# Tek With Josh – Episode 39

## WWDC 2026 Is an S Year

Apple's WWDC 2026 keynote has come and gone, and after all the speculation and anticipation, Joshua believes this was an "S Year" for Apple. Not an S-tier year, but an "S" year in the classic Apple sense—similar to the iPhone 3GS, 4S, and 5S—focused on refinements, optimizations, and incremental improvements rather than major leaps forward.

In this episode of Tek With Josh, Joshua breaks down Apple's biggest announcements, including Siri AI, Apple Intelligence enhancements, iOS 27, macOS Golden Gate, and the latest updates to iPadOS. He discusses Apple's new AI-powered assistant capabilities, cloud-based image generation tools, performance improvements, messaging enhancements, parental controls, and the hardware requirements needed to access some of Apple's newest features.

The conversation also explores how Apple's AI strategy compares to features already available on Android and other AI platforms, concerns about device-specific feature restrictions, and whether Apple's latest announcements justify the excitement surrounding WWDC.

### Topics Covered

- Why WWDC 2026 feels like a classic Apple "S Year"

- Siri AI and Apple's new agentic AI features

- Apple Intelligence and on-device AI processing

- Hardware requirements for advanced AI features

- macOS Golden Gate overview

- iOS 27 improvements and quality-of-life updates

- Enhanced Messages functionality

- AI-powered photo editing and image generation

- Improved parental controls and child safety features

- Faster AirDrop and file transfer enhancements

- Apple's approach to cloud-based AI services

- The future of Apple's AI ecosystem

### Key Takeaway

WWDC 2026 wasn't about revolutionary hardware or groundbreaking new products. Instead, Apple focused on refining existing experiences, improving performance, and integrating AI deeper into its ecosystem. For some users, these changes will be meaningful. For others, it may feel like Apple is finally catching up to capabilities already available elsewhere.

Listen, read, and explore more at:

👉 BooksByJosh.com

🎙️ Tek With Josh — Episode 38
LG Was Weird, and I Miss Them

LG is gone from the smartphone market, but their impact is still everywhere. In this episode, I take a look back at one of the most experimental companies in mobile technology and why I think the industry lost something when they left.

From the LG Wing and modular G5 to the V series, Nexus devices, curved displays, dual-screen accessories, and features like double tap to wake, LG was constantly trying new ideas. Not every experiment worked, and some failures hurt the company in a major way, but they were willing to take risks in a way that few manufacturers are today.

I never used an LG phone as my primary device, but I spent plenty of time around them, setting them up for family members, following their releases, and watching them push boundaries while the rest of the industry played it safe. Looking back, I think many of the ideas we take for granted today owe something to companies like LG that were willing to be a little weird.

What We Talk About

Why LG’s departure from smartphones still matters

The LG Wing and one of the strangest phone designs ever released

The LG Rumor, Fusic, and other memorable feature phones

The rise of the LG G2, G3, and G4

LG’s Nexus partnership with Google

The infamous boot loop problems and class-action lawsuit

The modular LG G5 experiment

The creator-focused V series and manual video controls

Curved displays and the LG G Flex

Dual-screen phones, accessories, and other unusual ideas

Why modern smartphones feel less adventurous than they once did

Why This Stood Out

Technology often moves forward because companies are willing to take chances. LG did not always get it right, but they consistently challenged assumptions about what a phone could be. Many of their ideas failed commercially, yet several concepts they explored eventually found their way into mainstream devices.

The smartphone market today is more refined than ever, but it is also more predictable. Looking back at LG’s history is a reminder that innovation often starts with ideas that seem strange at first.

Final Thoughts

LG’s story is not just about a company that left the smartphone business. It is about a manufacturer that was willing to experiment, take risks, and occasionally fail in public. While their phones were not always the best-selling devices on the market, they helped make the industry more interesting.

Sometimes the companies that matter most are not the ones that win. They are the ones willing to try something different.

About the Show

Tek With Josh is a technology podcast that explores the devices, trends, and ideas that shaped the tech world. From modern innovations to forgotten gadgets and industry reflections, each episode takes a thoughtful look at the technology that influences our lives.

Listen, read, and explore more at:
👉 BooksByJosh.com

The PDA Era Was Weird and Amazing

When Every Phone Tried to Be Something Different

There was a point in time when buying a phone felt like stepping into a completely different ecosystem. Before smartphones became standardized around iOS and Android, the mobile industry was filled with strange ideas, competing operating systems, experimental hardware, and companies all trying to define what portable computing should look like. Phones were not just yearly upgrades back then. They each had their own personality, limitations, strengths, and workflows.

In this episode, I reflect on the PDA and early smartphone era before 2010, a period where devices like the HTC Mogul, Palm Treo, BlackBerry Curve, and HTC G1 all approached mobile technology in radically different ways. From Windows Mobile and Palm OS to BlackBerry and Symbian, every platform felt unique. Some phones focused on messaging, others on productivity, and others tried to become full portable computers before the modern smartphone formula was finalized.

I also talk about the strange features and ideas that made the era memorable: physical keyboards, sliders, trackballs, infrared transfers, removable batteries, wireless syncing, early multitasking, gesture controls, and experimental software features that often disappeared as the industry became more standardized. Looking back at these devices is a reminder that technology once felt far more unpredictable and creative than it does now.

What We Talk About

Why the iPhone 4 marked the beginning of the modern smartphone era

The differences between Palm OS, Windows Mobile, BlackBerry OS, Symbian, and early Android

HTC’s role in shaping early smartphones and Android devices

Why BlackBerry keyboards were so effective for messaging

Palm OS beam sharing and early wireless device syncing

Slider phones, flip phones, trackballs, and experimental hardware designs

Early Android manufacturer customization and unique software features

LG’s influence on features like double tap to wake and rear button layouts

Why smartphones today often feel more iterative than innovative

The shift from experimental mobile devices to standardized ecosystems

Why This Stood Out

What made the PDA era so memorable was not necessarily that the technology was better. In many ways, it was slower, less polished, and far less convenient than what we have now. But it felt exciting because companies were still experimenting. Every device tried to solve problems differently, and every operating system had its own identity and philosophy behind it.

Modern smartphones are incredibly capable, but they are also increasingly similar. During the PDA era, switching devices could completely change how you interacted with technology. That unpredictability made the industry feel creative in a way that is difficult to replicate today.

Final Thoughts

Looking back at the PDA era is more than simple nostalgia. It is a reminder of a period when technology companies were willing to take risks and build devices that felt genuinely different from one another. Many of those ideas disappeared over time, but some of the features we now take for granted started during those experimental years.

The phones may have been strange, bulky, and occasionally frustrating, but they also felt personal. And for many people who lived through that period, that is what made the era so memorable.

About the Show

Tek With Josh is a reflective technology podcast focused on tech history, creator workflows, digital culture, and the changing relationship people have with technology. The show explores both modern and nostalgic topics through personal experience, longform discussion, and thoughtful commentary.

Listen, read, and explore more at:
👉 BooksByJosh.com