Sheftali's Unknown

Updated September 2026: in late 2020 I was put off the iPhone 12 by its price and by Apple removing the charger from the box, and considered an iPhone 11 plus AirPods Pro instead. I have rewritten it into a guide to charging an iPhone now that no charger is included, and to that older-model trade-off.

My plan had been the iPhone 12. Its price and the missing charger made me reconsider. The iPhone 11 was attractively priced by then, and choosing it would let me stretch my budget to AirPods Pro, which I had wanted for a long time for their sound and because my office calls often ran over an hour.

Why did Apple stop including a charger?

From October 2020, Apple removed the power adapter and EarPods from iPhone boxes, citing environmental reasons: smaller boxes and less electronic waste, since most buyers already owned chargers. Critics pointed out that buyers without a suitable adapter now had to buy one separately. Other phone makers followed on many models.

Which charger should you buy for an iPhone?

• A USB-C power adapter supporting USB Power Delivery, rated 20 W or more, for fast charging.
• The right cable: USB-C to Lightning for iPhones up to the iPhone 14, and USB-C to USB-C for iPhone 15 and later, which switched to USB-C.
• A reputable brand with proper safety certification, rather than the cheapest unbranded adapter.

An older USB-A adapter still works, but charges noticeably slower.

Is an older iPhone plus AirPods better value?

Often, for people like me who spend long hours on calls or listening. A one-year-old iPhone does almost everything the new one does, and the price difference can buy quality earbuds, which change the daily experience more than a slightly faster chip. The trade-off is a shorter remaining software support window, which matters if you keep phones for many years.

Do AirPods Pro suit long work calls?

They are comfortable for long periods for many people, noise cancellation helps on calls in noisy homes, and transparency mode lets you hear the room. Battery life per charge is a few hours, with the case recharging them, so very long call days need a quick top-up in the case between calls.

What should you check before deciding?

Whether you already own a suitable USB-C charger, how long you keep phones, and whether the new model has a feature you will actually use. If none of these favours the new model, last year's iPhone plus the accessory you really want is a sound choice.

Keep reading

• Using AirPods Pro Through a Long Workday
• Apple TV 4K vs Android TV Boxes: Worth the Price?
• Apple's Outdated Charging Speeds in 2025: The Real Gap

Updated September 2026: in June 2020, days before Apple announced iOS 14, I wrote down my predictions based on Apple's track record, including home screen widgets. I have rewritten the post to compare those predictions with what iOS 14 actually brought, and why it still matters for iPhone users.

I made my predictions without any inside sources, only from Apple's history and what analysts were discussing. My two main guesses were that Apple would focus on performance improvements, and that it would bring widgets to the home screen, perhaps in a panel you could swipe to. The second turned out to be the headline of the release.

What did iOS 14 actually introduce?

• Home screen widgets: resizable widgets that could sit among app icons, plus a Smart Stack that rotated widgets through the day.
• App Library: an automatically organised list of all apps at the end of the home screen pages, letting users hide pages.
• Compact calls: incoming calls as a banner instead of taking over the whole screen.
• Picture in picture for video on iPhone.
• App Clips: small parts of apps launched without installing the full app.
• Default apps: the ability to choose a different default browser and email app.
• A Translate app for conversation and text.

Which predictions came true?

Widgets, clearly. Apple's version went further than a swipe-in panel: widgets could live directly on the home screen, which was a real change in how iPhones looked. The performance focus was less visible in the announcement; features, not speed, dominated the launch.

Why were the predictions possible?

Because Apple often adopts features after they have matured elsewhere, and because widgets had existed in a limited form in the Today View for years. Watching what Apple has already half-built is usually a better guide than rumours.

Do these features still matter?

Yes. Home screen widgets, the App Library and compact calls remain part of iOS today, and customisation has kept expanding in later versions. If you never set up widgets or hide home screen pages with the App Library, it is worth ten minutes: a tidier home screen with the information you check most is one of the easiest ways to make an iPhone feel faster to use.

How can you make predictions like this yourself?

Follow Apple's developer conference each June, look at what the previous version introduced in a limited form, and treat single-source rumours cautiously. Most of what arrives each year is an extension of the year before.

Keep reading

• iPhone 14 vs iPhone 13: Which to Buy Used Today
• Windows 365 Cloud PC: Should Apple Offer a Cloud Mac?
• Windows 10 Support Extended to 2027: What ESU Covers

Updated September 2026: in June 2020, working from home, I was given a two-week opportunity to collate slides on listed topics with a clear storyline. I built it as my manager described, and the onsite team discarded it, having never agreed that approach. I have rewritten it into advice on building a proposal storyline under a short turnaround.

I had just returned from leave and was working from home because of the pandemic. My manager messaged that a new opportunity had arrived from a familiar account team, with a two-week turnaround. His brief was to collate slides on listed topics with a defined storyline; customisation would come later with inputs from the delivery team. I put in the effort, built the storyline, and the onsite team, who had not been part of that brief, set it aside.

What is a proposal storyline?

It is the sequence of messages the proposal makes, from the client's problem to your solution to why you are the right partner, with each slide supporting one point. A good storyline lets a reader skim the headlines and understand the argument. Collecting good slides without an agreed storyline produces a deck that reads like a catalogue.

Who should agree the storyline?

The person who will present it to the client, usually the onsite lead or account manager. An offshore brief, even from your own manager, is a starting point unless the presenter has confirmed it. That was the gap in my case: the storyline was agreed between offshore people, not with the onsite team who owned the client conversation.

How do you build one quickly?

• Write the storyline as five to eight headline sentences before touching slides.
• Send those sentences to the onsite lead for approval. It takes minutes to review.
• Map existing slides to each headline, and list the gaps.
• Build only the gaps, then customise with delivery team inputs.

What makes a two-week turnaround manageable?

An approved storyline by day two, a first full draft by the end of week one, and one agreed review cycle in week two. Anything beyond that must come with a trade-off. Short turnarounds fail when direction is settled late, not when the team works slowly.

What if your manager and the onsite team disagree?

Get them on the same thread early. Share the storyline sentences with both and ask for a single agreed version before building. It avoids spending days on a direction one of them has not accepted.

Keep reading

• A Colleague Escalated Against You? How to Respond
• When a Client Contact Bypasses Your Manager
• Estimating Your Real Workload Before It Lands

Updated September 2026: in March 2020 I came back from a long vacation hoping for a fresh start with a new delivery team, and within hours was pulled back into the old request I had worked on before leaving, with the same people I had clashed with. I have rewritten it into a guide to closing requests properly so they are less likely to come back.

My leave had been restful and uninterrupted. I logged back in keen to take on a new request and prove I could deliver without escalations. Within hours, the old email thread reopened with additional services requested, and there was nobody to hand it to. It meant working again with the same people I had struggled with before.

Why do closed requests come back?

Because they were never formally closed. The deck was sent, everyone moved on, and nobody confirmed that the client was satisfied or recorded what was delivered. When the client returns with more questions, the thread reopens and the same person gets pulled back, because they are the one who knows the history.

How do you close a request properly?

• Send a closing email listing what was delivered, the final version and any open points, and ask for confirmation.
• Store the final version in a shared location with a clear name, not only in email.
• Write a short handover note on the context and decisions, so someone else can pick it up.
• Tell your manager that it is closed, and who else could handle follow-ups.

How do you avoid being the only person who can help?

The handover note is the key. If the context lives only in your head, you will be pulled back every time. If it is written down, your manager can reasonably assign follow-ups to someone else, especially if you are already committed to new work.

What if you are pulled back anyway?

Treat it as a new request with its own scope. Ask what the "additional services" are, estimate the effort, and agree with your manager how it fits alongside anything new. Being pulled back is not a reason to let the old work expand without limits.

How do you work again with people you clashed with?

Rely on structure. Confirm scope in writing, keep communication in shared channels and summarise each call. Past conflict often came from ambiguity, and clear process leaves less room for it. It also gives you a record if the same problems return.

Keep reading

• When a Client Contact Bypasses Your Manager
• Estimating Your Real Workload Before It Lands
• Weekend Work Requests in IT: Setting Limits

Updated September 2026: in February 2020 my manager told me a new request would need heavy effort for two weeks. I called the delivery lead, who said the work was small, and then old work from a difficult team resurfaced anyway. I have rewritten it into advice on estimating your real workload before it lands.

My manager described the new request as two weeks of heavy work. Based on past experience, I suspected he did not know the details, so the next working day I called the delivery person directly. He said the work was modest and needed limited support from me. I was pleased, until an old request with a difficult delivery and account team came back and filled the gap.

Why are workload estimates often wrong?

Because they are passed along second-hand. A manager hears about a request from an account team, adds a margin, and relays it. The person closest to the work, often the delivery lead, has a much better idea of what is actually needed. Estimates also ignore work that has not arrived yet, like old requests coming back.

How do you get a more accurate picture?

• Talk to the delivery lead early, as I did, and ask what they need from you specifically.
• Ask for the deliverables list, not a description of effort.
• Check for dependencies: client inputs, other teams and review cycles that set the real pace.
• Write your own estimate and share it with your manager.

How do you account for old work returning?

Keep a short list of recently closed requests that could reopen, with the people involved. When you are asked for your availability, mention them: "I have the new request at about 30 percent, and the old one may come back after the client review." Forecasting the return of old work is easier than absorbing it by surprise.

Should you enjoy a light period?

Yes, but use part of it well. Tell your manager what your real load is, so they can plan, and put some of the free time into reusable material or learning. Keeping quiet about spare capacity rarely lasts, and it can look worse later than having said so.

What should you tell your manager?

Your independent estimate, briefly and without implying they got it wrong: "I spoke to the delivery lead; it looks like a few days rather than two weeks. I can take on something else alongside it." Managers generally appreciate better information, and it builds trust in your estimates for next time.

Keep reading

• Weekend Work Requests in IT: Setting Limits
• Closing a Service Request So It Does Not Come Back
• Starting Work With a Difficult Stakeholder: First Steps

Updated September 2026: in early 2020, while I was on vacation, my manager stopped responding to the onsite team after they kept discarding his changes. When I returned, the onsite contact emailed me directly and left him out. I looped him back in. I have rewritten it into advice for when a client-side contact starts bypassing your manager.

While I was away, my manager grew frustrated that the onsite team kept rejecting the slides he worked on, and at one point he ignored their emails and waited for me to return. When I did, the onsite point of contact wrote directly to me with the changes, leaving my manager off. I added him to the thread so that nothing would later be escalated as a surprise, and checked with him separately that he was aware. This time he was happy for me to make the updates, and we closed the request and submitted the deck by the end of the weekend.

Why do stakeholders start bypassing a manager?

Usually because communication through the manager has stopped working: replies are slow, changes are disputed or the manager has disengaged, as mine had. The stakeholder goes to whoever gets the work done. It is a signal about the working relationship, not necessarily about anyone's competence.

Should you reply directly or loop your manager in?

Loop them in, openly, as I did. Replying privately might feel efficient, but it puts you in the middle of a relationship problem that is not yours to solve, and it can look like you are going around your manager. Adding them keeps the record complete and protects you if something goes wrong later.

How do you raise it with your manager?

Privately and without judgement: "The onsite team sent these changes to me directly. I have copied you. How would you like us to handle their requests from here?" This gives your manager the chance to reset the arrangement, whether by re-engaging or by agreeing that you handle the day-to-day.

What if your manager is happy for you to take over?

Agree the boundaries: which decisions you can make, which need their approval, and how you will keep them informed. Then tell the stakeholder, so they know who to contact. A clear handover of day-to-day contact is healthier than an informal workaround.

How do you close the work cleanly?

Confirm the final version with both the stakeholder and your manager, submit, and send a short closing email noting what was delivered. Clean closure helps everyone reset before the next opportunity, especially after a tense one.

Keep reading

• Starting Work With a Difficult Stakeholder: First Steps
• Closing a Service Request So It Does Not Come Back
• A Colleague Escalated Against You? How to Respond