HilliTech's Newsletter: Doing better together

It has been yet another week of silly season when it comes to rumors and their coverage. Whether it is repeat information, fake accounts, or verifiably false information, people are rushing to share their thoughts.

I suppose I'm guilty of that too, but only to point out the absurdity.

Here are some stories I'd like to share this week:

‘BusPatrol’ Put AI Cameras in Tens of Thousands of School Buses. Now They Want to Give Cops Access

BusPatrol plans to scan the license plates of all vehicles the buses drive past, and then let law enforcement search that data. The plan would essentially turn school buses into roaming surveillance vehicles.

404 MediaJoseph Cox

Your Heroes Will Always Let You Down

‘The entire thing looks like plastic dogshit’

AftermathLuke Plunkett

Unlearning misogyny to truly appreciate the women and girls of Kingdom Hearts

Kairi, Larxene, and the rest of Kingdom Hearts’ female characters were too often the butt of jokes in the 2000s

MothershipCaelus McKeel

Abxylute M4 review: Smart design can’t save a cramped controller

The Abxylute M4 joins the growing trend of tiny iPhone controllers with an excellent concept, but its tiny layout and iPhone placement make it tough to use.

AppleInsiderWesley Hilliard

The last visionOS 26 review: Apathy about Apple Vision Pro on display

Apple Vision Pro isn’t a priority product for Apple’s teams, and it shows in the development of visionOS 26. Bug fixes, minor adjustments, and nearly zero feature additions define the year.

AppleInsiderWesley Hilliard

I Love Boosters Is A Live Action Looney Tune

It’s the movie of all time.

AftermathGita Jackson

Bad leaks continue

This topic is so evergreen I feel like I've discussed it elsewhere already, but I'll share some thoughts here again given the news cycle lately.

The breathless coverage of every possible "leak" about Apple and tech is exhausting. There needs to be some level of discretion on what we cover, or we have to cover everything and dilute the work we perform.

I discussed this at length on the AppleInsider Podcast this week, so find more detail there, in video! I don't want to reiterate more than I need to, but the gist is this: we all need to do the bare minimum before giving any credence to a rumor.

Reverse image search, historic accuracy, and talking to the leaker directly when possible are all things every tech journalist should be doing. Instead, it seems that all someone has to do is post something, call it a leak, and get it published on a trusted website.

Because of that, AppleInsider is forced to cover these poorly sourced non-leaks because not commenting on it would leave us out of the conversation. At the least, we do get the ability to point out that something is utter bullshit.

Worst of all, these kinds of stories keep getting covered with headlines suggesting there's something there when there isn't. I'm glad some publications are saying these leakers are wrong or fake, but it is happening well within the text where fewer readers tread these days.

Readers need to do better too. Don't give your clicks and attention to places that try to peddle poorly sourced leaks as truth. That will help disincentivize them from covering the more ludicrously sourced rumors.

I think this is the other side of the same coin when it comes to doing better discussing company PR talking points.

Some reviews

I published two reviews on Friday, both linked above. visionOS 26 is at a standstill and a mobile gaming controller from Abxylute leaves a lot to be desired.

I love performing reviews and providing my thoughts to readers. I've often been accused of being a fanboy incapable of criticism, but those kinds of accusations usually occur on my higher-scoring reviews.

As you can see from these two, I can be critical where warranted. Apple needs to put more attention on visionOS throughout the year, not just at WWDC, and it shows in how little changed since WWDC 2025.

The Abxylute M4 was a surprise considering how great their large grip controller is. They nailed the tiny form factor, but that's actually the problem with this device – it's just too small.

I think Abxylute crossed the minimum thread hold for a comfortable controller to hold. This one is just too cramped and needs more space to be useful, even when held on its own. I think the stiff joysticks are what made it particularly hard to use.

I hope you go read the full reviews for each one and let me know what you think.

Trying a new name

As time has gone on, this weekly newsletter became less about Apple and I wanted to make a change. The "HilliTech Newsletter" name likely won't be permanent, but it's a placeholder that simply says what it is.

I want this to be a place where I can share work I've enjoyed from other publications throughout the week, expand on some thoughts on various topics I may not have covered directly on the blog, and give life updates.

Perhaps I'll think of a more fitting name, or this one will stick. Either way, it says what it is on the tin.

Oh, and I purchased a thermal sticker printer for $20. Definitely going to get some use out of this thing.

This is a shorter newsletter this week if only because I don't have much to say beyond what I've already written. The tech world is holding its breath ahead of WWDC and I too want to make sure I hold back in the meantime. It's sure to be quite the event.