My Full Responses for the 2025 Six Colors Report Card

Yesterday, Jason shared the results of his annual Apple report card. As per tradition, I’m now turning the answers I supplied Jason into a blog post.¹

Mac: 4/5

Five years into the Apple silicon era, Apple seems to be firing on all cylinders, with regular releases for most of its products (cough, cough, Mac Pro). The laptops run cool with amazing battery life, and there’s a desktop Mac for just about everyone.

Apple’s external displays continue to age, rather ungracefully. Mac users shopping for a display have more options than ever beyond the Apple Store. The Studio Display is too expensive, and the XDR is just … well, there’s a lot going on there. I hope Apple has some new products ready sooner rather than later.

macOS Tahoe is Apple’s weakest implementation of Liquid Glass. Buttons don’t look like buttons, window corners cut off content, and the locking of icons into Squircle Jail is a crime. I like a lot about Liquid Glass on the iPhone, but I fear that Tahoe was either an afterthought or redesigned by folks who don’t know what makes macOS special. I’m running Tahoe, and while it doesn’t get in my way very often, there are little bits of friction everywhere, like grains of sand scratching and pitting the windshield of a passing car.

The iPhone: 4/5

2025 brought more iPhones than ever, as Apple leaned into differentiation between models. The iPhone Pro and Pro Max were redesigned to maximize the performance of the camera and the silicon inside. The iPhone 17 gained ProMotion and the always-on display, making it the best base iPhone ever.

Then there’s the iPhone Air. Its compromises aren’t for everyone, but if it fits into your life, it’ll slide into your pocket better than any other iPhone.

Liquid Glass feels the most complete on iOS 26, but it is far from perfect. The price paid for content reflecting and refracting under UI elements includes legibility issues and performance concerns. I don’t have the hatred for Liquid Glass that some do, but it’s clear that Apple has more work to do to make this interface serve all of its users well.

The iPad: 4/5

After years of dragging its feet, Apple finally did the thing and gave iPadOS a full-blown windowing system. Split View, Slide Over, and Stage Manager were all attempts that still (mostly) exist, but iPadOS 26 is the real deal. Paired with a keyboard and trackpad, an iPad feels more desktop-like than ever, yet the classic one-app-at-a-time interface is still alive and well for folks who prefer a simpler experience.

Hardware-wise, Apple continues to offer a wide range of devices at a wide range of price points. There’s an iPad for everyone, and that’s a good thing.

Apple Watch: 3/5

After skipping the Apple Watch Ultra 2, I upgraded my original Ultra to the 3 this time around … but I’m not sure I could tell you the differences between this Watch and my old one, other than battery life.

This has been the story of Apple Watch hardware basically forever. Every few years, a new feature or design comes along, but otherwise, things are pretty sleepy.

I’m actually okay with that strategy, as no one other than the people reading this article upgrades their Apple Watch each year. However, this slow pace has kept the product line fairly narrow. The SE and Series Watches are indistinguishable from each other by the consumer, and even the Ultra isn’t a massive departure from the original recipe. Like the iPhone before it, it’s time for Apple to branch out.

After years of upheaval, watchOS has settled into a good place, but some of its old woes are still around. Apps will fail to update. Complications will become stale. Media handoff can be slow. And that’s all with an iPhone present. Flipping on the cellular radio and taking the Watch out alone can still be a frustratingly limited experience.

Vision Pro: 1/5

I honestly think my headset is still running an early beta of visionOS 26, but I’d have to charge it up to know for sure.

Home: 4/5

If you had told me five years ago that HomeKit would serve as the spiritual father of a smart home platform that tears down the old walls built around Siri, Alexa, and Google Assistant, I would not have believed you. Yet here we are, with Matter continuing to grow in both capability and availability.

Having moved in 2025, I’ve been slowly building a new HomeKit setup, and it’s been very, very smooth. Things aren’t perfect, but putting something together with products from various vendors is way easier than it used to be.

Apple TV: 2/5

For the 2023 Report Card, I wrote, “The Apple TV hardware has been so overpriced and overpowered for so long, it feels like I’m wasting everyone’s time by mentioning it again.”

I also said, “tvOS continues to feel trapped between Apple’s vision for the platform and what it can work out with streaming giants like Netflix.”

That’s still all true, and I bet I can copy and paste it again in a year.

Services: 4/5

I use a bunch of Apple services on a regular basis, and they’re all solid. My photos and other data sync quickly and smoothly. Apple Music is great, and Apple TV (no +) continues to pump out bangers.

Some issues persist, however. Apple News+ is still filled with low-quality ads. The App Store continues to become splintered as Apple tangles with various governments around the world. Apple’s retail and support infrastructure can still feel creaky, providing uneven experiences at times.

Overall Reliability of Apple Hardware: 5/5

I bet the guy in charge of hardware would be a great CEO in the future.

Apple OS Quality: 3/5

It’s been years since I’ve had to reinstall an OS to fix an issue or spend time digging around in some Library folder, which is great.

However, because Apple keeps quoting Steve Jobs’ axiom of “Design is how it works,” the issues created by Liquid Glass cannot be ignored. There are good ideas in there, and I like a lot of the visuals, but the new UI introduced bugs and challenges for developers and users alike.

Apple Apps: 3/5

I spend a lot of time in Apple’s first-party apps, including Safari, Notes, Reminders, Calendar, Photos, Music, Logic, Terminal, and more. Some of them are great, while others need work, but my primary reflection on them is that these apps can be incredibly inconsistent. Lists in Reminders and folders in Notes should have the same options when being named and labeled. Keyboard shortcuts should be more predictable. Safari should be far less ugly.

My personal pet peeve fits in here as well: apps should have access to the entire SF Symbols library. Why am I forced to choose from a subset of them for an icon for a Reminders list or when naming a Shortcut? Emoji can partially solve these issues, but the SF Symbols library is great. It’s time Apple unlocks them.