Every desk accessory that comes out of Grovemade’s Portland design shop rockets to the top of my list. The Grovemade Desk, for instance, is the most tantalizing office product I can think of right now, as is Grovemade’s new rolling cart. But the product that started it all off was the Studio Pad. And being it’s the most affordable on the wishlist, it’s the first to hit my desk.

TL;DR: Grovemade's Studio Pad is the best-built desk pad you can buy and the least accommodating. The aluminum chassis and full-length walnut tray lock your layout in place, which makes it a bad partner for a laptop riser or desk shelf — including Grovemade's own. It works best on a simple, single-machine desk. At $200 USD it's roughly ten dollars a year across a working career, which is the only math that makes it defensible.

Grovemade’s Studio Pad is an interesting lesson in form, function, and aesthetic. Something in this category can’t objectively be at the top of any list, but it will surely be at the top of many subjective lists. The combination of warm walnut, usable storage tray, and functional cable passthroughs make for a wonderful desk accessory. It’s this beautiful combination that puts it ahead of your standard felt or matte desk mat — if you opt for the Studio Pad, you’re looking for a show-stopping piece, not a destroyable desk pad.

However, I’ve run into a few issues — not in terms of build or design, but rather how something like the Studio Pad can fit alongside other desk systems and setups.

I have never been so lukewarm on a product. I want to use it all the time and have it be a cornerstone piece on my desk. Yet, no matter how often I try, the Studio Pad’s lack of flexibility has this desk pad sitting in storage as much as it is sitting on my desk.

Here’s why.

Design, Build, and Materials

Like every Grovemade product I’ve tried, the Studio Pad is built to the highest degree of quality. This desk pad is heavy — when the box arrives, you’ll be surprised to find only the Studio Pad inside and not the entire Grovemade desk setup itself.

Core to this is the Studio Pad’s actual design. This isn’t a roll-up style desk pad. The long walnut tray ensures the Studio Pad has a sturdy build, as does the underlying aluminum chassis, which provides space for propping up small tablets or your phone.

The Studio Pad’s weight and build make it ideal for some situations, and less than ideal for others.

For one, the Studio Pad is easy to write on. I have the matte finish Studio Pad, which does a good job handling fingerprints and coffee cup rings, and provides a sturdy writing surface that has worked well for fountain pens, roller balls, and ballpoint pens alike. The matte surface also doubles as a mouse pad, providing a minor amount of friction between the mouse and the surface below.

On the flip side, the bigger build means the Studio Pad is less flexible. You will not be moving this around much on your desk — once it’s in place, it ideally stays in place. The pad is also surprisingly thick. If you are desk-height sensitive (my home office desk is a thick piece of fir, making all desk shelves and monitors slightly higher than they would be on your run-of-the-mill office desk), the Studio Pad could push up your keyboard and display slightly higher than your ergonomic preferences may allow.

Between the aluminum chassis and top matte finish is a Grovemade-signature cork sheet. Cork doesn’t age well — I’m not convinced the Grovemade desk shelf’s cork legs will outlast any of Balolo or Ugmonk’s desk shelf leg options, but cork works great in a desk pad. It’s soft, shock resistant (there’s a big difference between writing on this and even a hardwood desk), and most importantly, quiet. Cork dampens taps or bumps or keyboard strokes, perfect for Teams or Meet calls.

And, of course, there’s the walnut tray. Grovemade’s walnut selection is on the slight warmer side of the spectrum relative to a few other walnut options I’ve seen, though it’s my favourite walnut colour. It’s concave enough to rest a few pens side by side, but it’s not so deep as to fully hold a set of AirPods Pro. You can certainly rest the AirPods case in the tray, but one side will sit on top of the tray’s edge.

Overall, the Grovemade Studio Pad is built to Grovemade’s spec, which is to say well, durably, soundly, and with attention to detail and care. The Studio Pad is more — just “more”, in every sense of the word — than any other desk pad you’ve seen.

Use Cases

Now this is where things get interesting, in the sense that while things don’t fall apart for me, more complexity is certainly introduced. The Studio Pad isn’t a slam dunk for every desk setup, no matter how much you want it to be.

Why? That thick, durable, inflexible aluminum chassis is why.

You see, that tray running along the top of the Studio Pad isn’t going anywhere or flexing for any situation. Neither is the vertical lip acting as a resting spot for your phone, tablet, or notebook. This inflexibility hits hardest if you’re using the Studio Pad with an external display and a laptop stand off to the side. Even Grovemade’s own Desk Shelf and Laptop Riser succumb to the Studio Pad — because of the aluminum lip, you can’t pull the laptop even with your external display, making a seamless viewing angle from external to laptop display. Grovemade’s Laptop Riser in particular has to be pushed way back, making text on your laptop display either ridiculously small from a distance or requiring resolution adjustments so you can see.

The same inflexibilities hit the cable passthrough channels as well. Because everything is in one spot, you have to ensure you have enough cable length (or use L-shaped cables, like this one) to do a 90-degree turn from the top of your keyboard to run through the channel. Otherwise, the cable will have to rest on top of the Studio Pad’s vertical lip — an otherwise imperfect solution.

You’re also not going to be able to use any top-of-keyboard accessories, such as Ugmonk’s Gather setup which includes a MagSafe adapter, pen tray, and storage box. The Studio Pad has its tray for this, of course, but I don’t always like the look of pens and highlighters strewn across the Studio Pad’s tray. It appears messy occasionally.

If you use the Studio Pad with no desk shelf or laptop riser, I feel you have an incomplete setup. The Studio Pad is best used as part of a bigger desk system. What’s odd is that I don’t think it works best with Grovemade’s own desk accessory system.

• When used alongside the Grovemade system, the inflexibility of the Studio Pad and inflexibility of the Laptop Riser pushes the Riser far, far back and away from the user. The Laptop Riser also doesn’t rotate, so a Desk Shelf, Laptop Riser, and Studio Pad combination is effectively unusable.
• When used alongside the Ugmonk Gather system (which is no longer for sale), the Studio Pad starts to shine. The Gather Laptop Stand rotates, allowing you to line the square base against the backside of the Studio Pad and turn the display towards you. The fact you can magnetize other small Gather accessories to the Desk Shelf means the Studio Pad’s walnut tray adds even more desk storage for small trinkets.
• When used alongside the Balolo Setup Cockpit system, the Studio Pad’s best features are brought out. The Balolo Laptop Riser connects to the Desk Shelf and hovers over top the Studio Pad, allowing for maximum flexibility. If I didn’t know any better, I’d think the Studio Pad was made by Balolo for the Balolo Setup Cockpit system, not Grovemade for the Grovemade desk system.

I find it somewhat comedic that the best system for the Studio Pad is actually Balolo’s competing desk system. You can surely use the Studio Pad in just about any environment, but it’s Balolo’s system that stands out in terms of compatibility.

Pricing

A quick word on the Grovemade Studio Pad’s pricing: It’s made by Grovemade, so the Studio Pad is expensive. Everything from Grovemade is expensive. When compared to other desk mats, the Studio Pad will always be at the top of the price list. $240 USD for a desk mat is a lot of money.

Of course, I’d argue the Studio Pad isn’t in the same arena as other desk mats. The Studio Pad offers far more — far more durability, stability, utility, and, frankly, beauty. No desk mat comes close in any measurable way to the Studio Pad, so why then should their prices be compared?

Like any Grovemade product, a Studio Pad purchase is a lifetime purchase. At $240 USD, it’ll hurt the pocket, but it’ll last your entire working career and never look improper in the process.

(Please note that I actually purchased this item myself. Sometimes items are sent for review, which makes this pricing section difficult to write. This time around, I spent my own money.)

Wrap Up

Grovemade’s Studio Pad should be chalked up as an impulsive purchase on my end. It’s been a positive experience, don’t get me wrong. But it was impulsive, nonetheless.

At the time, I envisioned the Studio Pad in front of Grovemade’s Desk Shelf and Laptop Riser, completing the Grovemade trifecta on my desk. It took about 30 seconds to realize my error. The hefty, sturdy Studio Pad pushed the Laptop Riser further to the back of my desk than I’d like, requiring a resolution change on the MacBook Pro so I could read the text from that distance.

From there, I’ve tried the Studio Pad in just about any array you can think of: With an Ugmonk Gather setup, with a Balolo setup, on its own, and with just a Grovemade Laptop Riser. The Studio Pad is beautiful and has a valuable utility, it’s just difficult to dial in if you’re used to things working a particular way.

I think the Studio Pad is one of those desk accessories which creeps its way to the top of the “G.A.S.” list (Gear Acquisition Syndrome) relatively easily, but likely doesn’t fit as many people as it may appear. You have to have a particular setup — perhaps just a laptop, or perhaps just a desktop computer, with little to no additional desk storage offered in other systems. The Studio Pad certainly can work with other desk systems. It’s just more difficult to implement than I expected.

Grovemade’s quality continues to be unmatched. Rarely does any product come with the Grovemade fit and finish. If you think the Studio Pad could fit on your desk, and the price could fit in your budget, it’s certain to last a long, long time and look beautiful in the process.

The M5 iPad Pro has reignited my love for the iPad. I have used iPads since the beginning of time, and no iPad has been more fun for longer than this 11-inch M5 iPad Pro. But, it's likely not due to the M5 chip. For me, it's a return to the 11-inch format, and the introduction of nano-texture to my iPad usage.

I’ve owned too many iPads to count. Of all shapes and sizes, too. Each time I try a new size, I come away thinking I’ve found the new best iPad size. Mini, big-13-inch with Touch ID, and now the 13-inch with Face ID — each time, I thought they were the best. In hindsight, the best size ever was probably the 10.5-inch iPad Pro from 2017 — my dad still has his, and it’s just such a lovely size.

TL;DR: The 11-inch M5 iPad Pro is the best iPad I've owned, but the M5 chip has little to do with it. The return to the smaller form factor and the addition of nano-texture are what changed things — together they turned the iPad from a device tethered to my desk into one I use in bright rooms, on the back deck, and in bed. The catch is that nano-texture is only available on the 1 TB model, so the entry price is steep, though the extra storage, 16 GB of RAM, and full 10-core CPU that come with it turned out to be real benefits rather than consolation prizes. If glare has never been your problem, save your money and buy the glossy display. If it has, this is the iPad worth stretching for.

For current iPads, I am now convinced the smaller iPad's 11-inch form factor is the penultimate size for this device. The size inspires book and paper-like uses, such as reading, note-taking, researching, watching videos, and tapping about. This has positioned the iPad as my comfort device — I now leave effectively all forms of reading, note-taking, writing, and consuming for the iPad. This contrasts with the larger 13-inch iPad Pro, where I found the device locked to a desk more of the time.

I also cannot believe it took me this long to try nano-texture on the iPad. Admittedly, the price tag is a pill to swallow. But more on that later. For now, nano-texture has transformed my iPad usage. The iPad in this 11-inch form is easier to take about in more uncontrolled situations, enhancing nano-texture's ability to diffuse light. I use the iPad consistently in front of a massive window and under two bright LED panels. In the past, I reverted to physical paper and books because of the glare of those panels. Now, I can do all my reading on the iPad.

And the by-product of that nano-texture display — the 1 TB onboard storage — is one of the “nicest-to-have” features I’ve experienced. I now house a boatload of information on the iPad and can keep many daily working files just a tap away. Photos, videos, movies, books — you name it, I have it on the iPad. Sometimes I think onboard storage space is one of those limitations you teach yourself to work around. Money doesn’t grow on trees, so it may be a necessary limitation. If you can swing it, though, it’s a genuine nice-to-have that I’ve overlooked in the past.

The iPad has a long-running history at this point, and most people know whether they love them or not. My review below is how the M5 iPad Pro with nano-texture display morphed my iPad usage further than any prior iPad before it.

Size

I’m embarrassed to admit the number of iPad purchases in my life. I’ve tried them all and spent far too much money in the process. In that timeframe, the latest iPad is always the best iPad. When you move from the 11-inch to the 12.9-inch iPad, for example, the “12.9-inch iPad is how the iPad should have always been”. Or when you move down the size scale to the mini, the impression becomes “I never really needed the size of the 12.9-inch iPad anyway”.

In the moment, those impressions are totally true. But eventually, everything reverts to the mean. And this includes the 11-inch iPad Pro. After two months of returning to this size of iPad, I’m now convinced I’m most likely to settle on this size of iPad forevermore. It’s a combination of handy and ergonomic; technically sound and adept; and portable and whimsical all in one package.

I opted for the 12.9-inch M4 iPad Pro a few years ago because it came with the thinnest iPad chassis ever designed. That thin design was beautiful and a technical marvel, and it made using that massive 12.9-inch iPad Pro far easier than thicker predecessor options. After an extra generation, that same thin chassis has come to the M5 iPad Pro, and it also makes a world of a difference. We have an older M1 iPad Pro in the house for the kids, and it’s surprising how much thinner this latest generation fills in the hand.

That thinness makes for improvements in several areas, mainly in where I’m using the iPad. I find I’m opting for the iPad in more physical areas, including our back deck (more on this in a bit), in bed for reading, and at the office. These were areas I wouldn’t use the 12.9-inch iPad Pro, be it because of size, or screen reflectivity, or because apps weren’t truly optimized for that big screen.

Another reality, which I’ll touch on more below, is the dawn of artificial intelligence. I use AI for quite many things these days, which puts more of the processing work into the bot and less onto me manually. I’ll often set up a Claude project on my Mac near the end of the day and send the directions via dictation on the iPad when I’m relaxing at home. It’s been wild morphing work into each device’s wheelhouse.

The result is the M5 iPad Pro is my most-used personal tech device, even after the honeymoon period has lapsed. When I get home, typically my iPhone hits the desk and the iPad is pulled out. From watching TV, reading books, minor writing and journalling, browsing the internet, and chatting with a chatbot, this M5 11-inch iPad Pro is a wonderful, wonderful size to return to.

Nano-texture

This is likely the core reason for being able to use the 11-inch iPad Pro in more places than the prior, larger 12.9-inch iPad Pro. Nano-texture on the iPad is the feature I didn’t know would be so transformational, and is the feature more people would love if it wasn’t so stinking expensive to purchase. Diffusing harsh sunlight or harsh overhead lights make a nano-texture iPad Pro so much more useful in so many more spots. And in my short period so far, I haven’t found any drawback in terms of sharpness or contrast when viewing all forms of media.

My understanding is that there are multiple kinds of nano-texture finishes across Apple’s device lineup. I have a few different options to compare across an iPad Pro, MacBook Pro, Studio Display, and Studio Display XDR, and the Studio Displays are far and away different from the iPad Pro and MacBook Pro. If I understand correctly, the Studio Displays are physically etched, while the MacBook Pros/iPad Pros are chemically etched. A few differences I’ve noticed:

• There is a visible difference in the smoothness of the nano-texture finish; Studio Displays look grainier and rougher to my eye than the iPad Pro.
• Touching a nano-texture Studio Display results in instant fingerprints; iPad Pro nano-texture seems to handle fingerprints far better.
• You can use any cloth to clean a nano-texture iPad Pro (though the included cloth is easily the best option), while you really should stick to only Apple’s cloth for the Studio Display.
• The Studio Display’s physical etching cuts down glare slightly better than either of the MacBook Pro or iPad Pro’s nano-texture displays.

Noted above, another complaint I’ve read about is how the iPad’s nano-texture picks up fingerprints. Presumably the display’s etching provides more surface area to grab ahold of finger oils and grime, making for a messy experience. I’ve also read that cleaning the iPad’s nano-texture display is far more difficult than the glossy displays.

I simply haven’t experienced either scenario. The included polishing cloth works wonders on all nano-texture fingerprints, as does the inside of the Apple iPad Folio case. In fact, I’d go the other way — if there were minor scratches on this display, I’m not sure if I’d be able to see them thanks to the nano-texture finish. On glossy iPads, you can usually see them instantly. My understanding is the nano-texture glass is slightly softer than the glossy glass, so you may find you want to do some extra research. In general, for me, I haven’t run into a single usability issue with the iPad’s nano-texture display.

Overall, the nano-texture on the iPad Pro makes for a newly useful device in ways I didn’t know the iPad could be. I would never take the device outside; now, it’s my favourite device for reading outside (aside from my reMarkable).

Squished Hardware and Software

Where there’s an iPad, there’s griping about the iPad’s software. And while I’m not here to detract from those complaints, I will comment specifically on the move from the larger 12.9-inch iPad Pro to this smaller 11-inch iPad Pro.

The 12.9-inch iPad Pro’s claim to fame, in my opinion, is its laptop-sized display. In landscape orientation, the internet just works. Whether it be the full desktop view of a website, or the full three-panel view of the app, or a full-size Magic Keyboard, the world is just built for 13-inch devices.

On the 11-inch iPad Pro, you notice this smaller screen most in the default hamburger menu on so many websites. Rather than a proper header navigation, you get the right-justified hamburger button that slides in a navigation menu to jump between pages in the site.

Or multitasking — the 11-inch iPad Pro is simply not good at multi-windowing and multitasking. You can certainly create small windows to hover around, or swipe apps into split-screen mode. But the experience is cramped. Plain and simple. Swiping in a Quick Note from the bottom-right corner? You can, but it’s tight, and you’ll be swiping that note all over the screen to get out of your way. There’s perhaps enough room for a little picture-in-picture video of your favourite MLB game in the top corner, but you’ll be moving that thing all around the place just to read a simple article in Readwise. The 11-inch iPad Pro is better used in one full-screen view, with perhaps a second Slide Over app ready to use.

And how about hardware? Even writing this article — Ulysses as a standalone app looks beautiful and is wonderfully distraction-free, but do you want to know how many times I had to hit the “-“ key to get it right because it’s so squished on the Magic Keyboard? In a pinch, of course, the Magic Keyboard is a great option for the smaller 11-inch iPad Pro. I just don’t know if too many people would opt for this to be their daily writing driver.

Put another way, most software seems tuned for the 12.9-inch iPad Pro, even though the physical nature of the smaller 11-inch iPad Pro is significantly more comfortable. If you need proof, take a look at Apple’s iPad marketing pages — all software and screenshots are showcased in the larger 12.9-inch iPad Pro.

Apple may not necessarily love the larger iPad Pro more. It just may be the internet is built for larger displays. Despite my adoration for this smaller 11-inch iPad Pro, it certainly has a few shortcomings.

1 TB Onboard Storage

A by-product of the nano-texture option is the requirement to upgrade to 1 TB of onboard storage. Only 1 TB iPads have nano-texture available as a display option. Underhanded, genius — I’ll let you give Apple the verdict.

But a real by-product of the 1 TB requirement is expanded onboard storage, making room for all sorts of media. I don’t think I fully grasped how often I’d appreciate having the extra space. The iPad is my go-to photo-editing and travel device, ensuring I can offload SD cards on-the-road and keep photos local for quicker editing. On a recent trip, I also downloaded several movies and TV shows locally to watch on the plane. This is just a “me” device, in that only my media will go on this device. But we also have a family iPad, and I’d love to have 1 TB of storage there to store all the Barbie and Disney shows for family road trips.

There are other added benefits too, which you can genuinely feel on a day-to-day basis:

• 1 TB and 2 TB models get 16 GB RAM rather than the lower 12 GB RAM count. You can absolutely feel this in terms of local photo editing, added Safari tabs, and more.
• 1 TB and 2 TB models get a full 10-core CPU, rather than the binned 9-core CPU found in the 256 GB and 512 GB models.

Overall, I put up with having to pay for the 1 TB model, as I really wanted a nano-texture iPad. I was surprised to find how much I appreciate that extra onboard storage.

Wrap Up

All in all, I have quite enjoyed my time with the nano-texture M5 iPad Pro. It’s thin, light, and easily used in any setting, which has opened more doors than I expected.

After all these years — after all these iPads — I continue to love the iPad platform as a whole. This computer is my personal computer — it’s my travel device, my photo device, my writing device, my reading device, my couch device, and sometimes, even my second Mac monitor. I take it to church every Sunday, providing me with access to all sorts of study materials while listening. And most recently, I started catching up on missed Marvel shows, ensuring the iPad also took the role of my highest-end TV display.

If you can swing it, I’d think long and hard about the nano-texture iPad. This is, like every prior iPad, my favourite iPad so far.

An entire review dedicated to just a Watch band, you say? Where I could spend 1,500 words writing about the Apple Watch itself, why would I choose to spill about Apple’s own Titanium Milanese Watch band?

Because it’s that good.

TL;DR: The Titanium Milanese Loop is the only Apple Watch band you need. Titanium keeps it light, durable, and understated. The latching clasp is genuinely secure — no magnets to fail — and micro-adjusts to your wrist whether you're mid-workout or standing in the cold. I've worn it in the pool, the hot tub, the sauna, the lake, on the golf course, under a sport jacket, and to bed to track sleep. The only time it comes off is when I take the Watch off entirely at my desk so I don't scratch the MacBook. At $200 USD it's expensive for a band, but it's a buy-once purchase that kills any desire to own another. Best Apple Watch band ever made.

Back in June 2025, I said this about the Titanium Milanese band:

The Titanium Milanese’s greatest selling feature is its literal everyday-everywhere-everything capabilities. The Link Bracelet had its moments where it was a bit heavy for what I was doing (specifically when lifting weights), while the Titanium Milanese is lightweight enough to never get in the way even under stress. I’ve worn this watch band with a sport jacket, while working out, while in the hot tub, while in the pool, while golfing, while cutting the grass, and with a T-shirt and shorts, pants and a golf shirt, and more. It’s the definition of “One Band to Rule Them All!”.

I don’t think I can put it much better than that.

Let’s jump into why, if you have an Apple Watch of any sort, the Titanium Milanese Loop should be on your short list of long-term Watch band purchases.

Titanium

Out-of-the-box, it’d be easy to mistake the Titanium Milanese Loop as an overpriced Apple Watch band option. The band is light, flimsy, and matte — three features that can make any product feel less than extravagant. High-end watches tend towards weight, heft, and shine, ensuring this Titanium Watch band would fall short in every facet.

Fortunately, it doesn’t take long to discover why Apple chose a matte, flexible, and light option for its high-end Watch Ultra category. The benefits of titanium are lengthy:

• Titanium is light, keeping your watch hand and wrist free for movement.
• Titanium is durable, ensuring you can bang and crash this Watch band into a wall or door and rest easily knowing it won’t be scratched or broken.
• Titanium is understatedly stylish, allowing you to wear the Titanium Milanese Loop in just about any situation you can find yourself in.
• Titanium is naturally coloured, eliminating gaudy first impressions from onlookers.

I could probably go on. Apple went away from titanium in their latest Pro iPhones for what sounds like physical reasons. Those physical limitations aren’t present when it comes to an Apple Watch band. Here, titanium works wonders.

The Clasp

Another reason the Titanium Milanese Loop can be used in effectively every circumstance is the band’s clasp closure mechanism. If you’ve ever tried Apple’s standard Milanese loop band, you’ll note the choice to rely on magnets — the clasping mechanism is but a magnetic lock to the backside of the band, making for easy adjustment, but an equally easy fall-off.

The Titanium Milanese Loop sheds magnets in favour of honest security. To close the band, you have to physically latch the clasp. To open the band, you have to pinch both sides of the clasp to release the connector. It’s simple, strong, and secure. Though I am sure a strong specimen could pull the band apart while clasped, I don’t think they’re doing so without destroying the band altogether.

This extra-secure clasp continues the trend of the “one-band-fits-all” mentality. You can wear this band in more physically demanding situations, like at the gym, or on the job site, or at the lake on a boat. You aren’t going to lose your Watch to the waves in any circumstance thanks to that trusty clasp mechanism.

The second focus area of that clasp: micro-adjustability. The clasp lock has a small latch that can be flipped up and adjusted up or down the band. Leather bands suffer immensely from clasp holes and poor adjustability. However, you can adjust the Titanium Milanese Loop clasp to perfectly fit your wrist in any situation — be it while you’re working out and your wrist is bulging, or in the frigid cold while your wrist has shrunken down a bit.

Wear Cases

I’ve alluded to the universality of the Titanium Milanese Loop band a few times now. So I’ll double down: The Titanium Milanese Loop is the most generally useful band I’ve owned. I have a few leather options, a few fabric options, and a few rubber options (both first-party Apple-made and third-party knock-offs), and not one band comes anywhere near the utility of the Titanium Milanese Loop band.

I believe I could make a legitimate case that you don’t ever have to remove the Titanium Milanese Loop. It’s truly buy-once-and-forget. Or, perhaps “Buy-once-and-forget-unless-Apple-changes-Watch-lugs”.

I’ve worn the Titanium Milanese Loop in the hot tub and pool, in the sauna and steam room, and in the lake and ocean. The only concern here might be salt water, in which case the Titanium Milanese certainly held up admirably. Our hot tub is a salt water spa, though at far more diluted levels than ocean water. A quick rinse off in the sink immediately removed salt residue or any build up in the Milanese weave.

I’ve worn the Titanium Milanese Loop with a suit jacket and a sport jacket. You are welcome to judge whether a person should be wearing an Apple Watch in this circumstance (there are many who would die on this hill). But if you are good with an Apple Watch with a suit or sport jacket, then the Titanium Milanese Loop is near the top of the list in terms of more-formal style.

I’ve worn the Titanium Milanese Loop on the golf course. In fact, I’d say it’s the best band you can buy for golf. The woven nature of the metal ensures the band breathes. It’s light. It’s endlessly adjustable, perfect for adjusting to your wrist in a high heat day or a cold, windy day on the course. And it fits stylishly inside a collared-formal golf course attire. I think you could pull off a woven or fabric band with an Apple Watch on the course, no problem. But if it’s hot at all, you’ll sweat right through that fabric band. Not so with the Milanese Loop.

I’ve worn the Titanium Milanese Loop to bed to track my sleep. It’s my favourite band to sleep with. The woven nature ensures my wrist can breathe at night. The clasp adjustability also means I can set the band size to one size and not find it too tight or too loose — I’ve found my wrist will adjust slightly in size during the night, making a slightly too tight fit of a fabric band uncomfortable halfway through the night.

And then I’ve worn the Titanium Milanese Loop in all sorts of other scenarios, like with a T-shirt and shorts and sandals (the most casual outfit I dare to wear), or for yard work and cutting grass.

The only area I tend to remove the Milanese Loop is when I remove the Watch from my wrist entirely at the office. If you use a MacBook, you likely won’t want to rub your Watch band and scratch your laptop. When at the office, I tend to take off my Apple Watch entirely. Other than this moment, the Titanium Milanese Loop never comes off my wrist.

Some Downsides

Though I feel this Watch band is about as close as it gets to perfect, there are some honest downsides that need to be mentioned.

• Milanese weave bands are notorious for arm hair getting caught in the weave, making for the occasional painful burst from your wrist. I have personally found this weave to be “larger” in nature, especially when compared to the standard magnetic Milanese loop band. I have so rarely had arm hair get caught in this Titanium option that I hardly feel it’s a downside. In many ways, this is an upside if you want to compare to the tighter weave of the standard Magnetic Milanese option.
• The clasp scratches pretty easily. There’s really only one solid surface on this entire Watch band, and it’s this clasp surface that picks up scratches faster than expected.
• This Titanium Milanese Loop is only good for Apple Watch Ultra owners and the larger 46 mm Apple Watch Series 11 (or 10, 9, etc.). This band is not for smaller-faced Apple Watch owners. If you have any of these smaller options, the only Milanese band available for you is the standard magnetic option.

And, price.

Price

It’s Apple, so pricing is always in question. I am rarely disappointed in Apple-quality. For about 99% of experiences, Apple-quality shines eventually. It’s truly rare when I’m disappointed in the money I’ve spent on an Apple-made piece of kit.

At $200 USD, the Titanium Milanese Loop is on the more expensive end of Watch bands folks might consider.

But at $200, you can also completely remove any desire to buy any other Watch band. You buy this Titanium Milanese Loop once, and you won’t buy again. And barring Apple changing the Watch lugs (which they can and have every right to do), you can likely use this Watch band for future Apple Watches as well.

Conclusion

In some ways, the Titanium Milanese Loop is disappointing. It has removed any desire to venture outside a comfort zone and buy a new Apple Watch band. It has removed any thought process around “What will I be doing today and do I need to adjust my Watch accordingly?”.

The Titanium Milanese Loop has nestled itself perfectly inside my default zone. It has become my default Apple Watch band. I wear it every day, in every situation. Given the universality, $200 is an easy “buy-once” price.

I believe the Titanium Milanese Loop is the best Apple Watch band ever made.

It’s very nice when, occasionally, a product surprises you. If you’re an average consumer, usually that surprise goes only one way: negative. You purchase a product with high hopes, only for the product to let you down. But when you are lucky enough to receive a product to review, the opposite is true: you’ve seen a wide range of products in a particular category, so surprise tends to be more positive than negative.

“Surprise” is the word I’d use to describe my review of Crossway’s newest Veritas Bible. I’ve never seen or reviewed any of Crossway’s famous Heritage editions in the past, though I’ve read several other reviews over the years. The Heirloom Heritage line has been one of Tim Wildsmith’s most-loved Bibles of the last few years, pushing it to the top of my expectations bar.

And yet, the Veritas — the successor to the Heirloom Heritage line — somehow still exceeded those expectations.

I think I can say the new Veritas Bible from Crossway is the single best Bible I’ve ever seen. The Veritas has just about no issue in my book. It has the most supple front and back leather covers I’ve seen, a wonderfully creamy European Bible paper, beresford ribbons (a first for a Crossway-exclusive Bible!), and a great layout for anyone to comfortably read Scripture. The Veritas may be the ultimate gift to give someone this Christmas season.

The Veritas is Crossway’s latest line of Heirloom Heritage editions, alongside the Gloria Dei (formerly the Heirloom Legacy edition) and the new Heirloom Alpha edition. By and large, these Bibles replicate their predecessor lines in terms of layout, references, and features. But Crossway used the latest 2025 ESV edition in this new launch and pushed their material selections to the maximum. These are the truest form of a “V2”, “2.0”, or “upgraded” that you’ll get in the Bible publishing industry.

Now, full transparency, the Veritas isn’t the Bible for me. Which is perfectly fine. For me, it comes down to the layout, which is usually where a person should start when doing their Bible-purchasing research. I can get past this, though. I know a beautiful, wonderfully made Bible when I see it.

The Veritas is all of those things, and more.

Let’s see why.

Design and Materials

I discussed “surprises” at the top, and the Veritas’s material choices are at the heart of those surprises. I didn’t know this combination of materials could look and feel so premium, even if other Bible publishers using the same materials haven’t come to the same result.

Calfskin Leather

I’ve been led to believe calfskin leather normally looks and feels a particular way. That way has historically been a little more grungy, with many beautiful variations and veins stretching across the leather, with a bit of a stiffer feel that leaves behind wear marks if you try to bend it. This impression has surely been planted by Schuyler’s beautiful calfskin leather Bibles over the last few years, including the Heirloom Thinline collaborative Bible I just reviewed and the also-collaborative Heirloom Study Bible. I would never complain about this type of calfskin leather, either. I maintain the Heirloom Thinline is one of my favourite Bibles ever.

But Crossway’s Veritas goes an entirely different direction in its use of calfskin leather. This leather feels almost opposite Schuyler’s version of calfskin leather — there are no variations in the front or back leather covers, nor is this a stiffer or less flexible leather. In fact, it’s probably the most supple leather of any Bible in my collection.

The Veritas has an oxblood-red-to-brown, full-grain aniline-dyed Grenada calfskin cover. It’s very soft, with a soft pebbling like past goatskin leathers, and has the same floppiness to boot.

I admit, given the suppleness of the leather, I thought the Veritas had a goatskin leather cover, just like the original Heirloom Legacy I reviewed way, way back. They feel quite alike, though the Veritas is more supple and flexible.

I’d venture to say the Veritas’s cover softness and flexibility could be too much for some people. When reading on a desk, the Veritas lays flat thanks to that soft cover and feels great overall. But if you pick it up and hold it in your hands, half the Bible falls over your hand like a waterfall, potentially hampering your reading experience. I tend to read on a flat surface, so the cover flexibility doesn’t impact my experience. Your mileage may vary, though.

Inside is a brown leather lining which is edge-lined and perimeter-stitched, providing the extra attention to detail and durability the Heirloom lines are known for. There’s also a gold gilding around the perimeter of the inside covers, with a bold “Veritas” logo gilded into the back cover. I’ve never seen Crossway do something this big and bold before — and somehow it works. It feels like a flourish of confidence rather than marketing, a private declaration to whoever opens the cover that this is something special.

Lastly, this is the “Grenada” colour, which is a bit of a deeper brown than an oxblood red, and even has a hint or two of purple in it. This colour exudes royalty, if a red/brown/purple-y colour was into royalty more than a deep purple colour. It’s just the right colour to be understated enough to hardly be noticed, but instantly recognizable on your shelf if you collect Bibles. I haven’t seen this colour in any other Bible so far.

Size and Weight

The Veritas measures 5.5 by 8.25 inches, with a thickness of just over two inches and a weight of just under 3 pounds. This is a desk Bible at heart. It’ll travel to church without difficulty, but it won’t slide easily into a jacket pocket or a smaller bag.

In practice, the size is ideal for its intended purpose. It rests open on a desk without demanding to be held, and it has enough physical presence that you feel the weight of what you’re reading. Unlike the Heirloom Study Bible, which is so large as to feel permanent, the Veritas is substantial without tipping into the unwieldy. It’s a Bible you can pick up and bring somewhere. It’s also a Bible that looks right at home sitting on a desk.

Given its size, you should be surprised at the 3 pound weight. For this size, this Bible is heavy. Add in its floppiness and it’s a bit of a Bible to carry around. I always like a good heft to my Bibles, but you’ll certainly notice this in your bag if you choose to take it from Point A to Point B.

Spine

The Veritas spine carries Crossway’s new circular ESV emblem — a slightly more prominent branding choice than the minimal stamping found on the Heirloom Thinline. I’ve noted before that I prefer the more restrained approach to spine branding, and I’ll note it again here. But in isolation, the Veritas spine is very handsome. The raised hubs are satisfying and pronounced, giving the spine an old-world credibility that you notice from across a shelf. “Holy Bible” sits at the top, the circular ESV emblem in the middle, and Crossway’s word mark at the bottom.

Against the Grenada calfskin, the gilded stamps catch the light with a warm, amber glow. It is, truly, a beautiful spine.

Binding and Hinge

The Veritas is printed and bound by Royal Jongbloed in the Netherlands — the same world-renowned bindery responsible for the best Crossway Heirloom Bibles before it. I’ve been through enough Bible bindings at this point to say without hesitation that a Jongbloed binding is in a category entirely its own. The Smyth-sewn construction is immaculate. This Bible will not fall apart. The glue will not give way. It is built for a lifetime of daily use.

Out of the box, the hinge requires some coaxing. The gutter is pronounced — noticeably deeper than what I experienced in the Heirloom Thinline — and in the early pages and final pages of the book block, you’ll want to press down gently on the hinge to bring the text fully into view. This is a characteristic of new Jongbloed bindings, and one I’ve come to accept as the price of admission. With use, the hinge will open more fully, and the gutter will flatten out. I have no doubt this Bible will lay flat eventually. It just needs to be broken in.

Paper

The paper in the Veritas is extraordinary, and I don’t use that word casually.

Crossway’s “high-quality European Bible paper” — the same stock appearing across the newer Heirloom releases — is the single most significant material improvement in the Crossway line over the last several years. Whatever this paper is and wherever it comes from, the result is a reading experience that rivals anything I’ve seen in a Bible at any price.

The paper has a warmth that is nearly impossible to capture in a photograph. It’s not the bright white of the old Heirloom Study Bible. It’s not the plasticky disaster of the Heirloom Personal Size. It leans creamy — a soft, warm, genuinely inviting cream — and against the Grenada calfskin cover, the pairing is one of the most visually beautiful things in my office. The cream paper and the reddish-brown leather feel designed for each other.

At 28 GSM, show-through is present. Line-matching controls it admirably across most of the book block. In the heavier poetry sections of Isaiah or the minor prophets, line-matching occasionally breaks down in small ways — noticeable if you’re specifically looking for it, not noticeable in the normal flow of reading. This is consistent with what I’ve seen in the Heirloom Thinline and, given the paper’s warm tone, the ghosting is far less distracting than it would be on a cooler, brighter paper.

Art Gilding

The Veritas pairs its Grenada calfskin with a warm, salmon-toned art gilding. Under most light, it reads as a rich gold. Tilt it slightly, and the under-gilding emerges — a rosy, warm hue that pairs beautifully with the reddish-brown cover. The gilding is consistent and clean along the full edge of the book block.

One caution, same as I offered in my Heirloom Thinline review: do not get this Bible wet. Moisture damages the art gilding permanently, and the damage is immediate. I learned this the hard way with the Thinline. Treat the Veritas accordingly.

Ribbons

The Veritas ships with three ribbons, and for the first time in a Crossway-exclusive Bible, they are true beresford ribbons. This is a significant upgrade. Past Crossway ribbons — particularly in the original Heirloom Legacies — were thin, barely functional, and felt like they might fray if you looked at them sideways. The beresford ribbons here are thick, wide, and durable. They extend well beyond the book block and pull smoothly to mark your place.

Three ribbons is the right number for a Bible like this. I’ve argued for four in past reviews, and I’ve been talked down by experience — three covers everything you need: one for the Table of Contents, one for your personal reading place, and one for wherever you’re tracking at church.

The ribbons alone are a reason to note how much Crossway has improved. It’s a small detail. It matters.

Printing

Font, Font Sizes, and Layout

The Veritas uses a 9.25-point Lexicon typeface in a single-column, paragraph-based format. For readers familiar with the Heirloom Legacy, this is the same philosophical approach — Scripture presented as a book to be read rather than a reference grid to be navigated. The 9.25-point type is a meaningful step up from the Legacy’s 9-point, and the difference is immediately felt. Lines are more comfortable. Words have more breathing room. Longer reading sessions are less taxing on the eyes.

The single-column format takes some adjustment if you’ve spent years in dual-column Bibles. Within a page or two, you won’t want to go back.

Now, as I noted at the top: the Veritas’s layout is where it falls short for me personally. Not because the single-column format is wrong — it’s clearly the most beautiful way to present Scripture. But combined with the 9.25-point type and generous margins, this particular execution results in a line length that is slightly too long for my taste. My eyes travel a fair distance from the left margin to the right, and at the end of a longer line in a paragraph block, the return trip to the next line requires more focus than I’d prefer. This was also my critique of the Legacy, and it’s only marginally more pronounced here, given the wider type.

For the vast majority of readers, this won’t register as an issue. It registers for me.

Line-Matching

Line-matching in the Veritas is the best I’ve seen across any Crossway single-column release. The 28 GSM paper demands it, and Crossway has delivered. In prose sections, line-matching is essentially invisible — you won’t notice any ghosting in the normal course of reading. In poetry-heavy sections like the Psalms or Isaiah, there are occasional spots where the matching breaks down slightly and the text from the reverse side intrudes. These moments are brief, and the warm paper tone does a great deal to soften their impact.

The Heirloom Legacy was superb here. The Veritas is better.

Black-Letter Typesetting

The Veritas continues every Heirloom Bible’s tradition of black-letter typesetting — no red letters anywhere. As I’ve written before, I strongly prefer this. Red letters are difficult to execute well, and the theological implications of treating certain words as more important than others have grown more uncomfortable to me the longer I’ve sat with them. Black letter, warm cream paper, consistent ink — the Veritas is a pleasure to read from beginning to end.

This said, the Veritas does use red letter typesetting page headers and chapter numbers. The two-colour interior, used for chapter numbers and a few design accents, adds a quiet elegance without cluttering the page.

Resources

The Veritas is a reader’s Bible. There are no study notes, no cross-references, no concordance. What you get are brief footnotes at the bottom of each page — a line or two at most, addressing the most critical translation decisions. These are unobtrusive and genuinely useful.

The absence of a concordance is the one thing I’d change. It’s a notable omission at this price point, and it’s the single feature I find myself reaching for most often when using a Bible like this at church. You’ll want a separate concordance or a Bible app on hand when you need one. For a Bible positioned as a lifetime reader’s companion, this feels like a gap worth acknowledging.

In the back, eight full-colour maps on semi-gloss paper use the newer, more muted and earthy colour palette Crossway introduced with this latest generation of Heirloom releases. These are a meaningful improvement over prior maps — they actually look like they belong in a Bible of this quality.

Price

The Veritas in Grenada Calfskin retails for $349.99 USD. It is not an impulse purchase.

It is worth it.

I’ve spent a long time in this review cataloguing what makes this Bible excellent. I’ve been honest about the one layout quirk that doesn’t quite suit me personally, and I’ve noted the concordance omission. But those are small complaints against an enormous whole. No corner was cut. No material was cheapened. Every detail that could be thoughtfully considered was thoughtfully considered.

At $349.99, the Veritas in Grenada Calfskin is the finest Bible I’ve reviewed at any price point.

Wrap-Up

I started this review talking about surprise. I’ll end it the same way.

The Crossway ESV Heirloom Bible, Veritas: Single Column Edition in Grenada Calfskin surprised me. It surprised me with how supple and alive the cover feels in hand. It surprised me with how warm and inviting the paper is the moment you open it. It surprised me with beresford ribbons on a Crossway-exclusive Bible for the very first time. It surprised me with a bold “Veritas” gilded into the back inside cover — a flourish I didn’t expect.

Crossway has been on a trajectory. The Heirloom Thinline was a new benchmark for me when it arrived. The Veritas has already surpassed it.

If there is one Bible to own for the rest of your life — the one that sits in your reading chair in the morning, travels to church on Sunday, and eventually lands in the hands of someone you love — this is a strong case for it.

You can find the Crossway ESV Heirloom Bible, Veritas: Single Column Edition in Grenada Calfskin and a range of other cover options at Crossway’s website. Several configurations are also available through EvangelicalBible.com.

This week marks the sixth and final leg of the Canadian tax program I have worked through this last three years. I started in 2009 and have had two years in that span with no post-secondary education. Fortunately, though — just ask my wife — I’m not allowed to take the next course until I’ve completed three more years of post-designation practice. So after July 17th, I’m done. I’ve said “I’m done” once or twice before and ended up reneging on my comment. But, until 2028 or 2029, I’m very truly done.

I promised I would dive into a few first impressions/review/re-review pieces, so here’s the first: my first impressions of the M5 iPad Pro.

My Story of the M5 11-inch iPad Pro: I’ve Been Here Before

I’m sure I’ve mentioned my affinity for the latest iPad. There are very few top-of-the-line iPads I haven’t owned at one time. I skipped iPad Gen 4 and the M2 iPad Pro, but otherwise I believe I’ve owned each top-end iPad from inception. I’ve also owned an iPad Mini in there at one point. You are welcome to roll your eyes.

In that timeframe, the latest iPad is always the best iPad. When you move from the 11-inch to the 12.9-inch iPad, for example, the “12.9-inch iPad is how the iPad should have always been”. Or when you move down the size scale to the mini, the impression becomes “I never really needed the size of the 12.9-inch iPad anyway”.

In the moment, those impressions are totally true. But eventually, everything reverts to the mean. And this includes the 11-inch iPad Pro. After two months of returning to this size of iPad, I’m now convinced I’m most likely to settle on this size of iPad forevermore. It’s a combination of handy and ergonomic; technically sound and adept; and portable and whimsical all in one package.

I’ve said it a few times before: I’ve fallen in love with the iPad all over again. The M5 iPad Pro is no different.

Size and Portability

I opted for the 12.9-inch M4 iPad Pro a few years ago because it came with the thinnest iPad chassis ever designed. That thin design was beautiful and a technical marvel, and it made using that massive 12.9-inch iPad Pro far easier than thicker predecessor options. After an extra generation, that same thin chassis has come to the M5 iPad Pro, and it also makes a world of a difference. We have an older M1 iPad Pro in the house for the kids, and it’s surprising how much thinner this latest generation fills in the hand.

That thinness makes for improvements in several areas, mainly in where I’m using the iPad. I find I’m opting for the iPad in more physical areas, including our back deck (more on this in a bit), in bed for reading, and at the office. These were areas I wouldn’t use the 12.9-inch iPad Pro, be it because of size, or screen reflectivity, or because apps weren’t truly optimized for that big screen.

The result is the M5 iPad Pro is my most-used personal tech device, even after the honeymoon period has lapsed. When I get home, so often my iPhone hits the desk and the iPad is pulled out. From watching TV, reading books, minor writing and journalling, and browsing the internet, this M5 11-inch iPad Pro is a wonderful, wonderful size to return to.

Nano Texture

This is likely the core reason for being able to use the 11-inch iPad Pro in more places than the prior, larger 12.9-inch iPad Pro. Nano texture on the iPad is the feature I didn’t know I needed (there’s that line again) and is the feature more people would love if it wasn’t so stinking expensive to purchase. Diffusing harsh sunlight or harsh overhead lights make a nano texture iPad Pro so much more useful in so many more spots. And in my short period so far, I haven’t found any drawback in terms of sharpness or contrast when viewing all forms of media.

My understanding is that there are multiple kinds of nano texture finishes across Apple’s device lineup. I have a few different options to compare (roll those eyes again) across an iPad Pro, MacBook Pro, Studio Display, and Studio Display XDR, and the Studio Displays are far and away different from the iPad Pro and MacBook Pro. If I understand correctly, the Studio Displays are physically etched, while the MacBook Pros/iPad Pros are chemically etched. A few differences I’ve noticed:

• There is a visible difference in the smoothness of the nano texture finish; Studio Displays look grainier and rougher to my eye than the iPad Pro.
• Touching a nano texture Studio Display results in instant fingerprints; iPad Pro nano texture seems to handle fingerprints far better.
• You can use any cloth to clean a nano texture iPad Pro (though the included cloth is easily the best option), while you really should stick to only Apple’s cloth for the Studio Display.
• The Studio Display’s physical etching cuts down glare slightly better than either of the MacBook Pro or iPad Pro’s nano texture displays.
  

Overall, the nano texture on the iPad Pro makes for a newly useful device in ways I didn’t know the iPad could be. I would never take the device outside; now, it’s my favourite device for reading outside (aside from my reMarkable; oh, if reMarkable were to open up actual ePub annotations).

Squished Hardware and Software

Now, one area of “concern” is this 11-inch iPad Pro’s squished UI. For some, this may not be a big deal. And I think I’ll ultimately get over it. But there are times when I just want the full desktop view of a website, or the full three-panel view of the app, or a full-size Magic Keyboard. There are times when I feel “just alright” about the size of the user experience, and it’s generally most obvious when browsing the web or when attempting to multitask on the smaller 11-inch display.

Even writing this article — Ulysses as a standalone app looks beautiful and is wonderfully distraction-free, but do you want to know how many times I had to hit the “-“ key to get it right because it’s so squished on the Magic Keyboard? You can split-screen multitask on the 11-inch iPad Pro, to be sure, but there’s nothing quite like the side-by-side experience on the larger 12.9-inch iPad. Swiping in a Quick Note from the bottom-right corner? You can, but it’s tight, and you’ll be swiping that note all over the screen to get out of your way. And there’s perhaps enough room for a little picture-in-picture video of your favourite MLB game in the top corner, but you’ll be moving that thing all around the place just to read a simple article in Readwise.

Put another way, most software seems tuned for the 12.9-inch iPad Pro, even though the physical nature of the smaller 11-inch iPad Pro is significantly more comfortable. If you need proof, take a look at Apple’s iPad marketing pages — all software and screenshots are showcased in the larger 12.9-inch iPad Pro.

Apple may not necessarily love the larger iPad Pro more. It just may be the internet is built for larger displays. Despite my adoration for this smaller 11-inch iPad Pro, it certainly has a few shortcomings.

All in all, I have quite enjoyed my time with the nano texture M5 iPad Pro. It’s thin, light, and easily used in any setting, which has opened more doors than I expected. After all these years — after all these iPads — I continue to love the iPad platform as a whole. Perhaps Apple will surprise with a brand-spanking new M6 iPad Pro. If not, I imagine this M5 iPad Pro will be in my arsenal for a few years to come.

Quote of the Week

“The ability to perform deep work is becoming increasingly rare at exactly the same time it is becoming increasingly valuable in our economy. As a consequence, the few who cultivate this skill, and then make it the core of their working life, will thrive.”

— Cal Newport, Deep Work

The Second Cup

I haven’t published too many Fresh Links in the last week or two, so here are a few interesting links I’ve stumbled on recently.

Vernal L-shaped Executive Standing Desks — I’ve seen the Vernal name pop up more and more in the desk setup space, but I didn’t know they had this unique executive-style option. It might be a bit much for me, but still looks pretty slick.

The Everyday Churchman — You don’t need to go to church each Sunday to save this list of inexpensive but polished looks. You can find a lot of inspiration here.

Deep Work by Cal Newport — This is my seventh book since Christmas, so I am in my one-book-a-month range. Deep Work was excellent. One of my favourites so far. Next up, Clear Thinking by Shane Parrish.

Happy Sunday. I hope you have a wonderful week ahead.

P.S. — If you’d like to see this in your email inbox, please subscribe below. If you have trouble subscribing, shoot me an email, and I’ll get you on the list. Thanks for the consideration!

“Each passing year converts some of this experience into automatic routine which we hardly note at all, the days and the weeks smooth themselves out in recollection to contentless units, and the years grow hollow and collapse.”

Perhaps this is what I am experiencing right now. Either way, everything feels like chaos.

I’ve probably gone a bit crazy over the last few months — I’ve purchased more than a few things for the summer and fall ahead. The list of things to touch one is growing, and now includes:

• A Wandrd Prvke 31L backpack (bought used from a friend, OK? OK?!)
• A Peak Design Roller Pro (I promise, it was on sale)
• An M5 11-inch iPad Pro (I sold off the old iPad Pro, and with the latest price increases, I basically got it for free).
• An Apple Watch Series 11 (my experiment with the Google FitBit Air had to pay off somehow, right?)

All in all, I have thoughts. I can’t touch on all of them today, but I’ll attempt to in the coming weeks.

I’ve also recently been dabbling in an Andy Matuschak’s Working Notes-styled writing project in Obsidian. It’s been a few weeks of now of near-daily evening writing, culminating in some reflections, some prayer, some observations of the world around me, and some questions I have for Future Josh to answer or ponder. It’s been a wonderful little experiment that has provided additional structure to my writing and thinking. Will it ever see the light of day? It depends. The papers are for me and likely shouldn’t be public material. But we’ll see. To write is to teach, so perhaps it’s best for someone to view it at some point.

For today, though, I wanted to discuss my experience adding a new Apple Watch to an iOS 27 beta phone, and why I likely won’t ever download a beta like this again.

I am no longer on the iOS 27 iPhone beta

See above. I traded in my original Apple Watch Ultra for a new Series 11 Apple Watch. Why now, ahead of a pending update in September? A few reasons:

1. The trade-in value for my Watch Ultra was still reasonable, and this saved me from losing that inevitable slide in trade-in price in September.
2. Apple conspicuously left the iPhone and Apple Watch off the list of price increases, likely suggesting higher prices are coming in September for both product lines.
3. I learned what I liked and didn’t like about my Watch Ultra with the Google FitBit Air experiment, which pointed me directly at the current Series 11 feature set.
4. Rumours are suggesting a minor Apple Watch update in September, so I am taking my chances on being satisfied over the summer rather than waiting for a mediocre update.

I excitedly walked into the Polo Park Apple Store yesterday, tried on the 46 mm Apple Watch, instantly fell in love with the thin and light size, and aptly traded in my Watch Ultra. It was a pretty smooth process all in all, one I would do again.

At least until I tried to fire up the Series 11 Watch and pair it with my iPhone. What a debacle.

I was never going to be able to avoid iOS 27 beta software. Once I came off the Siri AI waitlist, I was genuinely impressed — Siri AI made its way to home screen nearly instantly, and I was using new Siri for questions I had never, ever imagined I’d be able to ask it. What’s coming September (or later? Probably later.) will be genuinely exciting for billions of iPhone and iPad users.

But that beta software seems to have gotten in the way. As soon as I attempted the pairing process with the new Watch, everything ground to a halt. I was stuck on the fire-up screen on the Watch, with no way forward. I walked back to the Apple Store, where the Store staff immediately said it was because of the beta software. Online hadn’t suggested these sorts of problems, so I took their answer to be the “easy way out” and put the onus right back on me. Fair, I suppose. I still wasn’t happy.

All in all, I ended up having to downgrade from iOS 27. I had no idea how difficult it would be to revert to iOS 26. Downloading an IPSW file. Using the Option key to restore through Finder (you know you’re in deep trouble when you’re using the Option key in Finder). The whole nine yards.

I’m probably not going to be downloading beta software like this again. I could see waiting for public betas over the summer, but developer betas are officially off the table for my iPhone.

Mexico 2026

It took me ages, but I finally put together a photo gallery of our first family vacation. The Leica Q2 continues to be one of my favourite tangible treasures — it produces imagery effortlessly.

Quote of the Week

“It’s fun to say the perfect thing at the perfect time. The problem is that then you have to bend over and pick up the microphone. Conversations take more effort but tend to be worth it.”

— Seth Godin

Fresh Links Roundup

Here were a few things I shared from the past week. If you want to stay on top of the list throughout the week, don’t be afraid to subscribe via RSS.

• Lettera for Mac
• John Gruber on Om Malik
• Mode Designs’s Summer 2026 Update

Happy Sunday. I hope you have a wonderful week ahead.

P.S. — If you’d like to see this in your email inbox, please subscribe below. If you have trouble subscribing, shoot me an email, and I’ll get you on the list. Thanks for the consideration!

Being a father is easily the most rewarding role in the world. Early on, it’s a grind — sleep, poop, eat, sleep, poop, eat… it gets to you (and is far harder on mothers, to be sure). But that so quickly turns into new best friends you didn’t know you needed. I’m in this “new best friends” discovery phase right now. Where I thought it was fun to be a dad when my girls were newborns and infants, it pales in comparison to the joys of young childhood.

Fatherhood is the best. It is a responsibility. It requires you to die to yourself to serve others. But it is a wholehearted privilege in the most divine way possible.

I Returned the Google FitBit Air

I owned Google’s new FitBit Air for a total of 10 days. I had it for such a short period of time that I don’t have any proper photography to showcase the Air. Which is a shame, really — the Google FitBit Air was an excellent introduction to the Google ecosystem, one which I would like to see Apple flat-out rip-off at some point in the future. What the FitBit Air did, it did well. For me, it’s what it didn’t do well that had it on an airplane destined to be recycled.

I was expecting better inter-operability between Google Health and Apple Health, third-party apps, and third-party hardware. When I did my initial reading of the FitBit Air’s capabilities, there was an explicit direction that Google Health would in some way connect with Apple Health. Which, of course, is true — you can read a number of Apple Health data in Google Health. But you can’t read Google Health data in Apple Health. Writing to Apple Health was a no-go. Which meant sleep tracking and fitness tracking stayed in Google Health and went effectively no further.

This meant I couldn’t measure sleep scores in Bevel or workouts in the Peloton app, the two pieces of health and fitness software I rely on. The inability to write to these apps from the onset quickly became a death knell for my FitBit Air.

And I wouldn’t be surprised if my expectations were premature that Google will soon open up writing into Apple Health and better connectivity with apps like Bevel and Peloton. It even sounded like rumours had started to swirl that better compatibility was already being worked on. For those who are on the fence, perhaps some patience is warranted to see if these sorts of compatibilities ultimately see the light of day.

The last major blow was the poor connectivity with our Peloton Bike. We have an original Bike, which is now upwards of six or seven years old. The technology is by no means new, but I’m not willing to respond the $4,500 to update it. Our Apple Watches continue to connect wonderfully with the Bike, and can even grab data from the Bike and app to track progress in our heart rate zones and send the data to Bevel for further analysis. I had genuinely hoped the FitBit Air could take the place of the Watch, feeding heart rate data in during a ride, and feeding workout data into other health and fitness apps. In short, I was able to see the FitBit Air in the Bluetooth view, but could go no further. At no point did tracked-data feed into the Bike.

I have it on good authority that the connection does work better with new Bikes, such as the Bike+. For me, the lack of proper connectivity was the final straw.

The single biggest positive Google’s FitBit Air provided in the 10 days of ownership: I have a newfound appreciation for my original Apple Watch Ultra. I’ve even started to wear the Ultra for sleep tracking at night. The upcoming software support discontinuation for the original Watch Ultra all but guarantees I’m retiring this Watch in the coming months, but you can be sure I’m replacing it with another Apple Watch. The question is whether I upgrade now to a Series 11 (which doesn’t appear to have a lot new coming in Series 12) or wait for the bigger, chunkier Ultra Series 4 (which is said to have many large upgrades coming).

Overall, the Google FitBit Air experiment was a truly great experience. I learned I appreciate being able to tell the time and check the weather on my wrist more than I thought. I learned about some major disconnects between Apple’s and Google’s walled gardens. And I learned the Apple Watch has snuck into “must-have” device territory for me. That is a great 10-day experiment.

Quote of the Week

“Society grows great when old men plant trees whose shade they know they shall never sit in.”

— An old Greek proverb.

Fresh Links Roundup

Here were a few things I shared from the past week. If you want to stay on top of the list throughout the week, don’t be afraid to subscribe via RSS.

• Cohort Size Matters When Measuring Wealth Across Generations
• Learning On The Shop Floor
• Hold on to Your Hardware

Happy Sunday. I hope you have a wonderful week ahead.

P.S. — If you’d like to see this in your email inbox, please subscribe below. If you have trouble subscribing, shoot me an email, and I’ll get you on the list. Thanks for the consideration!

In a different life, I would have called myself a “product reviewer”. I never hit it like many incredible YouTubers now, but I paid for school with the earnings. It was a thing for me. And it resulted in a backlog of stuff — I reviewed everything from pens and paper to lunch bags to iPads. I have more bits and bobs than anyone should have.

You know what’s cool about that, though? I still, to this day, use a bunch of that gear. I use a 15-year-old 11-inch MacBook Air leather case to tote around this new 11-inch iPad Pro. I still use the Bellroy System Work briefcase. I still often pack this PowerCube when I head on a trip.

I thought it might be fun to revisit some of these old product reviews; to see how the products have held up over time, how the product fit into my life in the long-term, or whether I replaced the product with a new and improved option.

First up, my first ever product reviews for Tools & Toys.

The Hellbrand Leatherworks Field Notes Cover

Field Notes COLORS Editions were a thing, guys. They might actually still be a thing — I still get emails from Field Notes Brand with the latest limited edition releases. When I was first starting out, I found a niche inside the Field Notes club, and I wrote a lot about memo books, paper, and pens. This Field Notes cover was the first leather cover I ever purchased, and the first I ever reviewed.

Well, I no longer use Field Notes memo books to take notes — I now use a reMarkable Paper Pro Move. But you know who constantly find themselves drawing, writing, and sketching in the house? My daughters. I have a severe backlog of unused Field Notes memo books, and my daughters are slowly eating through them. And this Hellbrand cover continues to be practical.

How has it held up? It doesn’t look exactly the way it did when I first reviewed it in 2014, that’s for sure. Frankly, it looks better. I’ve bent it this way and that way to bring out character in the leather. It has a few nicks now, along with a few marker stains from the girls. But it looks spectacular.

Hellbrand Leatherworks doesn’t exist anymore. In fact, they seemed to disappear just a short period after I wrote this review. You can likely find an option on Etsy today, though I feel strongly you’d have a hard time finding this type of longevity. I can directly compare it now to the Bellroy Field Notes cover (the Bellroy option pales in comparison, specifically in terms of leather thickness) or the Traveller’s Notebook (which is a thicker, more beautiful leather and is the only leather I own that has held up better than the Hellbrand cover).

The lesson this Hellbrand Leatherworks Field Notes cover taught me: Buying something once can mean a 20-plus-year lifespan. Products can last a lifetime. Some purchases are literally heirloom quality. Never once has the Hellbrand cover let me down. Unfortunately, there aren’t too many options as good as the Hellbrand on the market today.

Quote of the Week

“Onetime choices—like buying a better mattress or enrolling in an automatic savings plan—are single actions that automate your future habits and deliver increasing returns over time.”

James Clear, Atomic Habits

Fresh Links Roundup

Here were a few things I shared from the past week. If you want to stay on top of the list throughout the week, don’t be afraid to subscribe via RSS.

• Seth Godin on Value Creation
• The Patient Cash Bucket: AI Winners Watchlist & Deployment Tracker
• Bay Street Titan and Astronaut Attempt to Hack Mortality
• A Short and Quick One-Week Look at Claude’s Fable 5

Happy Sunday. I hope you have a wonderful week ahead.

P.S. — If you’d like to see this in your email inbox, please subscribe below. If you have trouble subscribing, shoot me an email, and I’ll get you on the list. Thanks for the consideration!