I have run 6 half marathons, and while I'm not even in the top-half of race results, I consider each one a huge personal accomplishment.

I like to take a peek at Apple Watch's VO2 max estimate and while the calculation might be reasonable enough, it is compared to a data set with known sampling bias.

Just like a half marathon, my quartile results look lackluster until you consider that 99% of people don't compete. As a result, race results as a comparison aren't useful without knowing the broader context.

I think the same issue is going on with VO2 max data. In the attached Imgur image, my figures are labeled as below average. Further into the data, it seems my age cohort's average is 43 (ml/kg/min), and anything below is therefore below average.

It seems that FRIEND database data for the VO2 comes from those referred to exercise testing, people enrolled in fitness or clinical programs, or those engaged in physical activity (see Google AI). On average, these are physically active people or maybe those undergoing a known issue, leaving out a lot of groups.

Have I misunderstood this, or is this something Apple needs to improve on? Frankly, if there isn't a good data set for them, maybe they shouldn't even include this average to compare with?

Imgur sources: https://imgur.com/a/MJYCqnu

Hey r/Apple,

I’m the developer of VaultDrive, an iPhone utility built around a simple idea:

Connect external storage to your iPhone and make a physical copy of the files that matter — without needing a Mac or PC in the middle.

VaultDrive lets you connect a compatible USB drive or SSD directly to your iPhone and back up selected:

• Photos
• Videos
• Albums
• Files
• Documents

The basic workflow is:

iPhone → USB/SSD → your copy

But one of the more complicated parts of building this was dealing with iCloud.

If you use Optimize iPhone Storage, some photos and videos you see in your library may have their full originals stored only in iCloud.

VaultDrive can request those originals through Apple’s Photos/iCloud system, download them, and then continue the backup to your connected drive.

You can choose whether those iCloud downloads use:

Wi-Fi only
or
Wi-Fi + Cellular

Files and documents stored through iCloud Drive can also be downloaded when needed and copied beneath their folder structure on the external drive.

For content that is already stored locally on the iPhone, there’s no VaultDrive cloud upload involved — the destination is the USB drive or SSD you connected.

A few other things I’ve focused on:

• Resume interrupted backups — reconnect and continue while already-copied items are skipped

• Original-quality media — no intentional compression, resizing or re-encoding

• Metadata preservation — embedded capture information stays with supported photos and videos

• Organized backups — useful source/folder organization is retained where supported

• Live progress — see what’s being scanned, the current file, transfer speed, estimated time and what remains

• Clear results — completed, pending, skipped, failed and cloud-only outcomes are tracked instead of giving you one generic failure message

• No VaultDrive account required

The goal isn’t to tell people to stop using iCloud.

I think the combination actually makes sense:

iCloud for syncing and convenience.

USB/SSD for another physical copy you control.

It can be useful for years of family photos and videos, important documents, travel backups, freeing phone storage, or simply keeping another copy outside your online account.

VaultDrive is free to download, with an optional one-time Pro upgrade for unlimited backup — no recurring Pro subscription.

I’m currently offering 75% off Pro.

App Store:
https://apps.apple.com/app/apple-store/id6772883827?pt=128255904&ct=r&mt=8

75% off Pro:
https://apps.apple.com/redeem/?ctx=offercodes&id=6772883827&code=WELCOME75

I’m continuing to improve VaultDrive based on user feedback, so I’d be interested to hear how people here currently back up their iPhone photos, videos and files — especially if a large part of your library lives in iCloud.

Sunday self promo, I'm the dev. I'm Julian, I study business informatics and I work on StepGrab next to uni. It's a native Mac app, and I posted about it here earlier this year. A lot changed since then, mostly because of comments.

The problem

At my working student job I was the guy people asked when they didn't know where some setting was, or which button comes after which. Every time the same thing: fifteen screenshots, crop them all, red arrows in Preview, type the steps underneath. Half an hour or more per guide, and three weeks later some of it was wrong again anyway.

What it does

You hit record in the menu bar, do the task once like you normally would, and every click becomes a screenshot of the exact window with a numbered arrow and a sentence saying what you clicked. Export as PDF, HTML, Markdown, GIF, MP4 or a portrait video for phones. Screenshots stay on your Mac, there's no account and nothing is uploaded. macOS 14 or later.

What's new

• a direct download. Besides the Mac App Store, there's now a notarized .dmg from my website. It updates itself, and Pro there is a license key instead of an in-app purchase
• the direct download can use the Accessibility API. The App Store version is sandboxed, so there the name of what you clicked comes from on screen text recognition. In the .dmg you can grant Accessibility access, and then it reads the exact name of the button or menu you clicked, so the step text says "Click Save" instead of guessing from the pixels
• when you record a single window, the steps now show only that window, even if others overlap it, and context menus, lists and popovers stay in the picture (in the .dmg now, the App Store update is in review)
• projects: save a guide, open it later and fix one step instead of recording everything again. Since 1.6 a project is a single file, and Save As can burn the redactions in, so the copy you share doesn't contain the original screenshots
• an editor. Drag and bend arrows, rewrite and format sentences, reorder steps, draw shapes, undo, and a preview that shows the real export
• redaction, the thing people asked for most. The black bar is burned into every export
• the free tier lost its recording limit and its sign in
• Siri and Shortcuts can start a recording, stop it and export the guide (on macOS 26 also from Spotlight), and with Apple Intelligence on macOS 26 the wording gets polished on device
• and for those who also use Windows: there's a Windows version in the Microsoft Store now, and it opens projects from the Mac

Free: unlimited recordings, 15 steps per guide, GIF export and the whole editor. Pro adds the other formats and the step text in exports, as a monthly subscription or $44.99 once. A Pro key from the website covers the .dmg and Windows, on up to two devices. An App Store purchase stays with the App Store version and doesn't carry over to the .dmg, and the App Store version has Family Sharing.

The honest part

The text recognition in the App Store version isn't perfect, that's the trade off of the sandbox. I'm not a trained developer, I learn most of this while doing it, and it's one student, not a company. Things I don't have: a team library or a browser extension.
Edit: since someone asked: yes, Claude writes most of the code. I'm the one who decides what it should do, breaks it on real apps and makes it try again until it works.

App Store · Website (direct download)

For a menu bar utility that needs to read what you clicked, would you rather use the sandboxed App Store build or a notarized direct download with Accessibility access? I'd like to hear how you decide.

Hi All,

I made a classic soccer game with first person FPV mode. It's a 4v4 players match with a 3 minutes timer.

I have kept the controls extremely simple with old school mechanics. Double tapping on screen seamlessly switches between FPS and 3rd person view. A single button on the right to shoot or switch player. A frosted glass joystick on the left which blends in nicely.

There is absolutely no loading screen and the game starts instantly after you open the app and select the country. And you can play in vertical and landscape view on iPhone and iPads. Also it's just under 15mb in size :)

I had this idea for some years and i finally made it. Did my best to keep it intuitive and fun to play :)

Your feedback is welcome 🙏

Soccer FPS Pro - https://apps.apple.com/app/soccer-fps-pro/id6813346291

Hello everyone, NewsNinja version 3 is now out.
This is by far the biggest update I’ve made to the app.

NewsNinja started as a way to follow RSS, Reddit, and YouTube in one place. Version 3 expands that idea much further.

There’s now a customizable Today dashboard that brings together news, feeds, podcasts, social accounts, calendar events, reminders, weather, and more.

Version 3 also adds:
• Podcasts, including downloads, transcripts, and summaries
• Read-only support for X/Twitter, Mastodon, Bluesky, and Hacker News
• A completely rebuilt Discover experience
• New Compact, Card, and Magazine feed layouts
• Better article extraction and reader mode
• AI summaries, translations, text-to-speech, fact-checking, and overviews
• A redesigned UI across iPhone, iPad, Mac, and Vision Pro

And one thing has not changed: no account is required.
NewsNinja remains built around privacy, user control, and helping you catch up without endless feeds or attention tricks.

A lot of version 3 came directly from feedback and feature requests, so thank you to everyone who has tried NewsNinja and helped shape the app.

App Store link:  https://itunes.apple.com/app/6504148117?mt=8

Reports piling up on r/applemusic. Downdetector showing login problem spikes. Apple Communities queries left unanswered. Apple system status pretending everything is fine. All automated support options lead to "try again later".

Zero acknowledgment from Apple. Just par for the course these days.

I was super disappointed by the new Apple TV 4k announcement, and yet I still might buy it...

So, I moved into my own place 2 year ago. I already have a 1st generation Apple TV 4k that went into my bedroom. I wanted to get a new Apple TV for my living room, but I have an Xbox Series X out there. My plan was to just patiently wait for the new Apple TV to be released and use the Xbox for streaming in the meantime. I thought that announcement would come in a couple of months (since the previous one was 2 years old at this point), but another 2 years went by. I was adamant about holding out because I've been burned by Apple in the past. I bought an iPad Air only to miss out on an upgraded M1 version 3 months later. I didn't want that to happen again. I tried to play Apple's game and try to follow their release schedule, only to be met with one of their longest new product delays.

The announcement finally happened, and it was worse than I could have imagined. To be honest, I'm not really sure what I was expecting, but I would have been happy with an upgraded chip and passthrough (although, highly unlikely) at a similar or even lower price. In my mind, there's no way it could get worse - no matter what the upgrade is, it will be better in some way, even if marginal. Yeah, this one has an upgraded chip, but what good does that do if it's being wasted on AI features that I don't even want? Why do I want more microphones in my home in this growing surveillance state?

At the end of the day, I still need an Apple TV for my living room and I'm in a pickle now. Part of me wants to stick it to Apple and just buy the 2nd gen, but it's $250 now. Upgrading the remote is a must since I already have everything switched over to USB-C. So, second gen + new remote is pretty much the same as just getting the new one. To be honest, the AV1 support is also enticing, and I don't want to miss out on that now.

The worst part is that if I had just bought the 2nd gen two years ago, especially when it was cheaper, I would have been perfectly happy with it. Now I'm forced into a situation where I might as well buy the new one. I suppose my other options are just looking into a used 1st or 2nd gen or just ditching Apple TV altogether and sticking to my Xbox. Part of me just wonders if AV1 support even matters since that's the only saving grace for me for the upgrade.

I am sure that it is a little embarrassing for some at Apple to have a ship date over three months out on the website. Would it have been preferable to slap up a “sold out” label on the iPhone Duo after five minutes and stop taking orders? Because that’s what most companies do, at the cost of a cohesive and consistent customer experience.

Most people will order their iPhone Duo, enjoy trick or treating with their kids, Thanksgiving dinner with the in-laws, eat a delicious Christmas goose, ring in 2027 with some champagne, and break their New Year’s resolution… all before receiving the iPhone Duo they ordered today.

And that’s actually a good thing.

This video is directed by Spike Jonze and it is perfect. No notes. One of the best ads they’ve ever released. I dare you to disagree. I got excited for a sequel when they recently reused the “Welcome Home” phrasing, but alas.

Apple is "pretty much done" with M6 chips, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman reiterated today on his podcast. Apple debuted the M6 chip in the Mac mini and has plans for an M6 iMac and entry-level 14-inch MacBook Pro, but the company is not planning to make M6 Pro, M6 Max, or M6 Ultra chips.

Apple will instead go from the M5 Pro, M5 Max, and M5 Ultra to the M7 lineup. The upcoming OLED ‌MacBook Pro‌ models will use the same M5 Pro and M5 Max chips Apple uses in the current ‌MacBook Pro‌ models, with no chip upgrade planned until 2027. The M5 Pro and M5 Max came out in March.

This is a bit of a rant. I had high hopes for Apple’s smart home product announcements. I wasn't expecting anything major but was looking forward to upgrading my smart home ecosystem. Needless to say, Apple dropped the ball hard.

• HomePod Mini 2

Not much to see here. It now uses AI with compatible iPhones, and if you have a bunch of them lying around your house you can assemble them into a makeshift surround sound system with your Apple TV. Admittedly, no one should be buying 4 of these instead of actual surround speakers if TV audio is your objective, but it’s a neat bonus. Price is reasonable, decent incremental update.

• HomeView

I just can’t think of a scenario where I’d rather use this over an iPad. It‘s $300 price is certainly an advantage over the $600 iPad Mini. But the Homeview is stationary and running a new OS, which may struggle to gain developer support. I’m not quite hating on it yet. Like the iPhone Air, I’d be interested to see it on display in the Apple Store, but overall it’s just not for me.

• Home Collection

I actually really like the idea of Apple-endorsed products which all integrate seamlessly into HomeKit. The problem is LG… I am completely baffled that Apple would partner with LG, whose privacy practices are the polar opposite of Apple’s claims. See Gamer’s Nexus video on LG TVs if you want to live in 1984. TLDW they record every conversation in your home, screenshot all content on your display, and send all of your personal information to their advertising servers. Do you trust that their cameras are more secure than their TVs? I feel like LG undermines the entire home collection because I can’t trust Apple’s privacy promises when LG’s track record demonstrates they will collect and sell every piece of user data they can get their hands on, user consent be damned. I do not trust them, and I will not buy any of their products even if Apple slaps their stamp of approval on it. There was one non-LG product available, so hopefully Apple will expand to more trustworthy partners in the future.

• Apple TV 4K

And the biggest let down award goes to the Apple TV! Somehow this is worse than the LG collection. For DOUBLE the price of the previous generation, you get a 2x faster processor… which is still arbitrarily limited to 4K 60Hz just like the last generation. Why would anyone want to use that extra power for 8K or 120Hz support? Forget that the HDMI 2.1 port is fully capable of it, Apple says 4K60 is all you get need. Why would Apple increase the cost with a faster chip if you‘re not using it?

OH RIGHT: AI!

IT HAS AI NOW!

DON‘T YOU WANT AI?

For real though, I fail to see how AI enhances the Apple TV in any way. I guess it now more tightly integrates with your phone, but your phone has its own AI stuff so why does the TV need it? Apple TV now also has always-on microphones that listen to you. Don’t worry, Apple pinky promises the always-on microphones that listen to you aren’t always listening to you. Personally, if the microphones can’t be permanently shut off the Apple TV is dead to me. Which is a shame given this was my most anticipated product.

Apple completely dropped the ball here. Not only is the Apple TV full of new features nobody wanted, it’s also missing highly demanded features like HDMI audio passthrough for premium home audio. While the AV1 hardware decoder is a nice to have, users can’t really take advantage of the improved bandwidth efficiency due to the 4K60 limit. Apple doesn’t think anyone uses software like Steam Link or Moonlight. Don’t worry though, at least streaming services can save a dime by serving you even less bandwidth than they were before.

All that aside, $300 is just too damn much. When all of your competitors are in the sub $100 range, you have to ask what this product does so much better... and it’s not much. A $50 Roku stick will render the same 4K 60Hz video as this $300 brick. The Apple TV is marketed as this super-capable premium streaming device, but Apple repeatedly kneecaps it where it matters most because they’re an AI company now.