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The Consumers-Rethink Edition Wednesday, August 10, 2022

The Technology Behind Apple’s Ridiculously Thin New Laptop Could Change Everything, by NICK BILTON, Vanity Fair

Maybe the M2 chip, and the sleeker shapes it makes possible, will usher in a bold new era of design from Apple. But the company is also trying to get consumers to rethink what makes a device “new,” with less of a focus on speed and size and more on other features. “Now, with Apple silicon, you have a product that can handle any task you can throw at it, and consumers are looking before performance to what kind of battery life am I getting, what is my experience with my built-in camera, speakers, and microphones,” said Laura Metz, a senior product manager at Apple. “That’s what we’ve started talking about more so than some of the speeds and feeds of the silicon or chip technology itself.”

Apple Card's Rapid Growth, Outside Vendors Blamed For Mishaps Within Goldman's Credit-card Business, by Hugh Son, CNBC

When an Apple Card user disputes a transaction, Goldman has to seek a resolution within regulatory timelines, and it sometimes failed at that, said the people, who requested anonymity to speak candidly about the situation. Customers were sometimes given conflicting information or had long wait times, the people said.

Goldman got more disputes than it counted on, said one source. "You have these queues that you need to clear out within a certain amount of time. The business was getting so big, suddenly we had to create more automation to deal with it."

Adobe Highlights Women Behind Apple TV+ Film 'Luck' In A Series Of Videos, by Filipe Espósito, 9to5Mac

Apple TV+ last week premiered Luck, its first feature-length animation produced in partnership with Skydance Animation. As the film is now available, well-known software developer Adobe has shared a series of videos about the women behind the Apple Original Film.

Sparking Curiosity

Travel The World In An App, by Shira Ovide, New York Times

Flightradar24 is one of several sites that compile public information about aircraft locations, flight paths, ownership records, altitude and more for display in an interactive map. People can see details about planes and where they’re heading almost anywhere in the world, including Antarctica.

Dibble, a former technology worker for the Environmental Protection Agency, had little knowledge about aviation, but the app satisfied her wanderlust and sparked curiosity about what was happening around her.

Tracking Ships (And Sharks) And Tying Knots: Apps To Enrich Your Seaside Vacation, by Stephanie Rosenbloom, New York Times

But a coastal vacation is also an opportunity for discovery. Maybe you’d like to learn how to tie fishing and boating knots? Or decipher those colorful signal flags you see on ships and in seaside shops? With the right app you can turn a holiday on the water into something deeper: identify the fish you’ve just caught or the ship that’s passing by, find out about the seashell you’ve spotted or the lake you’re diving into, explore nearby shark migrations, and study the rhythms of the moon and tides, all while keeping your toes in the sand.

Stuff

Apple And Kim Kardashian Collaborate On Unique Beats Fit Pro Line, by Chance Miller, 9to5Mac

Beats is expanding the lineup of its popular Beats Fit Pro earbuds with color options. This time, Apple-owned Beats teamed up with Kim Kardashian to design three “neutral” colors for the Beats Fit Pro, as well as a new marketing campaign.

Apple Podcasts Marketing Tool For Social Media Released, by John Voorhees, MacStories

Apple has released a free web app that lets podcasters create artwork and links to promote their shows on Apple Podcasts. The app offers several customization options that should appeal to a wide variety of creators who want to market their shows on Apple’s service. Still, there are a couple of limitations worth keeping in mind.

1Password 8 Launches For iOS With New Home Screen, Customization Options, More, by Chance Miller, 9to5Mac

With a focus on speed, a new home screen, customization options, and more, 1Password 8 is touted as a “brand-new experience” for iPhone and iPad users.

Hands-on: Gamevice Flex Brings The Comforts Of Gaming To Almost Any Phone In Almost Any Case, by Kyle Bradshaw, 9to5Mac

At the center of the Gamevice Flex’s design is the idea of “muscle memory” — more specifically, the ability to play on your mobile device at the same skill level you would with a traditional console controller.

Notes

Small Businesses Count Cost Of Apple’s Privacy Changes, by Patrick McGee, Financial Times

Many small companies that are reliant on online ads to attract new customers told the Financial Times they did not initially notice the full impact of Apple’s restrictions until recent months, when price inflation squeezed consumer demand in major markets worldwide.

That has left companies suddenly shrinking their marketing spend to conserve cash while also finding it prohibitively expensive to target likely consumers as they once did.

Bottom of the Page

Another way to travel the world virtually: Google's Street View. (And, now, Apple's Look Around.)

And in Google's Maps, one can also look at photos of restaurants and their menus: Eat around the world!

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Thanks for reading.