Your Apple Watch Is More Powerful Than You Think

Your Apple Watch has more computing power than which of these?

A. The computer that guided Apollo 11 to the Moon
B. A desktop computer from 1995
C. The original iPhone
D. All of the above

Answer: D — All of the above!

It may be hard to believe, but the little computer sitting on your wrist has more computing power than all three.

The Apollo Guidance Computer was groundbreaking technology when Apollo 11 went to the Moon in 1969, but today’s consumer electronics operate on an entirely different scale. Even compared with a typical desktop computer from the mid-1990s or the original iPhone, a modern Apple Watch packs an impressive amount of computing capability into a remarkably small package.

And unlike those older computers, your Apple Watch is doing much more than telling time. It can track workouts and health data, run apps, communicate wirelessly, play music, handle messages, process voice commands, and perform many other tasks—all from your wrist.

Technology has come a long way.

Answer: B — That’s a Windows error on a MacBook.

Windows can run on Apple hardware. For years, Intel-based Macs could run Windows directly using Apple’s Boot Camp, and Windows can also be run on a Mac using virtualization software.

So Windows running on a Mac isn’t actually the problem. What makes this picture unusual is seeing an old-school Windows crash screen on a MacBook.

And a blue screen doesn’t necessarily mean there’s a hardware problem. Windows can crash for many reasons, including software, drivers, and hardware issues.

As for answer D—yes, Macs can have errors too.

Answer: B — It clears temporary problems and reconnects your network.

When you reboot your router, you’re restarting the device and its network connections. That clears temporary memory and can resolve glitches that may be causing slow speeds, dropped connections, or other network problems.

Answer: D — Fish it out, towel it dry, and don’t panic.

The iPhone 12 has an IP68 water-resistance rating and was tested under controlled laboratory conditions at depths of up to 6 meters (about 20 feet) for up to 30 minutes.

If your phone takes an unexpected swim, remove it from the water and dry the outside with a soft cloth. Don’t charge it until the charging port is completely dry.

And skip the rice and hair dryer. Apple advises against using external heat or putting a wet iPhone in rice.

One important catch: Water resistance isn’t permanent. It can decrease as a phone ages or if it has been dropped, damaged, or repaired.

How Software may have driven two perfectly good airplanes into the ground

Not every problem is best solved with software. As software continues to take over everything around us, problems like the ones afflicting the Boeing 737 Max are going to multiply.

Great article from IEEE Spectrum on how software affects how a pilot can fly a 737 Max.

It has become a lot safer in most instances to use airport and hotel WiFi. Story at Wired.