https://numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/[email protected]
MediaPutting together the words “Apple” with “advertising business” feels weird and awkward to me. Put simply, Apple is somehow in the advertising business, albeit not at the scale of Facebook or Google, obviously. Apple’s business model is not about massively running or helping other companies running ads.Business lines need managers. That’s why Apple recently hired “Antonio Garcia Martinez” to manage the ad business of its App Store and who previously worked for Facebook. According to many reports, Mr. Martinez doesn’t seem to fit Apple’s culture and values. He certainly doesn’t fit mine. You are not sure what I’m talking about? Let see exhibit A:“Most women in the Bay Area are soft and weak, cosseted and naive despite their claims of worldliness, and generally full of shit. They have their self-regarding entitlement feminism, and ceaselessly vaunt their independence, but the reality is, come the epidemic plague or foreign invasion, they’d become precisely the sort of useless baggage you’d trade for a box of shotgun shells or a jerry can of diesel.”Mr. Martinez is simply full of shit. Simple as that. I can understand Apple’s employee for starting a petition asking an internal investigation about how this hire could even happen. The Verge includes the full text of the petition, which I partly reproduce a small but very telling portion here:“Given Mr. García Martínez’s history of publishing overtly racist and sexist remarks about his former colleagues, we are concerned that his presence at Apple will contribute to an unsafe working environment for our colleagues who are at risk of public harassment and private bullying.”.Ouch. Many more excerpts are included in the petition, many of which show unacceptable, abusive, sexist, and racist comments. Could Mr. Martinez become another John Browett? It took six months for Apple to kick this guy out. I’m hoping Mr. Martinez is already being shown the way out.BREAKING NEWS: The guy is OUT! Good riddance. Now the question becomes: why, in the first place, this guy could make it and start working at Apple? I guess Apple will revisit their hiring process.I find this story to be disturbing and decided to share it to increase awareness of the issue. Thanks for sharing or add your own voice.

via Numeric Citizen Blog
https://numericcitizen.me/2021/05/13/on-apples-recent-and-highly-controversial-hire/

Apple’s macOS Big Notifications Center is probably the most frustrating, infuriating and un-Apple experience of all. Man this thing is badly designed. Who at Apple think it ok? He or she is a C player! Hoping for major re-work for macOS 12. There, I said it. 🤬

via Numeric Citizen Microblog
https://numericcitizen.micro.blog/2021/05/13/thought-or-frustration.html

One of the cooless by-product of the Apple strategy is the unification of the processing unit among its product lines, leaving the form-factor the unique differenciation attribute. > Previously there were many people who wanted a laptop, but ended up buying a desktop because it would be more powerful. Now the only choice the customer has to make is whether they prefer the MacBook or iMac form-factor, because the internal hardware is the same in each. Source: Apple execs praises how M1 enables same performance for different devices in interview - 9to5Mac

via Numeric Citizen Microblog
https://numericcitizen.micro.blog/2021/05/13/this-formfactor-this.html

(…) there are only 17k Watch apps: like Amazon’s Alexa, the Apple Watch is a huge success but has largely failed as an app platform. Source: Benedict Evans’ takeaways from the first week of Epic vs. Apple | Philip Elmer‑DeWittOnly 17K apps for the Apple Watch?? Calling this a failure is a bit surprising. The Watch is a narrow platform compared to the iPhone, the iPad or the Mac. I don’t expect as many apps to be available for the Watch. This form-factor isn’t obviously suitable for a lot of applications categories. I think 17K apps is quite a lot actually because I don’t get a sense of it when I browse the App Store from the Apple Watch itself or from my iPhone. This is where Apple is failing: discovery of Watch apps is miserable, just like it is in general on Apple’s App Store.

via Numeric Citizen Microblog
https://numericcitizen.micro.blog/2021/05/14/only-k-apps.html

“I upended my life for Apple. I sold my WA residence which I built with my own hands, relocated myself, shut down any public media presence and future writing aspirations, and resolved to build my career at Apple for years to come,”Well, now that he has been fired, he is complaining on Twitter that Apple knew in advance… maybe, maybe not. My gut feeling is that the C-Level knew, but not the upper management. When it came to their attention, they acted in accordance to their well-known values.Source: Antonio Garcia Martinez says Apple fired him, company was ‘well aware’ of his writing | AppleInsiderMr. Martinez Twitter thread is here.

via Numeric Citizen Microblog
https://numericcitizen.micro.blog/2021/05/15/are-we-supposed.html

I recently noted that I’m spending much more time on Mailbrew website for my newsletters reading rather than in HEY Feed. Why is that? Well, I think there are a few sticky features in Mailbrew that helps me better process information tidbits. First, the reading experience is great. The “Read” button next to a URL will bring a nicely formatted version of an article from a URL. Second, A “save” button is handily available for me to use if I want to keep a piece of information for later use. My collection of saved items is growing by the day. There’s also the Save to Mailbrew bookmarklet that comes handy. The website on the iPad is also a joyful experience.Mailbrew update schedule is pretty fast and brings many small improvements on a constant flow. Now, if only there was a highlighting feature it would make Mailbrew reading experience a perfect fit for my workflow.By the way, thanks to Mailbrew, you can get a weekly summary of all my publications here.

via Numeric Citizen Microblog
https://numericcitizen.micro.blog/2021/05/15/my-goto-internet.html

HEY World was a fad. Using the dice feature to pop up a random HEY World website shows that the vast majority of users didn’t keep updating their feed. What could explain this lack of durable enthusiasm?

via Numeric Citizen Microblog
https://numericcitizen.micro.blog/2021/05/15/hey-world-was.html

Nope. Better chance next time. No easy way to ask for help either. Tried different variations of the RSS feed URL. Nope, doesn’t work. There is no option to expert from within HEY either. As you can see, looking for some easy way out of HEY World. 👨🏻‍💻Media

via Numeric Citizen Microblog
https://numericcitizen.micro.blog/2021/05/15/importing-hey-world.html

https://numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/NumericCitizen-VisualSpace-Homepage-150x150.png?crop=1
NumericCitizen-VisualSpace-HomepageNumericCitizen-Visualspace-thumbnailsThe website pages before the endNearly a year ago, I introduced my Numeric Citizen Visual Space, a website made with Universe, a website creation application running on iPhone, iPad and macOS. This space never really took off, never attracted traffic, probably because of the lack of a social network dimension to it. In retrospect, this was an experiment more than anything else. The tool took all the place. Universe is a special application where websites are built by using a visual block metaphor. There is nothing like it. I was seduced by it and forgot the end goal of building a web presence to expose my urban exploration photography work. Eventually, I stopped updating my website. I decided to cancel my expensive subscription (159.99$ CAN per year). If there was a free tier, I would probably keep it, but that’s not the case.I’m still looking for a better photo-sharing solution besides the usual suspects. Glass? Bokeh? Both of these are still under wrap and their future is uncertain. As I’m waiting, I decided to “park” my work in a lesser-known place called “Ello”. Ello is a lot like Tumblr. It’s free and does the job for now.You can still have a look at my Visual Space up until my subscription expiration date, on May, 17th, 2021. After that date, my work will vanish forever.

via Numeric Citizen Blog
https://numericcitizen.me/2021/05/16/bye-bye-universe/

I’ve completed my first release of my Digital Garden. Entirely made with @Craftdocsapp which makes a great job of building a website with integrated navigation. It’s really cool. The only missing thing is support for custom domains, which will probably be coming in the future.

via Numeric Citizen Microblog
https://numericcitizen.micro.blog/2021/05/16/ive-completed-my.html

Parker Ortolani for 9to5Mac:But what if you could add other kinds of things to your Home Screen too? (…) Apple could add the same ‘Add to Home Screen’ button to the share sheet in Music, in Podcasts, in News, and in TV. Each content type could have a distinct shape for differentiation. Albums, podcasts and publications could have more squared off icons. Magazines could be more narrow to show off covers. TV Shows and movies could use the same artwork that appears in app.Frankly, I love this idea. On the iPad, it could be the ultimate playground to play with this feature, thanks to the device size. I can see me adding all kind of stuff like my wife iMessage contact, an RSS feed to my favourite content creators, a shortcut to a podcast or an Apple Music playlist or artist. So much possibilities.The idea of adding all sort of content on the home screen is not new, yet on iOS and iPadOS, current design feels really restricted. We are ready to go to the next phase in evolution. I want freedom in folder size and placement, I want Apple Watch complication-style widgets. I want freedom. Apple, by any chance, are you listening?Consider this added to my WWDC, iOS and iPadOS 15 wish list.

via Numeric Citizen Microblog
https://numericcitizen.micro.blog/2021/05/16/on-extending-the.html

Can’t wait for Apple’s embargo to be lifted this week so we can get a better appreciation of the 12.0” 2021 iPad Pro. Some people got their device, early. I’ll never be able to get an XDR display from Apple, but the one that within an iPad, seems a bargain. The possibility of getting this device just increased a bit.

via Numeric Citizen Microblog
https://numericcitizen.micro.blog/2021/05/16/cant-wait-for.html

MediaThe iPad is a mighty device considering its form-factor. Many people are asking for Apple to make Xcode available for the iPad. I wonder: who are asking for this? Are they serious developers or just hobbyists? I would find it surprising if it was the former because there can be so many tools besides Xcode that is needed I order to build an app, and not all those things are available on the iPad. Serious developers would need to bring in a Mac to complete the development picture. If this is the hobbyists, does it even matter?Would it be the full version of Xcode or a diminutive version? If it is the latter, what kind of apps would it be able to create, and what are the others it wouldn’t? Would it be Swift-only with SwiftUI? If that’s the case, are we in the “tech proof of concept” territory or if it is a viable path going forward? What would iPadOS 15 need to make Xcode for iPad a viable solution? Better file management? External monitor support? A link to a Mac for certain tasks and features? Is the 12.9” iPad Pro the only supported device or is the 11” version be supported too?If you are a developer reading this post, would you use Xcode for iPad to build your apps if Apple made it available?

via Numeric Citizen Microblog
https://numericcitizen.micro.blog/2021/05/17/xcode-for-ipad.html

https://numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/pdx_a_82obo-150x150.jpg?crop=1
flatlay photography of wireless headphonesMediaLet’s go straight to the point here: no Apple Music lossless for any kind of Apple wireless device (AirPods, including the Max, HomePod of any size). Spatial Audio with Dolby Atmos is the only feature you’ll get to hear on any wireless device from Apple. How this will affect the music listening experience remains to be seen… oops… heard.I can see frustration among many people. But who cares? We need to be an audiophile, which I’m not, to really hear the difference. But you know, we’re in a game of perception here. It’s a marketing game, and Apple isn’t fairing well here when they say Apple Music is changing the music world forever. They don’t look good when they introduce the AirPods Max only to learn a few months later that they are useless to take advantage of Apple Music’s latest offerings.“Note that Hi-Res Lossless requires external equipment such as a USB digital to analog converter.”AppleFor those on the Mac with great speakers who fire up Apple Music to listen to music, well good for them.Oh, and don’t get me started on the original HomePod lack of support for Apple Music lossless.Maybe the future is not wireless after all. Oh, speaking of wireless, the state of Bluetooth flaky connectivity with Apple Silicon Macs is still bad, even after macOS 11.3. Connection Lost… Connected. Connection Lost… Connected. Connection Lost… Connected. Connection Lost… Connected. Connection Lost… Connected. Connection Lost… Connected. Connection Lost… Connected. Connection Lost… Connected. Connection Lost… Connected. Connection Lost… Connected.The music space is probably the least impressive side of Apple: incomplete, uncoordinated, contradictory. This is the strangest service update launch in a long time.

via Numeric Citizen Blog
https://numericcitizen.me/2021/05/18/music-is-about-to-change-forever-really/

I know a lot of people are concerned that the white bezel surrounding the display will be distracting. In practice, I found that it just disappears. If there can be such a thing as a muted white — a white that most certainly looks white, not light gray, but yet not white white, this white is that white. I didn’t need time to get used to itSource: Daring Fireball: The 24-Inch M1 iMac(https://daringfireball.net/2021/05/the_24_inch_m1_imac)There is a lot of talk regarding the white bezel of the new iMac. I still don’t know what to think about them. They make it look like if there was a white masking tape all around the display. But the thing is, considering the fact that Apple’s macOS overall user interface is so “white-ish” in general, this should help make the bezel kind of disappear in reality and just be an extension of the user interface.

via Numeric Citizen Microblog
https://numericcitizen.micro.blog/2021/05/19/about-this-white.html

MediaThe keyboard flaked out on me once. I wanted to spend time testing the Touch ID button, so I moved an application to the Trash, which requires authentication. That worked. Then I tried to move the app back to the Applications folder, and … Touch ID just didn’t work. After 30 seconds of trying, I realized the whole keyboard just wasn’t working. I turned the keyboard off and on again, and boom, everything has been normal since — including Touch ID recognizing my finger very quickly.Source: Daring Fireball: The 24-Inch M1 iMac(https://daringfireball.net/2021/05/the_24_inch_m1_imac)Ah, ah, another moment of Apple’s Bluetooth device not working as expected. Since I got my 2017 21.5” iMac, I’ve experienced unstable Bluetooth connectivity with Apple’s mouse and keyboard. I don’t know when it started, if it’s related to a certain release of macOS, but it is happening all the time. The worst part is the mouse being jerky while moving on the screen. Bluetooth’s instabilities also impact my AirPods usage with the Mac. My AirPods simply drops from receiving the Mac audio while in Zoom meetings. It is infuriating. Eventually, I need to reboot the Mac to reset the Bluetooth stack.When I got the M1 Mac mini, I thought Bluetooth connectivity issues would be a thing of the past. I couldn’t be more wrong. It was worst. The mouse and the keyboard are both having instabilities. They need to be turned off and on to temporarily fix the problem, but eventually the Mac needs a full reboot. Again, this is exasperating. It is a well documented issue which macOS 11.1 and 11.2 tried to fix but the problems still happen, albeit a bit less often.There is something wrong with Apple’s Bluetooth implementation in general. Is it the driver, the firmware, the chip, a combination of these that is at fault? I don’t know but the fact that this shiny new iMac with the wireless keyboard with TouchID stops working like Gruber experienced is not a good sign.

via Numeric Citizen Microblog
https://numericcitizen.micro.blog/2021/05/19/about-apples-flaky.html

For the new MacBook Pros, Apple is planning two different chips, codenamed Jade C-Chop and Jade C-Die: both include eight high-performance cores and two energy-efficient cores for a total of 10, but will be offered in either 16 or 32 graphics core variations.Source: Apple (AAPL) Readies MacBook Pro, MacBook Air Revamps With Faster Chips - Bloomberg(https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-05-18/apple-readies-macbook-pro-macbook-air-revamps-with-faster-chips)The “one chip SKU to rule them all” won’t last forever it seems. Apple will take advantage of its ability to decide what goes in its chips to help differentiate each models within the same product line. We already witness this with the 7-core vs 8-core variant of the M1 chip in the 2021 iMac, but this variability will increase over time. My hope is that Apple doesn’t try to hard to be greedy with this strategy and keep the product’s differentiation simple to grasp.

via Numeric Citizen Microblog
https://numericcitizen.micro.blog/2021/05/19/keep-it-simple.html

First:Apple is very efficient at pursuing their business model, which is based on selling overpriced, obsolete hardware to customers locked in their ecosystem,” Durov wrote. “Every time I have to use an iPhone to test our iOS app I feel like I’m thrown back into the Middle Ages. The iPhone’s 60Hz displays can’t compete with the 120Hz displays of modern Android phones that support much smoother animations.And:Durov added that the worst part about Apple’s technology is not “clunkier devices or outdated hardware,” but that users who have an iPhone are a “digital slave of Apple.””You are only allowed to use apps that Apple lets you install via their App Store, and you can only use Apple’s iCloud to natively back up your data,” he said.“It’s no wonder that Apple’s totalitarian approach is so appreciated by the Communist Party of China, which – thanks to Apple – now has complete control over the apps and data of all of its citizens who rely on iPhones.”Source: Telegram founder says iPhone users are digital slaves | AppleInsider.Mr. Durov can go to hell. Typical talk from an Android guy. Nobody his forcing him to develop for the iPhone. Nobody. He is a digital slave of Apple himself. I can’t stand this attitude and I’m voting with my digital means: closing my Telegram account.

via Numeric Citizen Microblog
https://numericcitizen.micro.blog/2021/05/19/im-closing-my.html

To my subscribers, I’ll be closing my Telegram account very soon. I cannot stand Telegram founder recent comments about Apple. They are baseless and childish.