Eddy Cue doesn’t lose many arguments but he lost that one. All of the effort spent pushing Apple to support RCS would have been better spent pushing Apple to ship iMessage for Android. And without a supported iMessage client for Android, that role ought to go to WhatsApp, not RCS. WhatsApp is free, secure, and works equally well on all phones.
I think Apple made a big mistake by not shipping iMessage for Android.
Tomorrow I’m going to the Apple Store for an Apple Vision Pro demonstration. For some reasons, I’m not that excited for this. And I’m a big Apple fan. I was excited for the AVP when it came out, but like everyone else, the hype is no longer there. Apple is still working to find THE killer app or use case for this. And, something is broken with Apple these days…
Taboola + Apple News? No thanks
Apple’s decision to strike a deal with Taboola is shocking and off-brand — so much so that I have started to question the company’s long-term commitment to good customer experience, including its commitment to privacy. As it chases more and more revenue to appease Wall Street, it’s clear Apple will become one of those companies that prioritize shareholders over paying customers and their experience.
I hate ads. I hate ads. This is a sad day. That is not cool at all. How can Apple brags about protecting user privacy (see that ad on YouTube?) and al while serving ads through an external ads network? More than ever, Apple is becoming like everyone else and IS profiling its users, for money. I’m starting to hate Tim Cook’s Apple. As soon as I see a change in News, I’ll cancel my subscription to Apple One.
If Apple were to design a new router, the resulting device would likely resemble this one from Ubiquiti. The box has a similar aesthetic to Apple’s iconic networking hardware.
There is something incomplete in how Apple is portraying Safari as a way to stay private when surfing the web. The ad is certainly visually striking, with surveillance cameras flying over people as they browse the web on their non-iPhone devices. It’s a compelling analogy. It reminds me of another Apple ad where a person is in a similar situation, being watched and followed by a group of people who want to know their online whereabouts.
But you know, Apple is mum about its deal with Google as being the default search engine in Safari. The last time I checked, Google isn’t the type of privacy-protection company you might think they are.
I 🥰 the new design of Photos in iPadOS 18. Probably the most controversial opinion about iPadOS this year.
So, iPadOS 18 beta3: nothing obvious, really. Feels snappy. Less buggy than expected. Some rough edges, of course. Autocorrect seems way better. Finally. Tempted by iOS 18 now. 🤦🏻♂️🤷🏻♂️
But speaking of the DMA, Chromium is, far and away, the most popular browser engine that the DMA compels Apple to allow on iOS. There are legitimate reasons to wish that Apple allowed third-party browser engines on iOS. But there are also legitimate reasons why Apple doesn’t allow them. Chrome really is bad. Better to let the market decide than let clueless regulators decide.
I’m on the side of Gruber here. Governments are usually not very good at tech. We should always be on the doubters side when they want to regulate. Opening up the iPhone will make it weaker than today, not better. I would even argue that the vast majority of users will lose more than they gain. But some techies will be happy.
Tempted to installiPadOS 18b3 for my 2024 iPad Pro. It’s not my main driver. I’m cautious about cross-device sync issues though (Photos app is an example). Anything I should’ve be watching for?
Finally booked my Apple Vision Pro demo session for this coming week. I’m not buying this thing but I can’t wait to try it out. Side note: during my vacation in Croatia, we went to see a museum in Split where we were handed Meta Quest headset. The experience was interesting but the visual quality left to be desired.