Thoughts

I wasn’t sure if I was actually going to get the iPhone Duo. I’ve never really been somebody who gets a new iPhone right when it comes out; it’s always seemed like a waste of money.

I debated it for a while. I had one preordered, but, like a lot of people, mine wasn’t going to arrive until December. So I stopped by my local Apple Store on release day, October 23rd, and lo and behold, they had some. I grabbed the one I wanted: the 256GB model.

I’m loving it so far, actually, which surprises me. I had some pretty big buyer’s remorse after I bought it. I waited a few hours to even open it because I wasn’t sure if I wanted to sell it, return it, or whatever. But after using it for the weekend, I love it.

I’m not really sure why. I think I’m a much bigger fan of the form factor than I expected. I like that it’s a little more square, and being able to open it up to a larger screen is fantastic for YouTube and apps that already support the larger viewport. ChatGPT and Claude are both really good on it. Flighty is great; Maps is great.

But yeah, the cameras are obviously god-awful. It sucks. When I travel, I usually have a real camera anyway, so it’s not a huge deal, but it would be nice if the camera were better. I’m sure they’ll improve it in the next generation to convince people—suckers like me who bought the first one—to buy the second one. But that’s alright.

Overall, I’m surprised by how much I like the Duo. I think it’ll get better when iOS 28 comes out and more apps support it natively. That’s when it’ll really start to shine. I’m curious to see what apps like Instagram and TikTok do with the different screen sizes. The Duo isn’t the first foldable—they’ve been around for a while—but I’m sure it’ll be the most widely adopted.

We’ll see. I’m hopeful, and honestly still shocked that I’m enjoying it as much as I am.

The SF Giants have been my new adopted baseball team since moving to the Bay Area in 2021. Being originally from the South, my family’s team has always been the Atlanta Braves. I’ve been going to Braves games in Atlanta since I was probably 6 years old and still do when visiting family.

Now, living in the Bay Area and finding my second team, I’m finally feeling a huge sense of community and pride surrounding the Giants (although, they’ve been mostly trash since I moved here, sadly).

Going to the games at Oracle Park is, I believe, is a second-to-none experience for any field in the MLB. I’ve been fortunate to probably see games at 10+ stadiums, and while some like Fenway and Wrigley have amazing history, the experience and pure awe of attending games at Oracle Park seems to always succeed even the most “pure” baseball ones.

Taking the ferry from Marin on game days, packed with fans. Getting something to eat at the ferry building and picking up some road beers for the 15-minute walk down the Embarcadero. Stopping in for another beer at Red’s or the Hi Dive (if you want to deal with the crowds). And finally seeing the most beautifully set park in all of baseball.

The entire Giants game experience for me has just been so much fun, and after attending yesterday’s game (which was a great one to go to as a Giant’s fan!) I think I truly realized this after going to about 5 games per year since 2021. If you are blessed enough to live in San Francisco or the Bay Area, you should be thrilled that a place like Oracle Park is in your backyard. Even if the Giants are a mess right now.