dare I say, even better at determining blood pressure.

According to researchers at the University of Toronto, noise-cancelling earbuds have the potential to measure blood volume changes in your ears, giving more data points to analyze a person’s blood pressure:

Many earbuds have noise-cancelling technology, which relies on having an outer microphone and an in-ear microphone. The outer microphone listens for ambient sound while the in-ear microphone listens to what’s happening inside the ear. It turns out that the in-ear microphone is able to pick up on some very interesting sounds inside the body, including heart sounds. Research has shown that you can use the audio recorded from inside the body to measure heart rate, but you’re really able to get the same sounds you would hear from a stethoscope. We’re hoping that we can analyze these heart sounds using different signal processing techniques to infer someone’s blood pressure. 

Furthermore, they are even optimistic of bridging many technologies together to get better results:

One study we’re hoping to do alongside this project, or maybe a little later, would be to compare and contrast all the different technologies being considered for blood pressure monitoring – earbuds, smartwatches, smartphones – to see what works best. Can we get better performance with earbuds versus a smartwatch? Can we combine a smartwatch and earbuds to get an even more accurate measurement? 

I found another study where they did use time differences between pulses going into the left and right ear, and they were able to get promising blood pressure results that did not significantly differ from the true blood pressure measured with a proper arm cuff.

They called it “Stereo Blood Pressure,” which just sounds awesome.

Not only that, but their diagram even had a guy wearing AirPods.

These studies still had limitations due to small sample sizes and the candidates all being normal healthy individuals, but it’s still progress.

When will Apple actually implement blood pressure measurements into their devices?

Apple doesn’t want to be first at something, they want to be the best. 

They were first with Siri, and look at what that’s done for them.

Whenever Apple releases blood pressure monitoring, I think it will be a feature for both AirPods and the Apple Watch. They will work together to get the best data and eliminate any hurdles.

For example, you can’t wear AirPods when sleeping, but you can wear your Apple Watch to sleep and get data and information when in a more relaxed state.

Another hurdle could be a lack of data points for better accuracy. Each device separately only provides 2 data points each:

1. Apple Watch - single-lead ECG and PPG on the wrist.

2. AirPods - PPG on the left and right ear.

It’s not hard for most people to wear an Apple Watch and AirPods, so getting information from 4 data points will be a lot easier and unobtrusive.

When you combine those 4 data sets along with advances in AI, machine learning, and historical data analysis, you get a pretty good recipe for blood pressure monitoring. 

Of course it sounds easy on paper, but it makes sense for Apple to take a safer approach like they did with Sleep Apnea. Their blood pressure technology will sense changes in blood pressure and not actually give you a reading like 120/80. It will probably alert you if you have an elevated BP over a sustained amount of time, and it will err on the side of under-diagnosing versus over-diagnosing incorrectly. 

They would rather have false negatives and put their disclaimer similar to their sleep apnea disclaimer:

It's important to remember: not all people with sleep apnea will receive a notification. If you believe you have sleep apnea you should talk to a doctor.

When this technology is released and ready, it will be a game changer for the healthcare industry because of how effortless blood pressure monitoring can be. Simply wear your AirPods and your Apple Watch and go about your day.

The icing on the cake? 

Not knowing when your blood pressure is being taken is the most accurate way of measuring it.

Nokia’s Design Insights from Apple’s iPod.

Before the iPhone, Nokia was analyzing Apple’s iPod and how it went from a cult status to a global icon. They wanted to know what was it, that drew people to a device that really only did one thing?

They knew the formula, and they spelled it out clearly in their presentation:

• core design team

• start with an idea for an unmet customer need

• drive innovation from imagining user’s experience

• define essentials for “insanely great”

• simplify to great lengths to hide complexity

• grow user involvement through evolution

Nokia dives into each of these topics in more detail, but I wanted to highlight what they said about the user experience:

Apple’s UI is superior to the competitions because it is easy to use, and it focuses on what is essential

“The vertical integration between iTunes and the iPod has been key to Apple’s success.

Because it owns all of it, Apple can control the user-experience from beginning to end.”

Apple has created a seamless user experience from opening the iPod box to purchasing songs.

Apple always launches products with content. The content is easy to find, load and play back.

Complexity is hidden, optimizing flow, integration of key use cases so a seamless user experience happens across applications while user performs user tasks.

Apple’s vertical integration, which is getting even deeper with its own established custom silicon and future Wi-Fi and 5G modems, will only strengthen their brand and the seamless integration between their hardware and software.

I’m not sure if a lot of the material in this presentation was distinctly Nokia’s analysis, or that of Leander Kahney. They used the cover art for his book, “The Cult of iPod,” as the image for their opening slide.

Nokia’s internal presentation to the iPhone announcement in 2007.

The Nokia Design Archive was opened to the public on January 15, 2025, and it has some interesting, previously confidential documents, including a reaction to the iPhone launch with a presentation titled:

Apple iPhone was launched (yes, it is “iPhone” *)

The asterisk led to the footnote:

*) Apple has agreed with Cisco on using the name, details not known.

We don’t know the details either, but let’s just say Apple got the better end of that deal.

The title sounds like they're mocking the iPhone, but the presentation tells a story of panic, fear, and stiff competition.

Not sure if this presentation should be in their Design Archive, but seeing references to the S60 Symbian OS and other Nokia phones was nostalgic.

This is as close to being a fly on the wall you could have been in Nokia’s executive meeting.

Full PDF of presentation in case they take it down.

Watching the original iPhone launch event with the next generation.

It’s hard for kids to imagine a world where smartphones don’t exist, especially if they were born after 2012.

The original iPhone event in hindsight is quite funny to watch and even condescending to kids because Steve Jobs was explaining how to use a multi-touch screen, something that was science fiction in 2007 for most people, yet is as natural as air in 2024.

It’s funny to just watch your kids reacting to people being oohed and aahed by something they take for granted.

Three of my favorite clips of the original launch:

“And to unlock the phone I just take my finger and slide it across.”

“I just take my finger…and I scroll.”

“I can just take my fingers and I can…we call it the pinch. I can bring them closer together or move them further apart.”

Be careful with Apple’s Drug Interaction Checker

I set up my 15 Pro Max as a fresh new testing device, and I added the same drugs that I had on my 16 Pro Max. This list on my 16 Pro Max was ported over from my health data when I set it up initially.

Here’s the list of drugs that I setup as a dummy patient profile:

1. Crestor (generic name is rosuvastatin) - cholesterol medicine.

2. Lisinopril - blood pressure medication. 

3. Zocor (generic name is simvastatin) - this is the same drug category as Crestor, used for cholesterol medicine.

4. Chantix - for smoking cessation.

5. Simvastatin - literally the same drug as Zocor.

6. Rifampin - used for treating tuberculosis.

7. Gemfibrozil - cholesterol medicine.

8. Promethazine VC with Codeine - used to treat cold, stuffiness, and allergy symptoms.

9. Accutane - for severe acne.

I had the exact same list of drugs on both phones, but I had more drug interactions on my 15 Pro. The 16 Pro was only showing 8 Serious and 4 Moderate interactions, while the 15 Pro was showing 2 Critical, 9 Serious, and 5 Moderate interactions.

I tried to see what was the reason behind this, and I could not see anything different. Sure, I skipped putting an image background and pill color for my 15 Pro drugs, but that shouldn’t matter.

The main drug causing more interactions was Gemfibrozil, so I archived it and then unarchived it to see if it would “fix” the amount of drug interactions I had. That did fix the problem.

In fairness to Apple, these type of glitches happen in all software based systems, including Pharmacies.

Considering there were 2 Critical and 1 Serious interactions that would not be seen, it’s always a good idea to consult with your care team whenever new medications are added or doses are changed. Even when taking over-the-counter medications, you should add it to your drug list to see if it can have harmful effects.

It also can’t hurt to archive and then unarchive your medications every so often.

After I archived Gemfibrozil and then unarchived it…

I got the proper amount of Drug Interactions to display.

Sleep Apnea detection on the Apple Watch could have been much better with Blood Oxygen data.

Lauren Jeffries from Tom’s Guide talking about how reliable Apple Watch’s sleep apnea detection works:

To avoid the possibility of false positives, Apple decided to prioritise specificity over sensitivity. These terms mean:

Specificity: The percentage of those without moderate to severe sleep apnea who wouldn’t receive a notification

Sensitivity: The percentage of participants with moderate to severe sleep apnea who are correctly identified by the algorithm. 

Apple recorded the notification performance as 66.6% for sensitivity and 95.9% for specificity. This means that there is potential for many cases of sleep apnea to remain undetected even when using the Apple Watch. 

This is what concerns Dr Runge, who says, "The lack of accuracy is a significant issue. I don’t mind the idea that the Apple Watch will “over diagnose” sleep apnea. At least in that setting people will get formal evaluations. It is the under diagnosis that concerns me — people with sleep apnea may say to their partner 'see, I told you I didn’t have sleep apnea.'"

If you look at Apple’s study, sensitivity for severe sleep apnea had a sensitivity of 89.1%, while sensitivity for moderate sleep apnea was 43.4%, giving an average score of 66.3%. What that actually means is the Apple Watch is best at detecting severe sleep apnea 89% of the time. It is not that great at determining moderate sleep apnea at only 43%.

Apple would rather underdiagnose people than give false positives, which is still better than no diagnosis at all. They were able to get this far with just the accelerometer sensor:

The Sleep Apnea Notification Feature is a software-based medical device that analyzes Breathing Disturbance data collected nightly by the Apple Watch accelerometer sensor.

I wonder how much better the Apple Watch could have been at detecting Sleep Apnea if they included Blood Oxygen data, which is another key component in diagnosing sleep apnea. To perform another study at this scale would take years, but it wouldn’t surprise me if Apple’s sleep apnea detection gets better sensitivity with more crucial data points like blood oxygen levels once the battle with Masimo ends.

Is my Apple Watch band going to give me cancer?

Stephen Warwick from TechRadar:

Scientists from the University of Notre Dame have called for more comprehensive studies and greater transparency from manufacturers after a study found elevated levels of so-called "forever chemicals" in some consumer smartwatch and fitness tracker bands.

The study, published this week in Environmental Science & Technology Letters, analyzed 22 watch bands from numerous brands and price points and found that some of these bands contained elevated levels of PFAS (polyfluoroalkyl substances), namely perfluorohexanoic acid (PFHxA). These chemicals are colloquially known as "forever chemicals" because they have an almost unbreakable chemical structure which means they don't degrade or break down over time.

The tested brands include many of the best smartwatch manufacturers and accessory makers including Apple (and Apple Watch Nike sport bands), CASETiFY, Fitbit, Google, and Samsung.

As reported by Notre Dame News, nine of the 22 bands tested contained elevated levels of PFHxA, with more expensive bands generally found to have higher levels.

The conclusion of this study? Inconclusive:

While the study does mention some big names in the smartwatch sector, notably Apple, Samsung, and Google, it's difficult to extrapolate too much because the study doesn't give the results for each brand. Companies like Apple clearly advertise Fluoroelastomer as present in its best Apple Watch bands, notably its Nike offerings, Sport Band, and the Apple Watch Ultra's Ocean band. However, the study doesn't tell us which of the bands offered by these major players were tested, or if they were the bands with notably high PFA levels.

Also why it’s inconclusive:

Speaking to Yahoo Life, Jamie Alan, associate professor of pharmacology and toxicology at Michigan State University called the findings "interesting", but said that the study doesn't give any insight into how much PFHxA is absorbed through the skin, if any is absorbed at all. Other specialists in toxicology and dermatology agreed, stating that it is unlikely a significant amount of PXHxA would be absorbed through the skin. Finally, Alan pointed out that the study involved chemically extracting these compounds from Apple Watch bands, something users aren't doing when they wear these items day-to-day. "So although they found very high levels, that does not mean any significant amount is getting into our system," she concluded.

Apple sells 4 bands that are made of fluoroelastomer:

1. Ocean Band

2. Sport Band

3. Nike Sport Band

4. Hermès Kilim Single Tour

Interestingly the solo loops are made of liquid silicone which is a safer material.

If you look at Apple’s (and any company’s) Substance Specifications Report, you will see a number of substances on that list that can freak you out. On Apple’s 2023 report on page 8, you will see PFAS and specifically PFHxA used in “All Materials,” and an example of their use is “Protective and oleophobic coatings.”

If you remember your Apple history correctly, the iPhone screen has an oleophobic coating.

It could very well be that your iPhone and many other phones out there are coated with PFHxA, and your touching them all day while you’re snacking on Chick-fil-A.

Your Apple Watch band is not the only thing with dangerous chemicals in it. Millions of products out there have them.

It is good to be aware of these studies and how likely it can harm the human body, but the unfortunate reality is that these chemicals are everywhere.

Your pizza boxes are coated with an oleophobic coating so the oil doesn’t seep through the box. It makes for a better presentation to the customer.

Your heat-printed receipt from Best Buy that fades before the 14-day return policy? It has phthalates. Another chemical that can harm the body and cause cancer.

The list goes on.

If someone gets cancer or any other illness, most of the time you can’t blame one specific factor and say that is the cause. It is the cumulative effect of many factors, including these chemicals that are growing in our highly industrialized world.

What does Apple plan to do about PFAS? They plan to phase it out based on a 2022 report.

What can you do about it? Make informed decisions and take realistic steps to decrease exposure.

Even though the Apple bands with fluoroelastomers might not actually be harmful, you can choose to play it safe and use another band.

Just like you can opt for emailed receipts instead of physical ones and dine-in for pizza.

This study just stirred the pot, but it hasn’t cooked any solid information.

People got iPhones for the holidays.

Amber Neely from AppleInsider:

This year, CNBC reported that Apple's "Move to iOS" app has made its way into the top 40 apps on the Google Play store. It is not terribly surprising — after all, many people are excited to set up their new devices, but not without ensuring all their files come with them.

I couldn’t find the actual CNBC report, but as of 12/27/24 at 3:28PM, the Move to iOS app on the Play Store is ranked #12.

How about Google’s Android Switch app on the App Store? It’s ranked #160…in the Utilities category.

Will the iPhone SE 3rd gen become a collector's item?

With the EU discontinuing any phone that does not have a USB-C port, that means aloha to the iPhone 14 and iPhone SE. 

The iPhone SE by itself is a mediocre iPhone, but it has the potential to become a collector’s item one day.

It will probably be decades before it is, but it has a lot of “lasts” that make it unique as a collector’s item:

1. Last iPhone with a lightning port.

2. Last iPhone with an LCD screen.

3. Last iPhone with Touch ID(?).

4. Last iPhone with a Home Button.

Touch ID might return to an iPhone near you, but what won’t return is the Home Button. 

One of the most iconic features of the iPhone era.

It doesn’t seem like a big deal right now, but it was the gateway to safety. The gateway back home.

No matter where you were on your phone, if you felt lost, you could always come home simply with a press.

In this case, a haptic press.

I passed up my chance to get the “Designed by Apple in California” book, when it was released, making the excuse that it was “too expensive.” 

Retailing for $199 for the small version and $299 for the large version, that seems like peanuts now since they’re fetching over $1,000 online in excellent condition. I wanted to buy one to look at and one to keep as an investment, but it might be too late.

The iPhone SE is still readily available.

Apple Collectors, don’t lose your chance.

Passwords App on iPhone and Mac - one huge security difference.

I was reading about Microsoft’s AI based Recall feature, and I thought to myself, what if that feature was on the Mac? Would sensitive information be blurred out when screenshots were automatically being captured?

The most sensitive app on your iPhone, iPad, or Mac is the Passwords app, and if it were to be “screenshotted,” it should blur the passwords.

On iOS and iPadOS, the Passwords app blurs all passwords when you take a screenshot. Even if you want to display the password in large type, the whole screenshot is a giant white blank screen, which is awesome. Even if the password field is obscured with dots (•••••••••••), taking a screenshot makes that whole field completely blank so you don’t even know how long the password is.

Here are 4 screenshots on iOS, showing the completely blank password field:

Now compare that to what you actually see when you are in the Passwords app on iOS (or iPadOS):

In general, iOS and iPadOS do a great job of obscuring your password when taking a screenshot in their app.

On macOS, that is not the case.

I opened the Passwords app and started taking screenshots, and it faithfully captures everything your eyes can see:

• If your password is hidden with dots, you will see the dots.

• If you hover over your password revealing itself and then you take a screenshot, you will see the password.

• If you choose the option to display the password in large type and then take a screenshot, you will see the password.

This is the complete opposite of iOS and iPadOS, and something Apple should address.

This might not be a security risk, but it can be in certain scenarios:

1. You save your screenshots to the cloud by default, making your passwords exposed to other individuals who might share the same iCloud folders as you.

2. You have multiple monitors and your passwords app is on your secondary (or tertiary) monitor. Many people don’t know or forget that when you take a screenshot, all of your monitors are being captured.

3. You have a custom mouse that has hotkeys for screenshotting, and you accidentally capture screenshots without your knowledge.

If this Recall feature was on macOS today, would you even want to open your Passwords app, knowing that the computer is taking screenshots in the background and capturing your sensitive information?

Will Apple make a new router?

Ryan Christoffel from 9to5Mac:

Apple is reportedly moving away from using Broadcom’s combined Wi-Fi and Bluetooth chips in its devices.

The replacement? Apple’s own in-house solution.

The company will start using its own Wi-Fi chip across a wide range of devices.

In 2025 that means:

● iPhone 17

● new Apple TV

● new HomePod mini

● and likely the HomePad too

Then in 2026, iPads and Macs will adopt the new chip as well.

Mark Gurman writes:

Apple’s goal is to develop an end-to-end wireless approach that is tightly integrated with its other components and more energy-efficient…With a homegrown wireless chip in Apple’s smart home devices, the products will work more closely together and potentially synchronize data more quickly

Apple controlling the Wi-Fi chips in its devices, combined with its renewed ambitions for home devices, sparks fresh hope for a new AirPort router to appear.

This only makes sense.

Apple is taking their vertical integration to the next level, and they have been hugely successful with the M-line of chips for the Mac. One could argue the M line of chips saved the Mac.

Why have all these wireless services working together, only to have the heart of the system controlled by a 3rd party manufacturer?

Apple’s services industry is on a rapid incline, and having their own wireless infrastructure in each home, once again, just makes sense.

Why Apple will never let you have your own watch faces.

Apple considers itself a watchmaker.

This might be a cringe statement to watch enthusiasts, but you cannot deny the impact Apple has had over the last 10 years. The Apple Watch got regular people to start wearing something on their wrists again.

Including myself.

Just like any watch brand, they have fully immersed themselves into horology, consulting with the experts in the field during the development process.

Something Apple never does.

When Jony Ive spoke with Benjamin Clymer at Hodinkee, this is what Ive had to say regarding the Apple Watch project:

BC: How was this project different from others?

JI: We knew there was so much to appreciate in this space that in order to ground ourselves, we had a series of people that helped. Just to begin to understand the historical space, having tremendous respect and deference for watchmaking. This was highly unusual for us, speaking to anyone outside of our team early on in a product development stage. But, normally there are no parallel products from which to learn.

You know, we call this (pointing at my MacBook Pro), a MacBook, but you won’t learn more about this by understanding the nature of a physical book – so we didn’t talk to librarians. With the watch, we did. We spoke to an incredible list of experts in watchmaking throughout our development process.

Apple didn’t want to take any chances if they were going to go full-in with the Apple Watch project.

Even though they came out successful on the other end, it was the understanding of watch culture that really sets them apart from others like Google and Samsung.

When it comes to any watch, the watch face represents the brand. The watch company wants you to see their watch, and instantly know what it is.

Look at any watch company’s lineup of watches, and you will see consistency in design and branding.

Everything from the design of the hour, minute, and second hands, to the font, to the hour-markers are all part of what makes a brand instantly recognizable.

And that is why Apple will never let you have your own watch faces.

Even when Apple partners with Hermès, Apple uses its signature hour, minute, and second hands and blends the Hermès font with it, to make both brands recognizable.

If you throw on a cheap Rolex watch face on the Apple Watch, it will only cheapen Apple’s brand, which they do not want.

It is neither a Rolex, nor an Apple Watch.

It is confusion.

Other brands like Google and Samsung also make watches that have immense customizability which is fine, but you won’t find instant recognition with their watches. The brand recognition is not there.

They have a different approach, and that is their choice.

Google and Samsung chose to make watches, while Apple chose to be a watchmaker.

Apple sued for its privacy stance towards its employees.

Rushil Agrawal from Android Authority:

Apple, the tech giant that has built its reputation on safeguarding customer privacy, is now facing a lawsuit that claims its own employees aren’t getting the same treatment. Amar Bhakta, an employee in Apple’s advertising technology division, has accused the company of prying into workers’ personal lives through iCloud accounts and non-work devices.

The main issue here is the blending of personal and work iCloud accounts, and Apple “actively discouraging” the use of separate iCloud accounts:

The heart of the issue seems to be Apple’s policy of requiring employees to use Apple devices for work, which, combined with restrictions on company-owned devices, often leads employees to use their personal iPhones and Macs. This, in turn, necessitates the use of personal iCloud accounts, allegedly exposing personal data to company scrutiny.

For employees who’d rather not have their personal lives exposed, the alternative isn’t much better. The suit claims Apple “actively discourages” setting up separate iCloud accounts for work purposes, making it nearly impossible to avoid this blending of work and personal data.

Active discouragement of employees to use separate iCloud accounts for work will be what the case will revolve around.

Could just be a controlling manager, or something much bigger.

Not a good look for Apple.

Can you return Apple products after 14 days?

If you have buyer's remorse after just buying an M2 iMac or Mac mini from Apple, you still have a chance at returning it and buying one of the new M4 models.

There is another return window that isn't really advertised by Apple, but you can return your product within 30 days.

This is not a guarantee, but I have successfully returned products to Apple after 14 days, and less than 30 days.

I did this with the Vision Pro and returned it right on the 30 day mark.

I also did this recently with the Apple Watch Series 10, which was beyond 30 days, but that was an even exchange since I still wanted the watch.

If you go in store, you are less likely to get this extended return window, as their room for making exceptions is limited (their words).

If you call Apple and ask for a return and refund, they are more likely to accommodate as they have more leeway to make exceptions (also their words).

How to swipe between watch faces on Apple Watch.

I can’t believe Apple doesn’t make this ON by default, but there is a simple way to swipe left and right between Apple Watch faces. On your watch:

Go to Settings, Clock, and Toggle “Swipe to Switch Watch Face,” ON.

I restored my Apple Watch from a backup that already had that feature enabled, but it didn’t transfer onto my Series 10.

Got a new iPhone? Here is the one battery setting you need to fix now.

Your iPhone battery is a consumable item, just like any other battery. The more you take care of it, the longer it will last, and the better your performance will be. 

What is the most effective thing you can do to improve your battery health?

The best thing to do is to limit the charge on your iPhone’s battery. Starting with the iPhone 15, you can limit the charge of your iPhone to 80%, so it does not charge beyond that setting.

When you charge beyond 80%, you will start to generate more heat while charging, which will degrade the battery’s health. You will get more battery life in the short term, but at the cost of battery health in the long run. 

I have been using an iPhone 15 Pro Max everyday since October 2023, and I have 99% battery health on my iPhone. I have my charging limit set to 80%, and that is why it has stayed in excellent condition. 

The real kicker? I have been using MagSafe wireless charging 99.9% of the time. 

I have lost 1% battery health in 11 months of daily use while charging wirelessly.

Wireless charging is less efficient than directly plugging in your phone to charge, but MagSafe is more efficient and smart compared to just a standard Qi wireless charger, and overall generates less heat if you go wireless.

If you are a regular user like me who uses their phone for social media, Youtube, email, and everything non-game related, you should achieve similar results by setting your limit to 80%.

Here’s how to do it:

Go to Settings → Battery → Charging.

Under charging, you can set your charge limit from 80% to 100% in 5% intervals.

The lower your charge limit, the longer your battery will last since it will generate less heat.

This is critical for most people who keep their iPhones for years. If your battery ages prematurely, you will have performance issues, and might not even be able to complete certain tasks that require significant battery power. 

Here is Apple’s more thorough explanation of battery health:

For a phone to function properly, the electronics must be able to draw upon instantaneous power from the battery. One attribute that affects this instantaneous power delivery is the battery’s impedance. A battery with a high impedance might be unable to provide sufficient power to the system that needs it. A battery's impedance can increase if a battery has a higher chemical age. A battery’s impedance will temporarily increase at a low state of charge and in a cold temperature environment. When coupled with a higher chemical age, the impedance increase will be more significant. These are characteristics of battery chemistry that are common to all lithium-ion batteries in the industry.

When power is pulled from a battery with a higher level of impedance, the battery’s voltage will drop to a greater degree. Electronic components require a minimum voltage to properly operate. This includes the device’s internal storage, power circuits, and the battery itself. The power management system determines the capability of the battery to supply this power and manages the loads to maintain operations. When the operations can no longer be supported with the full capabilities of the power management system, the system will perform a shutdown to preserve these electronic components. While this shutdown is intentional from the device perspective, it might be unexpected by the user.

Apple Watch Series 10’s greatest feature is extremely limited.

One of the highlights in Apple’s keynote regarding the Series 10 was its ability to show you the seconds on the watch, even when the display was in its dormant, yet “always on” mode.

After watching Dave2D’s review of the watch, it is sad to see that feature being limited to the two new watch faces, which don’t really have much value since they don’t offer any complications. The reflections watch face also is annoying since you can’t accurately tell the time without the markings.

To make things a bit more sour, the wide angle OLED display doesn’t make a huge difference when compared to the Series 9.

Now these features aren’t deal breakers especially if you are upgrading from an older Apple Watch, but for the nerds out there like myself who upgrade almost every year, these were two of the biggest features, and they don’t seem so big anymore.

I’m confident Apple will update the old watch faces for the Series 10 to update every second, but I can’t recommend anyone buying this watch expecting that to be a guarantee.

Great points made by Dave, but someone should tell him that you can deactivate the always on display simply by slapping your palm on the face of the watch.