May 5, 2016
Written by Shawn King
Atlas Obscura:
While the elegance of hand-crafted old maps is self-evident, finding beauty in modern satellite maps is a bit more challenging. Thankfully we have visionary modern mapmakers like Cameron Beccario who created the Earth wind map. Don’t let the understated title fool you—his creation is one of the most mesmerizing interactive maps ever made.
This is insanely cool. Make sure you click on the menu in the lower left and go through some of the viewing options. But make sure you don’t have anything to do for the next hour.
Written by Dave Mark
Serenity Caldwell, writing for iMore:
On Wednesday, I saw a post widely shared about an unfortunate individual who lost half of their local library and was blaming Apple Music for automatically deleting their local files.
I sympathize, and I’m very glad this person had a backup of their music, but I want to dispel some FUD here: Apple Music has definite problems and its matching algorithms aren’t great, but this is simply not how the service works. Apple Music should never automatically delete files off your Mac’s hard drive unless you specifically delete them first.
Serenity does a terrific job explaining this mess. In a nutshell, back up your original music library and do what you can to never delete music from it. If you need more space, get a bigger drive. If you must delete some music to save space, you are risking going down the rabbit hole of doom, so make sure your backup is complete and dependable.
I sure hope Apple addresses this.
Written by Shawn King
SketchParty:
SketchParty TV is a drawing game for two teams of up to eight players per team that plays a bit like Pictionary®. The standard gameplay settings give each player five words to draw in two minutes, and each player gets two of these two minute turns. With six total players, a full game can be played in about 30 minutes.
SketchParty TV is available on the iTunes App Store for the special sale price of $5.99 (regularly $9.99).
I can’t draw a straight line with a ruler but this latest version of the very popular SketchParty now supports both the Apple Pencil and the new Apple TV. I still won’t be able to draw but it does look like a fun game for families.
Written by Shawn King
Co.Design:
“It’s a pain in the ass,” Marc Barros says with a laugh. This week, Barros’s products will appear on the coveted shelves of Apple’s U.S. retail stores. Originally funded through two successful Kickstarter campaigns that started in 2014, the Moment lenses and cases—created for the prosumer iPhone photographer—caught the attention of Apple earlier this year.
It may have seemed like a big win for a small company. But the practicalities of taking an e-commerce business to Apple’s tightly curated retail stores—in only a month’s time—was a harrowing gamble for Barros’s 15-person team. Here’s why.
I know developers, big and small, who have products in the Apple Retail Stores. The common refrain is, “It’s the best and worst thing to happen to your company”. Apple’s attention to detail extends outwards to vendors who want to sell in their stores.
Written by Jim Dalrymple
The study, now in its fifth year, measures customer satisfaction with tablets across five factors (in order of importance): performance (28%); ease of operation (22%); features (22%); styling and design (17%); and cost (11%). Satisfaction is calculated on a 1,000-point scale.
I love my iPad. I don’t care what Wall Street says, my 9.7-inch iPad Pro is a brilliant device and I recommend it to everyone.
Written by Jim Dalrymple
John brings up some great points about Apple Music’s product design and marketing. Definitely worth a read.
Jim talks to Dave Wiskus and Joe Cieplinski of the indie rock band Airplane Mode about their stage setup, the perils of performing live, and their appearance at the upcoming WWDC 2016 Beard Bash.
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Written by Shawn King
The Atlantic:
The National Geographic Travel Photographer of the Year Contest is now underway, and entries will be accepted until the end of the month, May 27, 2016. The grand prize winner will receive a seven-day Polar Bear Safari for two in Churchill, Canada. National Geographic was kind enough to allow me to share some of the early entries with you here, gathered from three categories: Nature, Cities, and People.
Some of these photos are so spectacular, they make me want to throw away my camera gear because I know I’ll never come close to capturing the beauty of travel in the way these shooters have.
Written by Dave Mark
Craig Grannell:
Developer Travis Ryan just noted to me on Twitter that App Store search is broken. Presumably, this is a temporary glitch, but it’s frustrating for developers. In Ryan’s case, a search for Dashy Crashy doesn’t bring up his excellent game of the same name. All you get is Dashy Crashy Bird, a one-thumb sort-of Flappy Bird clone.
Some proof:
- Here’s a link to Dashy Crashy. The link works, the app is live in the App Store.
- Go to the iOS App Store, search for Dashy Crashy. The app does not show up.
- While you are at it, try a search for dumpling design (the company that makes Dashy Crashy). Though it shows up in the search suggestions, the search yields no results.
Try searching for other apps. Your mileage may vary, but I’m having no luck.
Yeesh.
Written by Dave Mark
The Verge:
Moog’s Model 15 modular synthesizer, first released in 1973, can cost upward of $10,000. But Moog understands that not every synthesizer fan has a casual 10K laying around, so yesterday the company released an iOS app version of the classic instrument. It’s available for iPads, iPod touches, and iPhones that are running iOS version 9.3.1 or later.
What’s really cool about the app is how hands-on it is. Although the buttons are virtual, users actively participate in creating their music. They can drag cables around the board, play on the collapsable digital keyboard, and turn knobs. It’s a hefty app with a lot of simultaneous motion and sound, so Moog says it took advantage of Apple’s Metal API for smooth transitions.
Watch the video. Fantastic to have that distinct Moog sound. Looks like it is Midi-savvy, so you can set up the sound you like, then control it from a full size MIDI Controller. Nice.
Written by Dave Mark
Elizabeth Dwoskin, writing for the Washington Post:
The stealthy, four-year-old Viv is among the furthest along in an endeavor that many in Silicon Valley believe heralds that next big shift in computing — and digital commerce itself. Over the next five years, that transition will turn smartphones — and perhaps smart homes and cars and other devices — into virtual assistants with supercharged conversational capabilities like Conversational AI, said Julie Ask, an expert in mobile commerce at Forrester.
Powered by artificial intelligence and unprecedented volumes of data, they could become the portal through which billions of people connect to every service and business on the Internet. It’s a world in which you can order a taxi, make a restaurant reservation and buy movie tickets in one long unbroken conversation — no more typing, searching or even clicking. It will be amazing to see that such Technological AI advances will soon revolutionize industries by automating tasks, improving decision-making, and creating personalized experiences that enhance efficiency and innovation.
And:
The quest to define the next generation of artificial-intelligence technology has sparked an arms race among the five major tech giants: Apple, Google, Microsoft, Facebook and Amazon.com have all announced major investments in virtual-assistant software over the past year.Two of them — Google and Facebook — have made offers to buy Viv, according to people familiar with the matter. (Facebook chief executive Mark Zuckerberg is also an investor in Viv through the firm Iconiq Capital.)
Viv will have its first public demo on Monday. Interesting that Apple is not said to be among the bidders.
Written by Dave Mark
Bentley Motors makes some finely crafted (and expensive) vehicles. Now they have an Apple Watch app that allows you to control your car’s settings.
Follow the link, watch the embedded video. I like the execution, just not sure I get the value of controlling the car from your wrist, since you’ll be using the app from the driver’s seat. Any Bentley owners out there? Want to chime in?
Written by Dave Mark
Fortune:
Apple has hired famed robotics expert Yoky Matsuoka, one of the co-founders of Google’s X lab and former head of technology at Nest, to work on the iPhone maker’s health projects.
And:
Apple said Matsuoka is working for chief operating officer Jeff Williams, who oversees the tech giant’s growing number of health initiatives. Those efforts include the HealthKit framework for developing apps, ResearchKit for using mobile devices in medical studies, and CareKit to help individuals improve their own medical care.
Yoky has had an incredible career. She seems an impressive addition to Apple’s technical staff.
May 4, 2016
Written by Jim Dalrymple
> At WWDC 2015 we announced the transition to IPv6-only network services in iOS 9. Starting June 1, 2016 all apps submitted to the App Store must support IPv6-only networking. Most apps will not require any changes because IPv6 is already supported by NSURLSession and CFNetwork APIs.
> If your app uses IPv4-specific APIs or hard-coded IP addresses, you will need to make some changes.
Apple announced this last year, so most of any work that needs to be done by developers such as ip leasing is probably taken care of already. If not, this is a good reminder from Apple.
Written by Shawn King
Tom Negrino:
This post will upset many of you. I am sorry about that. I’ve been ill for quite some time, but I haven’t talked about it. Brace yourself for the really bad news.
I’ve got cancer. It’s bad, and I’m not going to survive it.
In general, I haven’t gone public with this, though I told family, some friends, and colleagues when I had a chance to sit down with them at Macworld Expo 2014. I’ve kept things mostly under wraps because I didn’t want to publicly become Cancer Guy, because I’ve seen that happen to other people I know. Cancer is something I have; it does not define who I am.
Tom is the “Grand Old Man” of the Mac Community. He and his lovely wife Dori have been involved on many levels – users, authors, speakers – for decades. Both of them are wonderful, kind, funny, smart and fierce people. I’m proud to know them and even prouder to call them friends. This is terrible news but, Tom being Tom, he will handle it with the dignity and intelligence for which he has always been admired. My thoughts are with both of them as they go through this awful ordeal.
Written by Shawn King
TidBITS:
When the fourth-generation Apple TV was announced last September, I gave an audible (and embarrassing) “Whoop!” in my chair as I watched the presentation, eager to write the second edition of “Take Control of Apple TV” (which is now available). The little set-top box suddenly had a lot more potential, thanks to Apple finally adding an App Store.
But it has been nearly six months since the fourth-generation Apple TV was released, and there isn’t much to show yet. Yes, the tvOS App Store quickly added over 1000 apps, but growth since that initial explosion seems slow. I dutifully check the “Best New Apps” section every week, only to be disappointed by the slow trickle of interesting new apps.
The problem isn’t a complete lack of apps (there were over 2600 back in December, and likely many more than that now), but a dearth of those that make the Apple TV compelling.
One of the complaints from developers is that there’s just no there there. In other words, there’s just not enough to the Apple TV to make developing for it worth the effort, particularly for smaller developers working on iOS.
News came today that Apple is planning a major revamp of Apple Music at its Worldwide Developer Conference in June. This is welcome news for sure. While the service has improved considerably since its introduction, there are still some things that need to addressed—hopefully, this is it.
However, there are some lessons I hope Apple learned from last year’s introduction.
So Apple:
Leave the celebrities at home
This is a developer conference, not a gala event where you can show off all the celebrities you know in the industry. Don’t talk to the first two rows of the audience like you did last year—talk to the 5,000 developers that paid to be there and the millions of customers watching from home.
Listening to Drake stumble his way through a speech about how great Apple is does nothing to help your cause with Apple Music. Most people in that room don’t care—or we don’t care as much as you seem to—we want to see a product that works.
Focus on the product
Showing two dozen screenshots of Pharrell also does nothing for your audience. That crowd wants to hear about the product and how you’ve improved it. They want to know about the APIs that are going to help them build products.
Apple is a great product company, but the first version of Apple Music chipped away a lot of trust people had—that will be difficult to get back, but with a laser focus on the product, it can be done.
Be honest
I think we can be honest and admit you released Apple Music when it wasn’t ready. There were just too many bugs for it to be any other way, but you did it regardless.
Developers and consumers want to know you heard us—that you took our criticisms to heart and you fixed the problems.
I don’t mind a public beta of Apple Music that is being worked on, but don’t walk on that stage and tell me it’s a finished, working product if it isn’t.
The amount of trust and loyalty you’ll lose with another round of broken Apple Music will be mind boggling.
Beauty and respect
Ultimately, we want to see the same dedication you have for your hardware products brought to Apple Music. Hardware works. It’s beautifully designed, elegant, and thoughtful. That’s what you need to show us with Apple Music at WWDC.
Show your developers, customers, and musicians the respect they deserve. We’re paying for this service and we want it to work. We will support your efforts to make it the best service in the world.
Just don’t take us for granted again.
Written by Dave Mark
This is a simple way to record a call. Are there laws against recording a call without someone’s knowledge?
I’ve not tried this, but I would never record a call without everyone on the call acknowledging they are cool with being recorded. This smells like trouble.
UPDATE: Here’s a legal guide to recording phone calls and conversations. [H/T Jim Neal]
Written by Dave Mark
DigiTimes:
Apple has increased orders for its low-priced iPhone SE in the second quarter of 2016, according to industry sources. The second-quarter outlook for related chip orders has been revised to more than five million units from 3.5-4 million.
The outlook for Apple’s chip orders for iPhone SE for the third quarter will likely be similar to that for the second quarter, said the sources.
iPhone SE is a bright spot.
Written by Dave Mark
Lots and lots of data here, gathered from more than 7,000 developers. Interesting read, visually well presented.
Take a few minutes to read Nilay Patel’s take on the Apple Watch.
His assessment is certainly accurate. Apps take a relatively long time to launch and there is too much lag when an app has to communicate with the iPhone.
I see this as a glass half full. I love my Apple Watch, wear it every day. These are the things I get from my watch at a glance, with no lag:
- Current time
- The day and date
- Current outside temperature
- Texts
- Email
- Other notifications
- Alarm settings
- Battery life
There is a ton of value here. All of this functionality is immediate. The only lag is the time it takes for my watch screen to light up.
Add to this list Siri interaction (Siri is its own glass half full), Apple Maps integration (mileage to next turn, wrist taps when a turn is close, all incredibly useful), and Calendar integration (I use Fantastical’s complication, works very well).
This is a glass half full, but a really big glass, with lots of capacity for improvement. This was first generation hardware and I have incorporated it into my day-to-day life.
I do see Nilay’s disappointment. But I would urge patience here. Point out the flaws, that helps Apple home in on what to change. But give Apple another generation to address the flaws (I suspect these issues are not software fixable, or they’d be fixed) and judge the change.
I can’t imagine that we won’t see significant changes with the next generation of Apple Watch.
Written by Dave Mark
Washington Post:
Even during the short time that Brazil’s ban on the Facebook-owned app was in effect, people still found other ways to access the type of encrypted messaging features that triggered the block in the first place.
Several rival apps that offer encrypted messaging services reported a surge in Brazilian sign-ups, which highlights how the growing ubiquity of private messaging apps makes it hard to stop people from using them.
Living proof. Banning or weakening encryption just does not work. All it does is push people to other communication channels.
Written by Dave Mark
Bloomberg:
Apple Inc. is planning sweeping changes to its year-old music streaming service after the first iteration of the product was met with tepid reviews and several executives brought in to revive the company’s music strategy departed.
Apple is altering the user interface of Apple Music to make it more intuitive to use, according to people familiar with the product who asked not to be identified because the plans aren’t public. Apple also plans to better integrate its streaming and download businesses and expand its online radio service, the people said. The reboot is expected to be unveiled at the company’s Worldwide Developers Conference in June. The changes will be accompanied by a marketing blitz to lure more customers to the $10-per-month streaming service. An Apple spokesman declined to comment.
Hallelujah. I wonder if the WWDC unveiling means a more robust Apple Music API. The existing API is pretty limited. Apple should take a look at the kinds of things you can do with SoundShare, which lets you collaborate on playlists (your friends can add songs to a common playlist), create a playlist with songs from different services (Apple Music/Spotify/Deezer), and see what your friends are listening to (Jim can see what music Slash is listening to, as opposed to scrolling through Slash’s marketing page).
Using the WWDC stage to show off a new Apple Music interface, with no new developer-specific goodies to share, would be like showcasing Drake’s music on the App Store page.
UPDATE: Some of the mentioned SoundShare functionality won’t hit the App Store until the new release, which (I’m told) should be live tomorrow (Thursday). Try it out. It’s free.
