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Meta Muse AI & Smart Glasses, iPhone 18 Pro Max In-Depth review & easy iOS data transfer | Tech Today
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00:13What if your AI knew you almost as well as your closest friend?
00:19Your habits, your preferences, even the little details you casually share with your friend or AI.
00:25That's the bet Meta is making with Muse, its latest software, AI ecosystem and also the hardware.
00:32But how much of our lives should we really hand over to artificial intelligence?
00:37That's our big tech story, so stick around for that one.
00:41And then there is the latest Apple flagship with us, the iPhone 18 Pro Max.
00:46We've been using it for a couple of weeks and do I really think that you should buy this for
00:50almost 2 lakh rupees?
00:52Wait for the review because that one is really interesting.
00:55Plus, if you've just bought a new iPhone and want to transfer everything, all of your data to a new
01:00iPhone,
01:01I have some very handy tips for that.
01:04So, that's our show for this week.
01:06I'm Cyrus, you're watching the Tech Today Show and let's start with the top tech headlines of the week.
01:15The Australian government announced an autonomous AI agent from OpenAI broke into a federal government health portal containing national Medicare
01:23statistics.
01:24Prime Minister Anthony Albanese called the breach unacceptable and confirmed an official inquiry is now investigating the security failure.
01:32While officials say no private patient records were stolen, the incident has triggered global alarm over AI systems acting without
01:40human authorization.
01:45Adobe has officially released its flagship Premiere video editing app on Android, offering core video editing features and 4K exports
01:54completely free without any watermark.
01:57The app gives mobile creators multi-track timelines, background noise clean-up and more editing tools for better video.
02:05It marks Adobe's biggest push yet to bring professional creative software to mainstream Android smartphones.
02:16And Qualcomm has unveiled a new concept for wireless earbuds equipped with built-in cameras to give AI assistants real
02:25-time visual awareness.
02:26The cameras act as a visual sensor rather than standard recorders, allowing on-device AI to see what you see
02:33and answer context-aware questions.
02:36Powered by the new Snapdragon Sound Elite chip, the technology points towards a future
02:41where audio wearables handle multimodal tasks.
02:53Think about the last time you actually used an AI assistant and I mean a good one actually.
02:59Maybe you wanted to write an email with it, explain something, plan a holiday, XYZ, there are so many things.
03:04You go to options like ChatGPT, Gemini or one of those AI apps you have out there, right?
03:10You ask the question, get the answer and then you do the actual work.
03:15It's you who's doing the actual work.
03:17But what if you did not have to do any of that heavy lifting that I was talking about?
03:22What if you could simply say maybe I'm going to Japan next month,
03:26sort out an itinerary, check my calendar, find me a hotel and tell me what I need to book.
03:31And then the AI actually goes and does all of that and then it comes back to you.
03:36That's the idea behind Muse, Meta's new personal AI agent.
03:44Muse is pitched as a very capable personal assistant living inside your phone and your computer
03:50that can potentially interact with the digital services you use every day.
03:55You tell Muse what you want done and it can take steps required to get there.
03:59That's not special, I need to be special.
04:01Light, airy textures can add a special feel.
04:04Yes, I want it to feel as though I'm biting into a cloud.
04:06Like send emails, manage your calendar, browse websites, fill forms and even shop online.
04:12It can also remember things you've told it and use that information later.
04:17Meta launched Muse on the 8th of this month and according to the app intelligence firm Apptopia,
04:22it crossed roughly 2.8 million downloads in the first 12 days.
04:27It also briefly reached number one on the US App Store.
04:31But the number of downloads isn't actually the most interesting part.
04:35What matters is what Meta wants those millions of people to do next.
04:39Because Meta doesn't want Muse to remain an app that you open when you need help.
04:44It wants the AI agent to become something that is simply right there on your devices.
04:50And that brings us to this year's Meta Connect.
04:54Now if you've followed Meta's AI glasses story in the past couple of months,
04:58you may have noticed something interesting.
05:00Meta has been quietly moving AI out of the smartphone and putting it on your face, quite literally.
05:06Now at this year's Meta Connect, the company basically showed us what happens when the idea and Muse come together
05:14in the form of new hardware and software just combining.
05:18Meta announced that Muse is coming to its AI glasses, so you can talk to your personal AI without pulling
05:24out your phone.
05:24And this is where Meta's hardware strategy suddenly starts to make sense.
05:29The company introduced Ray-Ban Meta Audio, its first audio-only AI glasses.
05:35They look much more like ordinary Ray-Bans than a piece of futuristic hardware, weigh about 43 grams and are
05:43designed to give you music, calls and hands-free access to AI.
05:47Meta says they can run up to 12 hours on a charge with another 48 hours from the charging case.
05:55Then there is Ray-Ban Meta Gen 3, with a slimmer design, longer battery life, a 12-megapixel camera and
06:02a new customisable action button that gives you quick access to Meta AI.
06:07And then came perhaps the most ambitious hardware announcement of all, Meta VR glasses.
06:14These are designed to look and feel much more like normal glasses than a traditional VR headset, weigh around 100
06:21grams and have a 5K micro OLED display.
06:25They can essentially become your personal cinema, gaming screen or multi-monitor workspace.
06:31And once again, Muse is a part of the experience.
06:34With Muse the brain, the glasses are the interface.
06:39And Meta wants both to be with you all day.
06:44Now you said, I understand reasonably over here, that everybody is doing the same old thing.
06:48You'd be right.
06:49OpenAI has its own agent that can use a virtual computer, browse websites and complete multi-step tasks over there.
06:56Google has Gemini Spark, which can work in the background across Google's ecosystem and handle tasks using services like Gmail,
07:04Docs and Sheets and multiple of these apps are already existing.
07:07So Muse isn't necessarily winning because Meta has invented the AI agent over here.
07:13The interesting difference is where Meta is taking its new services.
07:18Thanks to all the personal data Meta has, it is trying to make Muse understand your social and personal context
07:23and then react through the hardware.
07:26And then there is the rather obvious upside to this.
07:29The more context the AI has, the more useful it can potentially become.
07:33But then there is also the equally obvious downside.
07:36The more the AI knows about you, the more you are trusting the company behind it.
07:42And with Meta, that isn't a small footnote.
07:46It is probably the biggest question surrounding Muse.
07:52Because if you give an AI access to your email, your calendar, your shopping accounts, basically everything, even your conversations,
08:00by the way, you are not just giving it information, but you're giving it permission to act on your behalf.
08:06And that's critical because that totally changes the privacy and security equation that comes with this new technology.
08:14However, Meta says it knows this and it has built a fairly elaborate security system around Muse.
08:21The agent runs inside what Meta calls a Muse Secure VM, essentially a dedicated virtual computer inside the cloud where
08:29your agent, data and credentials are kept separate.
08:33Stuff that even Meta can't read.
08:36Another system called Sentinel monitors what Muse does and controls what it can access.
08:42Meta says Muse doesn't actually see your passwords or payment information, even when it uses those credentials to complete a
08:49task.
08:49And I know, you will say, we've heard these promises from Meta in the past and yet these things haven't
08:56gone well.
08:57If someone hacks your chatbot, you might get a bad answer over there.
09:01But if someone interferes with an AI that has access to your email, calendar, your life, the consequences can be
09:09very different.
09:11Like Amazon has blocked Muse from browsing and making purchases on its platform.
09:16Amazon says Meta did not get permission to access the site through the AI agent and has raised concerns around
09:22how Muse identifies itself and how credentials are handled.
09:26Meta disputes some of those concerns and says Muse does not have access to users' passwords or payment information.
09:32Shopify has taken a very different approach.
09:35It has partnered with Meta to allow AI agents to browse products and complete purchases through Shopify's checkout infrastructure, including
09:43the ShopPay.
09:45And this is actually much bigger than an argument between Amazon and Meta.
09:50Imagine you tell Muse, I need a new pair of running shoes over here, find me something under 10,000
09:56rupees my size and then order it.
09:58The traditional internet was built around you visiting websites when you search, compare and then finalize the option, right?
10:04But if an AI agent does all of that for you, is it really making the right choices and how
10:10can you be sure what you're picking is not influenced by any paid advertisers?
10:16And suddenly companies have to decide whether they want AI agents browsing their platforms, buying their products and potentially replacing
10:24the customer relationship that they've spent years building.
10:28That's why this battle matters.
10:32But the biggest problem Meta has to deal with is winning trust.
10:36Because now the company wants to put cameras, microphones and AI assistant on your face and around your neck.
10:44That creates a very different kind of trust problem.
10:47With a phone, at least you know when you've picked it up.
10:51But with glasses, the technology is sitting on your face while you're having a conversation or just exploring.
10:58While Meta has tried to address some of the concerns with recording indicators and privacy controls, but the broader concern
11:04isn't going away.
11:06And that brings us back to the question we started with.
11:09Is Muse really about making AI smarter?
11:12Or is it just about getting more data out of you to train AI?
11:18Now Muse could turn Meta from a company where we just host content to something which actually starts making decisions
11:25and taking actions on our behalf.
11:27Whether that becomes Meta's biggest AI opportunity or another reason for people to question the company,
11:34we will just have to wait and watch how Muse changes the way you see AI.
11:40But as always, be very careful with what you share with artificial intelligence.
11:45Because remember, these AI companies, they are not your best friends.
12:01So I am currently an iPhone 17 Pro Max user and I also have the 18 Pro Max this year.
12:07However, I don't feel like upgrading.
12:09Yes, I agree the 18 Pro Max gets some incremental updates like you get the variable aperture, better battery life,
12:17you're also getting the A20 Pro chipset, but you're also paying almost 1.8 lakh rupees for this smartphone.
12:24However, I understand if you are upgrading from the 13, 14 or even the 15 Pro series,
12:29then you are getting major upgrades with the 18 Pro Max.
12:33So let's talk about what the 18 Pro Max offers and whether you should actually consider buying this smartphone.
12:43Now, when you take a look at the design of both these smartphones, the 17 Pro Max and the 18
12:48Pro Max,
12:49they look very similar. Yes, the colors are different.
12:51However, if you want to check changes, there are a few subtle ones and I mean, you have to look
12:57really, really close.
12:59Because the overall design, dimensions and layout remain very familiar.
13:04The Dynamic Island is smaller and Apple has moved the infrared sensor to the top left for the Face ID,
13:10which frees up some space now.
13:12Also, now you get to see three applications at the top on the Dynamic Island,
13:16which adds more reference for what's running in the background.
13:20And this is the black variant that attracts smudges,
13:23but that's common for any dark shade of this series that you will buy.
13:28And what you will immediately notice is the extra weight over here.
13:33Because the iPhone 18 Pro Max weighs 249 grams and that's more than the 17 Pro Max.
13:39And that is not insignificant.
13:42That's basically a quarter kilo of a smartphone more that you will have to carry.
13:46And after having used this one for almost two weeks,
13:50I will say this is one of the biggest reasons I am not upgrading to the 18 Pro Max
13:54because it is heavy this time around.
13:57But understand that Apple has put in a larger battery,
13:59a new generation vapor chamber to manage the A20 Pro's heat.
14:03And there is also legitimate engineering reasons that add to the extra weight.
14:10But as a user, I would not want to add some extra bulk on my smartphone despite the fact I
14:16am getting more battery
14:18because I am absolutely happy with what I am getting on the 17 Pro Max.
14:22However, if you are upgrading from the older versions, I don't think the extra weight will matter to you.
14:31Now, without a doubt, the display on the 18 Pro Max is excellent.
14:35It comes with a 6.9 inch OLED panel with up to 120Hz refresh rate and it can reach up
14:41to 3000 nits of peak brightness outdoors.
14:44And it's sharp, bright and very easy to use even under harsh sunlight.
14:52Now, performance is a department where the 18 Pro Max is seeing a serious jump.
14:57Because this one comes with the new A20 Pro chipset with a 6-core CPU, 7-core GPU,
15:03hardware ray tracing and a dual 16-core neural engine.
15:08Now, Apple has also added a new vapor chamber to sustain performance,
15:11particularly during demanding workloads and also on-device AI.
15:15And my benchmark numbers show just how much faster this chip is.
15:20On Antutu, my 17 Pro Max got this score.
15:23While compared to that on the 18 Pro Max, this was my score, which is roughly 40% higher.
15:29On Geekbench, these are my comparative scores.
15:32That's a roughly 26% higher score on a single-core and 33% higher on multi-core.
15:39And if you are a gamer, this is one of the best phones that you can buy right now.
15:43Because demanding games run smoothly thanks to the extra GPU and thermal headroom.
15:48And it gives the phone plenty of breathing room as well.
15:51And then there is the iOS 27 experience that you get on the 18 Pro Max,
15:55which is much more refined than before.
15:57Because not only Apple intelligence is better,
16:00but also the inclusion of Siri AI and all of the new AI features,
16:03like the new photo editing features, they feel seamless and more immersive on this one.
16:08But remember, a lot of the software features aren't exclusive to the 18 Pro Max.
16:13They are a part of iOS 27 that will also be supported on other iPhones.
16:18However, Siri AI, yes, it is better this time around and a better experience on the 18 Pro Max.
16:24It understands context better, can work with information on your phone and is much more conversational.
16:32But I will not call it a finished product.
16:36Because I could find specific photos and fetch email from my Gmail using Siri,
16:40but when I tried getting it to find specific conversations in iMessages,
16:45it simply did not work for me.
16:47Apple is still calling Siri AI that's in the beta version and I feel that's fair.
16:55Now, camera is one of the major talking points on this smartphone because it is getting a mechanical upgrade
17:01with the variable aperture that has a physical moving shutter that's for the first time coming to an iPhone.
17:07Because you can move between different apertures giving you control over how much light enters the lens
17:12and how much the scene stays in focus.
17:15Apple has also added proper Pro controls for things like aperture, shutter speed, white balance and focus.
17:20Now, don't get excited because this isn't going to give you an exact DSLR experience.
17:25Yes, there are some Pro tools which just enhance your overall photography,
17:28but most iPhone users pick up an iPhone and just point and shoot.
17:32That's basically what they do.
17:34However, for people who want some Pro tools, you have some of them this year.
17:39And if you actually understand photography, it gives you another creative tool.
17:44For example, look at this light effect which I could pull off with the aperture mode
17:47and the difference in depth in these shots is actually visible.
17:51All done using the new variable aperture.
17:54And personally, I also like this feature because this new variable aperture also works in video mode.
17:59Because previously when I wanted to shoot a frame in shallow depth, I had to rely heavily on the cinematic
18:05mode.
18:05Now in the manual mode, I can actually change the aperture and control the depth effect myself.
18:11You also get plenty of photo styles to play around with.
18:15And I will stick my neck out and say that this still remains one of the best phones to shoot
18:20videos even today.
18:21The stabilization, dynamic range, color and consistency between lenses are excellent.
18:26And Apple has also added features like post-capture cinematic effects and improved focus tracking
18:31which you can make changes to after you have recorded the video which is great.
18:36Then there is also the 18MP center stage front camera.
18:39The selfie produces detailed, natural looking images.
18:43And the new center stage system is particularly useful for video calls and group selfies
18:47because it can keep people in the frame.
18:49So to conclude, I would say the biggest difference in this camera is the new variable aperture system
18:55that you are getting to experience more manual controls, more pro controls.
18:59And if you buy the 18 Pro Max, I can definitely say you're getting one of the best camera phones
19:04out there.
19:08Battery life though is genuinely excellent on the 18 Pro Max because in my real world use,
19:14I was able to get close to two days on a single charge with average usage.
19:18And that is fantastic.
19:20But the biggest problem is, Apple does not provide the charging adapter in the box
19:24which is why you have to buy a third party charger.
19:26Now this one is a Subcool PV charger which charges my device from 0 to 100 in less than an
19:33hour.
19:34In five minutes, you can get about 15%.
19:36And for a battery this big, I think that is great.
19:40So while battery endurance is excellent, I also like that the device is charging full under an hour
19:45which means less anxiety when I want a quick charge to go.
19:49And again, if you're coming from an older iPhone, essentially a 13 or a 14,
19:53this is going to feel like a massive upgrade.
19:56But if you're already on the 17 Pro Max, the difference isn't enough to fundamentally change your routine.
20:04And now we come to the biggest problem for this phone in the Indian market
20:09because the starting price for the 18 Pro Max in India is almost 1,80,000 for the 256 GB
20:16variant.
20:17And it can go all the way up to 3.3 lakh for the 2 TB and that kind of
20:22price in India is just too expensive for the 18 Pro Max.
20:26And the Indian pricing has become even harder to swallow because the 18 Pro Max costs significantly more than its
20:33predecessor.
20:34There are also substantial price gaps with markets such as Dubai and the US.
20:40So if you have the opportunity to buy the device, I would strongly recommend that you get it from outside
20:45because in India, it is just too expensive.
20:51So after using the iPhone 18 Pro Max for almost two weeks, I can say that this is an excellent
20:58smartphone
20:58because it has one of the fastest smartphone chips that we have tested, great cameras, outstanding videos,
21:04superb battery life, a fantastic display and a very polished overall experience, including the new Siri AI.
21:12Because the question really isn't about whether the iPhone 18 Pro Max is a good smartphone.
21:17The question is, how old is the iPhone that you're upgrading from?
21:21Because paying 1.8 lakh rupees for this phone, make sure that your other iPhone is at least three to
21:27four years older
21:28then only it makes sense to go for this one. Otherwise, the 17 Pro Max is a better bet.
21:39All right, so you have bought the new iPhone 18 Pro or the Pro Max and now you want to
21:44transfer all of your old iPhone data to the new one.
21:47And I understand that I do this segment almost every year, but there are new iPhone buyers and customers almost
21:53every year,
21:54which is why I feel that this segment is important.
21:57So in this segment, I will tell you how to transfer your old iPhone data to the new one.
22:02And I mean transfer absolutely everything from WhatsApp to your images, to your data.
22:07And this new phone will look like exactly the older one when you talk about the insides of the phone,
22:13not the outside.
22:14Now, to make sure that the transfer happens smoothly, you have to make sure that both the smartphones have at
22:19least 50% of battery on both.
22:21So they won't shut down in the middle of the transfer.
22:24Now, this is the new iPhone 18 Pro Max, which is in the matte black version, which many people are
22:28saying it is like the blackest iPhone ever.
22:33And the internet is divided on this one, but this is the one PB version, which we have.
22:37And this one is the last year's iPhone Air.
22:41Now, when you turn the iPhone on, you will see this menu pop up, which shows all of the languages.
22:46You select your language preference and also you have to select the country that you are in.
22:52And we go ahead and select India over here.
22:54Then you also select the appearance option.
22:56And after that, you will automatically see a pop up on the older phone, which shows the option to set
23:02up a new iPhone.
23:03Tap on continue.
23:05And then you will have to give access with face ID because it needs credential to set up on the
23:09other device.
23:10And also, if you have password, you need to enter that one.
23:13After doing that, you will need to scan this code using your older iPhone's camera.
23:18But in order to make sure that the process is absolutely smooth, make sure that both the devices are connected
23:23to a Wi-Fi.
23:28After a few seconds, it will automatically recognize the new iPhone and then ask you to enter your passcode, which
23:34is on the older device.
23:36After that, connect your new phone to the Wi-Fi and you will get a prompt to start the transfer.
23:46In case you want to update your new phone, you also get an option for that, but you can always
23:50do that later because the priority right now is switching all of the data to the new device.
23:55Also remember, you have to agree to some of the privacy prompts, add a new face ID, and then later
24:00you will finally land on this page that asks you to transfer all of the iPhone data, which again, you
24:06have the options to choose.
24:08Because if you want to transfer everything, there is an option for that.
24:11And if you want to transfer only images and only select data, you can also do that.
24:15And after that, in a few seconds, it will start syncing with the older device.
24:19Now, this method can also be done with the older iPhones because we did it last year as well and
24:25the process was equally smooth.
24:27You will not have to do anything else.
24:29Just make sure that you follow this process and all of the data will slowly start transferring.
24:34The estimate time might show you that it will take some hours, but don't worry about it.
24:38Keep the devices there.
24:39And if they're running low on charge, you can just connect the charging adapter on both the devices, but make
24:44sure that you do not interrupt the transfer.
24:50After the process is complete, you will see that all of the data has been transferred to the new iPhone
24:56and you will see the exact same layout and the apps that were on the older iPhone.
25:01You will not be able to see any difference, but make sure that you give time for all the apps
25:07to install in the back end because that's the critical bit.
25:10Because immediately all of the data will not sync. It will take time in the background. So be patient with
25:15this transfer.
25:16But as far as the procedure goes, this is exactly the way how you can transfer all of your old
25:21iPhone's data to the new one.
25:22So hopefully this step helps you. Let us know if you run into any trouble and we will be able
25:27to help you out.
25:28But as far as the procedure goes, Apple has made it very simple for you to make this happen. So
25:32do let us know if you run into any trouble.
25:34I understand there is a lot of fear mongering out there, but I also believe the more technology knows about
25:40us, the more useful it can also become.
25:43But that also means that we have to ask some very important questions. How much is really too much?
25:50Because privacy is also important when you are sharing technology.
25:53Come back next week as we will be digging deeper and telling you everything about how AI and technology is
25:59changing all around us.
26:00Right here on the Tech Today show, this is Cyrus, signing off. Take care.