ranson

Situations like this, along with what went on in China during their mass Covid protests, are precisely why Apple needs to give up on its quest to prohibit sideloading. If an app is not being used to harm others, let the people install it.

KTR said:

This is like building a Mac clone.  Apple legal shut them down.  But we see

I doubt Apple could shut this down. Since the APK can be sideloaded onto Android, it could continue to be distributed outside of the Play store. If their app is perfectly mimicking the API client of iMessage on an older iOS version like 13 or 14, it would be very difficult for Apple to distinguish between the unauthorized client and a geniune iDevice and extremely difficult to block, since they no longer update those OSes.

genovelle said:

Considering the keys to Apple’s iMessage encryption lives on the device in the Secure Enclave I’m curious how this would work. Unless it intercepts text messages that have too much data and makes them more accessible and iMessage like. 

Most (if not all modern) Android devices include a secure enclave as well. When the user signs in to iMessage for the first time on the device by authenticating with their iCloud credentials, that is when the client generates the encryption keys, stores the private key in the secure enclave, and registers the public key with the iMessage server.  So long as they have fully rerverse-enginered the API protocol from sign-in to sending/receiving messages, then it is pretty straightforward and largely identical to the iPhone workflow for the same operations.

If you're shaking your head now, though, it's because you've used MagSafe. Once you have and you know how convenient is to just pop your iPhone on a stand, it is very hard to go back.

Do you think people are taking the case off of their iPhone and using the built-in MagSafe magnets to mount the phone to the stand charger? Of course not. Everybody's phone is in a case and it stays in the case for 99.99% of its life. Cases offer MagSafe. People's iPhones are attaching to the stand via the case's magnets, not the phone's. A quick Amazon search shows that popular case makers like Spigen already have magnetic charging cases for the iPhone 16e.

This was the right call by Apple.

Apple is going to prioritize updating product lines that have the highest consumer demand. I see everybody and their brother with iPhones, iPods, MacBooks and Apple Watches. But I have exactly one friend who owns the AirPods Max. One. And they are quite happy with them as-is with no desire for an upgrade. Their sentiments probably reflect the average target consumer for this device. I highly doubt the AirPods Max generate a significant profit for Apple, because they are just not a high-demand item for 95% of Apple users, and so the disappointment expressed in this article regarding such a minor refresh is limited to a small cohort of Apple commentators and hardcore users.

SuntanIronMan said:

MagSafe isn’t just an array of magnets though. It’s a technical specification for wireless charging. Adding magnets to a case doesn’t make a phone MagSafe. It’s compatible with MagSafe, but the phone is still Qi(1) that is limited to 7.5w — while the MagSafe of the iPhone 16 (no-suffix/Plus/Pro/Pro Max) can go up to 25w. The difference between 25w and 7.5w is quite significant. I know not everybody cares about wireless charging (and that’s perfectly fine), but… 25w vs 7.5w is a notable difference.

That's why I said Spigen offers "magnetic charging cases".  I know it is not MagSafe, and that Apple is not going to give the nice swirly animation or the maximum charging output.  I quoted William complaining about the loss of convenience of just popping it on the stand, and pointed out that this capability is not gone when paired with any magnetic charging case. Most people who use MagSafe with a stand charge their phone overnight while the phone is in Nightstand mode. They don't care how fast it charges overnight. People know the fastest way to charge a phone is to plug it in and that true MagSafe is slower, while non-MagSafe induction charging is slowest.

ensoniq said:

No one at AppleInsider or MacRumors or 9to5Mac gets crapped on when they make mistakes.  Why hold Prosser to a different standard?

Because their accuracy is notably better? Because they don't drag out their big "reveals" on twitter with multi-day countdowns to maximize revenue? Or do silly stunts like shaving eyebrows? Or sensationalize and hype up everything as if it's the most incredible scoop ever made?

And don't get me wrong, I have leveled blunt criticisms at all three of these sites you mentioned on their comments sections. But at least their authors appear to be focused more on sharing the information than they are about bringing attention to themselves.