Apple will never satisfy my lust for cheap, powerful hardware
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Because a fingerprint was too much work? 
I dunno, I don't like FaceID at the best of times, even when working properly. I don't always want to unlock my phone when I look at it, and whe nI do, it doesn't seem to work half the time. The fact that my brother can unlock my phone about 30% of the time in half light doesn't help.
(that said, I'm in favor of any way to make unlocking easier with a mask on.)
I dunno, I don't like FaceID at the best of times, even when working properly. I don't always want to unlock my phone when I look at it, and whe nI do, it doesn't seem to work half the time. The fact that my brother can unlock my phone about 30% of the time in half light doesn't help.
(that said, I'm in favor of any way to make unlocking easier with a mask on.)
Hell, I've unlocked my husband's phone that way and we're not even blood related.Because a fingerprint was too much work?
I dunno, I don't like FaceID at the best of times, even when working properly. I don't always want to unlock my phone when I look at it, and whe nI do, it doesn't seem to work half the time. The fact that my brother can unlock my phone about 30% of the time in half light doesn't help.
(that said, I'm in favor of any way to make unlocking easier with a mask on.)
I don’t disagree with that. Not having a fingerprint sensor of some sort, even if it’s like the new iPad sensor, is a huge annoyance. I’m just glad there’s a way around it now. They could have just let it go and add a fingerprint sensor in new phones expecting you to just upgrade. I don’t think it’s worth buying an Apple Watch for, but if you have one it’s a nice convenience.Because a fingerprint was too much work?
A combo of the two would be ideal. Hopefully the rumors of an in-screen fingerprint reader are true.
So apparently some of the newer Macs are TOO quiet for some people? There's an app for that!
boingboing.net
App adds simulated fan noise to fanless, silent M1 Macs
The latest MacBook Air is fanless despite its impressive performance and power management, thanks to Apple's well-received M1 processors. But this means the fan noise is lost! Now you can…
boingboing.net
--Patrick
People love this stuff, I'm pretty sure that's why onlyfans is popularSo apparently some of the newer Macs are TOO quiet for some people? There's an app for that!
App adds simulated fan noise to fanless, silent M1 Macs
The latest MacBook Air is fanless despite its impressive performance and power management, thanks to Apple's well-received M1 processors. But this means the fan noise is lost! Now you can…
--Patrick
What am I missing? Why would a silent Mac be bad?
I laughed at the ad on the page: Ford makes gas scent for EV owners. I will keep my jelly belly air fresheners thanks
I like that my car doesn’t smell like a gas station. I also like that I only go there for McFries.
I laughed at the ad on the page: Ford makes gas scent for EV owners. I will keep my jelly belly air fresheners thanks
I like that my car doesn’t smell like a gas station. I also like that I only go there for McFries.
I assume the lack of a fan noise triggers a "there's something wrong" reaction in people's brains because they expect the noise & it's not there.
Some people actually need white noise to function, the same way some people are comforted by nature sounds or classical music or screams coming from the basement.
--Patrick
I always worry when my laptop is too loud. Everyone is different though
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Subaru added a "fake shift" to their CVTs, because people thought they were broken and "weren't shifting". It drives my husband crazy, because CVTs don't work like that.
I never noticed the lack of a fan on the new MacBook until now. Just never thought about it. (And I like it being silent.)
It's like when you have kids, and you realize it's been quiet for an hour...
Or like how car manufacturers specifically engineer your car door to have a satisfyingly solid sound.
The ‘Slam’ of Your Car Door Is Fake
Car doors are engineered to sound much sturdier than they really are. Welcome to the science of automobile psychoacoustics.
melmagazine.com
Technically not specifically an Apple thing, but since they've become the poster child for all the world's app store controversies, I'll post it here:
www.macrumors.com
The (proposed) law (PDF) would apply to "companies that own or control an App Store with more than 50,000,000 users," which as near as I can tell is primarily Apple & Google (and maybe Steam, Microsoft, and Amazon -- according to one site there are apparently over 300 app stores out there worldwide). A quick search did not turn up any estimates of the number of users of each app store, only bragging points like the total number of apps downloaded or the amount of revenue generated. The bill does not specify whether a person who buys a phone/tablet/computer automatically becomes a "user" of the respective store simply because they bought an associated device or whether they actually have to create an account and purchase something first, and also the bill does not further define whether "users" only refers to the people (potentially) downloading the apps/content, or whether the developers who create the apps/content are included in the total number of "users."
The bill very much reads like it was written by people who don't understand how computers/operating systems work (If you successfully write/build an app for one platform, then obviously you can successfully write/build that app for EVERY platform, right?), but the main points seem to be that a company that operates an app store Must/May Not:
Some of this I have no problem getting behind. Sure, a company shouldn't be allowed to tell you where you can/can't market your app, and it shouldn't be allowed to "snoop" your app in order to make their own version that displaces yours, and I'm really happy about the part that says a company shouldn't be allowed to have private, "secret" features/calls/whatever that only it is allowed to use. But #7 just seem petty. My local grocery store pimps their own store-branded products all the time, why shouldn't app stores?
Also there is the elephant in the room that I alluded to earlier. Whose responsibility is it going to be to build and maintain the infrastructure that interconnects all of these app stores? How will company A's app store ever be able to ensure that apps offered by company B's app store are compatible/safe/actually work/etc on company A's device(s) without also being allowed complete and unrestricted access to company B's app store internals? Actually, without being allowed complete and unrestricted access to EVERY other company's app store internals? And it is not lost on me that this law would, by necessity, only apply to the app stores of companies located within the United States, and has no dominion over app stores run by companies located in other countries, or even app stores being run directly by the other countries themselves. The only way I can see this working would be to establish some kind of universal middleware or independent clearing house, but then all THAT does is add another layer to this whole app store thing, possibly a government-run layer, that's going to have to be paid for and maintained and that might end up imposing its own additional layer of fees and requirements and...really this just seems to me to be less about "protect the consumer" and more about "ensure the government gets a cut of the lucrative app store market, and also possibly a first step towards adding a room 641B."
--Patrick
New U.S. Antitrust Bill Would Require Apple and Google to Allow Third-Party App Stores and Sideloading
New bipartisan antitrust legislation that targets Apple's App Store and Google's Play Store was today introduced by U.S. Senators Richard...
www.macrumors.com
The bill very much reads like it was written by people who don't understand how computers/operating systems work (If you successfully write/build an app for one platform, then obviously you can successfully write/build that app for EVERY platform, right?), but the main points seem to be that a company that operates an app store Must/May Not:
- Mandate that in-app purchases only be processed through the same "store" where you acquired the app.
- Offer developers "sweetheart deals" to leave/avoid another platform or require app features be locked to one platform v. another.
- Penalize a developer because they have apps on another store.
- Block a developer from offering "deals" directly to their app's users from within the app.
- Use any inside knowledge gained from distributing an app to develop a competing product to that app.
- Restrict/prevent users from using alternate apps/app stores or setting them as the defaults.
- Prevent users from removing/hiding preinstalled apps.
- Promote their own apps more prominently in searches.
- Restrict/reserve APIs and such for its own use--no "undocumented" features that developers aren't allowed to use.
Some of this I have no problem getting behind. Sure, a company shouldn't be allowed to tell you where you can/can't market your app, and it shouldn't be allowed to "snoop" your app in order to make their own version that displaces yours, and I'm really happy about the part that says a company shouldn't be allowed to have private, "secret" features/calls/whatever that only it is allowed to use. But #7 just seem petty. My local grocery store pimps their own store-branded products all the time, why shouldn't app stores?
Also there is the elephant in the room that I alluded to earlier. Whose responsibility is it going to be to build and maintain the infrastructure that interconnects all of these app stores? How will company A's app store ever be able to ensure that apps offered by company B's app store are compatible/safe/actually work/etc on company A's device(s) without also being allowed complete and unrestricted access to company B's app store internals? Actually, without being allowed complete and unrestricted access to EVERY other company's app store internals? And it is not lost on me that this law would, by necessity, only apply to the app stores of companies located within the United States, and has no dominion over app stores run by companies located in other countries, or even app stores being run directly by the other countries themselves. The only way I can see this working would be to establish some kind of universal middleware or independent clearing house, but then all THAT does is add another layer to this whole app store thing, possibly a government-run layer, that's going to have to be paid for and maintained and that might end up imposing its own additional layer of fees and requirements and...really this just seems to me to be less about "protect the consumer" and more about "ensure the government gets a cut of the lucrative app store market, and also possibly a first step towards adding a room 641B."
--Patrick
I appreciate it, too. It's the idea that the feature must be mandatory that I don't agree with.
This may be because I provide support, and have already had discussions like the following:
"Ok just open the Xxxxxx app and scroll to the settings."
<a few minutes later>
"I can't find the Xxxxxx app."
"Can you search for it for me?"
"It didn't find anything."
"Ok you must have deleted it in the past, can you go redownload..."
<interrupting> "I didn't delete nothing! It must not have come with it."
<Me, knowing it comes preinstalled on every device> "...okaaaaay well if you can just go redownload it so we can get to the settings, please."
--Patrick
Oh yes, I know THAT feeling.
The amount of people who insist they've never X or have always Y before, while I know for a fact that X was mandatory or Y has always been impossible...I'm pretty sure that's half the population.
Every now and again, Apple does something that makes me want to post it here, but then I don't for whatever reason.
But now they did something I HAVE to post.
What's next? Will John Deere start allowing people to repair their own tractors? Will Keurig start allowing people to use other people's coffee pods? And Sony! OMG Sony is gonna implode.
...also in b4 people start suing Apple for shipping them batteries that explode even when you stab them "only a little bit."
--Patrick
But now they did something I HAVE to post.
Apple announces Self Service Repair
Apple parts, tools, and manuals — starting with iPhone 12 and iPhone 13 — available to individual consumers.
www.apple.com
WHAT THE WHAT NOW
What's next? Will John Deere start allowing people to repair their own tractors? Will Keurig start allowing people to use other people's coffee pods? And Sony! OMG Sony is gonna implode.
...also in b4 people start suing Apple for shipping them batteries that explode even when you stab them "only a little bit."
--Patrick
They made a similar announcement a couple of years ago for iPhone 12 and 13 and independent repair shops. Turns out that the program was not all it was hyped to be. The IRP program contained extremely onerous contract terms, and only offered a limited number of parts to repair shops. For instance, a shop couldn't get LCD screens for 40-50 bucks. They had to replace an entire display unit at close to $200 per part. So, I'm not holding my breath.Every now and again, Apple does something that makes me want to post it here, but then I don't for whatever reason.
But now they did something I HAVE to post.
Apple announces Self Service Repair
Apple parts, tools, and manuals — starting with iPhone 12 and iPhone 13 — available to individual consumers.www.apple.com
WHAT THE WHAT NOW
What's next? Will John Deere start allowing people to repair their own tractors? Will Keurig start allowing people to use other people's coffee pods? And Sony! OMG Sony is gonna implode.
...also in b4 people start suing Apple for shipping them batteries that explode even when you stab them "only a little bit."
--Patrick
The EU is bringing in "Right to Repair" laws & have specifically mentioned smartphones as one of the things that will be covered by it. Apple have obviously decided a) it's going to happen & they can't stop it, b) they can't let Europeans repair their iPhones but not Americans, and c) the PR benefits of starting it now before they're forced to & pretending it was their own decision is greater than the monetary benefits of holding on to the old system as long as possible.Every now and again, Apple does something that makes me want to post it here, but then I don't for whatever reason.
But now they did something I HAVE to post.
Apple announces Self Service Repair
Apple parts, tools, and manuals — starting with iPhone 12 and iPhone 13 — available to individual consumers.www.apple.com
WHAT THE WHAT NOW
What's next? Will John Deere start allowing people to repair their own tractors? Will Keurig start allowing people to use other people's coffee pods? And Sony! OMG Sony is gonna implode.
...also in b4 people start suing Apple for shipping them batteries that explode even when you stab them "only a little bit."
--Patrick
What you didn't think Apple were doing this voluntarily did you? And yes John Deere will probably have to start allowing at least European farmers to repair their own tractors.
The real test will be whether or not independent repair shops will be allowed to use these or if it's a stipulation that the customer has to do it themselves. Because the number of customers that will actually do self repair is incredibly small compared to the number that would rather take it to an independent shopEvery now and again, Apple does something that makes me want to post it here, but then I don't for whatever reason.
But now they did something I HAVE to post.
Apple announces Self Service Repair
Apple parts, tools, and manuals — starting with iPhone 12 and iPhone 13 — available to individual consumers.www.apple.com
WHAT THE WHAT NOW
What's next? Will John Deere start allowing people to repair their own tractors? Will Keurig start allowing people to use other people's coffee pods? And Sony! OMG Sony is gonna implode.
...also in b4 people start suing Apple for shipping them batteries that explode even when you stab them "only a little bit."
--Patrick
Oh I don’t doubt some Apple bigwig is viewing this not as “altruism” but instead as “alternate revenue stream,” but it was still quite unexpected that Apple would be one of the first to “cave” (although probably for the exact reasons @mikerc says).
On the other hand, if you want to have a discussion around industry practices of designing products that require so many bespoke modules in the FIRST place, well now that is an entirely different discussion.
—Patrick
I don’t know as this is really a thing. When my car’s radiator fan burned up (a known issue with that specific model) and I decided to replace it myself, I didn’t have to separately buy a shroud, fan assembly, motor, and mounting hardware, and then assemble them all myself, nor did I feel like Ford was gouging me by “forcing” me to purchase the entire module. It’s a bespoke part for a bespoke device, so I kinda expected it.
On the other hand, if you want to have a discussion around industry practices of designing products that require so many bespoke modules in the FIRST place, well now that is an entirely different discussion.
—Patrick
The difference being: If all you needed was, say, the shroud, you CAN buy that as a separate, cheaper part.
Amazon product
Louis Rossman, notorious apple repairman and youtube specifically calls out the ability to only legally buy fully assembled modules would drive up repair costs in his business (turning a $100 repair into a several hundred dollar repair, for instance) and the unavailability of many individual component parts, such as charging ports, in the IRP program. The IRP program is a non-viable solution to many small independent repair shops.
My post was about calling that out. My hope is that this new program would be better, but I'm not holding my breath.
Right. And if products were developed/designed/manufactured while keeping their future repairability as a priority, all of this would be a non-issue. Like you, though, I’m not holding my breath that any company will voluntarily choose ease of future repair over the temptation of vendor lock-in and guaranteeing a long tail revenue stream.
—Patrick
—Patrick
The new Mac Studio looks nice. Finally a desktop that’s between the mini and the insanely expensive Mac Pro.
arstechnica.com
Apple announces $1,999 Mac Studio workstation with new 20-core M1 Ultra chip
New diminutive desktop can be even faster than the MacBook Pro, for a price.
arstechnica.com