I am a lover of tech.
Not in the casual, “I like gadgets” kind of way — I mean a full-blown, lifelong, soul-deep obsession with all things electronic, digital, smart, and sleek.
I’ve always been in love with tech.
Back in the 80s, when most people were walking around with bulky telephone books and leather-bound address books, I had a Casiopedia — one of the very first digital assistants. It was slim, pocket-sized, and way ahead of its time. It stored my contacts, phone numbers, and appointments in a tidy little interface that made me feel like I was living in the future. I still remember the looks of curiosity and envy when I pulled it out. People were fascinated by it — and honestly, so was I.
Fast-forward a few decades and, yes, I’m a full-blown Apple fanboy. My home is basically an extension of Siri’s consciousness. The lights, TVs, humidifiers, thermostat, window shades, washer, dryer, and even the oven — all voice-activated, all connected, all seamless… well, mostly.
Because here’s the thing: Apple isn’t what it used to be.
Every year, there’s a shiny new iPhone, a new iOS, a new set of promises. But with each release, I find myself less impressed and more… annoyed. Things that used to take one step now take three. Features that once felt intuitive now seem buried under layers of menus and unnecessary design choices. Sometimes I swear my iPhone is gaslighting me. I used to love setting up my devices. Now, I dread it.
Don’t get me wrong — I still believe in Apple’s ecosystem. It’s clean, it’s integrated, and when it works, it works beautifully. But there are moments, too many lately, where I want to throw my phone against the wall and dust off a landline.
There’s a new iOS coming, and new gadgets too, as there always are. And like clockwork, I’ll watch the keynote, cross my fingers, and hope that Apple gets its shit together and starts innovating for the user again — not just for the headlines.
Because I don’t want to fall out of love.
But Apple, you’re making it really hard to stay in it.
Here’s hoping.
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Tate Basildon 
What annoys me is that every Apple device uses a different power cord. I pray that I never lose the usb plug part that plugs into the wall. My iPad uses a different size power cord than my iPhone. Thankfully, my husband found a 3-in-1 powered cord that will hopefully fit both devices without changing the cord. I haven’t tried it yet though. I had to have my a/c thermostat changed and now I miss the old one that used an app to set/changes the temperature without being home. I really miss that. I’m hesitant on bring my house into the digital world with the kind of devices you have. It would be fascinating to have that convenience though. What happens if the power goes out? Though, we have solar now. How secure is it, especially door locks? I do have a refrigerator that pairs via Bluetooth to my phone which I really like to monitor it’s settings. With my Apple devices, I immediately change all the location tracking and listening settings on most apps. My pictures don’t add location tags either. I love gadgets but they’re getting expensive.
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Totally get where you’re coming from—not everyone feels comfortable with electronic locks, and trust is a big deal when it comes to security. I don’t trust them. That said, power loss affects both smart and traditional setups. In my case, I’ve tried to plan around that. I have a whole-house generator that kicks in automatically during an outage, and I’ve got my modem and Wi-Fi on a battery backup. Along with my main TV, cable box and Apple TV. That way, even during the brief 10-second gap before the generator takes over, those systems stay up and running. It’s not about one solution being better than another—just what works best for each of us
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