arlomedia

zone said:

Worthless waste of time... all these companies will be going downhill once millennials enter real life. When ever that happens people will have better things to do. I predict a major shift in social media as people tire and real personal interactions become the new thing. Imagine that!

I'd like to see that day. Unfortunately I know plenty of people of older generations who seem addicted to social media. Not Snapchat, though ... mostly Facebook.

I have a fraction of Snapchat's user base, but I had a similar experience with one of my apps a couple years ago. I rolled out a major update (numbered as version 4.0) along with detailed release notes, announcements, video demos, etc. but the main response from users was "give me the old version back." That's not a productive request because a major app redesign is likely a part of a significant back-end upgrade and/or a significant strategic shift. It might look to a user like something that was updated in a few minutes could be rolled back in a few minutes, but the developer has months or years of work and planning invested and they're not going to simply delete that. It's better to do as Snapchat is doing and keep improving on the new design.

I've always advised my users to turn off app auto-updating, then read the release notes before installing updates. I got lots of emails from users saying, "Why did you update my app without my permission," but it really is up to users to manage their updates. Apple stands in opposition to this advice by pushing app auto-updates (IIRC, an iOS update some time before this release had turned that on for everyone by default) and nagging people endlessly about OS updates. This policy comes from Apple's reality-distorted world where every software update is completely and obviously superior to the one that preceded it.

Anyway, eventually most of my users came around and admitted that the updates were worth it and the app is now better for it.

GeorgeBMac said:

So why are so many people opposed to Apple providing parents with modern, more effective tools to help them oversee their kid's use of iOS devices?

The arguments seem to be black and white thinking and mostly ideologically driven.

Haven't you noticed the pattern on AppleInsider that if you say anything remotely critical of Apple, you get a gigantic backlash, with dozens of comments saying that whatever improvement you're advocating is unnecessary, counterproductive or immoral? Then if Apple actually implements the desired changes, they receive praise by the commenters for being so proactive. I saw the same thing with the environmental stuff several years ago. Someone would criticize Apple for not taking recycling seriously and we'd get all these rants about eco-terrorists and trolls. Now that Apple has upped its game in this area, it's seen as admirable to recycle and use fewer toxic materials.

Anyway, the "just do your job and be a parent" argument seems extremely silly on a tech enthusiast site. The people commenting here probably think nothing of using an app to remember where their car is parked, adjust their thermostat or remind them to exercise. But for some reason, they interpret a desire for better parental controls as a lack of any parenting skills. (shrug)

I don't think anyone has mentioned that a number of third-party parental controls apps already exist. However, I've evaluated most of them and used some of them, and none of them offer the level of control I'd like to have for my teenager. This is largely because of security/privacy restrictions built into iOS. Comparable parental controls apps for Android offer more options. So it would be great to see Apple either offer more options with its built-in Restrictions settings, or create a process for third-party developers to assume more control of the device, probably as one of the Restrictions options.

And yes, being a consistent parent and setting a good example are most important, but good tools can help. As noted by others here, it's silly to embrace all kinds of software tools for streamlining all aspects of our lives, but then reject any parenting related tools on the grounds that parents should just do their jobs. By the way, the vast majority of parents I know who don't provide any structure for device or online use probably aren't going to use parental controls tools, either. These tools are going to be used by parents who are already doing the work and are looking for tools to make it easier.

He's lucky to have the means to take six months off work for personal reflection. Many women who quit a job to avoid sexual harassment don't have that luxury.

That said, this is sad news. John Lasseter has put a lot of love into the world with those Pixar films and I would have hoped he'd be above such behavior.