Happy Monday.
This week is going to be a busy one. Timing for when the next few updates are published will need some adjusting. For today’s update, we will begin talking about the iPhone Duo. The discussion will roll into the next update which will be published late Tuesday ET, possibly Wednesday in the AM ET. Apple is then having an experience in LA that will take place on Wednesday. There will be plenty to talk about after that experience, which we will do in an update published some time on Thursday. Apple then reports FY4Q26 earnings on Monday, November 2nd. That requires a preview to be published prior to Monday. We will get to everything; it’s just going to be a bit hectic.
One quick update to last Friday’s update: This morning, Meta announced what will end up totaling approximately $95B in stock offerings to fund its AI capex. This news exceeded my expectations, especially given how Wall Street has had AI jitters the past month or so. The news puts a bigger spotlight on what we talked about on Friday in terms of Meta, and other Big Tech companies, getting close to their funding limits for capex, unless they plan on equity issuances.
Earlier today, Apple unveiled an all-new iPad mini with a Super Retina XDR display (OLED), thinner borders, a larger viewable display, thinner and lighter form factor, an A20 Pro chip, and a redesigned audio system. We will talk more about this news later in the week in conjunction with Apple’s experience in LA.
Let’s get to today’s update.
iPhone Duo in the Flesh: The Reviewers Botched It
Every few years, an Apple product comes along that reminds us of how antiquated consumer gadget reviews have become.
The way consumers research and think about gadget purchases has changed dramatically over the years. In the early iPhone days, a handful of writers held quite a bit of sway with their gadget reviews. Consumers yearned for guidance as to how best to approach ground-breaking innovations and ideas.
Twenty years later, consumers have vastly more information at their fingertips. In addition, we have experience and perspective on various gadgets and accompanying technologies. There are certain things that we know we like and don’t like. This has left the public much more informed when it comes to tech gadgets. Within this environment, we have a gadget review industry needing to navigate a turbulent media landscape. The rise of powerful content algorithms has in some ways democratized the traditional tech gadget review. One doesn’t need an established audience for their review to go far. However, on the flip side, competition for reader and listener attention has intensified.
After using iPhone Duo for the past five days, roughly the same amount of time that the initial wave of reviewers had with the device before publishing their reviews, it’s become clear that many of the reviews were off the mark. The reviews focused on items that
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