Is Apple Even Good At Software?

I’m Chris and this is METAGAME: a personal blog/newsletter about hobbies. Are you new here? — get free emails to your inbox.

Today’s entry is a mix of various topics. Each of the headlines below could’ve been its own tiny blog post, but since this is a blog and a newsletter, I feel this pressure of not spamming your inboxes with tiny stuff — whatever I send out needs to be substantial. So I bundle these things.

That’s actually something I need to think about. Sometimes I want the freedom of just firing off a short post over here. I like that format! Especially since I don’t really post on social media anymore, so this page could be a nice outlet for small updates like that.

Need to look into Ghost options — or maybe consider migrating to static pages (11ty?) and building my website around that? An ideal outcome would be some kind of POSSE solution with a (monthly?) newsletter digest getting compiled in the background. Hold that thought.

In the meantime, this is what I’ve got:

New Pen Day!

Recently, I have sunk in deeply into a new hobby — fountain pens and related stationery (notebooks, in particular).

When we lived our lives mostly offline, online was an escape from the real world. But now more and more we live our lives online. And this time the real world becomes an escape — from notifications, distractions, predatory monetization, etc.

So here I am, researching fountain pens, notebooks, pen loops, modded iPods, and trying to find an excuse to get into film photography again. But let’s stick to stationery for now!

I like having another thing in life to figure out. Another area to explore. Something new. I’m just worried it will be superficial, that my handwritten journaling will be mostly writing about writing. Running around in circles like that. I have fallen into that trap before, with my “note-taking” node in Obsidian having the most linked-to notes at one point. I’m worried that I will focus on the tools and not the process. That I will write ideas down, sure, but then do nothing with them.

So there is some doubt among all this excitement.

But for now, I’m having fun. Enjoying the morning ritual of journaling in my notebook, the nib gliding on the paper, and leaving a trace of ink with nice shading. And it’s one more way in which I can use my iPhone less.

But No New Bag Day

Peak Design’s Kickstarter campaign for the new carry-on suitcase is live, after LOTS of teasing. Looking at the price, specs, and reviews this one is a skip for me. 4 kilograms for a carry-on, are you kidding me? This is a very US-specific product. It’s (literally) not going to fly here in Asia, where most of the airlines have 7 kgs limits for carry-ons. Oh well, that’s $500 saved not spent. And my no new bags in 2025 commitment for this year can stay safe.

Smartphone Best Practices

But rolling back to using my iPhone less… I have been inspired/moved by this article from Miłosz Bolechowski: o higienie używania smartfona (beware! – it's in Polish and behind a paywall). TLDR: the more you disconnect, the more you get done, the fuller your days are, the more meaningful your conversations are. Smartphone should not be a constant companion in everything we do.

My approach: I consider the phone as a utility toolkit. It’s for giving me access to bank apps, passwords, photo import & editing apps, notes, maps, and communication. I limit notifications (including badges) to the critical and time-sensitive ones. Only non-algorithm entertainment is allowed: RSS, books, music, podcasts. No social media, no YouTube.

It’s working out so far.

That said, my iPad is a different story. What I limit on the iPhone, I often (over-)compensate with my tablet usage. As a next step, I’ll need to tackle that somehow.

For what it’s worth, my early mornings are now device-free. Just coffee, pen, and paper. Feels good. Feels pure.

99% Pure

Speaking of interesting reads — another article that made an impression on me recently was On Ideological Purity by Joan Westenberg.

Here's the thing: I try to make thoughtful purchasing choices — not only in making sure that the products I buy will fit my life/needs well, but also aiming to support good/ethical businesses. Voting with my wallet. Thing is, it’s not always easy.

I left Twitter, Facebook, and Threads, I’m avoiding Amazon (them turning off book downloads was the final straw), I try to support local businesses in Hong Kong (especially those that supported the local community in trying times), I don’t give Google analytics about Metagame’s readers, etc.

But I also give my money to Apple — begrudgingly, even though I’m trying to avoid making big tech CEOs even richer. I’m increasingly disappointed by their choices, tech-related and others, yet I will likely buy something in the Apple Store this September. And I will occasionally buy something from Amazon, if I can’t get it elsewhere. I still sometimes use Instagram, WhatsApp, and Messenger. And there are many other examples where my spending (be it money or time/attention) doesn’t exactly align with my values.

I used to feel guilty about it. If I’m not 100% pure in my choices, then what is even the point? But Joan’s article beat some sense back into me.

I don’t have to be 100% perfect in my anti-capitalist, anti-corporate, anti-US/big-tech choices. As long as I’m mindful, act with intention, and doing my best, doing something — that’s enough.

Perfection is not the point.

Is Apple Good At Software?

Speaking of begrudging Apple and things being imperfect, I've been feeling negative about that company for a while. They keep giving me reasons.

Apple Intelligence is a joke. The only remotely useful thing it was supposed to offer got delayed indefinitely. Passwords app was prone to an embarrassing vulnerability for months. iPad is still a baby computer; hardware generations ahead of its software.

And this is just a sample from the last few months.

I tend to bounce between going all-in on Apple’s apps, prioritizing ecosystem integration — and, on the other end of the spectrum — replacing Apple’s solutions with third-party apps, looking for ones that are best in class. Sometimes, I’ll add extra difficulty by searching for apps that are cross-platform. A classic dilemma between a jack-of-all-trades approach and best-in-breed.

Apple will cover all the basics with Reminders, Notes, Journal, etc. — but it’s rarely going to be the best solution in each slot. Their apps will get infrequent updates (at best once a year between WWDC and new iPhone release; at worst - forgotten/becoming an afterthought, like Clips or Journal). Always two steps behind the industry trends.

On the other hand, third party apps still innovate. To me and for my needs, Fantastical is a better calendar app than Apple Calendar. 1Password is a better password manager than Apple Passwords. Day One is a better journaling app than Apple Journal. Things is a better to-do app than Apple Reminders. Notes — here I’m having a hard time finding a 1-to-1 replacement. Obsidian may be better for PKM stuff and long-term storage, but short-term quick capture is not its best suit (but hey, pen and paper exists!). But then, you lose some benefits of deep integration with the OS and some money as well (as most of the best third party apps out there require a subscription these days).

So what good is system integration if the biggest benefit, integrating information across various apps in your account and making personalized suggestions based on that, Apple promises — but can’t ship?

Sometimes I feel like I will never solve this dilemma. Every choice is a trade-off. It's becoming easier, though, because more and more Apple and its solutions seem to be offering less and less (relative to competition).

I have a feeling that my next default apps list will have fewer Apple apps on it. Unless, of course, next WWDC wows me in a big way this June (which seems unlikely?) 🤷🏻‍♂️

Thanks for reading all the way to the end!

• 🚶🏻‍♂️ Follow me on Bluesky and/or Mastodon.
• 📣 Share this post on your social media.
• 📡 Subscribe to METAGAME via RSS.
• 📬 Or via good old email.
• 🎙️ I don’t have a podcast!
• 💬 But you can leave a comment.