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The Not-User-Error Edition Wednesday, May 18, 2016

New Version Of iTunes Addresses The Music Deletion Issue, by Sarah Perez, TechCrunch

The iTunes update that aims to correct this problem is version 12.4, released just yesterday, TechCrunch has confirmed with sources familiar with the matter.

What’s odd is that Apple has not been able to cause music deletions to happen in internal testing. Without being able to reproduce the problem, it’s unclear at this time if the fix being shipped will actually solve this issue for good. It’s also unclear whether the issue is tied to Apple Music’s subscription service, as suspected, or if it could affect regular iTunes users as well.

Why Apple Music Is So Bad When The iPhone Is So Good, by Om Malik, New Yorker

Apple is phenomenally successful, but like Microsoft, which stumbled when Google’s Internet-only, advertising-based businesses took off, it may find it difficult to adapt success to new terrain. A former Apple executive told me that, because Apple’s power structure is built around hardware, no one really wants to work on its services business, even though they generate more than Facebook’s annual revenues. In other words, good product people view services as a place where careers go to stagnate.

Apple Sent Two Men To My House. No, They Weren’t Assassins., by James Pinkstone

In the days leading up to our face-to-face encounter, they’d earned more of my trust when they acknowledged that A), they’d read the phone transcripts, and although they maintained that she was mistaken, they did not dispute my account of what Amber had told me, and B), they, too, were convinced this was not user error. Before allowing them into my home, though, I’d laid out some conditions. Their research would be strictly limited to Apple Music, iTunes, and my iTunes library, and I would always be in the room to watch them work. Any information gleaned would be used solely for iTunes and Apple Music troubleshooting. If I had a document on my desktop called “Zapruder Film Unedited,” for example, they would still leave it alone. They agreed, both on the phone and in person, so we began.

How To Work With The Sidebar In iTunes 12.4, by Kirk McElhearn

At first glance, it looks a lot like the sidebar that was in iTunes back in the day, but there are some differences. Here’s how to work with the sidebar in iTunes 12.4.

Apple Comments On 'Error 56', Looking Into Reports Of Affected iPads, by Rene Ritchie, iMore

"We're looking into a small number of reports that some iPad units are receiving an error when updating the software," an Apple spokesperson told iMore. "Those unable to restore their device through iTunes should contact Apple support."

City Of Dreams

India Wanted More Of Apple’s Love, But All It’s Getting Is A Boring App Development Centre, by Madhura Karnik, Quartz

Meanwhile, Cook is likely to meet Indian prime minister Narendra Modi later this week. So more announcements might be just around the corner.

Apple Looks To India For Growth, by Newley Purnell and Daisuke Wakabayashi, Wall Street Journal

“I sort of view India as where China was seven to 10 years ago,” Mr. Cook told analysts last month.

The reality is much tougher. Indian consumers have significantly less disposable income than Chinese. Per capita economic output in India today is 31% less than in China a decade ago.

Tim Cook Starts Day With Visit To Mumbai’s Siddhivinayak Temple, by Nandagopal Rajan, Indian Express

Apple CEO Tim Cook kicked off his much anticipated tour of India with a pre-dawn visit to the Shree Siddhivinayak Temple at Prabhadevi in Mumbai. His cultural experience at the temple comes before a morning of business meetings in the country’s commercial capital.

Stuff

The Tiny Hands Review Of The iPhone SE, by Adrianne Jeffries, Motherboard

There still isn’t much choice when it comes to size for top-shelf smartphones. I’m crossing my fingers that the success of the SE turns the hypetrain the other way.

You'll Never Forget Someone You Meet With Remember App, by Sandy Stachowiak, AppAdvice

Add a note that your hairstylist loves animals, your business contact is a Chicago Bears fan, or a favorite bartender listens to Aerosmith. This way, you will not only have their name, but their interest right at your fingertips for a terrific conversation starter.

Instagram 6 (For iPhone), by Michael Muchmore, PC Magazine

The combination of its massive social footprint (and backing from Facebook), along with simple yet powerful photo editing, results in a top-notch experience.

Develop

Apple Updates TestFlight For iOS With ‘More Robust Support’ For watchOS Beta Apps, by Zac Hall, 9to5Mac

Version 1.4.0 hit the App Store today and includes what Apple describes as ‘more robust support’ for watchOS beta apps for testing on Apple Watch.

Soon We Won’t Program Computers. We’ll Train Them Like Dogs, by Edward C. Monaghan, Wired

But whether you like this state of affairs or hate it—whether you’re a member of the coding elite or someone who barely feels competent to futz with the settings on your phone—don’t get used to it. Our machines are starting to speak a different language now, one that even the best coders can’t fully understand.

Notes

Romain Jacquet-Lagrèze Photographs Hong Kong During 'The Blue Moment', by Linda Poon, The Atlantic

Most photographers swear by the “golden hour”—the hour just after sunrise, or the one right before sunset, when the lighting is just right. But when Hong Kong-based photographer Romain Jacquet-Lagrèze tried to capture his home at sunset, the light washed out most of the city’s colors.

So he watched the sun go down, and that’s when he discovered that the city really lights up during what he’s dubbed the “blue moment.”

Bottom of the Page

So, I was in the train, going home, listening to an audiobook, when I started wondering: the sky outside looked darker than usual, what time is it?

And the very next sentence in the audiobook went something like this: Mary remembered the kitchen clock downstairs showing her it was just after seven o'clock...

(And, just to add a little color: this was a story with some supernatural elements.)

I looked at the sky outside, muttered to myself that the time sounds about right, and didn't bother to take out my iPhone to check the time.

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Speaking of commutes: there need to be a new category in Apple's App Store called games that can be played with one hand. (I'm sure those marketing geniuses in Cupertino can think of a better label than that.) After all, when you are in a crowded train going more than 70 kilometers per hours and your one hand is holding on to something for dear life, games that can be played with one hand are the only games you can play.

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Thanks for reading.