A woman with schizophrenia was hospitalized after seeing an Apple TV+ ad on her Samsung smart fridge. Because the ad coincidentally used her name, the woman believed someone was attempting to communicate with her through the appliance.
[...]
The ad, which was promoting the popular Apple TV+ show Pluribus, showed black text on a yellow background that read, "We're sorry we upset you, Carol."
iFixit has launched a new AI repair assistant known as FixBot. The company says Fixbot will make it faster and easier than ever before to figure out what’s wrong and how to fix it.
Apple doesn't currently allow access to battery stats via any of its APIs (iFixit tells me the APIs are there, but Apple won't approve your app if you use them), so instead you have to ensure you have your phone analytics turned on and then import an analytics file into the app.
If that sounds complicated, be assured that it's not. In the app is a guide that tells you exactly what to do and I found it easy to follow. I turned my analytics on in Settings and allowed it to gather data for one day before sharing the file with iFixit.
Apple is offering U.S. customers who purchase and redeem an Apple Gift Card three months of free access to Apple Arcade. Holiday gift card purchases made before January 6, 2026 are eligible for the Apple Arcade trial, as long as the card is redeemed by January 13, 2026.
From today, Adyen, Global Payments, KPay, and SoéPay are the first payment platforms in Hong Kong to offer Tap to Pay on iPhone. Apple says the rollout cuts across key sectors, including taxi, retail, food and beverage, and professional services.
Google Maps has recently rolled out a change where, at least on iOS, the app will automatically detect that you’ve parked your vehicle and save that location, and it will also now show it with a custom icon.
Apple TV has set the release date for David E. Kelley’s Margo’s Got Money Troubles series adaptation based on the book by Rufi Thorpe. The show will premiere with three episodes on Wednesday, April 15, 2026.
Shares of Apple Inc. were battered earlier this year as the iPhone maker faced repeated complaints about its lack of an artificial intelligence strategy. But as the AI trade faces increasing scrutiny, that hesitance has gone from a weakness to a strength — and it’s showing up in the stock market.
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“It is remarkable how they have kept their heads and are in control of spending, when all of their peers have gone the other direction,” said John Barr, portfolio manager of the Needham Aggressive Growth Fund, which owns Apple shares.
Apple is gearing up to open its fifth retail store in India at Noida’s DLF Mall of India, generating major excitement among shoppers. However, the buzz isn’t just about the launch, the store comes with a hefty price tag. Lease documents accessed by CRE Matrix and reported by Hindustan Times reveal Apple has signed a long-term agreement with a significant monthly rent for the high-profile space, highlighting the brand’s strong commitment to expanding its India presence.
Apple may just want to send some flowers to the poor woman named Carol.
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Apple and Google are teaming up to make it easier to switch between Android and iPhone devices. The two companies say that they’ve developed new features that streamline the process of moving data between each platform as part of a joint collaboration.
Apple and Google say the new upgraded experience is starting to roll out today with a new Android Canary build for Pixel devices. The features will also be available in an upcoming iOS 26 developer beta.
On December 15, Apple is expanding Fitness+ to 28 new markets, including Chile, Hong Kong, India, Japan, the Netherlands, Singapore, and Taiwan, which will more than double the number of places with access to the service. The company is also dubbing fitness classes into Spanish, German, and Japanese, with the first two languages coming December 15, and Japanese dubbing coming early next year. K-Pop is being added as a new music genre to the service, too.
Guided exercise demonstrations aren’t a new concept. Circa to the 80s where Jane Fonda dominated the television screen whilst sheathed in a skintight lycra bodysuit. However, I soon learn that Fitness+—much like every Apple service—is more than just that. Over the years, since the conception of Apple Watch, Activity Rings and every groundbreaking health feature embedded within its devices, it’s evident that Apple’s in it for the long haul when it comes to health and fitness.
Apple chip leader Johny Srouji addressed rumors of his impending exit in a memo to staff on Monday, saying he doesn’t plan on leaving the company anytime soon.
[...]
The memo confirming that he plans to stay at Apple comes as the company has seen several high-profile executive exits in the past weeks, raising questions about the stability of Apple’s top leadership.
It speaks to Gurman’s personal and Bloomberg’s institutional influence that Srouji and Apple saw the need to shoot the bogus narrative down in public like this. I can’t remember the last time an Apple executive saw the need to send an intended-to-leak memo like this to shoot down one bogus story. After last week, though, this one couldn’t be ignored.
iPhone users in Japan are now able to use Apple's Messages via satellite feature, Apple said today. Messages via satellite works on the iPhone 14 or later and the Apple Watch Ultra 3, allowing users who have no cellular or Wi-Fi connection to use satellite connectivity for messaging.
Apple today shared a new "Outrun" Apple Pay ad on its YouTube channel, highlighting the usefulness of the payments service when a physical payment method is unavailable.
Beginning December 10, 2025, a new Australian law will require certain social media platforms operating in Australia to prevent people under 16 from having a social media account. Impacted developers are responsible for making sure they follow the requirements of the new law, including deactivating any existing accounts for users under 16 and monitoring new signups.
Apple provides several tools to help meet the requirements of this law.
End of conversation. No escalation path, no human review, no appeal, no second opinion. Nothing.
And now that Apple has seemingly thrown in with the “stick an icon in every menu by default” crowd, it’s harder than ever for me to convince people otherwise. To persuade, “Hey, unless you can articulate a really good reason to add this, maybe our default posture should be no icons in menus?”
So I guess this is the world I live in now. Icons in menus. Icons in menus everywhere.
If Apple were to maintain its stance of not allowing side-loading or third-party app stores, then it need to work harder to earn that 15 to 30% of revenue from developers. Apple may have flown engineers to far-flung places to help third-party developers (according to Apple), but we continue to hear horror stories from its developers.
Do better, Apple.
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Even when support exists, Dettbarn added, “it can conflict with existing security policies, forcing teams to choose between maintaining their standards or adopting Apple’s framework.”
That tension — between Apple’s elegant consumer-grade experience and enterprise-grade security standards — lies at the heart of the identity problem for many IT departments.
Apple released a new social media ad for the deal today, giving us our first look at how the F1 channel will look inside of the TV app.
It may be hard to believe now, but the App Store was once a thriving place for inventive indie games. The ubiquity of the iPhone coupled with the relative ease of development for the platform meant that smaller studios were able to get their games in front of huge audiences, leading to a great time of experimentation that unfortunately didn’t last. But if you want to relive those better days, Simogo’s new collection is just the thing.
In other words, the cliché is true: the best camera is the one you have with you. And from day one, I always had my iPhone with me.
Apple today expanded its Apple Manufacturing Academy with new virtual programming. The world-class manufacturing training was created for small- and medium-sized businesses across the country that want to accelerate their ability to innovate and adopt advanced technologies. Designed by Apple experts, the free resource reflects the company’s long-standing commitment to strengthening the country’s advanced manufacturing sector. The initiative is part of Apple’s plan to invest $600 billion in the U.S. economy over the next four years and power the next generation of domestic innovation.
India's government is reviewing a telecom industry proposal to force smartphone firms to enable satellite location tracking that is always activated for better surveillance, a move opposed by Apple, Google and Samsung due to privacy concerns, according to documents, emails and five sources.
Okay, any reports from Mark Gurman in the last 24 hours about someone important at Apple retiring or finding a new job or moving to Meta? No? Good.
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Johny Srouji — senior vice president of hardware technologies and one of Apple’s most respected executives — recently told Cook that he is seriously considering leaving in the near future, according to people with knowledge of the matter. Srouji, the architect of Apple’s prized in-house chips effort, has informed colleagues that he intends to join another company if he ultimately departs.
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Cook has been working aggressively to retain him — an effort that included offering a substantial pay package and the potential of more responsibility down the road. One scenario floated internally by some executives involves elevating him into the role of chief technology officer. Such a job — overseeing a wide swath of both hardware engineering and silicon technologies — would potentially make him Apple’s second-most-powerful executive.
Vector puts speed, privacy, and seamless integration first and foremost – ensuring that when you type in an app name and hit enter, you’ll always get exactly what you’re looking for.
The top five domestic phonemakers, which compete fiercely in China, have all touted programs this year that make it easier for customers to migrate from Apple’s iOS operating system or to use their Chinese phones alongside Apple devices.
The campaigns come as China’s internet regulator has delayed the approval of Apple’s planned rollout of AI features because of geopolitical tensions with the US.
Succession planning. It’s not just a good idea for CEOs. It is also a good idea for every leader in your company.
On a more serious note: Apple need to reflect on why people are leaving. Attrition is normal, as people have different priorities at different stages of their lives. And, specifically for Apple, retirement is also normal.
However, if people are leaving because they don’t approve of what Mr Tim Cook is doing, especially on the part of the job that deals with federal government, or if people are leaving because they don’t approve of the incoming CEO, Apple may want to reflect on whether course-correction is necessary.
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It's tricky to find a bodily function they don't track.
But do they do what they say they do? And are the statistics we analyse a reflection of reality? Do they improve our mental and physical wellbeing, or do the multitude of measurements and motivational messages just add to our daily stresses?
Despite Dye’s departure (which appears to have been a surprise to upper management), Apple is unlikely to reverse course on Liquid Glass. We can hope that Dye’s successor focuses more on enhancing functionality to better align with the Steve Jobs quote that Apple badly misused when introducing Liquid Glass: “Design is not just what it looks like and feels like. Design is how it works.”
It is important not to read too much into this, but these leadership changes do make it easier to think there might be no one at Apple’s top table to advocate over some of the environment, social, and government affairs the company has regularly shown leadership in across the last decade.
Detail has a bunch of seemingly genuinely useful AI-based features. But putting all AI features aside, it feels like a thoughtful, richly featured manual video editor. I suspect that’s why the AI features might work well — they’re an ease-of-use / automation layer atop a professional-quality non-AI foundation.
Rogue Amoeba has updated its SoundSource audio control utility to version 6.0, a major upgrade that brings dozens of new features and refinements, including grouped output devices and integrated AirPlay streaming.
Mellel has issued version 6.5.5 of its eponymous word processor, rounding up controls to adjust the user interface appearance and customize colors in a new Appearance tab in Settings.
A PSA for L.A.-area e-scooters and food delivery robots: “Platonic” is coming back. Apple TV has renewed the series, starring and executive produced by Seth Rogen and Rose Byrne, for a Season 3. The streamer announced the news on Friday morning.
Netflix has agreed to buy the film and streaming businesses of Warner Bros Discovery for $72bn (£54bn) in a major Hollywood deal.
The streaming giant emerged as the successful bidder for Warner Bros ahead of rivals Comcast and Paramount Skydance after a drawn-out battle.
Warner Bros. distributed Apple's F1: The Movie widely to a global audience, including a run in IMAX theatres back in August.
Warner Bros also made quite a few hit shows for Apple TV, including Ted Lasso, Shrinking, and Presumed Innocent.
Netflix is now buying one half of Warner Brothers Discovery; specifically the part that makes and distributes movies and television shows. Netflix is the company that is not famous for making shows for other companies, nor distributing shows in movie theaters.
If Apple didn't have a serious plan B, it's now time to have a serious plan B.
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So, are we expecting HBO Max to drop out of Apple TV app anytime soon?
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Following the recent retirement of former COO Jeff Williams, AI chief John Giannandrea stepping down, and the departure of head of design Alan Dye for Meta, Apple announced Thursday that environmental and policy lead Lisa Jackson is retiring and that Jennifer Newstead will replace Kate Adams as the company’s general counsel after Adams retires “late next year.”
[...]
With Jackson’s retirement and Newstead coming on board, Apple is also making some organizational shifts and shifting some responsibilities to Williams’ COO replacement, Sabih Khan.
Prior to her stint at Meta, Newstead was the legal adviser to the U.S. Department of State during part of Trump’s first term in the White House. She also previously worked in the White House as Associate Counsel in the George W. Bush administration, and subsequently served as General Counsel of the Office of Management and Budget.
That’s quite a change from Jackson, who headed up the Environmental Protection Agency during President Obama’s time in office and was specifically brought in to headed up environmental efforts. But given the relationship Apple has been navigating with the current president, it’s perhaps not entirely surprising that the wind has shifted.
Today, the editorial team at Apple Podcasts has announced its pick for Show of the Year. This award “honors a show that demonstrates quality and cultural impact in podcasting.”
The Rest Is History is the winner, and the first UK-based show to receive the title.
In an age of relentless innovation, why does the past still hold such a powerful grip? Dominic Sandbrook and Tom Holland, hosts of The Rest Is History, the Apple Podcasts Show of the Year, reveal their unique approach to history — one that champions relatable human stories, unexpected humor, and a community of committed fans.
As we constantly fight for time in the busy lives we lead, perhaps the most important bit is finding ways to live well and more mindfully — to use our time wisely. And sometimes, all it takes is a Watch.
Apple on Thursday announced the winners of its annual App Store Awards. From the 45 finalists that the company announced in November, 17 developers were recognized for “their technical ingenuity and lasting cultural impact.”
Last month, Apple announced a Christmas tree drawing competition for British iPad users, with winning designs to be exhibited “alongside trees drawn by established artists and notable figures”. Now, the selected trees will light up Battersea Power Station’s wash towers until December 24.
Pricing is an art form, and price tags can depend on a wide range of factors beyond the cost of labor and materials — market positioning, competition, company culture, consumer psychology and so forth. Apple and others often maintain steady price points for key products as a strategic choice. (Fun fact: Apple also tends to set prices that end with the number 9 — $999 for a MacBook Air, $6,999 for a Mac Pro, $549 for AirPods Max, etc.)
But there's a technical reason for why over time computers as a whole have become cheaper: It's called Moore's law.
Lila Byock’s son had always been good at math. But when he started sixth grade last year, he began to bring home D’s and F’s. It crushed his self-esteem. His teachers told Byock that he clearly understood the material, she said, but he just couldn’t stay on task on his school-issued Apple iPad.
Her son’s school, like many in the Los Angeles Unified School District and across the country, provided an iPad to each student for use throughout the school day, even during band and gym class. The iPad program, which ramped up during the Covid pandemic, was meant to give kids a technological leg up and help track students who are falling behind. But Byock said her son revealed that he used the iPad during school to watch YouTube and participate in Fortnite video game battles.“It makes no sense to me,” Byock said. “We’ve banned the cellphones, but it doesn’t matter, because the kids are using the school-issued devices in exactly the same way.” In February, the district’s ban on use of personal devices, including smartphones and smartwatches, went into effect.
The Rest is History is a pretty good show, and if you are interested in history, this is definitely the podcast to listen. And, even if you are not interested in history in general, there may also be specific episodes dealing with specific topics that you might be interested; the range of subjects dealt with by the show is pretty wide.
Happy listening.
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[Meta] is hiring Alan Dye, who has served as the head of Apple’s user interface design team since 2015, according to people with knowledge of the matter. Apple is replacing Dye with longtime designer Stephen Lemay, according to the people, who asked not to be identified because the personnel changes haven’t been announced.
Apple confirmed the move in a statement provided to Bloomberg News.
“Steve Lemay has played a key role in the design of every major Apple interface since 1999,” Chief Executive Officer Tim Cook said in the statement. “He has always set an extraordinarily high bar for excellence and embodies Apple’s culture of collaboration and creativity.”
What I’ve learned today is that Lemay, very much unlike Dye, is a career interface/interaction designer. Sources I’ve spoken to who’ve worked with Lemay at Apple speak highly of him, particularly his attention to detail and craftsmanship. Those things have been sorely lacking in the Dye era. Not everyone loves everything Lemay has worked on, but nobody bats 1.000 and designers love to critique each other’s work. I’ve chatted with people with criticisms of specific things Lemay has worked on or led at Apple (e.g. aspects of iPadOS multitasking that struck many of us as deliberately limiting, rather than empowering), but everyone I’ve spoken to is happy — if not downright giddy — at the news that Lemay is replacing Dye. Lemay is well-liked personally and deeply respected talent-wise. Said one source, in a position to know the choices, “I don’t think there was a better choice than Lemay.”
[...]
The debate regarding Apple’s software design over the last decade isn’t between those on Dye’s side and those against. It’s only a matter of debating how bad it’s been, and how far it’s fallen from its previous remarkable heights. It’s rather extraordinary in today’s hyper-partisan world that there’s nearly universal agreement amongst actual practitioners of user-interface design that Alan Dye is a fraud who led the company deeply astray. It was a big problem inside the company too. I’m aware of dozens of designers who’ve left Apple, out of frustration over the company’s direction, to work at places like LoveFrom, OpenAI, and their secretive joint venture io. I’m not sure there are any experience designers at io who aren’t ex-Apple, and if there are, it’s only a handful. From the stories I’m aware of, the theme is identical: these are designers driven to do great work, and under Alan Dye, “doing great work” was no longer the guiding principle at Apple. If reaching the most users is your goal, go work on design at Google, or Microsoft, or Meta. (Design, of course, isn’t even a thing at Amazon.) Designers choose to work at Apple to do the best work in the industry. That has stopped being true under Alan Dye. The most talented designers I know are the harshest critics of Dye’s body of work, and the direction in which it’s been heading.
I am sure more will trickle out about this, but one thing notable to me is that Lemay has been a software designer for over 25 years at Apple. Dye, on the other hand, came from marketing and print design. I do not want to put too much weight on that — someone can be a sufficiently talented multidisciplinary designer — but I am curious to see what Lemay might do in a more senior role.
Without making it personal, it feels like turnover in that group is a good thing. As much as I admire what Ive and his team accomplished in the first decade of the century, the last 15 years have been a lot rougher. Maybe everyone is better off if some new people step up and a new team is given the opportunity to build their own reputations?
Hypertension notifications from the Apple Watch are now available in United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, and Vietnam. Hearing Test and Hearing Aid functionality has expanded to Bahrain, Costa Rica, and Paraguay, while Sleep Apnea notifications are available in Colombia.
But curiously, users have discovered that one software feature is missing: Night mode can no longer be used while shooting in Portrait mode.
Apple today launched its personalized 2025 Year in Review experience for Apple Books, featuring users' top books and audiobooks of the year.
Heads up, baseball fans. MLB: The Show is officially coming to iPhone. The game is already soft launched in one country and will launch globally in the future.
Ultimately, the tests I’ve run reflect how AI can constructively assist users with everyday computing tasks. Though in its current form, it still fails to take over bigger projects and replace humans entirely–that’s for the best.
MLS’ production of its championship match on Saturday will highlight the camera capabilities of the iPhone 17 Pro, as the league will incorporate four of the Apple devices into its MLS Cup telecast. The iPhones will provide live footage during the match between Inter Miami and the Whitecaps, which MLS EVP/Media Seth Bacon said is something the league and Apple have been testing for months. Apple previously used iPhones to capture live game footage during two of Apple TV+’s “Friday Night Baseball” broadcasts earlier this year.
If the rumors are to be believed, there will be no new features in the next round of operating system updates as Apple focuses on delivering the already-promised AI stuff and refining what they have already delivered. It may be rushed, but it seemed like a good timing to reverse back some of the Liquid Glass shenanigans?
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iOS 18 users who have not upgraded to iOS 26 will now see iOS 26.1 as the recommended iOS update in the Settings app. iOS 18 updates are still an option, but are now displayed at the bottom of the app.
Apple isn't forcing users to upgrade to iOS 26, but it is pushing the update more heavily than it was before in an effort to increase installation numbers.
A well-known security researcher reports that Apple has slashed its bounties for finding vulnerabilities in macOS. Many have been halved, with one of them reduced from over $30k to just $5k, despite a growing problem with Mac malware.
After pledging donations to help victims of the recent Hong Kong fire, Apple CEO Tim Cook announced today that the company will also make donations to relief and rebuilding efforts across several Asian countries.
Apple Music Replay gives users a look back at their year in music by highlighting their top songs, artists, and albums they streamed.
Apple’s latest accessibility-focused short film is actually a really enjoyable music video for the song “I’m Not Remarkable” by Kittyy & The Class.
It’s also an excellent way to showcase Apple’s extensive range of accessibility features integrated into iPhone, iPad, Mac, and other devices. These features can significantly enhance the college experience for all students.
Drafts is the quickest, lightest, and most flexible way to get thoughts out of your head and onto a digital screen, no matter the device you're using. The app’s strength is its “frictionless” approach: it starts immediately with a blank note you can fill in using your fingers or via dictation, completely removing the complexity of naming a file or picking a category.
Germany's antitrust authority said on Tuesday it is testing Apple's proposed changes to its app tracking rules, seeking feedback from publishers, media groups and regulators to assess whether the new measures address competition concerns.
Apple said it had agreed to make changes to the text and formatting of the consent prompt (ATT) at the regulator's request, "while maintaining core user benefits".
India has scrapped an order making it mandatory for smartphone makers to preload a state-run cyber safety app on new phones after a public furore.
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Sources told the BBC the companies were concerned the directive was issued without prior consultation and challenged user privacy norms.
For a lot of folks today, the Phone app is an afterthought. Some iPhone users have never even held an iPod, let alone remember the yearning we all had for a widescreen iPod back in the day. Instead, we spend our times in apps, doing everything from doomscrolling and ordering burritos to watching videos and reviewing our checking accounts. For a growing number of people, their iPhone is their only computer, which would have been mind-blowing to those of us watching Apple back in 2007.
I'm still using the iPod app on my iPhone -- except it is now multiple apps, made by three different companies, for the three different audio programming: music, audiobooks, and podcasts.
I'm still using the Safari app on my iPhone, although that has also been supplemented by other internet communicator apps, such as RSS readers and read-it-later services.
I'm still using the Phone app -- just as an answering machine, like the good old days of 1990s.
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Giannandrea will serve as an advisor between now and 2026, with former Microsoft AI researcher Amar Subramanya set to take over as vice president of AI. Subramanya will report to Apple engineering chief Craig Federighi, and will lead Apple Foundation Models, ML research, and AI Safety and Evaluation.
Subramanya was previously corporate vice president of AI at Microsoft, and before that, he spent 16 years at Google. He was head of engineering for Google's Gemini Assistant, and Apple says that he has "deep expertise" in both AI and ML research that will be important to "Apple's ongoing innovation and future Apple Intelligence features."
At the end of the day, the ChatGPT app for Mac is good because they care. They have a product-led growth model that justifies spending the resources, an organizational priority on user experience, and a team that can execute on that mission.
The bar for what constitutes acceptable user interface design seems to have fallen low enough that it is tripping everyone at the two major desktop operating system vendors.
Today, Apple TV debuted the trailer for the all-new holiday special “The First Snow of Fraggle Rock,” set to premiere globally on Friday, December 5. The special features a cameo appearance by musical artist and internet sensation Lele Pons that includes a duet of the classic, beloved “Fraggle Rock” song “Our Melody” with Gobo, along with two other holiday numbers.
Now Gobo is seen on the streets outside the workshop, surrounded by snow and Christmas cheer, and he is freaking out. It is a tip of the hat to fans who have waited for this moment for over 40 years, hoping to see more than just Traveling Matt in our world. Puppeteer, voice of Gobo, and executive producer Tartaglia described the special as a “love letter to the fans.”
There are other things to try first, but when your iPhone is out-and-out misbehaving when it comes to Wi-Fi, Reset Network Settings is worth a go. It seems scary, but it has very few side effects and sometimes is all you need to do to get things back on an even keel.
The Apple Watch Series 10 is one of the best Apple Watches, but one particular model appears to have a small cosmetic problem. If you’ve got one in the Jet Black colorway, you might want to take it off and check its underside – that’s because some people are reporting that the coating is corroding and coming off. And the good news is that Apple appears to be taking the issue seriously.
Tap to Pay will initially support Adyen, Fiuu, HitPay, Revolut, Stripe, and Zoho in Singapore. Apple says Grab will offer Tap to Pay on iPhone beginning early next year.
Writing a blog, or anything really, is your contribution to public discourse. Sure, this blog only averages 10 page views a week (9 are bots and 1 is me) but I'm still throwing my ideas out there into the digital ether. If you're publishing something on the internet, you might as well stand tall behind your words and wait for someone to call bullshit.
Hackers poking around in iOS 26 recently uncovered something Apple definitely didn’t intend anyone to see: every modern iPhone is running the operating system Apple’s upcoming “iPhone Fold” will likely use. Which means these phones are—right now—already capable of running a full, fluid desktop experience.
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For years, Apple has insisted that iOS and iPadOS are distinct, despite sharing code and habitually borrowing each other’s features. But a self-proclaimed “tech geek” on Reddit who got iPad features running on an iPhone claimed they’re not merely similar—they’re essentially the same: “Turns out iOS has all the iPadOS code (and vice versa; you can for instance enable Dynamic Island on iPad).”
Thirty-four years later, QuickTime may seem like a quaint product of a long-lost era of Apple. But the truth is, it’s become an integral part of the computing world, so pervasive that it’s almost invisible. I’d like to forget most of what happened at Apple in the early 1990s, but QuickTime definitely deserves our appreciation.
One of the main reason my preference for PC operating system started with Mac OS was QuickTime. Why? Because as a junior software developer in my first job, I worked on both Apple's QuickTime and Microsoft's Video for Windows, and I immediately knew who is better at stuff.
The first operating system that wowed me, however, was NeXT, which I've got to use when I was studying. Of course, it was not feasible for a poor student, nor a poor junior software developer, to ever save up money to buy a NeXT computer, so I never used NeXT after that.
But then, a few more years later, well, you know…
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Apple has engineered its ecosystem into a Goldilocks zone for certain developers, ensuring that there will always be Mac and iOS exclusive apps for the foreseeable future.
Snowy lives in the Menu Bar on your Mac. From there, you can toggle both snow and holiday lights on and off. You can also decide to always show snow or hide snow behind open app windows. Snow intensity can also be adjusted from the default to adjust how much snowfall appears when active.
India's telecoms ministry has privately asked smartphone makers to preload all new devices with a state-owned cyber security app that cannot be deleted, a government order showed, a move likely to antagonise Apple and privacy advocates.
[...]
"Apple has historically refused such requests from governments," said Tarun Pathak, a research director at Counterpoint.
"It's likely to seek a middle ground: instead of a mandatory pre-install, they might negotiate and ask for an option to nudge users towards installing the app."
Do we all still remember Steve Jobs once negotiated to get Microsoft to put Internet Explorer and Office software onto Mac OS? All the new apps and new games were on Windows before, if ever, coming over to Mac. And web sites and web applications were going to even out the playing field, allowing Apple to not become irrelevant?
Oh, how I remember those times as if it was yesterday…
And then I did a quick calculation, and realized that was about thirty years ago. Oh gosh.
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