HilliTech's Newsletter: Light in the darkness

Mickey is here to tell us there is a lot of new story to delve into

Things can be bleak, but having something to hold on to, to look forward to, can make all the difference. As an Apple fan and longtime enjoyer of all things Tetsuya Nomora, there's always something to look forward to.

Here are some links I'd like to share this week. I'm taking this back to text links, because the rich links eat up the space I have available for the newsletter.

Disney targets the ultimate millennial nostalgia

The D23 Disney conference is underway and a Kingdom Hearts anime was announced alongside a new Kingdom Hearts IV trailer. Both offer almost zero new information, but let's dig into it anyway.

Promotional art for the Kingdom Hearts anime of an unknown character holding a keyblade — A keyblade wielder we haven't met yet

First, the anime. No, that isn't Sora, nor is it anyone we've seen before. Those muscles are defined in a way we've rarely seen with a character in the series.

It will be interesting to see exactly where the anime shows up in the timeline, as the press release mentioned it would expand on the world of Kingdom Hearts. Tetsuya Nomora isn't one to do non-canon events.

The clothing style feels very God of War Ragnarök meets Japanese styling. And it can't be an anime without the protagonist having ahoge.

The Keyblade is very stylized and deliberately hides the key and keychain portions so as to not give anything away. I'm going to make a wild guess and say that this will end up being some kind of character that exists during the time between the Age of Fairy Tales and the Xehanort Saga. It would be a good place to help viewers new to the series learn the rules of the universe, uncover some of the wider plot, all while still showing Disney worlds and Final Fantasy characters.

If they want this to be a character that exists during or after the Xehanort Saga, I expect that could lead to some interesting tidbits, but if it cuts too close to what Sora was doing, it will run into the problem of keeping canon from breaking. I'm betting pre-Birth by Sleep, but post-KH3 is also a possibility.

The hint is in the announcement text:

The series reimagines the iconic adventure with a brand-new story that will expand on the universe of Kingdom Hearts while celebrating the characters that have captured the hearts of millions of fans around the world.

I wouldn't get too stuck on "reimagine," as that likely just points to the anime format. The "celebrating characters" part tells me we'll see characters we've seen before, though who and when is obviously the question. It might be fun to see this new character adventure with Mickey when he is still training to use the Keyblade. Why hasn't the King mentioned him before? As always, plot convenience and Mickey being the character he is.

They brushed over the "Mickey knew Aqua and Kairi, and saw Ventus and Roxas" thing pretty easily with a "I wasn't sure what the connection was." I'm sure we'll get more of that.

The new trailer features Coco and some gameplay footage. It certainly looks like Kingdom Hearts, and it does a great job porting Coco into the graphics style. Oh, and in case you were confused about those characters, Sora yells out Strelitzia and Sigurd at the end.

The iPhone Fold conundrum

Apple is releasing a folding iPhone in the fall. At least, all of the rumors still say they are. I'll admit if the project was cancelled or seriously delayed, we'd have heard about it by now. However, I'm still highly skeptical about the product considering we've not seen a single leak of the device or a component.

In any case, let's pretend Apple is announcing an iPhone "Ultra" foldable in September that will ship shortly after.

Anyone that keeps up with my work at AppleInsider will know that I highly prioritize photography features when buying an iPhone. It is why I will always choose an iPhone Pro, and usually the larger one for more display and battery.

Enter the foldable iPhone with a not-as-good-as-the-best camera system. Theoretically, that alone should drive me to the iPhone 18 Pro Max as usual.

However, I also have a job and a passion for tech. It is impossible for me to ignore a wholly new product in Apple's lineup, even if it means spending a year with a less-than-ideal camera system. Like with Apple Vision Pro, I don't want to miss out on the conversation.

Sure, I could get the iPhone 18 Pro Max and get a really good review with a lot of great photos. At the end of the day, it'll be the latest iteration in a long series of iterations from Apple. The story of the device will be rather short, even as innovative as the individual technologies will be.

Then there's the foldable iPhone. I have so many thoughts and questions about this device, and I don't want to simply hear the answer from a third party. I want firsthand experience with the device.

My writing and the podcast benefit from my experiences. If for some reason I hadn't purchased an Apple Vision Pro, I might be repeating other's takes about a lackluster device lacking apps instead of continuing to be surprised and awed by the technology that's on the precipice of something great.

I think I'll survive a year with the foldable iPhone. The thing I worry about the most is my ability to capture photos and video in my day-to-day life. If it is bad at being a camera, I'll have to make up for it with a standalone camera, which I think could be interesting. Whatever the case, missing the shot isn't an option for me.

Here are my questions about the Apple foldable:

Will it be a good camera? Can it capture Spatial Video? Will shooting open or closed make more sense? Camera Control?
What is battery life like?
Will I want to have an iPad mini? Or will this render it redundant?
Will the iPhone foldable be able to connect to an external display?
How will MagSafe accessories work?
Will Apple introduce an Apple Pencil for the tablet?
Would using things like a MagSafe battery pack work when open? Would it feel lopsided? Or would it act as a kind of grip point?
What will I need to change about how I use my tech day-to-day to account for the foldable?
Will the display crease wear in over time? What happens when it is dropped? Is this device super fragile? Can I use it safely in all the places I can use the iPhone 17 Pro Max?
Will it be heavy? How will it feel in my pants pocket?

It will be interesting to see how this first-generation product behaves and exists within the Apple ecosystem. Of course, I've always been a fan of the idea of the technology, it just feels like a fad. It is a technology that no longer needs to exist when AR displays are coming into focus.

This is why I like my job. I'm excited to explore this new device, if it exists, if it releases. If not, I'll be perfectly happy with my iPhone 18 Pro Max.

A gray and black Maine coon mix sitting on a glass table next to a HomePod — Marble is more interested in the games that'll be on a foldable iPhone