MyAppleMenu

The Magnets-Authentication-And-All Edition Wednesday, January 4, 2023

Qi2: How Apple Might Finally Harness MagSafe By Giving It Away, by Sean Hollister, The Verge

With the blessing of competitors, Apple is about to change the Qi wireless standard itself. It’s contributing to a new version of Qi that works much like MagSafe — magnets, authentication, and all.

[...]

Golden confirms that the Qi2 standard strangely doesn’t have the exact same pattern of magnets as MagSafe, and that it’s not clear what will happen with current iPhones because of that.

“Certainly going forward we expect they’ll be fully on board with Qi2 and we know that they are... as far as what they’re going to do with iPhone 12, 13, 14, the MagSafe products that are currently in the market, they don’t share that with us,” he says. Would Apple abandon its existing MagSafe products in exchange for a better, interoperable version, or does it have other plans?

What Daisy Did Next: How Apple’s Evolving Team Of De-manufacturing Machines Battles E-waste, by Nick Compton, Wallpaper

First there was Liam, marks 1 and 2. Now there is Daisy, or rather double Daisy, Dave, and Taz. These aren't members of a manufactured pop band but rather Apple's evolving team of advanced de-manufacturing robots.

For the last six years, Apple has been on a mission to develop far more sophisticated and less wasteful machinery and processes for recycling e-waste, specifically that found in redundant iPhones. And that de-manufacturing idea is key.

The Lessons Apple Weather Should Have Learned From Dark Sky, by Jesus Diaz, Fast Company

Apple Weather might have glossier graphics and more data, but the reason Dark Sky was so great is exactly why Apple’s app is so disappointing. Dark Sky’s best feature was its perfectly simple functionality. Apple Weather, on the other hand, makes you feel like a Roman augur trying to read the entrails of a dove.

[...]

Apple Weather’s convoluted UX just makes life harder. It has become everything that Dark Sky founders Adam Grossman and Jack Turner set out to eliminate when they launched a Kickstarter campaign for Dark Sky more than a decade ago: “Some apps try to give you everything—current conditions, 10-day forecasts, and radar—all wrapped up in one. These are universally clunky, slow, and a pain in the ass to use.”

Stuff

MacBook Owners Can Now Claim Payout In Class Action Lawsuit Over Butterfly Keyboard Issues, by Filipe Espósito, 9to5Mac

Back in 2022, a class action lawsuit was filed in federal court in San Jose, California, regarding the Butterfly Keyboard in MacBook models introduced between 2015 and 2019. The lawsuit was settled in November after a judge has approved a proposal by Apple to pay owners of affected MacBook models, and now those customers are being contacted to claim their payout.

Keychron S1 Review: Minimal, Mechanical, Modern, by Thomas Sibilly, AppleInsider

The Keychron S1 is a low-key mechanical keyboard alternative for those starting out in the field of enthusiast-level peripherals.

Develop

How To Track If You’re Writing “Enough”, by Danielle Lazarin, Catapult

My tracker laid bare all that I was doing daily, personally and professionally, all the levers I could or would not pull, the interceptions of my life I could not circumnavigate. I saw I could not be all my selves at once—each of which are, if not desirable, then necessary in some way—while also finishing a book as quickly as I want to. I’m still uneasy with my pace, but I’m closer to making peace with it. This December, I’m no longer questioning if I’m trying hard enough, if I’m properly devoted to my life’s work within the confines of my chosen work, even when I don’t have anything to show anyone yet beyond twelve grids full of small x’s.

Notes

Why Apple's Most Baffling Decisions Aren't As Crazy As They Seem, by Jason Snell, Macworld

When viewed from inside Apple, these decisions obviously make sense. It’s left for us on the outside to try to figure out why the company does what it does. (I’ve spent years playing this game.) Here are a few major reasons why Apple makes decisions that don’t seem to make sense on the surface.

Ricky Strauss Named Apple TV+ Marketing Head, by Etan Vlessing, Hollywood Reporter

Strauss will lead consumer marketing campaigns, creative advertising, media and promotions across original series and films for Apple’s streaming platform. [...] He worked for nine years at Disney, most recently as president of content and marketing for Disney+, spearheading the launch of the service.

New York’s Right To Repair Law Watered Down By Big Tech Lobbyists, by Matthew Gault, Motherboard

One section in particular gives companies like Apple a lot of power over what parts it sells to customers and how they can use them. “Nothing in this section shall prevent an original equipment manufacturer from offering parts, such as integrated batteries, to independent repair providers or owners pre-assembled with other parts rather than as individual components, where the individual components may pose a heightened safety risk if installed improperly,” the bill said. That kind of language might make it hard for people to get parts they need to do basic repair if the original manufacturer decides it’s unsafe, which is an argument that Apple in particular has used extensively in the past.

Bottom of the Page

When Apple adopts Qi2, will Apple continue to use the MagSafe name, just to confuse us with the MagSafe on MacBooks? I bet it will.

In fact, I am surprised Apple hasn't rename the wireless charging mechanism on Apple Watches to MagSafe yet.

~

Thanks for reading.