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	<link rel="shorturl" type="text/html" href="http://df4.us/won" />
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Source: http://daringfireball.net/index.xml

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<feed xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom">
<title>Daring Fireball</title>
<subtitle>By John Gruber</subtitle>
<link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="https://daringfireball.net/" />
<link rel="self" type="application/atom+xml" href="https://daringfireball.net/feeds/main" />
<id>https://daringfireball.net/feeds/main</id>
<updated>2025-11-05T17:52:46Z</updated><rights>Copyright © 2025, John Gruber</rights><entry>
<title>WhatsApp for Apple Watch</title>
<link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="https://blog.whatsapp.com/introducing-whatsapp-for-apple-watch?lang=en" />
<link rel="shorturl" type="text/html" href="http://df4.us/won" />
<link rel="related" type="text/html" href="https://daringfireball.net/linked/2025/11/05/whatsapp-apple-watch" />
<id>tag:daringfireball.net,2025:/linked//6.42359</id>
<published>2025-11-05T17:34:29Z</published>
<updated>2025-11-05T17:52:46Z</updated>
<author>
<name>John Gruber</name>
<uri>http://daringfireball.net/</uri>
</author>
<content type="html" xml:base="https://daringfireball.net/linked/" xml:lang="en"><![CDATA[
WhatsApp:
<blockquote>
In addition to reading and responding to messages, for the first
time WhatsApp on Apple Watch will now support many requested
features:
<ul>
<li>Call notifications: You can see who’s calling without needing
to look at your iPhone.</li>
<li>Full messages: You can read full WhatsApp messages on Apple
Watch — even long messages are visible directly from your
wrist.</li>
<li>Voice messages: You can now record and send voice messages.</li>
<li>React to messages: We’ve added the ability to send quick emoji
reactions to messages you receive.</li>
<li>A great media experience: You’ll see clear images and stickers
on your Apple Watch.</li>
<li>Chat history: You can see more of your chat history on screen
when reading messages.</li>
</ul>
</blockquote>
All of these features have long been available on the Apple Watch apps for Apple’s Messages and Phone apps. But it’s an interesting sign that Meta sees Apple Watch as important platform for personal communication features.
I know there are many people who spend time wearing their Apple Watch while away from their iPhone — often while working out — who want or even feel they need these features. For me though, one of things I like least about wearing an Apple Watch is getting badgered on my wrist with notifications. I feel not so much like I need less screen time, but rather that I need less notifications time. I feel good when I have time where I’m unreachable by texts, calls, and news alerts. I spent my <a href="https://daringfireball.net/2025/09/personal_note">recent month-plus semi-hiatus</a> wearing only a mechanical watch, and I didn’t miss the lack of notifications-on-my-wrist at all.
<div>
<a title="Permanent link to ‘WhatsApp for Apple Watch’" href="https://daringfireball.net/linked/2025/11/05/whatsapp-apple-watch"> ★ </a>
</div>
]]></content>
</entry><entry>
<title>Apple Podcasts Is Adding AI-Generated Chapters for Podcasts Without Chapters</title>
<link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="https://podcasters.apple.com/support/5545-enhance-episodes-with-chapters-links-more" />
<link rel="shorturl" type="text/html" href="http://df4.us/wom" />
<link rel="related" type="text/html" href="https://daringfireball.net/linked/2025/11/05/apple-podcasts-auto-chapters" />
<id>tag:daringfireball.net,2025:/linked//6.42358</id>
<published>2025-11-05T16:27:31Z</published>
<updated>2025-11-05T16:30:51Z</updated>
<author>
<name>John Gruber</name>
<uri>http://daringfireball.net/</uri>
</author>
<content type="html" xml:base="https://daringfireball.net/linked/" xml:lang="en"><![CDATA[
News from Apple’s Podcasts for Creators site, regarding new features in the iOS 26.2 beta releases:
<blockquote>
When you supply chapters in your episode description or in your
RSS feed, they display in Apple Podcasts. If you submit chapters
through your hosting provider, you can include images. For shows
in English, when chapters aren’t provided, Apple Podcasts
generates them for you and an “Automatically created“ label
appears in the chapter list. If you prefer not to use
automatically created chapters, you can disable this feature in
Apple Podcasts Connect. <a href="https://podcasters.apple.com/support/5482-using-chapters-on-apple-podcasts">Learn more about chapters</a>.
</blockquote>
It’s unclear to me whether this feature is actually exclusive to iOS/iPhone, or will be available across Apple’s 26.2 OS releases. This strikes me as a great use of AI, but I also think most multi-topic podcasts should include human-created chapters.
<div>
<a title="Permanent link to ‘Apple Podcasts Is Adding AI-Generated Chapters for Podcasts Without Chapters’" href="https://daringfireball.net/linked/2025/11/05/apple-podcasts-auto-chapters"> ★ </a>
</div>
]]></content>
</entry><entry>
<title>Epic and Google Agree to Settle Their Play Store Lawsuit, Pending Approval From Judge</title>
<link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="https://www.theverge.com/policy/813991/epic-google-proposed-settlement" />
<link rel="shorturl" type="text/html" href="http://df4.us/wol" />
<link rel="related" type="text/html" href="https://daringfireball.net/linked/2025/11/05/epic-google-agreement" />
<id>tag:daringfireball.net,2025:/linked//6.42357</id>
<published>2025-11-05T16:13:03Z</published>
<updated>2025-11-05T16:13:04Z</updated>
<author>
<name>John Gruber</name>
<uri>http://daringfireball.net/</uri>
</author>
<content type="html" xml:base="https://daringfireball.net/linked/" xml:lang="en"><![CDATA[
Sean Hollister, reporting for The Verge:
<blockquote>
The details of how, when, and where Google would charge its
fees are complicated, and they seem to be somewhat tailored to
the needs of a game developer like Epic Games. Google can
charge 20 percent for an in-app purchase that provides “more
than a de minimis gameplay advantage,” for example, or 9
percent if the purchase does not. And while 9 percent sounds
like it’s also the cap for apps and in-app subscriptions sold
through Google Play, period, the proposal notes that that
amount doesn’t include Google’s cut for Play Billing if you buy
it through that payment system.
That cut will be 5 percent, Google spokesperson Dan Jackson tells
The Verge, confirming that “This new proposed model introduces a
new, lower fee structure for developers in the US and separates
the service fee from fees for using Google Play Billing.” (For
reference, <a href="https://support.google.com/googleplay/android-developer/answer/112622?hl=en">Google currently charges</a> 15 percent for
subscriptions, 15 percent of the first $1M of developer revenue
each year and 30 percent after that, though it also <a href="https://www.theverge.com/2023/11/20/23969690/google-spotify-android-billing-commission-secret-deal">cuts special
deals with some big developers</a>.)
If you use an alternative payment system, Google might still get a
cut: “the Google Play store is free to assess service fees on
transactions, including when developers elect to use alternative
billing mechanisms,” the proposal reads. But it sounds like that
may not happen in practice: “If the user chooses to pay through an
alternative billing system, the developer pays no billing fee to
Google,” Jackson tells The Verge.
According to the document, Google would theoretically even be able
to get its cut when you click out to an app developer’s website
and pay for the app there, as long as it happens within 24 hours.
</blockquote>
This seems as clear as mud, other than being music to Epic Games’s ears.
<div>
<a title="Permanent link to ‘Epic and Google Agree to Settle Their Play Store Lawsuit, Pending Approval From Judge’" href="https://daringfireball.net/linked/2025/11/05/epic-google-agreement"> ★ </a>
</div>
]]></content>
</entry><entry>
<title>Just for Fun, Some Vintage 2014 John Dvorak Claim Chowder</title>
<link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="https://daringfireball.net/linked/2014/07/30/dvorak" />
<link rel="shorturl" type="text/html" href="http://df4.us/wok" />
<link rel="related" type="text/html" href="https://daringfireball.net/linked/2025/11/05/dvorak-itime" />
<id>tag:daringfireball.net,2025:/linked//6.42356</id>
<published>2025-11-05T16:02:30Z</published>
<updated>2025-11-05T16:16:04Z</updated>
<author>
<name>John Gruber</name>
<uri>http://daringfireball.net/</uri>
</author>
<content type="html" xml:base="https://daringfireball.net/linked/" xml:lang="en"><![CDATA[
John Dvorak <a href="https://www.pcmag.com/opinions/the-apple-itime-is-destined-to-fail">back in 2014</a>, two months before Apple Watch was announced:
<blockquote>
I got a lecture from a potential buyer, who will only purchase an
iTime as a replacement for the iPhone rather than an accessory.
But all evidence leads me to believe this device will be an
accessory.
Doing that limits the appeal to people who were promised a
sleeker gadget profile, which they desperately need, because they
never manage to pare down anything. It’s tablet computing all
over again.
</blockquote>
If he’d meant that Apple Watch would be like the iPad, in terms of being a durable long-term <a href="https://sixcolors.com/post/2025/10/charts-apple-caps-off-best-fiscal-year-with-q4-record/">many-billion-dollars-in-sales-per-quarter</a> platform, he’d have been correct. But he meant that both were duds.
Dvorak is <a href="https://dvorak.substack.com/">still writing</a>, but alas, only occasionally.
<div>
<a title="Permanent link to ‘Just for Fun, Some Vintage 2014 John Dvorak Claim Chowder’" href="https://daringfireball.net/linked/2025/11/05/dvorak-itime"> ★ </a>
</div>
]]></content>
</entry><entry>
<title>Apple Launches New Web Interface for the App Store</title>
<link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="https://9to5mac.com/2025/11/03/apple-launches-rich-new-web-interface-for-the-app-store/" />
<link rel="shorturl" type="text/html" href="http://df4.us/woj" />
<link rel="related" type="text/html" href="https://daringfireball.net/linked/2025/11/04/app-store-new-website" />
<id>tag:daringfireball.net,2025:/linked//6.42355</id>
<published>2025-11-04T23:16:14Z</published>
<updated>2025-11-04T23:16:15Z</updated>
<author>
<name>John Gruber</name>
<uri>http://daringfireball.net/</uri>
</author>
<content type="html" xml:base="https://daringfireball.net/linked/" xml:lang="en"><![CDATA[
Chance Miller, 9to5Mac:
<blockquote>
Apple has <a href="https://apps.apple.com/us/iphone/today">launched</a> a dramatic new web interface for the
App Store. You can now get the full App Store experience right in
your browser, with dedicated pages for the iPhone, iPad, Mac,
Vision, Watch, and TV app libraries.
Previously, Apple’s “apps.apple.com” domain simply redirected you
to a <a href="https://www.apple.com/app-store/">generic page</a> about the App Store on Apple’s website.
Now, it takes you to a full-fledged version of the App Store you
can browse on your computer.
</blockquote>
This new website is nice, but it’s not the “full” App Store experience, insofar as you can’t buy or download apps from it. It’s more like a full website mirror of the App Store than a web version of the App Store.
<div>
<a title="Permanent link to ‘Apple Launches New Web Interface for the App Store’" href="https://daringfireball.net/linked/2025/11/04/app-store-new-website"> ★ </a>
</div>
]]></content>
</entry><entry>
<title>Apple Releases 26.1 Updates to Its Operating Systems</title>
<link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="https://www.macstories.net/news/apple-releases-26-1-updates-to-its-operating-systems/" />
<link rel="shorturl" type="text/html" href="http://df4.us/woi" />
<link rel="related" type="text/html" href="https://daringfireball.net/linked/2025/11/04/apple-os-26-1" />
<id>tag:daringfireball.net,2025:/linked//6.42354</id>
<published>2025-11-04T23:12:38Z</published>
<updated>2025-11-05T16:59:40Z</updated>
<author>
<name>John Gruber</name>
<uri>http://daringfireball.net/</uri>
</author>
<content type="html" xml:base="https://daringfireball.net/linked/" xml:lang="en"><![CDATA[
John Voorhees, writing at MacStories:
<blockquote>
With iOS 26, Apple placed two big buttons onscreen when an alarm
went off. One was for stop and the other snooze. That wasn’t a big
deal for many of the alarms you set throughout the day, but when
you’re waking up in the morning blurry-eyed, two big buttons
stacked on top of each other weren’t ideal. For a lot of users, it
was a toss-up whether stabbing at their iPhone through a morning
haze would stop their alarm or snooze it.
With iOS and iPadOS 26.1, the “Stop” button for an alarm set in
the system Clock app now requires a slide to stop gesture, which
echoes the Slide to Unlock gesture of the original iPhone. The
more deliberate gesture is a good move on Apple’s part. I can’t
imagine someone tapping and sliding their finger to stop an alarm
by accident.
</blockquote>
This is a clever little change. I enjoy that it harks back to the <a href="https://youtu.be/vN4U5FqrOdQ?t=955">original iPhone’s slide-to-unlock</a>.
Update: If, for whatever reason, you don’t like this slide-to-stop feature, you can turn it off by toggling this option in Settings: Accessibility → Touch → Prefer Single-Touch Actions.
<div>
<a title="Permanent link to ‘Apple Releases 26.1 Updates to Its Operating Systems’" href="https://daringfireball.net/linked/2025/11/04/apple-os-26-1"> ★ </a>
</div>
]]></content>
</entry><entry>
<link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="https://www.mux.com/video-api?utm_campaign=fireball&utm_source=DF" />
<link rel="shorturl" href="http://df4.us/woh" />
<link rel="related" type="text/html" href="https://daringfireball.net/feeds/sponsors/2025/11/mux_video_api_for_developers_1" />
<id>tag:daringfireball.net,2025:/feeds/sponsors//11.42353</id>
<author><name>Daring Fireball Department of Commerce</name></author>
<published>2025-11-04T00:00:49Z</published>
<updated>2025-11-04T00:00:49Z</updated>
<content type="html" xml:base="https://daringfireball.net/feeds/sponsors/" xml:lang="en"><![CDATA[
Video should be simple to ship and scale. Mux makes it easy to build live and on-demand video into anything from websites to AI workflows.
Upload a video, get back a playback URL. No transcoding headaches. No CDN setup. Go further with video building blocks – thumbnails, transcripts, storyboards – to create exactly what you want. 
Now, Mux is shepherding Video.js, the web’s most-trusted open-source player, and reimagining it for the modern developer experience.
Future-proof your video with infrastructure trusted by Patreon, Substack, and Synthesia. Get started free, no credit card required. Use code FIREBALL for an extra $50 credit.
<div>
<a title="Permanent link to ‘Mux: Video API for Developers’" href="https://daringfireball.net/feeds/sponsors/2025/11/mux_video_api_for_developers_1"> ★ </a>
</div>
]]></content>
<title>[Sponsor] Mux: Video API for Developers</title></entry><entry>
<title>Gurman Suggests That Next-Gen Siri Will Be Powered by a White-Label Version of Google Gemini Running on Apple’s Private Cloud Compute</title>
<link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/newsletters/2025-11-02/apple-s-nearly-140-billion-quarter-when-ios-26-1-will-be-out-ipad-mini-revamp-mhhpy1ax" />
<link rel="shorturl" type="text/html" href="http://df4.us/wog" />
<link rel="related" type="text/html" href="https://daringfireball.net/linked/2025/11/03/gurman-siri-gemini" />
<id>tag:daringfireball.net,2025:/linked//6.42352</id>
<published>2025-11-03T17:02:24Z</published>
<updated>2025-11-03T19:29:40Z</updated>
<author>
<name>John Gruber</name>
<uri>http://daringfireball.net/</uri>
</author>
<content type="html" xml:base="https://daringfireball.net/linked/" xml:lang="en"><![CDATA[
Mark Gurman, in his weekly Power On column for Bloomberg (paywalled, alas):
<blockquote>
Even with the rosy sales forecast, the road ahead won’t be easy.
Apple is betting heavily on the new Siri, which will lean on
Google’s Gemini model and introduce features like AI-powered web
search. But there’s no guarantee users will embrace it, that it
will work seamlessly or that it can undo years of damage to the
Siri brand.
</blockquote>
And then, down below in his “Post Game Q&A”:
<blockquote>
Q: Is Apple still planning to use Google Gemini to power the new
Siri?
A: As I’ve <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2025-08-22/apple-explores-using-google-gemini-ai-to-power-revamped-siri">reported a few times now</a>, Apple is paying
Google to create a custom Gemini-based model that can run on
its private cloud servers and help power Siri. Apple held a
bake-off this year between Anthropic and Google, ultimately
determining that the former offered a better model but that
Google made more sense financially (partly due to the tech
giants’ preexisting search relationship). I don’t expect either
company to ever discuss this partnership publicly, and you
shouldn’t expect this to mean Siri will be flooded with Google
services or Gemini features already found on Android devices.
It just means Siri will be powered by a model that can actually
provide the AI features that users expect — all with an Apple
user interface.
</blockquote>
This is quite the aside to tuck into a one-paragraph Q&A item. First, I love the idea that Apple is pursuing technical excellence as a top priority for the next-gen LLM-powered Siri. If Apple winds up using its own models, it should be because those models are truly competitive with the best models on the market. And if they can work out a deal to use models from Google because those models are technically superior to Apple’s own, they should.
It’s kind of wild though to think that, if this comes to pass, neither company will publicly acknowledge the arrangement. I believe it’s possible — but it would be odd. Right now Apple has a public partner for Apple Intelligence: <a href="https://support.apple.com/guide/iphone/use-chatgpt-with-apple-intelligence-iph00fd3c8c2/ios">optional integration with ChatGPT</a>. Apple labels that integration as an “extension”, and has repeatedly stated — <a href="https://daringfireball.net/linked/2025/10/31/cook-siri-cnbc">including as recently as last week</a> — that they’re looking at other partners to add. The most obvious partner Apple could add — one that <a href="https://techcrunch.com/2024/06/10/apple-confirms-plans-to-work-with-googles-gemini-in-the-future/">Craig Federighi mentioned by name</a> on the day that Apple Intelligence was announced at WWDC 2024 — would be Google Gemini.
If what Gurman is reporting comes to pass, and Apple’s own cloud-based LLM technology is a white-label version of Google Gemini, it’d be pretty weird if that ships and Google Gemini still is not a named extension partner for Apple Intelligence. But it would also be a little weird if Google Gemini does become a named partner for Apple Intelligence alongside ChatGPT, while Apple’s own default cloud-based Apple Intelligence is powered by Gemini’s models.
<div>
<a title="Permanent link to ‘Gurman Suggests That Next-Gen Siri Will Be Powered by a White-Label Version of Google Gemini Running on Apple’s Private Cloud Compute’" href="https://daringfireball.net/linked/2025/11/03/gurman-siri-gemini"> ★ </a>
</div>
]]></content>
</entry><entry>
<title>Dodgers Win 2025 World Series, Defeating Blue Jays in Thrilling Game 7</title>
<link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="https://www.mlb.com/news/dodgers-win-2025-world-series" />
<link rel="shorturl" type="text/html" href="http://df4.us/wof" />
<link rel="related" type="text/html" href="https://daringfireball.net/linked/2025/11/02/dodgers-win-world-series" />
<id>tag:daringfireball.net,2025:/linked//6.42351</id>
<published>2025-11-02T15:17:38Z</published>
<updated>2025-11-02T15:18:02Z</updated>
<author>
<name>John Gruber</name>
<uri>http://daringfireball.net/</uri>
</author>
<content type="html" xml:base="https://daringfireball.net/linked/" xml:lang="en"><![CDATA[
Anthony Castrovince, writing for MLB (<a href="https://apple.news/ANrQgRevNTD6n4rwIO8yVSw">News+ link</a>):
<blockquote>
Behind a stunning, game-tying swat from Miguel Rojas in the top of
the ninth, a first-of-its-kind, go-ahead blast from Will Smith in
the top of the 11th and the absurd extra work World Series MVP
Yoshinobu Yamamoto provided on zero days’ rest, the Dodgers broke
Toronto hearts with their comeback 5-4 victory in a game that
merited its own month on the MLB calendar.
The Dodgers are MLB’s first repeat champs since the 1998-2000
Yankees, and the four-hour, seven-minute, extra-innings affair it
took to decide that was a fitting end to a true Fall Classic in
which these two clubs exhausted each other — not just in the
18-inning epic at Dodger Stadium in Game 3 but throughout a Series
in which they both had to empty the tank.
</blockquote>
When a series goes to game 7, every fan hopes it’s a good game. But this was a great game — as good as baseball gets. Great pitching, clutch hitting, and some amazing fielding plays. Simply riveting to watch. The Blue Jays came within an inch or two of winning the Series <a href="https://x.com/bdubsports_/status/1984828236715675702">on this play</a> in the bottom of the 9th (and I think they would’ve won on that play if Kiner-Falefa had run through home plate rather than inexplicably sliding).
<div>
<a title="Permanent link to ‘Dodgers Win 2025 World Series, Defeating Blue Jays in Thrilling Game 7’" href="https://daringfireball.net/linked/2025/11/02/dodgers-win-world-series"> ★ </a>
</div>
]]></content>
</entry><entry>
<title>Jaho Coffee Roaster</title>
<link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="https://www.jaho.com/s/df" />
<link rel="shorturl" type="text/html" href="http://df4.us/woc" />
<link rel="related" type="text/html" href="https://daringfireball.net/linked/2025/11/01/jaho-coffee-roaster" />
<id>tag:daringfireball.net,2025:/linked//6.42348</id>
<published>2025-11-01T21:46:49Z</published>
<updated>2025-11-02T15:03:13Z</updated>
<author>
<name>John Gruber</name>
<uri>http://daringfireball.net/</uri>
</author>
<content type="html" xml:base="https://daringfireball.net/linked/" xml:lang="en"><![CDATA[
My thanks to Jaho Coffee Roaster for sponsoring this week at DF. Jaho has been family-owned since 2005, and they’re guided by their slogan: “Live Slow”. Jaho knows that great coffee takes care. From sourcing small-lot single origins to blending coffees for balance, they small-batch roast their award-winning coffees in Salem and Tokyo.
For the at-home coffee drinker, they roast to order and pack the same coffees brewed and served in all of their cafés. For the office worker, Jaho is proud to be a wholesaler with select partners across the nation and in Japan. Jaho was kind enough to send me a few bags of their beans, and I can vouch that they roast excellent coffee — the kind of tasty beans where, when I finish my last morning cup, I’m tempted to brew a little more even though I know I’m fully caffeinated.
For the month of October, every year, Jaho donates all online coffee bean sale profits to <a href="https://www.komen.org/">Susan G. Komen for Breast Cancer Awareness</a>. (The pink in their brand colors originated from this partnership.) For this DF sponsorship, they’re carrying that promotion for all online sales through the end of day on Monday, November 3.
Jaho ships their fresh beans nationwide, and they’re offering a special deal for DF readers: take 20% off with code DF. Give up bad coffee for good, and support a great cause at the same time.
<div>
<a title="Permanent link to ‘Jaho Coffee Roaster’" href="https://daringfireball.net/linked/2025/11/01/jaho-coffee-roaster"> ★ </a>
</div>
]]></content>
</entry><entry>
<title>Nation’s Top TV Critic Weighs in on Late Night</title>
<link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/115476218592581611" />
<link rel="shorturl" type="text/html" href="http://df4.us/wod" />
<link rel="related" type="text/html" href="https://daringfireball.net/linked/2025/11/01/nations-top-tv-critic-late-night" />
<id>tag:daringfireball.net,2025:/linked//6.42349</id>
<published>2025-11-01T21:27:16Z</published>
<updated>2025-11-01T21:27:17Z</updated>
<author>
<name>John Gruber</name>
<uri>http://daringfireball.net/</uri>
</author>
<content type="html" xml:base="https://daringfireball.net/linked/" xml:lang="en"><![CDATA[
The president of the United States, on his blog:
<blockquote>
Seth Meyers of NBC may be the least talented person to “perform”
live in the history of television. In fact, he may be the WORST to
perform, live or otherwise. I watched his show the other night for
the first time in years. In it he talked endlessly about electric
catapults on aircraft carriers which I complain about as not being
as good as much less expensive steam catapults. On and on he went,
a truly deranged lunatic. Why does NBC waste its time and money on
a guy like this??? - NO TALENT, NO RATINGS, 100% ANTI TRUMP, WHICH
IS PROBABLY ILLEGAL!!!
</blockquote>
The funny part about Trump wildly flailing that Late Night With Seth Meyers is somehow “probably illegal” is that the very sentence of the segment that so upset Trump <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Coke6nvWs30">begins with this</a>: “Donald Trump called criticism of his trip to Asia ‘almost treasonous’ and threatened to send active duty military into US cities. For more on this, it’s time for ‘A Closer Look’.”
<div>
<a title="Permanent link to ‘Nation’s Top TV Critic Weighs in on Late Night’" href="https://daringfireball.net/linked/2025/11/01/nations-top-tv-critic-late-night"> ★ </a>
</div>
]]></content>
</entry><entry>
<title>Uni Watch: 1999–2025</title>
<link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="https://uni-watch.com/2025/10/31/uni-watch-1999-2025/" />
<link rel="shorturl" type="text/html" href="http://df4.us/woe" />
<link rel="related" type="text/html" href="https://daringfireball.net/linked/2025/11/01/uni-watch-rip" />
<id>tag:daringfireball.net,2025:/linked//6.42350</id>
<published>2025-11-01T21:00:00Z</published>
<updated>2025-11-01T22:09:58Z</updated>
<author>
<name>John Gruber</name>
<uri>http://daringfireball.net/</uri>
</author>
<content type="html" xml:base="https://daringfireball.net/linked/" xml:lang="en"><![CDATA[
Paul Lukas, founder of Uni Watch:
<blockquote>
Due to a perfect storm of negative developments, I have
reluctantly come to the unfortunate conclusion that continuing to
publish Uni Watch is no longer viable. This will be the site’s
final post.
Yes, I’m serious. And no, this isn’t a Halloween-related prank.
Uni Watch is shutting down, for real.
I realize this news probably comes as a shock and that you no
doubt have lots of questions, so let’s shift into Q&A mode. [...]
Will the site’s archive remain on the web?
No, unfortunately. Most of the archive — everything but the past
few days’ worth of content — has already been taken down. The
rest of the site, including this post, will be taken offline soon,
probably around next Wednesday.
</blockquote>
26 years is a hell of a run (dating back to 1999, a few years before Uni Watch became a standalone site), but I don’t understand why sites don’t leave their archives standing when they close down. It shouldn’t cost much to keep the domain name registered and a static version of the site’s archive online.
Uni Watch, to me, epitomized a certain mindset from the early web. To wit, that there ought to be a blog (or two or three) dedicated to every esoteric interest under the sun. You want to obsess about sports team uniform designs? Uni Watch was there. For a good long stretch, there seemingly was a blog (or two or three) dedicated to just about everything. That’s starting to wane. New sites aren’t rising to take the place of retiring ones.
<div>
<a title="Permanent link to ‘Uni Watch: 1999–2025’" href="https://daringfireball.net/linked/2025/11/01/uni-watch-rip"> ★ </a>
</div>
]]></content>
</entry><entry>
<title>The Talk Show: ‘Meat Bags’</title>
<link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="https://daringfireball.net/thetalkshow/2025/10/31/ep-433" />
<link rel="shorturl" type="text/html" href="http://df4.us/wob" />
<link rel="related" type="text/html" href="https://daringfireball.net/linked/2025/10/31/the-talk-show-433" />
<id>tag:daringfireball.net,2025:/linked//6.42347</id>
<published>2025-11-01T00:29:53Z</published>
<updated>2025-11-01T00:29:54Z</updated>
<author>
<name>John Gruber</name>
<uri>http://daringfireball.net/</uri>
</author>
<content type="html" xml:base="https://daringfireball.net/linked/" xml:lang="en"><![CDATA[
Special guest Brian Mueller, developer of Carrot Weather, joins the show to commemorate the 10th anniversary of his utterly ridiculous but totally serious weather app.
<audio
src = "https://traffic.libsyn.com/secure/daringfireball/thetalkshow-433-brian-mueller.mp3"
controls
preload = "none"
/>
Sponsored by:
<ul>
<li><a href="https://squarespace.com/talkshow">Squarespace</a>: Save 10% off your first purchase of a website or domain using code talkshow.</li>
<li><a href="https://uncommongoods.com/talkshow">Uncommon Goods</a>: Out of the ordinary gifts. Get 15% off your next purchase.</li>
</ul>
<div>
<a title="Permanent link to ‘The Talk Show: ‘Meat Bags’’" href="https://daringfireball.net/linked/2025/10/31/the-talk-show-433"> ★ </a>
</div>
]]></content>
</entry><entry>
<title>Tim Bray on Grokipedia</title>
<link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="https://www.tbray.org/ongoing/When/202x/2025/10/28/Grokipedia" />
<link rel="shorturl" type="text/html" href="http://df4.us/woa" />
<link rel="related" type="text/html" href="https://daringfireball.net/linked/2025/10/31/bray-grokipedia" />
<id>tag:daringfireball.net,2025:/linked//6.42346</id>
<published>2025-10-31T22:40:16Z</published>
<updated>2025-10-31T22:40:17Z</updated>
<author>
<name>John Gruber</name>
<uri>http://daringfireball.net/</uri>
</author>
<content type="html" xml:base="https://daringfireball.net/linked/" xml:lang="en"><![CDATA[
Tim Bray:
<blockquote>
Last night I had a very strange experience: About two thirds of
the way through reading a Web page about myself, Tim Bray, I
succumbed to boredom and killed the tab. Thus my introduction to
<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grokipedia">Grokipedia</a>. Here are early impressions.
My Grokipedia entry has over seven thousand words, compared to a
mere 1,300 in <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tim_Bray">my Wikipedia article</a>. It’s pretty clear how
it was generated; an LLM, trained on who-knows-what but
definitely including that Wikipedia article and this blog, was
told to go nuts.
</blockquote>
Putting aside the political slant of Grokipedia, a 1,300-word article being better than <a href="https://grokipedia.com/page/Tim_Bray">a 7,000-word one</a> exemplifies the current shortcomings of LLMs as creative engines (as opposed to serving as mere tools in the arsenal of human creators).
The French philosopher and mathematician <a href="https://quoteinvestigator.com/2012/04/28/shorter-letter/">Blaise Pascal famously quipped</a>: “I would have written a shorter letter, but I did not have the time.” No encyclopedia in history has been written with less time or effort than Musk’s LLM-generated vanity project. Verbosity is not the worst of Grokipedia’s deficiencies, but it’s one of them. The more its entries stray from simply regurgitating the equivalent entry in Wikipedia, the more they suffer from verbal diarrhea.
(<a href="https://grokipedia.com/page/John_Gruber">My own Grokipedia entry</a> is just a clone of <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Gruber">my Wikipedia entry</a>, with a few mistakes added, including one in the first sentence regarding the creation of Markdown.)
<div>
<a title="Permanent link to ‘Tim Bray on Grokipedia’" href="https://daringfireball.net/linked/2025/10/31/bray-grokipedia"> ★ </a>
</div>
]]></content>
</entry><entry>
<title>‘Grokipedia Is the Antithesis of Everything That Makes Wikipedia Good, Useful, and Human’</title>
<link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="https://www.404media.co/grokipedia-is-the-antithesis-of-everything-that-makes-wikipedia-good-useful-and-human/?ref=platformer.news" />
<link rel="shorturl" type="text/html" href="http://df4.us/wo9" />
<link rel="related" type="text/html" href="https://daringfireball.net/linked/2025/10/31/koebler-grokipedia" />
<id>tag:daringfireball.net,2025:/linked//6.42345</id>
<published>2025-10-31T22:11:31Z</published>
<updated>2025-10-31T22:31:02Z</updated>
<author>
<name>John Gruber</name>
<uri>http://daringfireball.net/</uri>
</author>
<content type="html" xml:base="https://daringfireball.net/linked/" xml:lang="en"><![CDATA[
Jason Koebler, writing at 404 Media:
<blockquote>
Wednesday, as part of his ongoing war against Wikipedia because he
does not like his page, Elon Musk launched Grokipedia, a fully
AI-generated “encyclopedia” that serves no one and nothing other
than <a href="https://www.citationneeded.news/elon-musk-and-the-rights-war-on-wikipedia/?ref=404media.co">the ego of the world’s richest man</a>. As others have
already pointed out, Grokipedia seeks to be a <a href="https://www.wired.com/story/elon-musk-launches-grokipedia-wikipedia-competitor/?ref=404media.co">right wing,
anti-woke Wikipedia competitor</a>. But to even call it a
Wikipedia competitor is to give the half-assed project too much
credit. It is not a Wikipedia “competitor” at all. It is a fully
robotic, heartless regurgitation machine that cynically and
indiscriminately sucks up the work of humanity to serve the
interests, protect the ego, amplify the viewpoints, and further
enrich the world’s wealthiest man. It is a totem of what Wikipedia
could and would become if you were to strip all the humans out and
hand it over to a robot; in that sense, Grokipedia is a useful
warning because of the constant pressure and <a href="https://www.404media.co/jimmy-wales-wikipedia-ai-chatgpt/">attacks by AI slop
purveyors</a> to push <a href="https://www.404media.co/wikipedia-pauses-ai-generated-summaries-after-editor-backlash/">AI-generated content into
Wikipedia</a>. And it is only getting attention, of course,
because Elon Musk <a href="https://www.citationneeded.news/elon-musk-and-the-rights-war-on-wikipedia/?ref=404media.co">does represent an actual threat to
Wikipedia</a> through his <a href="https://www.404media.co/wikipedia-prepares-for-increase-in-threats-to-us-editors-from-musk-and-his-allies/">political power, wealth, and
obsession with the website</a>, as well as the fact that he
owns a huge social media platform.
</blockquote>
In season 10 of <a href="https://www.hbomax.com/shows/curb-your-enthusiasm/18a0993f-209a-4653-8f94-f3fb8422e678">Curb Your Enthusiasm</a>, Larry David gets into an argument with Mocha Joe, the owner of an eponymous coffee shop. David leases the space next door and opens Latte Larry’s, a copycat “<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FVQp9vSytOE">spite store</a>” cafe. Grokipedia reminds me of this, except that Larry David is genuinely funny and (in real life, as opposed to his Curb alter ego) at least somewhat self-aware.
<div>
<a title="Permanent link to ‘‘Grokipedia Is the Antithesis of Everything That Makes Wikipedia Good, Useful, and Human’’" href="https://daringfireball.net/linked/2025/10/31/koebler-grokipedia"> ★ </a>
</div>
]]></content>
</entry><entry>
<title>Denmark Backs Away From ‘Chat Control’ That Would Have Rendered E2EE Illegal in the E.U.</title>
<link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="https://www.euractiv.com/news/danish-presidency-backs-away-from-chat-control/" />
<link rel="shorturl" type="text/html" href="http://df4.us/wo8" />
<link rel="related" type="text/html" href="https://daringfireball.net/linked/2025/10/31/denmark-chat-control" />
<id>tag:daringfireball.net,2025:/linked//6.42344</id>
<published>2025-10-31T21:48:46Z</published>
<updated>2025-10-31T21:48:47Z</updated>
<author>
<name>John Gruber</name>
<uri>http://daringfireball.net/</uri>
</author>
<content type="html" xml:base="https://daringfireball.net/linked/" xml:lang="en"><![CDATA[
Claudie Moreau, reporting for Euractiv:
<blockquote>
Earlier in their presidency, Denmark had revived a controversial
provision in the draft law that would mean online platforms — such as messaging apps — could be served with mandatory CSAM
detection orders, including services protected by end-to-end
encryption. However opposition from several other EU countries
derailed any agreement in the Council.
Today, Danish Justice Minister Peter Hummelgaard told local press
that the Council presidency would move away from mandatory
detection orders — and instead support CSAM detections remaining
voluntary.
</blockquote>
Sanity prevails.
<div>
<a title="Permanent link to ‘Denmark Backs Away From ‘Chat Control’ That Would Have Rendered E2EE Illegal in the E.U.’" href="https://daringfireball.net/linked/2025/10/31/denmark-chat-control"> ★ </a>
</div>
]]></content>
</entry><entry>
<title>What’s New in Shortcuts for the Apple OS 26 Releases</title>
<link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="https://support.apple.com/en-us/125148" />
<link rel="shorturl" type="text/html" href="http://df4.us/wo7" />
<link rel="related" type="text/html" href="https://daringfireball.net/linked/2025/10/31/shortcuts-whats-new-os-26" />
<id>tag:daringfireball.net,2025:/linked//6.42343</id>
<published>2025-10-31T21:48:38Z</published>
<updated>2025-10-31T21:48:38Z</updated>
<author>
<name>John Gruber</name>
<uri>http://daringfireball.net/</uri>
</author>
<content type="html" xml:base="https://daringfireball.net/linked/" xml:lang="en"><![CDATA[
Apple Support:
<blockquote>
This update includes enhancements to the Shortcuts app across all
platforms, including new intelligent actions and an improved
editing experience. Shortcuts on macOS now supports personal
automations that can be triggered based on events such as time of
day or when you take actions like saving a file to a folder, as
well as new integrations with Control Center and Spotlight.
</blockquote>
<a href="https://matthewcassinelli.com/whats-new-in-shortcuts-for-ios-ipados-macos-watchos-visionos-26/">Via Matthew Cassinelli</a>.
<div>
<a title="Permanent link to ‘What’s New in Shortcuts for the Apple OS 26 Releases’" href="https://daringfireball.net/linked/2025/10/31/shortcuts-whats-new-os-26"> ★ </a>
</div>
]]></content>
</entry><entry>
<title>Loss of Trust in U.S. Prompts International Criminal Court to Ditch Microsoft 365 for Open Source Alternative</title>
<link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="https://www.techradar.com/pro/the-international-criminal-court-is-ditching-microsoft-software-for-an-open-source-alternative" />
<link rel="shorturl" type="text/html" href="http://df4.us/wo6" />
<link rel="related" type="text/html" href="https://daringfireball.net/linked/2025/10/31/icc-ditches-microsoft" />
<id>tag:daringfireball.net,2025:/linked//6.42342</id>
<published>2025-10-31T19:56:10Z</published>
<updated>2025-10-31T23:53:42Z</updated>
<author>
<name>John Gruber</name>
<uri>http://daringfireball.net/</uri>
</author>
<content type="html" xml:base="https://daringfireball.net/linked/" xml:lang="en"><![CDATA[
TechRadar, summarizing <a href="https://www.handelsblatt.com/technik/it-internet/software-strafgerichtshof-ersetzt-microsoft-durch-deutsche-loesung/100166382.html">this German-language report from Handelsblatt</a>:
<blockquote>
The International Criminal Court (ICC) is looking to replace its
internal work environments to move away from US-made software in
fear of retaliation from the US administration.
The Microsoft software currently used in the Hague-based ICC is
likely to be replaced with Open Desk, a German collaboration
software alternative which is open source, meaning developers have
chosen to release the source code — opening it up to scrutiny and
often meaning that bugs and vulnerabilities are picked up quickly
by the community. [...]
Early in 2025, Chief Prosecutor for the ICC Kamrin Khan, after
being hit with sanctions from the Trump administration, was
disconnected from his email service. This action was thought to be
from Microsoft supporting US sanctions — although the firm denied
this, with a spokesperson stating; “at no point did Microsoft
cease or suspend its services to the ICC.”
This sparked fears that US tech firms could flip a ‘kill switch’
and cut digital services on orders of Trump — outlining the need
to become less dependent on US technology, with firms like Google,
Microsoft, and Amazon dominating Europe’s digital services and
cloud markets.
</blockquote>
This is what makes US technology firms’ support for Trump so confounding. It’s easy to see the short-term benefits (e.g. tariff exemptions), but just as easy to see the long-term reputational harm. The US was long seen as the most trustworthy powerful nation in the world. Now it’s one of the least trustworthy. Why would companies like Microsoft, Apple, Google, and Amazon tie their own reputations to Trump’s? Trump’s reign of abject corruption, ignorance, and personality-driven retribution — and these companies’ support for all of it — will be remembered long after Trump himself is gone.
I’m not calling on these companies to outright oppose the Trump administration. But there’s a lot of space between outright opposition and <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2025/10/23/politics/ballroom-donors-white-house-trump">helping to fund</a> Trump’s illegal vanity ballroom on the White House grounds.
<div>
<a title="Permanent link to ‘Loss of Trust in U.S. Prompts International Criminal Court to Ditch Microsoft 365 for Open Source Alternative’" href="https://daringfireball.net/linked/2025/10/31/icc-ditches-microsoft"> ★ </a>
</div>
]]></content>
</entry><entry>
<title>Tim Cook Says Next-Gen Siri Still on Pace for ‘Next Year’, Along With Additional AI Partners</title>
<link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="https://www.cnbc.com/2025/10/30/apple-aapl-earnings-report-q4-2025.html" />
<link rel="shorturl" type="text/html" href="http://df4.us/wo5" />
<link rel="related" type="text/html" href="https://daringfireball.net/linked/2025/10/31/cook-siri-cnbc" />
<id>tag:daringfireball.net,2025:/linked//6.42341</id>
<published>2025-10-31T19:14:26Z</published>
<updated>2025-10-31T21:10:42Z</updated>
<author>
<name>John Gruber</name>
<uri>http://daringfireball.net/</uri>
</author>
<content type="html" xml:base="https://daringfireball.net/linked/" xml:lang="en"><![CDATA[
Kif Leswing at CNBC interviewed Tim Cook ahead of yesterday’s Apple earnings report:
<blockquote>
Cook said that the company still plans to release an updated
version of Siri next year, and said that there were more
forthcoming partnerships like the company’s agreement to integrate
OpenAI’s ChatGPT into Apple Intelligence.
“Our intention is to integrate with more people over time,”
Cook said.
</blockquote>
And from <a href="https://sixcolors.com/post/2025/10/this-is-tim-transcript-of-apples-q4-2025-financial-call/">Cook’s prepared remarks</a> at the start of yesterday’s analyst call:
<blockquote>
“We’re also excited for a more personalized Siri. We’re making
good progress on it, and as we’ve shared, we expect to release it
next year.”
</blockquote>
No news here, but worth noting that Cook claims both the next-gen “more personalized” Siri and deals with AI partners other than OpenAI are still on track. But Craig Federighi hinted at adding Google Gemini as an option alongside ChatGPT for Siri <a href="https://techcrunch.com/2024/06/10/apple-confirms-plans-to-work-with-googles-gemini-in-the-future/">all the way back at WWDC 2024</a>, within a few hours of Apple Intelligence being announced. Still nothing. 16 months later and ChatGPT remains the one and only Apple Intelligence partner.
<div>
<a title="Permanent link to ‘Tim Cook Says Next-Gen Siri Still on Pace for ‘Next Year’, Along With Additional AI Partners’" href="https://daringfireball.net/linked/2025/10/31/cook-siri-cnbc"> ★ </a>
</div>
]]></content>
</entry><entry>
<title>Kennedy Center Ticket Sales Have Plummeted Since Trump Takeover</title>
<link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/entertainment/2025/10/31/kennedy-center-sales/" />
<link rel="shorturl" type="text/html" href="http://df4.us/wo4" />
<link rel="related" type="text/html" href="https://daringfireball.net/linked/2025/10/31/trump-kennedy-center-tickets" />
<id>tag:daringfireball.net,2025:/linked//6.42340</id>
<published>2025-10-31T19:02:22Z</published>
<updated>2025-10-31T19:02:34Z</updated>
<author>
<name>John Gruber</name>
<uri>http://daringfireball.net/</uri>
</author>
<content type="html" xml:base="https://daringfireball.net/linked/" xml:lang="en"><![CDATA[
Travis M. Andrews, Jeremy B. Merrill, and Shelly Tan, reporting for The Washington Post (<a href="https://apple.news/AZdploo7oSpOoriLzqRE_Xg">News+ link</a>:)
<blockquote>
“We had spent way too much on programming that doesn’t bring in
any revenue,” Richard Grenell, a Trump ally and former ambassador
to Germany, <a href="https://washingtonreporter.news/p/interview-kennedy-centers-ric-grenell">told</a> the Washington Reporter, a conservative
media outlet, in late March. According to Grenell, the center
hadn’t been making money. It was <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/entertainment/2025/08/13/trump-kennedy-center-honorees/">too woke</a> and
<a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/entertainment/2025/03/26/kennedy-center-social-impact-team-trump/">niche</a>. The new team was, in Trump’s words, going to make
it “<a href="https://www.cnn.com/2025/02/12/politics/video/trump-kennedy-center-board-phone-call-audio-tapper-ac360-digvid">hot</a>” again.
Nearly nine months after Trump became chair of the center and more
than a month into its main season, ticket sales for the Kennedy
Center’s three largest performance venues are the worst they’ve
been in years, according to a Washington Post analysis of
ticketing data from dozens of recent shows as well as past
seasons. Tens of thousands of seats have been left empty.
Since early September, 43 percent of tickets remained unsold for
the typical production. That means that, at most, 57 percent of
tickets were sold for the typical production — and some tickets
may have been “comps,” which are given away, often to staff
members or the press. That compares with 93 percent sold or comped
in fall 2024 and 80 percent in fall 2023.
</blockquote>
Crickets chirping.
<div>
<a title="Permanent link to ‘Kennedy Center Ticket Sales Have Plummeted Since Trump Takeover’" href="https://daringfireball.net/linked/2025/10/31/trump-kennedy-center-tickets"> ★ </a>
</div>
]]></content>
</entry><entry>
<title>October Is Over and, Shockingly, the Gold Trump Phone Still Hasn’t Shipped</title>
<link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="https://www.theverge.com/news/810500/where-is-the-trump-phone" />
<link rel="shorturl" type="text/html" href="http://df4.us/wo3" />
<link rel="related" type="text/html" href="https://daringfireball.net/linked/2025/10/31/trump-phone-vaporware" />
<id>tag:daringfireball.net,2025:/linked//6.42339</id>
<published>2025-10-31T18:12:11Z</published>
<updated>2025-10-31T18:12:12Z</updated>
<author>
<name>John Gruber</name>
<uri>http://daringfireball.net/</uri>
</author>
<content type="html" xml:base="https://daringfireball.net/linked/" xml:lang="en"><![CDATA[
<a href="https://daringfireball.net/linked/2025/10/31/stern-1x-neo">Speaking of</a> vaporware, Dominic Preston at The Verge on the T1 Trump phone, which was <a href="https://daringfireball.net/linked/2025/06/16/trump-mobile">announced back in June</a>:
<blockquote>
In fairness, for months now, the <a href="https://phone.trumpmobile.com/t1-phone/MV8y">store page</a> has only
promised an arrival “later this year,” a change made at the same
time Trump Mobile <a href="https://www.theverge.com/gadgets/693080/trump-mobile-t1-phone-made-usa">stopped claiming the T1 would be made in
America</a>. That gives the company two more months to release
it and still pretend it’s on time.
Trump Mobile never responded to my request last month for an
update on the phone’s release date, and it hasn’t replied to my
latest email either. People of lesser faith might worry that this
phone is no more than vaporware, but I refuse to give up. Place
your bets now on whether I’ll be back here in another month’s
time, still asking: where is the Trump phone?
</blockquote>
<div>
<a title="Permanent link to ‘October Is Over and, Shockingly, the Gold Trump Phone Still Hasn’t Shipped’" href="https://daringfireball.net/linked/2025/10/31/trump-phone-vaporware"> ★ </a>
</div>
]]></content>
</entry><entry>
<title>Joanna Stern on the 1X Neo, a Humanoid ‘Robot’ Housekeeper That Is Actually Remote-Controlled by Humans</title>
<link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="https://www.wsj.com/tech/personal-tech/i-tried-the-robot-thats-coming-to-live-with-you-its-still-part-human-68515d44?st=guXssw&reflink=desktopwebshare_permalink" />
<link rel="shorturl" type="text/html" href="http://df4.us/wo2" />
<link rel="related" type="text/html" href="https://daringfireball.net/linked/2025/10/31/stern-1x-neo" />
<id>tag:daringfireball.net,2025:/linked//6.42338</id>
<published>2025-10-31T17:39:08Z</published>
<updated>2025-10-31T20:38:34Z</updated>
<author>
<name>John Gruber</name>
<uri>http://daringfireball.net/</uri>
</author>
<content type="html" xml:base="https://daringfireball.net/linked/" xml:lang="en"><![CDATA[
Joanna Stern, writing for The Wall Street Journal (gift link):
<blockquote>
It was wild to watch. Sure, Neo nearly toppled over while closing
the dishwasher, took two minutes to fold the shirt and twisted its
arm attempting to dance the Macarena. But shhh. Remember the
rule. Oh, did I mention Neo had a human puppet master, controlling
it with a VR headset?
Neo’s creator, 1X Technologies, is making the Rosie-the-Robot
dream: some of the first humanoid housekeepers. Starting Tuesday,
you can apply to its early adopter program and preorder one for
$20,000, with delivery expected in 2026. The company will also
offer a $499 monthly rental plan with a six-month minimum
commitment.
Just one hidden cost: your privacy. For now, you’ll need to be
cool with a company representative potentially peering through the
robot’s camera eyes to get chores done. There are guardrails,
including controls over when and what the operator can do.
</blockquote>
As usual, Stern made a delightful short film to accompany her article, which is <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f3c4mQty_so">also available on YouTube</a>.
The argument from CEO Bernt Børnich is that they’re using the videos from the current state of Neo, where its actions are entirely remote-controlled by employees of 1X Technologies, to train its autonomy. I call bullshit. This looks to me like nothing but a scam. It’s not autonomous at all, I don’t believe this company is going to achieve any practical degree of autonomy with this product, and even while it’s remote-controlled by human operators, it’s slow and clumsy.
See also: <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j31dmodZ-5c">Marques Brownlee</a>, who smells vaporware as clearly as I do: “There seems to be a bit of a lost art in waiting for a tech product to be actually finished before announcing and unveiling it.”
<div>
<a title="Permanent link to ‘Joanna Stern on the 1X Neo, a Humanoid ‘Robot’ Housekeeper That Is Actually Remote-Controlled by Humans’" href="https://daringfireball.net/linked/2025/10/31/stern-1x-neo"> ★ </a>
</div>
]]></content>
</entry><entry>
<title>Jason Snell on Apple’s Quarterly Results</title>
<link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="https://sixcolors.com/post/2025/10/apple-results-holiday-dunks-and-questions-dodged/" />
<link rel="shorturl" type="text/html" href="http://df4.us/wo1" />
<link rel="related" type="text/html" href="https://daringfireball.net/linked/2025/10/30/snell-apple-quarter" />
<id>tag:daringfireball.net,2025:/linked//6.42337</id>
<published>2025-10-31T00:48:00Z</published>
<updated>2025-10-31T00:49:35Z</updated>
<author>
<name>John Gruber</name>
<uri>http://daringfireball.net/</uri>
</author>
<content type="html" xml:base="https://daringfireball.net/linked/" xml:lang="en"><![CDATA[
Jason Snell, writing at Six Colors:
<blockquote>
In the post-results call with financial analysts, Wamsi Mohan of
Bank of America asked Cook for a little more detail about Apple’s
search revenue, given its lucrative deal with Google, and whether
that revenue growth might decelerate if Google’s search traffic
were to be impacted by the growth of AI. Cook’s response was, if I
do say so myself, an all-timer for these calls:
<blockquote>
Cook: This is Tim. The advertising category, which is a
combination of third-party and first-party, did set a record
during the quarter.
Mohan: Okay, and sorry, just to be clear, both Apple’s own
internal advertising and within the licensing individually set
records?
Cook: I actually I’m not saying that. I’m just saying that
the combination of the two set a record. We don’t divulge — I’m
dodging the question intentionally because we don’t split it at
that level.
</blockquote>
Look, these calls are almost entirely Apple execs dodging the
questions of fiscal analysts. At least Tim Cook admitted it this
time. You want to know how much Google is paying us and if that’s
growing or shrinking? Well, I’m not gonna tell you!
</blockquote>
If Apple’s quarterly analyst calls were a podcast, “Dodging the Question Intentionally” would be a great episode title for this one.
<div>
<a title="Permanent link to ‘Jason Snell on Apple’s Quarterly Results’" href="https://daringfireball.net/linked/2025/10/30/snell-apple-quarter"> ★ </a>
</div>
]]></content>
</entry><entry>
<title>Microsoft Earnings Suggest OpenAI Lost $11.5 Billion Last Quarter</title>
<link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="https://www.theregister.com/2025/10/29/microsoft_earnings_q1_26_openai_loss/" />
<link rel="shorturl" type="text/html" href="http://df4.us/wo0" />
<link rel="related" type="text/html" href="https://daringfireball.net/linked/2025/10/30/openai-quarterly-loss" />
<id>tag:daringfireball.net,2025:/linked//6.42336</id>
<published>2025-10-31T00:43:25Z</published>
<updated>2025-10-31T00:51:51Z</updated>
<author>
<name>John Gruber</name>
<uri>http://daringfireball.net/</uri>
</author>
<content type="html" xml:base="https://daringfireball.net/linked/" xml:lang="en"><![CDATA[
Matt Rosoff, writing for The Register:
<blockquote>
If Microsoft owns 27 percent of OpenAI, it stands to reason under
equity accounting that it bears 27 percent of OpenAI’s losses.
Microsoft’s admission that it shaved $3.1 billion off its net
income to account for its share of OpenAI losses therefore
suggests OpenAI lost about $11.5 billion during the quarter.
Microsoft declined to comment beyond confirming that the $3.1
billion loss “this year” referred to Microsoft’s current fiscal
year, which started July 1, not the calendar year. So that’s a
quarterly loss, not a nine-month loss.
That’s a humongous number for OpenAI given it <a href="https://www.reuters.com/technology/openais-first-half-revenue-rises-16-about-43-billion-information-reports-2025-09-30/">reportedly</a>
generated only $4.3 billion in revenue for the first half of the
year, but a sum that won’t hurt Big Daddy Redmond too much given
it earned $27.7 billion in net income in the last quarter alone.
</blockquote>
A pre-IPO startup is a different animal from an established publicly-held corporation, but an $11.5 billion quarterly loss is quite different from the $20–30-ish billion quarterly profits <a href="https://daringfireball.net/linked/2025/10/30/apple-q4-results">booked by the big six</a>.
<div>
<a title="Permanent link to ‘Microsoft Earnings Suggest OpenAI Lost $11.5 Billion Last Quarter’" href="https://daringfireball.net/linked/2025/10/30/openai-quarterly-loss"> ★ </a>
</div>
]]></content>
</entry><entry>
<title>Apple Reports Strong Q4 2025 Results</title>
<link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="https://www.apple.com/newsroom/2025/10/apple-reports-fourth-quarter-results/" />
<link rel="shorturl" type="text/html" href="http://df4.us/wnz" />
<link rel="related" type="text/html" href="https://daringfireball.net/linked/2025/10/30/apple-q4-results" />
<id>tag:daringfireball.net,2025:/linked//6.42335</id>
<published>2025-10-30T21:51:20Z</published>
<updated>2025-10-31T00:39:48Z</updated>
<author>
<name>John Gruber</name>
<uri>http://daringfireball.net/</uri>
</author>
<content type="html" xml:base="https://daringfireball.net/linked/" xml:lang="en"><![CDATA[
Apple Newsroom:
<blockquote>
Apple today announced financial results for its fiscal 2025 fourth
quarter ended September 27, 2025. The Company posted quarterly
revenue of $102.5 billion, up 8 percent year over year. Diluted
earnings per share was $1.85, up 13 percent year over year on an
adjusted basis.
“Today, Apple is very proud to report a September quarter revenue
record of $102.5 billion, including a September quarter revenue
record for iPhone and an all-time revenue record for Services,”
said Tim Cook, Apple’s CEO.
</blockquote>
Looking at Apple’s <a href="https://www.apple.com/newsroom/pdfs/fy2025-q4/FY25_Q4_Consolidated_Financial_Statements.pdf">Consolidated Statement</a> (PDF), the numbers look great across the board year-over-year: iPhone up 6%, Mac up 13%, iPad even, Wearables/Home even, and Services up 15%. Services now generates more revenue ($28.8 billion) than Mac, iPad, and Wearables/Home combined ($24.7 billion).
Six Colors, as usual, <a href="https://sixcolors.com/post/2025/10/charts-apple-caps-off-best-fiscal-year-with-q4-record/">has Apple’s quarter illustrated in charts</a>.
Here’s a comparison of net income (profit) from Apple’s peers for their most recent quarters:
<ul>
<li><a href="https://s206.q4cdn.com/479360582/files/doc_financials/2025/q3/2025q3-alphabet-earnings-release.pdf">Google</a> (a.k.a. Alphabet): $35B (!)</li>
<li><a href="https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/Investor/earnings/FY-2026-Q1/press-release-webcast">Microsoft</a>: $27.7B</li>
<li>Apple: $27.5B</li>
<li><a href="https://nvidianews.nvidia.com/news/nvidia-announces-financial-results-for-second-quarter-fiscal-2026">Nvidia</a>: $26.4B</li>
<li><a href="https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20251029099339/en/Amazon.com-Announces-Third-Quarter-Results">Amazon</a>: $21.5B</li>
<li><a href="https://investor.atmeta.com/investor-news/press-release-details/2025/Meta-Reports-Third-Quarter-2025-Results/default.aspx">Meta</a>: $2.7B, but would have been $18.6B if not for a one-time income tax charge of nearly $16B.</li>
</ul>
<div>
<a title="Permanent link to ‘Apple Reports Strong Q4 2025 Results’" href="https://daringfireball.net/linked/2025/10/30/apple-q4-results"> ★ </a>
</div>
]]></content>
</entry><entry>
<title>CarPlay Seems Essential for Rental Fleets</title>
<link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="https://joe-steel.com/2025-10-22-Why-GM-Will-Give-You-Gemini-But-Not-CarPlay.html" />
<link rel="shorturl" type="text/html" href="http://df4.us/wny" />
<link rel="related" type="text/html" href="https://daringfireball.net/linked/2025/10/30/rosensteel-carplay-gm" />
<id>tag:daringfireball.net,2025:/linked//6.42334</id>
<published>2025-10-30T15:30:58Z</published>
<updated>2025-10-30T15:36:33Z</updated>
<author>
<name>John Gruber</name>
<uri>http://daringfireball.net/</uri>
</author>
<content type="html" xml:base="https://daringfireball.net/linked/" xml:lang="en"><![CDATA[
Joe Rosensteel:
<blockquote>
I have no plan to purchase a GM vehicle, but I do rent cars. GM makes up a sizable portion of rental car fleets. At some point in the future those cars will no longer support CarPlay. I’m not going to sign up for a GM federated ID that stores my login credentials in their cloud. I’m not going to individually sign into apps in the car like Google Maps with my Google ID that I use for way more than just navigation. There’s no chain of trust with me and this random car from GM. No convenience that is achieved in exchange for increased exposure risk for storing my sensitive data in a car I don’t own.
</blockquote>
If GM goes through with this abandonment of CarPlay, I don’t see how they’ll continue to sell any vehicles to rental agencies. I would never rent a car without CarPlay, and I would never consider signing up for a GM cloud service just to drive a rental car. Complete dealbreakers.
<div>
<a title="Permanent link to ‘CarPlay Seems Essential for Rental Fleets’" href="https://daringfireball.net/linked/2025/10/30/rosensteel-carplay-gm"> ★ </a>
</div>
]]></content>
</entry><entry>
<title>‘Hi, It’s Me, Wikipedia, and I Am Ready for Your Apology’</title>
<link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="https://www.mcsweeneys.net/articles/hi-its-me-wikipedia-and-i-am-ready-for-your-apology" />
<link rel="shorturl" type="text/html" href="http://df4.us/wnx" />
<link rel="related" type="text/html" href="https://daringfireball.net/linked/2025/10/30/wikipedia-ready-for-apology" />
<id>tag:daringfireball.net,2025:/linked//6.42333</id>
<published>2025-10-30T12:52:38Z</published>
<updated>2025-10-30T22:23:04Z</updated>
<author>
<name>John Gruber</name>
<uri>http://daringfireball.net/</uri>
</author>
<content type="html" xml:base="https://daringfireball.net/linked/" xml:lang="en"><![CDATA[
Tom Ellison, at McSweeney’s:
<blockquote>
How are my competitors doing, the ones you all insisted students use instead of me? That’s right, they were supposed to go to the American Journal of Social Sciences, Powered by OpenAI. Or museums, like the Smithsonian’s Charlie Kirk Shrine to American Greatness. I guess they can still count on credible journalism, once they get past the paywall for Palantir Presents: The Washington Post, so they read the Pulitzer-Bezos Prize–winning work of coeditors-in-chief Bari Weiss and Grok.
</blockquote>
<div>
<a title="Permanent link to ‘‘Hi, It’s Me, Wikipedia, and I Am Ready for Your Apology’’" href="https://daringfireball.net/linked/2025/10/30/wikipedia-ready-for-apology"> ★ </a>
</div>
]]></content>
</entry><entry>
<title>Elon Musk’s Grokipedia Launches With AI-Cloned Pages From Wikipedia</title>
<link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="https://www.theverge.com/news/807686/elon-musk-grokipedia-launch-wikipedia-xai-copied" />
<link rel="shorturl" type="text/html" href="http://df4.us/wnw" />
<link rel="related" type="text/html" href="https://daringfireball.net/linked/2025/10/29/grokipedia" />
<id>tag:daringfireball.net,2025:/linked//6.42332</id>
<published>2025-10-30T00:06:53Z</published>
<updated>2025-10-30T00:36:07Z</updated>
<author>
<name>John Gruber</name>
<uri>http://daringfireball.net/</uri>
</author>
<content type="html" xml:base="https://daringfireball.net/linked/" xml:lang="en"><![CDATA[
Jay Peters, writing for The Verge:
<blockquote>
However, despite Elon Musk promising that Grokipedia would be a
“massive improvement” over Wikipedia, some articles appear to be
cribbing information from Wikipedia. At the bottom of the page
for the <a href="https://grokipedia.com/page/MacBook_Air">MacBook Air</a>, for example, you can see this
message: “The content is adapted from <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Verge">Wikipedia</a>,
licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0
License.” In some cases, the cribbing goes farther than a rewrite:
I’ve also seen that message on pages for the <a href="https://grokipedia.com/page/PlayStation_5">PlayStation
5</a> and the <a href="https://grokipedia.com/page/Lincoln_Mark_VIII">Lincoln Mark VIII</a>, and both of
those pages are almost identical — word-for-word, line-for-line — to their <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PlayStation_5">Wikipedia</a> <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lincoln_Mark_VIII">counterparts</a>.
“Even Grokipedia needs Wikipedia to exist,” Lauren Dickinson, a
spokesperson for the Wikimedia Foundation, the non-profit that
operates Wikipedia tells The Verge. You can read Dickinson’s
full statement in full at the end of this article.
</blockquote>
At launch, Grokipedia is to Wikipedia as a chewed piece of gum is to a fresh piece of gum still in its wrapper. And imagine that the gum was chewed by someone with a dipping tobacco habit.
<div>
<a title="Permanent link to ‘Elon Musk’s Grokipedia Launches With AI-Cloned Pages From Wikipedia’" href="https://daringfireball.net/linked/2025/10/29/grokipedia"> ★ </a>
</div>
]]></content>
</entry><entry>
<title>Local Note: WMMR’s Pierre Robert Found Dead at 70</title>
<link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="https://share.inquirer.com/A2DX3Y" />
<link rel="shorturl" type="text/html" href="http://df4.us/wnv" />
<link rel="related" type="text/html" href="https://daringfireball.net/linked/2025/10/29/pierre-robert-rip" />
<id>tag:daringfireball.net,2025:/linked//6.42331</id>
<published>2025-10-29T21:26:02Z</published>
<updated>2025-10-29T23:55:25Z</updated>
<author>
<name>John Gruber</name>
<uri>http://daringfireball.net/</uri>
</author>
<content type="html" xml:base="https://daringfireball.net/linked/" xml:lang="en"><![CDATA[
Nick Vadala, reporting for the Philadelphia Inquirer:
<blockquote>
Longtime WMMR-FM host Pierre Robert was found dead in his home
Wednesday. He was 70.
</blockquote>
Robert’s surname, I must point out, rhymes with Pierre (and with Colbert).
<blockquote>
A native of Northern California, Robert joined WMMR as an on-air
host in 1981. He arrived in the city after his previous station,
San Francisco’s KSAN, switched to an Urban Cowboy format,
prompting him to make the cross-country drive to Philadelphia in a
Volkswagen van. “I came because of a relationship,” <a href="https://www.inquirer.com/arts/pierre-robert-wmmr-philadelphia-radio-contract-extension-20240112.html">he told The
Inquirer last year</a>. “I was in love. The love part didn’t work
out, but the job part did.”
As a newly minted Philadelphian, Robert began working at a local
health food store as he interviewed for radio jobs around town,
but found little luck initially. One day, while dining at Astral
Plane, a long-closed restaurant formerly on Lombard Street, he
introduced himself to WMMR program director Joe Bonnadonna and
announcer Charlie Kendall, and despite getting on well with the
pair, he learned there were no openings at the station.
But weeks later, he received a letter from Bonnadonna, and
interviewed for a job at the station during a concert from Philly
rock band The Hooters at the Chestnut Cabaret. He soon started
working in the station’s music library and office making $3.50 an
hour, and later began appearing on the air.
</blockquote>
There’s no more Philadelphia a Philadelphia origin story than a radio host interviewing for his job during a Hooters concert at the Chestnut Cabaret — and then going on to stay at the same station for 44 years. Impossible for me to overstate just how much Robert’s voice was the voice of music for me and my entire friend group growing up and even through college. You tuned the dial to 93.3 FM and left it there.
My favorite bit of his was an obscure one, a character named Reginald the Butler. Robert always had Reginald on during the holidays, while spinning Christmas rock songs. But <a href="https://wmmr.com/episodes/david-lee-roth-with-pierre-robert-and-reginald-the-butler-4-16-1988/">here’s a classic segment from 1988 with Robert and Reginald interviewing David Lee Roth</a>, who was then on a solo tour and about to play the Spectrum.
Rest in peace, my fellow citizen.
<div>
<a title="Permanent link to ‘Local Note: WMMR’s Pierre Robert Found Dead at 70’" href="https://daringfireball.net/linked/2025/10/29/pierre-robert-rip"> ★ </a>
</div>
]]></content>
</entry><entry>
<title>PCalc 4.11.1 for Mac</title>
<link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="https://mastodon.social/@jamesthomson/115458178673560956" />
<link rel="shorturl" type="text/html" href="http://df4.us/wnu" />
<link rel="related" type="text/html" href="https://daringfireball.net/linked/2025/10/29/pcalc-4-11-1" />
<id>tag:daringfireball.net,2025:/linked//6.42330</id>
<published>2025-10-29T17:00:28Z</published>
<updated>2025-10-29T20:06:34Z</updated>
<author>
<name>John Gruber</name>
<uri>http://daringfireball.net/</uri>
</author>
<content type="html" xml:base="https://daringfireball.net/linked/" xml:lang="en"><![CDATA[
James Thomson:
<blockquote>
I’ve released a small PCalc 4.11.1 update that’s out now for
the Mac.
There was a bug with the theme getting reset, which I could have
fixed in five minutes, but I ended up doing what I should have
done over three decades ago, and added a dedicated section to the
settings that puts all the visual customisation in one place.
No more having to search for all this stuff in a submenu
somewhere!
</blockquote>
After <a href="https://daringfireball.net/linked/2025/10/28/nisus-writer-kissell">the glum news</a> this week regarding Nisus Writer, it feels good to link to a <a href="https://pcalc.com/mac/thirty.html">similarly-aged</a> Mac app that’s still thriving. If you’ve never tried PCalc, <a href="https://pcalc.com/store/pcalcmac">you’re missing out</a>.
<div>
<a title="Permanent link to ‘PCalc 4.11.1 for Mac’" href="https://daringfireball.net/linked/2025/10/29/pcalc-4-11-1"> ★ </a>
</div>
]]></content>
</entry><entry>
<title>Toyota BEVs Gain Support for Apple Maps EV Routing</title>
<link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="https://www.macrumors.com/2025/10/28/toyota-bz-apple-maps-ev-routing/" />
<link rel="shorturl" type="text/html" href="http://df4.us/wnt" />
<link rel="related" type="text/html" href="https://daringfireball.net/linked/2025/10/29/toyota-apple-maps-bevs" />
<id>tag:daringfireball.net,2025:/linked//6.42329</id>
<published>2025-10-29T16:14:29Z</published>
<updated>2025-10-29T21:49:23Z</updated>
<author>
<name>John Gruber</name>
<uri>http://daringfireball.net/</uri>
</author>
<content type="html" xml:base="https://daringfireball.net/linked/" xml:lang="en"><![CDATA[
Tim Hardwick, writing for MacRumors:
<blockquote>
The Apple Maps EV Routing option will allow Toyota BEV users to
plan travel routes that include stops for charging. Without it,
drivers would have had to exit out of CarPlay in order to create a
route that included charging stops.
Apple Maps’ EV Routing feature uses real-time data from the
vehicle to guide drivers to their destinations more efficiently,
automatically suggesting charging stops when needed. The system
takes into account elevation changes and other driving conditions
to decide when a recharge is necessary. If the vehicle’s battery
level becomes too low, Apple Maps will automatically direct the
driver to the nearest compatible charging station.
</blockquote>
Meanwhile GM CEO Mary Barra is spending her lunch hour <a href="https://daringfireball.net/linked/2025/10/22/gm-carplay-android-auto">eating another jar of paste</a>.
<div>
<a title="Permanent link to ‘Toyota BEVs Gain Support for Apple Maps EV Routing’" href="https://daringfireball.net/linked/2025/10/29/toyota-apple-maps-bevs"> ★ </a>
</div>
]]></content>
</entry><entry>
<title>Samsung Shows Off Tri-Fold Smartphone at APEC Forum in Korea</title>
<link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="https://www.macrumors.com/2025/10/28/samsung-tri-fold-smartphone-debut/" />
<link rel="shorturl" type="text/html" href="http://df4.us/wns" />
<link rel="related" type="text/html" href="https://daringfireball.net/linked/2025/10/29/samsung-trifold-phone" />
<id>tag:daringfireball.net,2025:/linked//6.42328</id>
<published>2025-10-29T15:51:30Z</published>
<updated>2025-10-29T15:51:31Z</updated>
<author>
<name>John Gruber</name>
<uri>http://daringfireball.net/</uri>
</author>
<content type="html" xml:base="https://daringfireball.net/linked/" xml:lang="en"><![CDATA[
The Onion, in February 2004: “<a href="https://theonion.com/fuck-everything-were-doing-five-blades-1819584036/">Fuck Everything, We’re Doing Five Blades</a>”.
<div>
<a title="Permanent link to ‘Samsung Shows Off Tri-Fold Smartphone at APEC Forum in Korea’" href="https://daringfireball.net/linked/2025/10/29/samsung-trifold-phone"> ★ </a>
</div>
]]></content>
</entry><entry>
<title>Trump Is Deeply Unpopular</title>
<link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="https://www.economist.com/interactive/trump-approval-tracker" />
<link rel="shorturl" type="text/html" href="http://df4.us/wnr" />
<link rel="related" type="text/html" href="https://daringfireball.net/linked/2025/10/29/trump-unpopular" />
<id>tag:daringfireball.net,2025:/linked//6.42327</id>
<published>2025-10-29T15:40:28Z</published>
<updated>2025-10-29T15:43:02Z</updated>
<author>
<name>John Gruber</name>
<uri>http://daringfireball.net/</uri>
</author>
<content type="html" xml:base="https://daringfireball.net/linked/" xml:lang="en"><![CDATA[
The Economist:
<blockquote>
Presidents’ popularity tends to wane. In his second term Donald
Trump’s has fallen faster than that of his recent predecessors.
Since modern polling began most presidents have started their
terms with positive net approval ratings (the share of voters who
approve of their job performance minus the share who disapprove).
Both of Mr Trump’s terms began with public opinion split nearly
evenly. In both cases his net approval rating quickly turned
negative. Now it is -18, the lowest it has been since his
inauguration — and three percentage-points lower than at any
point in his first term.
</blockquote>
State-by-state, Trump is only above water in nine states: Idaho, Wyoming, West Virginia, Montana, North Dakota, Utah, Kentucky, Tennessee, and Alabama.
<a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/us/trumps-popularity-dips-americans-sweat-cost-living-reutersipsos-poll-finds-2025-10-28/">Reuters, with its own poll</a>:
<blockquote>
Donald Trump’s presidential approval rating fell in recent days,
tying the lowest level of his term, as more Americans frowned on
his handling of the cost of living, according to a new
<a href="https://www.reuters.com/data/trumps-approval-rating-2025-01-21/">Reuters/Ipsos poll</a>.
The three-day poll, which concluded on Sunday, showed 40% of
Americans approve of the Republican leader’s job performance,
compared to 42% in an October 15-20 Reuters/Ipsos poll. Trump’s
popularity has been within a percentage point or two of its
current level in every Reuters/Ipsos poll since mid-May. The share
of people who say they disapprove of his performance has grown,
from 52% in a May 16-18 poll to 57% in the latest survey.
</blockquote>
So the Economist has him at -18, Reuters at -17.
<div>
<a title="Permanent link to ‘Trump Is Deeply Unpopular’" href="https://daringfireball.net/linked/2025/10/29/trump-unpopular"> ★ </a>
</div>
]]></content>
</entry><entry>
<title>OpenAI Acquires Sky, a Still-in-Beta System-Wide AI Automation Tool for the Mac</title>
<link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="https://openai.com/index/openai-acquires-software-applications-incorporated/" />
<link rel="shorturl" type="text/html" href="http://df4.us/wnq" />
<link rel="related" type="text/html" href="https://daringfireball.net/linked/2025/10/28/openai-acquires-sky" />
<id>tag:daringfireball.net,2025:/linked//6.42326</id>
<published>2025-10-29T00:21:09Z</published>
<updated>2025-10-29T00:21:09Z</updated>
<author>
<name>John Gruber</name>
<uri>http://daringfireball.net/</uri>
</author>
<content type="html" xml:base="https://daringfireball.net/linked/" xml:lang="en"><![CDATA[
<a href="https://daringfireball.net/2025/10/thoughts_observations_and_links_regarding_chatgpt_atlas">Other</a> Mac-related news from OpenAI last week:
<blockquote>
Sky is a powerful natural language interface for the Mac. With
Sky, AI works alongside you, whether you’re writing, planning,
coding, or managing your day. Sky understands what’s on your
screen and can take action using your apps.
We will bring Sky’s deep macOS integration and product craft into
ChatGPT, and all members of the team will join OpenAI.
</blockquote>
<a href="https://software.inc/html/About%20Us">Two of the founders</a> of Software Applications Incorporated, the company behind Sky, are Ari Weinstein and Conrad Kramer, <a href="https://9to5mac.com/2015/08/27/workflow-for-ios-widget-sync/">who a decade ago co-created Workflow</a>, which Apple <a href="https://9to5mac.com/2017/03/22/apple-acquires-powerful-ios-automation-app-workflow-makes-it-available-for-free/">acquired in 2017</a> and turned into Shortcuts.
Federico Viticci got an advanced look at Sky and <a href="https://www.macstories.net/stories/sky-for-mac-preview/">wrote a glowing preview back in May</a>.
<div>
<a title="Permanent link to ‘OpenAI Acquires Sky, a Still-in-Beta System-Wide AI Automation Tool for the Mac’" href="https://daringfireball.net/linked/2025/10/28/openai-acquires-sky"> ★ </a>
</div>
]]></content>
</entry><entry>
<link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="https://daringfireball.net/2025/10/thoughts_observations_and_links_regarding_chatgpt_atlas" />
<link rel="shorturl" href="http://df4.us/wnp" />
<id>tag:daringfireball.net,2025://1.42325</id>
<published>2025-10-28T19:45:19Z</published>
<updated>2025-10-28T20:25:27Z</updated>
<author>
<name>John Gruber</name>
<uri>http://daringfireball.net/</uri>
</author>
<summary type="text">Most people’s primary computing devices are their phones — and even for people whose primary devices are desktop computers, their phones are much-used satellite devices. And on both iOS and Android alike, people live their mobile digital lives through native apps, not websites.</summary>
<content type="html" xml:base="https://daringfireball.net/" xml:lang="en"><![CDATA[
OpenAI, <a href="https://openai.com/index/introducing-chatgpt-atlas/">one week ago</a>:
<blockquote>
Today we’re introducing ChatGPT Atlas, a new web browser built
with ChatGPT at its core.
AI gives us a rare moment to rethink what it means to use the web.
Last year, we added search in ChatGPT so you could instantly find
timely information from across the internet — and it quickly
became one of our most-used features. But your browser is where
all of your work, tools, and context come together. A browser
built with ChatGPT takes us closer to a true super-assistant that
understands your world and helps you achieve your goals.
</blockquote>
A few minutes into <a href="https://www.youtube.com/live/8UWKxJbjriY">the 22-minute introduction video</a>, Ben Goodger,<a href="#fn1-2025-10-28">1</a> engineering lead for Atlas, says:
<blockquote>
“We wanted to make sure that Atlas didn’t feel like your old
browser, just with a chat button that was bolted on. But instead,
we made ChatGPT the beating heart of Atlas.”
</blockquote>
After giving it a try over the last week, to me Atlas feels like … Chrome with a chat button bolted on. I do not see the appeal, at all, despite being a daily user of ChatGPT. Atlas offers nothing to me that’s better than using Safari as a standalone browser and <a href="https://chatgpt.com/download/">ChatGPT’s excellent native Mac app</a> as a standalone AI chatbot. But, for me, my browser is not “where all of [my] work, tools, and context come together”. I use an email app for email, a notes app for notes, a text editor and blog editor for writing and programming, a photos app for my photo library, a native feed reader app for feed reading, etc. My web browser is for browsing pages on the web. Perhaps this sort of browser/chat hybrid appeals better to people who live the majority of their desktop-computing lives in browser tabs.
<ul>
<li>The main interface isn’t a combo search/location field, but rather a chat/location field. Instead of getting search results for a query, you get a chat response. If I wanted this I’d just ask my prompt in ChatGPT. Oftentimes — usually, even — I really do want a list of search results, and I want them fast. ChatGPT responses in Atlas are not a list of web pages, and are — compared to Google Search or my preferred search engine, Kagi — very slow. ChatGPT is many things but a good search engine replacement it is not. But that seems to be the entire premise of Atlas.</li>
<li>Atlas offers an agent mode where it actually surfs the web for you. One of the demos from their launch video involved getting a list of ingredients from a recipe on a web page, and then allowing Atlas to buy all those ingredients for you. That seems crazy to me. Do not want.</li>
<li>Atlas is a Chromium browser, supports Chrome extensions, and but currently is only available for the Mac. It’s not particularly Mac-like though, <a href="https://mjtsai.com/blog/2025/10/22/chatgpt-atlas/">as Michael Tsai notes</a>:
<blockquote>
Alas, it doesn’t support AppleScript and has System Settings–style
preferences.
</blockquote>
System Settings-style preferences are certainly better than Chrome-style “settings in a web page tab”, though. Also, in my testing, Atlas doesn’t make good use of Apple Passwords for autofill.</li>
<li>ChatGPT is <a href="https://help.openai.com/en/articles/12608430-chatgpt-atlas-default-browser-promotion">running a promotion that offers users increased rate limits</a> if they make — and keep — Atlas their default web browser. I’ve never before seen a web browser offer any sort of incentive like this for making it your default. This promotion strikes me as simultaneously clever and icky.</li>
<li><a href="https://simonwillison.net/2025/Oct/21/introducing-chatgpt-atlas/">Simon Willison’s initial thoughts</a> echo my own:
<blockquote>
I continue to find this entire category of <a href="https://simonwillison.net/tags/browser-agents/">browser agents</a>
deeply confusing.
The security and privacy risks involved here still feel
insurmountably high to me — I certainly won’t be trusting any of
these products until a bunch of security researchers have given
them a very thorough beating. [...]
I also find these products pretty unexciting to use. I tried out
agent mode and it was like watching a first-time computer user
painstakingly learn to use a mouse for the first time. I have yet
to find my own use-cases for when this kind of interaction feels
useful to me, though I’m not ruling that out.
</blockquote></li>
<li>Lastly, Anil Dash’s assessment is rather scathing, “<a href="https://www.anildash.com/2025/10/22/atlas-anti-web-browser/">The Browser That’s Anti-Web</a>”:
<blockquote>
In the demo for Atlas, the OpenAI team shows a user trying to find
a Google Doc from their browser history. A normal user would type
keywords like “atlas design” and see their browser show a list of
recent pages. They would recognize the phrase “Google Docs” or the
icon, and click on it to get back to where they were.
But in the OpenAI demo, the team member types out:
<blockquote>
search web history for a doc about atlas core design
</blockquote>
This is worse in every conceivable way. It’s slower, more prone
to error, and redundant. But it also highlights one of the biggest
invisible problems: you’re switching “modes”. Normally, an LLM’s
default mode is to create plausible extrapolations based on its
training data. Basically, it’s supposed to make things up. But
this demo has to explicitly walk you through “now it’s time to go
search my browser history” because it’s coercing the AI to look
through local content.
</blockquote>
Chat is a great interface for, well, chatting. People love texting. And it turns out that chat conversations are a very good user interface for interacting with LLMs. We humans enjoy texting with other humans, and we enjoy texting with LLMs. But typed-out text commands are not a good user interface at all for browsing the web. We had an entirely text-based Internet before the World Wide Web, and the point-and-click visual metaphor of the Web won out.
Dash, later on:
<blockquote>
It’s no coincidence that hundreds of people who work at OpenAI,
including many of the most powerful executives, are alumni of
Facebook/Meta, especially during the era of many of that
company’s most egregious abuses of people’s privacy. In the
marketing materials and demonstrations of Atlas, OpenAI’s team
describes the browser as being able to be your “agent”,
performing tasks on your behalf.
But in reality, you are the agent for ChatGPT.
During setup, Atlas pushes very aggressively for you to turn on
“memories” (where it tracks and stores everything you do and uses
it to train an AI model about you) and to enable “Ask ChatGPT” on
any website, where it’s following along with you as you browse the
web. By keeping the ChatGPT sidebar open while you browse, and
giving it permission to look over your shoulder, OpenAI can
suddenly access all kinds of things on the internet that they
could never get to on their own.
</blockquote>
This jibes with my impression after giving Atlas a try. The point of it doesn’t seem to be to provide a better web browser for me to use, but rather, to provide ChatGPT with the personal context of my digital life that it otherwise couldn’t get.</li>
</ul>
<hr />
That last point raises the question of just how stable we should consider the Apple-OpenAI partnership for ChatGPT-backed Apple Intelligence features. Apple’s goal for a “more personalized Siri” — <a href="https://daringfireball.net/2025/03/something_is_rotten_in_the_state_of_cupertino">the whole thing</a> Apple promised at WWDC 2024 but had to postpone for a full year early this year — is for the ecosystem of native apps on Apple platforms, particularly iOS and MacOS, to serve as the personal knowledge context for personalized AI features through <a href="https://developer.apple.com/documentation/appintents">App Intents</a>. That’s the basis for the “When is my mom’s flight arriving?” type of interaction that Apple has promised, but still has not delivered. The premise of Atlas (and its brethren AI-integrated browsers like <a href="https://www.diabrowser.com/">The Browser Company’s Dia</a> and <a href="https://www.perplexity.ai/comet/">Perplexity’s Comet</a>) is that you should live your entire desktop computing life inside your browser, which in turn will give the AI agent that is integrated with your browser the contextual knowledge for your entire life.
OpenAI’s ambitions are clearly at odds with Apple’s.
OpenAI’s advantage here is that ChatGPT is the most popular LLM chatbot in the world, by far. Apple doesn’t even have an LLM chatbot of its own, let alone a good or popular one. But Apple’s advantage is a big one: most people don’t live their digital lives on desktop computers, where it’s an option to do most things in a web browser. Most people’s primary computing devices are their phones — and even for people whose primary devices are desktop computers, their phones are much-used satellite devices. And on both iOS and Android alike, people live their mobile digital lives through native apps, not websites.
<div class="footnotes">
<hr />
<ol>
<li id="fn1-2025-10-28">
Goodger is a titanic figure in the web browser world, having helped <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20111116060139/http://weblogs.mozillazine.org/ben/archives/009698.html">create Mozilla Firefox</a> in the early 2000s, and then <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20050210015629/http://weblogs.mozillazine.org/ben/archives/007366.html">joining Google in 2005</a> to help create Chrome. <a href="https://daringfireball.net/linked/2024/11/26/openai-browser">I noted last year</a> that Goodger leaving Google for OpenAI was a pretty clear sign that OpenAI was creating its own web browser. <a href="#fnr1-2025-10-28" class="footnoteBackLink" title="Jump back to footnote 1 in the text.">↩︎</a>
</li>
</ol>
</div>
]]></content>
<title>★ Thoughts, Observations, and Links Regarding ChatGPT Atlas</title></entry><entry>
<title>Nisus Writer: Schrödinger’s Word Processor</title>
<link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="https://tidbits.com/2025/10/25/nisus-writer-schrodingers-word-processor/" />
<link rel="shorturl" type="text/html" href="http://df4.us/wno" />
<link rel="related" type="text/html" href="https://daringfireball.net/linked/2025/10/28/nisus-writer-kissell" />
<id>tag:daringfireball.net,2025:/linked//6.42324</id>
<published>2025-10-28T16:30:48Z</published>
<updated>2025-10-28T16:30:48Z</updated>
<author>
<name>John Gruber</name>
<uri>http://daringfireball.net/</uri>
</author>
<content type="html" xml:base="https://daringfireball.net/linked/" xml:lang="en"><![CDATA[
Joe Kissell, writing at TidBITS:
<blockquote>
For more than a year, we’ve heard scattered complaints: problems
with Nisus Software’s website, particularly the user discussion
forum; slow or absent responses to support requests; assorted
bugs; and other issues. But earlier this week, on 22 October 2025,
the reports changed to: “Did you know the Nisus website is
completely down, and that Nisus Writer is no longer in the Mac App
Store? Does this mean Nisus is out of business?”
On the one hand: The site is back online as I write this. The
app still works. I’m writing the first draft of this article in
Nisus Writer Pro on a Mac running macOS 26 Tahoe, and it’s fine.
You can still download it and buy a license. At least one person
is actively involved in the company, to some extent. It’s
(mostly) alive!
On the other hand: All available evidence suggests that
development and support for Nisus Writer have ceased, and barring
some new information, its future is doubtful. It’s (mostly) dead!
I’m going to tell you what I know. (Well, most of what I know.)
I’m also going to speculate a bit, because despite my best
efforts, I have been unable to obtain verifiable information about
certain topics, though I have a pretty good idea of what’s likely
the case.
</blockquote>
Seems like an ignominious demise for a once-great app. Nisus Writer has been an acclaimed Mac-only (and Mac-assed) word processor since 1989. I never got into it, but I could always see the appeal. Nisus had a macro language for automation and regex-style advanced search and replace. But when I wanted features like those, I wanted them in a plain text editor, not a word processor, so I got into BBEdit.
<div>
<a title="Permanent link to ‘Nisus Writer: Schrödinger’s Word Processor’" href="https://daringfireball.net/linked/2025/10/28/nisus-writer-kissell"> ★ </a>
</div>
]]></content>
</entry><entry>
<link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="https://www.jaho.com/s/df" />
<link rel="shorturl" href="http://df4.us/wnn" />
<link rel="related" type="text/html" href="https://daringfireball.net/feeds/sponsors/2025/10/jaho_coffee_roaster" />
<id>tag:daringfireball.net,2025:/feeds/sponsors//11.42323</id>
<author><name>Daring Fireball Department of Commerce</name></author>
<published>2025-10-28T01:54:55Z</published>
<updated>2025-10-28T01:54:56Z</updated>
<content type="html" xml:base="https://daringfireball.net/feeds/sponsors/" xml:lang="en"><![CDATA[
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Fresh beans shipped nationwide. 
Give up bad coffee for good.
<div>
<a title="Permanent link to ‘Jaho Coffee Roaster’" href="https://daringfireball.net/feeds/sponsors/2025/10/jaho_coffee_roaster"> ★ </a>
</div>
]]></content>
<title>[Sponsor] Jaho Coffee Roaster</title></entry><entry>
<link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="https://daringfireball.net/2025/10/apple_uk_lawsuit_app_store_commissions" />
<link rel="shorturl" href="http://df4.us/wnm" />
<id>tag:daringfireball.net,2025://1.42322</id>
<published>2025-10-27T20:33:32Z</published>
<updated>2025-10-27T20:33:39Z</updated>
<author>
<name>John Gruber</name>
<uri>http://daringfireball.net/</uri>
</author>
<summary type="text">The best time to adjust the rules of the App Store — its exclusivity on app distribution for the entire iOS platform, the exclusivity of Apple’s IAP for purchasing digital content, the commission percentage splits on IAP — was over a decade ago. The next best time to make those adjustments is now.</summary>
<content type="html" xml:base="https://daringfireball.net/" xml:lang="en"><![CDATA[
Sam Tobin, <a href="https://www.reuters.com/sustainability/boards-policy-regulation/apple-loses-uk-lawsuit-over-app-store-commissions-2025-10-23/">reporting last week for Reuters</a>:
<blockquote>
Apple abused its dominant position by charging app developers
unfair commissions, a London tribunal ruled on Thursday, in a blow
which could leave the U.S. tech company on the hook for hundreds
of millions of pounds in damages. The Competition Appeal Tribunal
(CAT) ruled against Apple after a trial of the lawsuit, which was
brought on behalf of millions of iPhone and iPad users in the
United Kingdom.
The CAT ruled that Apple had abused its dominant position from
October 2015 until the end of 2020 by shutting out competition in
the app distribution market and by “charging excessive and unfair
prices” as commission to developers. [...] The case had been
valued at around 1.5 billion pounds ($2 billion) by those who
brought it. A hearing next month will decide how damages are
calculated and Apple’s application for permission to appeal.
</blockquote>
Dan Moren and I discussed this at some length in <a href="https://daringfireball.net/thetalkshow/2025/10/26/ep-432">the new episode of The Talk Show</a> that dropped over the weekend. What makes this ruling interesting isn’t that it’s particularly significant or different from other regulatory/antitrust investigations around the world. It’s the fact that it’s completely in line with other regulatory/antitrust investigations regarding the App Store (and Play Store) from around the world.
When is the last time an investigation regarding the legality of the App Store’s dominant market position went in Apple’s favor, in any country? I can’t recall one. Apple is clearly fighting a losing battle here. Whether Apple ought to be losing all these legal and regulatory battles regarding the App Store is, from a strategic standpoint, almost irrelevant. The obvious fact is, they are losing them.
Apple has approached all this regulatory conflict from a perspective that they’re right, and the regulators are wrong. That the App Store, as Apple wants it, is (a) good for users, (b) fair to developers, and (c) competitive, not anti-competitive, legally. But even if Apple is correct about that, at some point, after being handed loss after loss in rulings from courts and regulatory bodies around the globe, shouldn’t they change their strategy and start trying to offer their own concessions, rather than wait for bureaucrat-designed concessions to be forced upon them?
However Apple thinks all of this should work out is not the way it is working out. The best time to adjust the rules of the App Store — its exclusivity on app distribution for the entire iOS platform, the exclusivity of Apple’s IAP for purchasing digital content, the commission percentage splits on IAP — <a href="https://daringfireball.net/2021/06/app_store_the_schiller_cut">was over a decade ago</a>. The next best time to make those adjustments is now.
]]></content>
<title>★ Apple Loses Landmark U.K. Lawsuit Over App Store Commissions</title></entry><entry>
<title>App Store IDs Hint at Possible iPad Versions of Pixelmator Pro, Compressor, Motion, and MainStage</title>
<link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="https://www.macrumors.com/2025/10/27/apple-may-release-pixelmator-pro-for-ipad/" />
<link rel="shorturl" type="text/html" href="http://df4.us/wnl" />
<link rel="related" type="text/html" href="https://daringfireball.net/linked/2025/10/27/more-apple-pro-apps-for-ipad" />
<id>tag:daringfireball.net,2025:/linked//6.42321</id>
<published>2025-10-27T17:49:57Z</published>
<updated>2025-10-27T21:44:28Z</updated>
<author>
<name>John Gruber</name>
<uri>http://daringfireball.net/</uri>
</author>
<content type="html" xml:base="https://daringfireball.net/linked/" xml:lang="en"><![CDATA[
Joe Rossignol, MacRumors:
<blockquote>
Apple might be preparing iPad apps for Pixelmator Pro, Compressor,
Motion, and MainStage, according to new App Store IDs uncovered by
MacRumors contributor Aaron Perris. All four of the apps are
currently available on the Mac only. A quick overview of each app:
<ul>
<li><a href="https://apps.apple.com/us/app/pixelmator-pro/id1289583905?mt=12">Pixelmator Pro</a>: Professional image editing app <a href="https://www.macrumors.com/2025/02/11/apple-completes-pixelmator-acquisition/">acquired
by Apple</a> earlier this year</li>
<li><a href="https://apps.apple.com/us/app/compressor/id424390742?mt=12">Compressor</a>: Final Cut Pro companion app for compressing
audio and video files</li>
<li><a href="https://apps.apple.com/us/app/motion/id434290957?mt=12">Motion</a>: Final Cut Pro companion app for creating 2D/3D
titles, transitions, and effects</li>
<li><a href="https://apps.apple.com/us/app/mainstage/id634159523?mt=12">MainStage</a>: Logic Pro companion app for live performances</li>
</ul>
There is already a less-capable <a href="https://apps.apple.com/us/app/pixelmator/id924695435">Pixelmator</a> app available
for the iPad and iPhone.
</blockquote>
Interesting though that — just like Final Cut and Logic — these new pro apps are reportedly iPad-only, with no support for iPhone.
Also: <a href="https://mastodon.social/@stroughtonsmith/115447184072770472">still no Xcode</a>, even for iPad.
<div>
<a title="Permanent link to ‘App Store IDs Hint at Possible iPad Versions of Pixelmator Pro, Compressor, Motion, and MainStage’" href="https://daringfireball.net/linked/2025/10/27/more-apple-pro-apps-for-ipad"> ★ </a>
</div>
]]></content>
</entry><entry>
<title>Gurman Reports That Apple Is Preparing to Sell Ads in Maps Starting in 2026</title>
<link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/newsletters/2025-10-26/what-s-next-for-the-ipad-pro-iphone-17-pro-like-vapor-chamber-apple-maps-ads-mh7nq39h" />
<link rel="shorturl" type="text/html" href="http://df4.us/wnk" />
<link rel="related" type="text/html" href="https://daringfireball.net/linked/2025/10/27/gurman-ads-apple-maps" />
<id>tag:daringfireball.net,2025:/linked//6.42320</id>
<published>2025-10-27T16:59:13Z</published>
<updated>2025-10-27T18:00:14Z</updated>
<author>
<name>John Gruber</name>
<uri>http://daringfireball.net/</uri>
</author>
<content type="html" xml:base="https://daringfireball.net/linked/" xml:lang="en"><![CDATA[
Mark Gurman, in his weekly paywalled Power On column for Bloomberg:
<blockquote>
I <a href="https://archive.ph/o/Nv7RN/https://www.bloomberg.com/news/newsletters/2022-08-14/apple-aapl-set-to-expand-advertising-bringing-ads-to-maps-tv-and-books-apps-l6tdqqmg">reported a few years ago</a> that Apple was working to bring
more advertising to iOS. Well, now that effort is gaining traction — with a plan to start the ads as early as next year. The company
is focusing on Apple Maps, which will allow restaurants and other
businesses to pay to have their details featured more prominently
within the app’s searches.
The concept is quite similar to Search Ads inside of the App
Store, where developers can pay for their software to appear in a
promoted slot based on user queries. I’m told the Maps version
will have a better interface than what Google and other companies
offer inside of mapping services. The Apple approach also will
leverage AI to ensure that results are relevant and useful.
The big risk Apple faces here is a potential consumer backlash.
</blockquote>
I don’t love the ads in the App Store, but I don’t hate them. They’re restrained, and clearly labeled. I do, however, despise the ads in Apple News. They’re low-quality, distracting, highly repetitive, and appear far too frequently within articles.
<div>
<a title="Permanent link to ‘Gurman Reports That Apple Is Preparing to Sell Ads in Maps Starting in 2026’" href="https://daringfireball.net/linked/2025/10/27/gurman-ads-apple-maps"> ★ </a>
</div>
]]></content>
</entry><entry>
<title>Joe Rosensteel: ‘Creative Neglect: What About the Apps in Apple?’</title>
<link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="https://sixcolors.com/post/2025/10/creative-neglect-what-about-the-apps-in-apple/" />
<link rel="shorturl" type="text/html" href="http://df4.us/wnj" />
<link rel="related" type="text/html" href="https://daringfireball.net/linked/2025/10/27/rosensteel-apple-apps" />
<id>tag:daringfireball.net,2025:/linked//6.42319</id>
<published>2025-10-27T16:39:42Z</published>
<updated>2025-10-27T16:40:17Z</updated>
<author>
<name>John Gruber</name>
<uri>http://daringfireball.net/</uri>
</author>
<content type="html" xml:base="https://daringfireball.net/linked/" xml:lang="en"><![CDATA[
Joe Rosensteel, writing at Six Colors, regarding the demise of Apple’s Clips app:
<blockquote>
It’s <a href="https://sixcolors.com/post/2017/04/clips-review-creative-fun-amidst-idiosyncrasies/">not that it was completely inept</a>, but <a href="https://sixcolors.com/link/2017/11/clips-20-the-spiritual-successor-to-photo-booth/">it was an
aimless showcase</a> to demonstrate what Apple could do.
It withered over the course of eight years before it was
quietly killed.
At no point did it supplant iMovie for iOS as the fun, easy-breezy
video editor, which is also in a similarly stagnant state. The
only updates iMovie has received in the past year were onboarding
screens for permissions settings.
Why is it that Apple can make what is widely regarded as the best
video recording experience on any smartphone, but it can’t make a
good video editor for a smartphone? Is it partly because these
apps don’t have direct payments, so they can only ever be demos
for hardware and services that do earn money?
</blockquote>
Rosensteel is concerned about the radio silence from Apple regarding Pixelmator and Photomator, the apps (and team) that <a href="https://daringfireball.net/linked/2024/11/01/pixelmator-apple">Apple acquired a year ago</a>:
<blockquote>
Of course, Apple may be assembling its own mirror of the Adobe
Creative Cloud suite so that it can charge one bundle price for
access to a suite of pro apps, and maybe that’s why pricing for
everything is frozen in place, and the iPad Pro apps aren’t in
step with the Mac ones.
</blockquote>
That’s what I hope: that Apple is somewhere near the cusp of announcing some sort of “pro apps” subscription.
<div>
<a title="Permanent link to ‘Joe Rosensteel: ‘Creative Neglect: What About the Apps in Apple?’’" href="https://daringfireball.net/linked/2025/10/27/rosensteel-apple-apps"> ★ </a>
</div>
]]></content>
</entry><entry>
<title>Inside the Math That Detects Cheating on Sports Bets</title>
<link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2025/10/24/nba-rozier-betting-cheating-math-monitors/86857550007/" />
<link rel="shorturl" type="text/html" href="http://df4.us/wni" />
<link rel="related" type="text/html" href="https://daringfireball.net/linked/2025/10/27/inside-the-math-that-detects-cheating-on-sports-bets" />
<id>tag:daringfireball.net,2025:/linked//6.42318</id>
<published>2025-10-27T16:05:10Z</published>
<updated>2025-10-27T16:05:10Z</updated>
<author>
<name>John Gruber</name>
<uri>http://daringfireball.net/</uri>
</author>
<content type="html" xml:base="https://daringfireball.net/linked/" xml:lang="en"><![CDATA[
Dian Zhang and Ignacio Calderon, reporting for USA Today:
<blockquote>
Even before Terry Rozier dropped out of the 2023 NBA game in which
he’s accused of rigging his statistics, computers at an “integrity
monitor” firm flagged a flood of bets that did not match a
mathematical model of how this game should go. The company, now
called IC360, <a href="https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/nba/2025/01/30/nba-terry-rozier-under-investigation-illegal-gambling-scheme/78054903007/">alerted the NBA and sportsbooks about the unusual
bets coming in on Rozier’s performance</a>.
The investigation that led to the arrest of the Miami Heat point
guard and dozens of others for illegal gambling started with math.
It ended Oct. 23 with Rozier charged with manipulating his
performance in that 2023 game so that gamblers in the know could
win tens of thousands of dollars.
Beep. Boop. Busted.
Federal authorities allege <a href="https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/nba/2025/10/23/terry-rozier-gambling-nba-scandal-arrested-earnings/86859092007/">more than $200,000 poured in</a>
betting that Rozier would turn in a below-average performance in
that game after Rozier told another defendant he would drop out of
the game early with an injury. Rozier played 9 minutes, 34 seconds
for the Charlotte Hornets in the game against the New Orleans
Pelicans before leaving with an injury and finished under his
usual totals for points, assists and 3-pointers.
</blockquote>
A lot of these stories about cheating on sports betting involve <a href="https://onefoottsunami.com/2023/07/18/bert-was-a-piece-of-work/">characters who aren’t exactly the sharpest tools in the shed</a>. Makes me wonder how many inside-info cheaters are getting away with it, because they’re not doing anything conspicuous like placing very large wagers on very obscure games or prop bets.
<div>
<a title="Permanent link to ‘Inside the Math That Detects Cheating on Sports Bets’" href="https://daringfireball.net/linked/2025/10/27/inside-the-math-that-detects-cheating-on-sports-bets"> ★ </a>
</div>
]]></content>
</entry><entry>
<title>Behind the Design: Adobe Premiere on iOS</title>
<link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="https://adobe.design/stories/process/behind-the-design-adobe-premiere-on-ios" />
<link rel="shorturl" type="text/html" href="http://df4.us/wnh" />
<link rel="related" type="text/html" href="https://daringfireball.net/linked/2025/10/27/behind-the-design-adobe-premiere-on-ios" />
<id>tag:daringfireball.net,2025:/linked//6.42317</id>
<published>2025-10-27T15:00:28Z</published>
<updated>2025-10-27T15:01:23Z</updated>
<author>
<name>John Gruber</name>
<uri>http://daringfireball.net/</uri>
</author>
<content type="html" xml:base="https://daringfireball.net/linked/" xml:lang="en"><![CDATA[
Adobe Design profiles Adobe’s new Premiere app for iOS, and interviews Christopher Azar, group design manager for Adobe Video, regarding the thinking behind the app and its design:
<blockquote>
What was the primary goal when you set out to design Premiere
on iOS?
Christopher Azar: Our goal was to design a professional-grade
product that carried the powerful, precise spirit of Premiere
while feeling modern, approachable, and even fun. We call our
vision “intuitive precision”: a high-performance, intelligent tool
powered by cutting-edge AI that enables creators to work how and
where they want — in the field, experimenting, and honing their
storytelling craft.
That meant making this editing power available to a broader
creative community. Desktop software has traditionally been built
for professionals with large budgets. Our goal was not only to
make a professional tool easier to use, but to make it available
to more people than ever before. I would have wanted to use this
app when I was coming up as a creative, so I’m excited we’re
providing high-quality software for everyone who wants it — without a big investment in time or money.
</blockquote>
It really does seem like a breakthrough app for the platform. An Android version is in the works, Adobe says, but for now, Premiere is an iOS exclusive. Kind of weird that Apple itself makes Final Cut Pro for both the Mac and iPad, but still hasn’t made a serious video editing app for the iPhone.
<div>
<a title="Permanent link to ‘Behind the Design: Adobe Premiere on iOS’" href="https://daringfireball.net/linked/2025/10/27/behind-the-design-adobe-premiere-on-ios"> ★ </a>
</div>
]]></content>
</entry><entry>
<title>The Talk Show: ‘You and Frank Sinatra’</title>
<link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="https://daringfireball.net/thetalkshow/2025/10/26/ep-432" />
<link rel="shorturl" type="text/html" href="http://df4.us/wng" />
<link rel="related" type="text/html" href="https://daringfireball.net/linked/2025/10/26/the-talk-show-432" />
<id>tag:daringfireball.net,2025:/linked//6.42316</id>
<published>2025-10-26T19:00:23Z</published>
<updated>2025-10-26T19:00:23Z</updated>
<author>
<name>John Gruber</name>
<uri>http://daringfireball.net/</uri>
</author>
<content type="html" xml:base="https://daringfireball.net/linked/" xml:lang="en"><![CDATA[
For your weekend listening enjoyment, a new episode of America’s favorite 3-star podcast, with special guest Dan Moren. Topics include Atlas, ChatGPT’s new web browser (or anti-web browser) for the Mac; Apple’s loss in a “landmark” regulatory lawsuit in the UK regarding App Store commission rates; multiple reports of poor sales for the iPhone Air; and Apple’s M5 product announcements: MacBook Pro, iPads Pro, and Vision Pro.
Brought to you by these fine sponsors:
<ul>
<li><a href="https://squarespace.com/talkshow">Squarespace</a>: Save 10% off your first purchase of a website or domain using code talkshow.</li>
<li><a href="https://factormeals.com/talkshow50off">Factor</a>: Healthy eating, made easy. Get 50% off your first box, plus free breakfast for 1 year.</li>
</ul>
<div>
<a title="Permanent link to ‘The Talk Show: ‘You and Frank Sinatra’’" href="https://daringfireball.net/linked/2025/10/26/the-talk-show-432"> ★ </a>
</div>
]]></content>
</entry><entry>
<link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="https://daringfireball.net/2025/10/not_boring_camera_and_adobe_project_indigo" />
<link rel="shorturl" href="http://df4.us/wmv" />
<id>tag:daringfireball.net,2025://1.42295</id>
<published>2025-10-21T18:25:14Z</published>
<updated>2025-10-22T15:48:11Z</updated>
<author>
<name>John Gruber</name>
<uri>http://daringfireball.net/</uri>
</author>
<summary type="text">Two new(ish) iPhone camera apps that take decidedly different approaches to distinguish themselves from Apple’s built-in Camera app.</summary>
<content type="html" xml:base="https://daringfireball.net/" xml:lang="en"><![CDATA[
<a href="https://daringfireball.net/misc/2025/10/sjt-june-2025.jpeg" class="noborder">
<img
src = "https://daringfireball.net/misc/2025/10/sjt-june-2025.jpeg"
alt = "The lower atrium at Steve Jobs Theater, WWDC 2025."
width = 500
/></a>
I took the above photo on Monday, June 9, <a href="https://glass.photo/gruber/series/2skCCKMH4LYm8HAuxeoMHo-wwdc-2025-apple-park">this year at WWDC</a>. Keynote day, around 1:30pm PT. I captured it using my iPhone 16 Pro and <a href="https://notbor.ing/product/camera">Not Boring’s !Camera app</a>, using the built-in Mono Tokyo LUT. Like the other apps in Not Boring’s growing suite, !Camera can be mistaken by the too-cynical as a toy. It is fun and colorful, and some of its features exist for the sake of fun alone. But, just like Not Boring’s other offerings (my favorites: <a href="https://notbor.ing/product/weather">!Weather</a>, <a href="https://notbor.ing/product/calculator">!Calculator</a>, and <a href="https://notbor.ing/product/habits">!Habits</a>), it’s a genuinely serious tool. And of the bunch, I think !Camera is the most innovative. The fact that it’s fun makes me want to use it — a vastly underestimated attribute of tool design. <a href="https://notbor.ing/product/camera">From Not Boring’s website</a>:
<blockquote>
Go from snap to sharing without any editing. !Camera is the first
camera app to enable professional-level color grading with 3D LUTs
(“lookup tables”) used in high-end workflows by pro photographers
to achieve realistic film simulations and unique cinematic looks.
Use !Camera’s designed presets, add LUTs from your favorite
creators, or make and import your own! New Styles and
collaborations released every season.
</blockquote>
!Camera looks gimmicky but I assure you it’s not — and what might strike you as gimmicky is really just plain fun and whimsical. My affection for it, and my use of it, has grown, not shrunk, as the months have gone by. While my hardware Camera Control buttons (plural, as I’m currently testing multiple iPhones) remain set to open Apple’s own Camera app, which I continue to use by default, I keep !Camera’s simple widget on my iPhones’ Lock Screens to launch it quickly after unpocketing my iPhone.
!Camera’s use of LUTs for filter-like effects opens the app to a wide world of non-proprietary looks. The best source I’ve found for new LUTs to import is the <a href="https://apps.apple.com/us/app/panasonic-lumix-lab/id6499262377">Panasonic LUMIX Lab</a> app — Panasonic’s built-in LUTs are boring, but the app has a whole community of user-submitted LUTs and I’ve found several of them that are lovely. !Camera’s custom “SuperRAW” format, is, in my opinion, key to the appeal of the app:
<blockquote>
No more flat lifeless photos, no AI processing, no weird
artifacts. Our SuperRaw™ photo processing has been crafted to
showcase more film-like tones and preserve a photo’s beautiful
natural grain.
</blockquote>
Rather than fighting the nature of the small (and thus, noisy) sensors in the iPhone camera systems, SuperRAW processing embraces the noise, imbuing images with <a href="https://x.com/asallen/status/1947321942127845853">natural-looking grain</a>. The results, to my eyes, are genuinely film-like. If you want, you can configure !Camera to save a raw DNG file alongside each capture, for post-processing in an app like Darkroom, Lightroom, or Photoshop. I’m glad that option is there, but I just shoot in SuperRAW, which saves ready-to-share HEIC files with the LUT applied in my camera roll, so what I see is what I get.
Each of Not Boring’s apps is available for a $15/year subscription, but the way to go is <a href="https://notbor.ing/plans">Not Boring’s $50/year “Super !Boring” subscription</a>, which grants you a license to their entire suite of apps. I was already a Super !Boring subscriber when !Camera launched, so, effectively, I got it for free. $50/year isn’t nothing, but it’s not much, and subscriptions have proven to be the best monetization strategy for indie developers in today’s world.
<h2>Project Indigo</h2>
Marc Levoy, Adobe fellow, and Florian Kainz, principal scientist, <a href="https://research.adobe.com/articles/indigo/indigo.html">on the Adobe Research blog back in June</a>:
<blockquote>
Second, people often complain about the “smartphone look” — overly
bright, low contrast, high color saturation, strong smoothing, and
strong sharpening. To some extent this look is driven by consumer
preference. It also makes photos easier to read on the small
screen and in bad lighting. But to the discerning photographer, or
anybody who views these photos on a larger screen than a phone,
they may look unrealistic. [...]
What’s different about computational photography using Indigo?
First, we under-expose more strongly than most cameras. Second, we
capture, align, and combine more frames when producing each photo — up to 32 frames as in the example above. This means that our
photos have fewer blown-out highlights and less noise in the
shadows. Taking a photo with our app may require slightly more
patience after pressing the shutter button than you’re used to,
but after a few seconds you’ll be rewarded with a better picture.
As a side benefit of these two strategies, we need less spatial
denoising (i.e. smoothing) than most camera apps. This means we
preserve more natural textures. In fact, we bias our processing
towards minimal smoothing, even if this means leaving a bit of
noise in the photo. You can see these effects in the example
photos later in this article.
One more thing. Many of our users prefer to shoot raw, not JPEGs,
and they want these raw images to benefit from computational
photography. (Some big cameras offer the ability to capture
bursts of images and combine them in-camera, but they output a
JPEG, not a raw file.) Indigo can output JPEG or raw files that
benefit equally from the computational photography strategy
outlined here. [...]
In reaction to the prevailing smartphone look, some camera apps
advertise “zero-process” photography. In fact, the pixels read
from a digital sensor must be processed to create a recognizable
image. This processing includes at a minimum white balancing,
color correction to account for the different light sensitivity of
the red, green and blue pixels, and demosaicing to create a
full-color image. Based on our conversations with photographers,
what they really want is not zero-process but a more natural look — more like what an SLR might produce. To accomplish this, our
photos employ only mild tone mapping, boosting of color
saturation, and sharpening. We do perform semantically-aware
mask-based adjustments, but only subtle ones.
</blockquote>
You may recognize Levoy’s name. After a distinguished career <a href="https://graphics.stanford.edu/~levoy/">at Stanford teaching computer science</a>, Levoy spent 2014 to 2020 leading the computational photography team at Google <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-h7Is5MA3Ng">for their highly-regarded-as-cameras Pixel phones</a>. In 2020 <a href="https://daringfireball.net/linked/2020/07/20/levoy-adobe">Levoy left Google for Adobe</a>, and Indigo is one of the first fruits of his time there.
Allison Johnson of The Verge — notably, she came to The Verge by way of <a href="https://www.dpreview.com/">DPReview</a> — wrote a splendid piece on Indigo shortly after the app debuted, under the headline “<a href="https://www.theverge.com/tech/694014/adobe-project-indigo-camera-app-hands-on-hdr">Adobe’s New Camera App Is Making Me Rethink Phone Photography</a>”:
<blockquote>
If you hate the overly aggressive HDR look, or you’re tired of
your iPhone sharpening the ever-living crap out of your photos,
Project Indigo might be for you. It’s available in beta on iOS,
though it is not — and I stress this — for the faint of heart.
It’s slow, it’s prone to heating up my iPhone, and it drains the
battery. But it’s the most thoughtfully designed camera experience
I’ve ever used on a phone, and it gave me a renewed sense of
curiosity about the camera I use every day.
You’ll know this isn’t your garden-variety camera app right from
the onboarding screens. One section details the difference between
two histograms available to use with the live preview image (one
is based on Indigo’s own processing and one is based on Apple’s
image pipeline). Another line describes the way the app handles
processing of subjects and skies as “special (but gentle).” This
is a camera nerd’s love language.
</blockquote>
Slow and battery-draining is exactly why Apple hasn’t pursued these sorts of advanced computational photography techniques in the built-in Camera app. Apple’s Camera app is super-fast and takes extraordinary effort to go easy on the battery. Apple is making entirely different trade-offs — correctly — for the default Camera app. Pro and prosumer photographers may want to make completely different trade-offs when it comes to image processing time and energy.<a href="#fn1-2025-10-21">1</a> (For the last few years, Apple has shot its keynote events using iPhone cameras exclusively, but they use apps like <a href="https://www.blackmagicdesign.com/products/blackmagiccamera">Blackmagic Camera</a>, not the built-in Camera app, to shoot them.)
I’m deeply intrigued by Indigo, and I have a few friends who’ve shown me some extraordinary photographs taken with the app. If they hadn’t told me, I’d have wagered their photos were taken with dedicated large-sensor digital cameras, not phones. Johnson described Indigo as “not for the faint of heart”, and I’m just faint-hearted — or perhaps lazy — enough that, when venturing to a third-party camera app during the past few months, I’ve reached for !Camera, not Indigo, mainly because I don’t want to bother with any sort of manual post-processing for any but my very favorite of favorite images. But Indigo — available <a href="https://apps.apple.com/us/app/project-indigo/id6742591546">free of charge from the App Store</a> — is well worth your attention.<a href="#fn2-2025-10-21">2</a> I hope it’s an app that Adobe is serious about maintaining and developing into the future.
<div class="footnotes">
<hr />
<ol>
<li id="fn1-2025-10-21">
Johnson also interviewed Levoy last month on The Vergecast. <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bQI6G0cbZKY&t=1822s">The interview starts at 30m:22s</a>. <a href="#fnr1-2025-10-21" class="footnoteBackLink" title="Jump back to footnote 1 in the text.">↩︎</a>
</li>
<li id="fn2-2025-10-21">
Indigo is currently iOS-only, but <a href="https://research.adobe.com/articles/indigo/indigo.html">in their introductory blog post</a>, Levoy and Kainz write: “What’s next for Project Indigo? An Android version for sure. We’d also like to add alternative ‘looks’, maybe even personalized ones. We also plan to add a portrait mode, but with more control and higher image quality than existing camera apps, as well as panorama and video recording, including some cool computational video features we’re cooking up in the lab.” Also worth noting: Indigo’s computational photography is so tied to specific hardware that it <a href="https://community.adobe.com/t5/lightroom-ecosystem-cloud-based-discussions/p-introducing-the-project-indigo-camera-app/m-p/15513112#M108265">doesn’t yet support</a> any of the iPhones 17 nor the iPhone Air. <a href="#fnr2-2025-10-21" class="footnoteBackLink" title="Jump back to footnote 2 in the text.">↩︎︎</a>
</li>
</ol>
</div>
]]></content>
<title>★ Two Excellent New iPhone Camera Apps: Not Boring’s !Camera and Adobe’s Project Indigo</title></entry><entry>
<link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="https://daringfireball.net/2025/10/m5_chip_launches_with_macbook_pro_ipad_pro_vision_pro" />
<link rel="shorturl" href="http://df4.us/wm7" />
<id>tag:daringfireball.net,2025://1.42271</id>
<published>2025-10-15T21:04:41Z</published>
<updated>2025-10-15T21:30:42Z</updated>
<author>
<name>John Gruber</name>
<uri>http://daringfireball.net/</uri>
</author>
<summary type="text">Thoughts and observations on the new M5 MacBook Pro, iPad Pros, and Vision Pro.</summary>
<content type="html" xml:base="https://daringfireball.net/" xml:lang="en"><![CDATA[
<a href="https://www.apple.com/newsroom/2025/10/apple-unleashes-m5-the-next-big-leap-in-ai-performance-for-apple-silicon/">Apple Newsroom, today</a>:
<blockquote>
Apple today announced M5, delivering the next big leap in AI
performance and advances to nearly every aspect of the chip. Built
using third-generation 3-nanometer technology, M5 introduces a
next-generation 10-core GPU architecture with a Neural Accelerator
in each core, enabling GPU-based AI workloads to run dramatically
faster, with over 4× the peak GPU compute performance compared to
M4. The GPU also offers enhanced graphics capabilities and
third-generation ray tracing that combined deliver a graphics
performance that is up to 45 percent higher than M4. M5 features
the world’s fastest performance core, with up to a 10-core CPU
made up of six efficiency cores and up to four performance cores.
Together, they deliver up to 15 percent faster multithreaded
performance over M4. M5 also features an improved 16-core Neural
Engine, a powerful media engine, and a nearly 30 percent increase
in unified memory bandwidth to 153GB/s. M5 brings its
industry-leading power-efficient performance to the new <a href="https://www.apple.com/newsroom/2025/10/apple-unveils-new-14-inch-macbook-pro-powered-by-the-m5-chip/">14-inch
MacBook Pro</a>, <a href="https://www.apple.com/newsroom/2025/10/apple-introduces-the-powerful-new-ipad-pro-with-the-m5-chip/">iPad Pro</a>, and <a href="https://www.apple.com/newsroom/2025/10/apple-vision-pro-upgraded-with-the-m5-chip-and-dual-knit-band/">Apple Vision Pro</a>,
allowing each device to excel in its own way. All are available
for pre-order today.
</blockquote>
Some thoughts and observations:
<h2>14-Inch MacBook Pro</h2>
Apple Newsroom: “<a href="https://www.apple.com/newsroom/2025/10/apple-unveils-new-14-inch-macbook-pro-powered-by-the-m5-chip/">Apple Unveils New 14‑Inch MacBook Pro Powered by the M5 Chip, Delivering the Next Big Leap in AI for the Mac</a>”.
The 14-inch MacBook Pro with the no-adjective M-series chip has always been an odd duck in the MacBook lineup. This “Pro”-but-not-pro spot in the MacBook lineup goes back to the Intel era, when there was a 13-inch MacBook Pro without a Touch Bar. That was the MacBook Pro that, in 2016, Phil Schiller suggested as <a href="https://www.cnet.com/tech/computing/new-macbook-pro-should-have-been-named-air/">a good choice for those who were then holding out for a MacBook Air with a retina display</a>. (The <a href="https://support.apple.com/en-us/111933">first retina MacBook Air</a> didn’t ship for another two years, in late 2018.) It’s more like a MacBook “Pro” than a MacBook Pro. The truly pro-spec’d MacBook Pros have M-series Pro and Max chips, and are available in both 14- and 16-inch sizes. The base 14-inch model, with the no-adjective M-series chip, is for people who probably would be better served with a MacBook Air but who wrongly believe they “need” a laptop with “Pro” in its name.
Here’s a timeline of no-adjective M-series chips and when they appeared in the 14-inch MacBook Pro:
<ul>
<li>M1 13-inch MacBook Pro: <a href="https://www.apple.com/newsroom/2020/11/introducing-the-next-generation-of-mac/">10 November 2020</a>. This MacBook Pro was one of the three Macs that debuted with the launch of Apple Silicon — the others were the MacBook Air and Mac Mini. The hardware looked exactly like the last generation Intel MacBook Pro. The M1 Pro and M1 Max models didn’t ship for another year (well, 11 months later), and those models brought with them the new form factor design that’s still with us today with the new M5 MacBook Pro.</li>
<li>M2 13-inch MacBook Pro: <a href="https://www.apple.com/newsroom/2022/06/apple-unveils-m2-with-breakthrough-performance-and-capabilities/">6 June 2022</a>. This model also stuck with the older Intel-era form factor, including the 13-inch, not 14-inch, display size.</li>
<li>M3 14-inch MacBook Pro: <a href="https://www.apple.com/newsroom/2023/10/apple-unveils-new-macbook-pro-featuring-m3-chips/">30 October 2023</a>. The “<a href="https://www.apple.com/newsroom/2023/10/behind-the-scenes-at-scary-fast-apples-keynote-event-shot-on-iphone/">Scary Fast</a>” event. This model debuted alongside the pro-spec’d M3 Pro and M3 Max 14- and 16-inch models.</li>
<li>M4 14-inch MacBook Pro: <a href="https://www.apple.com/newsroom/2024/10/new-macbook-pro-features-m4-family-of-chips-and-apple-intelligence/">30 October 2024</a>. Exactly one year after the M3, and also alongside the M4 Pro and M4 Max models. What was different in 2024 with the M4 generation is that <a href="https://www.apple.com/newsroom/2024/05/apple-unveils-stunning-new-ipad-pro-with-m4-chip-and-apple-pencil-pro/">the M4 iPad Pros debuted back in early May</a>, all by themselves.</li>
<li>M5 14-inch MacBook Pro: <a href="https://www.apple.com/newsroom/2025/10/apple-unveils-new-14-inch-macbook-pro-powered-by-the-m5-chip/">15 October 2025</a> (today). What’s different with today’s announcement is that it is not alongside the M5 Pro and M5 Max models, but is alongside the M5 iPad Pros.</li>
</ul>
This raises the question of when to expect those M5 Pro/Max models. The rumor mill suggests “early 2026”. I suspect that’s right, based on nothing other than the fact that if they were going to be announced this year, Apple almost certainly would have announced the entire M5 generation MacBook lineup together.
Basically, this is just a <a href="https://www.apple.com/macbook-pro/compare/?modelList=MacBook-Pro-14-M5,MacBook-Pro-14-M4,MacBook-Pro-14-M4-Pro">speed bump upgrade over the just-plain M4 MacBook Pro</a>. But annual — or at least regular — <a href="https://daringfireball.net/2019/05/good_old_fashioned_macbook_pro_speed_bumps">speed bumps are a good thing</a>. The alternative is years-long gaps between hardware refreshes.
<h2>iPad Pros</h2>
Apple Newsroom: “<a href="https://www.apple.com/newsroom/2025/10/apple-introduces-the-powerful-new-ipad-pro-with-the-m5-chip/">Apple Introduces the Powerful New iPad Pro With the M5 Chip</a>”:
<blockquote>
Featuring a next-generation GPU with a Neural Accelerator in each
core, M5 delivers a big boost in performance for iPad Pro users,
whether they’re working on cutting-edge projects or tapping into
AI for productivity. The new iPad Pro delivers up to 3.5× the AI
performance than iPad Pro with M4 and up to 5.6× faster than iPad
Pro with M1. N1, the new Apple-designed wireless networking chip,
enables the latest generation of wireless technologies with
support for Wi-Fi 7 on iPad Pro. The C1X modem comes to cellular
models of iPad Pro, delivering up to 50 percent faster cellular
data performance than its predecessor with even greater
efficiency, allowing users to do more on the go.
</blockquote>
I think the N1 wireless chip and C1X modem are more interesting generation-over-generation improvements than the M5 chip. Thanks to the N1, these iPad Pro models support Wi-Fi 7 — today’s new M5 14-inch MacBook Pro does not. I would wager rather heavily that the upcoming M5 Pro and M5 Max MacBook Pro models will support Wi-Fi 7 (probably via the N1 chip, or perhaps even an “N1X” or something).
Other than that, this too <a href="https://www.apple.com/ipad/compare/?modelList=ipad-pro-11-m5,ipad-pro-11-m4,ipad-air-11-m3">is a speed bump upgrade</a>.
<h2>Vision Pro</h2>
Apple Newsroom: “<a href="https://www.apple.com/newsroom/2025/10/apple-vision-pro-upgraded-with-the-m5-chip-and-dual-knit-band/">Apple Vision Pro Upgraded With the M5 Chip and Dual Knit Band</a>”:
<blockquote>
The upgraded Vision Pro also comes with the soft, cushioned Dual
Knit Band to help users achieve an even more comfortable fit, and
visionOS 26, which unlocks innovative spatial experiences,
including widgets, new Personas, an interactive Jupiter
Environment, and new Apple Intelligence features with support for
additional languages.
</blockquote>
The new Dual Knit Band (<a href="https://www.apple.com/shop/product/DUAL_KNIT_BAND_SA/apple-vision-pro-dual-knit-band">$99 on its own</a>) looks like a hybrid of the more attractive Solo Knit Band (which did not have a strap that went over the top of your head) and the Dual Loop Band (which did have an over-the-head strap, but which looked somewhat orthopedic). It’s a tacit acknowledgement that physical comfort has been a real problem for many people who’ve tried Vision Pro. (Me, personally, I find using it with the Solo Knit Band comfortable for as long as I care to use it — which is typically just 2–3 hours, tops.)
<blockquote>
There are over 1 million apps and thousands of games on the App
Store, hundreds of 3D movies on the Apple TV app, and all-new
series and films in Apple Immersive with a selection of live NBA
games coming soon.
</blockquote>
Translation: Hey, there’s actually a growing library of immersive content to watch, software to use, and games to play for this thing now.
<blockquote>
With M5, Apple Vision Pro renders 10 percent more pixels on the
custom micro-OLED displays compared to the previous generation,
resulting in a sharper image with crisper text and more detailed
visuals. Vision Pro can also increase the refresh rate up to 120Hz
for reduced motion blur when users look at their physical
surroundings, and an even smoother experience when using Mac
Virtual Display. Vision Pro with M5 works alongside the
purpose-built R1 chip, which processes input from 12 cameras, five
sensors, and six microphones, and streams new images to the
displays within 12 milliseconds to create a real-time view of the
world. The high-performance battery now supports up to two and a
half hours of general use, and up to three hours of video
playback, all on a single charge.
</blockquote>
It’s merely another speed bump upgrade alongside the other two speed bump upgrades today, but a bit more dramatic given that the Vision Pro is jumping from the M2 to M5. No price drop, no change to the form factor. But Apple’s interest in the platform is very much alive.
]]></content>
<title>★ The Just Plain M5 Chip Launches in Three Updated Products: 14-Inch MacBook Pro, iPad Pro (Both Sizes), and Some Sort of Headset Thingamajig Called Vision Pro</title></entry><entry>
<link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="https://daringfireball.net/2025/10/iceblock_removed_from_app_store" />
<link rel="shorturl" href="http://df4.us/wld" />
<id>tag:daringfireball.net,2025://1.42241</id>
<published>2025-10-03T20:56:36Z</published>
<updated>2025-10-04T18:53:40Z</updated>
<author>
<name>John Gruber</name>
<uri>http://daringfireball.net/</uri>
</author>
<summary type="text">It’s rather chilling to consider what Apple would have done if the Trump administration had “demanded” a list of device IDs and user identities for everyone who had installed ICEBlock. Or what Apple *will* do if such a demand pops into one of their dimwitted but cruel minds.</summary>
<content type="html" xml:base="https://daringfireball.net/" xml:lang="en"><![CDATA[
<a href="https://www.foxbusiness.com/politics/apple-takes-down-ice-tracking-app-after-pressure-from-ag-bondi">Ashley Oliver, reporting for Fox Business</a>:
<blockquote>
DOJ officials, at the direction of Attorney General Pam Bondi,
asked Apple to take down ICEBlock, a move that comes as Trump
administration officials have claimed the tool, which allows users
to anonymously report ICE agents’ presence, puts agents in danger
and helps shield illegal immigrants.
“We reached out to Apple today demanding they remove the ICEBlock
app from their App Store — and Apple did so,” Bondi said in a
statement to Fox News Digital.
“ICEBlock is designed to put ICE agents at risk just for doing
their jobs, and violence against law enforcement is an intolerable
red line that cannot be crossed,” Bondi added. “This Department of
Justice will continue making every effort to protect our brave
federal law enforcement officers, who risk their lives every day
to keep Americans safe.”
</blockquote>
Fox, in its opening paragraph, describes Bondi as having “asked” Apple to remove ICEBlock from the App Store, but Bondi’s own statement uses the verb “demand”. The difference is not nitpicking. No one, not even Bondi, is claiming any aspect of ICEBlock is illegal. Thus it’s not merely inappropriate but outrageous — and yet another among dozens of other causes for alarm regarding Trump 2.0’s decidedly authoritarian turn — for the DOJ to “demand” that Apple do anything about it. But demand they did, and comply did Apple. (Check those lips <a href="https://daringfireball.net/2024/11/i_wonder">for Cheetos dust</a> before heading home today.)
Katherine Tangalakis-Lippert, Peter Kafka, and Kwan Wei Kevin Tan, <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/apple-iceblock-app-store-removed-2025-10">reporting for Business Insider</a>:
<blockquote>
Apple has removed ICEBlock, an app that allowed users to monitor
and report the location of immigration enforcement officers, from
the App Store.
“We created the App Store to be a safe and trusted place to
discover apps,” Apple said in a statement to Business Insider.
“Based on information we’ve received from law enforcement about
the safety risks associated with ICEBlock, we have removed it and
similar apps from the App Store.”
</blockquote>
ICEBlock developer Joshua Aaron, <a href="https://bsky.app/profile/iceblock.app/post/3m2alyaghbk2n">posting on the ICEBlock Bluesky account</a>:
<blockquote>
We just received a message from Apple’s App Review that #ICEBlock
has been removed from the App Store due to “objectionable
content”. The only thing we can imagine is this is due to pressure
from the Trump Admin.
We have responded and we’ll fight this! #resist
</blockquote>
There is clearly nothing illegal about ICEBlock.<a href="#fn1-2025-10-03">1</a> It’s just information, obviously protected by the First Amendment. Law enforcement officers in the United States have no right to avoid being recorded nor their actions being reported and shared. Reporting and publishing where police are policing is free speech and fundamental to the civil rights and liberties of a free society.
We can all wish Apple had fought this “demand”. I certainly do. <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ohPToBog_-g">John Oliver’s “Fuck you, make me”</a> argument <a href="https://daringfireball.net/linked/2025/10/03/fuck-you-make-me">sprung to mind</a> for me this morning. But that’s wishful thinking. I believe there are many lines Apple would not cross, even if it means taking on the ire of Trump administration lickspittles, if not the barely literate wrath of the mad king himself on <a href="https://daringfireball.net/2025/06/truth_social_is_just_trumps_blog">his sad little blog</a>. Apple may well eventually — if not soon — be forced to define those lines. But keeping ICEBlock in the App Store isn’t one of them. You might believe it should be. There’s a big part of me that believes it should be. But I can also <a href="https://daringfireball.net/2025/08/gold_frankincense_and_silicon">see why it’s not</a>. Pick your battles.
I wrote about ICEBlock twice back in late July. <a href="https://daringfireball.net/2025/07/iceblock">Quoting extensively from my initial post</a>:
<blockquote>
The ICEBlock app is interesting in and of itself (and from my
tire-kicking test drive, appears to be a well-crafted and designed
app), as will be Apple’s response if (when?) the Trump
administration takes offense to the app’s existence. Back in 2019,
kowtowing to tacit demands from China, <a href="https://daringfireball.net/linked/2019/10/10/apple-pulls-hkmaps">Apple removed from the App
Store an app called HKmap.live</a> which helped pro-democracy
activists in Hong Kong know the location of police and protest
activity. The app broke no Hong Kong laws, but <a href="https://www.npr.org/2019/10/10/768841864/after-china-objects-apple-removes-app-used-by-hong-kong-protesters">scared the
thin-skinned skittish lickspittles in the Chinese Communist
Party</a>. (Remember too that in 2019, <a href="https://daringfireball.net/linked/2019/10/07/taiwan-flag-emoji">Apple removed the Taiwan
flag emoji</a> (🇹🇼) from the iOS 13 keyboard for users in Hong
Kong and Macau.)
One defense from Apple regarding HKmap.live, however, was that the
iOS app was a thin wrapper around the website, which website
remained fully functional and could be saved to an iPhone user’s
home screen. Removing the app from the App Store thus did not
prevent Hongkongers from accessing it. (<a href="https://hkmap.live/">That website</a> today
<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HKmap.live">seems to be defunct</a>.)
ICEBlock is different. It is only available as a native iOS app.
According to the developers, this is for technical reasons. From
their web page explaining <a href="https://www.iceblock.app/android">why they can’t offer an Android
version</a>:
<blockquote>
At ICEBlock, user privacy and security are paramount. Our
application is designed to provide as much anonymity as possible
without storing any user data or creating accounts. While we
understand the desire for an Android version of ICEBlock,
achieving this level of anonymity on Android is not feasible due
to the inherent requirements of push notification services.
To send push notifications on Android, it is necessary to use a
mechanism that requires storing device IDs. This means that we
would need to maintain a privately hosted database to store these
identifiers. Storing such data, even if it’s anonymized,
introduces significant privacy risks. [...]
In contrast, iOS offers us the flexibility to deliver push
notifications while adhering strictly to our design philosophy.
Apple’s ecosystem allows for push notifications to be sent
without requiring us to store any user-identifiable information.
This ensures that ICEBlock remains completely anonymous and
secure.
</blockquote>
To deliver push notifications on Android, the developers claim
they would need to maintain a database of device IDs, create a
user account system to manage those device IDs, and all of that
server-stored data would be susceptible to law enforcement
subpoenas and pro-ICE red hat hackers. (What “brown shirts” were
to the Nazis, we should make “red hats” to MAGA.)
To maintain anonymity and store zero user data, there is and can
be no web app version of ICEBlock. There is and can be no Android
version. Only iOS supports the security and privacy features for
ICEBlock to offer what it does, the way it does. Here’s to hoping
that Apple will proudly defend it if push comes to shove.
</blockquote>
Apple’s removal of ICEBlock from the App Store is, in multiple ways, worse than Apple’s removal of HKmap.live from the App Store back in 2019. First, you cannot take a disagreement with the Chinese government to court. Here in the United States, you can. But Apple chose not to. That’s a display of weakness. 
Second, from the perspective of users, without the HKmap.live “app”, Hong Kong iPhone users could still access all the functionality via the website, and the website could be saved to their home screens as a web app that was, I believe, functionally identical to the version from the App Store. I put “app” in quotes above because the HKmap.live app was really just a thin wrapper around the service’s mobile website. Hongkongers lost some convenience, and they lost the ability to tell non-technical protestor friends “just get it from the App Store”, but it’s not that much more complex to explain how to add a website to your iPhone home screen as a web app.
With ICEBlock, the entire thing is simply no longer available. If you already have ICEBlock installed, the installed version still functions on your iPhone, but, until and if Apple changes its mind, there will be no further software updates and new users are unable to download it. Nor will current users be able to re-download the app on a new iPhone — and now is “new iPhone” season. And, seemingly, there can be no web app (or Android) version of ICEBlock that offers the same level of anonymity as the native iOS version — with notifications, but without user accounts nor any database of device IDs for notifications that would be subject to subpoena from ICEBlock.
The gist of <a href="https://daringfireball.net/linked/2025/07/26/iceblock-trust-apple">my second post on ICEBlock</a> from back in July is that ICEBlock’s privacy-protecting architecture isn’t magic. It’s based on trust in Apple itself. Joshua Aaron doesn’t have access to ICEBlock users’ device IDs (let alone their personal identities), but ICEBlock can send push notifications to devices because Apple itself does know device IDs and users’ identities.
It’s rather chilling to consider what Apple would have done if the Trump administration had “demanded” a list of device IDs and user identities for everyone who had installed ICEBlock. Or what Apple will do if such a demand pops into one of their dimwitted but cruel minds.<a href="#fn2-2025-10-03">2</a> I suspect that’s one of the lines Apple would not cross. That Apple would stand its ground there and say “Fuck you, make us” and take it to court. But there’s only one way to find out.
<div class="footnotes">
<hr />
<ol>
<li id="fn1-2025-10-03">
It’s interesting to consider how Aaron might “fight this”. I don’t think suing the Department of Justice is an option. All Pam Bondi did was issue a “demand” to Apple. That’s inappropriate and an embarrassment, and in any normal administration would be just cause for her immediate dismissal from the job. But it’s not against the law. She didn’t issue an unconstitutional legal demand to Apple. She just issued a verbal request with an implicit threat of turning the nation’s MAGA derps and Fox News junkies against Apple. What Apple was afraid of wasn’t fighting this demand in a court of law, but in the court of public opinion.
So maybe Aaron sues Apple? I’m not sure he has grounds for that either, but it’d be interesting to see Apple’s lawyers argue in court that the App Store is no place for apps that protect users’ civil liberties and personal privacy. <a href="#fnr1-2025-10-03" class="footnoteBackLink" title="Jump back to footnote 1 in the text.">↩︎︎</a>
</li>
<li id="fn2-2025-10-03">
A few people have already asked me why it took the Trump administration several months to put ICEBlock in its crosshairs and issue a takedown “demand” to Apple. <a href="https://abc7ny.com/post/iceblock-new-iphone-app-lets-users-know-when-ice-agents-are-area/16902392/">Aaron shipped the first release of ICEBlock back in April</a>, and it achieved a significant amount of well-deserved publicity in July after Trump’s ICE goons began large-scale deportation raids in Los Angeles. My answer is simple: it took them months to issue this demand because they’re so goddamn stupid and incompetent. We should be thankful for that. In a competent regime attempting an authoritarian takeover of a liberal democracy, it would have been taken down in days, not months. <a href="#fnr2-2025-10-03" class="footnoteBackLink" title="Jump back to footnote 2 in the text.">↩︎</a>
</li>
</ol>
</div>
]]></content>
<title>★ Complying With ‘Demand’ From Trump Administration, Apple Removes ICEBlock From App Store</title></entry><entry>
<link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="https://daringfireball.net/2025/09/apple_on_the_digital_markets_act" />
<link rel="shorturl" href="http://df4.us/wky" />
<id>tag:daringfireball.net,2025://1.42226</id>
<published>2025-09-26T15:47:03Z</published>
<updated>2025-09-26T23:10:10Z</updated>
<author>
<name>John Gruber</name>
<uri>http://daringfireball.net/</uri>
</author>
<summary type="text">How in the world would that increase competition? iOS’s unique and exclusive features — which, yes, in many cases, are exclusive to the Apple device ecosystem — *are competition*.</summary>
<content type="html" xml:base="https://daringfireball.net/" xml:lang="en"><![CDATA[
Apple, “<a href="https://www.apple.com/newsroom/2025/09/the-digital-markets-acts-impacts-on-eu-users/">The Digital Markets Act’s Impacts on EU Users</a>”:
<blockquote>
The DMA requires Apple to make certain features work on non-Apple
products and apps before we can share them with our users.
Unfortunately, that requires a lot of engineering work, and it’s
caused us to delay some new features in the EU:
<ul>
<li>Live Translation with AirPods uses Apple Intelligence to let
Apple users communicate across languages. Bringing a
sophisticated feature like this to other devices creates
challenges that take time to solve. For example, we designed
Live Translation so that our users’ conversations stay private — they’re processed on device and are never accessible to Apple — and our teams are doing additional engineering work to make
sure they won’t be exposed to other companies or developers
either.</li>
<li>iPhone Mirroring lets our users see and interact with their
iPhone from their Mac, so they can seamlessly check their
notifications, or drag and drop photos between devices. Our
teams still have not found a secure way to bring this feature to
non-Apple devices without putting all the data on a user’s
iPhone at risk. And as a result, we have not been able to bring
the feature to the EU. [...]</li>
</ul>
We’ve suggested changes to these features that would protect our
users’ data, but so far, the European Commission has rejected our
proposals. And according to the European Commission, under the
DMA, it’s illegal for us to share these features with Apple users
until we bring them to other companies’ products. If we shared
them any sooner, we’d be fined and potentially forced to stop
shipping our products in the EU.
</blockquote>
Live Translation with AirPods and iPhone Mirroring are both amazing features. And EU users are missing out on them. I think Apple structured this piece exactly right, by emphasizing first that the most direct effect of the DMA is that EU users are getting great features late — or never. And that list of features is only going to grow over time.
Under the section “Is the DMA Achieving Its Goals?”:
<blockquote>
Regulators claimed the DMA would promote competition and give
European consumers more choices. But the law is not living up to
those promises. In fact, it’s having some of the opposite effects:
<ul>
<li>Fewer choices: When features are delayed or unavailable, EU
users don’t get the same options as users in the rest of the
world. They lose the choice to use Apple’s latest technologies,
and their devices fall further behind.</li>
<li>Less differentiation: By forcing Apple to build features and
technologies for non-Apple products, the DMA is making the
options available to European consumers more similar. For
instance, the changes to app marketplaces are making iOS look
more like Android — and that reduces choice.</li>
<li>Unfair competition: The DMA’s rules only apply to Apple, even
though Samsung is the smartphone market leader in Europe, and
Chinese companies are growing fast. Apple has led the way in
building a unique, innovative ecosystem that others have copied — to the benefit of users everywhere. But instead of rewarding
that innovation, the DMA singles Apple out while leaving our
competitors free to continue as they always have.</li>
</ul>
</blockquote>
This is all true. But I have a better way to put this. If Apple were to just switch the iPhone’s OS from iOS to Android, these DMA conflicts would all go away. Apple’s not going to do that, of course, but to me it’s a crystallizing way of looking at it. The DMA is supposedly intended to increase “competition”, which in turn should increase consumer choice. But the easiest way for Apple to comply with the DMA would be to switch EU iPhones to Android — which, by a significant margin, already has majority mobile OS market share in the EU. <a href="https://gs.statcounter.com/os-market-share/mobile/europe/">Here’s a link to StatCounter’s mobile OS stats for Europe</a> (<a href="https://daringfireball.net/2024/03/eu_share_of_apples_revenue">which is not the same as the EU</a>, but as good a proxy as I could find). It’s two-thirds Android, one-third iOS — a 2-1 ratio.
If Apple just shipped all EU iPhones with Android instead of iOS, all of their DMA problems would be off the table. EU iPhone users would lose all iOS exclusive features and Apple device <a href="https://www.apple.com/macos/continuity/">Continuity</a> integrations. EU consumers would effectively have no choice at all in mobile OSes. They’d just get to choose which brand of Android phone to buy.
How in the world would that increase competition? iOS’s unique and exclusive features — which, yes, in many cases, are exclusive to the Apple device ecosystem — are competition.
]]></content>
<title>★ Apple on the Digital Markets Act</title></entry></feed>

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