Wild dream of the day: what if a silent yet unannounced feature of the ARM-based Mac is touch support? Looking at one of the WWDC session video called “Adopt the new look of macOS Big Sur”, spacing of many UI elements certainly feels in preparation of touch support introduction. Plus, iPhone apps running unmodified on these machines would feel at home with touch support.
Taken out of one of @gruber recent post.
In red: the Cancel button looks like being disabled. Very bad.
The menu bar transparency, why? Is Apple trying to make us forget about this distinctive UI element?
In yellow: the window title being no longer at the center, to make room for buttons (that look less and less like buttons)…
In green: a depth effect with surrounding shadow, thumbs up. General look of the refresh popup dialog, very iOS is refreshing on the Mac.
Today, it will be interesting to see how Apple is positioning its move from Intel to ARM.
To me, one thing is clear: this could be another game changer move. Apple has proven many times in the past that you don’t need to own a market (PC sales) to create new inflection points on its trajectory. Remember when Apple legitimize the use of the USB ports in its original iMac? Now, they could legitimize the use of ARM on traditional computers.
If I was Intel, I would be scared.
From Brent Simmons:
The best part of the App Store, years ago, from this developer’s point of view, was that it was easy to charge money for an app. No need to set up a system — just choose the price, and Apple takes care of everything. So easy!
And
for many developers, the very best thing about the App Store — the thing that actually helped their business — is gone.
And this
I can’t reconcile in my mind the tension between Apple as the think different company, the pirates, the rebels, the company at the intersection of tech and liberal arts — and Apple the company that runs this legalistic, nitpicky, greedy, inhuman, happy-face Kafka App Store.
And finally this
If I could distribute my iOS app outside of the App Store, I would. I’d switch in a heartbeat. Even though it’s free and money isn’t my issue. It would make my work as an app maker easier.
Ouch. Coming this guy, it means a lot.
WWDC20 already has a special feel to it, even before the start… not only because it is digital only, but also because I feel (many) developers are simpky fed up with the Apple way.
Apple’s ARM-based Macs (aggressive) transition plans… these rumours seems to point to a much more aggressive transition than I was expecting… Apple must know a few things that we don’t which could explain such an expedited transition. #wwdc2020 #wwdc www.macrumors.com/2020/06/2…
I’m not very optimistic on the outcome of the “HEY vs Apple” battle. Both, in their own ways, are arrogant, blinkered and calling out each other. Each will lose their face with a concession, even if it’s small. Big egos against each other here.
Meanwhile, potential users on iOS will suffer from the lack of much needed app updates. This could be a deal breaker for many users like me. HEY is losing, Apple is losing, users are losing.
What a mess. ☹️
It is fun to compare HEY and Micro.blog. They both depend on open web standards on the backend. HEY depends on SMTP while Micro.blog depends on HTTPS/HTML. HEY wants to re-invent the end-user experience while Micro.blog provides a pretty much generic end-user experience. By turning the end-user experience upside down, HEY doesn’t rely on IMAP. This is where some people turns their back to HEY (there may be other reasons, though).
Now, as a potential customer of HEY!, what I want to hear or read from @DHH is: what’s next? How are they tackling the problem in order to comply? Will they comply? I want to support their new platform AND their cause, but from a user standpoint, they have to put out a plan and communicate it ASAP.
My 14 days trial will end on July 1st. I want to know before making a 99$ commitment.
Hey, you’re turn now.
As an Apple observer for more than four decades (yep!), I rarely seen such a public relation mess like the one this week, a week before WWDC. Apple messed up big time with the worst possible timing by alienating their developers. On top of that, their definition of apps that doesn’t work upon startup is already being smashed by so many counter-examples. This is a complete mess and I don’t know how Apple will get out of this shit. If goes far beyond the 30% commission.
**This is not the Apple that I want to see, promote and embrace. **
Here is a MUST READ thread by @dhh about Apple messing around the launch of Hey, a new and innovative email service. I wish Hey gets though this. I support their fight because Apple is fucking arrogant here… I want Apple to open up… or else. Please, share.