I normally drag myself out of bed at 3 AM to watch WWDC live, but I’ve been sleeping rough lately, so this year I caught up on it first thing in the morning instead. Still watched it. Couldn’t not — this stuff genuinely excites me.
For those who don’t know, WWDC is Apple’s big annual developer conference held in California. It’s where they announce new operating system features, new products, and give developers a look at what’s coming. Apple puts on a genuinely great show, and whether you love them or hate them, there’s a reason their presentation style has become the template everyone else copies.
I should be upfront: I’m not a fanboy. I worked at Apple as a support specialist on the software side, so I’ve seen it from the inside. I still use Apple products because they’re genuinely good — but I’ll also tell you when they’ve got it wrong. That mix of honest experience is kind of the whole point of what I do at MacMason.
Liquid Glass Gets a Slider — And That’s Actually Smart
Last year, liquid glass looked cool but the big conversation around it felt like a lot of fuss about a cosmetic change. A fancy visual style is not, on its own, a reason to upgrade. But this year Apple did something that a lot of companies flat-out refuse to do: they listened. Instead of eliminating liquid glass or doubling down and telling everyone to get used to it, they added a slider so you can dial it in to your taste. That’s a genuinely mature response to user feedback, and it deserves credit.
Siri and Apple Intelligence Are Actually Getting There
I use AI tools every day. I’m severely dyslexic and have ADHD, so tools like Claude help me get written content out of my head and into something readable — not by writing for me, but by cleaning up the rough edges so my voice still comes through. So I have strong opinions about what makes an AI assistant actually useful versus just impressive in a demo.
Siri has always been capable but limited. Compared to where ChatGPT and Claude are right now, it felt like it was working from a very polished script rather than actually understanding what you needed. The partnership with Google to bring more natural, intelligent responses into Siri is a smart move. The thing Siri has always had over standalone AI apps is that it’s always there — you don’t open it, you just ask. If that convenience is now backed by genuinely capable AI, that’s a meaningful upgrade.
iPhone 11 Gets Another Year — and I Think That’s Great
The latest iOS will still run on the iPhone 11. That genuinely surprised me. The 11 is my favourite phone to repair — great build, well-supported, parts aren’t a nightmare — and the fact that Apple is extending its software life rather than quietly pushing people toward an upgrade is a good sign. They’ve had a reputation for planned obsolescence, fair or not, and moves like this are how you change that reputation over time.
If you’ve got an iPhone 11 and it’s been running fine, there’s now even less reason to rush into something new. And if it’s broken, it’s absolutely still worth repairing.
The iPhone Air — I Have Concerns
I want to like the iPhone Air. Thin and titanium sounds impressive. But I repair phones for a living, and “thinner” almost always means “more expensive when something goes wrong.” Titanium is incredibly strong, but if it bends — and phones do bend, especially in the hands of anyone under 16 — getting it back into shape is a real challenge. I have a press that can do frame work, but it’s not a simple job. Screen-edge-to-edge designs also tend to mean less tolerance for drops at the corners. I’m not saying don’t buy it. I’m saying wait for a few months of real-world use before deciding.
Still Watching the M5 Stuff
I didn’t finish the full M5 chip coverage before writing this, so I’ll save that for a separate post once I’ve had a proper look. Early signs are exciting, but I want to give it proper attention rather than speculate.