New iPhone 13, Apple Watch & iPad mini

[Ex-User (60778)]

I got a iPhone 13 Pro and I can’t see much of a difference from my 11 tbh. Good job it was cheap.

Have you tried using both phones at the side of each other? My 12 mini doesn't compare and is a jittery mess now I've adjusted to 120Hz on the 13 pro.

 

[N0ddie]

Which one did you go for? I’ve never been a watch wearer but I might get one. Was thinking blue with blue braided solo loop.

 

[sn00p]

Only cost me 34 quid, win!

 

[Rich-D]

Which one did you go for? I’ve never been a watch wearer but I might get one. Was thinking blue with blue braided solo loop.

If you don't need things like the blood O2 & ECG, then consider the SE model, does pretty much everything else, but is a lot cheaper and still a very competent smart watch with a lot of features. Or find a Series 6 which does have those extras for less money than a Series 7 and won't be hugely different.

I'm on my 3rd Apple Watch now, had an original one, then a Nike Edition Series 3 and now have a Nike Edition SE, which I got a year ago, each time a nice upgrade over the previous one. Wearing a normal watch feels weird now LOL.

 

[PP200t]

Only cost me 34 quid, win!

View attachment 1562269

£34 how?

 

[PMac]

If you don't need things like the blood O2 & ECG, then consider the SE model, does pretty much everything else, but is a lot cheaper and still a very competent smart watch with a lot of features. Or find a Series 6 which does have those extras for less money than a Series 7 and won't be hugely different.

I'm on my 3rd Apple Watch now, had an original one, then a Nike Edition Series 3 and now have a Nike Edition SE, which I got a year ago, each time a nice upgrade over the previous one. Wearing a normal watch feels weird now LOL.

Good advice. Especially since I’m not sure I’ll get on with a watch. I want to give it a go though.

 

[N0ddie]

Glad I ordered when I did. For the same spec as mine it now shows mid-December delivery.

 

[Rich-D]

Good advice. Especially since I’m not sure I’ll get on with a watch. I want to give it a go though.

Handy comparison here >>> https://www.apple.com/uk/watch/compare/

The Series 3 is cheap as chips now, but the lack of internal memory meant you had to wipe it every time it needed an update, which was a PITA, so I would avoid personally, as that was a big negative for me. The SE has 32GB vs 8GB in the Series 3, so that issue is resolved and there's a load of other improvements.

 

[sn00p]

£34 how?

Not strictly £34

When I returned the DTK ,I bought an (Apple Silicon) Mac Mini to replace it at the same time so that I was able to continue to test software on both Intel and Apple Silicon.

So I've had £365 sitting there for ages that I haven't used and won't use on any other hardware, the gift voucher is only valid up to the end of the year so I was waiting on the new watches to come out, I've currently got a S6 and I make use of the things like the ECG and heart rate stuff all the time because I use them to verify that something is wrong and that I need to go to A&E. They're incredibly useful.

The SpO2 feature is going to be interesting. My SpO2 is normally low anyway, when I'm in hospital they stand there after taking the reading and tell me I need to breathe more and deeper because it's always s**t.

 

[PP200t]

Oh wow ok! That’s awesome, didn’t realise you got money for fully helping the development!
I know what you mean about the 6 and the o2 readings, it useful especially with covid about etc as one of the keys is if the o2 levels drop to a certain level.

 

[sn00p]

Oh wow ok! That’s awesome, didn’t realise you got money for fully helping the development!
I know what you mean about the 6 and the o2 readings, it useful especially with covid about etc as one of the keys is if the o2 levels drop to a certain level.

Oh no, I probably should have said about that as well, I had to put down cash for the DTK, I needed the machine.

What actually happened was once the DTK programme had ended, they sent everybody who had a unit this:

To say that they under estimated just how much offering developers, testing their applications so that apple silicon optimised apps would be available from launch, just 200 of the 500 dollars they paid to borrow the machine would backfire.

Suffice to say, less than 24 hours later this email arrived, the US owners got the full amount back in apple store credit, here in the UK we got a little stiffed, we didn't quite get back the full amount but it wasn't far off in the end.

But it felt like I only paid 34 quid today because the rest of the balance was paid nearly 2 years ago!

 

[brisa4984]

Went for the 13 mini because the rest are Very expensive and I like how light it is.

 

[sn00p]

Went to Kingston and picked it up earlier, the red is f**king lovely, all my previous watches have been in grey/black, but I’ve been digging the red for a while, I have the product red leather case for my phone which is what started me on the red journey.

crap photo because I took the picture while I waiting for iOS15 to start installing.

I went for the sports strap because I didn’t like the woven product red strap, last years looks nicer as it doesn’t have the slightly odd looking two tone.

gonna see how I get on with the sports band and then assess my options if I decide I don’t like it, my previous watches I’ve either had a Milanese loop (which I think is the best strap) or a leather one, I’ve never actually worn any of them with a sports strap.

If they actually did an anodised red Milanese loop I’d consider buying it, even with the stupid price tag. Tbh I’ve had a few Milanese loop straps and the 8 quid Amazon ones were just as nice and indistinguishable from the real Apple one.

 

[sn00p]

I seriously would kill for a product RED Milanese loop, I did a quick mock-up.

 

[sn00p]

I sent my mock-up to Craig Federaghi and he just replied!

 

[Rich-D]

Surely you can get a red clone milanese loop off AliExpress or similar? Looks good though...

Not keen on the red sports strap as the colours don't match, might look better in person.

 

[sn00p]

Surely you can get a red clone milanese loop off AliExpress or similar? Looks good though...

Not keen on the red sports strap as the colours don't match, might look better in person.

Your second statement is the exact reason why your first statement isn't an option!

The finish on the red body is beautiful, it's a very rich brushed anodized finish, I can't state just how beautiful it actually is in person. All my previous watches have either been in grey or black, so I went to the opposite extreme here, but when I was working my way through the colour options the moment I hit that colour I knew I didn't need to carry on searching any longer.

The issue is not just matching the colour, it's matching the finish which would be considerable effort as it's using the properties of aluminium coupled with the anodisation to produce that colour/look. For a traditional strap, this wouldn't be a problem, but it is for the Milanese because it relies on a magnetic coupling and aluminium, well, isn't magnetic.

I haven't explored other options for straps, I don't know if there's a first or third party aluminium strap that does match, but if it did, it would be a mechanical clasp or something, which sacrifices the major feature that I really like on the Milanese loop, that it's infinitely adjustable. If your watch is irritating you because it feels slightly too tight, you can adjust it by the tiniest amount, with no flipping between too tight or too loose.

There are also limited options, I know the 44mm straps will work, but I believe there is a slight difference, so I guess we'll see what happens over the coming months and whether more options appear on the market.

I'm with you on the sport bands, they're not a strap I've ever really liked, but it was slightly annoying that the fabric strap that kind of looks like a fabric Milanese loop is two-tone for the S7, no idea why they did that, the old strap looks way better in a single colour so I went for the sports band. I have a load of different leather straps here which I used on my S5, I'll have a look and see how they look, although the colours I have are dark though and blue is the only non-black or grey strap I have.

You can spend hours looking at straps as well, reading reviews, studying pictures and trying to get a good idea of what the quality is like and also how well the colours & finish are, it's only of the areas where a third party strap that costs a few quid can be just as well made as an Apple strap costing hundreds of pounds, some of those Apple straps (Hermes) are so ludicrously priced, even by Apple standards, you could actually get somebody to hand-make you a bespoke strap with grade-a materials for less, and I'm far from an Apple price basher, the stuff is expensive because it is well made and is premium.

 

[Rob]

Your second statement is the exact reason why your first statement isn't an option!

The finish on the red body is beautiful, it's a very rich brushed anodized finish, I can't state just how beautiful it actually is in person. All my previous watches have either been in grey or black, so I went to the opposite extreme here, but when I was working my way through the colour options the moment I hit that colour I knew I didn't need to carry on searching any longer.

The issue is not just matching the colour, it's matching the finish which would be considerable effort as it's using the properties of aluminium coupled with the anodisation to produce that colour/look. For a traditional strap, this wouldn't be a problem, but it is for the Milanese because it relies on a magnetic coupling and aluminium, well, isn't magnetic.

I haven't explored other options for straps, I don't know if there's a first or third party aluminium strap that does match, but if it did, it would be a mechanical clasp or something, which sacrifices the major feature that I really like on the Milanese loop, that it's infinitely adjustable. If your watch is irritating you because it feels slightly too tight, you can adjust it by the tiniest amount, with no flipping between too tight or too loose.

There are also limited options, I know the 44mm straps will work, but I believe there is a slight difference, so I guess we'll see what happens over the coming months and whether more options appear on the market.

I'm with you on the sport bands, they're not a strap I've ever really liked, but it was slightly annoying that the fabric strap that kind of looks like a fabric Milanese loop is two-tone for the S7, no idea why they did that, the old strap looks way better in a single colour so I went for the sports band. I have a load of different leather straps here which I used on my S5, I'll have a look and see how they look, although the colours I have are dark though and blue is the only non-black or grey strap I have.

You can spend hours looking at straps as well, reading reviews, studying pictures and trying to get a good idea of what the quality is like and also how well the colours & finish are, it's only of the areas where a third party strap that costs a few quid can be just as well made as an Apple strap costing hundreds of pounds, some of those Apple straps (Hermes) are so ludicrously priced, even by Apple standards, you could actually get somebody to hand-make you a bespoke strap with grade-a materials for less, and I'm far from an Apple price basher, the stuff is expensive because it is well made and is premium.

I’m not gonna lie snoop, you’re pretty damn passionate about that red. It’s a little worrying. 😂

 

[sn00p]

I’m not gonna lie snoop, you’re pretty damn passionate about that red. It’s a little worrying. 😂

Don't blame me, it's the voices in my head telling me what to say!

 

[Rich-D]

Your second statement is the exact reason why your first statement isn't an option!

The finish on the red body is beautiful, it's a very rich brushed anodized finish, I can't state just how beautiful it actually is in person. All my previous watches have either been in grey or black, so I went to the opposite extreme here, but when I was working my way through the colour options the moment I hit that colour I knew I didn't need to carry on searching any longer.

The issue is not just matching the colour, it's matching the finish which would be considerable effort as it's using the properties of aluminium coupled with the anodisation to produce that colour/look. For a traditional strap, this wouldn't be a problem, but it is for the Milanese because it relies on a magnetic coupling and aluminium, well, isn't magnetic.

I haven't explored other options for straps, I don't know if there's a first or third party aluminium strap that does match, but if it did, it would be a mechanical clasp or something, which sacrifices the major feature that I really like on the Milanese loop, that it's infinitely adjustable. If your watch is irritating you because it feels slightly too tight, you can adjust it by the tiniest amount, with no flipping between too tight or too loose.

There are also limited options, I know the 44mm straps will work, but I believe there is a slight difference, so I guess we'll see what happens over the coming months and whether more options appear on the market.

I'm with you on the sport bands, they're not a strap I've ever really liked, but it was slightly annoying that the fabric strap that kind of looks like a fabric Milanese loop is two-tone for the S7, no idea why they did that, the old strap looks way better in a single colour so I went for the sports band. I have a load of different leather straps here which I used on my S5, I'll have a look and see how they look, although the colours I have are dark though and blue is the only non-black or grey strap I have.

You can spend hours looking at straps as well, reading reviews, studying pictures and trying to get a good idea of what the quality is like and also how well the colours & finish are, it's only of the areas where a third party strap that costs a few quid can be just as well made as an Apple strap costing hundreds of pounds, some of those Apple straps (Hermes) are so ludicrously priced, even by Apple standards, you could actually get somebody to hand-make you a bespoke strap with grade-a materials for less, and I'm far from an Apple price basher, the stuff is expensive because it is well made and is premium.

The other problem you have is that you can't anodise steel, so you would never get a like for like finish, even if the substrate metals were both a brushed surface to then add the colour. The process for colouring steel is PVD, but the finish is different, which if you're after a perfect match is a no go.

However you can probably get a close / similar colour strap with a finish that would look acceptable and not look too out of place, it depends how OCD you are really, hopefully you'll find something.

I have to say the red case does look good, I've had 1 silver & 2 grey watches so far, then use the strap for colour. My iPhones have always been black/grey but I went blue this time for a change, which I do like, but have now covered it with a case so you can't see most of it LOL.

 

[Geddes]

I should of pre ordered one days before release and i could of had one in my hand now but it's a Month away for stock. I might just wait till after XMAS when stock calms down.

Also is anyone else's phone starting to up, my XS Max has been having a loading issue on certain sites, it's been doing this around the release of new model. I've never had any issue at all like this as it's been faultless over the 3 years I've had it. Maybe it's Apple delibretly bugging some phones so people upgrade?

 

[Rich-D]

My XR was fine on iOS 15, I know a few people with older devices on iOS 15, but they don't bug older devices to get people to upgrade, it's more likely an iOS 15 issue that needs a fix.

 

[Geddes]

Had a look on Apples website this morning and my local Apple store had stock on the model I’m after the 13 Pro Max 256GB in Blue. I’m picking it up this Thursday. Exiting times

 

[N0ddie]

My Series 7 Apple Watch should be here on Friday. A week earlier than initially reported.

 

[Simon_16v]

Ordered a green Series 7 on Monday and had it delivered a couple of hours ago. It's a massive upgrade from the Series 3 I've had for a few years now.

 

[boultonn]

Ordered a green Series 7 on Monday and had it delivered a couple of hours ago. It's a massive upgrade from the Series 3 I've had for a few years now.

Fair play eeking out a series 3 this long!
I went from the original to the S4 when that came out and it was a massive jump.
Not much has really changed since the series 4 so I've stuck with it.
Enjoy the upgrade.

 

[Simon_16v]

@boultonn I went from the original in 2015 to the series 3 in 2018. The difference in screen size is crazy, the buttons for the passcode seem to be twice the size 😂

 

[ChrisR]

Tempted to swap my 12 mini for a 13 mini, purely for the camera upgrade.

I’ve still got a load of ‘points’ at work that I need to spend on stuff, I can get a 256GB mini with them and still have over half left so it’s not costing me any cash.

Plus the wife can then upgrade to my old 12 mini from her SE2

 

[N0ddie]

My AW7 is currently sitting in DHL's Glasgow distribution hub. Its meant to be delivered today.

 

[boultonn]

My DPD driver Uchenna is currently wending his way around North Greenwich with my gen 3 AirPods, but should be here by 1pm

 

[N0ddie]

Its now out for delivery. As I'm at work all day I had to pick the "drop off at DHL locker" (At petrol station near house) option.

DPD are by far the best courier option.

 

[Simon_16v]

My DPD driver Uchenna is currently wending his way around North Greenwich with my gen 3 AirPods, but should be here by 1pm

I’ve just sent my gen 3s back today. I couldn’t get on with them, just the wrong shape for my ears and nowhere as comfy as the originals. Tempted to try the Pros but not too hopeful they’ll be any better.

 

[boultonn]

I’ve just sent my gen 3s back today. I couldn’t get on with them, just the wrong shape for my ears and nowhere as comfy as the originals. Tempted to try the Pros but not too hopeful they’ll be any better.

So far I am enjoying them, the device switching is even smoother now in Monterey which is nice.
I’m gonna use the next 2 weeks to decide if they’re comfortable and return if necessary.
If you find the gen 3s aren’t comfy, I’d defo try the Pros as they sit in your ear quite differently.

 

[Simon_16v]

Do you know if Apple let you try them on in store? I must admit the spatial audio feature was pretty good with movies

 

[N0ddie]

The pros will fit better due to the tips. I love mine.

 

[ChrisR]

Pros with some comply foam tips for me

I struggle with regular ear buds as they never fit or stay in, has to be ones that go deeper into my ear holes for them to be any good.

The pros weren’t too bad as standard but could never quite get a perfect fit with the standard silicon tips.

Whacked a set of Comply foam tips on there and they are a great fit now.

 

[Rich-D]

Ordered a green Series 7 on Monday and had it delivered a couple of hours ago. It's a massive upgrade from the Series 3 I've had for a few years now.

Even my SE was a massive upgrade from my Series 3, so this will be night & day!

 

[riz]

My wife's getting a 13 for Xmas. What's the best case for it?

 

[aucky]

My wife's getting a 13 for Xmas. What's the best case for it?

I’ve had Spigen cases on my last 3, they’ve been great!

 

[Al_G]

My wife's getting a 13 for Xmas. What's the best case for it?

I don’t think you can beat the Apple case offerings. I’ve got the leather case for my 12 mini and is still ok after 12 months of daily use.