daring-rss
Ivory 1.8 Introduces ‘Explore’ Tab
Tapbots:
Ivory v1.8 is now available to download on the App Store! It
features the brand new Explore Tab (which replaces the Search Tab)
with much improved search and a new Popular & Trending section.
There’s also a few new app Icons and some bug fixes.
The new Explore tab is good: it surfaces both popular Mastodon posts and news stories being shared by many people.
★
Tapbots:
Ivory v1.8 is now available to download on the App Store! It
features the brand new Explore Tab (which replaces the Search Tab)
with much improved search and a new Popular & Trending section.
There’s also a few new app Icons and some bug fixes.
The new Explore tab is good: it surfaces both popular Mastodon posts and news stories being shared by many people.
Apple Watch Series 9 and Ultra 2 Sales Ban Paused by US Appeals Court – MacRumors
Hartley Charlton, reporting for MacRumors:
Apple filed an emergency request to the United States Court of
Appeals following President Biden’s decision to decline a veto on
the sales ban, allowing it to take effect earlier this week. The
Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit today accepted an
interim stay while the court reviews Apple’s request for a full
stay for the length of the appeal, effectively pausing the ban on
Apple Watch imports for a brief period.
Apple, in a statement to 9to5Mac’s Chance Miller:
“We are thrilled to return the full Apple Watch lineup to
customers in time for the new year. Apple Watch Series 9 and Apple
Watch Ultra 2, including the blood oxygen feature, will become
available for purchase again in the United States at Apple Stores
starting today and from apple.com tomorrow by 12pm PT.”
The Man wasn’t going to let Apple down.
★
Hartley Charlton, reporting for MacRumors:
Apple filed an emergency request to the United States Court of
Appeals following President Biden’s decision to decline a veto on
the sales ban, allowing it to take effect earlier this week. The
Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit today accepted an
interim stay while the court reviews Apple’s request for a full
stay for the length of the appeal, effectively pausing the ban on
Apple Watch imports for a brief period.
Apple, in a statement to 9to5Mac’s Chance Miller:
“We are thrilled to return the full Apple Watch lineup to
customers in time for the new year. Apple Watch Series 9 and Apple
Watch Ultra 2, including the blood oxygen feature, will become
available for purchase again in the United States at Apple Stores
starting today and from apple.com tomorrow by 12pm PT.”
The Man wasn’t going to let Apple down.
Apple News+ Adds The Athletic, but NYT Articles Remain Unavailable
Todd Spangler, reporting last week for Variety:
The New York Times Co. inked a deal with Apple to add The
Athletic’s full sports coverage to the Apple News+ subscription
bundle. In addition, the Times’ Wirecutter product reviews will
be available for free to all Apple News users beginning early
next year.
However, articles from the New York Times Co.’s namesake newspaper
remain unavailable in the tech giant’s popular Apple News app. The
NYT Co. ended its partnership to provide articles from the Times
to Apple News in 2020, saying at the time that the Apple News
model did not fit with the company’s need for “a direct path” from
digital platforms for sending “readers back into our environments,
where we control the presentation of our report, the relationships
with our readers and the nature of our business rules.” […]
The Athletic has more than 450 full-time writers, editors and
producers. The outlet covers hundreds of professional and college
teams across sports leagues globally. That includes the NFL, NBA,
WNBA, MLB, NHL, MLS, English Premier League, PGA, National Women’s
Soccer League, NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision, NCAA
men’s college basketball, NCAA women’s college basketball, LaLiga
and UEFA Champions League.
I’ve been subscribed to The Athletic for years, and now get it bundled with my Times subscription. It’s both good and, as the third paragraph quoted above indicates, broad — they have beat writers for all major teams. Adding it to News+ is a major upgrade to News+’s sports coverage. There’s nothing else quite like The Athletic.
It does seem curious, though, that the Times considers it worthwhile to bundle The Athletic (and also Wirecutter — which, unlike The Athletic, stinks) with News+ but not content from the Times itself.
★
Todd Spangler, reporting last week for Variety:
The New York Times Co. inked a deal with Apple to add The
Athletic’s full sports coverage to the Apple News+ subscription
bundle. In addition, the Times’ Wirecutter product reviews will
be available for free to all Apple News users beginning early
next year.
However, articles from the New York Times Co.’s namesake newspaper
remain unavailable in the tech giant’s popular Apple News app. The
NYT Co. ended its partnership to provide articles from the Times
to Apple News in 2020, saying at the time that the Apple News
model did not fit with the company’s need for “a direct path” from
digital platforms for sending “readers back into our environments,
where we control the presentation of our report, the relationships
with our readers and the nature of our business rules.” […]
The Athletic has more than 450 full-time writers, editors and
producers. The outlet covers hundreds of professional and college
teams across sports leagues globally. That includes the NFL, NBA,
WNBA, MLB, NHL, MLS, English Premier League, PGA, National Women’s
Soccer League, NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision, NCAA
men’s college basketball, NCAA women’s college basketball, LaLiga
and UEFA Champions League.
I’ve been subscribed to The Athletic for years, and now get it bundled with my Times subscription. It’s both good and, as the third paragraph quoted above indicates, broad — they have beat writers for all major teams. Adding it to News+ is a major upgrade to News+’s sports coverage. There’s nothing else quite like The Athletic.
It does seem curious, though, that the Times considers it worthwhile to bundle The Athletic (and also Wirecutter — which, unlike The Athletic, stinks) with News+ but not content from the Times itself.
Amazon Prime Video Will Start Showing Ads Next Month
Amazon, in an email to Prime subscribers:
We are writing to you today about an upcoming change to your
Prime Video experience. Starting January 29, Prime Video movies
and TV shows will include limited advertisements. This will allow
us to continue investing in compelling content and keep
increasing that investment over a long period of time. We aim to
have meaningfully fewer ads than linear TV and other streaming TV
providers. No action is required from you, and there is no change
to the current price of your Prime membership. We will also offer
a new ad-free option for an additional $2.99 per month that you
can sign up for here.
Prime is a very compelling value.
“Meaningfully fewer ads” than Netflix, Apple TV+, or Max is not possible, because they have no ads. This is a rinky-dink move that solidifies Prime Video’s status as a second-rate streaming service. Maybe if they hadn’t blown $250 million on Citadel and nearly $500 million on Rings of Power — both of which shows were absolutely terrible — they wouldn’t be in this position.
★
Amazon, in an email to Prime subscribers:
We are writing to you today about an upcoming change to your
Prime Video experience. Starting January 29, Prime Video movies
and TV shows will include limited advertisements. This will allow
us to continue investing in compelling content and keep
increasing that investment over a long period of time. We aim to
have meaningfully fewer ads than linear TV and other streaming TV
providers. No action is required from you, and there is no change
to the current price of your Prime membership. We will also offer
a new ad-free option for an additional $2.99 per month that you
can sign up for here.
Prime is a very compelling value.
“Meaningfully fewer ads” than Netflix, Apple TV+, or Max is not possible, because they have no ads. This is a rinky-dink move that solidifies Prime Video’s status as a second-rate streaming service. Maybe if they hadn’t blown $250 million on Citadel and nearly $500 million on Rings of Power — both of which shows were absolutely terrible — they wouldn’t be in this position.
Gurman: Tang Tan, Apple’s Departing VP of iPhone and Watch Design, to Join LoveFrom to Work on ‘AI Hardware’ With OpenAI
Mark Gurman, reporting for Bloomberg:
Legendary designer Jony Ive and OpenAI’s Sam Altman are enlisting
an Apple Inc. veteran to work on a new artificial intelligence
hardware project, aiming to create devices with the latest
capabilities.
As part of the effort, outgoing Apple executive Tang Tan will join
Ive’s design firm LoveFrom, which will shape the look and
capabilities of the new products, according to people familiar
with the matter. Altman, an executive who has become the face of
modern AI, plans to provide the software underpinnings, said the
people, who asked not to be identified because the endeavor isn’t
public. […]
Tan will lead hardware engineering at the project while working at
LoveFrom, the people said. Bloomberg News previously
reported that the executive was stepping down as Apple’s
vice president of iPhone and watch product design. He isn’t slated
to depart until February, though his responsibilities were already
divided up this month.
“Aiming to create devices with the latest capabilities” is an empty description, but the overall dynamic is interesting nonetheless.
In all, more than 20 former Apple employees have joined the design
firm. […] Shota Aoyagi, another member of Ive’s storied
industrial design team at Apple, has also exited. He just started
at LoveFrom.
More designers from Ive’s team at Apple now work at LoveFrom than remain at Apple.
★
Mark Gurman, reporting for Bloomberg:
Legendary designer Jony Ive and OpenAI’s Sam Altman are enlisting
an Apple Inc. veteran to work on a new artificial intelligence
hardware project, aiming to create devices with the latest
capabilities.
As part of the effort, outgoing Apple executive Tang Tan will join
Ive’s design firm LoveFrom, which will shape the look and
capabilities of the new products, according to people familiar
with the matter. Altman, an executive who has become the face of
modern AI, plans to provide the software underpinnings, said the
people, who asked not to be identified because the endeavor isn’t
public. […]
Tan will lead hardware engineering at the project while working at
LoveFrom, the people said. Bloomberg News previously
reported that the executive was stepping down as Apple’s
vice president of iPhone and watch product design. He isn’t slated
to depart until February, though his responsibilities were already
divided up this month.
“Aiming to create devices with the latest capabilities” is an empty description, but the overall dynamic is interesting nonetheless.
In all, more than 20 former Apple employees have joined the design
firm. […] Shota Aoyagi, another member of Ive’s storied
industrial design team at Apple, has also exited. He just started
at LoveFrom.
More designers from Ive’s team at Apple now work at LoveFrom than remain at Apple.
[Sponsor] Fantastical
The best calendar (and tasks!) app for your Mac, iPad, iPhone, and Apple Watch. Get Fantastical now for 20% off for up to 24 months and love your calendar again! Offer valid through January 10, 2024.
★
The best calendar (and tasks!) app for your Mac, iPad, iPhone, and Apple Watch. Get Fantastical now for 20% off for up to 24 months and love your calendar again! Offer valid through January 10, 2024.
Bobby Kotick Is Out as Microsoft Takes Control of Activision
Tom Warren and Ash Parrish, reporting for The Verge last week:
Activision Blizzard CEO Bobby Kotick is stepping down officially
December 29th. Microsoft has not appointed a direct replacement
and instead has rolled the suite of Activision Blizzard
executives — including Blizzard president Mike Ybarra,
Activision publishing president Rob Kostich, and Activision
Blizzard vice chair Thomas Tippl — under Microsoft’s game
content and studios president Matt Booty.
That door finally did hit Kotick’s ass.
★
Tom Warren and Ash Parrish, reporting for The Verge last week:
Activision Blizzard CEO Bobby Kotick is stepping down officially
December 29th. Microsoft has not appointed a direct replacement
and instead has rolled the suite of Activision Blizzard
executives — including Blizzard president Mike Ybarra,
Activision publishing president Rob Kostich, and Activision
Blizzard vice chair Thomas Tippl — under Microsoft’s game
content and studios president Matt Booty.
That door finally did hit Kotick’s ass.
52 Interesting Things Jason Kottke Learned in 2023
Two of my favorites:
34. Ernest Hemingway only used 59 exclamation points across his entire collection of works.
42. MLB broadcaster Vin Scully’s career lasted 67 seasons, during which he called a game managed by Connie Mack (born in 1862) and one Julio Urías (born in 1996) played in.
★
Two of my favorites:
34. Ernest Hemingway only used 59 exclamation points across his entire collection of works.
42. MLB broadcaster Vin Scully’s career lasted 67 seasons, during which he called a game managed by Connie Mack (born in 1862) and one Julio Urías (born in 1996) played in.
Obsidian
My thanks to Obsidian for sponsoring last week at DF. Obsidian is a remarkably flexible and powerful writing and note-taking app that is designed to adapt to the way you think. Obsidian helps you create connections and links between your notes so you can organize your thoughts. You can create links between everything — ideas, articles, lists, locations, books — anything you can put in a note, you can link to other notes. It’s like building your own personal wiki.
Obsidian’s guiding principles:
Free for personal use
Available on all operating systems (including Mac, iOS, and iPadOS)
Interoperable, local Markdown files
No tracking, no account required
Private, end-to-end encrypted
Easy to modify with API, plugins, and themes
100% user-supported, no VC funding
Obsidian exemplifies the mindset of a proper power-user tool: it makes easy things easy, and hard things possible. Another way to think of Obsidian is like an IDE for your notes, thoughts, and ideas. Fresh out of the box it’s useful, powerful, and obvious how to get started. But Obsidian also has a rich ecosystem of plugins and a great community of users — you can customize it in incredible ways. It’s also the sort of Markdown-based tool that does things with Markdown that I never would have imagined when I created it.
They’re offering a special deal for DF readers: sign up for their optional add-on sync service, Obsidian Sync, by 1 January 2024 and you’ll get 5 times the storage space — 50 GB for the price of 10 GB. Get started simply by downloading Obsidian for free.
★
My thanks to Obsidian for sponsoring last week at DF. Obsidian is a remarkably flexible and powerful writing and note-taking app that is designed to adapt to the way you think. Obsidian helps you create connections and links between your notes so you can organize your thoughts. You can create links between everything — ideas, articles, lists, locations, books — anything you can put in a note, you can link to other notes. It’s like building your own personal wiki.
Obsidian’s guiding principles:
Free for personal use
Available on all operating systems (including Mac, iOS, and iPadOS)
Interoperable, local Markdown files
No tracking, no account required
Private, end-to-end encrypted
Easy to modify with API, plugins, and themes
100% user-supported, no VC funding
Obsidian exemplifies the mindset of a proper power-user tool: it makes easy things easy, and hard things possible. Another way to think of Obsidian is like an IDE for your notes, thoughts, and ideas. Fresh out of the box it’s useful, powerful, and obvious how to get started. But Obsidian also has a rich ecosystem of plugins and a great community of users — you can customize it in incredible ways. It’s also the sort of Markdown-based tool that does things with Markdown that I never would have imagined when I created it.
They’re offering a special deal for DF readers: sign up for their optional add-on sync service, Obsidian Sync, by 1 January 2024 and you’ll get 5 times the storage space — 50 GB for the price of 10 GB. Get started simply by downloading Obsidian for free.