Mr GT Chris wrote:I just went from a first gen SE to an 11 :p.
wow. See, now THAT upgrade is more than entirely justified!!!
Yes absolutely loving it so far!
My current phone is an 11 Pro Max, with which I'm very satisfied. I was hoping the 13 would have a fingerprint reader, as some of the rumours suggested; in the Age of the Mask, face recognition is useless outside my home, so effectively I'm back to using an old-fashioned PIN to unlock it. But it turns out to be just another minor improvement - slightly better camera, slightly better screen - so I'm going to break my long-standing habit of buying a new phone every two years, and hang on to the 11 for at least another year.
I honestly feel the 12 and 13 are so close that I have no desire to upgrade.
I was happy they want back to the 4/5 device feel and design of flat edges. I’m good to stand pat.
The only reason to go from 12 to 13 is if you need slightly better battery and want the updated camera.
I’m still really happy with my 11. I’m always more interested in the software upgrades anyway.
Maybe I'll finally get around to upgrading my 6s to the 13. My phone tells me my battery still has 80% of its capacity... but I don't believe it.
But at this point, why not wait for the 14, right? 
I just went from a first gen SE to an 11 :p.
I went original SE to 12 Mini as soon as those dropped. I hope that one will hold me until they decide to make a small, powerful phone again. Hopefully the Mini form factor will turn out to be a viable niche they return to every couple generations instead of a complete flop.
If Mini is a dead end then maybe I should get a 13 Mini just for a bit of future-proofing.
Maybe I'll finally get around to upgrading my 6s to the 13. My phone tells me my battery still has 80% of its capacity... but I don't believe it.
But at this point, why not wait for the 14, right? :P
I will insta-buy the next phone that has usb-c, Touch ID, and no notch!
The only reason to go from 12 to 13 is if you need slightly better battery and want the updated camera.
I didn't think I'd notice ProMotion on a screen this small. I was wrong.
I went from a 5S to an 11 and boy, that was an upgrade. I gave the 5S to my mum and whenever I end up fiddling with the settings on it for her, I kind of marvel at how tiny it is.
I went from a 5S to an 11 and boy, that was an upgrade. I gave the 5S to my mum and whenever I end up fiddling with the settings on it for her, I kind of marvel at how tiny it is.
I tried going to a Mini because of the nostalgia for that size, but it’s just too small. It’s amazing what you get used to.
I still feel like I'm often stretching my thumb but I imagine I'll get used to it.
I accepted years ago that the phone was a two-handed device. I’ve been mindful over the years of not being “that guy” always walking around with his phone out in front of his face. (Because I used to be.)
I also don’t use a case so I don’t walk around with my phone in my hand unless I’m very deliberately using it. Cuts the chances of a drop way down.
In years past I’ve literally thrown my phone while bopping around doing something stupid.
PaladinTom wrote:The only reason to go from 12 to 13 is if you need slightly better battery and want the updated camera.
I didn't think I'd notice ProMotion on a screen this small. I was wrong.
Hell yes. This upgrade will almost completely eliminate 60hz screens from my daily life. My living room TV, work and gaming PCs, and tablet all have at least 100hz screens.
I also don’t use a case so I don’t walk around with my phone in my hand unless I’m very deliberately using it. Cuts the chances of a drop way down.
I couldn't do without a case, not because of protection, but because I some texture for grip. Almost slid my phone onto a train track a few years back when it slipped out of my hand while traveling from my pocket to my usual phone-viewing position. 
I went from a couple iPods to a 5, to a 6s, "back" to the original SE, and then held onto that until the 12 Mini hit. I just don't like carrying anything bigger in my pocket, especially when cases are involved. I'm fortunate enough to also have an iPad Pro; when I need a bigger screen I can usually tether that to get online.
Actually finding myself liking the bottom address bar and tabs in iOS 15 Safari. For a phone that I often only use with one hand unless necessary, this definitely aids in that ability, which is nice (for me).
13 Pro Max battery life looking pretty legit…
So on iOS 15 the address bar for Safari was moved to the bottom. Ok that’s fine I can adjust. On iPad OS 15 the address bar for Safari is on the top where it used to be.
Or just hit the "aA" button and do:
So on iOS 15 the address bar for Safari was moved to the bottom. Ok that’s fine I can adjust. On iPad OS 15 the address bar for Safari is on the top where it used to be.
Likely an iOS vs iPadOS change. On my iPad I can set the tabs bar to be compact (no separate address bar) but I can’t change the location. I suspect the location change is specifically for devices they want to make one-handed use easier on. I, however, would like the option to have it at the bottom on my iPad.
I want to buy my mother an iPhone for Siri and use it with Apple Watch for fall detection.
Any recommendations on what models to get? These are safety purchases; she doesn't care about technology and so wouldn't have any interest in the latest and greatest. But they must *work*. No worrying about iOS updates leaving features unavailable etc. Finally, I think she'd prefer touch ID over face detection.
I want to buy my mother an iPhone for Siri and use it with Apple Watch for fall detection.
Any recommendations on what models to get? These are safety purchases; she doesn't care about technology and so wouldn't have any interest in the latest and greatest. But they must *work*. No worrying about iOS updates leaving features unavailable etc. Finally, I think she'd prefer touch ID over face detection.
For iPhone, wanting Touch ID vs Face ID will limit you to only the current-generation iPhone SE, all other models use Face ID. It's a fine phone, my wife uses one daily, however it has atrocious battery life. My wife is a bit of a heavy user, and she'll kill the battery completely in 8-12 hours. When I was researching this just a week ago, I found that terrible battery life is common among SE users. But, despite that it checks that box of "it just works" you desire; it's cheap, it has all the essential features for a smartphone in 2021, go with that one.
For Apple Watch, fall detection will need the Apple Watch SE (I think Apple still sells the Series 3, don't consider it at this point since it's several years old). I have a Series 6 and love it, but its definitely overkill for my primary usecase: phone notifications and basic fitness tracking. I think the SE would do fine for your mother.
I still have an iPhone 8, which may be one of the last Touch ID options. It still feels fine and modern. Plenty of options available on Swappa and elsewhere. Works well with my Apple Watch.
A refurb iPhone might be fine, though there may be battery concerns. This past week's iOS update still supports phones all the way back to the 6.
Thanks for the opinions all. I've ordered a refurbished iPhone SE from Amazon. It's supposed to have at least 80% battery health. If the battery life turns out to be too low for mum, I'll give her my 8 Plus which is a little higher at 84%. (But I think she might find the smaller SE a bit easier to use).
Made no sense to buy a full price one, especially when I have to buy a watch too. Also she doesn't play games or use any features on her phone; I mean she's only just started using WhatsApp.
I'll let her have a go on my larger Apple Watch SE and we'll decide what model to get after she thinks about the size.
A refurb iPhone might be fine, though there may be battery concerns. This past week's iOS update still supports phones all the way back to the 6.
If you buy a refurb through Apple it always has a brand new battery. If you buy it through Swappa you can always get an Apple Store to replace the battery if there's one near you.
If you hate Google's AMP implementation (accelerated mobile pages), then the $3 Amplosion: Redirect AMP Links extension might be for you. Was number one on the paid apps last night, and I will gladly give money towards this open source implementation.
I just re-organized all my bookmarks across my devices and am pretty pleased with the results.
I put everything under the 'Favorites' menu. I did this for two reasons: 1) I wanted everything to show on the favorites bar in desktop Safari and 2) it drives my crazy that my phone keeps recreating a 'My Verizon' bookmark in the root folder. Now I never see it.
Now I have 6 folders across the top bar that cascade down to show my most used bookmarks. The last folder simply called 'Other' contains everything else.
On iOS this has the effect of allowing me to use the bottom address bar and using the bookmark menu to get quicker access to my main bookmarks folder. The muscle memory still isn't there, but I think I definitely prefer it this way.
I feel silly for thinking that the macs announced today wouldn't cost so much. I think the leaks coming out said around 1700 for the entry 14 inch, but I didn't think that they would have 5 or so variations on the CPU/GPU which would add another 600 for the max.
To me, It looks like the 32 core GPU might make this the best gaming laptop you can get. It might be slightly worse performance than the best Alienware, but not having the massive amount of heat and fan noise was what made m1 macs so appealing to me.
Wondering what you all thought of the event today.
To me, It looks like the 32 core GPU might make this the best gaming laptop you can get. It might be slightly worse performance than the best Alienware, but not having the massive amount of heat and fan noise was what made m1 macs so appealing to me.
I think the major issue with having good gaming performance on a Mac is the lack of available games on the platform.
All in all, those stats look pretty good, but I'm not interested in spending that much money on a laptop (even though, as a freelancer, it's tax deductible). I was hoping for an upgraded Mac mini, but that'll have to wait.
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