Another year has passed in a blur of products and software updates. Apple had a mixed 2025, but since we’re currently drowning in festive cheer, I’m choosing joy. Here, then, are my favorite Apple moments from the past 12 months.
Using an iPhone 17
I genuinely thought the standard iPhone had hit its ceiling with the iPhone 16. Then this year’s model blew it away. The iPhone 17 fixed the biggest thing that bugged me about its predecessor: the display. Now the standard iPhone has the same fantastic screen as the Pro, it’s hard to justify paying extra – unless you live and breathe photography that requires a telephoto lens. Because Apple’s not letting standard iPhone owners have one of those. (Yet.)
Snapping selfies
I’m not into selfies, but I’ll make an exception when my family’s cramming faces together to document a great day out. Until now, that meant contorting my arm into improbable shapes to snap a landscape shot. Not anymore. The new selfie camera on this year’s iPhones can switch to landscape when you’re holding the phone in portrait. It’s a small, almost throwaway tweak, but it feels great every time you use it.
Turning an iPad into a laptop
The iPad has had laptop power for ages, but iPadOS too often felt akin to using a PC while wearing boxing gloves. With iPadOS 26, Apple finally got serious. The new windowing mode gives you near Mac-like flexibility and background tasks stay alive, which means video exports don’t die the second you dare to check your email. And if you sometimes prefer classic one-app old-school iPad simplicity, there’s a mode for that too. For once, everyone wins.
Translating messages
Live Translate requires downloading colossal language packs. But once that’s done, the feature gives you a glimpse into a glorious future with fewer language barriers. It’s not quite like having a Babel Fish lodged in your ear. But when incoming missives in Messages drop in already translated and you get previews of your replies before firing them off, it comes across like a slice of sci-fi. I hope Apple quickly rolls out many more supported languages.
Tweaking sleep
I obsess over numbers and am hesitant to let tech encroach too much on my personal wellbeing. But two updates during 2025 related to sleep made me cheer. First, custom snooze durations let me forever banish Apple’s weirdly sacred nine-minute alarm delay and set extra sleep on my terms. And then Sleep Score, despite my earlier misgivings, turned out to be fun. Although that may well have been because it suggested I was getting more sleep than I realized.
Toning down Liquid Glass
I’ve been loudly and unapologetically anti-Liquid Glass. It robs Apple devices of clarity and makes them harder to use. So it might be a surprise that I’d have anything positive to say about it. But with iOS 26.1, Apple added a tinted setting that built on existing accessibility options and toned things down. Well, a bit. With the departure of the person responsible for Liquid Glass, I’m hoping next year things will be toned down a lot. But that might be a wish too far.
Watching Murderbot
The name “Murderbot” doesn’t scream “heartwarming sci-fi comedy”. But the first adaptation of The Murderbot Diaries by Martha Wells turned out to be a weekly highlight on Apple TV this year. Every episode mixed approachable sci-fi, characters I actually cared about, surprises and tension, and genuine laugh-out-loud moments. The specific best moment, though? Apple confirming on July 10 that a second series of Murderbot is on the way.