AppleZulu

When Belkin first introduced Wemo devices, they promised that they would become HomeKit compatible as HomeKit was just rolling out. I bought some light switches and plugs based on that promise. I even saved a Belkin customer service chat with that promise in writing. Then there was radio silence. Then they announced that no, they would not be HomeKit compatible. Then a year later, they announced they were releasing a HomeKit Bridge that would make most of their existing legacy hardware HomeKit compatible after all! That bridge was flaky as all get-out and received very little support, and to my knowledge, no firmware updates, ever. I eventually connected the bridge's power supply to a HomeKit-compatible plug from another vendor, just so I could write a shortcut script to automatically cycle the thing through a forced reboot every night. That seemed to help. Some. Sort of.

Then Belkin introduced natively HomeKit compatible devices, which, at least in my experience, further complicated the flakiness, in combination with the bridge and legacy devices. Somewhere around this point, I replaced my deprecated AirPort routers with eero mesh routers, thinking maybe the network itself was the problem. That wasn't it. Switches and plugs would randomly (as noted in another post above) become unresponsive, and/or be unrecognized by HomeKit, usually in a cascading collapse, making much of the "smart home" experience profoundly dumb. I'd see an alert pop up that one of the devices was offline. Then another, and another and another. I found myself going through the house, individually rebooting each switch, hoping to isolate a culprit device that was somehow triggering the Wemo-wide collapse.

Finally, I found the solution to the whole problem.

I removed every single %&*# Wemo switch and plug, and replaced them with Leviton switches and plugs. No more Wemo for me. Other than a few very sporadic, isolated hiccups, the Leviton devices have been rock-solid reliable.

So all this is to say that it's no surprise that Belkin would promise to be "matter" compatible, then announce that they won't, but that they're 'rethinking their strategy.' They've got a lot to rethink about.

It seems the time is ending when a content provider can charge extra just for resolution and quality to match device capabilities. Spotify was just following suit with Amazon, Tidal, etc., and missed the boat when Apple added lossless and spatial audio at no extra charge. 

CLS9 said:

I don't get the "yellow" hype. This isn't the first yellow iPhone. The 5c and 11 iPhones came in yellow and there wasn't any fanfare then.

It's marketing. Companies that sell things occasionally do that.

laytech said:

This makes no sense to me, another app outside of the Apple Music app. So if I am in Apple Music and watch to switch it listening to some classical, I have to exit out of one and into another.

it would have made much more sense for the app to be within the Apple Music app as a tab or something.  A strange one this for me. What next, a rap app, a hip hop app, a dance app, multiple apps? 

I’m pretty sure the classical catalog will continue to be available in the regular app as well. So you’ll still be able to ‘mix it up’ there if that’s your preference.

9secondkox2 said:

AppleZulu said:

9secondkox2 said:

AppleZulu said:

9secondkox2 said:

chutzpah said:

9secondkox2 said:

chutzpah said:

9secondkox2 said:

StrangeDays said:

9secondkox2 said:

Should just be in a genre tab on Apple Music. 

a lot of music catalogs on Apple Music. Just because this is a giant catalog doesn’t mean it needs its own app. 

Biography info, etc would fit nearly as a link or accordion element. 

More steps to do the same thing. Not good. 

It’s not the number of tracks, it’s that the UX is different owing to some unique things about classical music. 

It’s music. No need for separate UX. It’s just a way to justify a dedicated app. 

But let’s say that you have a point - for sake of argument. Apple could easily implement a class where the classical tab of Apple Music gets its own look and behavior. 

And yet none of that is necessary. 

A music app is a music app. 

If there is a better way to do it, then they should apply it to the app as a whole to benefit the entire thing. 

Searching for, curating, creating playlists, and playing classical music is fundamentally no different than doing so for any other genre. 

Yeah?  How often do you care about the composer of a pop music song?  How often do you care about the conductor or the orchestra?  How often do you care about the venue or the date of the performance?  How often do you care about what key it is in?  How often is a pop album divided by suites?

The considerations of classical music productions for classical music fans are very different than the considerations of pop music for pop music fans and for very good reasons.  You clearly don't know anything about this, so wind your neck in.

Like I said before, that info is nearly enabled by links and/or accordin elements right on the music page. It’s not a big deal nor is it some amazingly impossible thing that requires its own app. 

Next you’ll be saying a web browser isn’t good enough to read about a composer and that you need a classical music themed web browser… 

The facts that apps exist are proof positive that a web browser isn't a solution for all computing needs.  Different tools for different tasks.  And classical music is significantly different from pop music.  Sure, Music could be adapted to support both pop and classical music, but it'd add bloat and a muddle of interface.

Classical music fans have been complaining about iTunes and Music.app for years, it's clearly insufficient.  Seriously dude, you clearly have no knowledge or interest in classical music, so why are you here?  Wind your neck in, this doesn't concern you.

Everyone has been complaining. 

But they all aren’t getting their preferred genre in its own app. 

Better to address concerns throughout the app rather than make yet another app for people to have to install. 

So next, the heavy metal app is coming out? No need to see those fluffy hip hop recommendations anymore… 

music belongs in the music , app, sorted by genre. Boom. Done. 

You made it clear the first time. You don’t know what you’re talking about, but you’re determined to make sure everyone knows it. We’ve got it. 

Incorrect. I know plenty. Started playing violin in jr high and classical was my first musical love. 

But you don’t have a point so you build a straw man. 

You:
“Apple did something so it must be the only way to go and if you don’t agree, I’ll cry endlessly.”

Me:

“It’s better to have all the music in one app and use any deficiencies to make that app better. We don’t need a different app for every little thing.”

Next you’ll be praising a separate classic movies app for the old black and whites. 

Apples resurrection came about by simplifying and refining everything. Now, it is starting to look like clutter again. 

Project much? You’re the one crying endlessly over nothing, and it appears you also don’t know what a “straw man” is. If you don’t download the new app nothing will change for you. The classical catalog will continue to be available in the Apple Music app, with no additional code for additional functions bloating that app. If you don’t want the thing, you won’t have the thing. It is literally the opposite of clutter. 

Nope. That’s you. Yet again. 

No need to project. Just holding up the mirror for you. 

I shared my thoughts, which I believe align more with the Apple ethos, and you had to keep coming back and making it personal. 

Don’t get offended, it’s just an opinion about a needless app. Anyone who things basic search capabilities are needless bloat has zero idea what they’re talking about. 

Since I’ve been living rent free in your head, I’ll do my best to clear out and let you get a better handle on life. There is no “us.” I know you’re confused about this, but there Never was.  Not my fault if you keep refusing to let me go. 

Now you’re just getting weird. I’ve never referred to “us.”

if there’s an “us” it’s the general consensus of those of us commenting here that we think the new app is going to be a good thing.