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Matt Birchler
@birchtree.me
1.8K followers 250 following 1.1K posts
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Matt Birchler @birchtree.me · 6h
🔗 The sort of mother fucker who makes SlopTok https://birchtree.me/blog/the-sort-of-mother-fucker-who-makes-sloptok/
The sort of mother fucker who makes SlopTok
Hank Green on the new Sora 2 app: If you are the kind of mother fucker who will create SlopTok, you are not the kind of mother fucker who should be in charge of OpenAI. It's a great, short rant from Hank Green, and it 100% resonates with me. I
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Matt Birchler @birchtree.me · 2d
🔗 AirPods 3 review https://birchtree.me/blog/airpods-3-review-2/
AirPods 3 review
Let's get one thing out of the way right up front; I am not an audiophile when it comes to earbuds. I can't tell the difference between a pedestrian-quality MP3 and a lossless FLAC file. And when it comes to AirPods, I cannot tell you the difference in audio quality
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Matt Birchler @birchtree.me · 3d
Check out the full review for more details. birchtree.me/blog/apple-...
Apple Watch Ultra 3 review
We’re well past the era when year-over-year Apple Watch upgrades made any sense at all, and I’d argue that even if you bought the original Apple Watch Ultra three years ago, there’s still no real reason for most people to even entertain an upgrade to the brand
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Matt Birchler @birchtree.me · 3d
The Apple Watch Ultra 3 is better in a few ways to previous Ultras, but obviously it isn't a must-buy for almost anyone who already owns an Ultra. That said, the added battery life and improved always-on mode make this something I'm glad I have personally.
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Matt Birchler @birchtree.me · 3d
🔗 Apple Watch Ultra 3 review https://birchtree.me/blog/apple-watch-ultra-3-review/
Apple Watch Ultra 3 review
We’re well past the era when year-over-year Apple Watch upgrades made any sense at all, and I’d argue that even if you bought the original Apple Watch Ultra three years ago, there’s still no real reason for most people to even entertain an upgrade to the brand
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Matt Birchler @birchtree.me · 4d
🔗 Thank you sir, can I have another? https://birchtree.me/blog/thank-you-sir-can-i-have-another/
Thank you sir, can I have another?
Chris Cameron writing for The New York Times: Apple Takes Down ICE Tracking Apps in Response to Trump Pressure Campaign Apple has removed from its App Store several programs that alert users to sightings of immigration agents after Attorney General Pam Bondi demanded they be taken down. Setting aside how
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Matt Birchler @birchtree.me · 4d
I’m back to doing some work on Quick Subtitles and Best-o-Masto, but man, it’s amazing how much fighting the app review process can suck the joy out of developing apps. Hoping it’s smooth sailing from here on out.
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Matt Birchler @birchtree.me · 5d
There are a bunch of graphs in the post, but here’s one showing the iPhone Air on 4 test runs. How often do you see a phone that’s actually more battery efficient on cellular than WiFi? The C1X may actually be as efficient as Apple claimed.
Graph showing the iPhone air battery actually being more efficient on cellular than on wifi
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Matt Birchler @birchtree.me · 5d
Does the iPhone Air have terrible battery life? Is it secretly the GOAT on cellular with the new C1X modem? Is it actually more complicated than any single blanket statement? Yes, yes it is.

birchtree.me/blog/batter...
Battery test: does the C1X make the iPhone Air a battery champ?
As with all iPhone releases, battery tests began right away, with people trying to figure out how good the iPhone Air's battery performance was. Early results showed about what we'd expect, with the Air lagging behind the other phones, but not by a horrible amount. Then this video crossed my
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Matt Birchler @birchtree.me · 6d
His replies are full of “it’s not an X problem, if you want free speech then you gotta be prepared to accept waves of racism, it would be the same anywhere”

Bros are really drinking the Kool-Aid over there.
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Matt Birchler @birchtree.me · 6d
Someone posts a picture of your newborn baby on X and is inundated with racist attacks.

Paul Graham asks why this happens on X and that maybe it’s time to clean things up.
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Matt Birchler @birchtree.me · 6d
🔗 + Judging my iPhone and Apple Watch predictions for 2025 https://birchtree.me/blog/judging-my-iphone-and-apple-watch-predictions-for-2025/
+ Judging my iPhone and Apple Watch predictions for 2025
An early look at my predictions for 2025.
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Matt Birchler @birchtree.me · 7d
Basically!
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Matt Birchler @birchtree.me · 7d
🔗 What's next for the Vision Pro? https://birchtree.me/blog/whats-next-for-the-vision-pro/
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Matt Birchler @birchtree.me · 7d
Birchtree turns 15 in a few weeks, which means I'm rapidly approaching the time when I'll have readers who weren't even born when I started the blog. Yikes!
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Matt Birchler @birchtree.me · 7d
🔗 Goodbye, the "good old days" of Game Pass https://birchtree.me/blog/goodbye-the-good-old-days-of-game-pass/
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Matt Birchler @birchtree.me · 7d
I can’t prove it, but I have a sneaking suspicion that the “revealed preference” concept will have a Malcolm Gladwell-style reevaluation in the coming years. Aka there is some truth to it, but people radically over-use and over-index on its effects.
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Matt Birchler @birchtree.me · 9d
Im continually annoyed by the modern media app conceit that what we look at for more than a moment is what we want to see tons of. Linger for 5 seconds on a post about something you hate? That's all the signal the algorithm needs to serve that up to you for days
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Matt Birchler @birchtree.me · 9d
Welcome to The Great Cozy Zone iPhone Draft! 🏆

If you like this sort of thing, please let us know so we can keep doing it on the Cozy Zone feed ❤️

www.macstories.net/comfort-zone/
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Matt Birchler @birchtree.me · 10d
🔗 You must at least respect the office https://birchtree.me/blog/you-must-at-least-respect-the-office/
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Matt Birchler @birchtree.me · 10d
🔗 + Oh no, I'm already tired of Liquid Glass https://birchtree.me/blog/oh-no-im-already-tired-of-liquid-glass/
+ Oh no, I'm already tired of Liquid Glass
How am I already eagerly awaiting for the next redesign?
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Matt Birchler @birchtree.me · 11d
🔗 Yes, the 2x and 8x "lenses" on the iPhone 17 Pro are legit and you should use them https://birchtree.me/blog/yes-the-2x-and-8x-lenses-on-the-iphone-17-pro-are-legit-and-you-should-use-them/
Yes, the 2x and 8x "lenses" on the iPhone 17 Pro are legit and you should use them
I wrote in my review of the iPhone 17 Pro that I've changed my opinion about how Apple talks about the 2x and 8x lenses in the iPhone 17 Pro. Some people don't like that they're called optical quality lenses, and as I explain in that review, I actually agree
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Matt Birchler @birchtree.me · 11d
See more details in my full iPhone 17 Pro review ✌️

birchtree.me/blog/iphone...
iPhone 17 Pro Review
Last year I said smartphones were in their laptop era. This made sense at the time as the iPhone 16 Pro was one of the most iterative iPhone updates we've ever had. 2025's iPhone 17 Pro is a more significant update, especially if physical design is your passion, but I
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Matt Birchler @birchtree.me · 11d
Here's the year over year percentage change in thickness.

the iPhone 4, 5, and 6 were big years for thinning things down, but it's been a slow upward climb (minus the 12 Pro) ever since.
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Matt Birchler @birchtree.me · 11d
With the exception of the iPhone 12 Pro, the best iPhone has been getting thicker or staying the same every year since 2014's iPhone 6.
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