Apple’s intentions are good. Customers downloading apps that haven’t been updated in years is bound to create a poor experience, and lack of developer support undoubtedly generates complaints to Apple.
Getting rid of 32-bit code is also sensible: it reduces app sizes, iOS can drop old APIs and 32-bit-only code, and everything new runs smoother and better. It’s also a good way to “encourage” customers to upgrade to more recent hardware (older devices are 32-bit-only and will not run iOS 11).
However, Apple’s solutions to these issues have serious problems.
I’ve been testing the AirBar sensor from Sweden's Neonode. It's a thin and light $99, brushed-aluminum strip that converted my 13.3-inch non-touch MacBook Air display into a touch-screen computer. That meant I could pinch, zoom, swipe and tap directly on the laptop display, as if I were using a tablet, smartphone or any number of Windows PCs and Chromebooks.
It worked OK, but still felt a little awkward. It's probably best for Mac users who find themselves frustrated that their Mac screens won't respond like their phones.
While most developers never run into problems with the App Store, there are plenty who have spent years honing and perfecting their apps, only to be turned away from the App Store for mysterious reasons, often under Apple's infamous rule banning "objectionable content."
Whenever you use 1Password to sign into a service on your iPhone that features 1Password integration, the app will now automatically copy any one-time passwords you have associated with that login. That speeds up the login process, because you can have 1Password fill in your account details, and then at the two-factor verification step, the requisite short-term password is already copied to your clipboard.
TabBank seems like a great tool to use if you want to manage your guitar tab and chord sheets on your iPhone or iPad. Being able to get music from the web, edit it on my device and then send it to the setlist app I use saved me quite a bit of time.
With the "Hey, Siri" support, the Rayz earphones now let users initiate calls, send messages, listen to music and more, all without touching an iPhone or the headphone controls.
In a post on its official developer blog, Apple this evening outlined a new Customer Support role that is now available on iTunes Connect. This addition, Apple says, is useful for developers who may want to hire someone dedicated to customer support and responding to questions, comments, and concerns left in App Store reviews…
Apple has begun a policy of rejecting new iMessage sticker packs from developer accounts deemed to have too many stickers. On the other hand Apple’s Editorial team seems to take the opposite stance and continues to feature small niche sticker packs predominantly rather than large containers of stickers. This global policy shift is a push towards a small number of large containers with in-app purchases. If this policy is extended into more categories, any developer with many apps using a similar model could be effected.
Apple has revealed a few of the emoji it’ll be releasing on iOS, watchOS and macOS later this year, a little gift just in time for World Emoji Day. The new expressive icons include a T-Rex and an Elf for Jurassic Park and LOTR fans tired of typing out the names of their heroes, as well as some new emoji that encourage more diverse communication, including a women a wearing a headscarf, and an emoji for breast-feeding.
A year or two ago, I would have followed this up with “But I’d be surprised if Apple discontinued the MacMini. It’s not a big revenue-maker, but it’s an important part of the Mac line that keeps the whole ecosystem relevant.
Today? Those things are still true. But Apple’s attitude towards the Mac has DEF-in-itely changed. At this point, I don’t think anyone should count on anything.
And I can’t believe that in 2017 and the notifications have stayed dumb, and are still be used as away to goose daily active user numbers. And these are from companies that paint a future controlled and shaped by artificial intelligence.
I am not ready to change my commitments to the purchase of software that I use from a once-every-few-years to once-every-month schedule. I am probably going to buy less software. Everything else will have to be fit into 'free' solutions, such as making my own spreadsheet in Numbers, or writing my own scripts.
(But I think I will also not commit to AppleScript.)
~
Thanks for reading.