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Good morning! ☀️ *Tim Cook voice*

Today, we’re discussing my hot takes from this week, the latest software, and more!

Estimated reading time: 3.5 minutes

📊 Poll

In the last poll, I asked: When do you plan to buy your next Mac?

Here were some of my favorite replies:

This week: Do you use lens protectors on your iPhone? More on this below.

🫢 My Controversial Takes

This week has been interesting because I made some controversial takes on X that not everybody agreed with.

8GB of RAM is Enough

This is the one that ruffled a lot of feathers. Let me explain:

• I think the base model - yes, the one with 8GB of RAM - is sufficient enough for most people who are considering an entry level MacBook Pro

• I made a video on the M3 vs M3 Pro and showed how similar they perform despite the vast memory difference

The pros who do the 'hyper intensive’ tasks are not considering a base machine, they already know they need M3 Pro or M3 Max machines.

So to say I need to test out 8K video editing and crazy 3D renders is pointless because the people IRL who would do those tasks, are not even considering this base machine.

• The M3 MBP has 2x NAND chips, compared to 1 in the M2

• Because of that + the M3 efficiency, 8GB RAM with M3 performs much better than on previous machines, especially Intel MacBooks

• Memory swap does not hurt the SSD. That’s a myth, there is no data that supports that claim

I personally think the whole “8GB in 2023!? Apple is insane” take is overblown.

Do I think Apple should be giving us more than 8GB for $1600? Sure, but given the efficiency, it’s not the same as 8GB RAM on a Windows machine or an old M1 MacBook. So it makes sense given the lineup structure of MacBook Pro these days.

At the end of the day, if you need more RAM than the base M3 machine offers, just get 16GB for an extra $200, or pay up for the M3 Max. I’d skip the M3 Pro this year, as it’s not a whole lot better than M3 in my testing, and plus, M3 Max is just an absolute beast.

iPhone Lens Protectors

I used iPhone camera lens protectors for the first time ever.. and it will be my last. Here’s why:

• The iPhone’s camera is made with sapphire. Even if it’s not “real sapphire,” it’s stronger than normal glass and is very scratch resistant

• Lens protectors hurt image quality. I noticed a lot of hazy images with these on, mostly with Macro shots

• If/once you take them off, you will have adhesive residue all over your lenses to clean off

• Use a case with a raised camera lip, so that your lenses don’t take direct impact when falling

And for those saying that the lens protectors “saved” their iPhone from needing repairs: I doubt it.

Just because the lens cover cracked does NOT mean the camera lens would’ve cracked. They are just made of less durable glass, so they’re bound to break easily. That’s why they’re typically sold in packs of 4+.

Even if you’re a “no case” type of person, just get AppleCare+ and avoid the lens protectors.

⚙️ Software Updates!

This week, we saw several software updates across Apple’s platforms:

• iOS 17.1.1 and watchOS 10.1.1 were released to patch some critical bugs. Here’s my video on them

• macOS Sonoma 14.1.1 was released to patch the strange bug where M3 Macs came installed with macOS Ventura and could not be updated to Sonoma

• iOS 17.2 Beta 2 was released with the first Vision Pro features added & more. Here’s my video on what’s new

• New AirPods Pro 2 update 6B32 is out. Apple said it is a bug fix update

Expect iOS 17.2 Betas to continue throughout the month. The final release should come in early-mid December.

📰 Quick News Bites

• Apple Briefly Paused Work on New Features for iOS 18 and macOS 15 to Clean Up Bugs

• Resident Evil 4 Coming to iPhone, iPad & Mac on December 20th

• iPad Pro OLED Display Production Reportedly to Begin Around February

• iPhone 16 Likely to Get Exclusive AI Features in iOS 18

• iPhone SE 4 Likely to Use Modified iPhone 14 Chassis

• Humane officially launches the AI Pin, its OpenAI-powered wearable

• Valve reveals the Steam Deck OLED: $549 buys better screen, battery, and more