Technology - Google News |
- With 9 Words, Tim Cook Just Explained the Biggest Problem With Facebook - Inc.
- Comment: SharePlay won’t be available when iOS 15 releases, but there’s plenty to be excited about - 9to5Mac
- Peloton’s app indicates a rowing machine may finally be coming - The Verge
| With 9 Words, Tim Cook Just Explained the Biggest Problem With Facebook - Inc. Posted: 21 Aug 2021 12:04 AM PDT  It's really not a secret at all that Apple and Facebook aren't friends. They aren't even all that friendly of enemies. Sure, they're mostly polite, but there's no mistaking the degree to which there is hostility between the two companies. It's sort of a strange position for two companies that arguably depend on each other in some unusual ways. For example, Facebook certainly depends on the iPhone considering that mobile represents 98 percent of the social platform's usage. Sure, a good portion of that comes from Android devices, but in the U.S. at least, the iPhone is probably Facebook's most important platform. Of course, Facebook is also important to the iPhone. If suddenly you couldn't use Facebook's apps, that would be bad for Apple considering that people genuinely like using Facebook, despite its problems. Many of those people would switch to something else if they couldn't use it on their iPhone. Still, the two companies can't seem to resist the urge to take shots at each other every chance they get. For example, Facebook took out full-page ads decrying Apple's decision to require developers to request permission before tracking users across apps and websites. That's a big deal to Facebook considering its business is largely based on doing just that. Tim Cook responded that he isn't "focused on Facebook at all." Which, as I wrote at the time, is both brilliant and brutal in its dismissal of the company. More recently, Facebook threw shade at Apple over the latter company's announcement that it was implementing a change in future versions of iOS in order to detect CSAM images uploaded to iCloud Photos. Will Cathcart, the CEO of WhatsApp (which is owned by Facebook) said that Apple's decision represented a surveillance state and was the wrong approach. We'll set aside, for a moment, the fact that Facebook is widely considered the worst privacy offender in a tech industry that can't resist monetizing user data at every opportunity. The bigger point is that--considering how much emphasis Apple puts on privacy--Facebook saw a chance to hit the company where it hurts most. Now, Cook has another response, this time in an interview with The Australian Financial Review about tech companies and privacy:
That last part is important--those nine words about how "technology will only work if it has people's trust." That's as clear an explanation of what's wrong with Facebook as I've heard yet. And, while Cook doesn't specifically mention Facebook, the part about "conspiracy theories or hate speech," makes it pretty clear who he's referring to. The point seems to be that tech companies, specifically Facebook, are focused on building features and products, without regard for the impact they have on user privacy. It's not hard to see how that is true. Facebook has reportedly been working on ways to analyze encrypted messages for the purpose of targeting ads at WhatsApp users--something it hasn't been able to do so far. The company has also gone out of its way to defend its use of tracking user data as the key to the free and open internet, and crucial to small businesses. Even if those things are true, it really just makes Cook's point, which is that "privacy can become collateral damage." If your business model depends on gathering up and monetizing as much data from your users as possible, it's pretty hard to also protect their privacy. It is also worth mentioning that Apple is facing its own criticism over how it handles user privacy right now. Of course, much of that pushback is related to the fact that Apple has long been a champion of protecting personal data, and its decision to include technology on the iPhone that can "scan" your photos for CSAM, feels like a shift in that promise. It makes sense that Apple would want to shift the focus back to what it considers far worse privacy offenders while reminding everyone of its own privacy bona fides. Of course, the reason that matters is the reason Cook mentions: trust. Sometimes it seems like there is a huge disconnect between the way Facebook sees its role in the world, and the way the rest of us see it. It's hard to give Facebook the benefit of the doubt if you don't trust that it has your best interests in mind. |
| Posted: 20 Aug 2021 12:00 PM PDT You probably heard that iOS 15 will need a bit longer to bring some key features announced during the WWDC21 keynote. But still, when it launches next month, there's plenty to be excited about. Head below for our look at what's still to come.
For those already running the beta of iOS 15, it might seem that most features have been taken away, as SharePlay, ID Cards, App Privacy Report, Custom Email Domain, detailed 3D navigation in CarPlay, Legacy Contacts, and probably Universal Control (for macOS/iPadOS integration) won't be available with the official launch of the upcoming operating system. Even though, iOS 15 plans to be a great improvement for users overall. Let's start with two main features: Focus and the ability to find your iPhone even when turned off. As I wrote a few weeks ago, Focus is the most important feature in iOS 15 – and I still believe in this statement. This function still amazes as it has significantly improved my experience with my iPhone and other Apple devices I own. Back then, I wrote:
 Currently, I use six different focus modes, including "Do Not Disturb," "Personal," Work," "Sleep," "Fitness," and "Street," when I don't want to be interrupted while away from home. With beta over beta, the Focus function in iOS 15 is learning with my habits and already turning on one focus mode after another. It's just great. The second feature that is going to be really appreciated by iOS 15 users is the ability to track your iPhone even when it's turned off. Unfortunately, I already needed to use this function when I got my iPhone 12 robbed last month. Even a week after it was erased, I was able to find where it was. Although I'll never tell you to go track in-person a robbed device, I think this feature is more than welcome when the battery of your iPhone dies and you need to find it. Don't forget that this feature needs an iPhone 11, iPhone 12, and, probably, the upcoming iPhone 13 as it needs the U1 chip. Even more things to be excited about iOS 15 Even without SharePlay, FaceTime and iMessage received some big improvements: Spatial Audio support, new Memoji, a grid view for videos, portrait mode for videos in FaceTime calls, and the ability to isolate your voice when on a call. All of these works really well. The new Weather app also looks gorgeous and some users around the globe will enjoy an immersive Apple Maps experience in various cities. For the Apple Music fans, iOS 15 brings for the AirPods Pro and AirPods Max a new "Spatialize Stereo" feature, which uses head-tracking for an immersive sound experience. And one more thing: although the new Safari brought a lot of controversies, Apple finally nailed its design on iOS 15 beta 6, so users will be able to choose whether they want to stick with the original style or try something different. Wrap up Even without SharePlay, and some US exclusive features that will be released in a few months after iOS 15 launches, this new operating system is going to be a great boost for iPhone users. Are you excited about iOS 15? What's the feature you're looking forward to the most to use? Tell us in the comment section below. |
| Peloton’s app indicates a rowing machine may finally be coming - The Verge Posted: 20 Aug 2021 06:05 PM PDT  Peloton's rumored rowing machine may finally be on the way, according to text that 9to5Google discovered in the Peloton Android app. When looking through the app's code, 9to5 discovered references to the rowing machine we've been hearing about for the past couple of years — including instructions on how to do a rowing stroke, as well as language suggesting Peloton will offer real-world water scenery that people could view on a screen while rowing. Bloomberg wrote about plans for a Peloton rower nearly two and a half years ago. More recently, there have been job listings mentioning a rower, and Peloton's CEO has made multiple comments about rowers and rowing. If information about the rower is starting to show up in the app's code, though, it may signal that the machine is already in the works. 9to5Google found two potential code names for the project: "Mazu" and "Caesar" (9to5 had to be clever to find the names, as they were scrambled using a cypher). Mazu is one of the names of a legendary Chinese water deity, which fits with the idea that the product is a rower. It's also a name that's shown up in Peloton's code before. Peloton won't be the first to get to the smart-rower market, however — other companies have already produced machines that some reviewers have called "the Peloton of rowers," one of which was even released in 2019, months before Bloomberg revealed Peloton might have one as well. Still, it makes sense that the actual Peloton would want a piece of that market. It could also give another class of athletes an entry point into the Peloton ecosystem, which might help the company gain more subscribers for its memberships. Recent months haven't been kind to Peloton — it's been working to make its treadmills safer, after it issued a recall for the machines due to a string of injuries and the tragic death of a child. When asked for comment about 9to5Google's findings, Peloton responded "while our R&D team is always working on new ideas, we have no new products to announce at this time." There have also recently been rumors that the company is working on another new hardware product: an armband to monitor your heart rate. |
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