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The Without-Elaborating Edition Thursday, February 13, 2020

Foxconn Says Recent Reuters Reports On Factory Resumption In China Were Not Factual, by Reuters

Taiwan’s Foxconn said on Thursday that recent Reuters reports on its plant resumption plans in China were not factual.

Foxconn made the comment in a statement to the Taipei stock exchange, without elaborating on its production status.

New Mac Pro Facing Lengthy Delivery Estimates, Possibly Due To Coronavirus, by Joe Rossignol, MacRumors

In many European countries, for example, the base model without any customizations is currently estimated for delivery on March 10. While the new Mac Pro is assembled in the United States for orders placed in the Americas, European orders are assembled in China.

Apple’s Malware Problem Is Getting Worse, by Sara Morrison, Vox

Potentially unwanted programs are apps that are often downloaded along with software you actually want or come pre-installed on your device. The most frequently detected of these came in the form of “system optimizers” that, ironically enough, often pitch themselves to Mac users as adware removers (for a price).

What’s The Point Of Drag And Drop On The iPad?, by Charlie Sorrel, Cult of Mac

It’s the inconsistency that makes drag and drop useless on iOS and iPadOS. Instead of being a fundamental, consistent way to move files and folders between apps, it’s a novelty. If it works, that’s nice. But, just like Siri, many people will try it once or twice, and then give up.

Stuff

Strava For iOS Adds HealthKit Integration For Importing Apple Watch Workouts, by Chance Miller, 9to5Mac

Strava is adding direct integration with Apple’s Health app for reading Apple Watch workhouse. Essentially, Strava will now read the data recorded by the Apple Watch Workouts application, and import that data into Strava.

SwitchGlass App Brings A Customizable Application Switcher To macOS, by Chance Miller, 9to5Mac

SwitchGlass for macOS brings a dedicated application switcher with a variety of different customization options to macOS.

Develop

Why Are We So Bad At Software Engineering?, by Jake Voytko, Bitlog

“We’re decent at building software when the consequences of failure are unimportant.” It fails horribly when failure isn’t cheap, like in Iowa. Common software engineering practices grew out of the internet economic model, and when the assumptions of that model are violated, software engineers become bad at what we do.

The Hidden Design Failure That's Costing Consumers Trillions, by Lou Downe, Fast Company

The services we use everyday, from student loans to healthcare and housing, are more likely to be the product of technological constraints, political whim, and personal taste than they are the conscious decision of an individual or organization. By not designing our services, we’re accepting that they will simply evolve to the conditions around them, regardless of whether or not that means a service meets user needs, is financially sustainable, or achieves a certain outcome.

Notes

Why Is Apple Rolling Out New OS Features In February?, by Jason Snell, Macworld

I like the idea that Apple has taken a little bit of time between the clean-up of the last major release of iOS and macOS and the run-up to WWDC and the next major release to roll out some features that don’t need to wait until fall. I like it a lot. So much so that I think Apple should build this mid-cycle release into its development plans from now on.

Apple And Amazon Are Transforming Culver City. Should They Pay More In Taxes?, by Wendy Lee, Los Angeles Times

Culver City has become one of the fastest-growing digital media hubs in Southern California as Amazon, Apple, China-owned TikTok and other firms have expanded into the area, drawn to its location and movie history. The influx has brought thousands of new jobs to the city but also caused some growing pains. Now, Culver City officials are considering a tactic that Silicon Valley cities have pursued: raising business taxes to help manage the inevitable costs of growth.

If history is any guide, such a move could create tensions between the city and the towering tech giants reshaping it. Amazon and Apple have occasionally clashed with cities in other areas over proposed tax hikes or policies deemed unfriendly to their interests.

Spotify Is Evolving, by Neil Cybart, Above Avalon

In its current form, Spotify doesn’t pose much of a long-term threat to Apple. Spotify is a service that is consumed by a small percentage of Apple users mostly on Apple’s platform. However, Apple can’t and shouldn’t ignore Spotify’s evolution. One of the more effective ways for Apple to compete with Spotify over the long run is to figure out where the company is headed and get there first.

Success at building an audio platform with millions of engaged developers could give Spotify a beachhead in audio apps and make it an App Store alternative in a wearables world. In such an environment, audio stands to be a key ingredient capable of augmenting our surroundings.

Bottom of the Page

I misplaced my iPhone. Okay, not actually misplaced. But the phone was not on my desk. So I shouted: Hey Siri, Where Are You?

The iPad on my desk responded with the usual "Yes?", indicating it didn't quite hear me. The phone was silent. Probably by design.

I wish, instead, each Siri device will take turns and tell me where they are. "I'm Siri in your iPad, and I am right here on your desk." "I'm Siri in your iPhone, I'm over here by the television." "I'm Siri in your Apple TV Remote. I'm in a dark drawer, as usual."

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Thanks for reading.