My wife mistakenly thinks I’m as profligate as an oil sheik, but I’m actually an enormous cheapskate.
There is nothing I will pay full price for, except perhaps new Apple gear like my Apple Watch Ultra and the upcoming iPhone Duo.
Oh, I did just buy the new M6 Mac mini, too. And I suppose there’s my carbon-fiber bicycle. Two of them. I did upgrade the wheels recently. Plus, there’s that 3-D printer I bought.
OK, maybe my wife has a point.
But everything else I only ever buy refurbished, used or on clearance. I shop for clothes at thrift stores. Most of our furniture is off the street or from Craigslist/Facebook freebie listings.
In my quest to save, I’m definitely going to be using the new Notify Me feature in iOS 27 and macOS 27 Golden Gate.
Built into Safari, Notify Me monitors webpages in the background using on-device AI and alerts you if and when specific content changes. It’s good for:
Tracking price drops.
Monitoring restocks.
Updates and reservations like tour dates, concert tickets, travel bookings, restaurant tables, etc.
Custom alerts, like job pages or Apple’s executive leadership page.
The best thing is that because it is AI-powered, you just type in plain-language instructions.
In our tests, it works great. Here’s everything you need to know about how this super-handy new feature works.
Also in today’s newsletter:
Something’s up with the latest Apple hardware and software. This year’s new products and updates seem to be glitchier than normal. It’s “Multi-gate!” Some good news: The Face ID reboot bug plaguing the new iPhone 18 Pros is getting fixed next week.
And the weird reboot problem affecting the new Apple Watches has already been patched.
🔥 DEAL OF THE DAY: Anker’s wonderful little Nano Charger Neo outputs a whopping 65W — great for fast-charging newer iPhones and iPads and even some MacBooks. It even comes in burgundy. Save a whole dollar! #affiliate
Mark Zuckerberg’s having a great week. Meta’s new Muse AI agent is a genuine smash hit. Its new AR glasses are the Vision Pro-lite Apple should have made. And he de-perved Meta’s creep glasses.
Portable monitors are great for travel and coffee-shop work; we went hands-on with a new one that works in landscape and portrait and came away impressed. Here’s our review.
I have a TV recommendation: Mr. Scorsese on Apple TV. I had little interest in the documentary, especially because it’s five parts (who’s got time for that!!!). But my film-buff son put it on, and it’s wild. It’s a highly entertaining and fascinating look into the director’s life and work. The wonderful Isabella Rossellini, one of his four ex-wives, is a hoot. A++++
— Leander Kahney, EIC.
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One more thing ...
We’re not perfect. We know that. You know that. And our phones aren’t perfect either.
Today’s poll
What would you use Notify Me to track?
Results from yesterday’s poll:
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