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- Weekly Issues
- #1781: Apple Digital ID, setting contact posters on the iPhone, iPhone Pocket, AI bubble benefits
- #1780: Comparing the Phone app’s Classic and Unified views, App Store website, Apple’s fiscal 2025 in charts, Tahoe’s terrible icons
- #1779: OS 26.1, new Affinity app from Canva, Apple Q4 2025 financials, testing agentic Web browsers, agentic browser caution
- #1778: iOS 26.1 adds opacity, Nisus Writer’s uncertain future, deleting voicemails
- #1777: M5 MacBook Pro, iPad Pro, and Vision Pro; iPhone visual intelligence reviewed; Apple TV and Peacock streaming bundle
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Adam Engst 17 November 2025 4 comments# Benefits of the AI Bubble

The dot-com bubble left us fiber and a Web‑savvy workforce; the AI bubble will leave behind chip fabs and power generation. Ben Thompson argues that bursting bubbles build foundations on which the next wave of technology can grow.

Adam Engst 17 November 2025 3 comments# How to Set Contact Avatars and Posters on the iPhone

Want to make your iPhone’s Phone app and contact cards more visually appealing? Adam Engst walks you through the often frustrating process of customizing contact avatars and posters.

Adam Engst 12 November 2025 29 comments# Apple Introduces Digital ID, but It Doesn’t Replace Your Passport

Apple’s new Digital ID lets US passport holders add an ID to the iPhone’s Wallet app for TSA identity checks, but it’s no replacement for your physical license or passport.

## TidBITS Watchlist – Mac App Updates

# ChronoSync 12 and ChronoAgent 12

# Firefox 145

# SoundSource 5.8.10

# Bookends 15.2.2

# Hazel 6.1

# Fission 2.9.2

Adam Engst 12 November 2025 32 comments# Apple’s iPhone Pocket Is a Rorschach Test, Not a Must-Have Accessory

Apple’s iPhone Pocket collaboration with Issey Miyake might seem like the spiritual successor to iPod Socks, but it’s closer to luxury Hermès Apple Watch bands. Crafted in Japan and selling for as much as $230, it may reveal more about your opinion of the fashion world than anything else.

Adam Engst 10 November 2025 25 comments# Comparing the Classic and Unified Views in iOS 26’s Phone App

Apple redesigned the Phone app in iOS 26 with a new Unified view that combines Favorites and Recents—and, crucially, makes it much harder to call someone. Adam Engst walks through the differences between Classic and Unified views to help you decide which to use.

Adam Engst 5 November 2025 11 comments# Tahoe’s Terrible Icons, Another Take

Apple’s macOS 26 Tahoe icon overhaul prioritizes uniform “squircles” over personality. Paul Kafasis’s comparisons reveal softened, blurrier artwork that reduces at‑a‑glance recognizability.

Adam Engst 4 November 2025 7 comments# Apple Launches Unified App Store Website

Apple has quietly launched a unified App Store website that brings together all its platform stores into a single responsive, searchable interface—though downloading still requires native apps.

Adam Engst 4 November 2025 3 comments# Six Colors Charts Apple’s Fiscal 2025

It can be hard to get the big picture from quarterly financial statements, but Jason Snell’s charts of Apple’s annual performance make it clear just how well Apple is doing.

Adam Engst 3 November 2025 24 comments# OS 26.1 Updates Bring Small Improvements

Update to OS 26.1 for incremental improvements and security fixes across Apple’s platforms. Highlights include Tinted Liquid Glass, AutoMix over AirPlay, Slide Over’s return to iPadOS, and dozens of patched vulnerabilities.

Adam Engst 1 November 2025 4 comments# Be Cautious with Agentic Web Browsers

New AI-powered browsers from OpenAI, Perplexity, and others promise to automate Web tasks but are vulnerable to prompt injection attacks that could manipulate the browser or steal private information through hidden instructions. While they are intriguing for occasional experiments, stick with your current browser for everyday usage.

Adam Engst 31 October 2025 62 comments# Canva’s Affinity Combines Photo, Designer, and Publisher into One Free App

The new Affinity app from Canva replaces Affinity Photo, Affinity Designer, and Affinity Publisher, which already shared most of their core code. It’s free to use, requires a Canva account, and reserves integrated AI features for paying Canva customers.

Michael E. Cohen Adam Engst 30 October 2025 5 comments# Services, Mac, and iPhone Drive Apple’s Q4 2025 Quarterly Revenue Record

For its fiscal fourth quarter of 2025, Apple set numerous records, with revenue of $102.5 billion, led by an all-time Services revenue record of $28.8 billion, and profits of $27.5 billion—so many billions.

## TidBITS Watchlist – Mac App Updates

# Acorn 8.3.2

# Affinity 3.0.1

# TextExpander 8.4

# Audio Hijack 4.5.5 and Piezo 1.9.7

# 1Password 8.11.16

# Transmit 5.11.1

Adam Engst 30 October 2025 9 comments# Can Agentic Web Browsers Count?

Can a browser that navigates the Web for you handle basic data analysis without making mistakes? Adam Engst tested Brave, ChatGPT Atlas, Comet, Dia, and Edge on a straightforward task of counting minors in three event registration lists. Only one succeeded, and the results were… educational.

Adam Engst 27 October 2025 18 comments# Does Deleting Voicemail Free Up iPhone Storage?

Voicemail messages are stored on your iPhone, but deleting them might not reduce the amount of space the Phone app uses. But investigating may reveal voicemails you want to preserve.

Joe Kissell 25 October 2025 90 comments# Nisus Writer: Schrödinger’s Word Processor

The powerful word processor hasn’t seen an update in nearly a year, it has disappeared from the Mac App Store, and support responses have been slow or nonexistent for some time. There is writing on the wall, and it’s not looking good.

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