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Connected, Episode 132: Fun Conjecture Hour→

This week, Stephen talks about a possible iMac Pro while his co-hosts play Zelda. They come back to round robin some things that they find frustrating about working from iOS and the iPad.

On this week’s Connected, we share some more thoughts on USB-C and describe the areas where iOS is still lagging behind the Mac. You can listen here.

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Apple Pay Launches in Ireland, Coming Soon to Italy→

Benjamin Mayo, writing for 9to5Mac:

As we reported exclusively last night, Apple Pay is now live in Ireland. The service allows iPhone and Apple Watch owners to use the NFC chips in their devices to pay for their shopping at contactless terminals in retail stores across the country.

Apple Pay requires iPhone 6, iPhone 6s, iPhone SE, iPhone 7, or any Apple Watch, and is launching with support for Ulster Bank and KBC in Ireland. Apple has also announced that the service is coming soon to Italy.

I’ve been waiting for Apple Pay to launch in Italy, and I’m glad to see Apple has confirmed the service will roll out “soon”. However, as I feared, my bank – despite being one of the largest banking groups in Italy – is not going to be supported at launch. This has happened with 14 other countries (including Ireland) before, though, and I hope Apple will quickly get other major Italian banks on board.

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Apple Highlights HomeKit’s Potential on New Webpage→

Today Apple’s webpage about HomeKit and the iOS Home app has been completely revamped. It includes a new 45-second video where Siri commands and scenes in the Home app are used to control lights, window shades, door locks, coffee makers, and more. The video highlights how easy and convenient it can be to control smart devices once they’re set up in Home.

Besides the featured video, the new Home-centric page includes sections covering various aspects of the Home platform, such as:

  • Every type of home accessory that is available with HomeKit, with a link to the full list of devices that are either on sale now or have been announced for future release.
  • An explanation of how the Home app organizes devices by different rooms.
  • Short videos showcasing several different scenes that can be set up, like ‘Good Morning’ or ‘I’m Home.’ Each of these features parts of the featured video mentioned above, but with different music.
  • Examples of voice commands that can be used with Siri to control HomeKit devices.
  • A description of the Apple TV’s role as a home hub.
  • Automation’s presence in the Home app as a tool for enabling certain actions automatically.

This past year has seen the first major smart home push from Apple since HomeKit’s announcement nearly three years ago, at WWDC 2014. It comes at a time when Amazon’s Alexa is quickly expanding its reach beyond the Echo and into devices of all kinds. It will be interesting to see if any announcements are made at this year’s WWDC to further bolster HomeKit against increased competition.

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AIM Starts Cutting Off Access for Third-Party Apps→

Adam Clark Estes:

In what feels like a death blow to everyone’s early-Aughts nostalgia, it looks like AOL will soon cut off third-party access to its famous Instant Messenger service. The service turns 20 years old this year, and at this point, it’s unclear if it will see its 21st birthday.

AOL shared news of this tragedy quietly. Adium users, at least, got a brief warning when they signed on Wednesday morning, explaining that their AIM access had less than a month to live. It reads like sad notice for an imminent memorial service.

Adium was one of the first apps I installed when I switched to the Mac in 2008. (Does anyone remember checking out the latest Adium skins and icons on MacThemes?)

End of an era, though AIM feels like a lifetime ago in the age of Facebook and iMessage.

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Twitter Announces More User Safety Initiatives→

Continuing the company’s recent efforts geared at stopping abuse on its platform, Twitter today announced several changes in a blog post by Ed Ho.

One behind-the-scenes change is in how Twitter monitors potential abuse and proactively addresses it. The company has implemented algorithms meant to detect potentially abusive behavior and address it without the need for users to report the behavior. Ed Ho gives the examples of an account “repeatedly Tweeting without solicitation at non-followers or engaging in patterns of abusive behavior that is in violation of the Twitter Rules.” He admits that mistakes will likely be made as they begin this proactive monitoring, but states that the algorithms and tools will be continually worked on for improvement.

A change more visible to users involves additional tools found in the Twitter app. Ho writes:

We’re also introducing new filtering options for your notifications to give you more control over what you see from certain types of accounts, like those without a profile photo, unverified email addresses or phone numbers…We’re also expanding the mute feature to build on the work we did in November which lets you remove certain keywords, phrases, or entire conversations from your notifications. Now, you’ll be able to mute from your home timeline and you can decide how long this content is muted – one day, one week, one month, or indefinitely.

The final change announced today has to do with Twitter’s transparency in responding to reported harassment. Notifications will be used to confirm that a report of abuse has been received, and also to share if/when an action is taken in response to that report.

The user-facing features announced today will be rolling out soon to all users.

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Connected, Episode 131: The High School Reunion of Phones→

This week, Stephen yells at the cloud, Myke gets new emojis and Federico speaks wisdom to the masses.

Another fun episode of Connected this week, with plenty of speculation about USB-C on future Apple devices and what other companies are doing with smartphones in 2017. You can listen here.

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Tim Cook Affirms Apple’s Commitment to Pro Users in Annual Shareholder Meeting→

Apple hosted its annual shareholder meeting today, and Zac Hall of 9to5Mac has the scoop on Tim Cook’s remarks.

Besides mentioning that this would be the last shareholder meeting at Town Hall because Apple Park will open soon, Cook showed shareholders an unreleased AirPods promo video and called the new product “quite the cultural phenomenon.”

Perhaps the most interesting tidbit from the meeting had to do with Apple’s efforts in the pro market:

Cook also hinted at Apple’s product pipeline by promising Apple will “do more in the pro area.” Cook called out the creative field as especially important to Apple while pushing back against the notion that Apple is too consumer focused now. “Don’t think that something we’ve done or something we’re doing that isn’t visible yet is a signal that our priorities are elsewhere.”

While this isn’t confirmation of a new Mac Pro in the works, or substantial investment in pro software, it is good to hear Cook reaffirm that creatives are an important customer base. He seems convinced that Apple’s product pipeline will prove that the company’s priorities haven’t shifted when it comes to creative professionals.

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The Power of Apple TV’s Top Shelf→

Michael Rockwell of Initial Charge shares how the Apple TV’s Top Shelf feature impacted his recent reorganization of his Home screen:

As it turns out, if you create a folder on your Apple TV and place it among the top row of apps, you can scroll through its contents from the Top Shelf.

I hadn’t made use of this feature until this most recent reorganization, though. And it brought me to a conclusion that, perhaps, many others have already come to — the Top Shelf is the most powerful user interface element on tvOS. It turns the Apple TV’s boring grid of icons into an immensely practical display of content from within your favorite apps, that you can play straight from your home screen.

The Apple TV is regularly criticized for its iPhone-like interface of a grid of apps. Rockwell makes a good point though in highlighting how a feature like Top Shelf makes that grid of apps significantly more useful, whether as a tool to navigate folders of apps or to get straight to the content you want.

Despite the navigation improvements made possible by Top Shelf, very few apps make the most of the feature. Currently on my Apple TV’s Home screen, only the App Store and TV app have Top Shelf implementations that I find valuable.

Top Shelf seems to be one of the casualties of a weak App Store on the Apple TV. Because the demand for Apple TV apps appears weak, developers don’t have a strong incentive to take advantage of features like Top Shelf.

As a daily Apple TV user, I’m hopeful Apple will put more concerted efforts into the platform that sparks greater activity in the app ecosystem.

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