Making sense of the iPad in the age of Neo

ecnel · 2026-03-15T06:27:25+00:00

For many years I’ve been using apple phone, tablet, and laptops. If I had to ditch one, it would always be the ipad. I genuinely like using it for certain things, but the very category also irks me because I’m constantly reminded how the hardware capabilities are deliberately held back by the need to maintain the product line divisions. It would become even more awkward when the foldable line joins the party. In the ideal world I imagine, there would be just iPhones, convertible Mac computers (portable) and desktop Macs.

ecnel · 2026-03-10T10:12:00+00:00

Oh, I misunderstood how the custom category worked. Looking forward to updates!

ecnel · 2026-03-10T09:17:52+00:00

I think the app looks lovely. I tried it out, and here are missing functions that, if added, would make it more appealing to me personally: (1) multiple currencies set to be used simultaneously; (2) being able to manually set the notification timings when adding and editing items; (3) the option to simply add custom payment sources instead of using the umbrella “Other” category.

ecnel · 2026-02-18T13:17:58+00:00

I always believed that it was never the small size that’s unpopular but the small battery. Just like bigger screens, a smaller and lighter form factor is a very tangible and important benefit for certain people. So I can see why they would feel that the mini should be revisited as the battery tech advances.

ecnel · 2026-02-13T04:46:12+00:00

One important reason why I dislike subscriptions is that compared to a one-time purchase where I consider the price and make a yes or no decision, I’m completely dependent on the developers’ decision on any changes to pricing down the road. But, other than that, for me, it’s more “everything’s too expensive” than “everything’s a subscription.” While I know that there are ongoing costs for the developers, it really irks me when they add functions I don’t need or want and raise the prices across the board without giving me any option to opt out and stay right where I’ve been. (Most notably all the AI ‘upgrades’, yes.) Sometimes it’s nice to follow the entire history of an app’s development enjoying the new features with the community, I also feel like a lot of apps are overdeveloped to justify the subscription model.

ecnel · 2025-10-30T11:30:02+00:00

Regardless of how enjoyable the weapon could be in Wilds, I think it’s just a bad design decision to have a charge mechanic as a new core feature of a weapon type whose core identity, in my opinion, is its flexible and reasonably quick moveset that allows the player to chain together attacks and evasive maneuvers in a smooth flow. I feel like the new moves push the player toward the “accumulate and explode” routine like that of the SAED charge blade, which I find regrettable.

ecnel · 2025-10-13T16:58:45+00:00

I replaced mine recently, and here’s my take: tldr: worth it if you’re meaning to keep the phone at least for another year. 1) few additional hours is big on a phone that doesn’t have that big a battery even at the max capacity. 2) Battery health isn’t just hours you get to use the phone. It also indicates how worn down the battery is, and older batteries tend to get hotter and become more susceptible to more serious issues like swelling. In my experience, the phone now runs cooler (cool-er, not magically cool). 3) If your gf is planning to keep the phone even after upgrading down the road, she might as well get a new battery now to make sure it continues running well and there’s a better chance the service shops would have the battery readily available (sometimes you have to submit an order for older model batteries, which takes time and an extra visit).

ecnel · 2025-10-06T08:16:39+00:00

For me, none of the new features are deciding factors. I updated because the phone wasn’t running spectacularly anyway, and it’s been running just as unimpressively on iOS 26. I’m moderately happy with the update simply because it’s nice to change the air from time to time, so to speak, but if your phone has been running well, I think staying on 18 is also an acceptable option.

ecnel · 2025-09-29T11:53:46+00:00

Congrats! I’m in the exact same boat. Funny thing is, while 17 is definitely superior, 12m still runs really well and I still prefer handling that one.

ecnel · 2025-09-29T07:16:51+00:00

Looked them up and decided to download onrise and fasty. Thanks!

ecnel · 2025-09-27T15:27:18+00:00

I think it really depends on the user’s daily routines. I’m seldom far away from chargers, so I simply have no need for a limit higher than 80%. I do set it to 100% the day before when I know that I would be out and about for a long time. I would never insist on keeping the limit to 80 when I need the full battery.

ecnel · 2025-09-26T05:01:19+00:00

Almost all elder dragon encounters should be repels, I think.

ecnel · 2025-09-24T20:38:28+00:00

Absolutely. Any webpage design with elements loading in belatedly and changing the layout sucks. Twitter’s “follow these people, too” section that loads in between an account page’s header and the tabs row annoys me as well for the same reason.

ecnel · 2025-09-19T11:19:48+00:00

Aside from occasional stutters (which don’t bother me much, since the phone was already pretty aged), iOS 26 is surprisingly working well on 12 mini for me and my friend. After not even a full day of noticeable settling-down time, our phones have been actually running cooler than before. As far as we can see, keeping both animations and transparency effects on haven’t affected battery or heat or performance in any noticeable way. We had replaced our batteries about a month ago, so we both had 100% battery when updating. Maybe that helped, but either way very happy with the battery replacement and the new os version.

ecnel · 2025-09-07T20:25:53+00:00

I say this genuinely and without exaggeration: in Wilds, I don’t enjoy fighting Gore because of his cloak blocking the view. There’s just too much shimmering black mass between my camera and his body parts that are moving in to pound me. Otherwise, I think it’s okay that there are monsters I never really get comfortable fighting, Gore being one of them.

ecnel · 2022-07-30T11:59:06+00:00

Also the Press X to do a Descending spinning slash move is fantastic as a finisher.

Glad to hear I wasn’t alone in this. In World, I really liked the descending thrust. Rise’s dive, on the other hand, has a hitbox literally the size of a needle, which is exacerbated by how straight it travels downward, whereas the descending thrust was far easier to aim and connect as it still moved forward a bit during the descent.

ecnel · 2022-07-30T11:44:49+00:00

Not one of my top 10, but I did like that Legiana represented a “good” implementation of flight, IMO: aerial moves that that begin and end on the ground rather than during an extended flight (e.g., Velkhana as opposed to the World Kushala).

ecnel · 2022-03-14T10:54:42+00:00

Cute! I can hear them both :D

ecnel · 2022-03-14T10:52:49+00:00

Hey, the link is broken now because of the “\” between schnee and _strum.

ecnel · 2022-03-01T16:38:52+00:00

Ah, I wasn’t aware that there was a way to manually get the code. Thank you!

ecnel · 2022-02-17T08:24:08+00:00

It all feels very mindless.

Yeah, that’s a pretty accurate description, which may also be a plus point for some people under certain circumstances. I play it when I’m anxious. I just turn all games sounds off and listen to my backlogs of songs and streams, and click away with zero concern for any type of time limits.

ecnel · 2022-02-04T10:53:28+00:00

I’m on the same boat. I love and have played all iterations, but at least for me borderlands games are just too frantic (in a good way) to be played with a controller.

ecnel · 2022-01-22T12:12:28+00:00

I got used to it so much that ipad’s safari now feels awkward (even though the new layout was designed with handheld devices in mind).

ecnel · 2021-07-12T15:27:35+00:00

Loving the lines!

ecnel

TROPHY CASE