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About This White Bezel (#apple #imac2021)
I know a lot of people are concerned that the white bezel surrounding the display will be distracting. In practice, I found that it just disappears. If there can be such a thing as a muted whiteāāāa white that most certainly looks white, not light gray, but yet not white white, this white is that white. I didnāt need time to get used to it
Source: Daring Fireball: The 24-Inch M1 iMac(https://daringfireball.net/2021/05/the_24_inch_m1_imac)
There is a lot of talk regarding the white bezel of the new iMac. I still donāt know what to think about them. They make it look like if there was a white masking tape all around the display. But the thing is, considering the fact that Appleās macOS overall user interface is so āwhite-ishā in general, this should help make the bezel kind of disappear in reality and just be an extension of the user interface.
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Xcode for iPad ā Whoās asking for this? (#apple #iosdev #developers #wwdc2021)
The iPad is a mighty device considering its form-factor. Many people are asking for Apple to make Xcode available for the iPad. I wonder: who are asking for this? Are they serious developers or just hobbyists? I would find it surprising if it was the former because there can be so many tools besides Xcode that is needed I order to build an app, and not all those things are available on the iPad. Serious developers would need to bring in a Mac to complete the development picture. If this is the hobbyists, does it even matter?
Would it be the full version of Xcode or a diminutive version? If it is the latter, what kind of apps would it be able to create, and what are the others it wouldnāt? Would it be Swift-only with SwiftUI? If thatās the case, are we in the ātech proof of conceptā territory or if it is a viable path going forward? What would iPadOS 15 need to make Xcode for iPad a viable solution? Better file management? External monitor support? A link to a Mac for certain tasks and features? Is the 12.9ā iPad Pro the only supported device or is the 11ā version be supported too?
If you are a developer reading this post, would you use Xcode for iPad to build your apps if Apple made it available?
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Can't wait for reviews (#apple (ipadpro2021)
Can’t wait for Apple’s embargo to be lifted this week so we can get a better appreciation of the 12.0" 2021 iPad Pro. Some people got their device, early. I’ll never be able to get an XDR display from Apple, but the one that within an iPad, seems a bargain. The possibility of getting this device just increased a bit.
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On Extending the Home Screen
Parker Ortolani for 9to5Mac:
But what if you could add other kinds of things to your Home Screen too? (…) Apple could add the same āAdd to Home Screenā button to the share sheet in Music, in Podcasts, in News, and in TV. Each content type could have a distinct shape for differentiation. Albums, podcasts and publications could have more squared off icons. Magazines could be more narrow to show off covers. TV Shows and movies could use the same artwork that appears in app.
Frankly, I love this idea. On the iPad, it could be the ultimate playground to play with this feature, thanks to the device size. I can see me adding all kind of stuff like my wife iMessage contact, an RSS feed to my favourite content creators, a shortcut to a podcast or an Apple Music playlist or artist. So much possibilities.
The idea of adding all sort of content on the home screen is not new, yet on iOS and iPadOS, current design feels really restricted. We are ready to go to the next phase in evolution. I want freedom in folder size and placement, I want Apple Watch complication-style widgets. I want freedom. Apple, by any chance, are you listening?
Consider this added to my WWDC, iOS and iPadOS 15 wish list.
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Are we supposed to cry?
“I upended my life for Apple. I sold my WA residence which I built with my own hands, relocated myself, shut down any public media presence and future writing aspirations, and resolved to build my career at Apple for years to come,”
Well, now that he has been fired, he is complaining on Twitter that Apple knew in advance… maybe, maybe not. My gut feeling is that the C-Level knew, but not the upper management. When it came to their attention, they acted in accordance to their well-known values.
Source: Antonio Garcia Martinez says Apple fired him, company was ‘well aware’ of his writing | AppleInsider
Mr. Martinez Twitter thread is here.
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Only 17K Apps for the Apple Watch (#apple #applewatch #appstore #apps)
(…) there are only 17k Watch apps: like Amazonās Alexa, the Apple Watch is a huge success but has largely failed as an app platform. Source: Benedict Evans’ takeaways from the first week of Epic vs. Apple | Philip ElmerāDeWitt
Only 17K apps for the Apple Watch?? Calling this a failure is a bit surprising. The Watch is a narrow platform compared to the iPhone, the iPad or the Mac. I don’t expect as many apps to be available for the Watch. This form-factor isn’t obviously suitable for a lot of applications categories. I think 17K apps is quite a lot actually because I don’t get a sense of it when I browse the App Store from the Apple Watch itself or from my iPhone. This is where Apple is failing: discovery of Watch apps is miserable, just like it is in general on Apple’s App Store.
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This form-factor, this one orā¦ this one?
One of the cooless by-product of the Apple strategy is the unification of the processing unit among its product lines, leaving the form-factor the unique differenciation attribute.
Previously there were many people who wanted a laptop, but ended up buying a desktop because it would be more powerful. Now the only choice the customer has to make is whether they prefer the MacBook or iMac form-factor, because the internal hardware is the same in each. Source: Apple execs praises how M1 enables same performance for different devices in interview - 9to5Mac
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Thought (or frustration) of the day
Apple’s macOS Big Notifications Center is probably the most frustrating, infuriating and un-Apple experience of all. Man this thing is badly designed. Who at Apple think it ok? He or she is a C player! Hoping for major re-work for macOS 12. There, I said it. š¤¬
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Here is Why Appleās Safari Purposely Lags Behind
Browsers look more and more like operating systems. Apple knows this, and they are probably afraid for their App Store business.
This article from Alex Russell of Infrequently Notes is very convincing: Apple purposely delay implementation of new web standards to refrain developers to build web applications. New web standards are enablers for new kinds of web applications with richer features set. Those richer apps could go against Appleās App Store profitable business. No wonder why so many people are using alternative browsers to Safari. But thatās not all. Since Apple, in general is a big player, its influence is unquestionably high, the lack of support from them for so many basic and essential web standards discourage new application opportunities. Thatās too bad and makes me wonder how sites like Mailbrew who offers a web application could improve if all browsers, including Safari would support most web standards. Mailbrew is already good on the iPad, closely mimicking a native application, yet I wonder.
Can we hope for changes at the next WWDC conference?
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I am re-falling in love with Apple’s Sidecar with my iPad Pro connected to my M1 Mac mini. Such a useful and really fast duo. For some reason, I stopped using this setup for a while. Was it because at some point it wasn’t stable enough? Can’t remember. Are you using Sidecar?
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Be careful for what you wish for (#apple #appstore #monopoly)
Apple is under so much pressure on so many fronts these days. It is so fashionable to put pressure on them. The App Store is one big target. Iām getting tired of people wishing for changes that I donāt want to become reality. Sure Apple is far from perfect, yet, people should be careful for what they wish for. I decided to express my voice and started to write on the subject. It will be controversial, but it will be honest and true to my beliefs and wishes. I donāt really care if Iām right or wrong. I expect to publish my article just before WWDC. Stay tuned.
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Apple, please, consider us like grown ups (#apple #ios15)
On Apple’s Shortcuts notifications: I second this! Notifications are not needed for most of us and should be silenced in iOS 15. At least, provide an option to make it quieter. I like the idea of a status bar indicator, just like the localization services when they are trigerred.
Apple Shortcuts Is Great, but It Needs a Notification Toggle - Initial Charge
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One quick question: do you think Apple already has a plan B to enable sideloading of applications, ready to go just in case? After all, they already allow this on macOS so they know how to do it. I donāt see it as a major rework of iOS. #apple #appstore
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96%. (#asknottotrack #privacy #privacyprotection)
Iām so proud of people right now: medias are reporting that 96% of them chose to protect their basic right for online privacy. I wasnāt expecting that many people to select the āAsk Not To Trackā option. This is a game changer. This should serve as a clear message to businesses with business models essentially based on personal data mining and online profiling without user consent. Enough is enough. For those who are ok with hyper targeted ads, fine, but not at this cost. I salute Apple for moving forward with this feature in iOS 14.5. Coupled with services like NextDNS, Iām starting to see quite an improvement in my web surfing experience and being more at ease doing so.
Those who selected āAllowā probably didnāt know what it was all about.
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Apple: Opinionated and Stubborn
Ken Segall on Appleās stubborn attitude:
āItās disappointing that the modern Apple is so willing to stonewall, and that it can take an inexcusably long time to set things right.ā
Mr. Segall piece is baffling. Taken together, those bad apples make Apple look terrible at design. Apple is opinionated and takes bold risks when designing new products and services. This comes at a cost, occasionally. Apple is far from perfect, but they should know that quickly admitting when they fail makes the mistakes more easily forgiven.
What Apple product currently shipping that has baffling design flaws for which Apple doesnāt seem to care fixing, beside the Magic Mouse? I donāt see that many as they silently fixed most of them in recent years.
Photo credit: Maria Teneva / Unsplash
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On Apple's Night Shift (#apple #iphone)
Surprisingly, Apple’s Night Shift does not help in any way to fall asleep, according to a study. Intuitively, I thought of the opposite. When Apple launched this feature, in 2016, they said it would help. It seems it’s not the case after all. Will they backtrack and remove the feature in a future version? I highly doubt it. Many people do like this feature (I do on the iPhone, I hate it on the Mac), others like @Gruber don’t. What I don’t like is when the feature is in action, opening Photos abruptly turn the visual effect off. The effect is brutal as the screen turns blueish and cold because of the contrasting mode. I would prefer a more gentle disabling of the feature.
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What the hell is this? (#apple #appstore)
One evidence taken out of the Epic vs Apple trial yesterday, the above email. This email from Mr. Schiller shows how unhappy he was with scam apps being #1 on the App Store. His numerous questions are expressing frustrations. He saw what we keep seeing all too often today, nine years later. So, where are the reviewers? What value are they adding to the user experienceās bottom line? Apple could strictly rely on machine-based curation only instead, but they prefer the added touch of human-based curation for the editorial content. Does it make a real difference? On the surface maybe. With the scale of the App Store, cracks are obviously possible, hence bas actors are taking advantage of them, to create scams one after another.
Apple doesnāt look good because some of their arguments arenāt backed with proven and irrefutable facts. As a gatekeeper of the quality on the App Store, Apple is failing. Big time. From scams apps to badly designed ones, to never updated ones, beneath the front page surface, the App Store feels and look like a junkyard.
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Found! (#apple #airtags)
Got my four pack of AirTags. Unboxing is simple. Nice to hold and feel in the hands. Easily scratched. Setup is so Apple-esq. Love em! Keys. Backpack. Wallet. On for my wife. For her wallet. Obviously. Tested the Find My to locate my items. Works great. Will report back if I ever lose one of my things and find it back. For real. Canāt wait to use them for traveling.
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My Apple Purchase Plans (#apple #airtag #mynext)
Itās been a quiet week-end in term of content creation; I took a small break. As the week-end come to an end, I decided to spend some time in creating a web page using Craft. This web page is about my Apple purchase plans. Itās part of my Digital Garden. As youāll see, my next Apple device is coming tomorrow: AirTags. I bought a four pack. Canāt wait to try these small wonders.
Happy end of week-end.
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I find it a bit surprising that we donāt get reviews of the iMac today. Next week? #apple #imac2021
