iOS Needs A Desktop Environment When Plugged Into A Monitor

It is time for Apple to give us a much needed features that I think many users are not aware they need: for them to plug their iPhone into an monitor and instantly use it as a desktop computer. I feel this is a feature is that is long overdue and will greatly enhance user experience and provide iPhone users greater productivity and enables Apple to truly innovate beyond the segmented OS that they created for the different categories of products.

This is a feature that already exists on Android for some time. While I do not know if Android users take advantage of the ability to use their phones as a computer when plugged into a monitor, I feel this is something iPhone users will greatly appreciate more given that Apple will implement it better given their experience with the MacOS and now iPadOS. 

I will likely get a new HDTV in the next few months. The current one I have works well for Youtube videos and some movies but it's showing it age after 15 years. I put Youtube videos on my iPhone and play them on the TV via Airplay but I want to get a good one so that I can use it as a monitor as well. At work, I already use a TV as a secondary monitor in my Windows laptop. Being able to plug in the iPhone with the TV and use a keyboard and mouse and instantly get to work on my writing or Youtube video of my dog would be great. No need to have to go transfer the video from my iPhone to the Mac in order to start editing.

Here is a video of what the experience is right now when the iPhone is plugged into a TV or monitor. It is very much like the one you see when you use the mirroring function through Airplay.

Apple can vastly improve this experience. I hate to say this next part but we are not likely to see this in the near future. Perhaps we will never see this at all. From Apple's perspective, If users want a desktop experience when they hook up an Apple device to a monitor, they already have options - Mac and iPad. There is a rumor that Apple will release a consumer grade MacBook powered by the chips used in iPhones. As far as Apple is concerned, the desktop computing through an iPhone is unnecessary and takes away from the iPad and Mac experiences. Plus, I can see things get messy and confusing and require Apple do a complete rethinking of how apps before.

This is not to say that we will never see such a feature. We still could if computing landscape changes. This is especially true if the competitors like Google and Samsung starts to offer seamless and enjoyable desktop experiences through their phones. Google is merging Android and ChromeOS. I think it is a great first step for mobile computing to come to the phones when plugged into monitors. 

It may never be the one device to do it all but it could work for a vast majority of users. 

AI Use - Looking For Deals

I’m on the prowl for a new pair of AirPods Pro and I figure AI might be able to help me find the best time to get one. As I dug deeper, I realized I should be asking AI when the best to is to buy anything at all:

• Best day of the week to get grocery? Wednesday. Apparently, that is when sales start. Also, that Tuesday evenings or Wednesday mornings is when they stock up and produce the most fresh. Also, that is also when there are markdowns on perishables. Brilliant! I did not know that. Both Gemini and Perplexity agree on this point. Perplexity went further and suggested the best time to go when it is not busy. Also, it suggests making a list to avoid impulse buying. My problem is that I do make a list and get what I need. Then I go beyond that but that’s something an AI can help me with. (PROMPT: Which day of the week is the best time to get grocery)

• Copilot suggested to me to wait a few more weeks and see if Apple’s retailers will discount the AirPods Pro 3 further. The best discount was last year when the AirPods Pro 2 went on sale for as low as $159. That is not like to happen since the AirPods Pro 2 had been out for two years. Given the AirPods Pro 3, which including many new features, still feature the same chip as the previous model, I’m hopeful. And AI gave me hope by suggesting that I could see $199 or lower in Prime Day or Black Friday. However, I am unlike to see to $159 this year. (PROMPT: The airpods Pro 3 just came out - please give me your prediction of when I can get the best deal. FOLLOW-UP PROMPT: WILL I see the $159 price that was available for the AirPods Pro 2 for the AirPods Pro 3?)

• A friend is looking to get a condo or house near me in Pasadena, California. Gemini offered me a generic response on when the best time to buy a house it (late summer, early fall). Then it provided me with some statistics - medium prices, prices compared to a year ago, and days on the market. (PROMPT: For areas around Cal Tech, when is the best time to buy a house or condo)

• I am looking for a a project/hobby. I went onto YouTube to look into making my own notebooks. Especially the pocket field guides. So, naturally, I asked AI to help me. I’ve made a few to use personally. Nothing fancy. Downright crude but I love it. Now, I just need to get the materials for better prices so I can make more for friends and family (and maybe even readers). (PROMPT: I am looking to make my own field notes and field note books. I want to use similar paper and cover. Where can I get the materials for a good price)

What’s your hobby or interest? Pick one. Need something but don’t want to search all the websites for a deal and when? Just ask your favorite AI. Going on a trip? I think Gemini and ChatGPT are great at helping you start looking in the right places. I’ll be planning a trip for around November/December. I also have an idea of how much I want to spend. Now, I want to see if AI can help me save with points, deals, and, of course, timing.

I’m Am Stil Going Pro But The Strange Obsession With The iPhone Air Persists

I paid another pilgrimage to the Apple Stores this weekend - this time to the stores at the Americana and Glendale Galleria. I really only need to go to one but I just happened to pass by the second one and decided to make a short stop. And I’ve pretty much decided that I am going with the Pro. However, I get the obsession with the iPhone Air and I have high hopes that I think iPhone is in my future, perhaps in a year or two. And it might not be the one we think if the rumors are true.

First, why the iPhone Air? It is a no brainer. It is so thin and light. I am not in the camp that the iPhone Air is having an iPhone X moment. It is inevitable that Apple and other phone makers to will make a stab at thinness as technology allows - speed, battery, and integrity of a thin smartphone. I will even wager that a small form factor iPhone will return in some form and based on some rumors, it is of sort (I’m looking at you, iPhone 13 mini, my current iPhone).

When you hold the iPhone Air on your hand, it feels so natural. Perhaps it has to do with the curve corners of the design because it has also made the iPhone Pro and the Pro Max feel more natural and really made me believe those phones are lighter than they really are. But the iPhone Air is something else. I was tempted to try to put it in my pocket and see how it feels. I didn’t try it but I can see it disappear into my jean pockets just the way my mini is right now now. The plateau on the iPhone Air is not as big an issue as people think. Although, you can you imagine a flushed camera lens on the iPhone Air someday and just a flat back?

But the single camera. Ugh, man. Since I went to the Apple Store the previous time, I spent a bit of time telling myself that I really don’t use the wide-angle lens as much as I do. And within a few days, I found myself taking photos using the wide-angle lens as much as I was using the main camera. For folks who do not mind walking backward a few meters to get a similar shot, the single camera lens will be fine for you. A few of the photos I took did not allowed me to do that. You simply will be making compromises. Since my mini does not have the telephoto lens, I am sure I’ll be using it often. I certainly did when I had the iPhone 12 and 13 Pro Max. 

The iPhone Air battery life does not concern me and should be a concern for users who are leaning towards the iPhone Air. Air owners will like be casual users - light to medium usage. They are unlike to be taking a lot of videos and photos. Some decent amount of doomscrolling. And perhaps some gaming that will not tax the processor and battery too heavily. These users will take out their Air, use it, maybe give it a loving gaze and put it away. 

The other thing with the iPhone Air that many users obsess over is the age old human condition - wanting it to be more than what it was meant to be. Everyone knows that Apple will have improvements for the iPhone Air 2. And they want them now on this year’s new Air. Well, folks, you just have to wait and hope that Apple will upgrade the Air on an annual basis which I think is the case rather than what some others believes which is that this will be updated every other year.

Putting all this together - wanting more camera features and not wanting to have Pro features come to the iPhone Air in the future when I can have them now, I am going to get the Pro once Black Friday rolls around. I have decided on the color as well. And it will go ceaseless on most days. 

We having a puppy that is very much part of our family as any creature or human can be. And she’s so adorable. I want the best camera that I can get to take photos of her. Time is preciously. It’s short and fleeting. And they will never come again. And the iPhone Pro simply is the best way for me to document our times tougher as a family. You can do that on the Air tool. Don’t get me wrong. But being able to use the telephoto lens to capture her zooming around and captures candid moments of her exploring the world is just priceless.

iPhone Air Versus the iPhone 17 Variants: It Is Quite Easy To Pick

I have read about how hard Apple made it more difficult for users to pick between the new iPhones released a couple of weeks ago. And while millions of of the new iPhone Air and iPhone 17 variants hare already been shipped and delivered, it was likely a difficult choice to make for many users. Apple relished in the fact that users agonized over which iPhones to get. After reading reviews and watch YouTube videos, I realized it is quite easy.

I am still waiting to see if I can get a better deal with my carrier, I have decided on which model I will get if I decide to upgrade this year: the iPhone 17 Pro. The choice fo my is quite simple. Coming from the iPhone 13 mini, it is not the weight that drew me to it after downgrading from the iPhone 13 Pro Max. It was the size. However, the size between the iPhone Air and iPhone 17 Pro are close enough that it is negligible. 

Before this past weekend, I was learning towards the iPhone Air. But now, I have changed my mind. Here is why: I want the additional cameras, longer battery life, and smaller form factor so that it is easier to carry in my hand when I go on runs (I use the flashlight on the iPhone when I run at night. I used to run in the dark before phones and I cannot imagine how I did and why anyone runs in the dark).

So, if you lean one way or another on these factors, you want the Air or the 17. I'll use "iPhone 17" to encompass all three models. Whether you for go for the iPhone 17, iPhone 17 Pro, or the iPhone 17 Pro Max is entirely another matter.

• If you want something that is completely new, you want the iPhone Air. The iPhone 17 feels good in my hand. I do like the slight changes made to the iPhone 17. You have to see the iPhone Air 
• If you want a light iPhone, You want the iPhone Air weighing in at 5.82 oz. I will be coming from the 4.97 oz. iPhone 13 mini. One ounce is not going to matter to me. The lightest iPhone 17 is 6.24 oz. 
• If you need an iPhone that provides more battery life, you want the iPhone 17. Much like range anxiety for EV owners, I have a feeling that the iPhone Air will bring back some of the anxiety mobile users used to have about running out of juice towards the end of the day. You have the option to use a MagSafe Battery that would alleviate those fears. 
• Cameras for photography and recording. This one is easy. You are probably coming from an iPhone that has the Ultra Wide and/or the telephoto lens. If you use one or both of those lens often, you want the iPhone 17. It is disappointing the iPhone Air only has the regular camera. It is an excellent camera that is also on the iPhone 17. The following features are on the iPhone 17 that are missing on the iPhone Air: some models can record at higher rates, higher zoom, macro photography, ProRAW, spatial photography, better stabilization, cinematic mode, better microphones. and telephoto/Ultra Wide modes.

There are other feature differences that might make or break it for some users. Mostly powerful users who will likely pick the iPhone 17 over the iPhone Air, like faster transfer rate and faster charging. I think deep down, you know exactly what you need. I know, you still agonize over which model to get but it goes away once you are honestly about your needs. It comes down to your needs. If you need those features that are only available for the iPhone 17, one of those variants is what you want. If you want a showcase of Apple's newest innovation and do not care about the missing iPhone 17 features, you want the iPhone Air. 

I hope this clears thing up for you. At first, I was learning towards the iPhone Air because of the new form factor and its light weight. However, I know I will miss all the other features on the iPhone 17. I record a lot of video of my puppy and compromises Apple made on the iPhone Air is too far of a bridge for me. Anyway, hope this helps.

iPhone Air - Theories About Its Future

There is rampant speculation about the iPhone Air even as it has been released a little more than a week ago. Even though I do not have the device and currently has no plan on getting it, I feel a connection to it as I believe it holds the future to lighter iPhones and the iPhone Fold (which I’ll call the iBook - here is why I think Apple should call it the iBook).

As I listened to podcasts and watched YouTube videos of those who were lucky enough to have had hands-on with the iPhone Air, I noticed many of them made the mistake of call it the iPHone 17 Air or iPhone Air 17. It is a natural mistake after all - this year is iPhone 17’s moment. But why just iPhone Air?

Honestly, who cares. I have always felt that Apple should get away from the numbering scheme and stick with the iPhone and the year it is released. So, this year’s iPhone could be just iPhone, iPhone Pro, and iPhone Pro Max released in 2026. Or iPhone 2026 for anyone keeping score.

Apple already does something like this.

• iPad is just iPad. iPad Air and iPad Pro do not have a numbering sequence. If you are looking for a specific model, Apple’s own website refers to previous models by generation or the year it was released. 
• MacBook Air, MacBook Pro. iMac, Mac mini. Mac Studio. There is no Mac Studio 2. There is no MacBook Pro 7. Just MacBook Pro. 
• We have iOS, IPadOS, WatchOS, and MacOS all followed by “26” for 2026. 

Here is my prediction: There will be no iPhone 18. Just the iPhone, iPhone Pro, and iPhone Pro Max. 

Working With AI to Maximize My Time and I Learned A Valuable Lesson (Yes, You Can Doomscroll and Still Get Things Done!)

There have been quite a few AI uses this weeks and it is by far the most productive week that I have at work and with my personal life. And while I do not doomscroll and only look at a couple of funny or cute videos my partner share with me (she’s into corgi and spouses who scares their significant other), I realized that you can do all the things you want to do while remaining productive.

I started a process I called 10-minutes. Essentially, it is a review of what I did for the day and noting what I need to do the next time. It happens once in the morning, evening, and a miniaturized version of the process for work. I have incorporated AI into it and we work on it together. As I am writing this post, I have done my day’s work just before noon. And given how much I got done this week, I realized that I have a lot more time to do things that are fun - reading, playing with the dog, walking down to the busy street and just window shop, and have coffee and just watch the world. All of this without feeling pressured or guilty that I should be doing something else.

Here are other AI uses this week:

• As I mentioned here, I use AI to help me manage and manage tasks. Because I am human and I want to have fun and relax as much as I can, I quickly go into the groove of this new process. I can do whatever I want so long as I finished what I need to do. And in fact, I even pivot just a bit - I wanted to check out when a maker faire is happening in town and get more information about it, I wanted to see if there was some task I can do around the house first. I cleared the dining table.
• I used AI to find out how I can create a process for a database we are using at work. Apparently, our process is quite complicated and the AI from the company as well as others suggest that I do it on a spreadsheet first and then uploaded via a csv file. Oh well…
• My partner is looking at creating online content and sell products based on it. We have been using AI to look at opportunities and create a streamline process to do it.
• I liked Clash of Clans but I stepped away from it for a few months. When I came back, a lot has changed. I used AI to help me watch up and see what kind of strategies I should be using in my attacks. Right now, I have zero strategies. 
• I used AI to help me consider a financial decision. I have already made a decision but for fun, I wanted to see what these LLM models think or would do. While it is for fun, it did give me some insight on relying too much on AI to make decisions or soliciting advice. In the last week, I have come across articles about users using AI as a therapist or consulting AI on life decisions particularly among the youth.
• Used AI to understand how wills and trusts work. Do not, and I repeat, do not, do not consult an AI for legal matters. Laws are complicated. All types of laws. I participated in a trade seminar and they constantly have clients tell them “ChatGPT told me I can do that…”

Over all, my AI insight really has not been updated from previous weeks. If there is anything new about what I learned this week, it is that it is important to take a few steps back from what your interaction with an AI chatbot especially when it is about your personal life, advices they offer, and and the decisions you might have made as a result of it.

Collaborating with AI - Brainstorming and Feedbacks

The other day, I wrote an article and posted it to Gemini for critiques, have it asked me questions regarding my arguments, and point out weaknesses. I got shredded by Google's AI.  It basically said my arguments were not only weak but they run counter to each other and while it understand what I was trying to convey, it made no sense to it. 

As the writer, I persisted but I did make some changes to my article and published it. I did not go in for a second round of potential pounding. But then I thought perhaps I should. Many times, I have good ideas for a story or article with strong starts but weak finishes or have no idea where I should go after the first couple of paragraphs.

Perhaps, that is where AI comes in. I use AI to brainstorm  but in situations where I am stuck, I feel compelled to get myself out of the situation. Right now, I do not have that issue as I am merely sharing my experience in this regard and want to determine whether using AI at this point is in any way a betrayal of my humanity at all. 

Perhaps, I should simply adapt. When I find myself in a situation where I need help to go further in my writing, there is no shame is using ChatGPT, Claude, or Gemini to have a look at my story. Tell me where I went wrong, pivot, or offer suggestions on how to continue. 

As with brainstorming sessions, asking AI for help crafting learning plans, or using it to help me make my article better, I am still going to write all of my articles and stories. I can choose to accept the feedback from the AI or not. At the end of the day, if such a use of AI makes my writing better, I can accept that because it is still my writing.

Critisizing My Writing With AI, Comic Creating And AI's Role as Someone To Keep Me On Track

I want to fulfill a childhood dream of writing and drawing some of my stories from when I was just starting middle school. Adventures with my friends in fantastic worlds all created in my mind. I have been writing for years and I finally decided it was time to share it with the world. At the very least, anyone who care to read it. And I used both ChatGPT and Gemini as sounding boards for this purpose. It was a very interesting feel with both offering great advices. I ignored most of them because I wanted my stories to be mine. With the exception of grammar or writing in the present or past tense, I felt I used AI to help me explore my fictional characters and worlds more enjoyable.

Here are also other AI uses:

• Looking to go to Japan with at least some basics of understanding Japanese, I asked Gemini to me with using the 80/20 rule or something as close to it as possible - not simply the words and phrases of a tourist but someone who lives in Japan. 
• I've watched videos of coding on YouTube and it does not do it for me. So I decided to focus on why I want to do. Vibe coding is great but I do want to have a basic understanding of coding. I want to create a choose your own adventure app in Python but I want Gemini to teach me only the portion to creating such an app. I am further along in two days when I have been since I started watching YouTube videos on coding. 
• We created an online store just after the pandemic. We put in some effort on drop shipping. It was fun. We also wanted to migrate to having a more full fledge store with our own inventory supporting the work from home workforce.  However, with the Trump tariffs and the uncertainty that it brought, we decided to pivot and move onto to more of content creation. We used Gemini as a sounding board on our core idea to pivot. We do hope to return to selling physical products in the future.
• I used ChatGPT to plan my evenings. This was interesting because I only gave it my current routine. A simplified but accurate version of what we do each evening. I also asked for 90 minutes where I can work on my projects. It rearranged my evening. I'll give it a go and let you know how it goes.

The most important thing I learned about AI this week is that while privacy may be a concern, the more I was willing to share to provide context, the better the AI was at helping me along with my projects. For our online digital content project, I asked for how we can get something up and running within a month. I felt we can do better - within two weeks. It did not work out as planned. So what happened. I asked Gemini why and it was able to help me come up with a realistic timeline and workflow to get it done. We tried that the last two days and we achieved quite a bit. 

I would suggest giving the AI of your choice the role of a monitor. Someone who is able to keep you on tract. It and help with issues like not knowing what to do to get started to you just procrastinating.

iBook: Why This Classic Name is Perfect for Apple's New Foldable iPhone

I am looking forward to the iPhone Fold. However, the name just does not do it for me. Perhaps the perfect name for the new Apple Fold is the iBook. When released in the second half of next year, it will resemble a book because of its form factor. Other than features that Apple will likely differentiate from fold competitors, in calling its own offering the iBook will bring allow Apple to circle back to a time when computing was fun and the continuing Apple comeback in the consumer computer market.

The original iBook, launched in 1999, was more than just a computer—it was a statement. With its colorful, translucent design clamshell iBook looked like nothing else on the market. It was fun, approachable, and ready to use out of the box. This playful spirit and focus on making technology personal and enjoyable for students and consumers is the exact legacy a new "iBook" could bring back to the Apple brand and the book form iPhone due to be released in late 2026.

By calling the iPhone Fold the "iBook", Apple can achieve a number of marketing goals and messages to the market:

• Reintroducing fun to mobile computing. The book form is entirely new to Apple users. the iBook will introduce completely new computing and mobile uses. Chose between one or two screens or a bigger one. For example, multi-tasking has been a difficult issue for Apple to tackle. Now, with two panels becoming one big one, something like Stage Manager or the new windowing mechanism in iOS 26 may allow users to do more.
• The return of candy-colored nostalgia. Imagine the marketing campaign from Apple. On top of that, with iOS 26 and a revamped and more powerful Siri, Apple can make the iBook the everyday device that users will want for work, home, and fun in the commercials. The colorful schemes will make the iBook stand out from the gray, black, and cold metallic colors competitors offer. 
• Many longtime fans feel Apple has lost the scrappy, pirate spirit of its past—the era of the 'Think Different' campaign and underdog spirit. Today, some view Apple as a corporate behemoth focusing only on shareholder value and is always cold and calcuating. By resurrecting the iBook name, Apple wouldn't just be launching a new product; it would be sending a powerful message to its fans that it hasn't forgotten its innovative, rebellious roots.

What does Apple's competitors have? No legacy items or names like the iBook exist for them. Not Samsung or its Chinese competitors. This "iBook" and its features that Apple has planned for it will indicate to the market that Apple has not forgotten its roots, history, and will continue to innovate and give users the tools they need for decades to come.

More on Apple Fold (iBook) - iPhone Fold Could Be the iPad mini Pro If It Runs Supports iPadOS Features and Apple Pencil

iPhone Fold May Be the Professional Version of the iPad mini

A segment of iPad users have been asking for the iPad mini Pro for years because they want something more powerful. Apple may finally grant these users their collect wish. 

For simplicity, let's call the iPhone Fold the iFold. It will like include some of the latest tech that Apple has to offer.

• Latest Apple Silicon
• Smaller high-density battery to provide battery life that will provide battery life similar to the iPad. However, it is doubtful the battery life match those of the iPhone
• New in-house modem and Wi-Fi chips
• Crease-free display
• New camera system
• IPadOS-like multitasking and windows

Perhaps there could be other features and surprises from Apple for the iFold. One of the often missing features that I want on the iPhone that Apple has yet to provide is Apple Pencil support. Will the iFold support Apple Pencil?

In addition to the features mentioned above, simply being a folded form factor will not be enough for the iFold to be considered a Pro version of the iPad mini. The iFold needs the following support:

• Apple Pencil - a customized version of the Apple Pencil. I do not know if it will support all the features the current Apple Pencil Pro has but it does not have to. At minimum, I can live with being able to draw and write on the iFold
• Mouse and keyboard - All iPhones and iPads support Bluetooth keyboards. The iPads native has Bluetooth mouse support but support on the iPhone is in a bit of a gray area. The iFold has to support the mouse in the same way the iPad does.
• External monitor support. 

The question, and what’s really exciting, is whether we will get any of these features. I am going to go out on a limb and say yes and no. The things about today’s Apple is that you have to be careful what you wish for. At best, they provide us with a feature that we did not know we wanted. At worst, they give us a feature that is so uniquely Apple that users either feel it falls short or just outright hate it. 

Which will it be? Apple still has another year to work out any features they want the idols to have. The iOS team will have a year to learn from user experiences with multitasking and windows and may make some improvements for iOS 27

Whether the iFold is considered to be the pro version of the iPad mini or just a regular old iPhone Fold, there is definitely a lot to be excited about. Smartphones with the fold form factors have been around for at least seven years. Being late to the party has given Apple a lot to see and gauge. There will no doubt be a lot of people including myself who are excited and will be ordering it on day one.

If the 2025 iPhones Get 12 GB of RAM, Why Not the iPads?

I'm going to go ahead and make a prediction: the upcoming iPad Pro with the M5 chip will be upgraded to 12 to 16 GB of RAM. This is based on nothing but a rumor — the same one suggesting the iPhone 17 and 17 Pro will jump from 8 GB to 12 GB of RAM — but it makes sense. If the upgrade doesn't happen this year, it'll almost certainly happen next year.

Let’s be real: 8 GB just isn’t cutting it anymore — not in the age of AI.

Apple was late to the AI game. Way late. While companies like OpenAI, Google, and Microsoft were rapidly pushing forward with LLM-powered features, Apple’s AI presence was mostly background stuff — Photos, auto-categorization, etc. Meanwhile, Siri was stuck spinning its wheels while ChatGPT and others raced ahead.

Apple had to scramble to catch up. And when it did, it likely ran into a hard limitation: RAM.

From my experience running a few LLMs on a MacBook Air with 16 GB of RAM, I can tell you — even that can feel tight. Apple’s own models might be more efficient, sure, but even 8 GB probably isn’t enough for what they want to do going forward.

Need more evidence? Apple no longer sells Macs with 8 GB of RAM. For years, they insisted 8 GB was “enough” thanks to tight integration between hardware and software. That was probably true — before the AI boom. But now, with LLMs and AI features becoming core to the experience, 8 GB just doesn't cut it.

And let’s not forget the delay of Apple Intelligence features — especially Siri. It’s a sign that Apple might have underestimated just how much performance and memory these new features require.

Which brings me to this: after years of wondering what the purpose of a 16 GB iPad Pro was, we may finally have an answer — Apple Intelligence.

Now the question becomes whether the upcoming base iPad Pro will get 12 GB or 16 GB of RAM. The tech enthusiast in me hopes for 16 GB, but knowing Apple — and considering its hardware-software optimization — it might try to get by with 12 GB. Still, I'm betting on 16 GB. Why? Because it also gives Apple a convenient excuse to raise prices, especially with rising costs and renewed pressure from Trump-era tariffs.

So what does that mean for the iPad? Simple: a RAM upgrade is coming. If Apple wants Apple Intelligence to run smoothly across its product lineup — iPads included — it needs more RAM. The iPhone 17 Pro is rumored to get 12 GB. That likely reflects the minimum Apple has determined is needed to run its next-gen features efficiently.

Bottom line: the future of Apple hardware is AI-first, and that means more memory across the board — starting with the iPad Pro.

AI and Education and Other AI Uses This Week

AI chats and I are inseparable now. I use it quite often on a daily basis for work. I seek quick answers when there is no need for me to fact check (sports data, basic history, summarizing important ports of an article or video, etc). 

• What I need to get before the store shelves start to empty - I don’t know if this is going to happen but I do not need to get caught without essentials.
• Help me craft a 30-day to learn the basics of Japanese. I really want to see how much I can do done under intense schedule.
• I played with my dog and read to her at night. I know she doesn’t know what’s going on or understand what I am doing but it makes her less anxious and really puts her to bed quickly. I started recording it and posting on YouTube. I asked ChatGPT for a business plan. I made my own stories. I am interested in turning these adventures into a line of stories for children.
• Reading a couple of books. I used Gemini to help me explain concepts I did not fully grasp. I did have to fact-check a few times to make sure it was not hallucinating. I asked follow-up questions which I also had to fact-check. 
• I am in the market for a new iPad. Given the news lately about iOS 19 with better MacOS-like features, I wonder if a refurbished iPad Air with M1 would be able to take advantage of it. I decided to go with the recently released iPad Air with M3. With Apple’s World Wide Developer Conference just a little over a month away, I decided to wait and see. Anything with the Apple Silicon including the M1 and 8 GB of RAM should be able to to run most of the UI changes and upgrades without any issue. However, I have a feeling that the next iPad Pro will get a RAM upgrade to 12 GB just like the rumored iPhone 17 line. I figure the upgraded RAM will be for more advanced Apple Intelligence features but it would not hurt to future proof for things like multi-tasking and other possible MacOS related features.
• Explored with ChatGPT on the news about possible 9th planet, or Planet X, tat might be lurking on the outer edge of the solar system. And explored possibilities that there might be even more large bodies and life fueled by extra-solar radiation and materials. Most of that life will not be like those found on our planet. It was a fun discussion to pass some time while having coffee and a cheesecake. 
• Asked for recipes for chicken soup and banana chocolate bread puddings. For the chicken soup, I wanted a recipe similar to the one from the old Souplantation. And for the bread puddings, I asked about substituting ingredients beucase I did not want to buy cream for just this one use.
• I asked for a recipe on Japanese egg sandwich. I really wanted to follow this recipe closely as it will be the first time I will be making this. I had to drive a hour to a Japanese market but they had all the ingredients I needed. 
• I researched robotic kits with regular search via DuckDuckGo and Google along with AI chats with the total of making an AI robot. I am deeply fascinated with how Anakin created his own droids with spare parts. Why can’t I do the same?

Almost all of this week’s interaction with AI chats were mostly asking the AI of questions. I would say this was a lazy use. I find it interesting how AI is my goo-to app for quickly finding information. It is quicker than search. I have the habit of verifying the AI provided answers but do you? How about others? This is both lazy and quickly possible a bad habit to develop. 

having said that, Gemini helped me get closer to solving an issue with one of my blog sites. I would not have been able to get that far with just regular searches. AI remains a great sounding board - just like what I use it for in discussing the implications of a Planet X discovery. 

I also played with a little vibe coding - I wanted to create a web app that allows me to add a choose your own adventure story and maybe turned that into an app. I did not get that far - I will need to put in more time and learn the correct prompts. 

All in all, AI is already providing some benefits that I did not imagine I would be using - like coding. And yes, you still need to learning coding even if the AI is capable of generating a vast percentage of the codes now. Don’t be lazy. 

Signing Into iCloud On iPhone Helps Get Around One iCloud Account Per Device Limitation

I have more than one iCloud accounts where I keep personal data separate from other more public facing data (blogs and other writings, coding, and business endevours). To my knowledge, there is no way to have more than one iCloud Drive. 

As many of you know, you can add accounts from Google, Outlook, and even other iCloud accounts onto your iPHone or iPad but you are really limited to just one main iCloud account. You should be able to access mail and calendar. Well, what about notes and iCloud Drive? Then you are out of luck. I have come across users, though not many, would want to be able to address more iCloud features from multiple accounts to an iPhone or iPad. Even more have asked for the iPad to support mutliple users. Me? I just want to be able to access different iCloud drives on the iPhone or iPad. 

So, I decided to see if I can log into iCloud through the browser. And guess what? It works. I can access emails and notes. Pretty much all the iCloud features though there are limitations. For example, I can look through the drive for files but I cannot edit them directly through the browser on the iPhone. I believe you can do it on the IPad. It is not as efficient as being able to do the edit on the native apps. On the iPhone, you end up with an Open or Download option. 

Once you download it, the file gets saved into the iCloud Drive assigned with the account you signed into. I suppose that is fine. After you edit the file, you can link it back to the account you signed into on the browser by sharing the file. As with most things, if you try hard enough, you can find a way forward or a workaround but it is almost never ideal.

But I’m very glad that this option si available. It is interesting to me why Apple even allow such much access through the browser given how much they rather have users go to the App Store to download and use the apps they need instead of web apps. This brought a bit of nostalgia to before the App Store annd when many web apps ere not yet available in the App Store.

Note: I am writing this on the Notes app through the mobile browser.

Created An App And Other AI Uses This Week

I have been using AI for more than a year. Like most, I did not touch ChatGPT for the first six months or so and I only tired it because I was bored at the time. I still remember what I was doing that day and decided to give it a try while at work. 

It took a few more weeks for me to give it another go. And then the days between uses became shorter and shorter until now when I use it daily. 

The most exciting thing I did this week was to create an app via Claude AI - it was a simple Swift app that I wanted to work - a list generator. Then I used Gemini to help me get started with Pandas and create a simple neuron (I know there is a bias) looks like and what it does.

For a few hours of prompting and learning to run these codes, I would say I knew about ten times more about data analysis and AI than when I first started. Which means nothing really because I knew nothing about this from at the start of it all.

Here are other uses this week:

• I asked about what my credit score means.
• I asked for other coupon codes that are available for savings whenever the Dodgers win. In LA at least, you can get a free Whopper with the purchase of a large drink after a Dodgers Win. Panda Express as well. It is still early in the season but I think I’ve had more two-items plates in 2025 than all of 2024.
• I asked what a magnetar is. And with a magnetic fields trillions of times stronger than those on Earth, you do not want to go near one. So yeah, shields up!
• Most people are not aware of Liberation Day and Trump’s “beautiful” reciprocal tariffs. I am in favor of reshoring certain manufacturing. Chips, computers, and other critical electronics. Items that are vital to national security. But do we need even one sock factory? 
• On a related note, I ask Gemini to explain to me what the bond market is and its purpose.
• We had an online hobby of selling products but with the tariffs, we decided we do not want to do that anymore and solicited suggestions on possible pivots for our online business. 
• My nephew is going to college and we have decided to get him a new laptop. Gemini and Copilot were helpful in provide specs and models that will help him get through college - 4K video editing, coding, machine learning, and, of course, gaming.
• Learning Japanese - I write a short passage or two each day in Japanese and while translation apps a re fine, they do not come close to what AI is able to help me with. Claude was very helpful with explanation of what a native Japanese person would say. And that is what I want. Unfortunately, I ran out of the free allotment really so I switched to Gemini when that happens. I also do cross checks in just case given that they still hallucinate or misunderstand what I ask of it. 
• Most of Apple V. Masimo’s case over blood oxygen monitor is more than a year old and I really want that feature back. Co-PIlot and Gemini provided some information about the appeal process initiated by Apple. It usually takes a year so perhaps we are weeks from an answer. 
• Use ChatGPT to create a few Ghibili style artwork with my photos. It made my dog just so darn cute and my wife looking far younger and me like her grandfather.

I also used ChatGPT and Gemini as a sounding board for some ideas on a “hobby” my wife and I have been working on the last few years. It’s a business and we decided to continue the hobby but pivot to something that involves content generation with the help with AI. 

We plan on spending more time on it this weekend and I cannot be more excited. 

Apple, Be Courageous With Apple Intellgence

For too long, Apple has played it safe in the AI arena. While competitors are pushing boundaries through models like ChatGPT and Google’s latest AI initiatives, Apple seems paralyzed by a need for perfection. Its current route—delaying meaningful AI integrations until mid-2026 and rolling out a supposedly innocuous, underwhelming version of Siri—risks becoming another case of missed opportunity.

Apple’s customers have come to expect more—more innovation, more seamless integration, and more leadership in technology. The lawsuit over Siri’s alleged false advertising is just the tip of the iceberg. We are witnessing a stagnation, a collective yawn towards Apple’s future AI offerings.

It’s time for Apple to reclaim its legacy. What if Apple released its own large language model—an AI crafted with its renowned commitment to privacy and user experience? Imagine a smart, agentic digital assistant that not only answers queries but integrates deeply with Apple’s ecosystem. Instead of outsourcing its intelligence to third-party providers, Apple could take full control, ensuring consistency, reliability, and a groundbreaking user experience that sets it apart.

At this pivotal moment in tech history, Apple must embrace boldness over perfection. Even if the initial release isn’t flawless, early adoption will allow for rapid iterative improvements—much like how its groundbreaking products have always evolved. With WWDC on the horizon, one can only hope to see the seeds of this revolution sprout in an iOS update sooner rather than later.

Is Signal More Secured Than iMessages?

I have heard that apps like Signal and Keybase are among the most secured messaging apps annually on the Android and iPhones. With privacy along Apple’s top selling points for users to pick its platforms over the Androids and Windows computers, why is it that its own messaging app Messages the most secured?

To date, neither messaging apps have had their encryption protocols breached. At least that is what Gemini have told me and what research I conducted on my own. This is good. However, as many of you already know, a few top Trump officials were caught using Signal discussing top secret war plans. From what I can gather, it should not have been shared with anyone and was likely safe if it was not for the fact a journalist was accidentally added to the chat that was supposed to be between the Vice-President of the United States and other top national security and state officials. Included by accident was an Atlantic journalist. So, that is not so good.

The question I have is that with privacy as one of Apple’s main selling points, why is iMessage not as secured at Signal. The answer depends on where you fall on this issue. Apple’s iMessage is very secured. Probably just as secured as Signal if not more so.

Apple secured iMessage with P3Q, a quantum level security for messaging. According to Apple, “Today we are announcing the most significant cryptographic security upgrade in iMessage history with the introduction of PQ3, a groundbreaking post-quantum cryptographic protocol that advances the state of the art of end-to-end secure messaging. With compromise-resilient encryption and extensive defenses against even highly sophisticated quantum attacks, PQ3 is the first messaging protocol to reach what we call Level 3 security — providing protocol protections that surpass those in all other widely deployed messaging apps. To our knowledge, PQ3 has the strongest security properties of any at-scale messaging protocol in the world.

In theory, iMessage should be the most secured messaging app in the world. However, Signal is considered to be more secured because it is open source platform and has its own quantum encryption. In fact, Signal beat iMessage to future proof encryption against the non-existent quantum computer. No one know when a working quantum computer will be deployed by bad actors for the purpose of breaking messaging encryptions regardless if whether it is iMessage or Signal. 

One other thing to consider is that Apple backs up user messages onto the iCloud while Signal does not. Apple’s iMessage also provide time stamps which Signal does not, which could potentially be a privacy issue.

In choosing between the two messaging platforms, it is a matter of preference and convenience. I use iMessages for 90% of all my messaging needs and I’m happy with it. I used Signal with a friend who has since jumped over the iMessages for sheer convenience. If more of my contacts switch switches over to signal or another platform one day, I will likely follow as well, That is not likely to happen as most of my contacts love their blue bubbles.And as far as security, I am comfortable with the level of security Apple provides for iMessages. And if any bad actor or North Korean hacker target me for whatever reason, they will get a secret trove of Ghiblitized photos of our puppy.

What I would like to know how just much more secured and hardened are systems and devices approved for national security uses are compared to iMessages and Signal. 

AI Buddies Because Agents Are Too Formal (and Intimidating)

AI agents are poised to revolutionize how we interact with technology. Imagine AI as a helpful assistant, integrated into apps and features, that proactively aids us in work, school, and daily life. These "agentic AI" are designed to be autonomous, making decisions to achieve specific goals without constant human input.

Apple users with devices supporting Apple Intelligence will get a taste of this with the iOS 18.4 update, which promises a significantly enhanced Siri. This updated Siri will represent an early step towards agentic AI.

AI and I - What I used AI for This Week

Last Week was a busy week in terms of AI news due to Deepseek. Since last Monday, January 27th,  the AI landscape has changed quite a lot. Still life goes on and I do what I have to, including the use of AI chats.

Before I get into that below, I am concerned with the interaction between the new administration and tech companies which could result in AI models and services that do a disservice to users. Let me just leave it at that for now. 

• I used ChatGPT to see what answers it has about Deepseek. I away very interested in trying to see if OpenAI’s true thoughts about it somehow came across. I even pointed out that Deepseek distilled using ChatGPT. I got nothing new. I basically suggest to ChatGPT that is should be upset. It was not - it did have concerns but then it also praised Deepseek on its overall achievements. 
• I also asked Gemini what it thought about Deepseek and the possibility that it used ChatGPT for distillations and not Gemini. Gemini said it was a matter of avail, cost, and performance for specific tasks. 
• I used Copilot to help identify trends with some Excel data. It was limiting and frustration. I could only provide a small set of data from a big Excel file. I did not have the version of Office 365 that has Copilot built into Excel. I started looking into if there are open source models that are trained specifically for data analysis. Gemini suggestions that are not any but it did suggest Llama 2 for my needs.
• I asked Copilot the same question and it suggested BERT (Bidirectional Encoder Representations from Transformers) and GPT-3 from OpenAI. I will need to do some additional research find one that suits my needs.
• Gemini suggested that I try to run an LLM on Colab. I read that it was being done. I suppose it is a better way before doing it locally on my MacBook Air. 
• Who are the Yuuzhan Vong? Copilot told me and which Star Wars novels to read about them.
• What is a nautical mile? What about a knot? I learned it a long time ago in high school and got a refresher on Startalk but I used Copilot to give me a refresher. 
• Eratosthenes was the first to ever measure the circumference of the planet we called home. How he did it was simple but showed how far ahead he was of everyone else. ChatGPT and a model used by Duckduckgo confirmed it.

One other note about using AI this week: on occasion, I had to verify the facts provided. I think I will continue to have to do this for a while. In the beginning, my worries was all about possible hallucinations. Given the times we live in, fact checking is a fact of life. It is no different when using an AI chat to obtain the answers we need.

Workflow With the Original iPad And iPads From Today

I am in the market for a new iPad but I have not quite gotten myself to pull the trigger on a new one because I simply have not decided what my workflow will be like. Simply put, I am still fine with my 2019 iPad mini though I do need something bigger when I eventually upgrade. So, I have been thinking long and hard about my workflow and, naturally, became a bit nostalgic to the day when I first got my original iPad. 

If you compare the original iPad to today’s iPads, it is natural to note how far we have come since 2010. In many ways, too many to mention here, we have come a long way. I definitely could not have used the original iPad as a laptop replacement as many have done today. One thing that the original iPad had that many of today’s iPads do not have is its simplicity - its ability to offer a distraction free environment. 

Personally, this is an important element of all of my workflows. In the early days, it was easy to stay focused on what you were doing on the iPad because the OS was a lot simpler and apps were a lot limited. There is an argument say that the original iPad was more for content consumption rather than for productivity. I agree all iPads are great for reading and watching videos but the original iPad worked well for tasks like emailing and writing. In terms of generating text content, the lack of distraction made it just as good as a tool for writing as any iPads today, possibly better because it was just the email and notes apps. 

With iPads today, there are different focus modes, apps that offer more features, and have completely replaced laptops for some users. You can do a lot more with an iPad which means that you end up spending more time doing other things like content management whereas with the original iPad, you just write and deal with the content  elsewhere like on the Mac.

And I do want Apple to add more software and hardware features to the iPad. But it is entirely up to the user to decide how to create a workflow that best suit them to take advantage of one of the versatile computing platform ever.

Using AI To Make Cotton Candy and Other Uses

I am very comfortable with using ChatGPT, Gemini, and other AI now. I still use search engines through my work day - DucDuckGo is my go-to search engine with Google coming in next if I do not find what I want o DuckDuckGo. There is a difference between what I use AI for and what search engines for. 

While both AI and search can provide answers I want, they each serve a role that is more suited for one than the other. AI chats can provide most answers, which do require that I fact-check it. For queries that require fact-checking, I go straight to to the search engines. For others, AI chats are fine. This is especially true when I am looking for basic understanding of things like “which is the first book of the Pdergast series” or how do I find a consultant in Asia who is familiar with Oracle for customization.

So, this is what I have used AI chats for this week:

• I got a composter for my kitchen. I came across a video on the Internet of someone making cotton candy. So I use Gemini to find out how cotton candies are made and at what temperature. Apparently, my composter does heat up the stuff I put inside it but it is no where near hot enough. And probably not a good idea anyway.
• I was tasked to find an Oracle consultant in Asia who could help us with customization from time to time. I have no idea where to start so I asked a friend who asked ChatGPT. I did it as well but I thad hoped my software engineer friend might know one or two
• I started a YouTube channel for my dog. Since my puppy is a lot cuter than I am, I thought I would exploit her cuteness and the forever puppy look. I then asked Gemini, ChatGPT, and Claude how I can turn this into a million dollar business. The results were sensible. I will be giving what they suggest a try. Forgetting the money, there are a lot of suggestions like animation that require me to learn new skills. That is what I am most excited about.
• I asked ChatGPT why my pancakes never come out the same and why my waffles turn out bad half the time. I suspect that heat has something to do with it. And how thick the batter is. And how long I cook it. Turned out that I was right. I just need to keep at it and eventually i will get it right.
• I wanted to write an app based on suggestions I read recently in books and from YouTube. I asked for suggestions on features that I should include in version 1.0. 
• I recently read about algorithms that are based on quantum principles that would run on traditional PC because quantum computers are not available yet. I wanted to know if they actually help and run fast enough on traditional CPU. According to Gemini, yes…in theory. Copilot said the same thing but I think my question was not phrased correctly. So I rephrased to “will algorithms based on quantum principles that are written to run on traditional CPU be of any benefit compared to regular algorithms. This time, the answer is no. Is this true? I honestly do not know.
• I had Copilot rewrite some of my emails and perform translations. I do find AI-based translations better than Google Translate. It is more accurate? When needed, I use AI based translations and Google Translate. The mean from both are pretty much the same though I feel AI results seem easier to understand.
• Looked for a farm in Los Angeles where I can take our dog to see if she is into bearding. It was a fail with both Copilot and Gemini. I know Copilot is based on ChatGPT but for some reason, ChatGPT gave me the best answer.
• I searched some literary terms like “knight errant”. Copilot did well enough. 

I continue to use both ChatGPT and Claude on a daily basis to help me develop a YouTube channel I started about two weeks ago for our dog. This weekend, I am considering using one of these AI to help me write a simple app to test how well the Playgrounds app can handle coding on the iPad.