wonkothesane

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wonkothesane
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  • UK reconsidering USB-C charger mandate, after everyone else has already shifted

    mike1 said:
    This is all well and good until something better is developed and all manufacturers are stuck using the old version because the EU mandated a specific connector. Can't wait until the rest of the world moves on to something better/faster/smaller/cheaper and the EU countries are stuck with this.
    IMO the issue here is that the EU is an Administration, Not a tech Company, and for sure Not an innovator. Specifying that industry should agree on a a standard is one. Actually specifying which technical solution is a totally different animal. Also you have to understand that this administration is consulted by lobbyists and selected technical experts (I know because I have been there). This does not even ensure the (currently) best technical solution, and never will.
    Another consequence is stifling innovation, as the EU administration themselves will do lots of things, but for sure not innovate on that standard.
    On the topic of “but they left room for changes” - sure. Have you ever witnessed how long it actually takes to adopt changes ion that administration? By the time they adopt a new standard the trench world is already beyond that, I would bet.

    For me an example of FAFO. 
    danoxwilliamlondonmike1watto_cobraelijahg
  • 13-inch iPad Pro review: hardware of the future running software of the past

    Wesley, your headline nailed it. 
    muthuk_vanalingamelijahgwilliamlondonwatto_cobra
  • Apple ships tvOS 18 with new screen savers, improved subtitles, and more

    This is worth it just for the possibility to manually choose your home hub. Don’t know how many times I found that the decrease of performance in HomeKit was due to the HomePod with the worst connection was chosen as hub. 
    ForumPostmike1watto_cobra
  • Apple Intelligence to play catch-up to rivals across 2025

    Except for in the EU…
    byronlwilliamlondon
  • First third party App Store in the EU is live

    I always wanted some 3rd party clipboard manager, that sees my bank account numbers, Passwortes, TANs, and all the other goodies. This 3rd party app stores will be so much fun, especially when you come from the relative sense of security you get in the Apple App Store!
    40domiAUsernamedanoxwilliamlondonwatto_cobra
  • Lighter than normal WWDC expected without significant Apple Intelligence upgrades

    Marvin said:
    blastdoor said:
    When I first read that Apple executives wouldn’t be talking to John Gruber this year (https://daringfireball.net/linked/2025/05/29/the-talk-show-live-tickets-2025) I interpreted it as a snub. But now I wonder if the Apple executives are just going into hiding. 
    John Gruber was rude with his recent unforgiving article about Apple. He definitely deserved a snub.

    Just because Apple goes the extra mile to do their normal quality assurance doesn't justify attacking them for it the way he did.

    AI is a constantly evolving technology and every month there's a new bar being set for what it can do like Google's Veo 3 video generator and others:







    Apple hasn't been involved nearly as much with large scale cloud computing as other companies like Google and Microsoft so they have to scale up cloud infrastructure to handle this or figure out how to do more locally. Apple would probably prefer to do it locally but there are too many constraints on low-end hardware.

    They should start with small, meaningful features that are done reliably and give people the assurance of privacy like being able to generate photoreal backgrounds for Facetime and wallpapers. They just need to manage expectations better so that people know this will be a multi-year technology and it won't come all at once.
    Two points here from my side:

    1. I don’t think John was rude.  Provocative, maybe. Also, I feel that a number of years ago, stating strong opinions were not as easily perceived as offensive and met with attempts of moral discreditation. I’m not saying you’re doing this. Far from this. I just want to express that I express a clearly stated POV, especially from someone with a background like JG, in order to stimulate constructive discussion.  

    2. again, personally, I feel that the argument of “privacy” is becoming more and more an excuse for lagging behind. No data to prove this. Maybe it is true. In any case, it doesn’t help in the perception of Apple falling behind in a rapidly evolving new paradigm of “doing things”.  

    All in all, with TC and Giannandrea not being know for being product people, and sorry to say, Jony Ive and his closet people gone, I would not rule out the possibility that Apple is in need of having a visionary product person with sufficient impact on the way forward. 
    Alex1Npaisleydiscowilliamlondontiredskillsblastdoorelijahg
  • 'Fortnite' antisteering mandate punishment 'fundamentally unfair' says Apple

    Meson said:
    Apple did nothing wrong. 

    Epic created a gigantic case just to get the courts to settle for something smaller. Unfortunately it worked. 

    And now apple is supposed to give free access to competitors. 

    Apple has the right to charge whatever they want. If they want to charge a developer 99% for being listed on the store, they can do thst. 

    But they’d lose partners. That’s how the free market works. 

    27% is fair. And if they want to go to 20%, that’s fair too. 

    But to try to force them to take nothing? That’s criminal. 
    "Apple has a right to charge whatever they want." Really. You do understand that your the one who is paying at the end, correct. Don't you want competition on the iPhone? Or are you just happy with Apple just charging "whatever they want". 

    This is just like tariffs. 😒
    I think both of you have a point. In a free market, in generally good products prevail, bad ones disappear. From that POV one can argue that “let Apple charge whatever they want, if this leads to loosing developers, and through this to loosing customers, they either change, or go down.” The reason for this is exactly what you stated: The customer has to decide whether the value-proposition of Apple is still attractive enough to pay for it. Just because I wish it would be cheaper, more competitive etc, does not make it happen, or a legal requirement. Just like you cannot demand Ferrari to make more affordable cars, or have them implement certain features, just because you wish for it. I also am somewhat sceptical  regarding developers complaining, since they knew the rules from day one, and willingly agreed to the terms. Saying “I do not earn enough, and others charge less, but I cannot move to a different platform because I am more or less depending on this platform” is actual reality in many other industry areas, e.g. the supply chain in automotive often has tier 1s or tier 2s squeezed to the last drop, while fully depending on the OEM. You can argue to wheat extent this is 

    On the other hand, there is a concern that companies abuse their actual market power. Which IMHO can go in the way of Amazon, squashing competition by being loss leader, or by stepwise deteriorating conditions, which can also mean, not changing while competition becomes cheaper across the line. IIRC, Apple is on the latter side. My interpretation of what is going on more or less in all relevant markets is that government takes the view that Smartphones have become an indispensable part of our lives, and hence some “FRAND” rules should apply, not matter which manufacturer, or service provider, in order to prevent a perceived abuse. 

    Both sides have a point, and I think overall also regulators and courts have to find their position in a non black-and-white field, which is obviously also heavily lobbied by the affected companies, and on top a political item of discussion.
    NickoTTwilliamlondonLuftkopfmuthuk_vanalingamwatto_cobra
  • UK group wants $4 billion payout for iCloud users

    spheric said:
    *staring at EU* “They smell some p****y, they want a piece of the action” (Snatch)
    What's the EU got to do with this?

    Are you in the wrong thread, or are you just stuck in an outrage loop from ten years ago?
    Ok. I’ll try to make this easy: 
    1. EU is currently on a roll fining huge fines, ok?
    2. Uk is not in the EU anymore, don’t doesn’t profit from that, right?
    3. I leave 3 up to you. 

    Here’s some /s for you as well. 

    Have a good one. 
    9secondkox2watto_cobra
  • Apple's chip chief says he wants AI chip design, but he already has it

    Completely OT: John Srouji always reminds me Christopher Walken, Also, in his movements. 
    I like both of them. Great Chips. Great Movies.
    watto_cobra
  • The best HomeKit locks for your smart home in 2022

    oberpongo said:
    By far the best lock ( at least here in Europe) is the Nuki. Installed in minutes with no tools. HomeKit support and great design and features. 
    YMMV. I was very happy with my DanaLock. Only because I wanted autounlock I switched to Tedee, and I am super happy. Very robust, very small, smart design, full HK compatibility. 

    Btw.: The DanaLock that went to another door gave in about four weeks out of warranty. When I contacted customer support, they immediately sent me a replacement unit. No questions asked - Great customer service.