This Week at Mark Ellis Reviews

👋 Happy Friday! My run-in with iPadOS 26 last week, and my live reaction to iOS 26 this week, have left me feeling genuinely a little bit concerned about Apple. Not for the immediate future, but a lack of long-term direction is becoming a problem. I’d love to hear your thoughts on this! I’ve also been responding to some M4 Mac mini comments from you, my lovely audience, as part of a six-month check-in. Enjoy!

FIRST THINGS FIRST

Never work with kids, animals, or iOS 26

If you watched last week’s Tech Diary video where I reacted, ‘live’, to iPadOS 26 - thank you. It’s one of the most watched videos on that channel and lots of you got involved in the comments section, in a good way (I only had to hide a couple of idiots). That’s what YouTube is all about, and I’m delighted you’re coming along for the ride.

What I’m not delighted about is iOS 26 - unless the video we’re publishing about that particular operating system does similar things on my main channel (which you can watch here), of course. But that isn’t really the point here.

As the kids say, iOS is, without question, a hot mess at the moment. This is partly to be expected; we currently only have access to the developer beta, and it is a notoriously bad idea to install it on your iPhone. Unless you’re actually a developer, obviously. I ignored that advice for the LOLs, clickz, and online attention, obviously, and the result was… well, if you haven’t watched it yet, I’ll let you be the judge. All I’ll say here is that it is a rough experience.

I want to make it abundantly clear that I’m not judging iOS 26 on the current beta version. That would be daft and entirely unfair. However, this is intended to be a glimpse into the future of Apple’s mobile operating system, and if you strip back the fancy (and way too translucent) Liquid Glass, iOS 26 reveals a company that’s going through a rather challenging time. Some of the additions are wonderful (call screening, for instance), but they feel like catch-up, and the chasm between Apple and its competitors when it comes to AI is only thrown into a much harsher light with this update. It feels rushed. Liquid Glass feels like a distraction.

This has all lead me towards a sense of genuine worry about Apple. Where are they heading? That’s what I’m discussing this week on the Tech Diary channel. I’d love your thoughts!

BYTE-SIZED NEWS

This Week’s Top Tech Headlines

🇺🇸 Trump Mobile Drops “Made in USA” Claim from T1 Phone Website
Who could have seen this one coming?

🥽 Samsung’s VR Headset Rumoured to Surpass Apple Vision Pro in Display Quality
If Apple isn’t winning the VR race, then they really might be in trouble…

FREE EBOOK

AI for Social Good: Using Artificial Intelligence to Save the World ($30 value for free!)

HAVE YOUR SAY

Here are the results from last week’s poll, where I asked if you’d ever buy a foldable. Although there’s a fair bit of cynicism here (me included!), the overall attitude amongst you lot is positive. It makes me think that an iPhone Fold could genuinely reinvigorate Apple’s lost mojo:

This week, I want your opinions on the future and direction of Apple. I’ve given you mine, now give me yours!

ICYMI

M4 Mac mini 6 months later: Responding to your comments!

It’s been six months with the best value Apple device money can buy, so I thought it would be a good time to answer some of the most common questions that ChatGPT seems to think people need answers to. And it turns out that I’m not the only one who loves this thing.

An Honest Reaction to iOS 26… and why I might switch to Pixel!

WARNING: In this video, I give my thoughts about the iOS 26 BETA. I’m saying this now because, well, as you’ll see, the comments seem to have missed that fact even though I said it multiple times. Anyway, these are my initial thoughts and they aren’t exactly complimentary. Give it a watch and let me know yours!

NEED TO KNOW

Tip Of The Week

👉 iOS tip: Check the meanings of laundry symbols by using your phone’s lookup feature. After snapping a picture of a clothing care label, tap the Info icon at the bottom of the screen and select “Look Up Laundry Care” to see detailed explanations of each symbol.

TOP FINDS

What I watched on YouTube this week

The second video on this list is a must-watch for any of you who find interest in the inner workings of Apple or any big tech company. It’s enlightening as to how the cogs turn (and occasionally malfunction) at Apple.

🔋 I Get it Now! - Samsung S25 Edge REAL Day in the Life (battery test) (Patrick Rambles) - I’m not including this because of my multiple cameos. Obviously. It is a genuinely brilliant and unique review of the S25 Edge.

🎙️ Inside WWDC 2025 & Apple’s Year-Long Siri Delay w/ Mark Gurman - Geared Up 208 (Geared Up) - I’m only halfway through, but this is a fascinating interview with the Gurmanator.

🔊 Chicane live at Cafe Mambo - Sun:Sets Vol 500 (Armada Music TV) - Another summer-inspired mix from the master of chill out vibes. Let’s forget about the Calvin Harris beef for a sec.

Thanks for reading this week’s newsletter. Next week, a very exciting new entry into the headphone game! Stay tuned,

~ Mark