This week started off with me begging for a good, Men in Black-style, neuralyzation but ended up with a ton of great stuff. Any coincidence we're heading into the biggest Apple event of the year? Of course not. Let's check the hot sheets....
Dumb Apple stuff, redux
Let's start off with two of a hundred memories I don't want.
The first was an article listing 7 things Apple CEO Tim Cook might do at the D10 conference that no self respecting Apple journalist, much less one of the biggest tech sites on the internet, would ever legitimately imagine him doing. When even well-informed readers know there's no chance Tim Cook will whip out the next iPhone or iPad Mini or an Apple Television, and they know the writer/editor knows that, what's the point in doing it?
The second listed a series of supposedly recent moves by Apple that would cause their late co-founder and CEO, Steve Jobs, to "roll-over in his grave". Other factually challenged content not withstanding, the list contained numerous things widely known to have been started under jobs, if not driven by Jobs. Again, savvy readers know this, know the writer/editor knows it, so why is it happening?
Us.
I've said it before and I'll say it again -- it's our fault. We get what we read, what we link to, and what we share. If those are the quality pieces, the great research, and killer analysis, if that's what gets our attention and our traffic, that's what we'll get more of.
If it's dumb Apple stuff, all we'll get is more of it, and dumber.
EFF'd up
Speaking things that make me want to reach for the Noisy Cricket...
The EFF seems to have gone on a bender this week, no doubt guzzling whatever off-world ale got the formerly reputable Consumer Reports to mortgage their integrity for cheap Apple-fueled headline hits. They made a list of "rights" that Apple was violating by locking iOS into a crystal prison, and in so doing tried to infantilize supporters and disregard the personal responsibility so integral to consumers in a free market society.
Dear EFF -- If I buy an iPhone, I'm making a conscious decision. A choice. I'm giving up control to gain user experience. If I'm not prepared to do that, I can go download Android Open Source Project, and Radio Shack up my own phone. (I'm turning to ASOP and kit parts because no commercial phone, not even Android, is actually open to consumers.)
Here's the thing -- Apple is a three star Micheline restaurant with a diva chef right out of a kitchen nightmare. Apple is The French Laundry. Apple is Nobu, And you don't walk into a fancy fine dining restaurant, barge into the kitchen and tell the iron chef you're cooking your own dinner.
If you want that, you go to the supermarket. You buy your ingredients. You cook it your damn self. Because with control comes responsibility. You can't have your freedom cake and eat it to.
And the EFF, being filled with brilliant minds, knows this. And they know we know they know this. So why the game?
See above.
Podcasts
Tons more feedback and it seems we have 2 main camps emerging: Those who want deep geek dives into the news and issues surrounding iOS, the iPhone, and iPad; and those who want more mainstream headlines with a mix of apps and accessories. And very little, if any middle ground. This week we went super-deep, with David Barnard of App Cubby, and the first part of our WWDC 2012 and iOS 6 preview.
Not to be outdone, we rounded up Kevin from CrackBerry.com, Phil from Android Central, Derek from webOS Nation, Daniel from Windows Phone, and Gary from Mobile Nations for a cross-site, cross-platform round table.
Keep the feedback coming!
Features
We put a lot of work into our features this week, and hope you enjoyed them. If you missed any, here's the rundown. First, yours truly continued to look into Apple's options for iOS 6:
- iOS 6: Is it time for Apple to revamp the multitasking fast app switcher?: A look at the history of mobile multitasking and how Apple could implement better fast app switching in iOS 6
- iOS 6: Higher hanging fruit: Features and functionality from Android, BlackBerry, webOS, Windows Phone and more, still ripe for iOS 6 inspiration
- iOS 6: A fresh coat of paint: A brief look at the history of Apple's mobile UI, and what hints it may hold for iOS 6
And our regularly scheduled programming:
- How to fix the dock connector on an AT&T/GSM iPhone 4 by Ally Kazmucha. Another fantastic installment in our ultimate DIY maintenance and repair guide.
- How to take irresistible photos of your pets with your iPhone by Leanna Lofte. Why should portraits be limited to the human members of the family?
- Diet Coda vs. Gusto vs. Textastic: Code editor for iPad app shootout! by Ally Kazumchua. Which iOS FTP and website editor reins supreme?
- [Best cases for iPhone] by Georgia. Our favorite hard cases, soft cases, bumper cases, wallet cases, charging cases, eclectic cases, and more!
- Best jailbreak apps for iPhone by Ally Kazmucha. If you've just used Absinthe on your iPhone, this is where you'll want to go next.
- Best jailbreak apps for iPad by Ally Kazmucha. Same as above, but for iPad.
Recommended reading
- Research In Motion, rear view mirrors, beer goggles and a reality check by Chris Umiastowski. Whether past corporate behavior is a good indicator for future viability.
- No, iOS is not a prison by Chuq von Rospach. A former Palm webOS insider explains the realities of why open wins our hearts, but not our money in the consumer market.
- Mobile hardware and software are separable, no matter what manufacturers tell you by Vlad Savov. In the alternative, why decoupled models may lead to decoupled attitudes among consumers.
- Game In-App Purchases: A Conflict Between Developer Economics & Goodwill by Graham Spencer. An incredibly in depth look at the consequences of the fremium App Store model.
- Jayse Hansen on creating heroic user interfaces for The Avengers, touch by Matthew Panzarino. Pure geek awesomery.
- Aaron Sorkin’s Steve Jobs Movie is Going to be a Disaster by Farhad Manjoo. The possible problems that might arise when you mistake an incredible scriptwriter for a historian.
Pushing the little red button
What's better than selling a reverberating carbonizer with mutate capacity to an unlicensed cephalopoid? WWDC 2012, of course, and it's just a week away. I'll be arriving in San Francisco around this time next Sunday, along with Leanna and Seth. And we're going to make iMore's coverage look GOOD.
So tell me -- what do you want to see?
