The problem is that Screen Time—the Apple tool, and the broader fixation—doesn’t seem to help. The main issue is that it flattens phone usage into a single number. “We treat screen time as this unitary experience,” Nicholas Allen, a psychologist at the University of Oregon and the director of its Center for Digital Mental Health, told me. “And of course, it’s an incredibly diverse experience. It can be everything from finding out useful information, to being bullied, to catching up on the news, to watching pornography, to connecting with a friend.”
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Screen Time and the whole ecosystem of tools like it reinforce the vague sense that everyone should be using their phone less, even if we’re not exactly sure why. The problem with the smartphone is also its greatest achievement: The device squishes an enormous amount of capability into the palm of your hand. So much of it is necessary. So much of it is a waste.
Yahoo is a giant in the world of fantasy sports, but its app hasn’t gotten a meaningful update in years. Ahead of the 2024 NFL season, though, the company is rolling out a completely overhauled version of the Yahoo Fantasy Sports app that brings both a cleaner design and a huge amount of new content for fantasy players.
Whether these companies will succeed in accelerating growth is less clear. Spotify is developing a premium tier, but the Swedish company and record labels haven’t agreed on the best features. Some want Spotify to sell limited-edition vinyl or early access to tickets. Other want fans to pay more for early releases of new music.
Apple and Amazon are more focused on other initiatives than innovating in music streaming, while SiriusXM Holdings Inc. is having a tough time right now. Having identified the problem, everyone just needs to agree on a solution.
I’m told that the iPhone launch will occur around the same time as last year — a quick look at the calendar makes Sept. 10 a probable date — and users will need to upgrade their new hardware to iOS 18.1 in October to get rolling with Apple Intelligence.
Put another way: On-demand food delivery is not working for customers, couriers, restaurants, or even the companies behind the apps themselves. The food delivery bubble is definitely bursting — but maybe that’s not a bad thing.
There is good screen time, and there is not-so-good screen time.
If you see me sitting in a coffee-shop with my eyes glued to my little mini screen, and you walk over and tell me I should put my phone away and enjoy listening to all the people around me, I will whack my portable e-book reader on your head and tell you to mind your own business.
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Thanks for reading.