In this episode of “Sway,” Ms. Swisher presses Mr. Cook on the motivations behind Apple’s privacy push, the power the company has over app developers, and potential future Apple innovations, from augmented-reality headsets to autonomous cars. They also discuss the decision to remove Parler from the App Store after the Capitol attacks — and why Mr. Cook hopes that the right-leaning social media company will “come back.”
When asked how the new feature will impact Facebook, Cook says he’s not “focused on Facebook,” saying Apple adds new tools and features every year that improves and doubles down on user privacy. Speaking more specifically to what actions may need to be taken against companies that track users, Cook says he used to be a firm believer in the ability for companies to regulate themselves but notes that’s now changed.
After giving Parler a chance to rectify the situation and taking the app down, Cook reiterated that he was still open to relisting Parler, "because we worked hard to get people on the store, not to kick people off the store, and so I'm hoping they put in the moderation that's required to be on the store and come back."
"Because having more social networks out there is better than having less."
On comments by former Parler CEO John Matze claiming he didn't have any responsibility for the users of Parler's activities, Cook simply responded "That obviously doesn't adhere to the App Store terms and conditions."
Cook says that he probably won’t be running Apple in 10 years, although the “date is not in sight.” He obviously gave no hints about whom is set to replace him as CEO.
As the person responsible for my family’s emergency planning since fourth grade, I’ve been using Red Cross checklists for years, learned to pack solid emergency kits, and recently included apps in my preparation. To get an expert opinion about the best (and worst) app features out there, I spoke to two experts, Caela O’Connell, assistant professor at UNC-Chapel Hill’s Department of Anthology, and Mitch Stripling, national director for Emergency Preparedness and Response at Planned Parenthood.
Here’s what I learned, and the apps the experts recommend.
The release also adds support for syncing via iCloud, gains syncing support for BazQux, Inoreader, NewsBlur, The Old Reader, and FreshRSS…
For me, a speaker of Caribbean English, there is “silence” when I speak to Siri; this means that there are many services, products, and even information that I am not able to access using voice commands. And while I have other ways of accessing these services, products, and information, what is the experience of accented speakers for whom speech is the primary or singular mode of communication? This so-called “revolution” has left them behind. In fact, Mar Hicks pushes us to consider that any technology that reinforces or reinscribes bias is not, in fact, revolutionary but oppressive. The fact that voice technologies do nothing to change existing “social biases and hierarchies,” but instead reinforce them, means that these technologies, while useful to some, are in no way revolutionary.
One might argue that these technologies are nascent, and that more accents will be supported over time. While this might be true, the current trends aren’t compelling.
The trains are packed. The lunch crowd was packed. I'm tired just to commute home. I'd say some 'normal' has returned back to Singapore.
(Today is the first day where the 'official' default working arrangment for all workers is no longer work-from-home. Offices are allowed for up to 75% capacity.)
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Thanks for reading.