ChatGPT Atlas is for?

I’ve been testing the ChatGPT Atlas browser heavily in recent days. It’s already controversial, but I’m in the camp that likes it. Of course, this is Chromium with a ChatGPT button bolted on. But that’s the point: helping eliminate app switching that I was constantly doing anyway. Of course, it’s not the real web experience, but who said OpenAI was pretending to offer the classic web as we’ve known it over the last 30 years? Those years are already behind us, you like it or not. One thing I do is summarize my browsing activities, focusing on reading my RSS feeds in Inoreader. It’s very impressively done, complete with a back link to each Inoreader article. I’m not using, and don’t plan to use, agentic browsing activities due to their apparent lack of maturity and highly questionable security issues.

Speaking of Inoreader: the service allows you to summarize a bunch of selected articles using AI, but it’s an extra that costs more! With ChatGPT Atlas, a simple prompt while browsing an RSS feed or a group of RSS feeds does the job wonderfully.

More to come soon.

If Apple were to introduce a new MacBook (not in the Air or Pro line), smaller than the 13-inch Air, in the 12-inch range, with an iPhone-class processor, I would probably buy one. Why? Because for me, having an ultra-portable yet powerful macOS-based machine for travelling would be a killer.

John Gruber is asking:

But even if Apple is correct about that, at some point, after being handed loss after loss in rulings from courts and regulatory bodies around the globe, shouldn’t they change their strategy and start trying to offer their own concessions, rather than wait for bureaucrat-designed concessions to be forced upon them?

I’m glad he is asking this question. If Gruber is fed up with this attitude, I guess it’s time to think differently, Apple.

If ChatGPT could read RSS feeds for summarization and other tricks, it would probably be a game-changer for me. Inoreader offers such a thing, but it’s a paid addition on top of an already rather expensive subscription.

It appears that Apple will go ahead with paid ads in Maps sometime next year. I’m not happy about this for a few reasons. One is that Apple is becoming… less and less… Apple. Two, I hate ads. I despise the implications behind a platform that supports ads (user tracking, data collection, etc.). I hate the business model behind that, too. I hope that it’s a false rumors, but if recent years are any indication, it’s going to be a thing.

MCP support is coming soon to Craft. They are taking a more cautious approach than Notion’s. Oh, and APIs are also coming, too. I like that. We will see how things go. So far, it’s fun to play with.

I’m reading some pushback against ChatGPT Atlas — or, more generally, against browsers that aren’t really web browsers but skins on top of Chromium that enable user behaviour and data collection in novel ways. I’m not sure how I feel about these opinions. For now, the way I’m using ChatGPT Atlas is like ChatGPT client. I don’t use agents. I never will. It’s mostly about content summarization and analysis.

In “Creative neglect: What about the apps in Apple?” Joe Rosensteel from SixColors discusses the lack of attention and updates for Apple’s creative apps. Of particular interest to me: Photomator. It didn’t receive meaningful updates since its acquisition. Don’t get me started with the Apple Intelligence support, it’s a gimmick. At the same time, I’m afraid of the Liquid Glass treatment Photomator will eventually get. It’s a strange vibe, not to be excited about any impending updates.

**OpenAI acquired Software Applications Inc **— a startup building an AI-powered user interface for Mac desktops. I’m not to aware of the product that company was building, but I wonder how portable it was. OpenAI is a multi-platform company, so focusing on a Mac-only app is strange. As a Mac user, I’m very curious to what will happen with this.