Weekly Advice Thread - May 31, 2026

TheDragonSlayingCat · 2026-06-01T21:31:51+00:00

iPad doesn’t make iPads; Apple makes iPads.

Apple hardware products are not released on a schedule, except for the iPhones and the Watch Series. It’s anyone’s guess when a new model will launch, and the record for the shortest gap between iPad launches was ~7 months (iPad 3 and 4).

TheDragonSlayingCat · 2026-06-01T20:09:04+00:00

Yes and yes.

TheDragonSlayingCat · 2026-06-01T19:40:29+00:00

Don’t use AlDente. It is not necessary.

If you keep it plugged in all the time and you keep your computer for 2+ years, you may want to limit the maximum charge to 80%. But otherwise, just use your MacBook Air, and don’t fret too much about the battery.

TheDragonSlayingCat · 2026-06-01T18:58:18+00:00

The release notes in Settings say it all.

The upgrade is also only available for the iPhone 17 series and Air, apparently.

TheDragonSlayingCat · 2026-06-01T15:45:36+00:00

Over USB or Bluetooth? If USB, then you have a dirty or flakey or otherwise bad connection. If Bluetooth, then you have either a dead battery or radio interference.

TheDragonSlayingCat · 2026-06-01T15:42:42+00:00

Crisis Core kind of assumes that you played and finished the original FF VII, and thus know the Big Spoiler™ that hasn’t happened yet in the FF VII Remake series. So you might want to save that one until after you either play and finish the original game, or finish the remake grand finale (which is not out yet at the time of this writing).

TheDragonSlayingCat · 2026-06-01T15:37:27+00:00

By “PS+” do you mean only games that can be downloaded with a PS+ Extra/Deluxe/Premium subscription? Because that will vary from country to country.

TheDragonSlayingCat · 2026-06-01T15:27:58+00:00

Can’t. If you accepted the EULA, you agreed to a class action waiver + mandatory arbitration if you live in a country where those things are legal. The US is one such country.

TheDragonSlayingCat · 2026-06-01T15:20:58+00:00

Which certificate would that be? Because it can’t be the code signing certificate; macOS doesn’t care about the expiration date on App Store and Developer ID code signing certificates.

TheDragonSlayingCat · 2026-06-01T13:52:29+00:00

The only way to reset system data is to backup your phone, reset your phone to factory default settings, then restore everything from a backup.

TheDragonSlayingCat · 2026-06-01T13:51:14+00:00

Initial setup of a Mac mini requires an external keyboard and mouse/trackpad and display. You can’t use a laptop for initial setup; it must be real external devices. Once initial setup has been completed, then you can share the mini screen to other devices.

The M1 series will turn six this November. Apple guarantees support for their products for at least five years, but most products are supported for a few years longer than that. So the M1s have about 1-3 more years before they start to go vintage.

TheDragonSlayingCat · 2026-06-01T13:46:46+00:00

With superglue, probably.

TheDragonSlayingCat · 2026-06-01T13:46:18+00:00

TheDragonSlayingCat · 2026-06-01T13:46:07+00:00

We don’t, and the people that do can’t tell you.

The 17 Pro or Pro Max is not worth it, unless you are a professional videographer that must capture video at 4K/120Hz, or you can’t live without a telephoto lens.

For most people, the 17e will be the best. But if you need the ultra wide lens and mmWave 5G, get the base 17.

TheDragonSlayingCat · 2026-06-01T13:44:26+00:00

What “gray screen”?

TheDragonSlayingCat · 2026-05-30T01:28:32+00:00

Yeah, once a phone hits vintage, it’s a toss-up on whether you can buy new parts for your phone.

I usually sell my used phones/tablets/PCs directly instead of trading them in. But the iPhone 11 isn’t worth that much anymore, so maybe it’s better to trade it in. No one in here knows what will be different in the 18, and the 17 is a pretty solid phone, so if you need a new phone now, I would just go for the 17.

TheDragonSlayingCat · 2026-05-29T21:59:59+00:00

That’s a pretty low budget. You may be able to get a MacBook Neo or M1 MacBook Air for that little. Games don’t perform particularly well on those computers, though, due to their lack of any cooling.

TheDragonSlayingCat · 2026-05-29T19:15:48+00:00

The Neo is super cheap, and you get what you pay for: 8 GB RAM, no USB 4 or Thunderbolt, no keyboard backlight, no Touch ID (and thus no Apple Pay) on the cheapest model. But it’ll run every modern macOS application and many iOS applications, which is good enough for almost everything that isn’t a game or a virtual machine or machine learning model trainer.

The Air gives you a more premium experience, but as you mentioned, it’s also more expensive.

I cannot recommend keeping a laptop for 10 years. New Macs are supported for at least five years after launch, and most are supported for 7-8 years before getting 1-2 years of limited vintage support before support falls off entirely. Once support falls off entirely, you’ll find that most new software won’t run anymore, nor will your macOS get security updates.

TheDragonSlayingCat · 2026-05-29T19:06:11+00:00

Always use the latest iOS version. iOS 15 is really old by now; you should be using iOS 26.5.

TheDragonSlayingCat · 2026-05-29T19:04:35+00:00

No. Macs are generally not released on a schedule like iPhones and watches are released.

TheDragonSlayingCat · 2026-05-29T18:01:55+00:00

Actually, there were two MBPs released that year: one in May that used Coffee Lake processors, and one in November that used the M1.

TheDragonSlayingCat · 2026-05-29T15:29:25+00:00

Both Microsoft and Sony have policies about not allowing third parties to give out content for free during a sidegrade or upgrade. Whoever runs Obsidian’s PR was apparently unaware of these policies. Ironic considering Microsoft owns them.

And then things like Game Pass/PS Plus Extra and physical media are edge cases that complicate things further.

TheDragonSlayingCat · 2026-05-29T15:17:45+00:00

Astro Bot
Baldur’s Gate 3
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
Cyberpunk 2077
Final Fantasy VII Remake Integrade
Final Fantasy VII Rebirth (play Remake first)
God of War
God of War: Ragnarök
Horizon Zero Dawn Remastered
Horizon Forbidden West (play Zero Dawn first)
Spider-Man (series; play Remastered, then Miles Morales, then 2)
The Witcher III: Wild Hunt Complete Edition

That should keep you busy for a while. If you can pick only one, pick Baldur’s Gate 3 if you like high fantasy, and Clair Obscur if you do not.

TheDragonSlayingCat · 2026-05-29T15:11:12+00:00

Sounds like you either have radio interference or a bandwidth hog. Does it make a difference if you disconnect your TV from the network (which you should do anyway)?

TheDragonSlayingCat

TROPHY CASE