I decided to retire my 5-year old MacBook Pro and replace it with the new 9.7" iPad Pro rather than another laptop. This decision isn't about form factor, touchscreen vs keyboard & mouse, or being more mobile. It is about embracing what I believe is the future of personal computing.

I find myself increasingly relying on native apps on my smartphone, but preferring to use websites on my laptop. This is true even for services with apps available on both devices, such as Spotify and maps. In fact, I only regularly use one app on my personal MacBook other than a web browser and Apple's built-in apps - Evernote. I do use more apps on my work MacBook, but mostly just Office.

Live Photos is one of the more interesting and discussed features of the iPhone 6s. It makes me wonder if it’s only a matter of time before all photos are automatically sandwiched with high definition video. If the processing power is there to do it for photos, why not with audio and Siri?

If you are in the market for productivity software, cloud storage, or both it's time to give Microsoft another look. Microsoft's OneDrive offers 1TB of storage for $7/month, while competitors Dropbox, Google Drive, and Apple's iCloud all cost $10. However, Microsoft's 1TB plan also includes access to Office 365. This is a great deal for great productivity software and cloud storage that the competition simply cannot match.

Apple made several announcements last week, including new iPhones, iPads, and an Apple TV. In the process, they revealed a number of small decisions they've made but decisions that I find telling about their product lines and thinking.

Earlier this summer I spent a few weeks in mainland China on a business trip. I used my iPhone 6 to communicate with local colleagues and people back home. In China, the iPhone has several advantages over an Android phone (at least the version of Android with Google Play that we're used to in the US). Here are a few of my quick thoughts and observations on the iPhone in China.