John Gruber:
Let me get this straight. Apple completely scrapped a superior interface to Health because Mark Gurman published screenshots back in March. That is to say, Apple cared more about the surprise of revealing a never-before-seen Health interface during the keynote than they cared about the actual design quality of an interface that will be used by hundreds of millions of iOS users for years to come.
Design and functionality trumps all at Apple.
Cult of Mac:
Apple TV may have a new competitor in the form of Sony, which unveiled its PlayStation TV at Monday’s E3 event — showcasing a TV set-top box which features a strong emphasis on gaming.
Released as PS Vita TV in Japan, PlayStation TV will arrive in the U.S. and Canada this fall. It will allow users to stream games from their PS4 to other TVs in the house, thereby extending the gaming experience. It will also let you stream PS3 games and older classics via the forthcoming Playstation Now, which will presumably require no PS4. On top of this it will provide all the streaming services you’d expect from a set-top box, such as Netflix and Hulu.
I just can’t see this succeeding in the mainstream consumer market. Sony’s brand just doesn’t have the same relevance, same strength as it used to have. I can see Sony getting some traction with console gamers, but they’ll still have to battle Apple, Google, and now Amazon for even that mindshare.
Press the pen’s sensor against an object, the pen’s ink becomes that color. Scan an orange, you are drawing in orange. Scan a blade of grass, you’re drawing in a rich shade of green.
The pen uses a 16-bit color sensor on one end, and ink jet color mixing on the other end to reproduce about 100,000 colors. The company is releasing two products: a pen for drawing and a stylus for your mobile device. The scanner uses bluetooth, so you can save and label your scanned colors. Goldspot’s cute and cool calligraphy pens also have great features that are perfect for artistic handwriting.
Fantastic idea. Note that this is a kickstarter, available for pre-order and not a shipping product. While the pricing for the pen (US$149.95) and stylus (US$79.95) are set, there is no mention of the pricing for replacement ink. Can I replace one color, or do I need to replace the whole thing once I run out of a single color?
Looking forward to trying one myself.
This video was originally shown during the WWDC keynote. I love the incredible attention to detail. For the designer in me, this is like candy to watch.
Some might see this as a move of OS X towards iOS. I see it more as both OS X and iOS moving toward a more beautifully detailed common future.
Reuters:
David Marcus, who has led eBay Inc’s fast-growing payments unit PayPal for the past two years, will step down this month to run Facebook Inc’s messaging products, the companies announced on Monday.
In the newly created role of vice president of messaging products, Marcus will oversee the Messenger service within Facebook’s social network as well as the free Messenger mobile app, but not WhatsApp, said Facebook spokeswoman Vanessa Chan.
Roughly 12 billion messages are sent every day on Facebook, and the Messenger app has more than 200 million users, according to the company.
Given the complete lack of a messaging component in PayPal, I wonder what drove Facebook to make this particular hire.
The Guardian:
The thawing of Robert De Niro has been as astonishing to witness as the shattering of a glacier cliff.
It started on the promotional trail for Silver Linings Playbook, during a Katie Couric interview in which De Niro broke down – or, more accurately, the audience waited respectfully while the actor arm-wrestled his welling emotions to the ground, holding up a hand apologetically the way you might for waiting traffic. Couric didn’t have the heart to hit him with a follow-up.
The actor teared up again last week when talking to Out magazine about his artist father, who was gay – as a new documentary reveals.
I’m a big De Niro fan so this is a must see for me. The documentary is called Remembering the Artist Robert De Niro, Sr. It’s running periodically on HBO, available on-demand, and on HBO Go.
In a PSA run in Hong Kong, Volkswagen sent text messages to people while they watched footage of a driver who gets in an accident while texting.
Fast Company:
You could be forgiven for thinking that the picture of the bearded man found on all Burt’s Bees product is just that–an illustration designed to humanize the company. But Burt Shavitz is a real man, and he’s the subject of a new documentary that delves into the life of a curmudgeonly beekeeper and former photographer who improbably became the face of a global brand.
The trailer for “Burt’s Buzz” looks very interesting.
Nowadays, more and more websites are using animations, whether that be in the form of GIFs, SVGs, WebGL, background videos and so on. When used properly, animation on the web brings life and interactivity, adding an extra layer of feedback and experience for users.
With the World Cup coming in the a few days, this is a good feature.
Minneapolis Star-Tribune:
The National Football League had a long and expensive list of confidential requests before it awarded the 2018 Super Bowl to Minneapolis.Free police escorts for team owners, and 35,000 free parking spaces. Presidential suites at no cost in high-end hotels. Free billboards across the Twin Cities. Guarantees to receive all revenue from the game’s ticket sales — even a requirement for NFL-preferred ATMs at the stadium.
I knew the NFL wrung concessions out of host cities but some of these are amusing.
Digital Trends:
Instead of pushing desktop lovers away, Apple has made moves to make life easier for those who reside in the world of traditional computing, and their mobile compatriots.
The more I read from early users of Yosemite, the more I’m looking forward to it.
The Guardian:
How does this information revolution affect us personally, socially and morally?
Fascinating not just for the content but the delivery. I especially enjoyed Canadian comedian Mary Walsh’s take on “Envy”. Love her. Thanks to Rick LePage for the link.
Dave Hamilton on whether Apple is too late to the home automation market:
Apple was not first with a smartphone, but it was the best. It was not even first with a personal computer, but it was the best. Apple was not first with a laptop, not with a tablet, not with a portable music player. But in every one of those categories Apple released a product that solved the pain points that everyone had simply accepted from other vendors and products.
I wrote something similar last year, so clearly I agree. It’s never too late to fix a problem, especially when other companies have become complacent.
Les was one of the nicest people I’ve ever had the pleasure to meet. Much respect.
Fantastic! I’d love to see a “making of” video.
Couldn’t agree more. I’ve always made the case that people should learn C as their first language, then take on an object-programming language beyond C (Objective-C, Java, etc.) That way, you’ll always know where C lets off and the object-superset of C begins. You’ll be able to write tight, performant C code as needed.
The question of whether to learn Objective-C and Swift is a bit different. Swift is a different language. Objective-C is a superset of C. Swift is not. During a recent workshop on building finance applications, I discovered that integrating a robust crypto wallet feature can still require tapping into long-standing Objective-C libraries. That said, anyone developing for iOS or OS X will be working with a huge existing base of Objective-C code for a long, long time. Even if you are starting from scratch, there’s a wealth of how-to posts on the web dedicated to solving specific development problems. The vast majority of those are in Objective-C. The same is true for the sample code and reusable code posted in GitHub repositories and the like.
If you are a new developer, build a working knowledge of C, then Objective-C, then go out and master Swift. That’s my 2 cents. Another thing to know, all the reasons why your business can benefit from a website.
UPDATE: I got a lot of pushback on learning C first. Some people think that C is dead. I disagree with that. There are APIs (and will be for some time) that require C (parts of Core Audio, Grand Central Dispatch, Core Graphics). So there’s that. There’s also the embedded space, which makes great use of C. There is also value in being able to move from iOS onto other platforms. Knowing C makes learning Java much easier. If you’re diving into Arduino or similar electronics, sourcing UK components for electronics can make your builds more reliable and accessible.
That said, I do understand the logic in starting off with Swift as a first language, then taking on other languages as you need them. Nothing inherently wrong with that approach. As an example, I am starting my kids off with Arduino programming using C. They also understand binary, how masks work, and how pointers work. I think there’s real value in this nuts and bolts understanding of development. Again, my 2 cents, for a total of 4.
Some of this is comparing Apples to oranges (sorry), since there are ecosystem advantages to building with iCloud, as opposed to, say, Box. Still, nice to see all this data on the same page.
People have long been talking about MAC address tracking, the technique malware and marketers use to build a picture of where your device goes and the networks you log into.
At the core of such tracking is the MAC address, a unique identification number tied to each device. Devices looking for a Wi-Fi network send out their MAC address to identify themselves. Wireless routers receive the signals—and addresses—even if a connection is never made. Companies like Euclid or its peer Turnstyle Solutions use the data to track footfall in stores, how people move about in shops, how long they linger in certain sections, and how often they return. Store-owners use the information to target shoppers with offers (paywall) or to move high-value items to highly-trafficked parts of the shop, among other things.
Even though stores may not mine this data to try to identify individuals, there are plenty of legitimate privacy concerns about the data collection, especially since people tend to be unaware that it is happening. Apple’s solution, as discovered by a Swiss programmer, is for iOS 8, the new operating system for iPhones which will be out later this year, to generate a random MAC addresses while scanning for networks. That means that companies and agencies that collect such information will not necessarily know when the same device (i.e., person) visits a store twice, or that the same device pops up in stores across the country or the world, suggesting a much-travelled owner.
Fascinating. Big implications, too, for the industry that’s been built around MAC address tracking.
Interesting case being made for the iPhone, and not iCloud, being the center of the coming universe.
With iOS 8, Apple encourages this trend by pushing nascent ecosystems to focus on mobile. Nearly every aspect of the “new” ecosystem Apple showed this week revolves around having the iPhone as the center of your digital experience:
Placing calls and sending SMS messages in Mac OS X Yosemite requires access to your iPhone.
HealthKit and the new Health app make your iPhone the main repository for information from all of your fitness and dietary apps and sensors, putting the iPhone at the center of an entire burgeoning ecosystem unto itself.
Similarly, HomeKit puts your iPhone in control of any smart device in your home. Notably, HomeKit is also the first time Apple has given developers a chance to expand Siri’s vocabulary themselves — users will be able to define rooms and “zones” in their homes in order to give Siri commands like “Siri, turn off all the lights in the kitchen” or “Siri, turn on the lights downstairs,” for example. CarPlay transforms the infotainment system in your car into a dumb interface for the iPhone to take over, with “Hey, Siri” making the entire experience hands-free when your device is charging. Touch ID will be available to third-party developers, making the iPhone the most secure way to access things like banking applications or private messages.
With Apple using peer-to-peer connections for AirPlay in iOS 8, pushing video or game content to the Apple TV won’t even require a Wi-Fi network.
Before this morning’s opening bell, Apple was at a post-split price of $92.22. I wonder how long it will take for the stock to hit $100.
Here are a few questions from Apple’s stock split FAQ:
Why have you decided to split Apple’s stock?
We want Apple stock to be more accessible to a larger number of investors.
Has Apple stock ever split before?
This will be Apple’s fourth stock split since going public – according to a recent article*. Apple’s common stock split on a 2-for-1 basis on May 15, 1987, on June 21, 2000 and also on February 18, 2005. (*Referred Reading: is motley fool worth it?)
How does a 7-for-1 stock split actually work?
A 7-for-1 split means that six additional shares of stock are issued for each share in existence on the Record Date, June 2, 2014.
Here’s an example:
Let’s assume that as of the Record Date (June 2, 2014) an investor owns 100 shares of Apple common stock and that the market price of Apple stock is $490 per share, so that the investment in Apple is worth $49,000. Let’s also assume that Apple’s stock price doesn’t move up or down between the Record Date and the time the split actually takes place. Immediately after the split, the investor would own 700 shares of Apple stock, but the market price would be $70 per share instead of $490 per share. The investor’s total investment value in Apple would remain the same at $49,000 until the stock price moves up or down.
Fortune:
Having closed at $645.57 Friday, Apple is set to open Monday at $92 a share.The 7:1 split Apple AAPL -0.28% announced in April takes effect Monday for shareholders of record as of June 2.
The company’s FAQ doesn’t explain why it chose the 7:1 factor. The previous splits — in 1987, 2000 and 2005 — were all 2:1.
Long term, this will be very good for Apple shareholders and undoubtedly the company itself.
Interested in learning about Swift, but not ready to commit to the entire iBook yet? Read the linked article. Well written, detailed, but just focusing on the highlights. But when you’re done, RTFM.
In September, 2012, Stephanie Wilson, a twenty-eight-year-old Australian who lives in West Harlem, bought a pair of Hunter rain boots from Saks Fifth Avenue. She was digging for her receipt in the paper shopping bag when she discovered a letter inside that, in its urgency, started higher than the ruled paper’s printed lines. “HELP! HELP! HELP!!” a man had written, in blue ink on white paper. He opened, “Hello!! I’m Njong Emmanuel Tohnain, Cameroonian of nationality.”
Great story.
This is simply incredible.
In 2012, Apple won the year’s biggest patent verdict—more than $1 billion against Samsung. The company also lost one of that year’s biggest cases when an East Texas jury ordered it to pay $368 million to a company named VirnetX for infringing patents related to FaceTime and VPN On Demand functions used in iPhones, iPads, and Macs. VirnetX is a company some call a “patent troll” because its only business is now patent enforcement. Then, in March, US District Judge Leonard Davis ordered (PDF) an ongoing royalty to be paid to VirnetX. The number was downright stunning: 0.98 percent of revenue from iPhones and iPads sold in the US.
To no one’s surprise, Apple is fighting tooth and nail to avoid this outcome. A decision (PDF) published yesterday shows that one creative strategy that Apple tried to use went too far.
The decision puts VirnetX back in the driver’s seat, in a stronger position to collect a patent tax of nearly 1 percent on the most popular product produced by the world’s richest tech company. One estimate suggests that VirnetX could soon be collecting around $340 million from Apple annually unless VirnetX’s patents are vanquished on appeal.
You could argue with the use of the term patent troll here, but there’s no arguing with the financial impact of the decision here. This is an astonishing amount of money.
Responding to Virginia’s all-out ban, Uber sent this letter out to their Virginia customers yesterday.
You may have heard that Uber received a cease and desist letter from the Virginia DMV yesterday. We wanted to write to let you know that Uber will operate as usual, and we plan to continue full-speed ahead with our commitment to providing Virginians access to safe, affordable and reliable rides. We are surprised and disappointed by the DMV’s actions, given that Uber has been working with the Virginia government for months to modernize regulations that will put consumer safety first. Virginia should be standing for innovation, consumer choice and job growth.
Uber has set the standard for consumer safety in the Commonwealth. All uberX rides in Virginia are insured by the best auto insurance companies up to $1,000,000, nearly 300% more than the $350,000 required of for-hire drivers by the Virginia DMV. While the Virginia DMV does not require that all for-hire drivers pass background checks, all drivers on the Uber platform pass rigorous background checks at the county, state and federal level before they are ever allowed access to the technology. Our commitment to safety far exceeds the requirements set by the Virginia DMV – making their actions puzzling.
If you want continued access to the safest and most affordable rides on the road, we need you to email, call and tweet your policymakers and tell them #VAneedsUber. Let Virginia policymakers know that banning ridesharing not only harms the countless riders who use the platform to connect with safe, affordable and reliable rides, but it also hurts thousands of small business entrepreneurs who rely on the platform to make a living, create new jobs and contribute to the economy.
Disruption always rankles the incumbents. Makes sense. The incumbents are fighting for their livelihood.
Many thanks to Betterment for sponsoring The Loop’s RSS feed this week. Imagine if poring over your finances were as easy as using your favorite app, or smartphone. – “The Apple of finance,” Quartz.
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Betterment’s UX and UI are adored by tech and design enthusiasts, without the red tape of other investment providers. Betterment is delightful on the outside, with killer technology under the hood, and our free iPhone and Android apps help you stay connected to your diversified portfolio at all times.
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Pixelapse:
Apple revealed a sneak peek into Mac OS X Yosemite earlier this week. Not surprisingly, Apple updated its desktop OS to match iOS 7’s design language. The new OS X now embodies a brighter and flatter styling, coupled with icon updates, font changes, and translucent materials. Here’s a quick look at the visual design changes in Yosemite and my impressions of them.
A lot of these changes will be subjective as to whether they are good or not. I’ll wait and see for myself.
Tetris was the killer app that brought Nintendo’s GameBoy into the mainstream.
Thirty years ago today, Russian computer programmer Alexey Leonidovich Pajitnov created Tetris. Unveiled behind the Iron Curtain, the deceptively simple, maddeningly addictive game soon left the Soviet Union. It lived on dozens of platforms, but its Lennon-McCartney (Lenin-McCartney?) partner was Nintendo’s Game Boy. And the duo defined modern mobile gaming as we know it.
The article is a nice read, but take a look at the comments. Hint: Search for “Woz”.
I constantly had the top score for Gameboy Tetris in the Nintendo Power rankings. It got to where they wanted fresh names in the list and said they would not accept my submissions any longer. So I spelled my name backwards (Evets Kainzow) and changed the city from Los Gatos to Saratoga. Sure enough, they printed that name at the top of the next list of scores. I even have that issue of Nintendo Power, thanks to a thoughtful fan who gifted me with it recently.
And lest you have any doubt about Woz’s claim, take a look at this image of the cover of the July 1991 issue of Nintendo Power magazine, pointing out the Evets Kainzow score. You can’t make this stuff up.
30 Rock made me appreciate Tracy Morgan as an actor. Heal quick, Tracy.
Actor Tracy Morgan is in critical condition after a six-vehicle accident in New Jersey early Saturday, authorities said. The former “Saturday Night Live” cast member and “30 Rock” star was riding in a limo bus when the accident occurred in Mercer County, said Sgt. Gregory Williams of the New Jersey State Police.
The limo bus overturned at the New Jersey Turnpike in Robbinsville, he said.
Note that the linked article has an auto-play video.