Apple Company • Page 474

XR is a terrific device, best value in an iPhone, although now with iOS getting a proper dark mode, I’ll personally be more inclined to go OLED moving forward.

Also, Pixelmator Photo might be the best iPad app. It’s machine learning edits are absolutely impeccable.

 

Also here to vouch for the XR. It's the best iPhone I've had by far and the battery is really the killer feature imo

 

Is it bad that I’m weirdly excited to mess around with the expanded Memoji customization?

 

I am too! I’m also excited to use Memoji as stickers because I never really want to pose to use the Memoji.

 

Very excited for that also! My friends are going to hate me lol

 

I bought an Apple Watch today for the lulz and I’m shocked how awesome it is haha

 

Did anyone else get a super slow MacOS upgrade recently? Mine auto-updated and the reboot screen is now estimating 35 minutes. Seems a little insane for a non-major update heh

 

I bought the Series 4 in September, my first Apple Watch. I expected to like it for sure, but I am amazed at how much I love this thing.

 

heck yeah. also I'm very proud of myself, I already filled all the rings by noon.

 

Were you up all night?!

 

no man I went to sleep After Midnight ;)

 

Big Mood Machine | Liz Pelly

MUSIC IS EMOTIONAL, and so our listening often signals something deeply personal and private. Today, this means music streaming platforms are in a unique position within the greater platform economy: they have troves of data related to our emotional states, moods, and feelings. It’s a matter of unprecedented access to our interior lives, which is buffered by the flimsy illusion of privacy. When a user chooses, for example, a “private listening” session on Spotify, the effect is to make them feel that it’s a one-way relation between person and machine. Of course, that personalization process is Spotify’s way of selling users on its product. But, as it turns out, in a move that should not surprise anyone at this point, Spotify has been selling access to that listening data to multinational corporations.

Where other platforms might need to invest more to piece together emotional user profiles, Spotify streamlines the process by providing boxes that users click on to indicate their moods: Happy Hits, Mood Booster, Rage Beats, Life Sucks. All of these are examples of what can now be found on Spotify’s Browse page under the “mood” category, which currently contains eighty-five playlists. If you need a lift in the morning, there’s Wake Up Happy, A Perfect Day, or Ready for the Day. If you’re feeling down, there’s Feeling Down, Sad Vibe, Down in the Dumps, Drifting Apart, Sad Beats, Sad Indie, and Devastating. If you’re grieving, there’s even Coping with Loss, with the tagline: “When someone you love becomes a memory, find solace in these songs.”

This shit creeps me out.

 

Initial Thoughts on iPadOS: A New Path Forward – MacStories

At first I was disappointed when they revealed iPadOS (not sure what I was hoping for/expecting in hindsight), but after riding Federico’s writeup this all looks very, very good. Apple is gradually cannibalizing the portable Mac and I’m here for it.

It’s also the first time I can recall a large tech company actually listening, and in turn delivering what the users wanted instead of sticking to what their vision of the product/business should be.

 

Apple has been very good lately in listening to their users instead of trying to placate the haters.

 

I'm honestly just so ready for what is essentially desktop Safari. I think this is going to make the iPad so much more useful for me and a lot of other people I know who I think are fine with just an iPad, but mobile Safari just doesn't cut it.

I want to download the beta SO BAD but I am FOR SURE waiting until the second or so public beta at least.

 

Yeah desktop Safari will be huge for me as well, as it’s my most used iPad app. The more I use mine, the more I’m now getting impatient for the update but I keep telling myself I don’t want to do the beta. At the very least I’m waiting for the public beta.

 

when does the public beta typically go live?

 

I think it was towards the end of June last year, but I've been seeing July for this year in a lot of places. Can't quite remember if that was officially announced in the Keynote or not.

 

And so the tech community movement continues....

 

Honestly having owned both sizes the 11” isn’t any easier to carry around than the 12.9

 

Sometimes I wonder if I'd prefer to have the 11" but I try not to think about because I definitely am happy with the 12.9"

 

I have the 11" because for my use case the 12.9 was a little unwieldy. but pound for pound, esp with the iPad OS 13 upgrades, the 12.9 is the way to go imo.

 

MKBHD doesn’t use a keyboard attachment, so I’m sure that’s why he’s saying it’s easier on the 11”. Probably fits his bag better as well of course.

I personally find the 11” perfect for any scenario I throw at it, with the 12.9” being a little too big in certain circumstances. I wavered back and forth when I first got the iPad Pro on what size I wanted, ultimately the 11” won and I’m happy with it.

 

I try not to think “what if I got the 11” either haha. The 12.9” feels lighter than my MacBook Pro so that’s all that matters to me.

 

Apple Is Still Trying to Sue the Owner of an Independent iPhone Repair Shop

This shit is so ridiculous. Imagine if the only way to repair your car is to go to the dealership and spend outrageous money. Accept that you lost, Apple, and quit attacking small business owners.