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Good morning! ☀️ *Tim Cook voice*

A new social media app launches, good news for iPhone 15, AirPods refresh coming, and more!

Estimated reading time: 3 minutes

📊 Poll

Last week, I asked what iCloud plan you have..

Here were some of my favorite replies:

This week: What app is at the top when you go to Settings > Battery (in the last 10 days)?

🧵 New Social App in Town

It’s not very often we get to witness the launch of a social media app with major potential like we did with Meta’s Threads on Wednesday.

It’s also not very common to see the CEO of another social media app threaten to sue the CEO of this new app within 48 hours of launch.

Anyways, let’s discuss the actual app. And if you aren’t following me yet, you’re missing out.

So, FOMO is one of the key drivers for this new Twitter clone competitor.

First off, everyone is talking about it. Second, your IG profile shows what # you were to join Threads.

And all of that FOMO + a genuinely good UI = rapid adoption!

My thoughts

• I never joined Mastodon, BlueSky, etc. This is the first social app I’ve joined since TikTok in 2019

• The signup flow is dead simple - everything converts from your Instagram profile, including username and block list

• The feed is hectic - I am discovering a lot of new people. I’m also muting/blocking a lot of users since the algorithm is still trying to figure me out. At least there are no ads or bots yet!

• Engagement is through the roof. I’m talking Tiktok-level engagement. This is likely just overexcitement & everyone exploring the new shiny object, but it’s doing a good job at keeping people glued to their screens

• I think this can coexist alongside Instagram since it’s not for those who like sharing photos/videos ONLY.

• It also differs from Twitter because it’s not news-first like Twitter is. It’s more personal and social. It’s more opinion-based so far, less fact-based and “boring.”

What’s not good

• If you want to delete your Threads account, your IG account gets deleted as well

• Many bugs. Especially the crash when adding photos on iOS 17 (share from the photos app to avoid this crash). This is a v1.0 though, so bugs are expected

• Tons of data is being collected by Meta, and you can’t opt-out of any of it. But since you already have an Instagram account, they already have your data anyways

What it still needs

• A “Following” tab

• DMs (hopefully not in IG)

• Search for topics, hashtags, etc

• Availability in the EU

I have many more thoughts, but I’m more interested in your thoughts. So vote in the poll below to let me know why you will be using Threads, or why you will be passing on it.

📲 iPhone 15 is Getting Bigger

The iPhone 15 is just a few months away and we just got some great news. Bigger batteries! Here’s what the latest rumors say:

• iPhone 15: 3877mAh (18% increase)

• iPhone 15 Plus: 4912mAh (13.6% increase)

• iPhone 15 Pro: 3650mAh (14.1% increase)

• iPhone 15 Pro Max: 4852mAh (10.9% increase)

Exclusive Color for iPhone 15

Know what else could be great, and is actually looking possible? A red Pro iPhone.

According to 9to5Mac and leakers on Weibo, the 15 Pro will finally get that “crimson red” color we’ve heard about for years, while the regular 15 will get a new green color.

Price Increase

The good news ends there because a separate report is now claiming that the price of the Pro Max model will be increasing this year.

This price increase is likely due to the fact that the 15 Pro Max will be the only model to have the highly anticipated periscope lens, and more.

🎧 New AirPods & More

Mark Gurman is reporting that Apple is preparing to launch a USB-C case for the existing AirPods Pro.

• This new case will likely launch alongside the iPhone 15’s, since both will be getting that USB-C treatment

• Apple is also testing a new hearing test feature

• The hearing test feature will play different tones and sounds to allow the AirPods to determine how well a person can hear

• Apple is also working on adding sensors to future AirPods to determine body temperature via the ear canal

New Display

In the same report, Gurman says that Apple is working on a new external display for the Mac that will double as a smart home display.

• This external display will serve as a primary display when in use, but will double as a smart home device when idle

• It will have an iPhone chip inside (like the Studio Display)

• Apple is also working on other monitor options

📰 Quick News Bites

• Apple forced to make major cuts to Vision Pro headset production plans

• MicroLED Apple Watch Ultra Now Rumored to Launch in 2026, Not 2025

• iPhone 16 Pro Now Has 'Low' Chance of Featuring Solid-State Buttons

• Apple updates Shazam with song recognition in TikTok and YouTube

• Apple Says Latest 13-Inch MacBook Air Now Supports Bluetooth 5.3

• TestFlight adds support for visionOS apps before dev kits launch

• Texas officials use Apple AirTag feature to help track down missing purse

🤝 Show Support

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100% of the proceeds go right back into the business, and helps keep the quality of content high!

Until next week, ✌️

- Brandon

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