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The Rather-Limited Edition Thursday, July 25, 2024

Apple Maps On The Web Launches In Beta, by Apple

Maps on the web is currently available in English, and is compatible with Safari and Chrome on Mac and iPad, as well as Chrome and Edge on Windows PCs. Support for additional languages, browsers, and platforms will be expanded over time.

Apple Maps Launches In Beta On The Web, by Niléane, MacStories

Apple Maps on the web seems to be rather limited so far. The web app supports panning and zooming on the map, searching and tapping on locations, looking up directions, and browsing curated guides. However, it isn’t currently possible to tilt the map to view 3D building models or terrain elevation, and directions are limited to Driving and Walking. Look Around (Apple’s equivalent to Google Street View) is also not available on the web yet, but Apple says the feature will arrive in the coming months.

EarPods

EarPods Rule, by Brendon Bigley, Wavelengths

I’m not about to wax poetic about all of the ways using wired headphones in 2024 “changes everything” like a clickbaity YouTube video, but I will say that the proliferation of USB-C on pretty much every device is slowly returning the EarPods to their once-ubiquitous days of the 3.5mm jack. Yes I’m using them on my iPhone when I’m commuting, doing chores around the house, meditating, and what-have-you — but being able to plug them into my gaming devices, laptop, and tablet does in some ways feel like a return to form when it comes to ease of use.

Stuff

How A Plant Identification App Helped Me Find Happiness And Satisfaction, by Estelle Tang, The Guardian

For me, at least, being more curious about plant life is as revelatory and expansive as learning a language. It’s a restful and proactive way to be in the world: when I look closely at a flower’s hidden geometry or brush through overhanging fronds, I feel appreciative and grounded.

iPhone Torrenting Apps Are Now Available In The EU, by Jess Weatherbed, The Verge

The first batch of third-party apps are making their way onto AltStore PAL, just over three months after the alternative iOS app marketplace first launched in the EU. Three out of the four apps being released today are exclusive to AltStore PAL and can’t be found on Apple’s official iOS App Store. The apps developed by people other than AltStore PAL co-creator Riley Testut include two torrenting apps and a social discovery app for dating.

Develop

Apple Intelligence Features Still Coming In Later iOS 18 Developer Beta, Joe Rossignol, MacRumors

Apple Intelligence is still not available as of the fourth developer beta of iOS 18 this week, leading some to wonder if the features have been delayed. However, we have confirmed that Apple still plans to add some of the new Apple Intelligence features to an upcoming beta this summer. In other words, developers will be able to test the first Apple Intelligence features at some point before iOS 18 is widely released to the public.

Notes

Apple’s Sunny Imagines A Cozy Future Where Screens Fade Into The Background, by Andrew Webster, The Verge

Sunny, a new sci-fi dramedy on Apple TV Plus, is different from most visions of the future — mainly because it barely has any screens. Instead, the show imagines a time when technology is more seamlessly integrated into our lives. Phones rely primarily on audio, friendly robots help around the house, and computer monitors look like they’re made of paper. For showrunner Katie Robbins and the rest of the production crew, designing Sunny became an opportunity to do something different in the realm of science fiction.

Technology Shares Drop In US And Asia As AI Stocks Slide, by João da Silva, BBC

The losses were driven by major firms including Nvidia, Alphabet, Microsoft, Apple and Tesla.

[...]

"Investors are now becoming more concerned about all this expenditure with AI without the revenue benefit," said Jun Bei Liu, Portfolio Manager at Tribeca Investment Partners.

Bottom of the Page

It has been twelve years since the unveiling of Apple Maps, apology by Tim Cook, and departure of Scott Forstall, and it has always been a native-app-only experience.

So, Apple Maps on the web -- why now? Is it a slow-and-steady thing, or a better-late-than-never thing, or something else completely different?

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Thanks for reading.