It’s been a couple of months since I last posted because I’ve been swamped with client consultations, orders, and migrations. Since Apple’s big “Surprise and Shine” product announcements last month, things have been hopping here, as you can imagine. While iPhones often get the most attention — and the iPhone Duo is still drawing a lot of attention even though it hasn’t shipped yet — what got overlooked is how insanely powerful the new Mac mini and Mac Studio are.

The interesting thing about the latest Mac Studio is that Apple quietly started selling it on August 25th, before the official announcement. I pounced as soon as the order page went live. I’m a big fan of the Mac Studio — I’ve used one since 2022 — but I felt Apple had made compromises in the M3 Ultra version I’d been using. After perusing the specs and other info, I realized this new model had no such constraints… just pure, unbridled power.

And I was right: since receiving the new M5 Ultra Mac Studio a couple of weeks ago, I’m flabbergasted by how fast it is. It’s so fast that no reliable benchmarking apps can accurately measure it yet! I can tell you some real-world markers, though:

√ When shut down, the new Mac Studio starts up and is ready to use (meaning all startup apps and background processes have loaded) in 2 seconds.

√ On the previous Mac Studio, Dropbox took 48 minutes to install itself, then sync the entire contents of my Dropbox folders. On the new M5 Ultra? 4 ½ minutes! (FYI, both Macs were connected to my ISP’s fiber optic network running at 8 Gbps.)

√ An iMovie export that took 7 ½ minutes on the previous machine now only took 32 seconds.

√ The same system software update that took 15 minutes on the previous Mac only took 1 ½ minutes on the new one.

√ Carbon Copy Cloner restored 185 GB of files from my backup drive in only 1 minute, 12 seconds. It took almost 14 minutes to back up those same files to the same drive using the previous Mac.

While the M5 Pro Mac mini isn’t quite as fast, it’s also still much faster than its predecessor.

The Apple Upgrade Program’s Dark Secrets

The M5 Ultra Mac Studio order was also my first test of Apple’s new Upgrade Program, which I wrote about on August 6. I correctly surmised the primary reason Apple created it: to let more people get higher-end products whose exorbitant price tags would normally put them out of reach for many. And it’s true: if I had to shell out $7,200 before tax for the configuration I wanted (Ultra processor; 96 GB of unified RAM; 2 TB internal drive), it just wouldn’t happen.

However, with the Apple Upgrade Program (AUP) plus my trade-in, the monthly lease price dropped to a much more reasonable $123 a month for a 2-year term. Nice — that I could afford! And I was fine with a 2-year term, since Apple updates the Studio line roughly every two years anyway. By the way, the Apple Upgrade Program is only available for higher-priced Macs, iPhones and iPads. It won’t show up as an option when, for example, ordering a MacBook Neo or iPhone SE.

While I’m still generally happy with the AUP, I’ve since discovered a couple of “gotchas” that I haven’t seen anyone else mention, so buckle up.

The first gotcha is how many products you can buy with the AUP. Try… one. After successfully buying the M5 Ultra Mac Studio, I planned to use the AUP again when I traded in my iPhone 17 Pro Max for the new iPhone 18 Pro Max. And why not? The previous iPhone Upgrade Program (IUP), which was brainlessly easy to join, had always worked for me. However, its replacement, the AUP, failed miserably. On launch day, when I tried to order the new iPhone and selected “Apple Upgrade Program” as the payment method at checkout, I was soon greeted with a new screen: “We’re sorry, but you can’t use the Program for this purchase as you’ve already used it for another one.” What?

After buying the phone outright while trading in my previous one to lower the price, I did some digging and found this is a Klarna policy, not Apple’s. Klarna, the nation’s largest “buy now, pay later” company that runs the program, sets an arbitrary credit limit on how many purchases a person can make using the program. Worse, customers have no way to know what that limit is; there is no transparency on things like that. That is a stunning omission.

But wait, it gets weirder! A few weeks after I received the iPhone 18 Pro Max, I got an email from Citizens, the company that used to administer the previous IUP… you know, the one everyone loved because it was so simple to use? The email, like the ones I used to get every month, said my next payment would automatically go through on October 17th. For a phone I no longer had.

This sent me down an hour-long rabbit hole, where I first spoke with a Citizens representative who told me this was Apple’s problem; they had failed to notify Citizens that my previous phone had been traded in. With the previous IUP, when you traded in your phone for a new one, Citizens ended the loan and started another, almost always for the same monthly amount. Not this time.

It took me talking with two different Apple reps to find someone who figured out what happened. Even though I purchased a new phone outright, while trading in my previous one, that had nothing to do with the existing Citizens loan, which would keep chugging along until the balance was paid. You read that right: the AUP doesn't interact with the previous IUP, even though Apple administers both. Even if you trade in your phone to Apple, you still have to pay off the existing balance on the old one!

I’ve scoured all the emails and websites I’ve seen regarding the AUP and never saw any mention of this.

Fortunately, the amount I received from Apple for trading in the iPhone 17 Pro Max was more than what I still owed. Ultimately, I cleared $115… not exactly the bargain I’d hoped for. That meant I paid way more for a new phone than I expected. That also means I’m far less likely to trade it in the next time something new and shiny shows up. I’m sure that’s not the outcome Apple wants for its customers, but that’s how the apple fell from this particular tree.

That’s A Wrap

My next column will be a lot more fun than this one, but I think consumers should understand some program aspects that are sometimes hidden from them. As I have for decades, I took some of the pain so you don’t have to. Until next time, I remain…

Your friendly neighborhood Tech Daddy

Tech Daddy Founding Members

Leigh Adams
Edgar Johnson
Harvey Rosenfield
Phil Evans

Many of you have asked if there is a GoFundMe campaign to help us recover from the devastating loss of our home and possessions in the Eaton Fire. The answer is yes! Our dear friend Jenn Melyan has created a GoFundMe for us, which you can access here.

Anyone who has used technology for years, if not decades, is familiar with a “crossing the Rubicon” moment: a tectonic tech shift that changes everything. The phrase “crossing the Rubicon” means “passing the point of no return” and comes from Julius Caesar’s crossing of the Rubicon River in 49 BC with his army. At the time, Caesar was not allowed to lead an army in Italy, so crossing the river was a bold move that, once made, could not be undone.

Apple and Microsoft have historically made incremental updates to their operating systems, macOS and Windows, but every once in a while there’s a major change that affects millions of users. The last seismic upheaval was Apple’s macOS Catalina in 2019, which no longer ran older 32-bit-only apps; Windows followed suit in 2020. Both companies spent several years warning developers that this was coming and urging them to get on board. Most did, but not everyone got the memo, especially shareware apps created and managed by one person. They either lacked the resources to completely rewrite their software or had already been contemplating throwing in the towel, and this was the last straw.

And now, another Rubicon is at hand, at least for Apple users, with the announcement that next month’s official release of macOS 27 “Golden Gate” will be the last to support older Intel-only apps. When macOS 28 is released next year, any remaining Intel-based apps are hasta la vista, baby! And if you still use an Intel-based Mac, Golden Gate itself won’t even install: this particular Rubicon cannot be crossed.

How did we get here?

A quick recap for anyone who’s been tuned out for the past six years: in 2020, Apple said sayonara to Intel and its historically power-hungry processors, which often made the outer case so hot it could cause burns. I’m not kidding: I once had a tower-type Mac that had no less than 19 fans in it! Worse, for laptop users on battery power, Intel processors would often slow down by up to 70 percent.

For years, Apple successfully used its own processors in iPhones; thanks to these “A”-series chips, phones stayed cool without fans, booted quickly, and delivered impressive battery life. After Intel repeatedly failed to provide Apple with a workable roadmap for the future, Apple chose to ditch Intel entirely in favor of its homegrown “M”-series processors, which would be called Apple Silicon. Like the iPhone, these new Macs would have all their parts — RAM, graphics, CPU and more — on a single unified piece of silicon called a System on a Chip, or SOC. The first M1 Macs were extremely popular, and the latest M5 models are exponentially more powerful than their predecessors while staying quiet, cool and energy-efficient.

There’s a saying in tech: “wherever hardware goes, software follows.” In Apple’s case, software needed to be created or rewritten to take advantage of the new M-series chips. As you would expect, Apple was first out of the gate with its own Apple Silicon-native apps, but it also provided a way for people to keep using their older Intel apps by including a system-level “emulation layer” called Rosetta 2. With an initial 10-second download of Rosetta, a cherished app would run just as it used to, with little to no performance difference.

One reason Rosetta 2 is so effective is that Apple has experience with such transitions. Between 2006 and 2008, they transitioned from PowerPC to — you guessed it — Intel processors and created the original Rosetta emulator to ensure a seamless transition for users. As with Rosetta 2, Apple set a clear timeline for how long the transition would last and when support for older applications would conclude.

And now, here we are, about to cross the river again.

How do I find out how many Intel apps I have?

If you use a Mac running macOS 26 “Tahoe,” you no doubt have already seen a warning message like this one:

This is Apple’s way of telling you that the app you are launching will work as expected… for now. But in the next version of macOS, it’ll be a goner. As before, hope springs eternal that the software developers of these Intel-only apps will issue an update; as of now, many have. But it’s inevitable that some will slip through the cracks. We’ve got a year to take action, so let’s see what options we have.

The first step is to figure out what kinds of apps we actually have on our machines. On today’s Macs, you can find three kinds of apps: Apple Silicon-native, “Universal” (meaning it can run on either a current Mac or an older one with an Intel processor), and Intel-only. A simple way to check is to click an app in your Applications folder once to select it, then press Command-I or select “Get Info” from the Finder’s File menu. Here’s a graphic showing the Info Panes of three apps I use: look next to the word “Kind” to see what kind it is. (I’ve highlighted the result to make it easier to see.)

As you might imagine, clicking every single app in your Applications folder is not an effective way of getting the Big Picture. Apple thought of that, too, by providing a tool that tells you exactly how many Intel-only apps you have and what they are. Unfortunately, this feature is only found in macOS 27 “Golden Gate,” which is currently in beta. (Sidenote: I’ve been running macOS 27 on my M5 MacBook Pro, starting with the Developer Beta, which is something I’ve never done before. And I’m happy to report it’s been solid as a rock, with a few rough edges, of course. And it’s worlds better than Tahoe! More on that in another column.) In macOS 27 Golden Gate, if you go to System Settings —> General and then click the Details button next to the listing for “Intel-based Apps”…

You’ll get a list of any Intel-only apps you may have. A portion of my (very short) list looked like this:

As convenient as this feature is, it’s also bare-bones. Only one of the listings had a ‘visit website’ button…

and it left out an entire category of Intel-based software: plugins. This is a huge omission! For those who use graphic apps like Photoshop, or music apps like Logic Pro, plugins are a way of life. Some of us have favorite plugins going back decades, which definitely complicates things.

Go64 to the rescue!

Back when Apple transitioned to allowing only 64-bit apps to run with the introduction of macOS Catalina, users faced the same problem: figuring out which apps needed updating and which to leave behind. Stepping into the breach was St. Clair Software, makers of one of my all-time favorite apps, Default Folder X, which I’ve mentioned here several times. As a public service, St. Clair released a free app called Go64 that would scan the internal drive and list all the apps, plugins, and more it found, grouped into 32- or 64-bit categories. Neat!

And now, after over a decade, Go64 has returned, this time also listing which apps, plugins, and similar items are Intel-only and which aren’t. And I mean it lists everything, including looking inside apps to find internal components that may be Intel-only, even if the app itself is largely Apple Silicon-native. (I’m looking at you, Adobe Creative Cloud.)

When you first launch the reborn Go64, you’ll see this welcome screen, which spells out exactly what the app will be looking for and why:

As soon as you clear the Welcome Screen, Go64 starts scanning your drive for everything it can find, then displays the results in an easy-to-read list. There is a drop-down menu where you can filter the results, for example, to show just Intel-only apps. The graphic below shows the results from my M3 Ultra Mac Studio, and… color me surprised: I had no idea I still had so many of these apps installed!

One item caught my eye right away: the Fidelity Statement Rename 2015 app.

It wasn’t really an app; it was a “droplet” I created with “A Better Finder Rename” — an app that’s still being developed and, yes, is Apple Silicon native. I created this droplet to quickly rename PDF statements I downloaded from the Fidelity website. A nice idea in 2015; totally unnecessary in 2026! I’d completely forgotten about it, and now I could delete it.

Another set of apps I could send to the trash was the ABBYY FineReader for ScanSnap set, which included the “Scan to…” variants. In truth, I never used them or needed them. Buh-bye! Go64 lets you control-click an item or set of items to reveal them in the Finder so you can quickly delete them. Or, in my case, drag them into the AppCleaner window. AppCleaner is another free app I’ve used forever that not only deletes apps but also many of the associated files the user can’t see. I also trashed BatChmod, a freeware app that stopped working correctly years ago.

I was surprised to see YouTube to MP3 on the list, as I could have sworn MediaHuman spruced it up last year. Turns out they did, but I had the wrong download link stored in my Safari bookmarks. When I found the right one, this page appeared:

As I tell my clients, whenever you have a choice when downloading apps, if you’ve got an M-series Mac, you always want to click the “Apple Silicon” button. Thanks, Go64!

An app over troubled waters

A few of the other items in the list, however, were more troubling:

• Avid Link — Oh dear. This app is used alongside Sibelius, the notation software I use. Sibelius was finally updated to a Universal app in 2025; why on earth haven’t they done the same for Avid Link?!

• CISDEM Password Remover — I depend on this app to unlock PDFs of music that I have purchased and downloaded, so I can delete unneeded pages when I have to print them for our choir. Uh-oh… I better reach out to CISDEM pronto.

• The Print Shop 4 — I’ve used this app since the early 1990s and still love it. However, it looks like the end is near. Software MacKiev, which currently owns it, hasn’t updated it since it was converted to a 64-bit app many years ago, and they don’t even sell it to the public anymore. Plus, the company name tells you where they are located, so it’s likely they may not even be in business anymore. This one makes me sad on several levels. At the same time, this may finally be the impetus to dive into all that Apple Creator Studio can do, as many of the “easy as pie” features of Print Shop are now available in Pages, Numbers and Keynote.

That’s A Wrap

The impetus to write this article came after I read Jason Snell’s excellent Six Colors article, “Preparing for next year’s Rosetta 2 demise.” Jason goes into more detail on the history of tech upheavals and offers a couple of other alternatives to Go64 for those so inclined. There is also an online database of apps that do or don’t support Apple Silicon; you can quickly type in any app's name to see the results.

When it comes to tech, change is inevitable. The longer you use it, the more you’re exposed to change. However, change doesn’t have to upend your life. Apple has let everyone know they have a year before an actual upheaval begins, and I’m letting everyone know that the time to start dealing with these changes is now, not a year from now.

Your friendly neighborhood Tech Daddy

Tech Daddy Substack Founding Members

Leigh Adams
Edgar Johnson
Harvey Rosenfield
Phil Evans

Many of you have asked if there is a GoFundMe campaign to help us recover from the devastating loss of our home and possessions in the Eaton Fire. The answer is yes! Our dear friend Jenn Melyan has created a GoFundMe for us, which you can access here.

The past week brought two major announcements from the tech world: one for everyone living in California and another for those who use Apple products. Since there is a lot of confusion about both, I thought I’d try to clear that up as much as possible by writing about both topics.

First, let’s start with new privacy choices for California residents, something many of us have wanted for decades. While I consulted several sources on the Delete Act and its new DROP web portal, the primary source I used was this excellent article from LA Public Press. For those wanting a deeper dive after reading my column, I recommend the entire article for a better understanding of the issue and why this new law is so revolutionary.

It’s time to break Data Brokers

Every time you browse the internet, your personal information—like your name, email, home address, phone number, and location—is tracked and often sold without your permission. This can lead to annoying spam calls from unknown numbers, promotional emails and texts from lists you didn’t sign up for, and targeted ads for things like dresses after you’ve been shopping for them online. It’s a serious invasion of your privacy, but for many years we’ve all had to put up with it, thinking there was nothing we could do.

By the way, using Google Chrome as your web browser, or searching on Google.com, is one of the worst things you can do if you care about your privacy, because Google’s primary revenue stream is mining the data of everyone who uses its products, even if you have Incognito Mode turned on. Not cool, Google.

Fortunately, California is once again leading the nation by passing the Delete Act, which created the Delete Request and Opt-out Platform (DROP). This new web portal lets residents ask data brokers to stop selling their personal information. Thanks to DROP, you now have the power to take control of your privacy. Starting August 1, active and registered data brokers in California will need to use DROP to handle deletion requests. They’ll have 90 days to remove your records or face stiff fines and penalties for noncompliance. Thankfully, the Delete Act has some enforcement teeth.

What are data brokers?

Data brokers collect information independently and also purchase it from other firms to build detailed profiles. These profiles can include everything from your hobbies and shopping habits to sensitive health information. For instance, joining a rewards program at a favorite store might result in that data being sold to a broker who links your name, phone number, and email to a recent pharmacy purchase for a chronic illness. Such data can be exploited for targeted advertising, law enforcement, or malicious scams.

What is DROP and the Delete Act?

DROP stems from the Delete Act, which requires data brokers in California to register with the California Privacy Protection Agency or face fines. By July, more than 600 brokers were listed with their websites and email addresses. According to the DROP site, California is one of only four states—along with Oregon, Texas, and Vermont—that require data brokers to register, and it’s the first in the world to offer this kind of platform.

DROP has benefits beyond consumer privacy. For example, last summer, Delta Airlines intimated that it would use AI to adjust ticket prices based on your profile, a practice known as “surveillance pricing.” After loud pushback from the public and politicians, the company reversed course.

How to sign up and delete your data

Having done this myself last week, I’m happy to report the process is simple and straightforward. First, go to the main DROP page and click the “Get Started” button.

Once you agree to the terms and conditions (thanks, lawyers!), you’ll then verify that you are a California resident by answering a few questions or using the Login.gov button if you already have an account. Not sure? If you already access your Social Security account online or other federal services, you have a Login.gov account.

After that, you’ll answer some simple questions to file a request, typically providing your desired email address and other basic information. At the bottom, you may be asked to provide unique identifiers for a smart TV, a phone and your car’s VIN number. Why? Because these items are also used to track your digital whereabouts. I got a little confused about these Mobile Advertising ID (“MAID”) numbers until I read on this page that Apple devices don’t use them if you have “Allow Apps To Request To Track” turned off; on an iPhone, you can find that at Settings > Privacy & Security > Tracking. It’s another way that Apple focuses on user security. Android phones? Not so much.

Other ways to protect privacy

If you use Apple products, the built-in Safari web browser includes several privacy protections, such as private browsing, hiding your IP address from known trackers, and preventing cross-site tracking when moving from one web page to another. While those are welcome features, Safari’s effectiveness depends on using the latest version, which is tied to the operating system you’re using.

If you’re using an older Mac or iPhone, the best choice for a privacy-oriented browser is DuckDuckGo, which has been around since 2008 and works on a much wider variety of devices and operating systems. The latest versions even let you use AI when searching or turn it off completely, something Google does not allow.

Another privacy practice to adopt is to avoid entering your full name when signing up for things like gift registries if it’s not required. That makes it tougher for data brokers to piece your info together.

Apple’s new Upgrade Program is the lease they can do

Last week also brought us the highly anticipated new Apple Upgrade Program, which immediately threw the technosphere into a tizzy. I’ve read dozens of articles about it, many of which are either misleading, confusing or flat-out wrong. Never fear, the Tech Daddy is here!

If you’ve read my column for any length of time, you know I’ve been a fan of Apple’s previous iPhone Upgrade program, which has been discontinued to make way for this new one. The reason I liked the old program was simple: phones are constantly changing and evolving, adding new features and capabilities. I’ve always felt that buying one for anywhere from $700 to $1500 (and more) is not a wise choice, and that essentially leasing the device with the ability to turn it in for a new one every year was the better idea. The last time I wrote about this, I wished Apple would make this available for their desktops and laptops as well… and apparently they heard me!

The new program is administered by Klarna, an established Buy Now, Pay Later (BNPL) company. It lets you lease an eligible iPhone, iPad, Mac, or Apple Watch for 24- or 36-month terms at zero percent interest, similar to the Apple Installment plan used with the Apple Card. At the end of the lease, you can either keep the device or trade it in for a newer one. However, unlike the Apple Installment plan, if you trade in before the lease ends, you must pay the remaining balance.

Speaking of the Apple Installment plan, it only offers a 12-month term, often resulting in a higher monthly payment. Monthly payments are the real rationale behind this program, as Apple — like all the other major tech companies — recently had to raise its prices, in some cases dramatically, due to ongoing RAM and other component shortages caused by AI datacenters gobbling them up. I expect the next round of Apple products to cause some significant sticker shock with customers, and this new program should help to alleviate that.

Another advantage for Apple is that the easier and more affordable it is for people to upgrade their equipment instead of hanging onto it until it turns to dust, the more likely they are to do so. And by trading in their current machines, Apple gets a steadier supply of certified products they can resell, which can make them more competitive with 3rd-party sites like BackMarket. It’s a win-win for Apple and us.

I know there are die-hards out there who bridle at the thought of leasing instead of owning. To them, I say, “Get over it.” Given how dramatically more powerful and capable these devices become each year, leasing makes sense. And it’s not an “either/or” proposition: if you want to buy your device and own it outright, go right ahead; that option is still available at checkout, along with Apple Installments. If you are curious about the math behind leasing, buying, or Apple Installments, this Verge page has you covered, but be warned: it gets deep into the math weeds.

If you decide to enroll in the Apple Upgrade Program during your next purchase, be advised that Klarna does a ‘soft’ credit check during the process. If you’ve taken my advice from a previous column to place a credit freeze at the three main credit reporting agencies, you’ll want to lift the freeze at each one first before proceeding, then put them back after you’re done.

Want more info?

• If you’d like to check your upgrade status, you can use Apple’s page to check.

• Joanna Stern has an excellent and concise YouTube video on the new Apple program; like all her videos, it’s both informative and entertaining with just the right amount of snark. You can watch it here.

• Finally, MacRumors has this handy page on “20 Things To Know Before Leasing An iPhone, iPad or Mac.” It’s blissfully crisp and easy to understand.

That’s A Wrap

Whether it’s protecting your privacy or saving you money, the latest announcements from the world of tech bring welcome news in a world that can use as much as it can get. Until next time, I remain…

Your friendly neighborhood Tech Daddy

Many of you have asked if there is a GoFundMe campaign to help us recover from the devastating loss of our home and possessions in the Eaton Fire. The answer is yes! Our dear friend Jenn Melyan has created a GoFundMe for us, which you can access here.

Tech Daddy Substack Founding Members

Leigh Adams
Edgar Johnson
Harvey Rosenfield
Phil Evans

It was a year ago that I got that horrible phone call: “Lisa has died; we need your help to secure her digital life before it’s too late.” This was, as they say, not my first rodeo, but every time I get such a call, email, or text, it’s a gut punch. I know I’m about to enter a maelstrom of grief — often my own, and certainly a lot of other people’s — mixed with confusion and bewilderment about the best ways to preserve that person’s digital legacy.

I got a similar text from a friend just a couple of weeks ago and realized I had meant to write about this topic but had not yet done so. Consider this a wake-up call… er, column… because we will all eventually have to deal with what I’m writing about today. What I’m discussing goes beyond Mac or PC, iPhone or Android. It’s about how we want our digital legacy to live on after we’re gone and how best to make that happen, whether it’s you planning for others or vice versa.

What is a “Digital Legacy” anyway?

Simply put, everything you’ve ever emailed, texted, or written in documents on your devices, every post you’ve ever made on social media, every photo you’ve ever taken or that was taken of you, every song in your music library, every e-book you’ve ever read, movie or TV show you’ve ever watched on streaming services, and more — all of it together becomes your digital legacy. I was once asked by parents I knew to create a video memorial montage for their son, who had died far too young. Although I’d never met their son, they gave me his desktop Mac, and I used all those elements I just listed to create a portrait of who I felt he was. The family later told me I’d perfectly captured his essence. That is the power of leaving a digital legacy: it’s a way for others to know who you are long after you’re gone.

If you’re interested in a much longer and more detailed description of the term, you can find it on the aptly named Digital Legacy Association’s website. While the DLA warns about the perils of AI creating a “deepfake” of someone using such information, they fail to mention the flipside: the growing trend of creating an AI-generated simulation of someone’s voice from real-life samples, then having the person who has passed on narrate their own life story during their memorial. I am toying with that idea right now, and we’ll see how it works out.

Considering Quicken LifeHub

Before I get into the nuts and bolts of digital legacy “best practices,” there’s a unique solution from the company that makes Quicken, called Quicken LifeHub. If you already use Quicken, don’t already have a major investment in cloud services or password managers, and especially if you’re a PC user, this may be the solution you’re looking for. LifeHub will guide you through gathering all the important financial and legal documents, accounts, passwords, and everything else someone would need to know should the worst happen, and then securely share that information with the people you designate. When tragedy strikes, people are often so adrenalized they can’t think straight, much less answer complex questions about bank accounts and passwords. And more often than not, they don’t even know the answers to begin with. LifeHub can change all that.

The subscription service uses AES-256 encryption and multi-factor authentication as you’d expect, and costs between $2 and $4 a month, depending on promotions, with a 30-day free trial. While I appreciate its organization and guidance on which documents are important and which are not, I find it odd that after almost two years, I could find only two reviews on the web from mainstream publications. That said, it’s hard to go wrong with a 30-day free trial!

Although I use Quicken, I don’t use LifeHub because I rely on robust cloud services like Dropbox and iCloud Drive, as well as 1Password. Both iCloud Drive and 1Password let you securely share subsets of information with others, and I’ve already organized the kinds of documents LifeHub wants into easy-to-find folders. However, I’m not like most people, so if LifeHub piques your curiosity, I’d check it out. I might even give it a try and review it in a future column.

Passwords Are The Key

The website Funeral.com has an exceptionally comprehensive page titled “2026 Checklist For Closing A Deceased Person’s Digital Life” that outlines the order of operations to prevent the biggest problems. And it’s not what most people may think. According to them, the order is:

1. Secure devices before touching accounts — gather computers and phones in one place, safely stored and powered up; don’t pass them around to relatives!

2. Protect the phone number — it controls the two-factor authentication texts that will be coming

3. Stabilize email access — again, authentication and permission messages show up there

Great advice, Funeral.com… but you forgot the very first order of business: passwords!

When Lisa died, I was able to use her still-active phone and email to close bank and other accounts and cancel subscriptions. But I could only do that because, as her “Tech Daddy,” I knew Lisa’s passwords. For example, if you don’t know the password to simply unlock someone’s phone or computer, you are dead in the water.

I cannot tell you how many times I’ve had to console a grieving widow — yes, it was always a wife or girlfriend, never the man — who had no access to his passwords or knew where they were. This is where a password manager like iCloud’s “Passwords” app, the less-secure Google Passwords, or my #1 choice, 1Password, comes in. All you have to do is create a vault or subset of passwords to share with those most important to you, and this need never happen.

You Can Do This

Now it’s time to dive into setting up mechanisms for yourself or someone else that will make things easier for everyone. On Apple devices, it’s setting up a “Legacy Contact,” and on PC / Android, it’s accessing Google’s Inactive Account Manager. In either case, taking just a few minutes now will save hours or even days of frustration and heartache later.

If you know the user ID and password of a loved one’s Apple account, can’t you simply sign in as them after they’re gone? Sadly, no. Using a deceased relative’s Apple ID violates Apple’s Terms and Conditions because these accounts are strictly non-transferable. If Apple detects suspicious login activity or a breach of the “no right of survivorship” clause, the account can be permanently deactivated, resulting in the permanent loss of data and purchases. Setting up a designated contact with permission to access such an account sidesteps this problem.

Apple’s Legacy Contact And Digital Legacy Tools

When properly configured, a person you trust can access all of your iCloud data — files, photos, music, email, contacts, and more — without a court order once a death certificate has been filed. This is something many of us had hoped Apple would do for decades, and they finally did so in 2021. This MacWorld article walks you through designating a Legacy Contact of your choice and sharing that information with them. If you are a more visual person, this roughly 5-minute video on YouTube does the same thing.

But wait! What if someone died without first setting up a Legacy Contact? Is there a way to request access from Apple? It turns out there is. This page explains what’s involved in such a request, and this page lets you file that request. If you’re wondering why Apple can’t simply unlock a deceased person’s account, access their data, or help you unlock their phone, this excellent Cult of Mac article explains exactly why. And if all else fails, there is a way to unlock a deceased person’s remaining devices even if you don’t have Legacy Access … but be warned, the process is extremely complicated and time-consuming. This Macworld page has the details.

If you take even a cursory look at the pages in the preceding paragraph, you’ll understand why I said that spending just a few minutes now is worth avoiding tons of heartache later.

Google’s Digital Legacy Tools

While Microsoft does not provide similar tools for Windows beyond the paltry OneDrive Digital Legacy Access (for shame, Microsoft!), Google does offer something similar for its services and Android users. You’d think Google itself would have a comprehensive page on how to set up these tools, but nope! Instead, a law firm rode to the rescue with this well-crafted, easy-to-follow page — go figure. Once you’ve been designated by a relative while they are still with us, you can use the Google Inactive Account Manager to request access to their Gmail, Google Drive, Photos, and more after they are gone.

What About Social Media?

• Facebook & Instagram: You can request either to memorialize an account (turning it into a tribute space with “Remembering” next to their name) or to request the complete deletion of the profile. Submit a request using the Facebook Deceased Account Form found here, or to request complete deletion, fill out this form.

• Data Exports: Before permanently deleting any social media profile, use the platform’s native download tools, such as Facebook’s “Download Your Information” feature, to back up photos, videos, and timeline posts.

Don’t Forget About Subscriptions and Assets

Comb through the decedent’s email, bank statements, and app store purchase history to cancel ongoing subscriptions for streaming platforms, cloud storage, and monthly software services.

What’s Really At Stake?

Now that we’ve taken a granular look at what happens after tragedy strikes, let’s zoom out and look at the Big Picture. My friends at ScreenCasts Online recently released a video titled “What Happens To Your iCloud When You Die?” Even though the SCO people charge a subscription fee to access their videos (well worth it; I’ve been with them for decades), they felt this 14-minute video was so important that they made it available for free on YouTube.

It covers all the aspects of Apple’s Legacy Contact feature and some of the other things I’ve already mentioned, but it does so in a unique and thoughtful way.

Finally, veteran tech journalist and pundit Glenn Fleishman recently wrote about “The Afterlife of Apple Accounts (and others)” for Jason Snell’s venerable Six Colors website. The article explains why a digital legacy differs from traditional aspects of an estate, discusses Joe Kissell’s invaluable e-book “Take Control of Your Digital Legacy”, and then veers into Kafka-esque philosophical territory by exploring the idea that, beyond preserving our legacy, we also have the right to be forgotten. As always, Fleishman’s article is a fascinating read, and I highly recommend it.

That’s A Wrap

As Christopher Bullock wrote in 1716, long before Benjamin Franklin stole it, “Tis impossible to be sure of any thing but Death and Taxes.” For centuries, we’ve mostly avoided thinking about either. If this column helped push you to take action, I’ll be one happy Tech Daddy.

Your friendly neighborhood Tech Daddy

Many of you have asked if there is a GoFundMe campaign to help us recover from the devastating loss of our home and possessions in the Eaton Fire. The answer is yes! Our dear friend Jenn Melyan has created a GoFundMe for us, which you can access here.

Tech Daddy Substack Founding Members

Leigh Adams
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Phil Evans

Every June, Apple hosts WWDC — the Worldwide Developers Conference — for the folks who create the software we all use. And every June, I dutifully watch the keynote, taking notes on the fly so I can fill you in on the latest from Apple. In 2020, COVID shifted the opening keynote from a traditional live event to a carefully staged one with slickly pre-recorded segments, often featuring wild stunts. For example, Apple’s software chief, Craig Federighi, would jump out of an airplane and skydive to the Apple Campus grounds. The keynote also grew longer each year, often approaching the 2-hour mark. It was, depending on your disposition, either thrilling or exhausting.

This year? 76 minutes — the shortest on record. No stunts, no skydiving, just the facts, ma’am. Honestly, it was kind of boring, which was a relief. In tech circles, it was well known that this was a “make-or-break” moment for Apple: either put up or shut up. And I’m happy to report that Apple definitely delivered. The keynote also reminded me of the old tech adage, “under promise and over deliver,” something Apple had lately forgotten. It was nice to see it return.

Tim Cook opened the keynote with his usual warmth, but there was an extra layer of quiet poignancy this year: it was his last WWDC as CEO. He’ll hand the keys to hardware chief John Ternus in September, and he closed the show with a brief personal farewell, during which he held back tears.

Between those Tim Cook bookends, Apple still had business to attend to. The keynote was divided into three parts. “Platform Improvements” focused on OS 27 across six platforms, with more than 250 improvements and refinements. “Trust & Safety” addressed the new ways Apple is helping parents keep their children safe from online predators and inappropriate material. Finally, “Apple Intelligence and Siri” showcased what everyone has been waiting for since 2024: a context-aware Siri that’s been rebuilt from scratch.

An informal tally showed that the name “Siri” was mentioned more than a hundred times over those 76 minutes, which is more than once a minute if you’re keeping score. Apple would very much like you to know that the new Siri is here — and that this time, they really mean it. So let’s start with that.

Siri Gets Real

Siri was originally introduced as a “digital assistant,” and after 15 years of broken promises and half-measures, Apple appears to have finally delivered on that promise with the new “Siri AI.” Siri now has its own standalone app that syncs with all your devices, similar to the Claude or ChatGPT apps, and comes with more human-like voices. Siri AI is powered — for now, anyway — by Google Gemini, which must operate within Apple’s robust privacy guardrails. Apple claims that, thanks to on-device processing and Apple’s Cloud Compute, nothing is shared with Google or anyone else.

There are four “layers” to the new Siri: Personal Context, Awareness of what’s on the screen, broad world knowledge, and the ability to take action inside apps. This means Siri has finally become what we’ve all wanted it to be: an assistant that understands what you’re saying and can act on that understanding.

What was striking about the WWDC Siri demos this year was how low-key they were. Instead of flashy graphics, one of the program leads stood on the left side of the screen, iPhone in hand, and on the right side, a close-up of the iPhone showing Siri’s responses to what he said in real time. No edits. No cutaways. It was refreshing in its simplicity.

Because Siri AI indexes your devices, its Personal Context can now understand queries like “What was that restaurant my brother recently told me about?” or “When is my next doctor’s appointment?” Siri can look inside your mail, messages, calendars, files, and more, again with full privacy enabled. Its internet connections enable it to answer a wide range of questions correctly, and it is far more accurate than before. Onscreen awareness means you can ask Siri to tell you about what you are looking at on your screen, and it will give you all the info you need in a form you can use. And it can also take action for you: for example, if you ask Siri to attach the image on the screen to an email or to a text message, it will.

Siri AI can also do things like create a Safari extension for you if none exists, simply by describing what you want. The same goes for creating a system Shortcut, previously a laborious process. Image Playground has also been beefed up and can now create images that rival those from Nano Banana 2 or ChatGPT.

The new Siri AI, which could replace ChatGPT and Grammarly for a broad swath of users, is a radical departure from what came before, and words don’t do it justice. If you’d like to see it in action, here’s a “hands-on” 8-minute video of Siri AI from MacRumors: “Apple’s New Siri AI is INSANE.”

Your iPhone Is Getting A Big Refresh

The upcoming iOS 27 is not just a refresh, but a breath of fresh air. iOS 27 fixes dozens and dozens of bugs, nuisances and pointless decisions introduced in iOS 26, while providing features people actually want. One of the most notable improvements is speed: apps will launch 30% faster, new photos will appear on other devices 70% faster, and files shared via Airdrop will get an 80% boost. Yet, the supported devices list still goes all the way back to iPhone 11 or higher… nice! In other words, if your phone is currently running iOS 26, it will also run iOS 27 without issue.

Other welcome updates include improved handoff between cell and wi-fi networks. For example, if you’re on an airport’s wi-fi network, it will switch back to cell service as soon as you leave the terminal. As someone who has been annoyed by wi-fi networks that won’t “let go,” this is huge news. There’s also smarter search (yes!) and the ability for Windows and Android users to contribute to iCloud Shared Photo Albums.

The Messages app alone received 14 improvements, while Apple Wallet got six. Even HomePods get in on the action thanks to iOS 27. For a more in-depth look at everything iOS 27 offers, visit this Apple page and scroll to your heart’s content.

Parents, Apple Finally Has Your Back

I have many clients and friends who are parents, and they often tell me how frustrated they are regarding what their kids can see on the Internet and how to effectively limit their kids’ screen time. This has been amplified by Jonathan Haidt’s groundbreaking book and movement, “The Anxious Generation: How the Great Rewiring of Childhood Is Causing an Epidemic of Mental Illness.” Haidt makes the case, like never before, that kids must put down their screens or pay the price later in life… and Apple was listening.

In the OS 27 releases, parents are given a much broader and more effective set of tools than ever before to help in this regard. Parents will be able to set up child accounts, which are mandatory for those under 13, that enable age-tailored safeguards — including controls over who kids can contact via Phone, FaceTime, and Messages, as well as which apps and websites they can access. There’s also a new “Ask to Browse” feature that lets kids request website approvals directly through Messages.

In the past, most of the parents I know have used the default settings for these controls, and if they still do, the results will be much better than before. However, if parents spend even ten minutes refining these settings, the results are spectacular! For more on these new protections, check out Apple’s dedicated Child Safety page.

I Can’t Wait For Golden Gate

I’ve saved the best for last: news about the latest Mac operating system, macOS 27 “Golden Gate.” But wait, you’re saying, wasn’t the revamped Siri the most important news? It’s the flashiest, for sure, but for me, fixing the egregious error that is macOS 26 “Tahoe” topped my wishlist for this year’s WWDC, and Apple didn’t disappoint.

Tahoe is so poorly executed, so badly designed, and so obnoxious to use that I grit my teeth every day I use it. Given Apple’s history, I didn’t expect them to say, “We’re sorry: Liquid Glass was a mistake, and we’re getting rid of it.” And they didn’t. What they did say was essentially, “We’ve heard your concerns and complaints, and we’ve acted on them.” OS 27, on all platforms, has over 250 changes: the list is eye-crossing! (If you are so inclined, here’s the list.

One of the standout features of all iterations of OS 27 is a slider that lets you basically turn Liquid Glass off — thank you! On the Mac, text is now much easier to read, especially in toolbars, the menubar, or if a window is on top of another window containing text. More good news: color has returned to the Sidebar, and window corners are no longer overly rounded. Even Tahoe’s much-maligned (and justifiably so) blurry icons got a makeover and are now much sharper and distinct. This MacRumors page gives you graphic examples of what I’m talking about.

Golden Gate can run effectively on any M-series Mac, including the new Mac Neo; however, it is the first Mac operating system that will not install on an Intel-based Mac. For Intel users, this is the end of the road. Additionally, this is the “last call” for Intel-only apps. They will continue to run (barely) on M-series Macs under Golden Gate, thanks to the Rosetta 2 “emulation layer,” which has been on the Mac since the first M1 rolled out in 2020. But this is also the end of the road for Intel apps: macOS 28 will no longer include Rosetta emulation and will not run anything that’s Intel-only (including plugins). Golden Gate will continue to warn users about this, as Tahoe has done. Take the advice seriously.

That’s A Wrap

If you’ve read this far and are encouraged but still have a healthy dose of “I’ll believe it when I see it,” I don’t blame you. I’m the same way, as are many of my fellow pundits. Apple spent years promising a smarter Siri while making uncharacteristic design blunders. Now that the people responsible for those missteps are gone, the WWDC keynote showed me that Apple truly is correcting course and, hopefully, sailing into calmer waters.

There is also some news that echoes Steve Jobs’ famous line at the end of a keynote: “Oh, just one more thing.” It looks like Apple may have held back announcements of some of the most radical new features in the OS 27 lineup, saving them for September, when new hardware is announced — especially the heavily rumored “Ultra” lineup. You can count on the Tech Daddy to bring you that news as soon as it breaks, so stay tuned!

Your friendly neighborhood Tech Daddy

Many of you have asked if there is a GoFundMe campaign to help us recover from the devastating loss of our home and possessions in the Eaton Fire. The answer is yes! Our dear friend Jenn Melyan has created a GoFundMe for us, which you can access here.

Tech Daddy Substack Founding Members

Leigh Adams
Edgar Johnson
Harvey Rosenfield

If you’ve ever taken notes for any reason, you’ve probably built a graveyard of note-taking methods you tried, found wanting, and abandoned. In my lifetime, I’ve gone from yellow legal pads and scraps of paper and Post-Its to a PalmPilot, a Newton, a “smart” pen and notepad, and finally to various note-taking apps on the Mac that sync with an iPhone or iPad.

Over the years, I’ve tried more than a dozen of those apps, and I keep coming back to Apple’s default Notes app. In this column, I’ll look at two 3rd-party note-taking apps and Apple Notes itself. However, this will not be a detailed review so much as an overview. As the years have passed, I’ve realized that a note-taking app has stopped being simply a utility — a way to capture thoughts — and has instead become an ecosystem. The variety of available apps exists because people think in different ways. The key to finding the right notes app for you isn’t so much about ease of use (although that is important) as finding one that works, organizes, and “thinks” the way you do.

Apple Notes: The Accidental Champion

There’s a reason I kept coming back to Notes: it’s insanely easy to use — you can figure it out without reading anything — yet it’s feature-rich. Yes, really. Like many Apple-supplied apps, it looks unassuming and stripped-down, but its real powers are hidden. To see what Notes can do in 2026, you can check out its official user guide (select your operating system from the dropdown menu), or peruse this excellent MacWorld article, “Apple Notes Is Loaded With Hidden Tricks.”

Other reasons I keep using Notes:

• It is free and already installed (that’s a big one)

• It has Quick Notes for lightning-fast thought capture

• It syncs quickly via iCloud and can access notes stored in other services, such as Google

• It integrates deeply with all Apple devices, Siri, and Spotlight Search

• It has extensive import and export capabilities

• You can share notes and even password-protect them

• It supports document scanning and importing, plus handwriting support on iPad

• It has tags and smart folders

While other note apps have tried to become everything from mind-mapping tools to productivity systems, Notes has kept its eye on the ball and resisted becoming something else. It offers quick capture, instant sync, robust search and organization, and zero setup. Most importantly, it gives users confidence that their notes won’t disappear. — trust me, that’s paramount. Which leads me to…

The Rise And Fall Of Evernote

While Apple’s Notes app is everything most people need, it wasn’t always that way. Early on, it really was a bare-bones notes app, which led lots of people — me included — to look for something that offered more. And like so many of us, I found Evernote. Yes, it cost money (initially it was very affordable), but it was worth it to get things like the Evernote Web Clipper: a revolutionary system for quickly importing content from a web page, or the entire page itself. It also had cross-platform support before cloud sync became common, used multiple notebooks and tagging, and other features that let users do more with their notes than just take them.

So what happened? Feature bloat and corporate greed, that’s what.

To justify ever-increasing prices, the developers kept adding features nobody understood, much less needed. The more bloat, the slower the app became, to the point that they rewrote it several years ago using a cross-platform development tool called Electron, which, well, let’s just say is divisive and leave it at that. With version 10, Evernote tried to look and act like the “one app you’ll use for everything!” Nope. They lost me with their buggy, confusing v10, along with their price hikes and restrictions on how many devices you could use it on. They also didn’t seem to notice how much better the Notes app had become, still pretending they were the be-all and end-all of such apps.

Worst of all, Evernote uses its proprietary “.enex” format for notes, making it far more difficult to migrate to another service. There’s an old saying in the tech world: “text always wins,” meaning that apps may come and go, but text files are forever. Evernote’s people apparently never understood that. Since 2022, the app has been owned by an Italian company called Bending Spoons and is essentially on life support.

At one time, Evernote was sleek, useful, and affordable — but it eventually became too complicated for people who just wanted to write something down. Buh-bye, Evernote… it was nice knowing you.

Is It Draft-y In Here?

If you’ve tried Apple Notes, Evernote and others and are still looking for something that floats your boat, Drafts and Obsidian may be the answer. First, let’s look at Drafts, which asks the question: “What if every thought started as plain text?” Essentially, Drafts is less of a notes app and more of a “capture engine.” When you open it, you see a blank canvas, which makes it faster for immediate, “no-friction” note-taking and capturing fleeting ideas. And, just as with Apple’s app, Drafts’ apparent simplicity hides some serious power underneath, such as:

• Markdown support (if you don’t know what Markdown is, this may not be the app for you)

• Heavy automation

• Send text anywhere

• Keyboard-driven workflows

• Works beautifully on iPhone

Drafts treats text the way the Mac once did: as lightweight, flexible, and endlessly reusable, which makes it an excellent app for writers, coders, journalists, students, and researchers. However, the idea of “sending text anywhere” cuts to the heart of why Drafts is different: it is meant as a holding area for text you later send elsewhere, such as a Word document, email, or Slack. It’s a tool for processing text, not just for keeping it.

I’m happy to say the Drafts team got the “text always wins” memo, and notes or text are easy to import and export. However, to get the full benefit of Drafts, you’ll need to do some reading. Fortunately, their online user guide is well-written, concise, and easy to understand, and it includes links to several YouTube walkthroughs and tutorials.

Obsidian: Notes As A Second Brain

If you are the kind of person who thinks in “connections,” likes to write long-form, or has dabbled in personal knowledge systems, Obsidian is the one you want. It is where notes and “mind mapping” meet. (Say that fast three times.) Instead of being a simple note-taker, Obsidian is a powerful knowledge base designed for linking, long-term thinking, complex projects and extensive customization.

Like Drafts and Apple Notes, Obsidian understands that text always wins, with robust import and export options, including Markdown. But unlike the other apps I’ve mentioned, it can link words, phrases or entire notes to other notes. It also has a graph view that reveals patterns in your thinking and how notes are ‘connected’, and provides a dizzying assortment of free plugins and customization options.

Because of this, you cannot simply start using the app; you must study the documentation first to get the most out of it. There are even 3rd-party online video courses you can take. And with its astounding array of plugins and customization options, it can become more of a hobby than an app. I used it for a little over an hour and found myself already going down a rabbit hole I knew would probably not end anytime soon. Don’t get me wrong: I love going down software rabbit holes! I just wasn’t prepared for this one.

Although I’m not the target demographic for Obsidian — Apple Notes is fine for what I need — after using it, I realized that some people will use Obsidian to organize their thoughts, while others will use it to reorganize their entire lives… it is that powerful.

ScreenCasts Online - Notes App Deep Dive Pt. 1

ScreenCasts Online - Notes App Deep Dive Pt. 2

Apple Notes Is All You Need - Here’s Why

Apple Notes For iPad Is Better Than You Think - 2026

Why You’ll Love The Notes App In Sequoia (and above)

The Rise and Fall of Evernote: A Tale of Ambition, Innovation, and Change

When Ambition Backfires: The Strange Collapse Of Evernote

Apple Notes vs Drafts

Why I Use Drafts For Collecting To-Do’s & Notes

Apple Notes vs Obsidian: An In-Depth Comparison

Obsidian Just Won

Obsidian In 15 Minutes

How To Make Obsidian Look And Function More Like Apple Notes

That’s A Wrap

Over the years, note-taking apps have evolved beyond simple digital scratchpads and are now often extensions of our memory. Some years ago, the iPhone changed the game by letting users quickly import anything from photos and graphics to handwritten text. Now, AI is about to change the game again. As is often the case with software, there will continue to be a push-pull between simplicity and power, and the best note apps will strike the most satisfying balance between them. Ultimately, the note-taking app you wind up staying with will be the one you trust enough to forget about.

Your friendly neighborhood Tech Daddy

Many of you have asked if there is a GoFundMe campaign to help us recover from the devastating loss of our home and possessions in the Eaton Fire. The answer is yes! Our dear friend Jenn Melyan has created a GoFundMe for us, which you can access here.

Tech Daddy Substack Founding Members

Leigh Adams
Edgar Johnson
Harvey Rosenfield

In my 2024 post “Ending Email Overload,” I briefly mentioned Michael Tsai’s venerable app SpamSieve while reviewing his other invaluable app, EagleFiler; I promised to cover SpamSieve in more detail later. Guess what? Today’s the day! I have used SpamSieve from Michael’s C-Command Software since its inception in 2002, and can’t imagine life without it, so the app squarely belongs in my Desert Island Apps category. If you use a Mac — sorry, PC users, this one’s not for you — and have had it up to here with spam, this review could change your life.

Full disclosure: Michael Tsai is not only an insanely talented app developer and Mac pundit but also my editor in the 90s when I wrote for his e-zine “ATPM” — About This Particular Macintosh — which is still going strong. I find his blog posts and even his software documentation thorough, concise, and informative, which is rare these days.

I could write an entire column on why spam, in all its pernicious forms, still exists, but it’s pointless, as we all know it’s a fact of (tech) life we have to put up with. But do we? There have been attempts over the years to combat spam, such as EarthLink’s well-meaning but infuriating server-side “let me in” spam blocker. Over the last 20 years, nothing I have seen has worked as well as SpamSieve.

I’ll give you a sense of what SpamSieve does and how it works, so you can decide for yourself whether it’s a good fit. Although at $39.99 (no subscription needed!) with a 30-day free trial, it’s hard to go wrong.

Fast Facts

In most modern mail clients, SpamSieve installs an extension or plugin, depending on the client’s age and the macOS version, that communicates with the SpamSieve app. After initial setup, SpamSieve launches with your mail app and quits when the app quits. Current mail apps that work with SpamSieve include Apple Mail, Microsoft Outlook, Airmail, MailMate, GyazMail, and the brand-new MailMaven. There’s even a workaround for older email clients. A minimum of macOS 10.13 “High Sierra” is required, and you must use a mail app — webmail, such as using Chrome for your email, is not supported.

Which is fine by me: I have written often about why (a) Google Chrome sucks (you should use Brave or another Chromium-based browser) and (b) why getting your email with a web browser prevents you from having the powerful automation, searching and organizing that only desktop clients provide. Hmm… I think I just gave myself an idea for another column!

Filters aren’t just for coffee

Most email apps, such as Apple Mail, which I use, have a built-in “junk mail” filter based on extremely simple criteria. For example, is the sender in your contacts app? Is the message a reply to an email you sent? These criteria are easily fooled by any competent (and many incompetent) spammers and are next to useless. The reason SpamSieve is so effective is that it uses Bayesian filtering not only to identify spam but also to learn from each example to help predict future occurrences. Bayesian filtering learns your definition of spam from multiple criteria, such as red flags in the From address, subject line, and message keywords.

These techniques are not AI-based, though AI could conceivably be used to enhance them in the future. Rather, they are entirely text-based, which is why SpamSieve is so fast at spam detection. Another plus? There are no privacy issues, as all processing happens locally on your Mac; unlike AI, your email never leaves your machine. That means no account login is required, and no data is transmitted anywhere — a genuinely rare thing in 2026.

Training Day

For SpamSieve to work its magic, you must first train it. The process takes roughly two weeks, and SpamSieve gets smarter each day. This also means you’ll have to (gasp!) read the manual, which appears during initial setup and guides you through the process. By the way, if you’re looking for a “one-click” spam solution, stop looking, because it doesn’t exist. The only way for an app like SpamSieve to initially determine which messages are good and which are bad is for you to tell it. Fortunately, the process is very easy: with a relevant message or messages selected, all you have to do is hit command-control-G for “good” or command-control-S for “spam,” or click the SpamSieve menu and select the appropriate menu item.

SpamSieve already has a pretty good idea of what’s a good message and what isn’t, so you won’t have to deal with every message in your inbox, just a few suspect ones. And, as I said, as the days progress, the spam gets less. Once you “prime SpamSieve’s pump” with around 350 spam messages and 650 good ones, SpamSieve essentially becomes set-and-forget.

SpamSieve stores its data in a file called the “Corpus” (a term often used for a “body” of writing), which users can access for further refinement. The corpus is the heart and soul of the app. Additionally, clever preferences let you tell SpamSieve, for example, to look in other mail folders or mailboxes, not just the inbox. SpamSieve works with multiple email accounts; right now, I have four active accounts in Apple Mail with no problems. SpamSieve even has a handy color-coding system that rates spam by “spamminess” (blue = very spammy, yellow = borderline), so you can quickly scan for false positives: a bad email that was labeled as good, or vice versa. I have SpamSieve set to send all spam to my master Junk Mail folder and leave them as “Unread,” since some spammers use invisible trackers that tell them whether you’ve opened an email or not.

One of the infuriating aspects of spam is how often spammers use slight variations in the From address to trick you into thinking the message came from a legitimate company. Because of how it works, SpamSieve catches them easily. The example above is a recent screenshot of my Junk Mail folder, sorted by From. You’ll notice a bunch of emails using variations of Costco, Sam’s Club, FedEx, and assorted “Cloud Services.” All of them were correctly flagged as bogus and automatically moved out of the inbox. Whew! And yes, emails purportedly from Costco and other popular warehouse clubs are definitely on the rise in 2026.

Put That Spam Back In The Can

I have to say, SpamSieve’s accuracy rate once trained is remarkable. After a few weeks, most users experience near-zero false positives. These days, I typically get a few spam messages in my inbox per month, even though I usually receive over 100 per day! Another plus: if your email accounts use IMAP, as most do, your iPhone or iPad’s email client will also reap the benefits of SpamSieve. Another benefit is that SpamSieve’s auto-management of its Whitelist and Blocklist ensures friends and colleagues are never accidentally filtered out.

The SpamSieve manual also details how to use SpamSieve across multiple Macs, such as a laptop and a desktop, and even includes instructions for training it remotely using an iPhone or iPad. But perhaps the best feature of SpamSieve is Michael Tsai himself, who has been devoted to this app for more than 20 years. He updates it regularly and is always on the lookout for bugs or improvements, which he’ll provide in beta releases if you choose the Beta Channel of updates. He’s even happy to help whenever possible, via an email message sent from SpamSieve’s Help menu, and has one of the most stellar reputations for responsiveness and craftsmanship among any software developer I know. Plus, he was the best damn editor I ever had… just sayin’.

Your friendly neighborhood Tech Daddy

Many of you have asked if there is a GoFundMe campaign to help us recover from the devastating loss of our home and possessions in the Eaton Fire. The answer is yes! Our dear friend Jenn Melyan has created a GoFundMe for us, which you can access here.

Tech Daddy Substack Founding Members

Leigh Adams
Edgar Johnson
Harvey Rosenfield

After a year of head-scratching decisions and some underwhelming product launches, Apple needed a big win—and this week, they got one. Industry experts expected a new product announcement each day from Monday through Wednesday. Instead, we saw seven new products, along with some new accessories and even across-the-board operating system updates! (A small update, but an update nonetheless.) The new products include an iPhone 17e, an iPad Air with the M4 chip, updated MacBook Air and MacBook Pro models, a refreshed Studio Display, a higher-end Studio Display XDR, and the highly anticipated MacBook Neo starting at just $599. Because there’s so much to cover, I’ll provide a brief overview of each product, including links for more information, and finally, my verdict on each.

iPhone 17e — High value at a low price

The iPhone “e” series is the most affordable iPhone; however, to keep the price low, there have always been trade-offs, including no MagSafe charging, reduced battery life, a basic camera, and a less powerful processor. Luckily, all of that has changed with the iPhone 17e, which now features the latest A19 chip, a new 16-core Neural Engine for AI, Apple’s new N1 wireless networking chip with Wi-Fi 7 support, Apple’s custom C1X modem, 3x better scratch resistance than before, and ‌MagSafe‌ connectivity, allowing it to work with snap-on magnetic accessories. Battery life remains at 26 hours. The rear camera now includes an improved Portrait mode that automatically detects objects and supports next-generation portraits with Focus and Depth Control. The ‌iPhone 17e‌ starts at 256GB of storage but still costs $599, the same as the 128GB ‌iPhone‌ 16e. It comes in black, white, and soft pink.

My Verdict

If you’ve ever said, “All I want is an iPhone; I don’t need anything fancy,” this is the phone for you. The only complaints I’ve heard so far are that the pink color isn’t quite pink enough! The 17e also makes it harder to justify the higher price of the standard iPhone 17. Yes, the more expensive phones have slightly better screens and more bells and whistles (especially regarding the cameras), and the 17e still uses a notch instead of the more advanced “Dynamic Island,” but if you primarily use a phone to text, check email, read the news, and — oh, I don’t know, call someone from time to time — the 17e’s performance and battery life are very satisfying. For more info, use Apple’s iPhone Comparison Page.

M4 iPad Air — Stuck In The Middle With You

The iPad Air has always been the “middle child” of the iPad lineup: more powerful and svelte than the cheaper iPad, more affordable than the over-the-top iPad Pro models. And, like middle children everywhere, it wasn’t getting as much attention from Apple as it should. That was just remedied with this new model, which now has Apple’s M4 chip for faster performance, an increased 12GB of RAM, Apple’s N1 wireless networking chip with Wi-Fi 7 support, and Apple’s custom C1X modem in cellular models. The new iPad Air has the same overall design as the previous model, but is now up to 30% faster. Pricing still starts at $599 for the 11-inch and $799 for the 13-inch. Color options remain Blue, Purple, Starlight, and Space Gray.

My Verdict

Like the iPhone 17e, Apple continues to maintain stable pricing, which is impressive considering the global RAM shortage, insane Trump tariff policies, and ongoing supply chain issues. Although the screen and storage options are the same as the previous Air, this new model features upgrades where it matters most. Even though it didn’t get the latest M5 chip that the iPad Pro received late last year, the performance difference is almost unnoticeable for less processor-intensive tasks. The iPad Air has always been my favorite in the iPad lineup, and this latest version continues that trend into 2026.

M5 MacBook Air — One Giant Leap For Air-Kind

Apple’s MacBook Air models have consistently been ranked as “the best laptop for most people” by industry publications since the M1 version was introduced back in 2020. The previous M4 was sleek and powerful, but the new M5 surpasses it easily. And, if you still have an M1 (or older), don’t hesitate—run, don’t walk, to get one of these!

The M5 MacBook Air features a 10-core CPU, which Apple claims has the world’s fastest CPU cores. All configurations include Neural Accelerators, delivering up to 4x faster performance than the previous model. The M5 Air also has 25% faster unified memory than the M4 and now includes Apple’s custom N1 wireless chip for Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 6 connectivity. It starts with 512GB of storage, and can go up to 4TB. The internal SSD also offers twice the read and write speeds of the previous M4. The starting price is $1,099, which is $100 more than the previous generation.

My Verdict

There are no “gotchas” or caveats with the M5 MacBook Air: it will remain the best laptop for most people. With a beautiful display, excellent camera, speakers, and microphones, along with the same satisfying build quality introduced with the M2, only those who need more power, such as road warriors or users of “heavy iron” software, will require something else. (See below.) This model is also fully prepared for whatever AI has in store for us this year and beyond.

M5 Pro & Max MacBook Pro — Power To The Max

Late last year, Apple introduced a standard 14-inch MacBook Pro with an M5 processor, serving as an early sign of the M5’s power and capabilities. Those in the know understood that even more powerful versions were on the way, because that is what Apple does: release standard models first, then more powerful versions later. Now, that time has arrived with the launch of the M5 Pro and M5 Max 14- and 16-inch MacBook Pros. Industry insiders have been running out of superlatives to describe them. The most common term I’ve seen is: “these things are insane!”

Here’s the 4-1-1: The M5 Pro and Max chips debut Apple Silicon’s new Fusion Architecture, combining the CPU, GPU, Neural Engine, unified memory controller, and Thunderbolt 5 on a single die. Both chips have an 18-core CPU with six “super cores”; the M5 Pro tops out at 20 GPU cores, while the M5 Max doubles that to 40 (!) for 50% faster graphics. For the internal SSD, Apple claims up to 2x the read/write speeds of the M4, with base storage starting at 1TB (Pro) and 2TB (Max). New additions include an N1 wireless chip, a 16-core Neural Engine, hardware-accelerated AV1 decoding, and Memory Integrity Enforcement — an always-on memory-safety feature that Apple calls an industry first. Each of the three Thunderbolt 5 ports now has its own dedicated controller for full simultaneous bandwidth. The M5 Pro supports up to two external displays, while the M5 Max supports four. Battery life tops out at 24 hours on the 16-inch, with 50% fast-charge in 30 minutes via a 96W USB-C adapter. Prices start at $2,199 and can go beyond $5,000, depending on configuration.

My Verdict

I thought my 14-inch MacBook Pro M4 Pro was pretty good, but yesterday I happily traded it in for the new 16-inch M5 Max MacBook Pro. These new models are the most powerful laptops available and are absolute beasts. They are also surprisingly more powerful than the previous versions; instead of a small step forward, this is a major leap. If you run Logic and other music production software as I do, or use Final Cut and other video software on the go, this is the machine you want. Not surprisingly, this is an area where Apple could no longer keep prices down, so yes, they are more expensive than before (though not by much), and Education Store pricing can bring the cost down a bit. But if you need unlimited power and can afford it, get one of these—you won’t regret it.

Studio Display & Studio Display XDR — Two For The Show

I’m a proud fan of the Studio Display; I’m using one right now. Although they seem expensive, they have the best speakers I’ve ever heard in a monitor, along with top-tier cameras and microphones, plus Thunderbolt connectivity. Other monitors by LG or Dell lack these features, yet often cost the same or more. I was thrilled when Apple announced a long-overdue update to the 4-year-old Studio Display, along with a brand-new XDR version. Some people are disappointed that both are 27-inch screens with no 32-inch option, but I’m fine with that, mainly because I don’t have a big enough desk for a 32! ;)

The updated Studio Display now supports Thunderbolt 5, features a 12MP Center Stage camera, and provides 30% deeper bass in its already impressive speakers. The screen remains at 60Hz with 600 nits of brightness, suitable for most users. However, if you need the highest color accuracy, the new Studio Display XDR is the best option. Designed as a replacement for the now-discontinued $6,000 Pro XDR display, it costs about half as much yet offers 4x the performance, including a 120Hz mini-LED screen with up to 2,000 nits of brightness. It’s so advanced that it has even earned certification for use in medical imaging! You can find more details here.

My Verdict

These new displays are welcome, as I was worried Apple had given up on them. They offer the best bang for your buck if you need a 5K monitor that seamlessly works with Zoom, FaceTime, and other video conferencing apps. That said, they are not compatible with Intel Macs and will only run on an Apple Silicon-based Mac running macOS 26.3.1 “Tahoe” or on an iPhone or iPad running iOS 26.3.1; both platforms received those updates this morning. If your hardware doesn’t meet those criteria, the older Studio Display is still on sale for an even lower price than before.

MacBook Neo — The New Mac On The Block

Saving the best for last, Apple has introduced the most affordable laptop they’ve ever made: the MacBook Neo. Positioned to compete with cheaper PCs and Chromebooks, it still has the stellar build quality — the “fit and finish” — of an Apple product, which puts its competitors to shame.

To create this entry-level laptop, some compromises were made, as you can imagine. The Neo is powered by the A18 Pro chip, which debuted in iPhone 16 models — a first for Apple. Apple claims it is up to 50% faster for everyday tasks than the bestselling PC in its class, up to 3x faster for on-device AI workloads, and up to 2x faster for tasks like photo editing. The Neo features a 13-inch Liquid Retina display with 500 nits of brightness and an anti-reflective coating. The display lacks a notch, instead featuring uniform iPad-style bezels. It has two USB-C ports (no Thunderbolt) and a headphone jack. The Neo has 16 hours of battery life, 8GB of unified memory with no expansion options, Wi-Fi 6E and Bluetooth 6 connectivity, a 1080p front-facing camera, dual microphones with directional beamforming, and dual side-firing speakers with Spatial Audio. It is available in Silver, Indigo, Blush, and Citrus and weighs 2.7 pounds. The Neo comes with 256GB of storage and the Magic Keyboard for $599 or 512GB of storage with the Magic Keyboard with Touch ID for $699. Education customers can purchase it starting at $499.

My Verdict

Since there is already a lot of press about the MacBook Neo, if you’re interested, you can read a hands-on review here, a list of 20+ compromises here, and how it compares to the MacBook Air models here. That said, I think this is a step in the right direction by Apple, whose brand has long been associated with “excessive luxury and prices to match.” Students and those on limited budgets often felt left out. With the Neo, it’s no longer necessary to settle for a flimsy, disposable device to get basic work done. And the new Citrus color is a blast!

That’s A Wrap

Thanks to Apple’s flood of releases this week, many news outlets overlooked that the company also introduced new watch bands, iPhone cases, and cross-body straps in vibrant new colors. Bright guava? Count me in!

If you’d like to discuss any of these new products and how they might fit into your tech setup, send me a text or an email since I’m not answering my phone these days. (That’s another story!) Until next time, I remain…

Your friendly neighborhood Tech Daddy

Many of you have asked if there is a GoFundMe campaign to help us recover from the devastating loss of our home and possessions in the Eaton Fire. The answer is yes! Our dear friend Jenn Melyan has created a GoFundMe for us. You can access it here.

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For my fourth and final column in the “What A Month!” series, I’m going to review Malwarebytes, the venerable anti-malware Mac app that has recently gained new AI-powered features. Its new “Scam Guard” is one of the best software ideas I’ve seen in years. I’ll also share details about Apple’s upcoming event on March 4th, comment on the end of QuickBooks Desktop for Mac, discuss how my beloved Apple TV 4K device self-destructed on the first day of Mercury in Retrograde 2026, and finally provide a useful tip about an iPhone’s Lockscreen Battery Widget and how to customize it to display the device you care most about. Ready? Let’s go!

Scam Guard brings peace of mind

One of the most common questions about Macs has always been, “Do they need antivirus software?” You can search the web for that question, and you’ll find dozens of results from major publications. My answer was, and still is, “NO, you do not need antivirus software because Macs don’t get viruses (virii?) … only PCs do.” This is mainly a semantic issue: computer viruses are a type of malware that replicate and infect other machines.

However, Macs are vulnerable to malware that mainly tricks users into compromising themselves, such as accidentally revealing sensitive personal information. To fight ransomware and other threats, Apple added XProtect to its system software years ago, starting with macOS 10.15 “Catalina,” making paid apps like Malwarebytes unnecessary. To keep users subscribed, Malwarebytes expanded its protected devices list to include Windows PCs and Android and iOS devices, and has added additional services over the years:

• An “ultra fast, ultra private” VPN — No, thanks. I already use NordVPN, which I like better. Also, by their very nature, VPNs are already “private.”

• Identity protection with optional insurance and online data removal — I already use Aura Pro to monitor not only identity theft but also the dark web, data breaches, and more. I also use the free DeleteMe service to manage my online presence.

• Browser Guard scam protection and ad blocker — This is already available for free on the App Store; while effective, it doesn’t appear to work significantly better than other free solutions like Magic Lasso’s “Adblock” or AdGuard.

What prompted me to reinstall Malwarebytes after many years was to test their newest feature: Scam Guard. There isn’t a day that goes by that I don’t get messages from clients asking, “Is this text or email legit, or is this a scam?” I’ve gone over the warning signs with them multiple times so they can identify them on their own, and I’ve even written previous Substack posts about it, like this one. None of that seems to stick because these scams are always evolving. Now, Scam Guard can tell you instantly whether something is fake or real. Here’s a walkthrough of how Scam Guard works:

Spam Guard is included in all Malwarebytes plans, and you can also use it for free on mobile devices; the mobile app can even analyze screenshots! I should also point out that ChatGPT can connect to Scam Guard, and if you already have a ChatGPT or Claude account, you can analyze texts and emails directly by pasting them in and asking, “Is this real or fake?”

That said, if you don’t have a ChatGPT account, have multiple devices and/or family members, don’t use a VPN or an ID theft monitoring service, etc., Malwarebytes is an incredibly good deal. I am happy to recommend them once again.

May The (March) 4th Be With You

Apple’s big three-day event kicks off next week, with announcements starting on Monday, March 2nd, and continuing on the 3rd and 4th. Rumor has it that Apple will unveil at least five new products, with the most anticipated being the return of the MacBook, a significantly lower-cost alternative to either the MacBook Air or Pro series. Will it have some compromises? Sure, and I’ll discuss that after its release. For many people, I imagine the pros will outweigh the cons. Plus, it will probably feature some new, vibrant colors. You can read more about what is expected here.

The Long Goodbye

My last post mentioned Macupdater, an app I loved that is now “abandonware.” What I didn’t realize was that the same thing happened to the QuickBooks Desktop app across all platforms, including the Mac. Back in September 2024, Intuit announced that its 2024 versions would be the last. For years, the company has been pushing people to use the less-than-thrilling QuickBooks Online. Now it seems they are done playing nice. As a former QuickBooks user, I was ecstatic to finally ditch it a few years ago in favor of the far more savvy, satisfying, and sassy Quicken for Mac, which comes in three tiers: Personal, Business and Personal, and Personal + LifeHub. In my view, Quicken — now owned by a Hong Kong venture capital firm that has invested substantial cash and effort in revitalizing the software — outperforms any version of QuickBooks, which was, and still is, overpriced. The only reason anyone needs QuickBooks is if their company involves inventory or payroll. For everyone else, Quicken is more than sufficient.

So… buh-bye QuickBooks Desktop: don’t let the software door hit your bloated ass on the way out!

This Machine Will Self-Destruct In 5 Seconds

The “Mission Impossible” reference involves my 11 ½-month-old Apple TV 4K (3rd Generation), which self-destructed last night. We were watching Colbert on Paramount+ when the unit suddenly restarted, then showed the “bring your iPhone over here” screen, the first thing you see when setting up an Apple TV for the first time. WTF? My iPhone then said it needed to ‘restore’ the device using tvOS 26.3 and asked if I wanted to proceed. I tapped yes, then helplessly watched the box enter a “boot loop,” rebooting over and over until I finally had to pull the plug.

When I told Ellen what just happened, she immediately asked, “Is Mercury in Retrograde?” I quickly searched and said, “Yes! It officially starts on the 26th and runs through March 20, although effects can be felt slightly before or after.” In astrology, Mercury in Retrograde is a time when technology in general tends to go haywire. A hallmark of a MIR period is that devices that used to work can stop functioning for no clear reason.

Ellen knows I am a science nerd. I have scoffed at astrology my entire life (yes, even as a kid). That said, a few years ago, I started tracking the volume of “Help!!!” emails and texts I received from clients during MIR periods as an experiment, and I noticed a significant spike every time one occurred. Last night’s debacle was the perfect start for the first one of 2026, so be on guard. Oh, by the way, a very nice Apple rep offered to replace my Apple TV at no cost, even though it was out of warranty; I was more than happy to accept. When I get the replacement, I’ll add it to my AppleCare One policy, which I hadn’t considered before. Live and learn!

You’ll Get A Charge Out Of This

While I dislike widgets on the Mac, I do use them on my iPhone and iPad; the one I check most often is the “Battery Level” widget. Or at least I do now! I wanted a quick way to check my Apple Watch battery level, since I use Sleep Tracking and usually recharge it in the morning when I get up. I also want to be notified when the watch is fully charged again, which takes about 45 minutes to an hour. The problem? I not only have an Apple Watch, but also AirPods Pro, AirPods Max, an iPad, and other devices. And for some reason, the iPhone’s Battery Charge widget would only show the AirPods Pro levels, which I don’t care about. I wondered, “Is there a way to change that so it displays the Apple Watch charge level instead?” Guess what — there is!

If you want a step-by-step guide on how to do this, check out this blog post. If you prefer an under-2-minute video, this one should do the trick.

That’s A Wrap

February has been a busy month in tech, and I’m glad I finally made the time to cover it all. I’ll be back next week with an analysis of Apple’s March 4th event. Later in March, I’ll explore the morality and ethics of AI, review a couple of invaluable books on kids’ and teens’ relationships with screens and social media, and more. Stay tuned!

Your friendly neighborhood Tech Daddy

Many of you have asked if there is a GoFundMe campaign to help us recover from the devastating loss of our home and possessions in the Eaton Fire. The answer is yes! Our dear friend Jenn Melyan has created a GoFundMe for us. You can access it here.

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When I started this Substack back in March of 2024, one of the first things I wrote about was MacUpdater, an app I considered a “Desert Island App”—one so essential that I couldn’t imagine life without it. If you’re curious, you can still read that post here. What I didn’t know at the time was that the app’s developer would soon abandon it, announcing that the app’s core feature, vital to the software, would go offline on January 1, 2026, making it nearly useless.

Anyone who has used personal tech for a while has lost a beloved app at some point. Major software companies have vast resources, which is why products like the Adobe and Microsoft app suites have lasted for decades. However, the core of the software industry still relies on shareware developers: small, often one-person operations that are much more agile than the “big boys.” At the same time, these operations are also more vulnerable to financial difficulties, labor shortages, and the whims of changing user preferences. While many Mac shareware apps have been around for decades, some appear and disappear within just a few years.

In the case of MacUpdater, it lasted seven years. While I’m grateful to have used it, the news that it was heading for a software farm upstate was a gut-punch, as there wasn’t anything else quite like it. The reasons why the developer chose to throw in the towel could be its own column. Quite frankly, the statements the guy made, as covered in this excellent TidBITS article, come across as both illogical and petulant. He may be a few sandwiches short of a picnic, if you get my drift.

All during January, I’ve been testing several apps, some free and some paid, that purport to do what Macupdater did to some degree, and there is one clear winner: Updatest, by Huge Ideas Software.

A different approach to updates

If you only use the App Store on your Mac to get software, you can stop reading right now, because the App Store automatically keeps everything you’ve downloaded up-to-date. The trouble starts when you download, install, and use software from other sources, like a developer’s website. Another often-overlooked category isn’t even apps, but plugins—commonly used within apps like Photoshop or Final Cut.

Keeping your frequently used apps and plugins up to date is essential for optimal performance. However, this is where things get tricky. Some apps update themselves automatically; others notify you of updates but don’t offer to download or install them; and some lack any update mechanism at all. That’s where Updatest comes in. The app scans your Mac for software and shows which ones have updates, then helps you download and install them… nice!

What makes Updatest unique and different than Macupdater, with powers the former app never had, is its wholehearted embrace of Homebrew. Homebrew is a “package manager” for the Mac, which doesn’t have one of its own, and can install “bundles of code” (i.e., software updates) without a user ever seeing it happen. Homebrew was released in 2009 to simplify software installation on a Mac and has since become the stuff of legend. Is it geeky? Absolutely, as you install it and interact with it solely via the Mac’s Terminal application. Yes, people, I am talking about programming here!

Updatest now makes Homebrew’s power accessible to everyone by installing Homebrew and keeping it updated for you, without the need for obscure Terminal commands. It even shows which of your apps can be “adopted” by Homebrew, making it easier than ever to stay up to date. A key difference is how Updatest detects available updates. It can use two common methods (Electron and Sparkle), the aforementioned Homebrew, and can even notify you if an App Store app has an update. Additionally, there’s the new Updatest Network: a crowdsourced database that can be toggled on or off as needed.

Beauty and brains

One of the first things I noticed about Updatest is how beautifully it’s designed, putting that ‘other’ app to shame. (Sorry, Macupdater Guy, but your design aesthetic sucked!) The next thing I noticed is how committed the Huge Ideas team is to making Updatest the best it can be. It has gone from beta to version 1 to the current version 2.2.1 in record time. My suggestions and comments to the developer have always been addressed quickly, often with informative asides on the product’s philosophy and other aspects of software development, and a few of my feature requests were implemented within 1-2 days of my sending them!

At this point, it’s important to note that my needs for an app like this differ from those of the average user. For example, I have an external drive with nearly 350 GB of software installers that I use with clients. Most of these applications are not installed on my personal Mac, but I still need to keep them all updated — which is not fun! Fortunately, Updatest can accommodate you whether you’re a casual user or a power user.

In v2, a new “onboarding” series of screens — what you see when launching the app for the first time — not only guides you through the setup process but also explains the concepts involved so you can make informed choices right from the start. I’ve never seen another app do this as well as Updatest does. Let’s take a look at those screens, and then how the app works:

This first “How Updates Are Found” screen has default settings that I recommend keeping unchanged; you can always modify them later in Settings. If you want to use Homebrew, which I suggest, simply click the “Install Homebrew” button.

This screen explains what “Adopt to Homebrew” means, although it doesn’t take any action; you’ll be able to select apps to adopt later.

Like many apps nowadays, full functionality requires you to grant access in System Settings. This “Grant Access” window is interactive: simply click the blue “Open Settings…” button and then toggle on the switch next to Updatest in the “App Management” pane that opens.

The last screen has clickable icons for more information and resources.

Once the setup process is complete, Updatest will scan your internal drive — and any other locations you specify — for updates. The scan typically takes 10–20 seconds; you’ll then see a list of items you can update or adopt to Homebrew for faster, seamless updates. You also have the option to tell Updatest to skip an update, either temporarily or permanently (you can even set a time limit), or entirely ignore an app, again, either temporarily or permanently. You can choose to see just ‘stable build’ updates or view betas … you won’t believe how often some apps update themselves on what’s known as the “beta channel!” I recommend avoiding beta software unless you are a power user.

Above is the screenshot from my latest scan, showing the Sidebar on the left and the main Updates list to its right. You can click a blue Update button, and most of the time, the update completes in just a few seconds. You can also check the “Select All” box to update everything at once. You can also click on an app to get more details, as seen below.

I mentioned that “most of the time,” clicking the blue update button works, but not every time. Depending on the app, the Update button may quickly update the app and finish without any interaction. Other times, the Update button may launch the app in question, which then hopefully displays an update message you can act on.

However, there are times — as with NordVPN — when nothing happens after clicking the Update button. The app launches, but no update message appears. Even worse, NordVPN doesn’t have a menu item or button to check for updates, nor a setting to do so. D’oh! In that case, you use the download link in the Updatest Details section to download the latest version and manually install it. This isn’t a flaw of Updatest; it’s a flaw in the software industry itself for not providing a unified way for users to update their software. It’s also another reason why having Homebrew control app updating is so appealing!

When you select an app, in the details area, you’ll see a new dropdown menu button called “Controls,” which determines whether an update or the app itself is ignored:

You can also control-click or right-click on apps in the list, and many of the same functions appear… It’s your choice.

If you have Homebrew installed and there are “package updates,” clicking on the “Packages” icon underneath Apps in the Sidebar will reveal them. Homebrew updates have a “bulk update” option as expected, and it works flawlessly.

Fast Facts

Updatest requires macOS 15 “Sequoia” or higher to operate. A free 14-day trial is available, and currently, you can purchase Updatest for a one-time fee of $12.99, which covers up to 3 Macs and grants access to the Updatest Network. For families and teams, the price is $24.99. This is an extremely good deal! Huge Ideas is considering an optional subscription fee for an enhanced version of the Updatest Network, but that’s further down the road.

That’s A Wrap

No matter what method you use, keeping your Mac’s software up to date — including the operating system and the apps you use — is extremely important. Updatest transforms what has been a tedious, stress-inducing process into something actually enjoyable. Talk about a huge idea!

Your friendly neighborhood Tech Daddy

Many of you have asked if there is a GoFundMe campaign to help us recover from the devastating loss of our home and possessions in the Eaton Fire. The answer is yes! Our dear friend Jenn Melyan has created a GoFundMe for us; you can access it here.

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When Apple released its latest operating systems last September, all labeled “26” to create a unified naming system for all Apple devices, I said I would eventually share my perspective on them. That time has finally come, as I’ve been using them for a while now, most recently macOS 26 “Tahoe.” Tahoe is the one I want to focus on because it’s the most problematic of all the new systems. While iOS and iPadOS 26 are not so bad, and watchOS 26 and tvOS 26 are somewhat harmless (and pointless), macOS 26 “Tahoe” — I’ll just call it Tahoe from now on — is a disaster. I believe it will go down in history as the “Windows Vista” of Mac operating systems… one of those “let’s all pretend this never happened and move on” situations.

I’ll cut to the chase for those of you with short attention spans: If your Mac didn’t already come with Tahoe pre-installed, delay updating to it for as long as you can so that all the bugs and annoying misfires can be (hopefully) worked out.

Tahoe: Now With 30% More Nothing

When it comes to a new operating system, the first thing people usually ask me is, “What can it do? Is there anything compelling enough to make the jump?” That depends on the person, as everyone has a different relationship with tech. Now, I’ll admit that I’m what’s called a “power user,” and I often use third-party apps to provide the functionality I need. In my opinion, most of Tahoe’s improvements are underwhelming, as I already have them in some form; your mileage may vary.

To help you decide, here’s a quick list of the Top 26 Best New Features in Tahoe; my comments are in italics:

Apple Intelligence & AI

• Live Translation: Real-time translation for text in Messages, live captions in FaceTime, and spoken translation for phone calls. (That’s a cool feature… I’ve simply never had to use it.)

• Image Playground & Genmoji: Create new images and emojis directly with enhanced AI control. (I use ChatGPT when I need to create an image, which goes far beyond Image Playground. And I generally avoid emojis.)

• Smarter Shortcuts: Intelligently summarizes text, creates images, and hooks into AI models to accelerate workflows. (Most people don’t even know what the Shortcuts app is, much less what it does.)

• Smart Reminders: Automatically categorizes lists, such as grocery or packing lists, using intelligent analysis. (Meh.)

• Writing Tools: System-wide tools to rewrite, proofread, and summarize text instantly. (It’s useful, but Grammarly is still better.)

Design and Interface (Liquid Glass)

• Liquid Glass Aesthetic: A new design language featuring reflections, refractions, and translucent materials in toolbars and sidebars. (The most controversial aspect of all the v26 systems; I’ll get into more detail about how bad this is later on in this column.)

• Adjustable Transparency: Users can choose between a clear or tinted look for windows to increase opacity. (This is Apple admitting that they went too far with Liquid Glass. These half-measures are better than nothing, but there still isn’t the ability to turn Liquid Glass off.)

• Transparent Menu Bar: The top menu bar is now fully transparent. (A feature no one asked for. It’s… OK, but it isn’t life-changing.)

• Redesigned Icons: Updated, deeper icons for Finder, Mail, Music, and the App Store. (As you’ll see below, Tahoe’s icons are a travesty.)

• Customizable Folders: Ability to change folder colors and add emojis or symbols. (Older Mac systems could do this; when Apple removed it years ago, others stepped in to restore it. Now Apple has reintroduced it? Make up your mind, Apple!)

• Interactive Widgets: Widgets (like Battery) updated to reflect the Liquid Glass design. (I. Hate. Widgets. There, I said it.)

Productivity and System Enhancements

• System-Wide Clipboard Manager: A major new feature allowing users to view, manage, and search clipboard history via Spotlight. (This is a welcome feature, even though I’ve been doing the same thing for many years thanks to a variety of third-party apps.)

• Advanced Spotlight: Enhanced search with direct access to app actions and improved results. (Again, a step in the right direction. I have used Alfred for several years that does all this and more.)

• Phone App & Continuity: A new Phone app enables users to make and receive calls, check voicemail, and view call history directly on Mac, along with live translations and new contact backgrounds. (I actually use this, and it’s become one of my favorite Tahoe features.)

• Improved “Cut” Command: Better, native support for cutting and pasting files (Cmd+Option+V). (Whatever.)

• Enhanced Control Center: Provides more customization options, enabling users to add specific app settings, including for third-party apps like Zoom. (Ask me if I care?)

Communication and Media

• FaceTime Audio Improvement: Enhanced voice quality, particularly in low-bandwidth conditions. (Better voice quality is always a good idea; however, since I use Zoom 100% of the time, it’s not something I care about. If you’re on FaceTime a lot, you’ll appreciate this one.)

• Edge Light for Video: A virtual ring light feature to brighten faces in low light, available for M-series Macs. (This only applies to FaceTime; Zoom and other apps are left out. Anecdotal reports say the feature is more annoying than helpful.)

• Apple Music AutoMix: New feature for smooth, intelligent mixing of electronic music over AirPlay. (If all you listen to is electronica or dance music, this is fun. For anyone else, avoid it like the plague.)

• Communication Safety: Enhanced content filters for children (ages 13–17) are enabled by default. (Another step in the right direction.)

9to5 Mac’s recent article on which Tahoe features are actually useful is a good resource, so you may want to check it out.

Taking A Pass On Liquid Glass

Steve Jobs famously said that “design is about how something works, not how it looks.” Alan Dye, the driving force behind the atrocity known as Liquid Glass, believed the opposite, and it shows. Fortunately, he’s since left Apple, but no one can say if his successor — a Steve Jobs adherent — will try to fix what’s wrong with Tahoe or just wait for macOS 27.

The idea behind Liquid Glass was to make Apple devices look “cool” again, even if it wasn’t necessary. On the iPhone and iPad, it’s less disruptive than on the Mac, where things really fall apart. One of the worst issues is window transparency. In Tahoe, not only is the menu bar transparent, but so is everything else! That means you can see through an app’s window to the one underneath it, which makes text and other elements in both windows unreadable… and that’s unforgivable.

You can reduce some of this annyong behavior in two ways:

√ In System Settings>Appearance, change the Liquid Glass setting to “Tinted.”

√ In System Settings>Accessibility>Display, turn on “Reduce Transparency.” To go even farther, turn on “Increase Contrast.”

If you want more detailed information on these customizations, this blog post provides it.

Finder Follies

In Tahoe, the Finder — the core app that controls how a Mac behaves while keeping track of files, folders, and more — is seriously broken, even in the latest version 26.3. To wit:

• Finder windows (and all other windows) now have large, rounded corners instead of the previous ‘squared-off’ look, often obscuring text or other important information. Plus, it’s a waste of space! Worse, the resize arrows sometimes appear within the window, sometimes halfway out of it, and other times all the way out of the window. Huh? This blog post on the “struggle of resizing windows in Tahoe” goes into more detail on how bad this is.

  

• Scrollbars inside any window are now as thick as Eugene Levy’s eyebrows! Why? Windows often open with the horizontal scrollbar shifting everything to the right. Also, Tahoe scrollbars are so bad that they can often obscure text, as in this example.

  

• Columns still don’t resize themselves as Apple promised they would. This article on “Finder Column View Silliness” doesn’t hold back.

• Onscreen indicators for sound up/down and brightness up/down have been moved to the upper-right corner of the screen, just below the menu bar, making them harder to see. Fortunately, the free third-party app Hudlum fixes the sound display issue by restoring the indicator to its original location.

• Folder customizations now include colors and icons. However, dragging a customized folder to the Sidebar of any window causes the color to disappear because the Sidebar still doesn’t support colors… WTF?

Tahoe’s Finder is so bad that I am now testing a new Finder replacement called “Bloom” — I’ll post a review of it here when I’m more familiar with it. If you can’t wait, this MacSales review is pretty good.

The Rest Of The Worst

Here’s a quick rundown of what else is wrong with Tahoe:

• Where’s the search field again? — There’s no consistency in where the search field is located across different apps. In Contacts, it’s in the upper-right corner of the main window; in Safari, it used to be in the top right but now appears below the address bar; in the Messages app, it’s at the top of the left-hand side list on a Mac, but at the bottom if you’re on an iPhone. This inconsistency has become incredibly frustrating.

• FontBook Frustration — In previous systems, the FontBook app would let me turn off “supplemental system fonts,” which are typically in other languages. In Tahoe, that’s been taken away. While Apple’s own apps routinely don’t show these fonts in the Font menu, other apps do… especially Microsoft Word. This can often lead to Word telling you that it can’t load all the fonts available to it because there are too many.

• The Day The Music Died — I use the Music app every day, all day, so I got really upset when Apple broke it. For one thing, the window size for the Music app is stuck: it always opens in the same small size and position, no matter what I try to change. Playlist items often can’t be dragged to new spots, and the playback controls have been moved elsewhere, making them much harder to see and use. Boo!

• Brain Freeze — Sometimes typing into apps as basic as Mail, TextEdit, Messages, etc., just … stops; the keyboard becomes unresponsive for 10–30 seconds for no reason.

• Designed By A 5th-Grader — Almost as controversial as Liquid Glass are Tahoe’s poorly designed and degraded icons that make it much harder to visually identify an app than before. The idea was to try to make Mac icons look more like iPhone icons… a bad idea. But don’t just take my word for it: check out this blog post… or this one… or this one!

• Get The Raid — Even at 26.3, there are still a profuse number of bugs, including wallpaper photos that appear upside-down, constant nags to “Allow this app to access your local network,” and more.

That’s A Wrap

I’ve heard rumors that 26.4 might fix more of these issues. I’m skeptical but hopeful at the same time. Rest assured, I will stay on top of this. Until then, I remain…

Your friendly neighborhood Tech Daddy

Many of you have asked if there is a GoFundMe campaign to help us recover from the devastating loss of our home and possessions. The answer is yes! Our dear friend Jenn Melyan has created a GoFundMe for us; you can access it here.

Tech Daddy Substack Founding Members

Leigh Adams
Edgar Johnson
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I’ve previously mentioned that I don’t post as often as I’d like. Between better-paying work like editing a quarterly magazine for the last 20 years, various music orchestration and preparation jobs, the work I do for my wife, Ellen, and her Substack, dealing with the never-ending, daily bureaucratic barriers involving rebuilding our home after the Eaton fire, and various physical ailments I have to manage, I’m sometimes amazed I can post at all.

The main reason I write these columns — currently here on Substack and previously in MacUser magazine and other outlets — is that it brings me joy, and it always has. Posting is a classic case of “take time to make time.” However, it’s not that simple, as the field I write about is technology and how it influences our lives… a constantly changing field. The tech news cycle can be wild at times, and February is a good example — and it’s not even over yet! I realized that trying to include everything I want to discuss would make for a novel-sized post (nope!), so I’ve decided on two things:

• Putting a method in place that will support me in posting at least once a week

• Splitting up this “What A Month!” column into four parts, with each one going out within three days of the previous one.

I’m devoting Part 1 to exploring “Apple Creator Studio,” Apple’s new software that debuted about three weeks ago. Let the chaos begin!

What the what-what?

A few days before February began, Apple officially launched a suite of apps called Apple Creator Studio (ACS), with monthly and annual subscription options at $12.99 and $129, respectively, and $2.99 / $29.99 for students and teachers. Depending on a couple of factors, Apple offers either a one-month or a three-month free trial. The announcement sparked a wide range of reactions from the press and public, from enthusiastic applause to puzzled head-scratching. The main confusion stemmed from the fact that the 10 apps comprising Creator Studio—Keynote, Numbers, Pages, Freeform, Logic Pro, Mainstage, Final Cut Pro, Motion, Compressor, and Pixelmator Pro—were already available. At first glance, the only apparent differences were different version numbers and the new (and poorly designed) icons. So what’s going on?

While none of these apps are new, except for the somewhat new Pixelmator Pro that Apple acquired last year, the latest ACS versions have been updated to utilize Apple’s AI technology, harness new capabilities provided by macOS and iOS 26, and introduce a range of new features. By the way, the OS 26 strategy is nothing new: for as long as I can remember, Apple has updated its core apps as “showcases” for its latest operating systems.

I mention iOS because a key aspect of ACS is the tight integration between the iPad and iPhone versions of all 10 apps and the Mac. A few of the apps have never been on the iPad before, and certainly never at this level of sophistication. By releasing ACS for both Macs and tablets, Apple is admitting that a large part of the ‘creator community’ uses iPads and nothing else. If you’re one of those people, this is big news!

Many ACS apps support slightly older operating systems, but not all do. Right now, to get the full ACS experience, you need to be running the latest version of macOS or iOS and using an Apple Silicon-based device. (A complete list of software and hardware requirements can be found here.) Since the adoption of these new systems has been slow—the reasons for that will be in another column—Apple is again using its time-tested ‘carrot and stick’ approach to get people to switch.

Now, let’s see what’s been updated in Apple’s well-established Keynote, Numbers, and Pages apps. I’m focusing more on them because I use them more often than either Logic or Final Cut.

Free vs “Freemium”

The first question you might have — and rightly so — is “why are the iWork apps included in ACS?” (Keynote, Numbers, and Pages were once called the ‘iWork Suite.’ Go figure.) For the past 12 years, these apps have been free and either pre-installed on all new Macs or available for download from the App Store. How do you persuade people to pay for something that was, and still is, free? That’s an important question, especially since you can still download the previous versions from the App Store, and installing the new ACS versions leaves the old apps in place just in case you don’t like them.

My view on why these apps belong in a “Creator” bundle is that individuals, creatives, and small studios not only produce content but also need to manage their businesses. These apps are crucial for that purpose. When you think about it, we all use software to create something every day, even if it’s just a text document or an email.

Concerning their inclusion in a subscription bundle, Apple has positioned these new versions as “Freemium” apps. “Freemium” combines “free” and “premium,” and it has become common for software developers to offer “usage tiers” so users pay only for what they need. Does the free version of the app work for you? Great! Are the ‘upgrade’ features worth paying for? Go for it!

While the core functions of the iWork apps remain the same, a major new feature is the Content Hub, an invaluable way to find royalty-free images, backgrounds, borders, and more that can be very easily added to a document. I was skeptical at first because, when I need to do this, I usually search the web for what I want and import it. Then I remembered how much I hate doing that! It often takes me 10-15 minutes of endless searching, scrolling, cropping, and exporting just to get the right image. Content Hub speeds this up by (a) offering a vast selection of images, and (b) using Apple Intelligence to quickly find what you’re looking for. How quickly? After I typed a one-sentence description of what I wanted to insert into a sample Keynote presentation, Content Hub found the exact image I needed in TWO SECONDS. Nice! I’m sure the stock photo companies are not thrilled by this, but as Ellen says, “Not my circus, not my monkeys.”

Another aspect of how we use software, one that often gets overlooked, is the “missing middle” concept. Most of the apps we use are either extremely simple and easy to use or overly complex and expensive. Where’s the middle-ground? The ACS versions of the iWork apps fill that niche, and do it well. Besides Content Hub, these foundational apps also gained other AI-powered tools, advanced imaging, and fun new features, including “Generate Presentation” in Keynote (text outlines to slides), “Magic Fill” in Numbers (for table data), and in all the apps, “Super Resolution” image upscaling, and “Auto Crop” for composition.

Putting the “Pro” back in Logic and Final Cut

The list of improvements and new features in Apple’s flagship audio and video creation and editing apps is truly impressive. (For simplicity, I’m dropping the word “Pro” from now on.) Here’s what’s new in Final Cut, along with my comments in italics. Even if you’ve never used Final Cut, pay attention, as many of these updates will soon make their way into iMovie, albeit in a simpler form. This is relevant, as iMovie can still export a project directly to Final Cut if your project requires more advanced tools. Remarkably, all these features are available on both the Mac and iPad versions!

Final Cut (ASC Version): Key New Features

• Magnetic Mask: Isolates subjects from backgrounds without a green screen. (Wow!)

• Scene Removal Mask: Removes and replaces backgrounds behind subjects. (Nice,)

• Object Tracker Improvements: Enhanced reliability for tracking objects, even with mismatched frame rates. (I’m not sure what that is, but it sounds cool.)

• Intelligent Visual Search (Apple Silicon only): Uses machine learning to find specific objects, actions, or scenes in footage. (That’s worth $129 a year right there.)

• Transcript Search: Finds specific spoken words or phrases in media. (Another super time-saver, which I’ve wished for over many years.)

• Beat Detection: Automatically analyzes music to mark beats, allowing clips to snap to the rhythm. (A less sophisticated version of this was in iMovie, but only in its “one-click trailer” tool.)

• Color Adjustments & Presets: New effects for better color correction and faster, pre-designed looks. (If you know what that is, you know how handy this will be.)

• Automatic Color Management: Simplifies mixing HDR and SDR footage in the same project. (That’s a big one! We had to deal with that in our documentary film “Beauty Bites Beast,” and it took WEEKS.)

• Updated Assets: New collection of titles, effects, and generators. (Yes, please. Put that in iMovie, please.)

• Improved Performance: Better handling of complex projects, proxy files, and faster waveform drawing. (You can never go wrong with “faster.”)

The Hills Are Alive With The Sound Of… Logic

Similar to how iMovie projects can be imported into Final Cut, GarageBand projects can be imported into Logic. The new ACS version has some truly jaw-dropping features, some of which will also hopefully appear in GarageBand.

Logic Pro (ASC Version): Key New Features

• AI Session Players (Synth & Bass): A new AI-powered Synth Player joins the session players (Keyboard, Bass) to create performances with modifiable controls. (This basically means that almost-a-rhythm section can now jam with you. As someone who’s been in the studios for decades … gulp! But let’s be real: a lot of us cannot afford to go into a studio with paid musicians. I don’t see that changing any time soon. So… the jury’s out on this one.)

• Chord ID: This feature analyzes audio or MIDI recordings to automatically identify and generate chord progressions, which can then be used by the Session Players. (And also by people like me, writing lead sheets and chord charts, who have 10 minutes at best to figure out what we are hearing. For me, this one lands as a “Thank you, Lord!” feature.)

• Flashback Capture: A new recording feature that allows you to recover musical performances that were played while Logic was in playback mode, even if you did not hit record. (You have no idea how often this happens.)

• Multiple Projects: A setting now allows for multiple projects to be open simultaneously. (Another huge advance.)

• Sound Library: Improved management makes it easier to install and delete sound packs. (Trust me when I tell you how cool this is or how much it’s needed. Considering that a user can have hundreds of sound packs and add-ons installed, seeing them all in one place and being able to visually add or remove them is a game-changer.)

• iPad Features: The iPad version includes improved Apple Pencil support for quick swipe comping, and natural language searching for loops. (Just the idea of running Logic on an iPad makes my head hurt, but you know… kids today.)

The More You Know

Believe it or not, I’ve only scratched the surface of what ACS offers. Still, you might think that $129 a year is a bit steep. If so, note that the price covers up to five family members! Another point is that, to date, buying only Final Cut and Logic (along with their companion apps) costs $499.99 retail and $199 for students and teachers. And, while comparing ACS to Adobe Creative Cloud might be like comparing apples to oranges, keep in mind that the current price for the entire Creative Cloud suite is $69.99 a month. OK then!

If this column has piqued your interest and you’d like more detailed information, here are some excellent resources gathered from some of my favorite websites.

MacStories — Creator Studio Is Redefining Pro For The Modern Era

MacRumors — Creator Studio Explained and Hands-On With Final Cut Pro (video)

MacMost — Is Creator Studio Worth It? (video)

MacMost — Is Creator Studio Backwards Compatible? (video)

AppleInsider — Two Weeks With Creator Studio (video)

That’s A Wrap

To recap, if your device or its operating system is outdated, or if you’re not interested in any of the “whiz-bang” features, that’s perfectly fine — previous versions are still available and still work. That’s not going to change anytime soon. What Apple Creator Studio represents is Apple’s commitment to providing tools that enhance our creativity and productivity in new and surprising ways. And to that, I say, “Bring it on.”

Your friendly neighborhood Tech Daddy

Many of you have asked if there is a GoFundMe campaign to help us recover from the devastating loss of our home and possessions. The answer is yes! Our dear friend Jenn Melyan has created a GoFundMe for us, which you can access here.

Tech Daddy Substack Founding Members

Leigh Adams
Edgar Johnson
Harvey Rosenfield

In my last column, I awarded Dropbox the “most valuable tech” award of 2025 and promised to explore that service further… and now here we are! The timing couldn’t be better: a new year is the perfect time to tidy up and organize your digital life. Reassessing how you store and manage files is part of that process. Cloud storage and synchronization offer convenient solutions for this, especially if you have more than one device, such as a desktop computer and a laptop.

Recently, I’ve worked with several clients who had files scattered across multiple devices, and all the files were stored “locally,” meaning only on the drive and not synchronized or backed up elsewhere. Some files were unique, but many were duplicates. This situation often causes me headaches and causes them needless angst. That’s why consolidating your files in one place using a single cloud-based service makes sense. But which one? Let’s figure that out.

A quick note before I start. This article includes several links to Apple’s official “Mac User Guide,” which always defaults to the current macOS; in this case, macOS Tahoe 26. If your Mac runs an older version of macOS, just click the dropdown arrow next to “Select version” and choose the version you’re using to see the right instructions.

iCloud: Apple’s built-in “everything” service

If you exclusively use Apple products and prefer to stay within their cozy and secure “walled garden,” Apple’s iCloud services are often sufficiently good, affordable, and easy to use. iCloud services go beyond just file storage; they also include background syncing of various system settings, preferences, and passwords, along with Photo and Music library synchronization.

A few years ago, Apple improved these features with “iCloud+,” which offers more value beyond their paltry 5GB of free storage. As Apple states on their iCloud+ page: “Every iCloud+ plan includes Apple Invites, iCloud Private Relay, Hide My Email, Custom Email Domain, and HomeKit Secure Video. Additional plans offer even more storage.” Apple’s file storage limits have increased as well, with the company now providing paid tiers of 50 GB, 200 GB, 2 TB, 6 TB, and 12 TB! This is important because the number of third-party apps that also sync their data to iCloud has grown by leaps and bounds. By the way, most of my clients who need to upgrade their storage do so because their Photos library has grown beyond their current storage capacity.

TIP: To check if your Photos library is close to exceeding your current storage limit on your Mac or iPhone, go to Settings → (your name) → iCloud, then tap or click the “Manage” button. You will see exactly what is using your storage space, with options to manage it or change your plan. If iCloud Photos are taking up most of your storage and you prefer not to pay more each month, open the Photos app and delete photos and videos you no longer need. Focus on videos first, as they take up the most space. Also, remember to have the Photos app find and remove duplicates, then “empty the trash” to permanently delete those deleted photos and videos.

I appreciate the various iCloud services that, among other things, make switching to a new device easy-peasy. However, I am less enthusiastic about iCloud Drive. Besides making all your files accessible on any device signed in with the same Apple Account, iCloud Drive offers basic file management features, such as sharing files or folders with others, although the process is not always straightforward. It can also set a file or folder to “online only,” meaning it consumes no space on the internal drive.

Tip: To verify if iCloud Drive is functioning on your device, ensure that “Sync this Mac / iPhone” is enabled in Settings→(your name)→iCloud→Drive. On the Mac, turning on “Desktop & Documents folders” will sync those folders and their contents.

That’s all fine and dandy for many people, but here’s where iCloud Drive falls short:

• For ease of use, files and folders are set to “online only” by default, and users cannot change this without disabling Optimize This Mac / Phone, which I do not recommend

• You can tell iCloud Drive to “keep downloaded” for a specific file or folder, but you can’t do this for a bulk selection.

• iCloud Drive is extremely slow at syncing files, including uploading and downloading.

• Files larger than 5 GB can slow down the system, often causing it to stall.

• There’s only an option to sync the Desktop and Documents folders. This means any other folders and files a user has created outside of iCloud Drive — such as in the Home folder — won’t be synced or accessible on other devices. This includes everything stored in the Movies, Music, and Pictures folders, except for the Apple Music and Photos libraries.

If you’ve ever run up against any of the drawbacks or wished for more flexibility, this is a classic case of “you get what you pay for.”

Dropbox costs a bit more, but gives you a lot more

Before I discuss what Dropbox offers, I want to quickly explain why I’m not including other cloud services like Google Drive, Microsoft OneDrive, or lesser-known options such as pCloud, IceDrive and many others. The simple reason is that, in my view, they all have too many limitations to be truly viable. For example:

• Google Drive works poorly on a Mac, interfering with the system while also analyzing all your files for marketing (!); additionally, its overly-complicated file-sharing service often requires recipients to have a Google account.

• Microsoft OneDrive seems to be popular only in law offices and some educational institutions; this Reddit thread perfectly captures how awful it is

• Upstarts like pDrive and IceDrive are too unreliable, slow and insecure

In contrast, Dropbox is fast, flexible, secure, integrates well with Mac and iPhones, and offers plans for individuals, teams and companies. This page shows you their plans, costs and features; FYI, Ellen and I use the Professional plan. Both the Plus and Pro plans allow for file access across all devices, including Android and Windows PCs. They also feature their own version of Time Machine, called Rewind, which is one of my absolute favorite functions. By simply control-clicking on a file or folder, you can see previous versions going back either 30 days with the Plus plan or 180 days with the Pro plan. It’s easier to use and more reliable than Apple’s Time Machine and has saved my bacon on numerous occasions!

File sharing is where Dropbox truly excels. You can collaborate with other Dropbox users by sharing a file or folder with one click, and receive notifications when they are working on a document. For Microsoft Office files, you can even collaborate in real time! More importantly, Dropbox allows you to password-protect files or folders and control who has access. For example, some people can edit, while others may only view. You can also create “timed” sharing links that expire after a certain date.

What if you need to give someone access to a file or folder but don’t know which device they use or whether they even have a Dropbox account? It’s easy: just control-click on a file or folder and select COPY DROPBOX LINK.

This creates a special URL that is copied to the clipboard so you can paste it into a text message or email. When a person clicks the link, a web page opens, showing the file or folder and an option to download it. I use this all the time, especially when sending out large audio or video files. Sometimes people simply need to listen to or watch something quickly; they don’t need anything fancy. The Copy Dropbox Link feature solves this problem.

TIP: When sending a Copy Dropbox Link, you can set it so the file downloads automatically when the recipient clicks the link, instead of opening a web page first. All Dropbox Copy Links end with the number “0”; change the 0 to “1” before sending the link, and bada-bing! The file will auto-download.

But wait, there’s more!

If I went over every single Dropbox feature, this column would take another 20 minutes to read! Fortunately, others have done the heavy lifting for me. The good people at Internxt, who create their own cloud-based products, have an extremely comprehensive guide to both iCloud and Dropbox, with plenty of easy-to-read comparison charts. Not surprisingly, they promote their own service toward the end, even though no one has ever heard of them (yet), but the guide offers a thorough and accurate assessment of the strengths and weaknesses of these services.

If you’re a more visual person, this concise four-minute YouTube video deftly covers the bases, with an eye toward business users.

That’s A Wrap

To sum all this up:

Your Devices: All Apple? iCloud. Mixed (Windows, Android, Mac)? Dropbox.

Sharing: No-frills? iCloud. Need more control? Dropbox

Collaboration: Need password-protected links & real-time editing? Dropbox.

Performance: Don’t care about sync speeds or how files take up drive space? iCloud. Want faster syncing, more control over drive space, or deal with huge files? Dropbox

Budget: For basic needs within Apple, iCloud; Dropbox costs more but offers more.

No matter which cloud service you choose, I recommend using at least one for both peace of mind and easier file access across devices.

Your friendly neighborhood Tech Daddy

Many of you have asked if there is a GoFundMe campaign to help us recover from the devastating loss of our home and possessions. The answer is yes! Our dear friend Jenn Melyan has created a GoFundMe for us, which you can access here.

Tech Daddy Substack Founding Members

Leigh Adams
Edgar Johnson
Harvey Rosenfield

Here we are at the end of 2025… finally! It feels like for many of us, the year lasted forever and yet sped by in the blink of an eye. It’s common to reflect on the year that has passed, and since my focus is on technology—especially Apple products, software, and services—I thought I’d share my two cents. However, I’m doing this in the context of losing our Altadena home and everything in it on January 7th, due to the Eaton Fire.

So, before I dive into the year’s most important tech trends and stories, I want to give my award to the one tech-oriented thing that mattered most to me because of those events: cloud storage! More specifically, Dropbox.

After losing all my external drives in the fire, it was an enormous relief to turn on my new 14-inch M4 Pro MacBook Pro a week after the disaster and watch Dropbox restore 91,729 items. Although I lost my priceless archive drives, I was able to recover everything I’ve worked on and created since I started using Dropbox in 2013. That’s one reason I briefly mentioned the cloud service in a previous post back in May. That’s also why my next post will go into more detail about Dropbox.

But it wasn’t just Dropbox; I had some files and folders stored in iCloud Drive that reappeared, too. The same goes for all my cloud-based email, iCloud settings, Photos library, Music library, and more. These services have been around long enough for me to take them for granted, but seeing my digital life come back to me that January day was truly miraculous.

While not technically considered backups, since Dropbox and iCloud Drive are not mirrors of everything on my previous internal drive (for example, the apps folder), they had all the files I needed to get back up and running quickly and for that I am forever grateful.

Now, let’s review the tech that rocked our world, along with some big missteps in 2025.

#1 With A Bullet: AI

While the “bullet” reference comes from the Billboard music charts, a lot of people either felt AI was gunning for them or wanted to put a bullet in it. AI stories were everywhere in 2025, whether it was about data centers requiring ever-increasing amounts of energy—Google’s “Project Suncatcher” aims to power them from space!—or about web browsers like ChatGPT Atlas and apps racing to incorporate AI. For me, I knew the AI Hype had gone into overload when Zoom added an AI assistant. Was that really necessary? Does anyone even use it? (The answers: no, and no.) For more on 2025’s Top 10 Tech Stories, check out this TechRepublic rundown.

Taking A Pass On Liquid Glass

In the world of All Things Apple, September’s announcement of Liquid Glass across all its devices garnered the most media attention and column inches, even before the launch. It has also been one of Apple’s most controversial decisions. Since its debut in Apple’s newest “26” operating systems, Apple has gradually been dialing back Liquid Glass, allowing users to soften its overly flashy interface. The recent news that Allan Dye, the person responsible for this semi-debacle, had left Apple also brought many of us a sense of relief and hope for the future. Steve Jobs once famously said that design isn’t about how things look; it’s about how they work. Dye believed the opposite. For him, it was all about the look, with Liquid Glass the epitome of that belief. Let’s hope his replacement, solid Apple veteran Stephen Lemay, can steer the Apple ship back into calmer waters.

As the Norwegians say, Liquid Glass is “not so bad” on iPhones and iPads, but on the Apple Watch and the Mac, it’s an abomination. As usual, The Eclectic Light’s Howard Oakley methodically outlined everything wrong with macOS 26 “Tahoe” in his trademark precise and understandable way. You can read his assessment, “Look Back In Disbelief,” here.

If You’re Still Using iOS 18, Read This!

Because of the Liquid Glass issue, many iPhone users are sticking with iOS 18. If you are one of them, pay attention. There are “active exploits” that can affect millions of iPhone users running iOS 18; the latest version was 18.7.2. Still, Apple decided to fix these exploits only in the newer iOS 26, specifically the latest version, iOS 26.2. Apple did release iOS 18.7.3, which also addresses these vulnerabilities, but that update is only for iPhone X, XR, and XS models. Why? Because those models can’t run iOS 26! All newer models, however, can. So if you’ve been hesitant about upgrading to iOS 26, my advice is to do it… NOW. For more info, check out this Forbes article.

The Best (And Worst) Of The Rest

For Apple, 2025 was also marked by a wave of executive shakeups amid ever-changing tariffs from the bonkers band of idiots inhabiting the White House. On the upside, there were the wildly popular iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max models and the return (kind of) of Blood Oxygen Monitoring on the Apple Watch. An unusual misstep for Apple was the iPhone Air and iPhone 16e, both of which tanked big-time. As in, people stayed away in droves. And, in the “I never saw that one coming” category, in November, Apple started selling a pricey, Japanese-made iPhone Pocket (or sock, as most people are calling it), which promptly sold out worldwide. Go figure! You can read more about these roller-coaster developments at the following websites:

2025 Was Huge For Apple — Here’s Why (Cult of Mac)

5 Most Important Software Features Apple Introduced in 2025 (MacRumors)

Apple’s 3 Biggest Wins and Losses (Fast Company)

That’s A Wrap

No matter whose technology you use, the purpose of it is to improve our lives in ways we sometimes can’t even imagine. However, this year showed me, more than ever, the importance of stepping away from the screen and re-evaluating what truly matters. In my case, that is the people in my life, not the technology they use. It’s the All Saints Church, Pasadena music community I’m part of that helped me maintain my sanity in the face of the unthinkable. And it’s you, my loyal readers, who keep me grounded and remind me of why I write these columns in the first place. To everyone who has supported my wife, Ellen, and me through these difficult times, I thank you for what you have given us and continue to provide. I sincerely pray that 2026 will be more joyful, hopeful, and fulfilling for all of us than this year has been.

Your friendly neighborhood Tech Daddy

Many of you have asked if there is a GoFundMe campaign to help us recover from the devastating loss of our home and possessions. The answer is yes! Our dear friend Jenn Melyan has created a GoFundMe for us, which you can access here.

Tech Daddy Substack Founding Members

Leigh Adams
Edgar Johnson
Harvey Rosenfield

As a longtime user of All Things Apple, I have always used the mouse that comes with Apple desktops. Various versions of the Apple Mouse have always had a single button because Steve Jobs famously disliked the two-button models that all PCs used. He considered them a design failure and believed that a well-designed user interface should allow everything to be done with just one button. This approach was in line with the original Macintosh’s emphasis on simplicity.

Jobs eventually embraced the idea of a multi-button mouse after seeing how capacitive sensors could mimic buttons without needing physical ones… and the Mighty Mouse was born. To this day, many Mac users aren’t aware that you can turn the flat surface of the Mighty Mouse, or any Apple trackpad, into a two-button device by enabling that feature in System Settings —> Mouse / Trackpad. The feature is called “secondary click,” also known as “right click” or “control-click.”

Over the past few months, I’ve seen glowing reviews from various pundits I respect about Logitech’s latest version of their MX Master series mouse, which has been around since April 2015. The MX Master 4 now includes “haptic feedback” along with many other features, so I decided to try it myself. And… I love it! Within a week, it’s become one of those “how did I ever live without this?” kinds of things. I’ll tell you more about it right after I catch you up on the latest Tech News.

OS 26.1 Is Ready To Run

For Apple users with any device running the latest “26” operating system, Apple released important updates on November 3. This page has the details. If you have already installed iOS 26, iPadOS or macOS 26 on a device, you should always update to the latest version, as it often fixes many bugs and includes crucial security updates. For those who haven’t upgraded to 26 yet, I recommend waiting until at least v2 is released, probably around mid-December.

Taking A Pass On Liquid Glass

One of the features in the latest 26.1 updates is the ability to “tone down” the Liquid Glass effect Apple rolled out back in September. MacWorld magazine claimed in this article that the addition of the “Clear / Tinted” toggle in the newly-created Liquid Glass settings pane signified that Liquid Glass is ‘dead.’ I disagree. Liquid Glass is here to stay… for the foreseeable future, anyway. For those of us who’ve been around for a while, we remember that Apple has done this before: introduced a radical new visual approach, then started dialing it back in various updates, and that’s what is happening here.

I’ll admit that Liquid Glass takes some getting used to, and it is sometimes a pleasing visual element, while at other times it can be distracting, depending on the device and the software involved. In my opinion, giving users more choices about how something looks is always a good idea. Apple has made the right decision here. Will there be a future option to turn Liquid Glass off completely? Probably not, but I would support that as an option.

The M5 Is Alive

In September, Apple hosted a highly publicized event introducing the iPhone 17 lineup and the new Liquid Glass-based operating systems. Then, on October 15th, Apple released a low-key press statement announcing the new M5 MacBook Pro. The irony is that the more widely promoted September event had some interesting features, but this latest news is astonishing! According to initial testing, including this exhaustive YouTube video,

this new laptop is nearly twice as fast as its predecessor, setting a new record for the fastest speed ever documented for a consumer computer… wow!

Apple has uniquely limited the M5 to only the 14-inch MacBook Pro; it is not available for the 16-inch model, nor are there any of the usual “Pro” or “Max” processor upgrades. Those models are expected in the first quarter of 2026, along with an M5-based MacBook Air.

Gasping For Air

The September Apple Event also unveiled the new iPhone Air, the thinnest iPhone ever made. I wasn’t aware that people had been clamoring for something like this, probably because they weren’t: sales have been so poor that the phone is now considered DOA and work on an updated version has been halted. Similarly, Samsung has abandoned its ultra-thin Galaxy Edge. I’m not sure how these companies came to believe there was a demand for super-thin phones that are both costly and feature-limited, but the message from consumers is now loud and clear: nope!

Master Of The Mouse

OK, back to the Logitech MX Master 4. If you want to try one of these yourself, you need to know that it comes in two versions: a ‘regular’ model for PCs, and the “Logitech MX Master 4 for Mac” for Apple users. These are two separate products that, thankfully, share the same price of $119.95 from either Logitech or Amazon. The mice are available in two colors: black or white.

The first thing that impressed me about the MX 4 is how good it felt in my hand. Over the years, many others have noted this: how the shape fits perfectly in the hand and helps reduce carpal tunnel and other ergonomic issues. Pairing the Bluetooth device was as easy as you’d expect, and another great feature is that it can hold a charge for weeks, if not months! My Mighty Mouse 2 needed a recharge roughly every two weeks, and you can’t use it while it’s plugged in because the charging port is on the underside — whose idea was that?! Interestingly, no less than Daring Fireball’s John Gruber recently defended that choice in this post, proving yet again his unique ability to see things others can’t.

The hand-feel and battery life are enough to recommend the MX 4, but the real highlight is all the buttons it has! There are the primary left and right buttons, of course, and a scroll wheel that can also function as a button; the scroll wheel also has its own button right below it that allows users to scroll slowly with a ‘ratchet’ feel or very quickly in “free-floating” mode. You can hit that scroll mode button with your thumb: it’s very easy to reach. If the setting is enabled, the scroll wheel can also detect scrolling speed and adjust itself automatically… nice!

But wait, there’s more! In addition, there is a “side-scrolling” or horizontal scroll wheel on the left edge that you can also control with your thumb, along with backward / forward buttons below it, a dedicated “action” button next to them, and finally, the “haptic-enabled” big button where your thumb rests on the left side bottom. Pressing the Haptic button brings up the “Action Ring”: an overlay that lets users quickly access various functions.

You can use the mouse on its own without any extra software, but as you probably have guessed by now, to access all the additional functions, you’ll need to install the Logi Options+ app. For decades, Logitech has used a version of this type of app, none of which have been very good. I’m happy to say that the Logi Options+ app breaks that losing streak: it’s visually appealing and surprisingly easy to understand and configure.

The Logi Options + website offers numerous video tutorials on effectively using the MX Master 4, including creating “Smart Actions” (automating multiple tasks with a single click), customizing the Action Ring, and assigning app-specific functions to its buttons. I’ve been using this device for about a month now and have only scratched the surface of what it can do! For me, the game-changer — and the primary reason I decided to try the MX 4 — is the horizontal-scrolling thumbwheel. Why? I use a music notation app called Sibelius, which, besides standard menus, uses the dreaded Microsoft Ribbon to access its hundreds of functions. To access the various tabs and subgroups in Sibelius, plus to scroll through a music score, you have to scroll horizontally. Trying to do this with the Mighty Mouse was an exercise in frustration, as the various tabs would often jump around wildly on the screen. Thanks to the MX 4’s horizontal scrollwheel, that’s no longer a problem… whew!

That’s A Wrap

If you want a more detailed review of the MX Master 4, the helpful Canadians at RTings.com have one available here. And while I really enjoy using this mouse, not everyone will like its size or overabundance of features. Another important caveat is that it is only for right-handed people; if you’re a leftie, you’re out of luck. As I mentioned, I happily used the standard Apple mouse for many years, and if you’re a fan too, that’s great! But if you’ve ever wished for more than what the Apple mouse offers, this might be the solution for you.

Your friendly neighborhood Tech Daddy

Many of you have asked if there is a GoFundMe campaign to help us recover from the devastating loss of our home and possessions in the Altadena fire. The answer is yes! Our dear friend Jenn Melyan has created a GoFundMe for us; you can access it here.

Tech Daddy Substack Founding Members

Leigh Adams
Edgar Johnson
Harvey Rosenfield

I am recovering after my second bout of COVID, which was caused by “Paxlovid Rebound” following my first experience. The new Stratus variant is tough, and as I can confirm, it tends to linger for weeks after testing negative again. If you haven’t already, I recommend getting the booster designed explicitly for this variant as soon as possible.

I posted my last column the day before Apple’s “Awe Dropping” event, where they announced new iPhones, Apple Watches, AirPods, and introduced the latest operating systems for all Apple devices, called “26” for a more unified naming system. If you recall, I wasn’t expecting much “awe,” but rather yawns. By setting my expectations low, I’m pleased to report that there were some aspects of the announcements that managed to surprise and delight me.

Since there is so much information to cover, I will list the “yay!” “meh,” and my recommendations for each category. I’ll also provide links for further in-depth info. So let’s dive in!

The iPhone 17s

Each year around this time, Apple unveils new iPhones, and each year, people ask me which one they should buy. And each year, I tell them, “Don’t buy an iPhone — lease it!” Spending between $600 and nearly $2,000 on a device from any manufacturer that will likely become obsolete in two years or less makes little sense to me. That’s precisely why Apple created the iPhone Update Program, which I’ve been happily using for several years. For a reasonable monthly fee, I receive a new phone every year, ensuring I always have access to the latest features. I wrote about this last October; if you missed that column, click below to read it and then come back.

This year’s lineup features the standard iPhone 17, the iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max, and the new iPhone Air. Notice I didn’t say “iPhone 17 Air” — it’s just “iPhone Air,” emphasizing its role as the new (iPhone) kid on the block.

To learn how to use the new iPhone features on all four models, visit this page. To prepare your current iPhone for iOS 26, follow the advice provided here.

iPhone 17

As I predicted, the standard iPhone 17 packs the most features for the money and is the best choice for most people. Here is its MacRumors roundup page. Like all such pages from MacRumors, it contains comparisons to previous models to help you make your choice. I was pleasantly surprised by how good the screen is, the improvements to the camera and battery life, and the benefits brought by Apple’s new, custom-built N1 Wi-Fi and C1 modem chips.

There are no “meh’s” from me on this model, only “yay!”s. I liked it so much I traded Ellen’s iPhone 15 for a Lavender iPhone 17, and she is very happy with it. My experience while setting it up was that the phone is quick, responsive, and a pleasure to use. These phones are selling so well that Apple has had to increase production!

iPhone Air

This iPhone replaces the “Plus” size versions of standard iPhones but is now the thinnest and lightest phone Apple has ever made. You can see all its features here. To achieve this technological feat, compromises had to be made, which is why the Air — for me, anyway — falls into the “meh” category. While it boasts an outstanding 6.5-inch display, it costs significantly more than the standard iPhone, yet it only has one camera. Additionally, it can get hot due to its titanium frame, has shorter battery life compared to other phones, and features significantly slower charging times and data speeds, as well as only one speaker. (Did you know that all other iPhones and iPads play stereo sound if you hold them horizontally? Now you know.)

If you’ve always wanted the thinnest iPhone possible and don’t care about anything else, this is the phone for you. However, avoid choosing one in a dark color. For everyone else, avoid the Air … for now, anyway. If Apple continues making them, it has nowhere to go but up. If you’d like more info on the differences between the iPhone 17 and Air, check this page.

iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max

These latest Pro models offered another pleasant surprise: the A19 Pro chip — yay! I’ve been using a Pro Max for several years, and this new chip delivers even more power and potential than the previous one. Also noteworthy is the switch from titanium back to aluminum, which, along with Apple’s new vapor-chamber cooling technology, prevents the device from burning your hand under heavy loads. The colors are more interesting than in previous years, and the cameras, display, and internals all received significant speed boosts; check all the details here.

I upgraded to the Cosmic Orange Pro Max the day it was released, but it won’t arrive until mid-October, primarily due to the complexity in sourcing and manufacturing it. From everything I’ve heard from those who already got them, it will be worth the wait. Again, avoid getting one in a dark color, as these colors are more prone to scratches and scuffs. This is similar to the Midnight MacBook Air, which is also a fingerprint magnet.

Apple Watch 11

This new generation of Apple Watch may be the smallest leap forward over its predecessor in Apple Watch history — there are only four changes — and therefore lands in the “meh” category, but only if you already have an Apple Watch 9 or 10. For everyone else, it’s worth trading up for. Here are the details.

AirPods Pro 3

Apple’s industry-leading earbuds got a bigger refresh than anyone expected, and as such, land in the “yay!” category. Noise canceling is now twice as effective as previous models, and they feature a revamped in-ear design that should now actually fit comfortably in my ears — a first! There are plenty more improvements, which you can see here. For a 10-minute overview, here’s a MacRumors First Look video.

iOS, iPadOS and macOS 26, featuring “Liquid Glass”

As is customary, Apple released new operating systems alongside the new iPhones, designed to leverage the latest hardware capabilities. Here is the MacRumors iOS 26 MegaGuide and their similar guide to macOS Tahoe.

I’ll be devoting my next column to an in-depth discussion of the version 26 operating systems, but for now, I can say that there are parts of them that are “yay!” and other parts are “meh.”

Indeed, the most significant (and most debated) change to Apple’s new operating systems is the adoption of what they call “Liquid Glass,” which gives icons, menus, and other screen elements a glass-like appearance and texture. You can see it in action here.

What I’ve found is that the bigger the screen, the better this looks. While the new interface is impressive on my 27-inch Apple Studio Display and my 13-inch iPad Pro, it’s only okay on my iPhone Pro Max and totally unappealing on my Apple Watch. On the watch, it actually makes the user experience worse, rather than better. For example, each of the numbers on the unlock screen is now in its own small circle of glass, which makes the screen much more cluttered than the previous simple, easy-to-tap number grid. Ugh!

Another confounding aspect of iOS and iPadOS 26 is Apple’s choice to move the ‘search’ bar from the top of the screen to the bottom, something that — like Liquid Glass itself — cannot be changed or turned off. For those of us with muscle memory, having to learn to look somewhere else is a jarring and unnerving experience. And, as far as I can tell, there is no logical reason for the change.

A Tahoe Mystery Worthy Of Todd Borg

I had already upgraded my previous iPhone to version 26 before ordering the new ones, and thankfully, the process went smoothly. The new systems, for the most part, are stable and should be fine to adopt, including macOS Tahoe, which is also surprisingly stable for a point-zero release. However, I would recommend waiting until at least version 26.1, which is expected to be released in a couple of weeks.

While I was able to update my M4 MacBook Pro to Tahoe, I was unable to install it on my M3 Ultra Mac Studio, regardless of what I tried. I spent hours, then days, trying to figure out why, but came up empty. Finally, I reached out to some of my fellow pundits and tech experts for an answer, and I am gratified that my findings were published in MacWorld, TidBITS — the longest-running Mac-oriented magazine on the web — and Howard Oakley’s Eclectic Light blog. Howard actually figured out what the problem was and posted it here.

The short and not-so-sweet: Apple engineers apparently forgot to include key drivers specific to the M3 Ultra Mac Studio in the Tahoe installer, causing it to fail and revert to the previous operating system — oopsie! While a total embarrassment in one sense, as if Apple needed any further embarrassment this year, it also highlights the recent change Apple made to its operating system installers, so that if something goes wrong, it simply aborts and returns the user to their previous state. After years of horror stories about such installs gone wrong, turning a once-vibrant Mac into a costly paperweight, this is a welcome change and should be praised.

That’s A Wrap

As always, I am available for consultations if you’re interested in upgrading to the latest and greatest, and I can also assist you with both the ordering and migration processes. While “context-aware Siri” still isn’t here, it is coming (probably by the spring of 2026), and the new iPhones and operating systems are poised to take advantage of it. New iPads and Macs are expected to be released between October and March of next year.

By the way, the most inspiring part of Apple’s annual fall events is always the “Dear Apple” segment, where they showcase a video comprised of real letters sent to Apple about how each person’s Apple Watch saved their lives. When actual video footage is available, it is used; otherwise, recreations are made. If you didn’t see this year’s three-minute montage, you can watch it here.

Your friendly neighborhood Tech Daddy

Many of you have asked if there is a GoFundMe campaign to help us recover from the devastating loss of our home and possessions. The answer is yes! Our dear friend Jenn Melyan has created a GoFundMe for us, which you can access here.

Tech Daddy Substack Founding Members

Leigh Adams
Edgar Johnson
Harvey Rosenfield

Maybe it’s the COVID talking — yes, I got COVID again last Wednesday (ugh) and am just now recovering — but I’m not feeling excited about this Tuesday’s upcoming “Awe Dropping” event at Apple Park. And I really could use some excitement right now! I usually look forward to Apple’s annual iPhone presentation because the smartphone is one of the most innovative areas in tech. While other personal tech often gets minor feature updates, each new iPhone tends to really jump ahead of the previous one.

Not this year.

Everything I’ve heard suggests there will be only modest performance and feature upgrades at best for the upcoming iPhone 17, Apple Watch 11, and AirPods Pro 3 lines. Why? It might be due to those persistent supply-chain issues that haven’t gone away. Or perhaps because of the radical changes rumored for next year’s iPhone 18s, such as all-glass designs and a foldable screen. Honestly, I think the most exciting thing we’ll see on Tuesday is the new iOS 26 and its Liquid Glass look in action. (More on that at the end of this post.)

Of course, there is always the possibility of a few surprises that no one saw coming, but setting the metaphorical Expectations Bar low, let’s see what hardware will likely be announced on Tuesday.

Jaws Wide Shut

If you’d like a peppy, 10-minute video on everything I’m about to mention, the good people at MacRumors have you covered. Click the image below to watch it…

… then come back for my analysis. If 10 minutes seems like too much, here is a concise list of the 20 Reasons To Wait For The iPhone 17.

iPhone 17 Air

The biggest news on Tuesday should be the introduction of a new type of iPhone, besides the regular iPhone 17 and the Pro models: what will probably be called an “iPhone Air.”

The marquee feature of the iPhone Air is that it will be the thinnest iPhone ever made, even though it will sport a 6.6-inch screen. In essence, it will replace the “Plus” size iPhone. In other words, the lineup will most likely be iPhone 17, iPhone 17 Air, iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max.

I get why people would want a lightweight phone, but this CNET article points out that several tradeoffs may counter the allure of lighter weight, most notably reduced battery life, some camera compromises, a slower implementation of 5G, and a less vibrant screen. Oh, and a price point that is also less than ideal. (Thanks, Trump Tariffs! NOT.) Samsung’s recent lighter-weight phones have sparked a “skinny phone” trend, but it is still unclear if people really want them. To me, the iPhone Air sounds like it could become a “one and done” model.

Speaking of price points, last year’s iPhone 16e also had notable hardware compromises, but it was the cheapest iPhone you could buy; hence the “e” in the name. No one knows what the “e” stands for, by the way, but several pundits think it stands for “entry-level” or “economical.” My question: Why is there no mention of an iPhone 17e?

iPhone 17 Pro

Rumored changes to these flagship iPhones include a switch from titanium to aluminum, with more aluminum on the back and glass used only for the wireless charging area. Aluminum is not only lighter than the titanium used in previous Pro iPhones (and cheaper), but it also dissipates heat more effectively. There have been complaints about how hot the iPhone 16 Pro and Pro Max models get when wirelessly charging or under a heavy load, and I have witnessed this first-hand.

Ellen and I have Satechi 3-in-1 Foldable Qi2 wireless charging stands on our nightstands: they are the perfect height for the iPhone’s StandBy feature, a.k.a. “nightstand mode.” The stands charge effectively and even fold up for travel. Ellen has a standard iPhone 16, which does not get hot, but my iPhone 16 Pro Max gets uncomfortably hot after just 15 minutes! So any improvement in that regard is welcome news indeed.

The iPhone 17 Pro models will also see slight improvements in cameras, screens, performance, and battery life, along with new colors, including orange. (Most likely more copper-colored than orange, but okay.) They will be able to record video from both the front and rear cameras simultaneously, a feature that some apps, like Snapchat, have already supported since last year. Again, none of this falls into the “game-changing” category.

Time Will Tell

The upcoming Apple Watch Ultra 3 and Apple Watch 11 models seem even less impressive, with only minor updates to processor speed, display size, and brightness. There probably won’t be any design changes or groundbreaking health features other than the ability to monitor blood pressure. If that feature is announced, it won’t replace a traditional blood pressure test; it will more likely be a warning that “aberrations in blood pressure have been detected,” with a suggestion to see your doctor. Still, it’s better than not having that feature, but it’s not really worth trading in your current model if you have an Apple Watch 9 or 10.

As for the AirPods Pro 3 line, there is little information other than the possibility of a different form factor and a slightly improved case. I have never been able to get AirPods to fit in my ears correctly, even with the use of custom tips, so any improvement in that area would also be welcome.

Watch What Happens

Will I be watching on Tuesday? You bet! I wouldn’t be the Tech Daddy if I didn’t. And, as I said, hope springs eternal for a “just one more thing” surprise. If you’d like to tune in on Tuesday at 10am Pacific, there are several ways to do so:

• Via the Apple Event website, which will stream it live on a Mac, iPhone, iPad, PC or any other device with a web browser

• Via YouTube Live Stream; Apple just posted this placeholder link:

• The Apple “TV” app on your Mac, iPhone, iPad and the Apple TV device itself

What I Recommend

Loyal readers know I support the Apple iPhone Upgrade Program. Whether the latest iPhone is a game-changer or just a lane-changer, it’s worth having the newest model, if for no other reason than having the best battery life. After more than a decade, I still think buying a smartphone rarely makes financial sense, given how quickly they change and their ever-rising prices. Leasing a phone is a much smarter choice, and with Apple’s program, it’s easier than ever. Additionally, there are no hidden fees, unlike those often associated with similar programs from telcos. You can sign up here.

Aside from choosing between purchase or lease, the other key question is always, “Is this something I need?” As usual, the answer depends on how old your current gear is. If you have anything older than an iPhone 11, Apple Watch 7, or the original AirPods Pro, I would definitely consider upgrading to either the models about to be announced or last year’s versions, which will also see a price drop.

As I mentioned at the top, what will likely dwarf any hardware announcements on Tuesday will be the first look at iOS 26 and its “Liquid Glass” design. Even though this list of iPhones that can accept iOS 26 goes back to the 11s, to take full advantage of Apple Intelligence and the breakthrough features of iOS 26, you’ll want at least an iPhone 15. Trust me.

That’s A Wrap

Given the state of the world these days, announcing new versions of gadgets most of us already have may seem trivial… and in some ways, it is. However, these are also devices that many of us use multiple times every day, and when they function properly — or even better, surprise us with a new ability — they can bring us joy. And right now, I’m eager for any bit of joy I can find.

Your friendly neighborhood Tech Daddy

Many of you have asked if there is a GoFundMe campaign to help us recover from the devastating loss of our home and possessions. The answer is yes! Our dear friend Jenn Melyan has created a GoFundMe for us, which you can access here.

Tech Daddy Substack Founding Members

Leigh Adams
Edgar Johnson
Harvey Rosenfield

After taking some much-needed time off, I thought I’d post about a variety of interesting goings-on instead of diving into an in-depth topic. It’s a good fit for an overly-hot Saturday afternoon.

Tim Apple’s Bold Move

There has been a lot of press around Tim Cook’s appearance at the White House a few days ago. Many pundits (and regular folks) have castigated Cook for “appeasing” the Grifter In Chief, but the Intelligencer’s Margaret Hartmann absolutely nailed it with her take on the event: “Apple’s Tim Cook Dazzles Trump By Gifting Him A Hunk Of Glass.” (You can read it here.)

Hartmann shows how Cook, by doing some “savvy groveling,” got everything he wanted without putting anything significant at risk. And all it took was a piece of glass and a gold bar! I just helped a longtime client place an order for a 16-inch MacBook Pro with the M4 Pro chip, and I’m happy to report that the Education Discount price was the same as it was last December… for now, anyway.

David Pogue’s Magnum Opus Is Almost Ready For Publication

Before he became a seven-time Emmy-winning correspondent on CBS Sunday Morning or hosted over 20 “Nova” specials, David Pogue was a household name in the world of all things Apple. He was a MacWorld magazine columnist at the same time I was a columnist for MacUser magazine, and launched the insanely popular “Missing Manual” series of books. He’s always been one of my favorite tech writers, and now he’s announced that his years-in-the-making 600-page “Apple: The First 50 Years” is available for pre-order; it’ll be released next March. (And yes, I’ve pre-ordered it!)

According to the book’s website, “In time for Apple’s 50th anniversary, David Pogue tells the iconic company’s entire life story: how it was born, nearly died, was born again under Steve Jobs, and became, under CEO Tim Cook, one of the most valuable companies in the world. The 600-page book features 360 full-color photos, new facts that correct the record and illuminate Apple’s subversive culture, and 150 fresh interviews with the legendary figures who shaped Apple into what it is today.”

To whet your appetite, here’s the “Top 10 Surprises in Apple: The First 50 Years”:

• Apple didn’t start in a garage.

• Apple was Steve Wozniak and Steve Jobs’s fourth business venture.

• There was a third founder.

• Steve Jobs was not Apple’s first CEO—nor its second, third, or fourth.

• Steve Jobs did not originate or name the Macintosh; in fact, he forced out the man who did.

• John Sculley did not fire Steve Jobs.

• The tablet came before the phone.

• Jobs never fired anyone he’d just met in the elevator.

• And he didn’t write the “Think Different” ad.

• The Newton saved Apple.

ChatGPT 5 Is Here … And Apple Is Ready For It

Two days ago, OpenAI announced that the latest version of ChatGPT — version 5 — was now live. As their website puts it: “Our smartest, fastest, most useful model yet, with built-in thinking that puts expert-level intelligence in everyone’s hands.” ChatGPT is my AI assistant of choice, and I already thought version 4 was great, so I’m looking forward to testing this latest version sometime soon. It even comes with a gentle reminder to take a break if you’ve been chatting with it for too long!

Apple Intelligence already has an optional integration with ChatGPT, even helping users to sign up for a free account if they don’t already have one. Enabling ChatGPT within Apple Intelligence opens up these three options:

• Use Siri to access ChatGPT: Siri can tap into ChatGPT to provide answers when that might be helpful for specific requests, including questions about photos and documents

• Use ChatGPT with Writing Tools: ChatGPT can compose text or images from just a description.

• Use ChatGPT with visual intelligence: Use visual intelligence with Camera Control to quickly learn more about the places and objects around you.

OpenAI’s GPT-4o model is present within all current versions of Mac and iPhone operating systems. Instead of having to wait for months (or even years), the good news is that the next round of OS updates coming next month — iOS 26, iPadOS 26 and macOS Tahoe 26 — will all use GPT-5. This is a significant step forward, while still maintaining the privacy protections Apple is known for.

Apple Debuts AppleCare One

For several years, I’ve been a fan of Apple’s all-in-one “Apple One” service that combines everything Apple offers — Apple Music, TV, News+, Fitness, Arcade, iCloud+ + and more — and makes it available for all family members for one low price. Both Ellen and I use these services, so it saves us money compared to paying for them individually. Of course, not everyone is like us, but if you do use these services, it’s a good deal.

Now, in a surprise move, Apple has done the same thing for AppleCare policies, and I’m over-the-moon happy about it. We have iPhones, Apple Watches, and Mac computers that all have their own AppleCare policies (because, yes, AppleCare is worth having); some are paid each year, and some are paid monthly. The net result is a headache-inducing morass of charges on our Apple Card each month.

Now, that’s all changed. Just like Apple One, AppleCare One covers up to three devices for one low monthly charge of $19.99 a month, and it doesn’t matter which three devices you choose. You can add additional devices for $5.99 a month for each device.

Signing up is easy, with no verification needed for any device less than two years old. Additionally, removing a device from AppleCare One (for example, if you decide to sell it) is also just as easy. In another welcome shift, you can add devices up to four years old, so if you missed the original 60-day window, you can still add a policy. For these older devices, there is a quick and easy online verification process to determine their condition.

AppleCare One has saved me a significant chunk of change each month, but as always, your mileage may vary. The good folks at TidBITS have this excellent article that provides more information about the program and goes into the pros and cons to help you decide if it’s a good fit for you or not.

The Coolest Mac Accessory I’ve Seen In Years

Apple made waves late last year when it revamped the Mac mini; the new M4 version is now half the size of the previous models. You can actually hold one in the palm of your hand, yet it’s as powerful as most desktops or laptops. Now, an enterprising Kickstarter campaign has delivered on its promise to create a special 14-in-1 Docking Station for the mini that looks like a 1980s-era Mac, complete with a 5-inch working screen!

The Dock has all the latest tech, supporting both Thunderbolt 5 and USB-C 4, plus up to an 8K display; it even has a slot for up to 8TB of SSD storage. However, unlike all its competitors, instead of utilitarian styling, it looks like you’ve got a Mac Plus sitting on your desktop. (Smaller than actual size, though.) And yes, the screen displays the output from your Mac while still providing an HDMI port for your actual display. It’s a trip.

The Kickstarter campaign has 20 days to go, and has already raised $190,000 over its initial $5,000 goal. If you want to see this thing in action, a 9to5 Mac staffer got his hands on one. Here’s his review, which also contains a link to his 11 ½ minute video on YouTube.

That’s A Wrap

I hope this grab bag of cool stuff helped you cool off today. I’ll be back soon with more hot news and views! As always, if you have something you’d like me to cover, let me know and I’ll see what I can do. Until then, I remain…

Your friendly neighborhood Tech Daddy

Many of you have asked if there is a GoFundMe campaign to help us recover from the devastating loss of our home and possessions. The answer is yes! Our dear friend Jenn Melyan has created a GoFundMe for us, which you can access here.

Tech Daddy Substack Founding Members

Leigh Adams
Edgar Johnson
Harvey Rosenfield

A recent post in one of my favorite Mac-centric publications, ScreenCasts Online (SCO), reminded me of a part of the Macintosh I rarely think about: the menu bar. According to Apple, “The menu bar runs along the top of the screen. Use the menus on the left side to choose commands and perform tasks in apps. The menu items change, depending on which app you’re using.” And, according to a Safari AI-based overview, “Menu Extras (a.k.a. ‘menulets’) are small icons on the right side of the menu bar that provide quick access to system settings and information. They can act as both a status indicator and a menu for adjusting various apps and settings.” By the way, on a Windows PC, the menu bar is called “the task bar,” and icons are found in the “system tray”; both are at the bottom of the screen. Go figure.

Here’s where things get a little confusing: on the Mac, these menu icons can be a function of a typical app that has its own windows and menus, or they can be the app itself! In other words, an item that only exists in the menu bar and can only be accessed there.

The SCO post prompted me to reflect on the icons that have been residing in my menu bar for years, if not decades. While some of them require a fee, most are free! I’ll tell you a bit about each one, explain why I find them useful, and provide links so you can get more information about them. I’ve listed them in “usage” order: the first group consists of the ones I use most often, and the second group consists of the ones I rely on but don’t need to access as frequently. These two groups are a function of “Bartender,” which I’ll talk about first.

Ready? Let’s go!

MY MOST-USED MENU BAR ICONS

Bartender — This item — the “three dots” icon — only lives in the menu bar, as Bartender literally “tends bar”; in this case, the menu bar itself. While it has many features, such as allowing you to drag icons to any position you want, Bartender’s primary job is to reduce the “icon clutter” caused by too many Menu Extras, which is more noticeable when using a 13 to 14-inch laptop screen. When Apple introduced the “notch” in the middle of the screen a few years ago, the problem became even more pronounced. Bartender’s solution is to create a “sub-menu bar” — a “hidden” menu bar — that appears when you hover over a specific area of the regular menu bar or click on Bartender’s “three dots” icon. In Bartender’s settings, you can drag the icons you rarely use to the “hidden” menu items area, resulting in a cleaner, neater menu bar.

1Password — If you’re a faithful reader, you know that I can’t live without the 1Password app, which is the best password manager around. Whether or not the 1P app itself is running, its menu bar icon is always there to provide quick access to its primary functions.

Dropbox — If you use the Dropbox cloud service for file storage, sharing and collaboration, you’re familiar with this icon; I click on it several times a day. I will say that its relationship with the Dropbox app is a strange one: the item in your Applications folder is essentially a front-end for Dropbox preferences, and that’s about it.

CleanShot X — Like many others on this list, CleanShot only lives in the menu bar, and is a more sophisticated version of Apple’s built-in “Screenshot” app, which used to be called “Grab. You can use it to take screenshots and video recordings of what’s on the screen; however, it goes far beyond what Apple offers. My favorite feature is “Scrolling Capture,” which I use frequently to save an item in a web browser’s window that is too long to view completely, such as restaurant or store receipts. After invoking this feature in CleanShot, you drag over the part you can see, then click “AutoScroll” and finally “Done.” The file is then saved to my Desktop… easy-peasy!

Carbon Copy Cloner 7 — CCC 7 is a traditional app that lives in your Applications folder. Like 1Password, it has a companion icon that’s always in the menu bar, providing quick access to backup tasks and status reports.

Jettison — Another menu bar-only item, it controls any external drives connected to your Mac. If you only have one drive — for example, a backup drive — you don’t need Jettison. However, I use more than one, and my external drives often have anywhere from four to nine “volumes” on them. That means, when mounted, all those icons can appear on the desktop… 12 or more! Jettison knows that I don’t need to see all of them, as I typically only want to use one or two at a time. It allows me to configure these drives so that, when plugged in, only the volumes I specified appear on the desktop while the others remain “unmounted.” I can then mount any of those with a single click … neat!

MENU BAR ICONS HIDDEN BY BARTENDER

Note: I sort these icons alphabetically because that’s how my brain works. Draw whatever conclusions you like.

Alfred — This is another of those items that only lives in the menu bar. Alfred’s friendly “bowler hat” icon appears when Alfred is running in the background. Hitting option-spacebar opens the Alfred window, where you can launch apps, find documents and more in a split second. Alfred utilizes Apple’s “Spotlight” index, but — similar to CleanShot — is light years beyond what Spotlight offers. It is so powerful that I could write several columns about what Alfred can do! However, I don’t have to, because the good people at SCO have already created a series of videos on Alfred — 21 of them! That alone is worth paying their yearly subscription fee of $8.25 per month.

Balance Lock — This is a service I installed just a few hours ago, after finding it on the App Store. The problem? For some reason I cannot fathom, whenever I use Sibelius, my music notation app of choice, the left-right balance for my external speakers shifts all the way to the left and remains there. A quick web search revealed that many people are complaining about this issue, and it’s not the only app doing it. Balance Lock to the rescue! All this thing does is “lock” the left-right balance of the Sound settings pane to dead-center, and that’s it. The fact that this free app even exists proves there was a need for it. It’s also another classic example of independent software developers finding solutions for very obscure problems!

Boom 2 — This menu bar-only app offers system-wide sound control, including Volume Boost, EQ, and sound shaping. If you regularly listen to music, movies, or other content via external speakers or headphones, Boom 2 is a must-have, as it enhances the sound quality of all your audio. A long time ago, there was a freeware extension called Soundflower that did the same thing, although it was buggy, difficult to use, and often failed. When Apple banished system extensions, it disappeared. Thankfully, Boom 2 (and its headphones-only cousin Boom 3D) is solid as a rock.

Default Folder X — I’ve used this invaluable menu bar-only item for almost 20 years! It works inside “open and save” dialog boxes, automatically directing you to a specified folder depending on the app you’re currently using. A favorite function is assigning system-wide key shortcuts to specific folders, which work both in the Finder and inside those open and save dialogs — when the Mac asks you what you want to name a file you’re saving, and where you want to store it. For example, when I’m using Microsoft Word while working on the magazine I’ve edited for over 15 years, I can hit Command-3 when saving a document and save it right to my “Finals” folder for that issue.

Grammarly — Living only in the menu bar, this is the controller for the Grammarly suite of AI-assisted writing tools that I find more useful — at the moment, anyway — than the free tools that Apple provides. Yes, Grammarly costs money, but if you write for a living (or simply care about what you write), I think it’s worth the cost.

Keyboard Maestro — This app / menu bar hybrid is to modern Macs what the late, great QuicKeys was to 90s-era Macs. Much of its functionality can now be achieved using Apple’s Shortcuts app and various system settings; however, I find Keyboard Maestro to be easier to use and more powerful. Truthfully, I don’t think I’ve even scratched the surface of what it can do… yet.

MailButler — This is the front-end for the MailButler extension, which works inside the Apple Mail app. It provides access to both basic and advanced settings, and that’s it. MailButler is a German company that brings professional-level CRM features to Apple Mail, plus scheduling, task management, follow-ups, templates, “rich” email signatures and more. I often use it to determine when someone opens an email I send and when (or if) they click on any links within that email. This helps me to determine if my communication is effective or not. It’s a huge timesaver, but it is not cheap, nor intended for use by “the average Joe or Jane.” Not by a long shot.

SpamSieve — The strangely mushroom-shaped icon (that’s supposed to look like a sieve? I’ve never figured that out) is the controlling mechanism for the SpamSieve app that, like MailButler, also works inside the Apple Mail app. I’ve relied on SpamSieve to filter out junk mail for more than a decade, and it just keeps getting better with age. I used to get 100 to 200 spam emails a day. Now, with SpamSieve — after I trained it over the initial two-week period — I get about five a month.

StreamDeck — OK, I’ll admit it: this one is pretty niche! It works with the Elgato StreamDeck XL device, which sits in front of my monitor —a black box containing 32 LED buttons. Each button can display an icon and perform a user-defined function when pressed. I use it with Sibelius, Word, Final Cut, and other apps that have numerous menu commands — too many to keep track of. Think of those ‘lightbox’ devices you see at fast-food restaurants when they take your order: it’s the same idea.

StudioICC — The last item on the list is even more niche than the StreamDeck. Like Balance Lock, it was invented to solve an annoying problem, this one involving higher-end Apple laptop displays and monitors. That problem? The user (i.e., me) creates a “monitor profile,” but the system ignores it after every restart.

Here’s the deal: the Mac currently has, buried deep within it, an app called “Display Calibrator” that lets users fine-tune their screen. For many years, this function was easy to find as it was in System Preferences (now System Settings) → Displays, but when Apple introduced “pro” displays, they removed it. Why? The company claimed that their high-end MacBook Pro and Apple Studio/XDR displays were so good that they didn’t need calibration. They were wrong. I have never seen an Apple display that couldn’t benefit from a bit of “fine tuning” when it comes to brightness and contrast levels.

But guess what? The feature is still available via the Display Calibrator app, if you can locate it. (System → Library → ColorSync → Calibrators.) Holding down the option key while launching the app gives you the same “expert” control we used to have many years ago. But again, what good is creating your own display profile if the Mac ignores it? StudioICC fixes that by forcing the Mac to apply your custom profile each time it starts or restarts. If you care about such things, it’s bliss.

THAT’S A WRAP!

Whether it’s to provide a service or fix a confounding problem, there’s a Menu Extra that has the potential to make your tech life easier, so go exploring and let me know what you find. Until then, I remain…

Your friendly neighborhood Tech Daddy

Many of you have asked if there is a GoFundMe campaign to help us recover from the devastating loss of our home and possessions. The answer is yes! Our dear friend Jenn Melyan has created a GoFundMe for us, which you can access here.

Tech Daddy Substack Founding Members

Leigh Adams
Edgar Johnson
Harvey Rosenfield

I’ve been a fan and advocate of Apple’s products and services since I got my first Mac (a Mac Plus) in 1986. The company has always “gone its own way,” primarily due to its visionary co-founder Steve Jobs. That word “visionary” is justified: Apple’s decades of innovation in a constantly changing field stem from one man’s singular vision for not only how people use technology, but also how technology itself can shape our lives in ways no one could have imagined. This is exemplified in one of Jobs’ famous quotes:

“Some people say, ‘Give the customers what they want.’ But that's not my approach. Our job is to figure out what they're going to want before they do … people don't know what they want until you show it to them.”

Needless to say, we’re a long way from those halcyon days of “just one more thing.” In 2011, sensing that his time on Earth was running out, Jobs chose Tim Cook to succeed him. Jobs cited Cook’s expertise in operational skills and supply-chain management, both of which were crucial to Apple’s continued growth. Jobs also knew that Cook was willing to work outside his comfort zone and, most importantly, admit when he made a mistake.

It was a good choice at the time, and Cook has guided the company with a steady hand for many years. However, he was never a visionary — very few people are — and over the last couple of years, he has repeatedly stumbled without acknowledging his mistakes. Worse, he’s actively denied that anything is wrong. What led to these events, which could result in Cook stepping down next year? You guessed it: A.I.

It’s “under promise, over deliver,” not the other way around

The flashpoint for one of the most embarrassing missteps in Apple's history was 2024’s Worldwide Developers Conference (“WWDC”), held each June. It’s a week-long event where the people who write software for Apple devices gather at Apple Park in Cupertino to attend workshops, demos, one-on-one sessions and more. And it always starts with a keynote address that centers on software — mainly the next operating systems for all Apple devices — along with occasional hardware announcements.

By 2024, AI was everywhere, and people were wondering when Apple would make a splash. OpenAI’s ChatGPT was already a household word, and it was apparent that the “AI Arms Race” had begun. Apple’s classic approach to new tech they didn’t originate has always been to let everyone take their best shot, then swoop in with a version that’s better, faster, prettier and easier to use. (Notice I didn’t say “cheaper.”) Most pundits, including me, believed that Apple’s entry into AI would dominate the 2024 WWDC keynote… and we were right.

Tim Cook unveiled “Apple Intelligence” that day, showing the world what anyone who’s ever used Siri has wanted since Siri debuted: a Siri that understood “context.” In a mind-blowing demo, Apple execs showed how Siri could now understand what you were saying, not only understand, but also grasp the meaning behind what you said. For example, asking Siri, “When should I pick up my mom from the airport?” Usually, Siri would ask for more information or give up. This time, by parsing your emails, calendar items, texts and more, Siri could figure out what you were asking because it would know who “mom” is, what flight she was on, what airport she was arriving at, and even the traffic patterns. People were floored.

Many other features of Apple Intelligence were introduced that day, but what I called “Super Siri” is all anyone wanted to talk about. In coy Apple fashion, there was a mention that the new enhanced Siri was coming “sometime later this year.” Along with the Apple Intelligence announcements, there was also a push to sell the latest iPhone 16 models coming that fall, as they were advertised as “built for Apple Intelligence.” The implication was clear: if you want the magic, you’ve got to upgrade your hardware to make the magic happen.

What we didn’t know at the time was that those Super Siri demos were all “canned” — that Super Siri was a myth.

Lighting the fuse

While the core features of Apple Intelligence — including email and text summaries, Safari search result summarization, writing tools in Mail and elsewhere, Image Playground, and GenMoji, as well as CleanUp in the Photos app — are handy, they are not setting the world on fire. While it’s convenient to have these features built into the core software you rely on, other companies, such as ChatGPT and Grammarly, have already been there for a while with seamless integration and useful features. (I regularly use both.)

After Super Siri failed to materialize in 2024, the company went silent on the issue. There had been a few articles by then that examined the situation while wondering what was going on. The essay that set off seismic waves around the world was veteran tech journalist John Gruber’s searing March 12, 2025, bombshell post, “Something Is Rotten In The State Of Cupertino.”

Gruber’s “Daring Fireball” website has been a reliable mainstay of Apple news, opinion and insight for as long as many of us can remember. He, like I, has also been a longtime fan and user, so to write something like this — as painful as it was — took a real act of courage. And it got the world’s attention, especially the claim that Super Siri was “vaporware” — that it never really existed. And Apple doesn’t do vaporware. The article hit a nerve.

Within weeks, there were entire division shakeups at Apple. Department heads were out, divisions were reorganized, and priorities shifted. Within a few more weeks, stockholders filed a class-action lawsuit regarding said vaporware, with another filed by a group with a credible claim that Apple had misled people into buying new iPhones based on a false promise. Behind closed doors, many Apple execs were also embarrassed at these very public missteps.

And now that the 2025 WWDC has come and gone with no mention of Siri at all and the news that an “enhanced” Siri won’t happen until Spring 2026, a third class action lawsuit was filed just four days ago for allegedly “downplaying how long Apple needed to integrate advanced artificial intelligence into its Siri voice assistant.”

It’s easy to assume these delays were caused by the task being harder than anyone imagined. However, the Mac Stories team has another angle that has merit: the issue of security. Their article, which came out a few days before John Gruber’s, takes into account Apple’s unwavering stance on personal security and how easily Siri and other Apple Intelligence tools could be used to compromise that security. If AI knows everything about you, how easy would it be to trick it into revealing that info to others? This is something that other companies need to explore, but as far as I can tell, it’s taking a back seat to whiz-bang features. We all need to slow down a bit.

It’s Time For Apple To Get Its Mojo Back

2025’s recently completed WWDC had some significant announcements that further extend Apple Intelligence’s reach (assuming these are real features and not smoke and mirrors), such as Live Translation: the ability to converse with someone who speaks another language in real-time. Additionally, the new Liquid Glass look that all operating systems will receive this fall is not only visually appealing but also functional. For the first time, all Apple devices will have the same “look and feel” (plus the same version numbers!) for a consistent user experience. Great!

But… but… why doesn’t the Photos app have AI-based face enhancement yet? There are at least a dozen websites like Remini AI that offer this; some are even free (although with limited functionality). Apps like Photoshop now also have a similar function. Earlier this year, Apple bought the esteemed photo manipulation app “Pixelmator,” so maybe that’s how they’re going to do it? No one knows yet.

Several web browsers currently have ChatGPT (or a similar service) built right in, so you can do things like compare the contents of several open tabs at once or ask questions about what you’re reading without having to leave the page. Why isn’t Safari able to do that?

I think Apple’s new writing tools are fine, but they still pale in comparison to what Grammarly offers (which I used to help edit this article). Why is that?

When you consider all that, and add in the existential angst that Tim Cook has had to endure under the 2nd Trump administration, you soon realize that Cook has been having a very bad year… and it’s only getting worse. One theory currently being floated is that instead of trying to play catch-up — a position Apple has rarely occupied — they may try something bolder, such as acquiring ChatGPT competitor Perplexity.

That’s A Wrap

I still have faith that Apple can figure out a way forward regarding AI, one that keeps user privacy front and center while giving us, as Steve Jobs said, things we didn’t know we wanted until we saw them. The pressure has never been more intense, and the stakes have never been higher. At the same time, I fervently hope that everyone at Apple remembers a core philosophy from the Mac’s early days, from a book whose title we saw written on t-shirts at MacWorld Expos in San Francisco: “This is a Mac… It’s supposed to be fun!”

I’ll report on further developments on the future of Apple Intelligence when they are warranted. Until then, I remain…

Your friendly neighborhood Tech Daddy

Many of you have asked if there is a GoFundMe campaign to help us recover from the devastating loss of our home and possessions. The answer is yes! Our dear friend Jenn Melyan has created a GoFundMe for us, which you can access here.

Tech Daddy Substack Founding Members

Leigh Adams
Edgar Johnson
Harvey Rosenfield