Apple

Paweł Jońca’s Brilliant Apple Commentary in Illustration Form →

October 11, 2017 · 12:39

Paweł Jońca:

iMagazine (formerly Moje Jabłuszko) is a Polish digital lifestyle magazine which focuses on technology and Apple.

Since it’s birth, I have a page dedicated to my artistic commentary — sometimes in Polish, sometimes in English, but always about current technological events from around the world, usually about Apple.

His commentary for iMagazine is fantastic. Make sure to take a peek at all of his work over on Behance. You can also find more of his work here.

A Thousand Yes’ For Every No →

October 7, 2017 · 16:14

Joshua Topolsky:

Plenty has been written about the mind-numbing, face-palming, irritating stupidity of the notch. And yet, I can’t stop thinking about it. I would love to say that this awful design compromise is an anomaly for Apple. But it would be more accurate to describe it as the norm.

iPhone always were (and still are) distinguished by the rather obvious round home button — with it gone, they would just look like any other. I’m guessing this is one of the reasons that they chose to go with the ears and notch, which allow the screen to be almost bezel-less, creating a unique front design.

This doesn’t mean that we should adore it — I’m still on the fence, but leaning towards not liking it — or even accept it. Apple’s not forcing us to buy this model, but I wish they hid the notch, or even added a small chin and forehead to the design, a bit akin to the Galaxy S8. I’m pretty sure some are going to love the new design and gestures, while others will hate readjusting to the new paradigm. Personally, I’m worried about the pause needed, when swiping up, to get to the app switcher — pauses disrupt gestures.

I can’t help but think that the old “a thousand no’s for every yes” is near gone from Apple’s culture. I hope not, but looking at the big picture, it sure seems like it.

Why I Owned a Macbook Pro for a Day And What It Says to Me About the Future of Apple →

September 7, 2017 · 12:14

John Risby:

The short version of this story is if you have a late 2016 15″ touch bar model and you have problems with noises or the screen, go to Apple and, unless you know you’ve done something stupid like dropped it or put a hammer through the screen, demand they fix it or replace it.

The full version below is much longer and quite boring. But it’s here for public record and to get it off my chest more than anything else.

I had two 13“ MacBook Pro Touch Bar devices1 and returned them both, but not because there was something wrong with them — I just didn’t like the Touch Bar and short battery life. John’s story is a completely different experience though — having gone through something similar in regard to my iPhone 7 Plus, I believe every word he wrote.

Sadly Apple seem to have stopped trying to be the Porsche or Ferrari of computers, while keeping the same prices — or, in the case of this Macbook range, actually putting the prices up — but decided to adopt the customer services policies of a dodgy used car lot.

Sadly, they do seem to be going downhill, and I write this from personal experience.

  1. Pun intended. ↩

Apple to Reveal Steve Jobs Theatre on September 12, 2017 →

September 7, 2017 · 11:55

Alex Webb:

The entrance to the venue sits underneath a silver disc, whose supporting glass panels make it seem to float 20 feet above the surrounding clearing. The auditorium itself occupies four underground stories, and to get there, journalists will descend a staircase spiraling down alongside the walls.

It also boasts two custom-made rotating elevators, which turn as they ascend and descend so that passengers enter and exit by the same door even as they go in and out from different directions. So far, so Apple—the more elegant single door, with its complex engineering, preferred to the more obvious double-door solution.

Once CEO Tim Cook and his cohorts finish showing off the new iPhones, Apple Watch and TV onstage, a surprise will await the departing attendees. An inside wall, which obscures a hollow space below the floating saucer, will retract to reveal the product demonstration room, according to someone with knowledge of the design. For fellow Brits: think the Thunderbird 3 launchpad underneath Tracy Island’s circular pool house.

I’m sure the new iPhone will be great, but this new building has me more excited at the moment.

Sue the Manufacturer of Your Smartphone for Allowing You to Text While Driving →

August 21, 2017 · 08:41

Joe Rossignol, writing for MacRumors:

California resident Julio Ceja filed a class action complaint against Apple in January, accusing the company of placing profit before consumer safety by choosing not to implement a lock-out mechanism that would disable an iPhone’s functionality when being used behind the wheel by an engaged driver.

Ceja said his vehicle was involved in a collision with another vehicle in which the driver was texting on an iPhone.

Apple, however, told the court that it’s a driver’s fault if they choose to misuse an inherently safe iPhone while operating a vehicle. Apple essentially said it cannot be blamed simply because it manufactures the device, according to court documents filed electronically and obtained by MacRumors.

I’m going to sue the manufacturer of my TV, because I tripped over the coffee table, because I was distracted while watching Netflix. Hmm… I could try to sue Netflix too, I guess.

The absurdity of the legal system at its finest.

Google Will Pay $3 Billion to Remain Top Search Provider on iOS →

August 16, 2017 · 15:11

Luke Dormehl, writing for Cult of Mac:

Google could pay Apple as much as $3 billion this year in order to remain the default search engine on iOS devices, a new report claims.

The claim comes from Bernstein analyst A.M. Sacconaghi Jr. If true, it would represent a sizable increase from the $1 billion that Apple was paid by Google for the same reason back in 2014.

While this is (or would be) a good business decision on Apple’s part, they really should just set DuckDuckGo as the default search engine. The good of the users should come first and DDG is easily good enough for most.

Apple Financial Results — FY Q3 2017 →

August 2, 2017 · 08:45

Apple PR:

Apple today announced financial results for its fiscal 2017 third quarter ended July 1, 2017. The Company posted quarterly revenue of $45.4 billion and quarterly earnings per diluted share of $1.67. These results compare to revenue of $42.4 billion and earnings per diluted share of $1.42 in the year-ago quarter. International sales accounted for 61 percent of the quarter’s revenue.

Apple sold:

  • 41 million iPhones (40.4 million in FY Q3 2016)
  • 11.4 million iPads (10.0 million in FY Q3 2016)
  • 4.3 million Macs (4.3 million in FY Q3 2016)

Apple Should Leave the Chinese Market →

August 1, 2017 · 23:20

John Gruber:

First, let’s dispose of the notion that Apple could have chosen to defy the Chinese government and keep the VPN apps in the App Store. Technically, Apple could have done that. But if they had, there would have been consequences. My guess is that the Chinese government would move to block all access to the App Store in China, or even block access to all Apple servers, period. This would effectively render all iOS devices mostly useless. iPhones have been sagging in popularity in China for a few years now — with no access to apps, their popularity would drop to zero. And Apple would have a lot of angry iPhone-owning users in China on its hands.

When I first saw how hard Apple was pushing into China, to expand its potential market, my only thought was, that they were in it for the money. Quite frankly, I believe they should leave China. What’s more, they should never have entered it. If they choose to remain there, then they should stand by their beliefs — today it’s VPNs, tomorrow it will be asking for access to iMessages or some other nonsense. At this point all Apple can do is “pray they don’t alter the deal further.”

While this is obviously a much deeper subject, Apple being in China with the iPhone always felt wrong to me.

Is it “iPod shuffles” or “iPods shuffle”? →

July 27, 2017 · 22:50

Peter Rojas, writing for Engadget on 19 January 2005:

It took us a few days of harrassing Apple’s PR department, but we were finally able to answer one of the most burning questions of the past seven days: Is it “iPod shuffles” or “iPods shuffle?” Here’s a transcript of our conversation…

If Phil Schiller answered, he’d probably troll Peter with “iPod Shuffle devices.”

Apple Music Executive Bozoma Saint John Plans to Leave the Company →

June 3, 2017 · 14:11

Ina Fried:

Bozoma Saint John, the Apple executive who garnered significant attention for her demo at last year’s worldwide developer conference, plans to leave the company, Axios has learned. Saint John was head of Global Consumer Marketing for Apple Music (and predecessor Beats Music).

“Plans to leave” but “was head of”? She either left or she didn’t.

Apple to Blame for Lowering Software Value →

May 4, 2017 · 15:56

Matt Gemmell:

No company has done as much damage to the perceived value of software, and the sustainability of being an independent developer, as Apple.

Not that other companies wouldn’t have done the same thing — they would have. It’s just that Apple was the successful one.

It’s resolutely the fault of us as consumers, and it’s actively encouraged by the App Store.

Matt raises a few good points, however, I also tend to feel that developers themselves are partly to blame. For example, many years ago App A launched at $9.99. A few months or years later, competing App B comes along, but it starts out at $4.99. After a while, App A starts a 50% sale (and often doesn’t raise the price again). App C comes along at $0.99, followed by App D, which is free with in-app purchases. That’s the trend that I have seen for many of my favourite apps. Some developers stay strong, however — The Soulmen with their Ulysses [iOS/Mac] for example. The Mac version costs $44.99, while the iOS version is only $24.99, and both versions have nearly identical functionality. They can be used as standalone software too — there is no need to use them both. We’re not even getting into developer sustainability here — cost of living in some countries is much higher than in others. Some do this is as their full-time job, others as a hobby.

The one thing that I still expect Apple to do, is to add an upgrade pricing mechanism, which would greatly benefit developers. I’ll gladly pay for upgrades, but I am probably in the minority. Unfortunately.

At this rate, we might not have a lot of quality software to choose from in the future…

Apple Financial Results — FY Q2 2017 →

May 3, 2017 · 21:18

Apple PR:

Apple® today announced financial results for its fiscal 2017 second quarter ended April 1, 2017. The Company posted quarterly revenue of $52.9 billion and quarterly earnings per diluted share of $2.10. These results compare to revenue of $50.6 billion and earnings per diluted share of $1.90 in the year-ago quarter. International sales accounted for 65 percent of the quarter’s revenue.

Apple sold:

  • 50.8 million iPhones (51.2 million in FY Q2 2016)
  • 8.9 million iPads (10.3 million in FY Q2 2016)
  • 4.2 million Macs (4 million in FY Q2 2016)

Rethinking Apple →

April 5, 2017 · 10:36

Dr Drang:

Apple is making money hand over fist. By market share, it’s the biggest company in the world. Why is it continually putting itself in positions where it’s either apologizing, like today, or should be apologizing, as with the once long-overdue MacBook Pro update and the currently long-overdue iMac, Mac Mini, and iPad Pro updates.

While I appreciate Apple voicing their commitment to the Mac, I cannot fathom why this is even necessary. They are one of the biggest companies in the world and surely they can create teams that will constantly only work on Mac hardware. While I understand that simple updates to components seem perhaps too easy to do, with Apple’s aspirations being much higher, regular updates should be present in all line-ups. For example, the Mac Mini perhaps doesn’t fullfill Apple’s dreams of what a small Mac could or should be, but while they figure this out, it would be nice to have current generation hardware inside, regularly updated to the latest and greatest technologies, including Thunderbolt 3 and USB-C. I know of a lot of people holding off, just because the Mini is 900+ days old.

Apple Pushes the Reset Button on the Mac Pro →

April 5, 2017 · 10:20

Matthew Panzarino:

As representatives of the largest company on the planet, it’s not shocking that they need to consider how everything they say could be interpreted both by users and by the market. But it does highlight the difficulty of the balancing act they’re trying to pull off. Having a dialog with pro users (and other users) is healthy in the long run, and seeing Apple make an attempt at this is gratifying. On the other hand, I definitely get the impression that scaling from an audience of five to millions with that dialog is very much an experiment.

As we file out of the building, I can hear the whine of machines beginning to carve away on the next generation of Macs, now promised explicitly for the first time ever.

Great piece on the new Mac Pro, some tidbits about the ‘iMac Pro’, and lots more interesting conversation from Apple. The whole briefing was a huge surprise — this is definitely not something Apple would have done years past — but it’s a welcome one. As is the apology Apple issued to its pro users — it might not be enough to keep everything happy, waiting another year for the next Mac Pro, but it had to have calmed many people down, showing them a future without needing to change software platforms.

I Envy John Gruber’s Writing Style →

April 5, 2017 · 10:12

The bomb dropped yesterday — midday for me — that Apple was still working on the Mac Pro. Five people were invited for a unique briefing by four — Phil Schiller, Craig Federighi, John Ternus and Bill Evans. This was amazing news which I was not expecting. Quite frankly, I had assumed that the Mac Pro was dead, having gone so long without any updates. I was genuinely happy for most of the day because that meant that my favourite software platform — macOS — has a future. But as I write these words, I can’t help but go back to reading and re-reading John Gruber’s words:

We’re inside a nondescript single-story office building on Apple’s extended old campus, across De Anza Boulevard from One Infinite Loop. This is Apple’s “product realization lab” for Mac hardware, better known, internally, as “the machine lab”. This is where they make and refine prototypes for new Mac hardware. We don’t get to see anything cool. There is no moment where they lift a black cloth and show us prototypes of future hardware. The setting feels chosen simply to set the tone that innovative Mac hardware design — across the entire Mac lineup — is not a thing of the past.

There are only nine people at the table. Phil Schiller, Craig Federighi, and John Ternus (vice president, hardware engineering — in charge of Mac hardware) are there to speak for Apple. Bill Evans from Apple PR is there to set the ground rules and run the clock. (We had 90 minutes.) The other five are writers who were invited for what was billed as “a small roundtable discussion about the Mac”: Matthew Panzarino, Lance Ulanoff, Ina Fried, John Paczkowski, and yours truly.

The discussion is on the record.

I have been following John’s writing for many years now and these are the posts which always fascinate me most. Gruber has a knack for setting the mood for the reader, despite writing about a ‘normal’ meeting between technology executives and journalists — it reads as well as good thriller fiction.

While I did not appreaciate the other invitees articles as much, Matthew Panzarino’s piece was great too, although writting in his own style:

As representatives of the largest company on the planet, it’s not shocking that they need to consider how everything they say could be interpreted both by users and by the market. But it does highlight the difficulty of the balancing act they’re trying to pull off. Having a dialog with pro users (and other users) is healthy in the long run, and seeing Apple make an attempt at this is gratifying. On the other hand, I definitely get the impression that scaling from an audience of five to millions with that dialog is very much an experiment.

As we file out of the building, I can hear the whine of machines beginning to carve away on the next generation of Macs, now promised explicitly for the first time ever.

It’s John’s personal style and the way he describes the most mundane things that make me envious. I still remember his piece from 2012 about Mountain Lion:

“We’re starting to do some things differently,” Phil Schiller said to me.

We were sitting in a comfortable hotel suite in Manhattan just over a week ago. I’d been summoned a few days earlier by Apple PR with the offer of a private “product briefing”. I had no idea heading into the meeting what it was about. I had no idea how it would be conducted. This was new territory for me, and I think, for Apple (…)

Handshakes, a few pleasantries, good hot coffee, and then, well, then I got an Apple press event for one. Keynote slides that would have looked perfect had they been projected on stage at Moscone West or the Yerba Buena Center, but instead were shown on a big iMac on a coffee table in front of us (…)

Schiller has no notes. He is every bit as articulate, precise, and rehearsed as he is for major on-stage events. He knows the slide deck stone cold. It strikes me that I have spoken in front of a thousand people but I’ve never been as well-prepared for a presentation as Schiller is for this one-on-one meeting. (Note to self: I should be that rehearsed.)

This is an awful lot of effort and attention in order to brief what I’m guessing is a list of a dozen or two writers and journalists. It’s Phil Schiller, spending an entire week on the East Coast, repeating this presentation over and over to a series of audiences of one. There was no less effort put into the preparation of this presentation than there would have been if it had been the WWDC keynote address.

What do I think so far, Schiller asks.

These two articles are probably my two favourites pieces from his full archive. They could have just as easily not mentioned any products or Apple news itself — just reading about the atmosphere, settings, and people is fascinating enough for me.

Keep writing John. And Phil, please keep inviting John into stranger and stranger surroundings and situations.

Apple’s WWDC Code of Conduct →

March 29, 2017 · 06:28

Apple displays its new Code of Conduct on their WWDC registration page:

Apple is committed to diversity and to providing a harassment-free conference experience for everyone. All attendees have the right to a safe and welcoming environment regardless of gender, gender identity and expression, age, sexual orientation, disability, physical appearance, body size, race, ethnicity, religion, or any other attributes. In addition to treating others respectfully, please do not bring items with disrespectful, malicious, or sexually-oriented writing, images, or audio to the conference.

Apple reserves the right to refuse admittance to, or remove any person from WWDC (including from any WWDC events) at any time in its sole discretion with no refund, including but not limited to attendees behaving in an inappropriate, disorderly, disrespectful, or dangerous manner or failing to comply with these terms and conditions. All attendees must follow safety signage, instructions, and rules. If you have an experience that violates this code of conduct, visit Attendee Services and ask for a manager.

Refreshingly short, precise, clear, and no-nonsense. I’m just sad that these things have to even exist. They shouldn’t need to. We’re fundamentally all the same.

Apple Has Acquired Workflow, a Powerful Automation Tool for iPad and iPhone →

March 23, 2017 · 08:54

Matthew Panzarino:

This is not a ‘pure acquihire’ in that Workflow — not just the talent — is being purchased in this deal. This makes sense and I’m glad to see it because Workflow itself was a prime meat example of how to find a need in the iOS ecosystem, tackle it in an interesting way and execute it with cleverness and attention to honoring the platform. Simply put it’s super smart, really well designed and works very well.

Wow! This is something I did not expect.

I use Workflow every single day and I just hope it won’t go away and will continue to be updated. I actually just used it to create this post.

Jonathan Zdziarski Is Joining Apple’s Security Team →

March 14, 2017 · 17:48

Jonathan Zdziarski:

I’m pleased to announce that I’ve accepted a position with Apple’s Security Engineering and Architecture team, and am very excited to be working with a group of like minded individuals so passionate about protecting the security and privacy of others.

Congratulations! I do hope that he'll still be around on Twitter and keep on posting.

Phil Schiller: ”It Feels Like WWDC is Going Home“ →

February 16, 2017 · 21:33

John Gruber:

Apple doesn’t like to explain itself. I don’t know why Apple moved WWDC to San Francisco in 2003. But my guess is that they sought more media attention. Apple went to where the attention was. Today, the attention comes to Apple. They could hold WWDC in the middle of a desert and it would still sell out in an instant and there’d be the same convoy of media trucks outside the hall the morning of the keynote. If a large corporation can be described as a homebody, Apple is it. And San Francisco is not Apple’s home turf.

Schiller has been at Apple (and on stage at WWDC) throughout this entire run, and he seems ready to go back. “It feels like WWDC is going home,” he told me.

It’s still one of my dreams to go to WWDC, but since I’m not a developer, it wouldn’t feel right taking part in the lottery. The costs are an issue too, of course, but the former is a primary deterrent for me.

Apple Financial Results — FY Q1 2017 →

February 1, 2017 · 10:35

Apple PR:

Apple® today announced financial results for its fiscal 2017 first quarter ended December 31, 2016. The Company posted all-time record quarterly revenue of $78.4 billion and all-time record quarterly earnings per diluted share of $3.36. These results compare to revenue of $75.9 billion and earnings per diluted share of $3.28 in the year-ago quarter. International sales accounted for 64 percent of the quarter’s revenue.

Apple sold:

  • 78.29 million iPhones (74.7 million in FY Q1 2016)
  • 13 million iPads (16.1 million in FY Q1 2016)
  • 5.374 million Macs (5.31 million in FY Q1 2016)

The Problem With the Mac Is Apple →

December 21, 2016 · 12:56

Mark Gurman for Bloomberg:

Mac upgrades, once a frequent ritual, are few and far between. The Mac Pro, Apple’s marquee computer, hasn’t been refreshed since 2013. The affordable and flexible Mac mini was last upgraded in 2014. And when a new machine does roll out, the results are sometimes underwhelming, if not infuriating, to devotees.

I decided to switch to the new MacBook Pro 13″ with Touch Bar because of the new P3 display. I also needed a larger SSD. I chose the base model (Core i5 2,9 GHz, 8 GB RAM), because it is more than fast enough for my needs. Like I often mentioned, I expected at least 8 hours of battery life under my light workload, but I am constantly getting around 6 for these past two weeks (Safari with a few tabs, Tweetbot, Ulysses, perhaps 10 minutes of Photoshop). I have had days where I topped out at 8, but those were due to having just one app open.

After two weeks, I am extremely disappointed that I don’t get a minimum of 8-9 hours when using the computer lightly. I have also yet to find a use for the Touch Bar — I am quite adept at using keyboard shortcuts and I find them to be much faster.

Interviews with people familiar with Apple’s inner workings reveal that the Mac is getting far less attention than it once did. They say the Mac team has lost clout with the famed industrial design group led by Jony Ive and the company’s software team. They also describe a lack of clear direction from senior management, departures of key people working on Mac hardware and technical challenges that have delayed the roll-out of new computers.

I love the Mac, which is perhaps why I get so frustrated that it doesn’t perform as well as my expectations expect it to. If the above is true, then this is a dark day for the whole platform — I actually want more work put into the Mac than into iPhones. I would also like the company to focus more on iPads too.

If more Mac users switch, the Apple ecosystem will become less sticky—opening the door to people abandoning higher-value products like the iPhone and iPad.

I have been looking around for alternatives already, but luckily for Apple, have not found anything really worth considering. However, I have seen people switch to Windows after the latest MacBook Pros rolled out. I am pretty sure some of them will probably also get rid of their iOS devices too, in favour of cheaper alternatives. Others are building their own hackintoshes in the meantime, because Apple’s current desktop line-up does not satisfy their needs. It doesn’t satisfy mine either.

Four years ago at Apple’s annual developer conference, marketing chief Phil Schiller pledged to keep the computer front and center in the company’s product arsenal. “Nobody turns over their entire line as quickly and completely as we do at Apple,” Schiller said. “We’re really proud of the engineering team and the work they do to do this quick so you can get the exact product you need.”

I almost got a Mac Pro in 2013, but I held off, waiting for the next generation. Meanwhile, 1098 days and two Xeon updates have passed us by without a new model appearing. The iMac, however beautiful, is not enough for my needs — I need a full GPU.

To be fair, Apple depends on Intel Corp., which still makes key chips for Macs. Like the rest of the PC industry, Apple’s innovation and product cycles are sometimes constrained by when Intel produces new chips—a process that’s getting more difficult.

Apple has been skipping generations. I don’t know the reasons behind this decision, but this is not acceptable for so many reasons.

Making a laptop stand out is also harder these days. But when Apple has tried to leapfrog the competition, it has fallen short. Take the company’s attempt to create a longer-lasting battery for the MacBook Pro. Apple engineers wanted to use higher capacity battery packs shaped to the insides of the laptop versus the standard square cells found in most machines. The design would have boosted battery life.

In the run-up to the MacBook Pro’s planned debut this year, the new battery failed a key test, according to a person familiar with the situation. Rather than delay the launch and risk missing the crucial holiday shopping season, Apple decided to revert to an older design. The change required roping in engineers from other teams to finish the job, meaning work on other Macs languished, the person said. The new laptop didn’t represent a game-changing leap in battery performance, and a software bug misrepresented hours of power remaining. Apple has since removed the meter from the top right-hand corner of the screen.

Since Apple planned a larger capacity battery, but reverted to an older design (which is a good decision — safety is paramount), then they should have forsaken the thinness, which would in turn have granted more space for the older generation battery. This would have perhaps allowed my machine to actually get the claimed 10 hours, instead of 6.

In the Mac’s heyday, people working on new models could expect a lot of attention from Ive’s team. Once a week his people would meet with Mac engineers to discuss ongoing projects. Mac engineers brought prototypes to Ive’s studio for review, while his lieutenants would visit the Mac labs to look at early concepts. Those visits have become less frequent since the company began focusing more on more-valuable products like the iPhone and iPad, and the change became even more obvious after the design team’s leadership was shuffled last year, according to a person familiar with the situation.

In another sign that the company has prioritized the iPhone, Apple re-organized its software engineering department so there’s no longer a dedicated Mac operating system team. There is now just one team, and most of the engineers are iOS first, giving the people working on the iPhone and iPad more power.

Apple is currently losing the market and users which got them where they are — the creatives to whom they catered to. Microsoft is now actively trying to get them on their side (and succeeding!) with products such as the Surface Studio.

That’s part of a broader shift toward making Macs more like iPhones. Apple prioritizes features, like thinness and minimal ports, that sell its iPhones and iPads, which generated about 75 percent of revenue this year. Those are contrary to professional needs, like maximum computing power.

This does make sense on a MacBook, but not on the MacBook Pro. While footprint and weight are important factors for my travels, the previous generation MacBook Pro was easily small enough. There is so much Apple could be doing in this space, to cater to consumers and pros. They could make the MacBook Pro thicker, with faster components, while reintroducing a Retina MacBook Air (perhaps based on the non-Touch Bar MacBook Pro) with ULV CPUs and lower weight. This is just but one quick example — I’m sure Apple could have made more people happy instead of constantly reducing their target audience by making the Mac more and more of a niche machine.

In recent years, Apple managers have also become more likely to float two or more competing ideas, meaning designers and engineers must work on more than one concept at a time. In the past, managers pushed a more singular vision. Engineers are now “asked to develop multiple options in hopes that one of them will be shippable,” a person familiar with the matter said.

This sounds like another change in Apple’s traditions, which probably results from the fact that the Mac department doesn’t have a visionary to lead it.

For a 2016 MacBook update, some Apple engineers wanted to add a Touch ID fingerprint scanner and a second USB-C port (which would have made some power users happy). The update instead included a new rose gold color option alongside a standard speed increase.

The first option would have made for a much more compelling machine for many. I would love to know how it went down though.

Still, Apple hasn’t given up on Macs. In a recent company Q&A session, employees asked whether Mac desktop computers remain strategically important. “We have great desktops in our roadmap. Nobody should worry about that,” Chief Executive Officer Tim Cook said, according to a transcript of the discussion obtained by Bloomberg News.

Tim Cook’s words were carefully worded. I’m pretty sure that the Mac Pro is dead, which will most probably leave many pros abandoning the platform altogether. The iMac has its own issues, but while it can be (and is) used for professional work, it is not a pro machine. It never was. Having said that, I hope and expect Apple to return to regular updates of the Mac Pro and Mini.

Apple designers are already exploring standalone keyboards with the touch strip and a fingerprint reader for desktops. Apple will decide whether to release these based on how well the features do on the MacBook Pro.

I feel like the old Apple would have been certain enough of their technology and its future, that it would have gone ahead and released the keyboards along with the MacBook Pros. In the meantime, I find the Touch Bar useless. Touch ID is a nice touch though.

Mac fans shouldn’t hold their breath for radical new designs in 2017 though. Instead, the company is preparing modest updates: USB-C ports and a new Advanced Micro Devices Inc. graphics processor for the iMac, and minor bumps in processing power for the 12-inch MacBook and MacBook Pro. Cue the outrage.

Since my 2016 MacBook Pros battery performance is so bad, I’m getting a replacement unit in the next week or so. If the new one does not behave any better, then I will most probably replace it with a non-Touch Bar model. I will miss Touch ID, but realistic battery life is one of my priorities.

Received My Replacement iPhone 7 Plus From Apple;
Battery Life Is Now Greatly Improved

December 4, 2016 · 18:26

A month or so ago, I wrote a post in desperation. It was about my iPhone 7 Plus — something was wrong with it, but Apple diagnostics did not unearth and problems, hence Support did not want to provide me with a replacement unit. I tried everything, from spending multiple hours on the phone with Apple Support, to escalating the issue, to calling Apple Support in other countries — all to no avail. I finally wrote a very long email to Tim Cook and Phil Schiller…

Continue reading →

Apple Turns (RED) With More Ways Than Ever to Join the Fight Against AIDS →

November 30, 2016 · 14:08

Apple:

This year, Apple customers can support the fight while playing the games they love, shopping for loved ones ahead of the holiday season or listening to an exclusive (RED) holiday album from The Killers.

For the next week, a range of the most popular games across the App Store® — spanning from racing and sports titles to strategy, puzzle and action games — are offering limited-edition, custom (RED) content, exclusively available on the App Store. All proceeds from the associated in-app purchases go to the Global Fund.

The 20 participating games include Angry Birds 2, Angry Birds POP!, Best Fiends, Best Fiends Forever, Boom Beach, Candy Crush Jelly Saga, Clash of Clans, Clash Royale, CSR2, Episode, Farm Heroes Saga, FarmVille: Tropic Escape, FIFA Mobile, Hay Day, MARVEL Contest of Champions, PewDiePie’s Tuber Simulator, Plants vs. Zombies Heroes, SimCity BuildIt, War Dragons and YAHTZEE With Buddies.

In addition to the current (PRODUCT)RED lineup, which is available for customers to purchase year-round, Apple is also adding four new (RED) products including an iPhone® 7 Smart Battery Case, iPhone SE Case, Beats Solo 3 Wireless On-Ear Headphones and the Pill+ Portable Speaker, which are all available today.

Sal Soghoian — A Rebel Fighting the Good Fight →

November 17, 2016 · 08:16

John Gruber:

I have the impression that Soghoian was a bit of a rebel within Apple, fighting the good fight to keep advancing the Mac’s automation tools. If they had simply fired him, that’d be one thing, but the fact that they’ve eliminated his position is another. This is shitty news. I find this to be a profoundly worrisome turn of events for the future of the Mac. I hope I’m wrong.

Sal Soghoian No Longer Working for Apple →

November 17, 2016 · 08:16

Sal Soghoian:

Q. I hear you no longer work for Apple; is that true?
A. Correct. I joined Apple in January of 1997, almost twenty years ago, because of my profound belief that “the power of the computer should reside in the hands of the one using it.” That credo remains my truth to this day. Recently, I was informed that my position as Product Manager of Automation Technologies was eliminated for business reasons. Consequently, I am no longer employed by Apple Inc. But, I still believe my credo to be as true today as ever.

Sad news. Never met the guy, but still hope to one day.

Sir Jony Ive Reflects on the Nature of Objects, the Fragility of Ideas, and 20 Years of Apple Design →

November 16, 2016 · 09:05

Tony Chambers:

This is a comprehensive and objective portrait of Apple products produced over the past 20 years. ‘It is a book with very few words,’ writes Sir Jony Ive in the foreword. ‘It is about our products, their physical nature and how they were made.’ The pages that follow trace two stratospheric decades of product design with the effortlessness that’s become synonymous with the company.

It is a quiet and elegant work, a high-quality piece of book design, typography and production. It is far from a show-off vanity project. Great care, time – and money – has been spent on making it a paean to good, useful design and manufacturing. It is also of course a paean to Steve Jobs. In the five years since his death, Apple has forged on without him. Designed by Apple in California is a tribute both to him, and to the products that have shaped our future.

The tome is Apple at its purest: the products. We caught up with Ive to find out more…

This project, according to Jony Ive’s words from the interview, has been eight years in the making.

The book itself is supposedly just pictures. I expected meaningful thoughts and written content inside.

“Designed by Apple in California” —
Apple’s New Book Chronicles 20 Years of Apple Design →

November 15, 2016 · 13:26

Apple:

Apple today announced the release of a new hardbound book chronicling 20 years of Apple’s design, expressed through 450 photographs of past and current Apple products. “Designed by Apple in California,” which covers products from 1998’s iMac to 2015’s Apple Pencil, also documents the materials and techniques used by Apple’s design team over two decades of innovation.

The book is dedicated to the memory of Steve Jobs.

It’s available in two sizes, for $199 and $299 respectively.