I think this year’s iPhone event was fine - not thrilling - but more evolutionary than revolutionary. They are so far ahead of the game with hardware, especially in micro processors, that it makes sense to work on things that only they are positioned to accomplish with such a deep integration between hardware, OS, and software. Regarding AI, I think the true power is going to be far more subtle and more tightly integrated into improving things that matter on a daily basis such as surfacing context in your personal data lake, grammar, composition aids, etc vs the “flashy” stuff such as creating silly AI generated images. I’ve been running the OS 18 beta on my phone and iPad, Sequoia on my MacBook and OS 11 on my watch Ultra 2. So far my favorite feature is the “summary” in Apple Mail, the improved handwriting recognition in Apple Notes, and the composition tools. Subtle things that reduce friction on a daily basis. Another standout is the “Vitals” app in Watch os 11 - creating context from data that is useful.

I guess that I, at least, am glad to see Apple tightening things up and fixing loose ends and adding functionality to things I already own and use daily. (the hearing aid functions in the AirPods Pro2 will be a game changer for my wife and others with severe hearing loss).

They’ll get me on the next upgrade cycle but in the meantime I’m still devoted to the ecosystem.