WHOOP could have gotten away with their paid upgrade change with one simple word…
Wes Davis from The Verge:
Whoop is in damage control mode. After debuting its Whoop 5.0 fitness tracker, users were angered to find it had reneged on a promise of free hardware upgrades. In a new Reddit post, the company now says users who have more than 12 months left on their subscription can get the Whoop 5.0 for free.
Part of the outrage was prompted by Whoop’s confusing messaging. Early yesterday morning, my colleague Victoria Song reported that to get a Whoop 5.0 band, users would need to extend their existing membership by an additional 12 months or pay a one-time upgrade fee. However, until at least March 28th of this year, Whoop’s website had a blog post that said users would only need to have been a member for at least six months to get a free upgrade to next-gen hardware.
After the backlash, Whoop is now changing its tune — somewhat. Those with “more than 12 months remaining” are “eligible for a free upgrade to WHOOP 5.0 on Peak,” one of its new subscription offerings. Those with less than 12 months left still have to either extend their membership another 12 months or pay a one-time upgrade fee, the company says. The same information is reflected in an update on its membership pricing page.
The company addresses the earlier blog post, writing that “a previous blog article incorrectly stated that anyone who had been a member for just 6 months would receive a free upgrade. This was never our policy and should never have been posted.” Whoop goes on:
“As noted above, our policy for upgrades from WHOOP 3.0 to WHOOP 4.0 was that members with 6 months or more remaining on their membership were eligible for a free upgrade to WHOOP 4.0. We removed that blog article when it came to our attention and updated WHOOP Coach with the proper information. We’re sorry for any confusion this may have caused.”
Here is what it said in their now deleted blog post:
Additionally, instead of purchasing new hardware every time an updated model is produced, WHOOP members receive the next-generation device for free after having been a member for six months or more.
If all this sounds confusing to you, it’s because it is.
Even if the blog post was not supposed to be the official policy and was a genuine mistake, all WHOOP needed to do to avoid this backlash was to come out with a simple statement regarding, yes you guessed it, tariffs. I can’t think of a single company that isn’t using tariffs as an excuse to charge higher prices in one way or another.
It’s the ultimate (legitimate) scapegoat and probably is the reason why WHOOP changed their policy in the first place. All WHOOPs are made in China.
I don’t think the SIM tray is going away on the iPhone 17 Air.
Internal space is always the enemy, and with the goal of making the most ambitious iPhone since the iPhone X, it becomes a nemesis. 📓
I thought TDK only made VHS tapes, but they’re making batteries for the iPhone 17 Air?
Tim Hardwick from MacRumors:
The upcoming all-new ultra-thin iPhone 17 Air could become the first Apple smartphone to adopt advanced battery technology, with Japanese supplier TDK preparing to ship its new generation of silicon-anode batteries by the end of June.
According to DigiTimes, TDK CEO Noboru Saito revealed in a recent interview that the Apple supplier has accelerated its production timeline, moving shipments forward from the originally planned September quarter. That may give smartphone makers enough time to use the cells in thinner models launching this year, he suggested.
"We've made good progress, and we're shipping them very soon," Saito said, adding that "some handset makers might be able to use the new battery in their product one generation early."
The timing could be soon enough for Apple's expected September launch of the iPhone 17 Air, which is rumored to measure just 5.5mm at its thinnest point, according to Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo.
TDK's batteries use silicon for anodes instead of the traditional graphite, allowing them to pack 15% more energy into the same space compared to conventional rechargeable battery packs. This advancement could be key to maintaining adequate battery life in such a slim form factor.
Most of TDK’s products are boring industrial products normal people don’t see, but there was a time when they made VHS tapes, the equivalent to today’s memory cards. Still boring technology, and still the same logo.
I didn’t know they still existed until I read this article, but it’s glad to hear a company from my childhood still thriving today.
Apple CarPlay 2 is now CarPlay Ultra, currently exclusive for the elite car buyer.
Apple Newsroom:
Starting today, CarPlay Ultra, the next generation of CarPlay, is available with new Aston Martin vehicle orders in the U.S. and Canada, and will be available for existing models that feature the brand’s next-generation infotainment system through a software update in the coming weeks. CarPlay Ultra builds on the capabilities of CarPlay and provides the ultimate in-car experience by deeply integrating with the vehicle to deliver the best of iPhone and the best of the car. It provides information for all of the driver’s screens, including real-time content and gauges in the instrument cluster, while reflecting the automaker’s look and feel and offering drivers a customizable experience. Many other automakers around the world are working to bring CarPlay Ultra to drivers, including newly committed brands Hyundai, Kia, and Genesis.
The Top Gear video showing off CarPlay Ultra is a nice refresher showing all the new features. Now all I need is a minimum of $200,000 to experience it.
Personally, I think Aston Martin had nothing to lose to go all-in on CarPlay Ultra because they are already bleeding cash, and CarPlay Ultra will sell more cars. Now they just have to import them to the US.
The industrial design of the Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge is amazing…ly bad.
Rene Ritchie from iMore more than 10 years ago:
Recently there was a brouhaha about a Qualcomm sticker junking up the Samsung Galaxy S6 on Verizon. You don't see a sticker like that on the iPhone 6 or any other iPhone, of course, because Apple cares more about the look of their product than the licensing fees or other considerations refusing it entails. Same with Intel Inside stickers on the Mac.
But when I looked at the picture of Samsung's product, it wasn't the sticker that bothered me so much. That, I assume, can be peeled off. It was something else I saw that bothered me, and something I can now never un-see.
It's the lack of basic alignment.
That same article was updated yearly to show the Galaxy S7, S8, and S9 compared to the equivalent iPhone of that year, and the iPhone was just unmatched in hardware design and philosophy.
Samsung’s phones have gotten better at making things properly aligned front to back, but are still nowhere near symmetrical. With the S25 Edge, they have taken a step back with their alignment. 📓
Swipe-up and “throw” lock screen shortcuts back to their spot with iOS 18.
Shortcuts on the bottom of the iPhone lock screen were always mapped to either the Flashlight or the Camera. With iOS 18, you can change those to a wide variety of shortcuts. Most app-opening shortcuts will end with you swiping up to leave that app, and you end up on your home screen. If that same app is one of your default home screen apps, it will “fly back” to its spot on the grid. If it’s not one of your default home screen apps, it will just fade away and leave you at your home screen. Standard practice.
There is a way to see that “fly back” animation that didn’t exist until now, but it only works on Capture shortcuts (minus the default Camera app). If you scroll down to the Capture section of the shortcuts options, swiping up on these apps triggers the “fly back” animation, returning the icon to its lock screen shortcut position. The first time I saw it, it was surprising to see an icon that isn’t a rounded rectangle behave like one.
This behavior does change the more you interact with these “Capture” apps from the lock screen. A swipe up to leave the app will then put you at your home screen.
In Halide for example, if I take a photo and swipe up to leave the app, the Halide app icon will fly back to its spot on the lock screen depending on my speed and direction of my swipe. If I take a photo and decide to view the photo in full screen by clicking on the thumbnail in the corner, a swipe up will take me to my home screen and the app will fade away.
iPhone and Apple Watch Compatibility update and correction.
I was wrong about Apple Watch compatibility in my previous post, but Apple’s chart is what makes it confusing.
(Read the whole explanation and story, or get the TLDR below).
New rules for Apple Watch compatibility with iPhones:
If your iPhone supports iOS 18, it will pair with any Apple Watch.
If you have an iPhone 8 or iPhone X, it will pair with a Series 4, Series 5, or SE 1st generation Apple Watch on watchOS 9 or earlier, and any Apple Watch before that.
If you have an iPhone 6S, SE 1st generation, or iPhone 7, you can pair a Series 3 Apple Watch or earlier.
Quickly disabling biometrics on Android is literally several steps behind iOS.
Imagine if your car required you to slam on the brakes as hard as you can and tap an “anti-lock brakes” button on your infotainment screen in order to activate the anti-lock brakes.
That’s essentially what Android phones require you to do in order to quickly disable biometrics. It is not an intuitive, one-step process on Android like it is on the iPhone.
First, you have to enable Lockdown Mode in Settings by either searching for “Lockdown Mode,” or going through a menu tree depending which Android phone you have.
That is assuming of course, your Android phone even supports it.
Seems like Samsung requires you to enable Lockdown Mode first through this menu tree, but it’s a one-time operation so I’ll let that pass. Once you have done that, you can hold the power button until you get to the power menu screen, and then tap the Lockdown button.
On Pixel phones, if your power button isn’t tied to Google Assistant, you can press and hold the power button to get into the power menu, and then select Lockdown. If your power button activates Google Assistant like an iPhone’s power button activates Siri, then you have to press and hold volume up and the power button and then you enter the power menu and have to select Lockdown.
You don’t get a one-step method like iOS, where a simple press and hold of the Power Button on one side of the device, and any or both volume buttons on the other side of the device (essentially squeezing the phone) automatically disables all biometrics. Just press and hold for a full 2 seconds, and that’s it.
No touchscreen input required.
If you have Haptics turned on, you also get a vibration to confirm your button inputs were successful. Personally, it’s best to enable Haptics to give you more reassurance.
Haptics or not, the point is you don’t have to look at your iPhone’s screen and confirm anything with a touch, which in my opinion defeats the purpose of quickly securing your device. That I won’t let pass.
You also don’t have to think about which volume button to press on an iPhone, since either one (or both together) will work. Just squeeze the damn iPhone and you’re good.
Odds are if you are in a situation where you have to do this, you’re already distraught to some extent, and might not have the time to even touch your screen if someone grabs the phone out of your hands fast enough.
Once again, assuming you even enabled Lockdown Mode.
Jony Ive interviewed with CEO of Stripe Patrick Collison.
Nice to see Jony Ive in public and to hear some of his takes about technology and humanity, even in something as “trivial” as how a cable in a box is packaged.
Samsung S25 Edge to debut next week
Monday, May 12th at 8PM Eastern Time in the USA is when the Samsung S25 Edge will be fully revealed. Finally we get a decent release time here on the East Coast that isn’t at the peak of Monday workday shenanigans. A nice time to watch the event in the comfort of your own home.
I just need to make sure I’m not on call Monday night.
This event will answer many questions, but also raise new ones. It will also foreshadow what to expect from Apple in the Fall, since odds are both companies are competing with each other in the back end. Both companies are heavily involved in the supply chain, and there is no doubt that each company knows about the other’s prospective plans based on their own insider information. Apple tends to make products that solve problems and have purpose, while Samsung tends to be the copycat so let’s see how Samsung positions this device.
The battle of the foldables won’t begin until Apple releases their own, but this year will be the battle of the bulge.
iPhone 17 Air will be released with a battery case, but there is a better alternative.
Charles Martin from AppleInsider:
Apple will be bringing back a battery-case accessory for its planned iPhone 17 Air to help give the super-slim model all-day battery life.
While the novelty of a super-thin, super-light iPhone is intended to encourage upgrades from older models, the slim design necessitates a smaller battery, and so reduced battery time.
Apple intends to offset this disadvantage by offering an iPhone 17 Air (or iPhone 17 Slim) case that adds its own battery pack, according to a new report from The Information. Adding a thicker battery case would of course undo some of the benefit of a slimmer iPhone, but it's an option that will restore longer battery life.
Battery cases are not new — Apple itself released one for the iPhone 6 and 6s back in 2015. Apple ceased selling a battery case once it released the MagSafe Battery Pack in 2021.
A criticism of both the battery case and its MagSafe successor was that it added bulk to the iPhone. The reported new battery case for the slim model would inevitably do the same, but reportedly Apple believes it's necessary.
That's because Apple's own internal testing of the new model suggests that only between 60% and 70% of users will still get a full day's use of the slimmer, lighter iPhone Air.
That does mean a majority of iPhone 17 Air users will not need to recharge during the day. However, with current iPhone models, it's claimed that this compares poorly to the 80% to even 90% of users who get a full day from a single charge.
People who buy the iPhone 17 Air will be fully aware of its limitations because you can clearly see those limitations, so a battery case would defeat the purpose of the slim device. What makes more sense is a stronger set of magnets and a more robust MagSafe Battery Pack that could be used by all iPhone 17 devices.
Apple Park Visitor Center - Here is all the exclusive merch you can buy (April 2025).
I was fortunate enough to visit Apple Park a few weeks ago, and there’s a lot of exclusive merchandise you can buy that is not available at any other Apple store. It’s not as diverse as it was a few years prior back in 2022 and there is no more One Infinite Loop store, but there is still something for everyone. 📓
The iPhone kept me sober, but not for long…
Juli Clover from MacRumors:
Starting in 2026, Apple plans to change the release cycle for its flagship iPhone lineup, according to TheInformation. Apple will release the more expensive iPhone 18 Pro models in the fall, delaying the release of the standard iPhone 18 until the spring.
The shift may be because Apple plans to debut a foldable iPhone in 2026, which will join the existing iPhone lineup. The fall release will include the iPhone 18 Pro, the iPhone 18 Pro Max, an iPhone 18 Air, and the new foldable iPhone.
Later, in spring 2027, Apple will release the standard iPhone 18 and an updated version of the iPhone 16e. The less expensive iPhone models will undergo manufacturing trials in India as Apple expands efforts to reduce its reliance on Chinese manufacturing.
One of the reasons I left Android for Apple was because it curbed my tech addiction. There would be a new Android phone every few months, causing me to sell and buy new devices to the point where the AT&T reps at the store knew me by first name, ready to buy the newest Android flagship. It could also be because of my name because really, how many Fahads are there in Kansas?
With Apple, you buy one device (an iPhone 5 at the time), and it’s the flagship for the whole year.
The iPhone made me and kept me “tech sober.”
Looks like this year we will have 3 flagships, and 4 flagships next year. Most people would consider the Pro and Pro Max to be one flagship, but I consider them to be separate because it really is a tough decision to decide which size to buy. The small size feels amazing in the hand, but the large size is just so immersive.
I won’t be swayed by the mid-cycle refreshes for the base models, but to have 4 flagships in the Fall of 2026 is going to be insane. I like the idea of a regular sized iPhone that opens up into the size of an iPad mini, so a foldable isn’t out of the question.
I do have more responsibilities now with a total family count of 6, so I’ll have to make my iPhone decisions wisely.
Apple’s premium pre-configured packaging for the original Apple Watch meant insane deals for the patient.
When I saw these deals online, my jaw literally dropped. Was this really happening? My premium Apple Watch dreams that were once crushed were rejuvenated. My mind was running wild with all kinds of ways to take advantage of this deal: 📓
A deeper speculation into Apple Watch SE 3rd generation’s display size.
Juli Clover from MacRumors:
Apple is working on an updated version of the low-cost Apple Watch SE, and the displays for the new model have entered production, according to display analyst Ross Young.
Young says that the new Apple Watch SE 3 will be available with 1.6-inch and 1.8-inch display sizes, which suggests little in the way of an upgrade over the current Apple Watch SE models. The Apple Watch SE 2 comes in 40mm and 44mm size options, and Apple could stick with those sizes for the next-generation models.
The Apple Watch SE has historically been based on an existing Apple Watch model, and the current version is based on the Apple Watch Series 6. Apple could continue with another model based on the Series 6 design, but there are other options. The display sizes could be off somewhat due to rounding issues and Apple could be planning for a larger Series 7 design with 41mm and 45mm sizes, or the new Apple Watch SE could get an entirely new design.
The 1.6-inch and 1.8-inch estimates are perfect numbers for speculation because it means the display could be either the size of the Series 7-9 or the Series 10 and technically you can’t be wrong.
I measured my 41mm Series 9 display which is the same as the Series 7 and 8, and it measured 1.56 inches diagonally. The Series 10 is just a hair bigger, and would probably be right at 1.6 inches diagonally. I have the smaller sized watch, and the bigger one would be around 1.8 inches like the rumors are suggesting.
When the original SE was released, it came with the same screen size as the Series 6 at the time. My guess is the SE 3rd gen will come with the same display size as the Series 10 and 11, minus the always-on feature just like the first SE.
Apple Watch Series 7 thru 9 displays never had a version without always-on capabilities, so it makes more sense to just use a Series 10 display without those features included. A series 10 display would also mean the newly updated body style that is all aluminum even in back.
Should make for a more streamlined manufacturing process for the SE 3 and Series 11 with their similar displays and body styles.
A new color, “olo” was observed for the first time.
The Scientific American:
What, exactly, did olo look like? Ng describes it as “blue-green with unprecedented saturation”—a perception the human brain conjured up in response to a signal it had never before received from the eye. The closest thing to olo that can be displayed on a computer screen is teal, or the color represented by the hexadecimal code #00ffcc, Ng says. If you want to try envisioning olo, take that teal as the starting point: Imagine that you are adjusting the latter on a computer. You keep the hue itself steady but gradually increase the saturation. At some point, you reach a limit of what your screen can show you. You keep increasing the saturation past what you can find in the natural world until you reach the limit of saturation perceptible by humans—resulting in what you’d see from a laser pointer that emitted almost entirely teal light. Olo lies even further than that.
To check if what the participants saw as olo really was a color beyond humans’ standard visual range, the researchers completed color-matching experiments in which they could compare olo with a teal laser and adjust the color’s saturation by adding or subtracting white light. All participants found that if they added white light to olo, desaturating it, the new color would match the laser, confirming that olo lies beyond the normal human range of color vision.
I know another “color” that lies beyond the normal human range of color vision...Sky Blue for the MacBook Air.
Apple quietly updates Apple Watch to only work with iPhones on iOS 18 or later.
Update 5/12/25: See the clarification and correction to this article here.
If you have an iPhone X or earlier, don’t unpair your Apple Watch from your device because it will stop working. You must have iOS 18 now in order to pair any Apple Watch with your device. iOS 18 is available on iPhone XS or later, and iPhone SE 2nd generation or later.
This was changed recently and Apple released an updated support document. Apple’s previous compatibility chart was more complicated, but it allowed older versions of iOS to work with older Apple Watches. Their chart was not complete, and I made a modified chart to include the iPhone SE models.
Apple’s compatibility chart was dated Nov. 20, 2024, and Apple’s most recent support document is dated Feb. 28, 2025, a Friday.
So on a Friday, right when the news cycle for the week ends, Apple published a support document quietly making it impossible to pair usable Apple Watches with iOS 17 or older devices. I was in the process today of pairing a Series 5 on watchOS 10 with my iPhone SE 1st gen on iOS 15 which was possible according to Apple’s chart, but I could no longer do that and when I clicked on the “Learn More” option, the support document spelled it out bluntly:
To set up and use an Apple Watch, you need iPhone XS or later with iOS 18 or later.
Both the iPhone SE 1st gen and the Series 5 watch are on their latest software revisions, but even then it is not possible.
iOS 18 is the minimum you need now.
It is a bitter sweet ending, since it was quite perplexing to keep track of which watches on which version of watchOS would work with which iPhones on which versions of iOS. Even for a geek like me it was hard to keep it straight. The backwards compatibility was bound to come to an end, and that time is now.
Keep these 4 points in mind:
If you have iOS 18, you can pair any Apple Watch to it.
If you don’t have iOS 18, you cannot pair any Apple Watch to it.
If your Apple Watch is currently paired to an iOS 17 device, it will continue to work, but you might eventually be forced to upgrade to iOS 18 if you have an iPhone XS or later or an iPhone SE 2nd gen or later.
If you have an iPhone X or earlier, unpairing your current Apple Watch will prevent you from re-pairing the device to your iPhone.
This iPhone 17 Pro camera downgrade will actually be an upgrade.
According to Majin Bu, the iPhone 17 Pro will get a 3.5x telephoto zoom instead of a 5x telephoto:
The new iPhone 17 Pro introduces a completely redesigned camera module. Gone is the diagonal lens arrangement: now the lenses are aligned horizontally in a wider layout. This isn’t just an aesthetic change, it’s a functional choice to integrate an enhanced telephoto lens that delivers exceptional performance.
Telephoto Lens: New Optical Zoom
The telephoto lens of the iPhone 17 Pro is the heart of this revolution. Here’s what makes it special:
– Versatile focal length: It shifts from 120 mm (5x optical zoom) to 85 mm (3.5x), perfect for portraits and everyday shots.
– 48-megapixel sensor: Compared to the previous 12-megapixel sensors, it offers optical zoom up to 7x (160 mm) with top-quality images.
– Advanced optics: Ensures sharp details even at long distances.
With these features, the telephoto lens combines versatility and power, turning every shot into a masterpiece.
Currently the Pro iPhone has a weird gap in its zoom options at 0.5x, 1x, 2x, and 5x. By having a 48MP 3.5x lens, they can provide 0.5x, 1x, 2x, 3.5x, 5x, and 7x zoom options.
Granted the 2x, 5x, and 7x would be marketing tools for “digital zoom with optical quality,” but they do produce reasonable images considering you’re holding a ultra slim device when compared to a real camera.
The main upgrade for the 3.5x lens would be a lower aperture. The iPhone has been stuck at f2.8 for its telephoto options since the iPhone 13 Pro, and a lot of challenging light situations make the iPhone default back to the 1x Fusion camera leading to worse photos. A lower aperture would mean more low-light 3.5x photos would actually be 3.5x instead of a 3.5x crop from the 1x lens.
The Samsung Galaxy S25 and S25+ have an f2.4 3x optical zoom, and the S25 Ultra has an f2 3x optical zoom. Hopefully the camera tech has advanced enough to give us a similar aperture at 3.5x.
Apple’s Ceramic Shield ad also highlights Camera Control’s foibles.
Apple was trying to highlight the durability of Ceramic Shield, but the only reason why the guy drops the phone is because of Camera Control. The hand placement is just more secure when using the touchscreen.
Apple Intelligence is selling more iPhones, and that’s more money in your pocket…
The CIRP report (covered by MacRumors):
New data from Consumer Intelligence Research Partners (CIRP) suggests Apple's iPhone 16e is off to a strong start, capturing 7% of U.S. iPhone sales in its first partial quarter of availability. The new mid-range offering outperformed the iPhone SE's share from the same quarter last year.
The entire iPhone 16 lineup, now consisting of five models with the addition of the 16e, accounted for 74% of total U.S. iPhone sales in the March 2025 quarter. It's a marked increase from the 68% share held by the four iPhone 15 models during the same period in 2024.
While the 16e drove much of this growth, CIRP's data shows some surprising shifts across the lineup. The standard iPhone 16 saw a decent boost, climbing to 20% of sales compared to just 14% for the iPhone 15 in the previous year's quarter.
Meanwhile, Apple's high-end models had an unexpected decline. The iPhone 16 Pro and Pro Max together accounted for 38% of iPhone sales, down from 45% for the iPhone 15 Pro models a year earlier. The iPhone 16 Pro specifically dropped from 22% to 17% market share.
More evidence for the class-action lawyers who are fighting for the little man to get his $8.43 check from Apple in 6 years.