tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-55873462024-03-23T12:54:29.548-05:00Gordon's NotesCommentary: politics, science, technology and humanity. Secular humanist.JGFhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14580785981874040314noreply@blogger.comBlogger323125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5587346.post-45508672673012266852022-02-05T12:27:00.010-06:002022-03-06T10:38:44.504-06:00We need non-Apple App Stores - because Apple's store has trash like Luni Scanner App.<p>[Update 3/6/2022: After I exposed this scam I revisited our purchase history and the listing for the scam subscription had changed. Instead of "Luni" the company and "Scanner" the App it showed:</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhEUNiiESiZ5Ge9V1oL4sR5xl9qfaDPEg8upgueLMIx_PNY3OflYXnhBX94H7tebkspsi1TDAP0Pin_XII766n2En7HIvq60SP90VnCuYF75uAEkjECqS2lSottZN8LSpfAjtw-2zV83cOWTnrXOhq8PBDTz3f-9EzCY2Nw-jiCWwu7jvs=s910" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="233" data-original-width="910" height="103" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhEUNiiESiZ5Ge9V1oL4sR5xl9qfaDPEg8upgueLMIx_PNY3OflYXnhBX94H7tebkspsi1TDAP0Pin_XII766n2En7HIvq60SP90VnCuYF75uAEkjECqS2lSottZN8LSpfAjtw-2zV83cOWTnrXOhq8PBDTz3f-9EzCY2Nw-jiCWwu7jvs=w400-h103" width="400" /></a></div>"Municorn" the app and AlexeyBogdanov272750744 as the Seller.<br /><p>In addition, when I clicked on the Report a Problem link I see there's an entirely new feature!</p><p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjaNgw2rv7chlJcdjY8LVqubr-A3F2nNcYD6dnzlaNPalxmHBG2vNzU7uzBQ82VdBznsEntIT-nXJwutE98E12zzei5DuGAy0mnbDSvzKUbpT1aRjhv3P94c710jLyYq6ehDQ_a47dJBOV2nhh8ihT96P9xYeo-smciHKanqOz2IbRKN4k=s910" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="233" data-original-width="910" height="103" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjaNgw2rv7chlJcdjY8LVqubr-A3F2nNcYD6dnzlaNPalxmHBG2vNzU7uzBQ82VdBznsEntIT-nXJwutE98E12zzei5DuGAy0mnbDSvzKUbpT1aRjhv3P94c710jLyYq6ehDQ_a47dJBOV2nhh8ihT96P9xYeo-smciHKanqOz2IbRKN4k=w400-h103" width="400" /></a></p><p>Unfortunately, perhaps <a href="https://tech.kateva.org/2022/03/what-happens-when-you-have-apple-id.html">due to issues with my Store Apple ID</a>, I can't select that Apple ID as a family member. Other family members appear.</p><p>--------------- ORIGINAL</p><p>There are several good arguments for a non-Apple iOS App Store. The best reason I know if for competing App Stores is that Apple's App Store has many frauds.</p><p>Consider the case of the <a href="https://www.luni.app">Luni</a> <a href="https://apps.apple.com/us/app/scanner/id1291962681">Scanner App</a>; #85 in "Business" in the US App Store. </p><p>Luni's is a "mobile app <i>publisher</i>" their site claims they are "the largest french app publisher" (yes, lower case "french"). Their domain information is protected. All their apps are subscription based. </p><p><a href="https://www.luni.app">Luni</a> makes <a href="https://apps.apple.com/us/developer/luni/id1274051421">a suspiciously wide range of apps</a> with generic names including a "VPN" app, a "Translator" and a "Video Editor":</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiqyIW7UAaP2THT8giiKHRJo_Dp1FreTjWZw3dwqVk4JVvPUtNHoOnV4Eu-61PYPoOs0A0xsSe-wY1ZAeIiDiBw1IYeBzOGimVDtOFZo07DqHzhErgA_u29jAkABxuhojZM6CVWGXtJDDclgcML166QJEyEUdW2ntioBzuqPNa2vd4N0Wk=s1034" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="802" data-original-width="1034" height="248" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiqyIW7UAaP2THT8giiKHRJo_Dp1FreTjWZw3dwqVk4JVvPUtNHoOnV4Eu-61PYPoOs0A0xsSe-wY1ZAeIiDiBw1IYeBzOGimVDtOFZo07DqHzhErgA_u29jAkABxuhojZM6CVWGXtJDDclgcML166QJEyEUdW2ntioBzuqPNa2vd4N0Wk=s320" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjD6njOheWIAEjg_rBVaihKFjXuh09oXPaXnyLsxzgAazPh2MoJYhVi4nz7xBO5Sy_wVItWKgg0SooVcjLf0HNU7f_qrUH4igHVPOMbWodI5Ql25mMUDzA29HWavMH6haoGOauJ9p4MHt5ysHYMowf1wXhFKPZrImA7rmSNEpmyBRAJ1uo=s1035" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="681" data-original-width="1035" height="211" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjD6njOheWIAEjg_rBVaihKFjXuh09oXPaXnyLsxzgAazPh2MoJYhVi4nz7xBO5Sy_wVItWKgg0SooVcjLf0HNU7f_qrUH4igHVPOMbWodI5Ql25mMUDzA29HWavMH6haoGOauJ9p4MHt5ysHYMowf1wXhFKPZrImA7rmSNEpmyBRAJ1uo=s320" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><p>The VPN app has 22.9K ratings with an average of 4.7/5 by people like "yessirbruh". The 'most critical' ratings (only accessible on iOS) make clear it is a scam with clever subscription pattern that tricks users into paying a high weekly rate.</p><p>The Scanner App is the similar scam that bit my family. It has <i>174K ratings and 5 stars</i>. The vast majority are obviously purchased. The "critical" reviews mention unwitting subscriptions. A screenshot that appears on first launch shows how it works for the "Free" app with add-in purchases:</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj6m_9uor-asPcMUcdlhhla-usgDp7_XuyNVGtiGcJPZ3tLCptYZOLpENMcRk05bJokmMb1Mtk7XUZ8Gg5DkHs3UQM-cK3mqnV3G1Qeu19rCTsJcM8un-urXgNqqm5wPeycB6c4O-4KJrsdngHyXE56yBkSw-_lmDlfgHUR4e2RmlM9URg=s759" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="759" data-original-width="750" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj6m_9uor-asPcMUcdlhhla-usgDp7_XuyNVGtiGcJPZ3tLCptYZOLpENMcRk05bJokmMb1Mtk7XUZ8Gg5DkHs3UQM-cK3mqnV3G1Qeu19rCTsJcM8un-urXgNqqm5wPeycB6c4O-4KJrsdngHyXE56yBkSw-_lmDlfgHUR4e2RmlM9URg=s320" width="316" /></a></div>This covers the entire screen. It appears that one cannot use the App without clicking Continue. In fact if a user closed this screen the App can be used. Of course most naive users, inducing our family member, will click Continue so they can start their "free trial". Except that's NOT what Continue does. Within 3 days charges will start. In our case, not $10 a month, but $5 a week.<div><br /></div><div>The family member has some reading and processing issues, and a trusting nature, that made him particularly vulnerable to a scam. He thought "5 stars" actually meant something. It didn't occur to him that Apple would allow fake reviews; he trusted Apple. He was also unaware that iOS Notes has a decent scanner app, that Microsoft provides an excellent free app, and that we actually own a quality app from Readdle. </div><div><br /></div><div>Because of the way Apple's Family Sharing works for purchases the monthly charges went to my Apple ID. <a href="https://tech.kateva.org/2022/03/what-happens-when-you-have-apple-id.html">Because of changes Apple made to Apple IDs that account couldn't receive email; I stopped getting Apple purchase statements over 12 months ago</a>.</div><div><br /></div><div>It took some time for me to see what had happened. I only discovered the scam when doing a routine review of our iTunes subscriptions. With some help from Google I was able find where Apple shows purchase records -- about 20 weeks at $5/week. With more Google help I placed a repayment claim against 20 charges (Apple does not support repayment claims against a subscription.) At this time I do not know if Apple will process the claims.<br /><p>Scanner App is far from the only scam app on the App Store, and Luni far from the only "publisher" to earn millions from dark subscription patterns. Apple has let this problem fester for years; they are unwilling to fix it.</p><p>That's why we need alternative curated high quality App Stores. So we can restrict purchases to a trustworthy vendor.</p><p>For me $100 is not a big cost and the experience is a great learning opportunity for my family member. Even so, a reaction is needed. I'm sharing this experience here, but more importantly I'll share a condensed version with our two MN Senators and our Representative and the MN attorney general. If Apple doesn't get the money out of Luni I'll try the AMEX fraud process.</p><p>To be clear, the problem is Apple. Luni is just taking advantage of the opportunity they've been given. We need quality App Stores. That requires competition.</p><p>Below it the letter I'm sending to our Senators and Representative:</p><p></p><blockquote><p>I'm writing to share a family story that illustrates why we need alternatives to Apple's iOS App Store. I hope you will support efforts to force Apple to allow competing App Stores with viable business models.</p><p>The problem is Apple has done a poor job keeping scams out the App Store. Recently a vulnerable adult family members was tricked by very sneaky sign up procedure. He unwittingly subscribed to a worthless app for $5/month. Because Apple has no controls on purchases in family sharing accounts I got the bill. It ran for at least 20 weeks before I spotted it and unsubscribed. I submitted a reimbursement request to Apple for 20 transactions.</p><p>When I investigated I found the app vendor, Luni, had dozens of similar worthless apps with the same trick subscription process. They have hundreds of thousands of fake reviews. The scam Scanner App was #81 in its category with a 5 star rating. The "publishers" make millions. I'd wager they are a front for anyone who has a good scam app; they create an icon, embed their subscription scam, and take a cut.</p><p>The App Store has many apps like this. They make Apple hundreds of millions of dollars a year. Perhaps billions. Apple could have cleaned them out years ago. They could do so many things to make these traps less effective. They've done none of them.</p><p>We need a better App Store. Apple doesn't deserve a monopoly on iOS App sales because it's been at best negligent, at worst malevolent. We need higher quality trustworthy curated App Stores in place of Apple's service.</p></blockquote><p></p></div>JGFhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14580785981874040314noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5587346.post-80836579378457701932020-02-17T10:18:00.000-06:002020-05-24T10:54:36.916-05:00Apple can beat Google Maps -- by investing in bike route mapsGoogle Maps seems unbeatable. Every time Apple does an upgrade Google does three. It seems Apple can't win.<br />
<br />
But Google has weaknesses. Google maps are increasingly hard to read, particularly in sunlight. Google has no options for scenic routes; even when I choose an alternate route for the pleasure of the trip Google aggressively reroutes me to the fastest option. Apple maps at least have a "no highway" trip option.<br />
<br />
These are small weaknesses though. Apple still gets big things wrong even with their latest revisions. Apple hasn't learned much from Google's Local Guides program. My Local Guide score lets me relocate a business in seconds -- something that's made me quite popular with CrossFit gyms and medical clinics that have moved (sometimes they've suffered wrong location listings for months).<br />
<br />
Most of all Google has bicycle routes and Apple doesn't. That gap means I can't consider Apple Maps for everyday use. Bike routes are a map moat and Apple hasn't tried to cross it.<br />
<br />
But ... Google's bike map moat is silting over. They aren't updating them any more. Google once accepted bike route suggestions from Local Guides -- but now they direct us to treat omissions as road errors and even those are ignored. For example, here's Google's current map of bicycle trails around Hastings Minnesota:<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8ulZCrJaDQ1d76wnAxwtyNs0n_2_TLiOyiu5mZBWyiA8XsTUfDpsAn_5LjI3nmNvGjt4aHYM66kcbsiGuU6ni7ul9bw7SOpf5nAKQShubmZIc7p06rbJ2Ujk78Im3cdb5IlfH/s1600/Screen+Shot+2020-02-17+at+9.33.49+AM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="431" data-original-width="804" height="171" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8ulZCrJaDQ1d76wnAxwtyNs0n_2_TLiOyiu5mZBWyiA8XsTUfDpsAn_5LjI3nmNvGjt4aHYM66kcbsiGuU6ni7ul9bw7SOpf5nAKQShubmZIc7p06rbJ2Ujk78Im3cdb5IlfH/s320/Screen+Shot+2020-02-17+at+9.33.49+AM.png" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
That map makes it seem there's no route from the urban core to Hastings. In fact there's a lovely trail from Hastings to the blue dot on the left, then a brief gravel road, then a trail to St Paul and thus Minneapolis.<br />
<br />
Google's neglect is Apple's opportunity. This is an area where Apple could actually beat Google Maps. I think they'd like that.<br />
<br />
And, of course, if Apple did make a move maybe Google would accept some improvements ...JGFhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14580785981874040314noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5587346.post-55012707604546956042018-03-26T21:21:00.001-05:002018-03-26T21:21:10.230-05:00Macintouch in the twilight<p>I’ve read Macintouch for decades. It’s been a living fossil for 15 of those years; Ric passed on RSS and blogs and feeds and permalinks. For a year or two he tried to get permalinks working — which made Macintouch potentially tweetable. Recently those went away, so I wasn’t surprised by today’s announcement …</p>
<blockquote>
<p>Thirty years is a long time. The Macintosh computer debuted more than three decades ago, and I've been involved with this revolutionary system and the community around it since 1984. A lot has changed in the meantime. </p>
<p>… I’ve been constantly engaged, inspired and supported by the MacInTouch community for all these many years, but I think it's time to do something different. </p>
<p>The revenue that used to sustain MacInTouch has dropped below a viable business minimum, while a plethora of other websites, operating under different business and security models, produces constant Apple news, reviews and commentary. </p>
<p>The MacInTouch Discussions forum is unique, as far as I know, but it's also unsustainably labor-intensive, and there's no way around that in its current incarnation. </p>
<p>At this point, my plan is to continue running MacInTouch Discussions and home/news pages at a reduced intensity for a little longer. But, before long, it will be time for a change - a sabbatical, a new blog, research, development, or something else – I'm not quite sure what yet, but I expect macintouch.com to continue in some form. </p>
<p>What I am sure of is that I'm enormously grateful for the support, contributions and engagement of this remarkable community over the past three decades, something words can't adequately express. Thank you for all that, for all you’ve contributed, and let's see where the journey goes from here. </p>
<p>Ric Ford<br />Editor/Publisher<br />MacInTouch Inc</p>
</blockquote>
<p>I hope he finds a new way to publish and write. Like me the Macintouch community is old and curmudgeonly; it’s been a place that speaks truth and never falls for modern Apple’s too frequent cons.</p>John Gordonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04498750165598537302noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5587346.post-10988461804940927072017-12-30T11:30:00.001-06:002017-12-30T12:59:27.225-06:00Tech regressions: MORE, Quicken, PalmOS, iOS, Podcasts, Aperture, Music, iPad photo slide shows, and toasters.<p>One of the odder experiences of aging is living through technology regressions. I’ve seen a few — solutions that go away and are never replaced.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.faughnan.com/more/">Symantec’s classicMac MORE 3.1</a> was a great outliner/editing tool with the best style sheet implementation I’ve seen. It died around 1991. The closest thing today would be Omni Outliner — 16 years later. There’s still no comparable Style Sheet support.</p>
<p>Quicken for DOS with 3.5” monthly diskette records of credit card transactions was the most reliable and useable personal accounting tool I’ve experienced — though even it had problems with database corruption. I think that was the 1980s. Today I use Quicken for Mac, a niche product with unreliable transfer of financial information, questionable data security, and limited investment tools.</p>
<p>PalmOS Datebk 5 was an excellent calendaring tool with good desktop sync (for a while the Mac had the best ‘personal information management’ companion). That was in the 1990s. When PalmOS died we went years without an alternative. I briefly returned to using a Franklin Planner. Somewhere around year 3 of iOS we had equivalent functionality again — and a <a href="http://tech.kateva.org/search/label/Palm"><em>very</em> painful transition</a>.</p>
<p>iOS and macOS have seen <em>particularly</em> painful combinations of progressions and regressions. OS X / macOS photo management was at its best somewhere around the end of Snow Leopard and Aperture 3.1 (memory fuzzy, not sure they overlapped). OS X photo solutions had finally reached a good state after years of iPhoto screw-ups — the professional and home products more or less interoperated. All Apple needed to do was polish Aperture’s rough edges and fix bugs. Instead they sunset Aperture and gave us Photos.app — a big functional regression. Apple did something similar with iMovie; it’s much harder to make home “movies” than it once was.</p>
<p>iOS was at its most reliable around version 6. So Apple blew it up. Since that time Podcasts.app has gone from great to bad to not-so-bad to abysmal. The iPad used to have a great digital picture frame capability tied to screen lock — Apple took that away. For a while there was a 3rd party app that worked with iCloud photo streams, <a href="http://tech.kateva.org/2016/05/nursing-home-personal-videoconferencing.html">I could remotely add images to my father’s iPad slideshow digital picture frame</a>. There’s nothing that works as well now; as I write this I’m working through a web of bugs and incompetence (I suspect a desperate timeout stuck into iTunes/iOS sync) to sneak some photos from Aperture to an iPad.</p>
<p>Apple Music is following the path of Podcasts.app as Apple moves to ending the sale of music (probably 2019). At the same time iTunes is being divided into dumbed down subunits (iBooks regression). The last 2-3 revisions of iTunes have been so bad that this feels almost like a mercy killing.</p>
<p>We don’t have a way to avoid these regressions. Once we could have gotten off the train, now the train stations are dangerous neighborhoods of lethal malware. We need to keep upgrading, and so much is bundled with macOS and iOS that we can’t find 3rd party alternatives. Data lock is ubiquitous now.</p>
<p>I think regressions are less common outside digital world. It’s true toasters aren’t what they were, but <a href="http://notes.kateva.org/2006/03/last-good-toaster.html">since 2006</a> Chinese products have become better made and more reliable. Perhaps the closest thing to tech regressions in the material world is the chaos of pharma prices.</p>
<p>This takes a toll. There are so many better ways to spend my life, and too few minutes to waste. I wonder what these regressions do to non-geeks; I don’t think it goes well for them.</p>John Gordonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04498750165598537302noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5587346.post-61809976822507414922016-11-21T21:28:00.001-06:002016-11-21T21:29:17.047-06:00I can't recommend the Mac any more<p>I don’t think Mac users should switch, but I can’t recommend any newbies join MacShip.</p>
<p>Aperture users abandoned. Sierra’s scary data shifting behaviors. No updates to Mac Mini or Pro. Airport routers dropped — leaving no AirPlay or network backup options. Mac App store rotting away.</p>
<p>And, above all, the price of the “mainstream” MacBook Pro laptop: $2000.00. Dell has a good enough laptop for $1350 with twice the SSD capacity.</p>
<p>Apple makes a nice pocket computer, but otherwise they’re kinda nuts.</p>JGFhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14580785981874040314noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5587346.post-69171116626875100692016-10-19T19:30:00.001-05:002016-10-19T19:30:43.404-05:00Counterfeit Amazon<p><a href="https://9to5mac.com/2016/10/19/amazon-fake-apple-chargers-cables/">More than 90% of ‘genuine’ Apple chargers & cables sold on Amazon are fake, says Apple</a>. Finally. Sold “Direct from Amazon” mind you.</p>
<p>Apple is suing the manufacturer but, curiously, not Amazon. I wonder if that settlement will be out of court — and not necessarily monetary. This has been going on for a long time…</p>
<ul>
<li><a href="http://notes.kateva.org/2015/07/counterfeit-bicycle-components-and-my.html">Gordon’s Notes: Counterfeit bicycle components and my defective “Shimano” pedals</a> 7/2015</li>
<li><a href="http://www.kateva.org/sh/?p=46107">Amazon’s counterfeit problems finally make the news.</a> 7/2016</li>
<li><a href="http://www.kateva.org/sh/?p=19105">So how does Amazon get away selling counterfeit Apple 30 pin cables?</a> 1/2014</li>
<li><a href="http://www.kateva.org/sh/?p=11368">Belkin listing on Amazon advises on counterfeit detection.</a> 2/2013</li>
<li><a href="http://www.kateva.org/sh/?p=46182">“Amazon isn’t legally responsible for keeping counterfeit material off the site”</a> 7/2016</li>
</ul>
<p>I do hope Amazon will pay for this — one way or another. They ripped off a lot of people.</p>JGFhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14580785981874040314noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5587346.post-78076070340886547022016-04-11T12:16:00.001-05:002016-04-11T12:23:51.028-05:00Apple's CareKit (HealthKit) - what kinds of clinical data does it work with?<p>I thought Apple had given up on HealthKit, but recently we learned that it’s been rebranded as CareKit and it seems to be going forward.</p>
<p>Since my professional work is in “health informatics”, specifically medical knowledge applications, I was curious what “ontology” (data dictionary, terminology, etc) Apple was using for it’s CareKit work. The concept set is somewhat hidden within <a href="https://developer.apple.com/library/ios/documentation/HealthKit/Reference/HealthKit_Constants/index.html#//apple_ref/doc/uid/TP40014710-CH2-DontLinkElementID_1">Apple’s HealthKit Constants Reference documentation</a>. I auto-expanded the symbols (nice web app Apple!) and make a quick pass at organizing the strings.</p>
<p>For someone like me it’s a fascinating set. The discussion of privacy and FDA device identifiers is noteworthy — in an early implementation it was apparently possible to trace HealthKit data to an individual device (not good, obviously - bold below).</p>
<p>I liked the use of Fitzpatrick Skin Type instead of trying to describe ethnicity/race.</p>
<p>It’s a fun list to scan:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>HKMetadataKeyBodyTemperatureSensorLocation<br />HKMetadataKeyCoachedWorkout<br />HKMetadataKeyDeviceManufacturerName<br />HKMetadataKeyDeviceName<br />HKMetadataKeyDeviceSerialNumber<br />HKMetadataKeyDigitalSignature<br />HKMetadataKeyExternalUUID<br />HKMetadataKeyFoodType<br />HKMetadataKeyGroupFitness<br />HKMetadataKeyHeartRateSensorLocation<br />HKMetadataKeyIndoorWorkout<br />HKMetadataKeyMenstrualCycleStart<br />HKMetadataKeyReferenceRangeLowerLimit<br />HKMetadataKeyReferenceRangeUpperLimit<br />HKMetadataKeySexualActivityProtectionUsed<br />HKMetadataKeyTimeZone<br /><strong>HKMetadataKeyUDIDeviceIdentifier</strong><br />HKMetadataKeyUDIProductionIdentifier<br />HKMetadataKeyWasTakenInLab<br />HKMetadataKeyWasUserEntered<br />HKMetadataKeyWorkoutBrandName</p>
<p>HKCategoryTypeIdentifierAppleStandHour<br />HKCategoryTypeIdentifierCervicalMucusQuality<br />HKCategoryTypeIdentifierIntermenstrualBleeding<br />HKCategoryTypeIdentifierMenstrualFlow<br />HKCategoryTypeIdentifierOvulationTestResult<br />HKCategoryTypeIdentifierSexualActivity<br />HKCategoryTypeIdentifierSleepAnalysis</p>
<p>HKBiologicalSexFemale<br />HKBiologicalSexMale<br />HKBiologicalSexNotSet = 0<br />HKBiologicalSexOther</p>
<p>HKBloodTypeABNegative<br />HKBloodTypeABPositive<br />HKBloodTypeANegative<br />HKBloodTypeAPositive<br />HKBloodTypeBNegative<br />HKBloodTypeBPositive<br />HKBloodTypeNotSet = 0<br />HKBloodTypeONegative<br />HKBloodTypeOPositive</p>
<p>HKBodyTemperatureSensorLocationArmpit<br />HKBodyTemperatureSensorLocationBody<br />HKBodyTemperatureSensorLocationEar<br />HKBodyTemperatureSensorLocationEarDrum<br />HKBodyTemperatureSensorLocationFinger<br />HKBodyTemperatureSensorLocationForehead<br />HKBodyTemperatureSensorLocationGastroIntestinal<br />HKBodyTemperatureSensorLocationMouth<br />HKBodyTemperatureSensorLocationRectum<br />HKBodyTemperatureSensorLocationTemporalArtery<br />HKBodyTemperatureSensorLocationToe</p>
<p>HKCategoryValueCervicalMucusQualityCreamy<br />HKCategoryValueCervicalMucusQualityDry = 1<br />HKCategoryValueCervicalMucusQualityEggWhite<br />HKCategoryValueCervicalMucusQualitySticky<br />HKCategoryValueCervicalMucusQualityWatery</p>
<p>HKCategoryValueMenstrualFlowHeavy <br />HKCategoryValueMenstrualFlowLight<br />HKCategoryValueMenstrualFlowMedium<br />HKCategoryValueMenstrualFlowUnspecified = 1</p>
<p>HKCategoryValueSleepAnalysisAsleep<br />HKCategoryValueSleepAnalysisInBed</p>
<p>HKCharacteristicTypeIdentifierBiologicalSex<br />HKCharacteristicTypeIdentifierBloodType<br />HKCharacteristicTypeIdentifierDateOfBirth<br />HKCharacteristicTypeIdentifierFitzpatrickSkinType<br />HKCorrelationTypeIdentifierBloodPressure<br />HKCorrelationTypeIdentifierFood</p>
<p>HKFitzpatrickSkinTypeI<br />HKFitzpatrickSkinTypeII<br />HKFitzpatrickSkinTypeIII<br />HKFitzpatrickSkinTypeIV<br />HKFitzpatrickSkinTypeNotSet = 1<br />HKFitzpatrickSkinTypeV<br />HKFitzpatrickSkinTypeVI</p>
<p>HKHeartRateSensorLocationChest<br />HKHeartRateSensorLocationEarLobe<br />HKHeartRateSensorLocationFinger<br />HKHeartRateSensorLocationFoot<br />HKHeartRateSensorLocationHand<br />HKHeartRateSensorLocationWrist</p>
<p>HKQuantityTypeIdentifierActiveEnergyBurned<br />HKQuantityTypeIdentifierAppleExerciseTime<br />HKQuantityTypeIdentifierBasalBodyTemperature<br />HKQuantityTypeIdentifierBasalEnergyBurned<br />HKQuantityTypeIdentifierBloodAlcoholContent<br />HKQuantityTypeIdentifierBloodGlucose<br />HKQuantityTypeIdentifierBloodPressureDiastolic<br />HKQuantityTypeIdentifierBloodPressureSystolic<br />HKQuantityTypeIdentifierBodyFatPercentage<br />HKQuantityTypeIdentifierBodyMass<br />HKQuantityTypeIdentifierBodyMassIndex<br />HKQuantityTypeIdentifierBodyTemperature<br />HKQuantityTypeIdentifierDietaryBiotin<br />HKQuantityTypeIdentifierDietaryCaffeine<br />HKQuantityTypeIdentifierDietaryCalcium<br />HKQuantityTypeIdentifierDietaryCarbohydrates<br />HKQuantityTypeIdentifierDietaryChloride<br />HKQuantityTypeIdentifierDietaryCholesterol<br />HKQuantityTypeIdentifierDietaryChromium<br />HKQuantityTypeIdentifierDietaryCopper<br />HKQuantityTypeIdentifierDietaryEnergyConsumed<br />HKQuantityTypeIdentifierDietaryFatMonounsaturated<br />HKQuantityTypeIdentifierDietaryFatPolyunsaturated<br />HKQuantityTypeIdentifierDietaryFatSaturated<br />HKQuantityTypeIdentifierDietaryFatTotal<br />HKQuantityTypeIdentifierDietaryFiber<br />HKQuantityTypeIdentifierDietaryFolate<br />HKQuantityTypeIdentifierDietaryIodine<br />HKQuantityTypeIdentifierDietaryIron<br />HKQuantityTypeIdentifierDietaryMagnesium<br />HKQuantityTypeIdentifierDietaryManganese<br />HKQuantityTypeIdentifierDietaryMolybdenum<br />HKQuantityTypeIdentifierDietaryNiacin<br />HKQuantityTypeIdentifierDietaryPantothenicAcid<br />HKQuantityTypeIdentifierDietaryPhosphorus<br />HKQuantityTypeIdentifierDietaryPotassium<br />HKQuantityTypeIdentifierDietaryProtein<br />HKQuantityTypeIdentifierDietaryRiboflavin<br />HKQuantityTypeIdentifierDietarySelenium<br />HKQuantityTypeIdentifierDietarySodium<br />HKQuantityTypeIdentifierDietarySugar<br />HKQuantityTypeIdentifierDietaryThiamin<br />HKQuantityTypeIdentifierDietaryVitaminA<br />HKQuantityTypeIdentifierDietaryVitaminB6<br />HKQuantityTypeIdentifierDietaryVitaminB12<br />HKQuantityTypeIdentifierDietaryVitaminC<br />HKQuantityTypeIdentifierDietaryVitaminD<br />HKQuantityTypeIdentifierDietaryVitaminE<br />HKQuantityTypeIdentifierDietaryVitaminK<br />HKQuantityTypeIdentifierDietaryWater<br />HKQuantityTypeIdentifierDietaryZinc<br />HKQuantityTypeIdentifierDistanceCycling<br />HKQuantityTypeIdentifierDistanceWalkingRunning<br />HKQuantityTypeIdentifierElectrodermalActivity<br />HKQuantityTypeIdentifierFlightsClimbed<br />HKQuantityTypeIdentifierForcedExpiratoryVolume1<br />HKQuantityTypeIdentifierForcedVitalCapacity<br />HKQuantityTypeIdentifierHeartRate<br />HKQuantityTypeIdentifierHeight<br />HKQuantityTypeIdentifierInhalerUsage<br />HKQuantityTypeIdentifierLeanBodyMass<br />HKQuantityTypeIdentifierNikeFuel<br />HKQuantityTypeIdentifierNumberOfTimesFallen<br />HKQuantityTypeIdentifierOxygenSaturation<br />HKQuantityTypeIdentifierPeakExpiratoryFlowRate<br />HKQuantityTypeIdentifierPeripheralPerfusionIndex<br />HKQuantityTypeIdentifierRespiratoryRate<br />HKQuantityTypeIdentifierStepCount</p>
<p>HKWorkoutActivityTypeAmericanFootball = 1<br />HKWorkoutActivityTypeArchery<br />HKWorkoutActivityTypeAustralianFootball<br />HKWorkoutActivityTypeBadminton<br />HKWorkoutActivityTypeBaseball<br />HKWorkoutActivityTypeBasketball<br />HKWorkoutActivityTypeBowling<br />HKWorkoutActivityTypeBoxing<br />HKWorkoutActivityTypeClimbing<br />HKWorkoutActivityTypeCricket<br />HKWorkoutActivityTypeCrossTraining<br />HKWorkoutActivityTypeCurling<br />HKWorkoutActivityTypeCycling<br />HKWorkoutActivityTypeDance<br />HKWorkoutActivityTypeDanceInspiredTraining<br />HKWorkoutActivityTypeElliptical<br />HKWorkoutActivityTypeEquestrianSports<br />HKWorkoutActivityTypeFencing<br />HKWorkoutActivityTypeFishing<br />HKWorkoutActivityTypeFunctionalStrengthTraining<br />HKWorkoutActivityTypeGolf<br />HKWorkoutActivityTypeGymnastics<br />HKWorkoutActivityTypeHandball<br />HKWorkoutActivityTypeHiking<br />HKWorkoutActivityTypeHockey<br />HKWorkoutActivityTypeHunting<br />HKWorkoutActivityTypeLacrosse<br />HKWorkoutActivityTypeMartialArts<br />HKWorkoutActivityTypeMindAndBody<br />HKWorkoutActivityTypeMixedMetabolicCardioTraining<br />HKWorkoutActivityTypePaddleSports<br />HKWorkoutActivityTypePlay<br />HKWorkoutActivityTypePreparationAndRecovery<br />HKWorkoutActivityTypeRacquetball<br />HKWorkoutActivityTypeRowing<br />HKWorkoutActivityTypeRugby<br />HKWorkoutActivityTypeRunning<br />HKWorkoutActivityTypeSailing<br />HKWorkoutActivityTypeSkatingSports<br />HKWorkoutActivityTypeSnowSports<br />HKWorkoutActivityTypeSoccer<br />HKWorkoutActivityTypeSoftball<br />HKWorkoutActivityTypeSquash<br />HKWorkoutActivityTypeStairClimbing<br />HKWorkoutActivityTypeSurfingSports<br />HKWorkoutActivityTypeSwimming<br />HKWorkoutActivityTypeTableTennis<br />HKWorkoutActivityTypeTennis<br />HKWorkoutActivityTypeTrackAndField<br />HKWorkoutActivityTypeTraditionalStrengthTraining<br />HKWorkoutActivityTypeVolleyball<br />HKWorkoutActivityTypeWalking<br />HKWorkoutActivityTypeWaterFitness<br />HKWorkoutActivityTypeWaterPolo<br />HKWorkoutActivityTypeWaterSports<br />HKWorkoutActivityTypeWrestling<br />HKWorkoutActivityTypeYoga</p>
<p>HKWorkoutSessionLocationTypeIndoor<br />HKWorkoutSessionLocationTypeOutdoor<br />HKWorkoutSessionLocationTypeUnknown = 1</p>
</blockquote>JGFhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14580785981874040314noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5587346.post-52116248974226965622015-12-15T08:05:00.001-06:002015-12-15T08:30:09.421-06:00Calendaring in iOS, OS X, Outlook 2010 and Google Android/Chrome are all very different.<p>If you’ve ever wondered why healthcare institutions can’t easily share data between computer systems, just take a look at Calendaring in iOS, OS X, Outlook 2010 and Google Android/Chrome.</p>
<p>Google went down the road of calendar overlays. You can have as many calendars as you like and you can share them across a Google Apps domain or between Google users. Public calendars are available for subscription. My current Google Calendar calendar list holds twenty distinct calendars of which 8 belong to my family. (One for each family member, one for entire family, a couple of parent-only calendars that the kids don’t see.) In Google’s world, which is consistent across Chrome and Android, shared calendars can be read-only or read-write. Google supports invitations by messaging.</p>
<p>I love how Google does this, but I’m a geek.</p>
<p>I’ve not used any modern versions of Outlook, but Outlook 2010 also supported Calendar subscription. They didn’t do overlays though, every Calendar stood alone. I never found this very useful.</p>
<p>Apple did things differently. Not only differently from everyone else, but also differently between iOS, OS X, and iCloud. OS X supports calendar overlays and subscriptions, but the support of Google Calendar subscriptions is weird (there are two ways to view them and both are poorly documented). iOS has <a href="http://www.imore.com/how-subscribe-calendars-your-iphone-or-ipad">a very obscure calendar subscription feature</a> that I suspect nobody has ever used, but <a href="http://www.imore.com/how-use-family-sharing-calendars-ios-8">it does support “family sharing” for up to 6 people/calendars (also barely documented)</a>. There’s an even more obscure way to see multiple overlay Google calendars on iOS, but really you should just buy Calendars 5.app.</p>
<p>iCloud’s web calendar view doesn’t have any UI support for Calendar sharing, I’ve not tested what it actually does. Apple is proof that a dysfunctional corporation can be insanely profitable.</p>
<p>All three corporations (four if you treat Apple as a split personality) more-or-less implement the (inevitably) quirky CalDAV standard and can share invitations. Of course Microsoft’s definition of “all-day” doesn’t match Apple or Google’s definition, and each implements unique calendar “fields” (attributes) that can’t be shared.</p>
<p>Google comes out of this looking pretty good — until you try to find documentation for your Android phone and its apps. Some kind of reference, like Google’s <a href="https://support.google.com/nexus/topic/3453510?hl=en&ref_topic=3424348">Android and Nexus user guides</a>. As of Dec 2015 that link eventually leads to a lonely PDF published almost five years ago. That’s about it.</p>
<p>I don’t think modern IT’s productivity failure is a great mystery. </p>JGFhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14580785981874040314noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5587346.post-66594683787083393862015-10-28T13:52:00.001-05:002015-10-28T13:57:01.775-05:00Apple blogs: please stop confusing Apple shareholders with Apple customers<p>Apple made bazillions again. They won’t pay corporate tax on it. The share price has gone up.</p>
<p>That’s good for me in one way — I own index funds that hold Apple shares. On balance when those shares go up or Apple pays dividends I get more money. Yay for me, though I’d do just as well if the money went to, say, Microsoft or Google. My index funds own their shares too. So only a little Yay.</p>
<p>Whatever wealth I gain or lose from a change in Apple’s share price, however, is dwarfed by the money I spend on Apple products. Three laptops (one <a href="http://tech.kateva.org/2015/10/macs-and-external-ssd-storage.html">recently expired iMac</a>), five iPhones, Airports, Apple TV, iTunes movies and TV shows and so on. That direct cost is exceeded by the life-time I spend managing Apple’s defects, quality issues, and <a href="http://notes.kateva.org/2014/06/apple-kills-aperture-observations.html">nastily executed strategic killings</a>. I think on balance I come out ahead — but some days I’m not so sure. The gap is smaller than it used to be.</p>
<p>As an Apple shareholder I’m mildly pleased with Apple. As an Apple customer though, I’m not so pleased. The Apple Watch leaves me cold. Using data lock customer retention while killing products (yeah, Aperture) without a replacement is just bad. The iPad should have been multi-user years ago. 3D Touch isn’t worth the cost, complexity and weight. The iBook mess. The nuttiness of putting a mechanical hard drive and a very expensive display in a non-serviceable iMac. Meanwhile Apple’s traditional 20% cost premium is turning into a 40% premium.</p>
<p>As an Apple customer I’d like to see Apple’s share price fall 20% - as long as one of my other funds gets the value instead. A falling share price might promote interest in existing customers.</p>
<p>So, Apple blogs, please stop paying so much attention to Apple’s share price. It’s just not that important to me.</p>JGFhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14580785981874040314noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5587346.post-53479468313449306462015-10-09T17:59:00.001-05:002015-10-09T17:59:59.232-05:00The eBook is dying. I'm the only person on earth who blames the DRM.<p>My main workaround for eBook misery has been to <a href="http://tech.kateva.org/2013/07/epub-and-dedrm-why-google-play-store-is.html">buy from Google Play</a>, <a href="http://tech.kateva.org/2013/08/using-calibre-and-dedrm-plug-in-to.html">strip the Adobe DRM</a>, and store the ePub (really should be written EPUB but nobody does that) files in folders in Google Drive.</p>
<p>I do this because Apple is incompetent and, among other things, can’t produce a workable iOS eBook reader (Wait, audiobooks are now worse). A set of folders and descriptive file names is the most scalable solution we can manage across iOS and OS X. Yeah, I could leave Apple — if I cut off my right arm. Apple and Google live and breathe customer lock-in, and i’m well locked.</p>
<p>Since iOS 9 and some Google Drive update <a href="https://productforums.google.com/forum/#!topic/drive/z0KWrxDMRUM">this no longer works</a>. It still works for dropbox, so this is probably Google’s fault.</p>
<p>Nonetheless, it makes eBooks suck even more. </p>
<p>Which brings me to those recent articles pointing out that people now buy paper books, not eBooks. I’ve read explanations ranging from mystical beauties of paper to the high cost of digital books. <strong>Nobody mentions the DRM (FairPlay, Adobe, etc) and the data lock</strong>, including proprietary file formats, that block development of decent cross-platform eBook solutions.</p>
<p>I feel like a raving loon. Or like the sighted man in the country of the blind ranting about the approaching lava flow.</p>
<p>Damnit Jim, it’s the DRM. </p>JGFhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14580785981874040314noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5587346.post-47573289214137000412015-10-09T09:02:00.001-05:002015-10-09T09:02:17.548-05:00How data lock destroys the customer experience - Apple edition.<p>But for FairPlay, I would not use iOS 9 audiobooks. I wouldn’t swear every time it loses its place. I wouldn’t be pissed at Apple.</p>
<p>But for proprietary data formats I would not use Apple Aperture. I wouldn’t be pissed at Apple.</p>
<p>And so on.</p>JGFhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14580785981874040314noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5587346.post-8874947240960023142015-10-01T08:21:00.001-05:002015-10-01T10:23:11.868-05:00No, Apple News.app is not necessarily evil. Why do you ask?<p>[When first wrote this I chose an article, that, by chance, didn’t have a redirect to the original site. Which means I got things a wee bit wrong. <a href="https://alpha.app.net/sirshannon/post/65149315#65148990">Sirshannon gently corrected me</a>. So now a bit of a rewrite …]</p>
<p>Viewing what I thought was a NYT article in News.app (turns out to be an Apple article that showed up on NYT page, which is kind of interesting) I can use Pinner.app 4.0 to create a <a href="https://pinboard.in/u:jgordon/b:929384aff913">Pinboard: Bookmark</a>. That bookmark includes a URL like this:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>https://apple.news/ABLDsKpUXSOafJmAr1FFtNg</p>
</blockquote>
<p>From Pinboard <a href="https://adn-pourover.appspot.com/signup/">app.net pourover</a> and <a href="https://ifttt.com">IFTTT</a> (still around) share that link and my comment to <a href="https://alpha.app.net/johngordon">app.net</a>, <a href="https://twitter.com/jgordonshare">twitter</a> and my <a href="http://www.kateva.org/sh/">kateva.org/sh personal archive</a>.</p>
<p>So far, so open. But what happens next?</p>
<p>If you access the particular link on an iOS device Apple launches News.app and you can view it there — both Safari.app and Chrome.app do the same thing.</p>
<p>If you access the link anywhere else you get this:</p>
<p><img title="Screen Shot 2015-10-01 at 8.03.38 AM.png" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/--0l7AdwBPBs/Vg0zbKVQy3I/AAAAAAABlFU/1ZKfa1zn4vM/Screen%252520Shot%2525202015-10-01%252520at%2525208.03.38%252520AM.png?imgmax=800" alt="Screen Shot 2015 10 01 at 8 03 38 AM" width="250" height="116" border="0" /></p>
<p><strong>However</strong>, that’s not the end of the story (thought I thought it was). This link, opened in a web browser, redirects to a web page:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>https://alpha.app.net/sirshannon/post/65149315#65148990</p>
</blockquote>
<p><span style="text-decoration: line-through;">Apple does not redirect to the web version of the article.</span> With NYT and other sources I chose one can open the News page in Safari.</p>
<p>This <span style="text-decoration: line-through;">isn’t</span> <strong>is surprising </strong>for two reasons. The first is that, even more than Google, Apple is all about <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roach_Motel_(insect_trap)">Roach Motel class lock-in</a>. The second is that, unlike the RSS of old, News.app has a viable ad-funded business model. Links to the open (perennially dying) web don’t fit that model.</p>
<p>So, despite my dire expectations, Apple, for now, is providing redirects to the web source. This doesn’t mean Apple will never interfere with the distribution of information that would hurt Apple’s business or offend its executives, and my confusion between NYT and Apple content is a bit weird (user error?), but <strong>for now News.app isn’t necessarily evil</strong>. <span style="text-decoration: line-through;">I’ll be staying with Reeder and the lost mist-enshrouded all but forgotten Shangri La of RSS, <a href="https://feedbin.com">Feedbin</a> and <a href="http://reederapp.com">Reeder</a> until the last link dies</span> I’ll be experimenting with sharing News.app articles from it via RSS, <a href="https://feedbin.com">Feedbin</a> and <a href="http://reederapp.com">Reeder</a> ...</p>JGFhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14580785981874040314noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5587346.post-50108013121889022952015-04-04T11:26:00.001-05:002015-04-04T11:27:41.006-05:00I want a Zenith CruisePad for my iPhone<p>I finally realized what I want.</p>
<p>I don’t want an iPad.</p>
<p>I don’t want an aWatch.</p>
<p>I want a <a href="http://research.microsoft.com/en-us/um/people/bibuxton/buxtoncollection/detail.aspx?id=178">Zenith CruisePad</a> for my iPhone …</p>
<blockquote>
<p>Rather than a free-standing slate/tablet computer, the Zenith CruisePAD was a remote terminal to one's PC. It was designed to allow the user to interact with that PC's applications from a distance over a wireless network. What made it interesting to me was that it let one do so directly on the CruisePAD's screen, using either a stylus or finger.</p>
<p>This was an interesting approach given when it was released. In that year, 1995, neither Wi-Fi (which came into existence in 1999 with the formation of the Wi-Fi Alliance), nor the IEEE 802.11 protocols on which it was based, were available (the original version of the IEEE 802.11 standard was not released until 1997). Hence, it relied upon a proprietary 2.4 Ghz spread-spectrum radio protocol which they called CruiseLAN…</p>
</blockquote>
<p>We played with tech like this at a 1990s Electronic Health Record/transaction processing startup called Abaton.com (no trace of it on the web btw, domain taken long ago). Ultimately impractical, but very cool. This was the era of the PalmPilot device, and we (ok, I) imagined walking up to a wall display and automatically switching from the itty-bitty Palm display to something real big.</p>
<p>That’s what I want for my iPhone. I don’t want the cost and hassle of another OS with all of the overhead of apps and licensing and bugs and DRM restrictions and updates and hacks. I just want a frigging wireless dumb display that can be shared between multiple devices. It would be nice to play video on it, but really I want to read. I’d be delighted if it used Digital Ink and cost $100 with a 1 week battery life.</p>
<p>That’s what I want. Google is much more likely to do this on Android than Apple on iOS; it’s the one thing that might tempt me to the Dark Side.</p>
<p>I wonder if Apple’s App Store rules prevent a 3rd party (Amazon?) from producing a reading app that would communicate with a Digital Ink display via Bluetooth….</p>John Gordonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04498750165598537302noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5587346.post-66895623405698231022014-12-27T11:51:00.001-06:002014-12-27T11:51:50.229-06:00Software died three years ago. Why?<p>This is a weird time in software. Lots of things are going away, but few new things are appearing.</p>
<p>As best I can tell Windows software died around 2005. Based on what I’ve seen over the past year, particularly in the Mac App Store, OS X software died around 2011. The Chrome and Safari extensions I’ve looked for, like Pinboard extensions today, were often last updated in 2011 — <a href="http://notes.kateva.org/2011/10/dapocalypse-now-google-day-of-infamy.html">around the time Google Reader died</a>.</p>
<p>The iOS app store is such a well known mess that <a href="https://alpha.app.net/johngordon">my</a> fellow <a href="https://app.net/">app.net (adn)</a> geeks can’t find anything new to say, except that <a href="http://tech.kateva.org/2014/12/itunes-12-and-iphone-sync-time-to-treat.html">iTunes 12 is probably worse</a>. <a href="http://notes.kateva.org/2014/06/apple-kills-aperture-observations.html">Aperture died 6 months ago</a> and yet is still being sold. Yosemite is still months away from release ready. My Google Custom Search Engines return fewer good results. Google Plus is moribund. Windows 8 might be fine but no-one I know uses it. </p>
<p>I can’t speak to Android, except for second hand reports of increasing malware problems. If I strain to find a bright spot I’d say Google Maps is improving in some ways, but regressing in others. Ok, there’s the malware industry. It’s flourishing.</p>
<p>I seem to remember something like this in the 90s, both before and after Mosaic. Long time ago though, I may be confounding eras.</p>
<p>My best guess is that our software development is a lagging casualty of the Great Recession. Good software takes years to create, so the crash of 2009 probably played out in software around 2011. The effects were somewhat offset by involuntary entrepreneurs creating small but excellent products. The Great Recession’s effects started to fade in 2014, but that meant many Creatives were sucked back into profitable employment. The projects they’re working on now won’t bear fruit until 2015 and 2016.</p>
<p>The Great Recession is probably the main driver, but there are synergistic contributors. Apple was probably coming apart at the seams when Jobs fell ill, and it now behaves like a corporation riven by civil war. The stress of the mobile transition, and the related transformation of the software market from geek to mass user, hit everyone. I’ve little insight into how well ad-funded software development is working, but Google’s disastrous Plus effort suggests it’s not all that healthy.</p>
<p>The good news is that there’s hope. Google may turn away from Plus. Facebook is going to have to find new revenue streams. There’s a storm building among Apple’s customers that Cook can’t possibly ignore. Most of all, the Great Recession is fading.</p>
<p>Here’s to 2015. Hang in there.</p>John Gordonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04498750165598537302noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5587346.post-56699355585344043632014-12-25T09:41:00.001-06:002014-12-25T10:45:50.792-06:00Humbug - Amazon, Apple and Pottermore<p>In the spirit of the season, which science tells us is Scrooge before his psychotic break, a call out to Amazon, Pottermore, and Apple.</p>
<p>To Amazon for the increasingly common practice of merging multiple product reviews into a single listing (<a href="http://smile.amazon.com/Rayovac-Charger-Batteries-Included-PS73-4B/dp/B00D2ZQ6ZI/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top">example, Dec 2014</a>). This renders the reviews worse than useless — because they are now misleading. I don’t know whether this is some kind of <a href="http://notes.kateva.org/2009/02/emergence-how-entropy-and-incentives.html">emergent fraud</a> that enables vendors to hide bad reviews, or whether it’s an incompetent Amazon implementation, but I’m now boycotting any product that is part of a unified listing that blends inconsistent products. You should too.</p>
<p>To Pottermore and Apple for the hash the two of them have made of Potter audiobooks. They’re no longer available on iTunes, and if one downloads the MP3 from Pottermore they import into iTunes as music. Thanks to Apple’s comprehensively botched iTunes 12 removal of multi-edit [1], few will be able to transform these into audiobooks that play in sequence, have the right controls, and remember their playback location when stopped. Worst customer experience of the season.</p>
<p>And an extra call out to Apple for removing, with iTunes 11 (2013), the ability to print iTunes Gift Certs at home. I didn’t notice this because I stayed on iTunes 10 through Dec 2013. Email delivery is the only option now. Way to go Apple.</p>
<p>And <a href="http://www.economist.com/news/christmas-specials/21636612-time-poverty-problem-partly-perception-and-partly-distribution-why">some people wonder where all our leisure time went</a>.</p>
<p>On the Marley side of things, my gift was a minced fruit pie and it is quite delicious.</p>
<p>[1] Through a bug or the last act of some desperate dev, there’s a hidden way to access the old multi-edit feature. Hold option then <em>click</em> on Get Info. Not one in 200 will know this.</p>JGFhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14580785981874040314noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5587346.post-24611011935563240022014-11-15T10:16:00.001-06:002014-11-15T10:31:59.908-06:00After the Apple Watch debacle - the Nano recovery<p>Seven years ago Clayton “Innovators Dilemma” Christensen wrote ..</p>
<blockquote>
<p><a href="http://notes.kateva.org/2011/10/clayton-dilemma-christensen-apple-will.html">Clayton "innovators dilemma" Christensen: Apple will fail</a></p>
<p>… the prediction of the theory would be that Apple won’t succeed with the iPhone. They've launched an innovation that the existing players in the industry are heavily motivated to beat: It's not [truly] disruptive. History speaks pretty loudly on that, that the probability of success is going to be limited…</p>
</blockquote>
<p>By “existing players” he meant Nokia (now a forgotten part of Microsoft). That’s the problem with making testable predictions — they break theories.</p>
<p>Which brings me to the aWatch, of which I am not a fan …</p>
<blockquote>
<p><a href="http://notes.kateva.org/2014/09/apple-watch-bridge-too-far.html">Gordon's Notes: Apple Watch - a bridge too far</a></p>
<p>… I don’t think the 1st generation Apple Watch will be nearly as successful in the US market, though it may have some success in its true target market of China. Unlike the much loved Nano-clip it doesn't solve anyone's problems well. An water-susceptible exercise device tied to an iPhone is far less useful than an inexpensive FitBit. An authentication device tied to an iPhone is redundant in today's world. The iWatch Apple Watch is a very limited music and video platform. It’s too big, it’s too expensive, it's too fragile (water), the battery is too small and the initial demo highlighted bumping hearts...</p>
<p>… A waterproof $150 iOS 8 Nano-clip replacement in Sept 2015 will be interesting. Splitting the cellular phone into multiple components, for which iPad and Apple Watch are interaction elements will be interesting. Standalone Apple Watch 4 running on next-generation LTE will be interesting.</p>
<p>Apple Watch 1 is a mistake.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>The aWatch will launch in the US and Chinese markets in a few months. It will fail early in the US market. There will be initial success in China, then it will fall to China’s chaotic nationalism and less expensive and more useful Chinese clone-variants. It may have some persistent sales in Japan.</p>
<p>So what happens after that?</p>
<p>Jonathon Ive either leaves Apple or tolerates a diminished role. He’s very wealthy and has accomplished much, so we shouldn’t feel too sad for him. Tim Cook moves his executive team around and puts his <a href="http://www.businessweek.com/articles/2014-10-30/tim-cook-im-proud-to-be-gay">rhinoceros skin</a> to good use. The share price dips and returns to trend line.</p>
<p>I think that will all be good.</p>
<p>The interesting bit is what happens to the aWatch tech and how soon will we see it in another form?</p>
<p>The timing depends on what Apple really thinks is going to happen to the aWatch. I assume that some execs expect it to fail and that there’s a plan B, and maybe a Plan C, in the works. So what should we expect in the fall of 2015?</p>
<p>Physically the Plan B device looks a lot like the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IPod_Nano#6th_generation">much beloved 6th Generation Nano Clip</a>. It will be designed to work with a wrist band or a clothing clip. It will be an excellent 32GB store music device but will also act as a <em>detached</em> extension companion to an iPhone. It will be good at caching data and then posting it back when in phone range. It will have some GPS functionality (limited) and some exercise tracking ability when attached to the wrist.</p>
<p>Plan B will be modestly successful worldwide.</p>
<p>Then there’s Plan C. I owe Plan C to <a href="http://jonathonduerig.com/">@duerig</a>, who carries an ultra-slim flip phone and an iPad. I’m convinced he’s got things right — that the world is going to go towards people who carry just a phablet and people who carry a phablet and a mini-phone. Apple’s got the phablet market covered with the 6+. Plan C is a slightly larger and heavier version of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IPod_Nano#7th_generation">the 7th generation nano</a> paired with an iPad Mini 4 [1]. This iPhoneMini is <a href="http://www.engadget.com/2011/02/13/wsj-corroborates-the-mini-iphone-says-apple-may-make-mobileme-f/">a device Apple considered launching in 2011</a> and the iPad Mini 4 replaces the already forgotten iPad Mini 3 (Apple’s feeblest product hop ever).</p>
<p>I might buy Plan B (iOS nanoClip), I would definitely buy Plan C (iPhoneMini + iPad mini 4). </p>
<p>Both of these are good futures that will leverage aWatch investments. Look for Cook to announce them when Apple buries the 1st generation aWatch. Which means that stock dip will be short-lived.</p>John Gordonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04498750165598537302noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5587346.post-37843143344887246332014-10-24T23:03:00.001-05:002014-10-25T19:28:39.118-05:00She's dead Jim. Requiem for a 9 year old G5 iMac<p>I bought my <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IMac_G5">G5 20” iMac</a> in July of 2005 with a 400GB SATA drive and SuperDrive for $1879, it expired today at 9y3m of age. I think the 400 GB Hitachi Deskstar is original - so it is the longest lived hard drive I’ve owned. I pulled it and was able to read it from a drive cradle, though there’s nothing left on there we need.</p>
<p><img title="imac.jpg" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-vp-CWf1D08Q/VEwghsfzu_I/AAAAAAAAAqU/RIP10xXBNEU/imac.jpg?imgmax=800" alt="Imac" width="300" height="225" border="0" /></p>
<p>Today the comparable machine in Apple’s lineup is the 27” 3.2GHz iMac with a 1TB SATA drive but <em>no</em> SuperDrive for $1799. Of course that’s a far faster machine and a much nicer display, but the price is remarkably similar. Not to mention that we’d need to add an ugly external DVD player.</p>
<p>I doubt the 2014 iMac will last 9 years, not least because it’s costly to service. The G5 iMac was designed to be user serviceable — perhaps because Apple stores weren’t ubiquitous. The back came off with 3 standard Philips head screws. It was trivial to swap out a hard drive or memory. When <a href="http://tech.kateva.org/2011/08/what-do-do-with-old-imac-that-shuts.html">the power supply died in 2011</a> ($150 for iFixit, there was a recall @2006) it wasn’t hard to swap it out. I think that replacement power supply just died; this time I decided a repair wasn’t worth the trouble.</p>
<p>The G5 iMac was not trouble free. Besides the power supply issues many died young from capacitor failure (defective manufacturing) — though I somehow missed that. The G5 ran very hot, it took Apple a year or two to figure out a reasonable fan management solution. Worst of all, the <a href="http://tech.kateva.org/2008/02/my-imac-screen-dark-band-at-top-of.html">display developed internal discoloration</a> [1]. </p>
<p>Despite the issues, 9 years is a pretty respectable lifespan for a heavily used computer. We got a lot of use out of that machine, not least as a handy DVD screen.</p>
<p>Not a perfect machine by any means, but not bad.</p>
<p>- fn -</p>
<p>[1] My 2009 27” iMac has a similar discoloration though it fades with use. It has had <strong>two</strong> drive failures in 5 years, the last time I put in an SSD.</p>
<p><strong>See also</strong></p>
<ul>
<li><a href="http://tech.kateva.org/2011/08/what-do-do-with-old-imac-that-shuts.html">What do do with an old iMac that shuts down unexpectedly?</a></li>
<li><a href="http://tech.kateva.org/2005/06/imac-g5-rev-2-lot-cooler.html">iMac G5 rev 2: a lot cooler?</a> 6/2005: the first gen iMac G5 was a train wreck. I really try to avoid 1st Gen Apple products.</li>
<li><a href="http://tech.kateva.org/2005/11/fix-for-1043-fan-problems-unplug-and.html">Fix for 10.4.3 fan problems: unplug and restart and resetting the SMU (PMU?)</a></li>
<li><a href="http://tech.kateva.org/2008/02/my-imac-screen-dark-band-at-top-of.html">My iMac screen - dark band at the top of the display</a></li>
</ul>John Gordonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04498750165598537302noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5587346.post-35772681668147347442014-09-29T07:50:00.001-05:002014-09-29T07:50:09.955-05:00Apple kills yet another photo sharing service - and generally screws up iOS photo managementI expect Apple to screw up anything related to long term data management, but this is extreme even by their standards. GigaOm, in language restrained by fear of Apple, tells us of another Apple datacide and botched product transition.<br />
<br />
In the article quoted below “iPhoto” is iPhoto.app for iOS. Given the timid language, I’ve added some inline translation in square brackets …<br />
<blockquote>
<a href="https://gigaom.com/2014/09/27/where-are-my-photos-how-to-use-the-new-photo-management-features-in-ios-8/">https://gigaom.com/2014/09/27/where-are-my-photos-how-to-use-the-new-photo-management-features-in-ios-8/ </a> </blockquote>
<blockquote>
[<em>iPhoto.app has been removed from iOS, replaced by <a href="https://www.apple.com/ios/whats-new/photos/">Photos.app</a> with fewer capabilities, including loss of iPhoto Web journals.</em>] </blockquote>
<blockquote>
… In November of 2010 .Mac HomePages gave way to MobileMe Web Galleries. Then in June of 2012, <strong>MobileMe Web Galleries ceased to exist</strong> as iCloud came online. Now the most recent successor, <strong>iPhoto Web journals, is being shut down,</strong> or at least that is how it appears. With each transition, users of the previous online journaling feature really had <strong>little to no options available when it came to migration</strong> to a new or replacement feature. [<em>users were totally screwed and lost hundreds of hours of work with no recourse</em>] </blockquote>
<blockquote>
… you could add titles, insert comments, include maps, weather and other information intermingled with your photos. Users of journals would typically spend a good amount of time personalizing the delivery of their online photos by telling a story alongside their photos. </blockquote>
<blockquote>
The problem this time around is that there <strong>was very little notice</strong> and there really is <strong>no recourse or action that can be taken to preserve your iPhoto projects</strong>. … “Photo Books, Web Journals, and Slideshows are converted into regular albums in Photos. Text and layouts are not preserved.” And thats it, <strong>no more iCloud scrapbooking per Apple.</strong> </blockquote>
<blockquote>
… Apple has finally removed the concept of the Camera Roll … all of the photos you have taken, <strong>whether they are on your device or not</strong>, now show up in the same “Recently Added” folder. This is not just a simple name change, it is a completely different experience. All of your photos are now synced across all of your devices, or at least the last thirty days worth. </blockquote>
<blockquote>
… iOS 8 has actually made it <strong>even harder to delete photos</strong> stored on your device [<em>image capture delete all no longer works</em>]. Tap and hold a photo in your “Recently Added” album and delete it from the album. It will move into the newly created “Recently Deleted” album … delete it again from the “Recently Deleted” album…</blockquote>
Apple is a bit of a serial data killer -- usually with no public response. I still miss the comments I'd attached to iPhoto albums that were lost in the transition to Aperture.<br />
<br />
Speaking of Aperture, both iPhoto (and Aperture) for Mac have been sunset, though Aperture is still sold. All three are eventually to be replaced by “Photos.app”, which may be an improvement on iPhoto but is <a href="http://notes.kateva.org/2014/06/apple-kills-aperture-observations.html">certain to be a disaster for Aperture users</a>. We can expect a large amount of personal metadata to be lost. (No, Lightroom is not a migration path.)<br />
<br />
New users may be transiently better off once all the pieces are finally in place -- until the projects they invest in disappear. This is a cultural problem with Apple, not a bug that will get fixed. Never make Apple the owner of your data.JGFhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14580785981874040314noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5587346.post-80888444990322085082014-09-10T08:03:00.004-05:002014-09-10T08:03:55.800-05:00Apple Watch - a bridge too farThere's a healthy business in in used<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IPod_Nano#6th_generation"> 6th generation iPod Nanos</a>. The kids lost ours recently and we all miss it; we might look for a used one.<br />
<br />
I don't think the 1st generation <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apple_Watch">Apple Watch</a> will be nearly as successful in the US market, though it may have some success in its true target market of China. Unlike the much loved Nano-clip it doesn't solve anyone's problems well. An water-susceptible exercise device tied to an iPhone is far less useful than an inexpensive FitBit. An authentication device tied to an iPhone is redundant in today's world. The<strike> iWatch</strike> Apple Watch is a very limited music and video platform. It's too big, it's too expensive, it's too fragile (water), the battery is too small and the initial demo highlighted bumping hearts.<br />
<br />
The Apple watch is less developed and less interesting than Google Glass -- and that's a very low threshold to clear. If Apple had innovated on the standalone Nano-clip they could have delivered an interesting product, but the technology isn't here for the product Cook decided to bring to market.<br />
<br />
This isn't the usual Apple 1.0 product. The usual 1.0 Apple product is interesting and somewhat useful for early adopters with high pain tolerance and it comes with a clear path to a strong 2.0. This is version 0.5. It's far too ambitious for its time -- and it's 6 months behind schedule.<br />
<br />
A waterproof $150 iOS 8 Nano-clip replacement in Sept 2015 will be interesting. Splitting the cellular phone into multiple components, for which iPad and Apple Watch are interaction elements will be interesting. Standalone Apple Watch 4 running on next-generation LTE will be interesting.<br />
<br />
Apple Watch 1 is a mistake.John Gordonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04498750165598537302noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5587346.post-82509674489245103702014-07-04T21:26:00.001-05:002014-07-04T21:26:55.403-05:00Why Apple killed the most important applications on the Mac: Aperture and iPhoto<p>A bong smolders in the sanctum sanctorum of 1 Infinity Loop, Cupertino California. It’s early 2013 and Apple’s most powerful billionaires are looking ahead. Billions of dollars are overflowing Apple’s bank accounts…</p>
<p>“We’re screwed. Totally f*cked. Gimme that bong”.</p>
<p>“Yeah. I know. It’s bad. Google is gonna stomp us. Android owns the world. Schools are gonna do Google Apps on Chromebooks. We were wrong about phablets and now the <a href="https://alpha.app.net/johngordon/post/22248183">iPad is gonna die</a>. There’s no way we can catch up with Google Docs.”</p>
<p>“Yeah, we’ve all seen the numbers. We get a few good years … then boom - we’re Microsoft. Damn. Gimme that …”</p>
<p>“Sh*t. We gotta do something. Google’s got the numbers and the Net — how can we fight that?”</p>
<p>“We got something. We got the hardware. We gotta take a different angle and hope Samsung slits Google’s throat — because they hate Google even more than they hate us.”</p>
<p>“There’s plan B. Ditch everything where we ain’t making big money. That pro-software sh*t - we make more money in a day’s iPhone sales that we make on a year of Aperture. Nobody makes money on high end stuff any more. And look at our iPhoto sales — sucking wind for years. Ditch it, ditch it all. Hell, dump the Mac. We’ll be all “internet of things”…”</p>
<p>“No.”</p>
<p>“No? Hey you sure you don’t want some of this T ..”</p>
<p>“No”.</p>
<p>“No and Plan B is suicide. We can’t fight Google there. They’ll slaughter us. We gotta go with Plan A. We gotta make stuff that works for the low end and the geeks. We have to do the whole thing and we gotta stop screwing up the software. We screwed up iTunes. iCloud - everything on iCloud. iPhoto — oh, God, we screwed that one so many ways. Podcast.app - took two years to fix that. iBook — you ever try using that piece of sh*t?. We got money — but we don’t have time. So we get better.”</p>
<p>“Plan A? That’s bad stuff man. We blow that, we’re done.”</p>
<p>“Plan A. And we’re gonna start with stuff we shoulda owned. We’re gonna start with photos. Nobody can manage their photos. People take thousands and lose ‘em all when they drop their phone in the toilet. Photo geeks have thousands in Aperture and they lose ‘em all - no backups.”</p>
<p>“Hah! You think we can do this? We had a great app with iPhoto, but we couldn’t add Library Management because that was an Aperture thing. Then we were five years late with a single iPhoto to Aperture library. We made iPhoto stupider, but we couldn’t make it easy to use. Sh*t we were idiots.”</p>
<p>“Aperture! Hah, that was joke. How many geeks every figured how to use our keyword tree? Even Brainiacs didn’t get that one. Where’d we buy that crap UI from anyway? Looks like something from NeXT.”</p>
<p><img title="Screen Shot 2014-07-04 at 9.00.29 PM.png" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-dQwW1Ztc8zs/U7dia41biWI/AAAAAAAAAiI/FsV18wp2XBQ/Screen%252520Shot%2525202014-07-04%252520at%2525209.00.29%252520PM.png?imgmax=800" alt="Screen Shot 2014 07 04 at 9 00 29 PM" width="279" height="392" border="0" /></p>
<p>“<em>Enough</em>. We do Plan A. We’re gonna make a single application that works with a Phablet or an iMac, one app that scales from kids with phones to camera geeks. Elite and civilian — all of ‘em. We’re gonna burn our bridges — we’re gonna make it official. iPhoto and Aperture are dead.”</p>
<p>“Wow, we’re gonna have a lot of mad customers. But, hell, what are they gonna do? It’s easier to change gender than to move from Aperture to Lightroom — and Adobe ain’t gonna last much longer anyway. There’s no money in pro software, and they got nothing else.”</p>
<p>“So how do we do it? We should be classy. Let folks know we’ll keep the apps going until everything’s set. They’ll be bummed, but we know <a href="http://notes.kateva.org/2014/06/apple-kills-aperture-observations.html">how to do this right</a>.”</p>
<p>“No.”</p>
<p>“No?! What do you mean no?!”</p>
<p>"We gotta make Google think we’re idiots. We’ll let it slip out through some blogger mac geeks read. We’ll give ‘em nothing. We’ll make it look like we’re pissing off our best customers. Google won’t suspect a thing. Hell, what are they gonna do? Go to Lightroom?!”</p>
<p>“Pass me that bong”.</p>John Gordonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04498750165598537302noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5587346.post-85722502641558376982014-06-27T15:16:00.001-05:002014-06-28T10:58:08.445-05:00Apple kills Aperture. Observations.<p>In an alternate universe….</p>
<blockquote>
<p>Today in a terse but clear posting on the Aperture web site Tim Cook apologized for the difficult decision to end Apple’s competition in the professional and prosumer photography market. He promised to fully cooperate with Adobe on a migration path to Lightroom that would convert Aperture non-destructive edit metadata to Lightroom format. All image metadata would be preserved. Group, Album and Smart Album functionality would suffer, but Adobe promised to improve their tools to ease the transition. Aperture sales were immediately discontinued. Support through Yosemite and ongoing RAW image updates for new cameras was promised through 2016. Users were saddened but appreciated Apple’s professional approach….</p>
</blockquote>
<p>That would be a pleasant universe.</p>
<p>Meanwhile, in the real world, the announcement that Aperture was dead, and that Apple was effectively abandoning professional photography, appeared via <a href="http://www.loopinsight.com/2014/06/27/apple-stops-development-of-aperture/">Jim Dalrymple’s blog</a>. Aperture remained on sale in the App Store while muddled Apple clarifications showed up in various blogs. Some said saying there would be support through Yosemite, others hinted at helping Adobe with migration to Lightroom. As end-of-life announcements go it was a complete screw-up.</p>
<p>Oh - but <a href="http://www.loopinsight.com/2014/06/27/apple-stops-development-of-aperture/">users of Logic Pro and Final Cut Pro</a> “should not worry about their apps—they will continue as normal”.</p>
<p>Right.</p>
<p>The impact on heavy users of Aperture is heard to overstate. That’s why Gruber’s “<a href="http://daringfireball.net/linked/2014/06/27/aperture-photos">that’s the way the cookie crumbles</a>” earned his feed a Gordon-death-click. Maybe I’ll return someday, but <a href="http://www.loopinsight.com/">The Loop</a> covers the same ground and is a bit less irritating - albeit equally uncritical of Apple. I’m sure Gruber is devastated.</p>
<p>I won’t dwell on the migration path ahead, though it makes <a href="http://tech.kateva.org/2012/03/iphoto-8-to-aperture-3-migration-notes.html">my excruciating transition from iPhoto</a> look like a walk in the park. As of today none of my 20,000 or so non-destructive image edits will convert to Lightroom, much less album/image relationships, image/project, folder/image/project, folder/project comments, geo-tags and more. I won’t even mention Videos (which were never well supported in Aperture or iPhoto).</p>
<p>I’m not doing anything for a while, but one immediate impact is that I won’t be buying any camera that Aperture doesn’t currently support. If Aperture will indeed work on Yosemite then I’ve got years to convert — and I won’t be upgrading to Yosemite if there’s any doubt about Aperture support. (Which means no major Apple hardware purchases next year.)</p>
<p>Beyond Apple’s announcement fiasco, I was struck by the generally dismissive commentary — as though it were a trivial move to go to Lightroom. Happily, now that I’ve killed Daring Fireball, I can say the blogs I follow are relatively realistic about the impact of Aperture’s demise.</p>
<p>It’s not just Aperture users who have grounds to worry. Given Apple’s software record over the past 5 years (iBooks, iMovie, Podcast, Aperture 1, etc) what’s the chance <a href="http://www.cnet.com/news/apple-teases-icloud-centric-photo-app-for-mac-in-2015/">Photos will be safe for serious iPhoto users before 2018</a>? iPhoto users are back in <a href="http://tech.kateva.org/2011/05/stuck-in-apple-photo-management-limbo.html">Apple photo management limbo</a>.</p>
<p>On a larger front I’ve written before of <a href="http://notes.kateva.org/search/label/data%20lock">Data Lock</a>, and of how the “Cloud” is making data lock even stronger. I knew the risk I took with iPhoto 2 11 years ago [1]; a path that has led to the dead end of Photos.app.</p>
<p>The way Apple executed Aperture’s termination is a rich lesson in the consequences of data lock (a risk I understood when I signed up with iPhoto long years ago). Does anyone think it will be possible to move from Apple’s next generation Photo app to Lightroom? That’s a far harder problem than moving from Aperture to Lightroom — and that’s nearly inconceivable at the moment.</p>
<p>I can’t do much about the way Apple handled this transition — other than spare myself the temptation of a camera purchase. I can, however, reduce my purchases of Apple products — especially Apple software. I have no faith in Apple at all.</p>
<p>[1] From <a href="http://www.faughnan.com/digcam.html">my ancient web page on digital photography</a>: </p>
<blockquote>
<p>Problems: iPhoto 2 through 5</p>
<p>iPhoto has longstanding problems. I knew of them when I started with iPhoto 2, but I took the gamble that the large user community, and the prominence of Apple's multimedia iLife suite, would pressure Apple to improve the product. That hasn't worked. If you're a PC user you should not switch to a Mac for digital photo management, instead I'd recommend Picasa (free from Google). If you're a Mac user, take a close look at iView MediaPro -- though that's a risky choice too (small market, hard for vendor to compete against iLife).</p>
<p>If you proceed with iPhoto, know the risks …</p>
<p><strong>Data Lock - You can check in, but you can't check out.</strong><br />You can export images -- though it's tricky to export both originals and modifications. You can't, however, migrate your albums, smart albums, comments, keywords, captions, etc. etc. I thought iView MediaPro would take advantage of this and sell and import utility, but they haven't. So when you use iPhoto, you marry iPhoto…</p>
</blockquote>
<p><strong>Update 6/28/2014</strong>: <a href="http://www.libertypages.com/clarktech/?p=176">Clark Goble responds with more eloquence</a> …</p>
<blockquote>
<p>as Apple pushes more and more the lock-in of iCloud, of iBooks, and of iTunes video, why should we trust Apple if they don’t have a way to get the data out? This is the thing that some activists have preached for years and most of us have discounted.5 But now I think it’s a real question Apple has unintentionally made very significant. Why should I trust Apple not to lose interest in iBooks if sales drop? (Which apparently they have) iTunes Music isn’t a big deal because there’s no DRM. But the rest? Why should I store files in iWork?</p>
<p>Can we trust Apple? The cavalier way Apple is responding is telling us, no we can’t. And that’s a shame because they could easily have made this announcement in a way that said we could</p>
</blockquote>
<p>I particularly appreciated his footnotes…</p>
<blockquote>
<p>… I remember Apple fans ridiculing people trusting Microsoft with Plays For Sure DRM when that product collapsed and people lost their data. Many of those same people are pretty flippant about locked data today. ↩</p>
<p>I doubt rumors of Apple adding a Lightroom export will include being able to port both your raw data files and the adjustments you made to the files. You’ll either have to export as TIFFs or lose your adjustments simply because the math won’t be exactly the same. Heck, I’m skeptical they’ll export anything beyond metadata and files… </p>
</blockquote>John Gordonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04498750165598537302noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5587346.post-18929220933296928162014-05-29T12:34:00.001-05:002014-05-29T12:38:27.271-05:00Beats and Hachette, Amazon and AppleThe only way I can make sense of the Beats acquisition is to assume that Apple is responding to landscape changes like the <a href="http://notes.kateva.org/2014/05/who-killed-american-broadcast-tv-time.html">end of broadcast television</a>, the rise of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comcast">Comcast</a> [1], and <a href="http://www.antipope.org/charlie/blog-static/2014/05/amazon-malignant-monopoly-or-j.html">Amazon's Hachette-crushing book monopoly</a>.<br />
<br />
Beats makes sense if Apple intends to go direct to Creatives and bypass the usual channels and distributors. In that case they need an LA beachhead. It makes sense for Apple to start with music - they have a history there just as Amazon has a history with books.<br />
<br />
The next step would be for Beats to contract for video/film properties for distribution to AppleTV/iPad - and Android/Microsoft.<br />
<br />
I'm not optimistic about books. I don't think Cook is more of a reader than Jobs was.<br />
<br />
[1] "the largest mass media and communications company in the world by revenue"John Gordonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04498750165598537302noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5587346.post-38038661465817044612014-04-26T15:54:00.001-05:002014-04-26T15:55:11.454-05:00Apple and healthcare -- what if Cook went for the ring?<p>Everyone expects Apple to soon sell some personal monitoring device like the suspiciously defunct Nike Fuel Band. We remember that the “revolutionary” iPod was just another MP3 player [1]; we expect something like that.</p>
<p>We expect it, and we expect to yawn. It will be overpriced and the value proposition will be even less clear than the <a href="https://alpha.app.net/johngordon/post/28543744">soon-to-be-ex-iPad value prop</a>.</p>
<p>But what if Cook surprises? What if he’s tired of being Apple’s accountant? What could Apple do to surprise us?</p>
<p>No, Apple wouldn’t do some kind “electronic health record” type thing. They’re not that dumb. But Apple is powerful enough to get, for example, both Cerner and EpicCare to use an Apple supported direct-to-patient connection channel. It would entirely proprietary of course, but it would be big. The rest of the HCIT industry would follow along. Apple could build the elder-care infrastructure I’ve imagined (and make use of the iPhablet-displaced iPads). There’s a lot of room to play if one stays clear of both the medical device regulatory framework and the brutal economics of the provider-oriented market.</p>
<p>Personally, I expect FuelBand 2. But if any Apple creativity has survived Cook’s executive salary boosts and Jobs wage-suppression scheme there is room for surprise.</p>
<p>- fn - </p>
<p>[1] The revolutionary bit was iTunes and CD ripping to go with the iPod. All forgotten now. The first iPhone blew my mind, but some of the early PalmOS phones sorta kinda had the idea. Apple invents more than Microsoft (Samsung learned to follow from the master), but it also builds on what’s before.</p>John Gordonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04498750165598537302noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5587346.post-3519964569152045412014-02-02T11:57:00.001-06:002014-02-02T14:48:02.181-06:0021st century market failure: what the rise and fall of Guitar Hero teaches about gamification<p>My oldest wants to learn to play drums. Learning is difficult for him, and the Smart Music program his school uses is obviously too sophisticated. We need something simpler, something more accessible, more like a game ...</p>
<p>Something like the Guitar Hero music education program I remember from a few years back. Fun, teach the basics, work with our Wii ... perfect!</p>
<p>Ok, I'll just Google that ....</p>
<p>Right.</p>
<p>Guitar Hero is gone. <strong>There is nothing like it any more</strong>.</p>
<blockquote>
<p><a href="http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2011-02-11-why-guitar-hero-died">Why Guitar Hero died News • News • Eurogamer.net</a> (Feb 2011)</p>
<p>As the dust settles on Activision's decision to put an end to its world-famous peripheral-based music franchise Guitar Hero and the difficult work of sacking those who helped create it begins, one question remains: where did it all go wrong?</p>
<p>Only three years ago Guitar Hero shot through the $1 billion revenue mark – in the US alone.</p>
<p>Now, in what can only be described as a spectacular fall from grace, Guitar Hero is no more. Why? Why did Guitar Hero die?...</p>
<p>... "Guitar Hero was a victim of its success," said Wedbush Securities' Michael Pachter. "The game was incredibly well-conceived, the peripherals were great, and the music offering was deep and broad. All of those factors led to unprecedented success, and each contributed to its demise."</p>
<p>For Pachter, the fact <strong>gamers could play new Guitar Hero games with the peripherals they already owned proved to be the killer blow</strong>.</p>
<p>"Once people bought the band kit, for example, they didn't feel compelled to upgrade, as the one they bought was high quality and did the job well," he said. "Once people bought a game, they had 60 - 80 songs to master, and few mastered all of the songs offered...</p>
<p>... "There is <strong>absolutely nothing Activision nor anyone could have done to save the music genre</strong>. We should remember Guitar Hero for what it was, not where it's at now."...</p>
<p>... "It is possible that Guitar Hero will return, but a re-launch would have to be managed on a far smaller scale. <strong>Production costs would have to be minimized to enable profits on unit sales in the hundreds of thousands </strong>rather than in the millions."</p>
<p>Pachter's conclusion? "The franchise can support sales at the $200 million level annually, so it will still generate profits, but with <strong>license fees and manufacturing costs, margins are not that great</strong>, and certainly not enough to keep 200 - 250 people employed working on a new version each year."</p>
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<p>So to recap - about 5-6 years ago we had a mini-cultural phenom -- a low cost high fun solution for music education. The <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Gamification&oldid=389221847">Wikipedia article on gamification is written in 2010, around the peak of the Guitar Hero story</a>. A few years later and it's all gone - the game, the console, the hardware, everything. In 2014 some replacements may slowly emerge on the iPad, but we're basically starting over again.</p>
<p>What's going on here -- besides our 21st century penchant for rapid cycles of creation, destruction, and recreation?</p>
<p>Maybe the root problem with gamification is that <strong>education doesn't have the economics, or the life cycle, of entertainment. </strong>Entertainment has visciously short lifecycles with massive floods of money. That can bring great products out quickly, but this amphetamine fueled growth has a cost. The entertainment products wipe out the weaker educational market -- and when Guitar Hero burns out there's nothing left to replace it. The education market has to be slowly grow back -- only to be wiped out again by the next cycle of the entertainment market.</p>
<p>Ultimately, the entertainment bubble is destructive, and the end result is a peculiar form of market failure.</p>
<p>PS. <a href="https://www.apple.com/mac/garageband/">Garage Band</a> is an interesting exception. It was clearly driven by Steve Jobs passion rather than any kind of business logic. It endures as a monument to Jobs, and because Apple doesn't have to put much money into it. It works, it's done, and the Mac platform is far more stable than entertainment-oriented consoles.</p>
<p><strong>See also:</strong></p>
<ul>
<li><a href="http://techinmusiced.wordpress.com/">Technology in Music Education</a>: There are very few blogs on this topic, this was my introduction to the domain. (Google largely failed, that happens often now.) iOS Garage Band has some traction, I'm trying that.</li>
<li><a href="http://www.musiced20.com/">Music Education 2.0 | Resources and Reflections on Music Education in the Digital Era</a></li>
<li><a href="https://musicnipadsblog.wordpress.com/">Teaching Music through iPads</a>: last updated 5/2013.</li>
<li><a href="https://alpha.app.net/johngordon/post/21489243#21487530">App.net thread on this blog post</a>: Great comments. Rock Band 3 had similar course to Guitar Hero (same originators) but Harmonix stuck with its customers. Rocksmith is interesting example of an education (not entertainment) product. Garage Band, esp. for iOS, seems to have potential as a teaching platform.</li>
</ul>John Gordonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04498750165598537302noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5587346.post-17906990182078482312013-11-15T11:08:00.001-06:002013-11-15T12:39:51.409-06:00Apple reactivates anonymous charitable donation via iTunes - please Cook, make this permanent.<p class="mobile-photo">Apple has quietly reintroduced something I've wanted even before CARE.ORG broke <a href="http://notes.kateva.org/2010/01/haiti-why-i-donate-via-careorg.html">our deal</a> and sold us out to the donation industry. They are again offering <a href="http://www.itunes.com/redcross">a way for non-wealthy people to donate anonymously to the Red Cross via iTunes</a>.</p>
<p class="mobile-photo">They did this previously for Superstorm Sandy ...</p>
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<p class="mobile-photo"><a href="http://appleinsider.com/articles/12/11/01/itunes-now-accepting-red-cross-donations-for-superstorm-sandy-aid">iTunes now accepting Red Cross donations for Superstorm Sandy aid</a></p>
<p class="mobile-photo">iTunes will transfer 100 percent of all donations directly to the American Red Cross without sending users' names or contact information.</p>
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<p class="mobile-photo">Unfortunately it's not a permanent service ...</p>
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<p class="mobile-photo">The iTunes and Red Cross giving system was most recently activated following the devastating earthquake and resulting tsunami that hit Japan in March 2011. Before that, Apple offered the service in 2010, following a series of deadly earthquakes in Haiti.</p>
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<p class="mobile-photo"><strong>We need Apple to make this a permanent service</strong>. Please join me in adding this request to <a href="http://www.apple.com/feedback/itunes.html">Apple's iTunes Feedback Page</a>. Apple can deduct the cost as a charitable donation.</p>
<p class="mobile-photo">We need this. Emily and I gave up our annual donations because of the deluge of mail, spam, phone calls and the like. These weren't huge donations, but they were non-trivial. If we were wealthier we'd give through a legal shield, but we don't have that kind of money. We can't be the only family hiding from the crazed donation industry.</p>
<p class="mobile-photo">So now we can donate to at least this cause. The only acknowledgement is an email receipt for tax deduction. The American Red Cross doesn't get any more information -- which is very Apple like. Here's how it looked on my iPhone today:</p>
<p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixnA3Y1Dg4Me2TCYLwrOw7bqB26Een9wlGdGaLdFl9Q2xL_wAJL18F7L3ScX1maLFdnkRBbu9oa4xlqTnntpoRCVhZT3xECkNmA3jv6TS5_CHHJ3IVcRSbc-Tc-p8zzm87_g/s1600/photo-725500.PNG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5946533952321724898" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixnA3Y1Dg4Me2TCYLwrOw7bqB26Een9wlGdGaLdFl9Q2xL_wAJL18F7L3ScX1maLFdnkRBbu9oa4xlqTnntpoRCVhZT3xECkNmA3jv6TS5_CHHJ3IVcRSbc-Tc-p8zzm87_g/s320/photo-725500.PNG" alt="" border="0" /></a></p>
<p>Come on Tom Cook -- make this permanent!</p>JGFhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14580785981874040314noreply@blogger.com0