Quick first impressions of some Apple related things:
- The cameras on the 17 Pro are fantastic, especially the selfie camera. Coming from the iPhone 14 Pro this was a massive jump up in quality and worth the upgrade alone. I like the Camera Control button.
- My first phone with an Action Button. I currently have it set to my custom settings Shortcut.1 That frees up a spot on my home screen and so far it’s working for me.
- I decided to try a TechWoven case and I love how it feels in hand. This has been the surprise win for me.
- iOS 26 has some issues, sure, but I do not hate it as much as I was worried I would. I’m getting used to it. Background images in Messages is fun. I’ve had more “oh that’s cool” moments than I have “I hate this.” I did have to change Safari tab bar back, the compact version sucked.
- The entire look of iOS 26 made me feel like my entire “aesthetic” of my phone layout was old. Which, to be fair, it was. I have kept it pretty similar since around iOS 14 and the main screen was almost always very monochrome. But iOS 26 just screams for color and I was ready for some more color in my life. I’m still playing around with how I want it to look, but my first pass is leaning in the right direction.
- I also upgraded my watch from the Series 6, after five years the battery was really showing its age, and I really love how the natural titanium looks. The finger tap/wrist flick gestures are more convenient than I expected.
- I do not plan to upgrade my Mac to Tahoe for a bit. Everything I’ve seen leads me to believe it’s very much not ready.
The Shortcut described and shown in the third image.↩