<ahref="https://www.studioneat.com/blogs/main/dual-lens-switching-on-the-iphone-x">How Much Faster is the iPhone X’s ‘Telephoto’ Lens Than the iPhone 7 Plus’s?</a> <aclass="permalink"title="Permanent link to ‘How Much Faster is the iPhone X’s ‘Telephoto’ Lens Than the iPhone 7 Plus’s?’"href="https://daringfireball.net/linked/2017/11/23/iphone-x-lens-switching">★</a>
<p>I also used the manual camera app <ahref="http://halide.cam/">Halide</a> to get an ISO and shutter speed reading at the various light levels, and came to the conclusion that <em>the iPhone X requires roughly 2 fewer stops of light before switching to the telephoto lens, as compared to the iPhone 7 Plus</em>. This is obviously great news, and speaks to how improved the second lens is after just one year. In my own use of the phone for the past couple weeks, it does indeed seem to be the case that I am very rarely presented with a 2X cropped image.</p>
<ahref="https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-switch/wp/2017/11/21/the-fcc-has-unveiled-its-plan-to-rollback-its-net-neutrality-rules/?utm_term=.f239ae8e96a4">FCC Unveils Plan to Repeal Net Neutrality Rules</a> <aclass="permalink"title="Permanent link to ‘FCC Unveils Plan to Repeal Net Neutrality Rules’"href="https://daringfireball.net/linked/2017/11/22/fcc-net-neutrality">★</a>
<p>Brian Fung, reporting for The Washington Post:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>The Federal Communications Commission took aim at a signature Obama-era regulation Tuesday, unveiling a plan that would give Internet providers broad powers to determine what websites and online services their customers see and use.</p>
<p>Under the agency’s proposal, providers of high-speed Internet services, such as Comcast, Verizon and AT&T, would be able to block websites they do not like and charge Web companies for speedier delivery of their content.</p>
<p>This is literally bad for everyone but these mega-ISPs. Horrendously bad — <ahref="https://www.theverge.com/2017/11/22/16689838/fcc-net-neutrality-comments-were-largely-ignored">and unpopular</a> — policy.</p>
<ahref="https://qz.com/1131515/google-collects-android-users-locations-even-when-location-services-are-disabled/?utm_source=nextdraft&utm_medium=email">Google Collects Android Users’ Locations Even When Location Services Are Disabled</a> <aclass="permalink"title="Permanent link to ‘Google Collects Android Users’ Locations Even When Location Services Are Disabled’"href="https://daringfireball.net/linked/2017/11/21/android-cell-tower-location">★</a>
<p>Many people realize that smartphones track their locations. But what if you actively turn off location services, haven’t used any apps, and haven’t even inserted a carrier SIM card?</p>
<p>Even if you take all of those precautions, phones running Android software gather data about your location and send it back to Google when they’re connected to the internet, a Quartz investigation has revealed.</p>
<p>Since the beginning of 2017, Android phones have been collecting the addresses of nearby cellular towers — even when location services are disabled — and sending that data back to Google. The result is that Google, the unit of Alphabet behind Android, has access to data about individuals’ locations and their movements that go far beyond a reasonable consumer expectation of privacy.</p>
<p>Quartz observed the data collection occur and contacted Google, which confirmed the practice.</p>
<p>The cell tower addresses have been included in information sent to the system Google uses to manage push notifications and messages on Android phones for the past 11 months, according to a Google spokesperson. They were never used or stored, the spokesperson said, and the company is now taking steps to end the practice after being contacted by Quartz. By the end of November, the company said, Android phones will no longer send cell-tower location data to Google, at least as part of this particular service, which consumers cannot disable.</p>
<p>If they were “never used or stored”, why did they start collecting them in the first place? This is like a kid caught with their hand in the cookie jar saying they weren’t going to eat any cookies. Sure.</p>
<ahref="https://www.cnbc.com/2017/11/18/google-pixel-buds-review.html">CNBC’s Google Pixel Buds Review</a> <aclass="permalink"title="Permanent link to ‘CNBC’s Google Pixel Buds Review’"href="https://daringfireball.net/linked/2017/11/21/cnbc-pixel-buds">★</a>
<p>There’s nothing I recommend about the Pixel Buds. They’re cheap-feeling and uncomfortable, and you’re better off using the Google Translate app on a phone instead of trying to fumble with the headphones while trying to translate a conversation. The idea is neat, but it just doesn’t work well enough to recommend to anyone on any level.</p>
<ahref="https://mobile.twitter.com/stroughtonsmith/status/932238963070382080">iPhone 7 Plus and Portrait Mode Lighting Effects</a> <aclass="permalink"title="Permanent link to ‘iPhone 7 Plus and Portrait Mode Lighting Effects’"href="https://daringfireball.net/linked/2017/11/20/camera-mode-7-plus">★</a>
<p>Steven Troughton-Smith discovered that portrait mode lighting effects can be edited on an iPhone 7 Plus after using a hex editor on an exported photo to enable the feature:</p>
<p>Just to add insult to injury, if you AirDrop that photo back to the iPhone 7 Plus now it shows the Portrait Lighting UI, and lets you change mode. So Portrait Lighting is 100% an artificial software limitation. 7 Plus photos can have it, 7 Plus can do it.</p>
<p>My understanding is that these effects aren’t enabled on iPhone 7 Plus because performance was really slow at capture time. It really does require the A11 Bionic chip for adequate performance live in the camera. And Apple decided against shipping it as a feature for 7 Plus that could only be applied in post, because that felt like half a feature. So I’ve heard.</p>
<p>What I don’t know is why the new lighting effects are not available when you use an iPhone X or 8 Plus to edit a portrait mode photo that was taken using an iPhone 7 Plus. This should be possible.</p>
<ahref="https://www.wsj.com/articles/the-best-iphone-fast-chargers-and-wireless-chargers-1510776725?mg=prod/accounts-wsj">The Best iPhone Fast Chargers and Wireless Chargers</a> <aclass="permalink"title="Permanent link to ‘The Best iPhone Fast Chargers and Wireless Chargers’"href="https://daringfireball.net/linked/2017/11/20/stern-chargers">★</a>
<p>Wireless charging means you can toss your phone on a pad (sold separately!) on your desk and it will charge throughout the day. With a fast charger (sold separately!), you can plug your phone in and go from zero to 50% in 30 minutes.</p>
<p>Both can make a real difference in how you combat battery anxiety disorder. But figuring out which gear you need is complicated.</p>
<p>I went in search of the best options for both speed and wireless convenience, charging and draining iPhones nearly 30 times. My finding: Getting the best chargers doesn’t mean running up your charge card.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>I second her recommendation of <ahref="https://www.monoprice.com/product?p_id=18789&gclid=CjwKCAiAxarQBRAmEiwA6YcGKBqvcLs-H5Sv07lIeNSuVmbDibmJXL8jwVHqYCY4pZVEQcUlxFdg4RoCBPkQAvD_BwE">this 3-in-1 cable from Monoprice</a> — Lightning, USB-C, and micro USB all on a single cable.</p>
<ahref="https://www.buzzfeed.com/josephbernstein/sources-mcmaster-mocked-trumps-intelligence-in-a-private?utm_term=.fuVPLn06gJ#.lpb7mMekWG">BuzzFeed: McMaster Mocked Trump’s Intelligence in a Private Dinner</a> <aclass="permalink"title="Permanent link to ‘BuzzFeed: McMaster Mocked Trump’s Intelligence in a Private Dinner’"href="https://daringfireball.net/linked/2017/11/20/trump-idiot">★</a>
<p>Over a July dinner with Oracle CEO Safra Catz — who has been mentioned as a candidate for several potential administration jobs — McMaster bluntly trashed his boss, said the sources, four of whom told BuzzFeed News they heard about the exchange directly from Catz. The top national security official dismissed the president variously as an “idiot” and a “dope” with the intelligence of a “kindergartner,” the sources said.</p>
<p>A sixth source who was not familiar with the details of the dinner told BuzzFeed News that McMaster had made similarly derogatory comments about Trump’s intelligence to him in private, including that the president lacked the necessary brainpower to understand the matters before the National Security Council.</p>
<p>Merlin Mann returns to the show for a Thanksgiving-week holiday spectacular. Topics include the history of Markdown, nerding out with Keyboard Maestro, kids today and the computers they want to use, caring about idiomatic native UI design, a look back at last year’s election, and more.</p>
<li><ahref="http://awaytravel.com/talkshow">Away</a>: Travel smarter with the suitcase that charges your phone. Get $20 off with code <strong>TALKSHOW</strong>.</li>
<li><ahref="https://eero.com/">Eero</a>: Finally, Wi-Fi that works. Use code <strong>THETALKSHOW</strong> for free shipping in the U.S. and Canada.</li>
<li><ahref="http://fracture.me/">Fracture</a>: Your photos, printed directly on glass. Great gift idea. Save 15% off your first order with code <strong>TALK15</strong>.</li>
<ahref="https://appcenter.ms/iOS?utm_source=DaringFireball&utm_medium=newsletter&utm_campaign=mobilecenter_DaringFireball">Microsoft App Center</a> <aclass="permalink"title="Permanent link to ‘Microsoft App Center’"href="https://daringfireball.net/linked/2017/11/18/microsoft-app-center">★</a>
</dt>
<dd>
<p>My thanks to Microsoft for sponsoring this week’s DF RSS feed to promote App Center, their recently-launched service for Apple developers that connects to your GitHub repo to automatically build, test, distribute, and monitor iOS and Mac apps. App Center is the next generation of HockeyApp, which was <ahref="https://daringfireball.net/linked/2014/12/11/hockeyapp">acquired by Microsoft</a> a few years ago.</p>
<p>The basic HockeyApp features like beta distribution and crash reporting got a revamped user interface, and Microsoft added new features for building, testing, analytics, and push notifications. Simply connect your repo, build the app on App Center’s Mac cloud, and run automated UI tests on thousands of real iOSdevices in their hosted device lab. You can not only distribute your builds to testers, but also deploy directly to the App Store.</p>
<p>You can use all of these features together, or just the pieces that complement your current workflow. Spend less time on drudgery, and more time on your app. <ahref="https://appcenter.ms/iOS?utm_source=DaringFireball&utm_medium=newsletter&utm_campaign=mobilecenter_DaringFireball">Sign up now</a>. </p>
<ahref="https://www.apple.com/homepod/">HomePod Delayed Until ‘Early 2018’</a> <aclass="permalink"title="Permanent link to ‘HomePod Delayed Until ‘Early 2018’’"href="https://daringfireball.net/linked/2017/11/17/homepod-delayed">★</a>
<p>I had a feeling this would happen when the iPhone X press briefings came and went without a word about HomePod. It’s a tough miss for Apple — there are surely going to be a lot of Amazon Echo devices under Christmas trees this year.</p>
<ahref="https://machinelearning.apple.com/2017/11/16/face-detection.html">Apple Machine Learning Journal: ‘An On-Device Deep Neural Network for Face Detection’</a> <aclass="permalink"title="Permanent link to ‘Apple Machine Learning Journal: ‘An On-Device Deep Neural Network for Face Detection’’"href="https://daringfireball.net/linked/2017/11/16/amlj-face-detection">★</a>
<ahref="http://vector.libsyn.com/">Vector</a> <aclass="permalink"title="Permanent link to ‘Vector’"href="https://daringfireball.net/linked/2017/11/15/vector">★</a>
<p>Rene Ritchie has re-launched Vector as a daily — yes, daily — podcast. I’m halfway through yesterday’s “Designing for iPhone X Roundtable” episode, with guests Sebastiaan de With, Linda Dong, Marc Edwards, and Brad Ellis, and it’s terrific.</p>
<ahref="http://superheroes.theringer.com/">The Ringer: ‘The 50 Best Superhero Movies of All Time’</a> <aclass="permalink"title="Permanent link to ‘The Ringer: ‘The 50 Best Superhero Movies of All Time’’"href="https://daringfireball.net/linked/2017/11/15/50-best-superhero-movies">★</a>
</dt>
<dd>
<p>I <del>largely</del> somewhat agree with these rankings — but far more so than I usually do with such lists. But the whole thing is worth it just for the sub-list of the best superhero villains of all time — they <em>nailed</em> that one.</p>
<ahref="https://kottke.org/17/11/jimmy-iovine-and-most-bomb-record-in-the-solar-system">Jimmy Iovine and Most Bomb Record in the Solar System</a> <aclass="permalink"title="Permanent link to ‘Jimmy Iovine and Most Bomb Record in the Solar System’"href="https://daringfireball.net/linked/2017/11/15/iovine-golden-record">★</a>
<ahref="https://gizmodo.com/how-facebook-figures-out-everyone-youve-ever-met-1819822691">How Facebook Figures Out Everyone You’ve Ever Met</a> <aclass="permalink"title="Permanent link to ‘How Facebook Figures Out Everyone You’ve Ever Met’"href="https://daringfireball.net/linked/2017/11/14/hill-facebook">★</a>
<ahref="https://www.macrumors.com/2017/11/13/kuo-three-new-iphones-2018/">Ming-Chi Kuo on 2018 iPhones</a> <aclass="permalink"title="Permanent link to ‘Ming-Chi Kuo on 2018 iPhones’"href="https://daringfireball.net/linked/2017/11/13/kuo-2018-iphones">★</a>
<p>A “Plus” sized version of the iPhone X makes perfect sense. Even without these rumors from the supply chain, I’d have been surprised if Apple <em>didn’t</em> create such a phone next. The iPhone X may well draw some current Plus-sized iPhone users, but in use it feels like a “regular” sized iPhone with an edge-to-edge display. Given the popularity of Plus-sized phones, I can’t see why Apple wouldn’t do that with the X design.</p>
<p>But this 6.1-inch model with an LCD display makes no sense to me. First, I’d be surprised to see the X design trickle down to the $750 price range after just one year. Second, the size makes no sense to me. There’s a clear difference between the 4.7-inch and 5.5-inch regular and Plus classic-style iPhones. There would be a clear difference between 5.8-inch and 6.5-inch X-style phones. An additional 6.1-inch lower-priced X-style phone would just confuse things terribly. I don’t think Kuo has the story right on this phone.</p>
<p>Apple’s AirPods are more elegant as well as smaller and more
comfortable. However, Pixel Buds have some other appeals, most
notably the ability to aid in real-time language translation.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>The real-time translation feature is cool, but how often would you need it? I’ve been using AirPods for about a year and I don’t think I would have used this feature even once. And it seems like it’s more of a feature of the Google Translate app, not the Pixel Buds themselves.</p>
<p>Given that they both cost $159, Apple comes out way ahead here.</p>
<ahref="http://circ.ahajournals.org/content/early/2013/11/07/CIRCULATIONAHA.113.005925">Long-Term Coffee Consumption and Risk of Cardiovascular Disease</a> <aclass="permalink"title="Permanent link to ‘Long-Term Coffee Consumption and Risk of Cardiovascular Disease’"href="https://daringfireball.net/linked/2017/11/13/coffee-cardiovascular-disease">★</a>
<ahref="http://bit.ly/2kx5Ax5">Squarespace Domains</a> <aclass="permalink"title="Permanent link to ‘Squarespace Domains’"href="https://daringfireball.net/linked/2017/11/11/squarespace-domains">★</a>
<p>My thanks to Squarespace for sponsoring this week’s DF RSS feed. Buying a domain name from Squarespace is quick, simple, and fun. Search for the domain you want, or type any word or phrase into the search field, and Squarespace will suggest some great options. Every domain comes with a beautiful, ad-free parking page, WHOIS Privacy, and a 2048-bit SSL certificate to secure your website — all at no additional cost. Once you lock down your domain, create a beautiful website with one of Squarespace’s award-winning templates.</p>
<p>Try Squarespace for free. When you’re ready to subscribe, get 10 percent off at <ahref="http://bit.ly/2kx5Ax5">squarespace.com</a> with offer code “DARING17”.</p>
<ahref="https://daringfireball.net/thetalkshow/2017/11/10/ep-206">The Talk Show: ‘Bed Is Where My Problems Are’</a> <aclass="permalink"title="Permanent link to ‘The Talk Show: ‘Bed Is Where My Problems Are’’"href="https://daringfireball.net/linked/2017/11/11/the-talk-show-206">★</a>
<ahref="http://blog.logitech.com/2017/11/09/update-will-replace-logitech-harmony-links/?cvosrc=affiliate.cj.8179212">Logitech Makes It Right</a> <aclass="permalink"title="Permanent link to ‘Logitech Makes It Right’"href="https://daringfireball.net/linked/2017/11/10/logitech-makes-it-right">★</a>
<ahref="https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-switch/wp/2017/11/09/equifax-faces-hundreds-of-class-action-lawsuits-and-an-sec-subpoena-over-the-way-it-handled-its-data-breach/">Equifax Faces Hundreds of Class-Action Lawsuits and an SEC Subpoena Over the Way It Handled Its Data Breach</a> <aclass="permalink"title="Permanent link to ‘Equifax Faces Hundreds of Class-Action Lawsuits and an SEC Subpoena Over the Way It Handled Its Data Breach’"href="https://daringfireball.net/linked/2017/11/10/equifax">★</a>
<ahref="https://www.apple.com/clips/">Clips 2.0</a> <aclass="permalink"title="Permanent link to ‘Clips 2.0’"href="https://daringfireball.net/linked/2017/11/10/clips-2-0">★</a>
<p>Major new release of Apple’s app “for making and sharing fun videos with text, effects, graphics, and more.” Headline feature for iPhone X:</p>
<p><ahref="https://twitter.com/rianjohnson/status/928712958519201792">Here’s a perfect example from Rian Johnson</a>.</p>
<p>For an app that only debuted six months ago, Clips 2.0 is an ambitious 2.0. The entire user interface has been redone, and I think it makes everything more clear and obvious. I think Clips is the single best example of a productivity app designed for iOS.</p>
<p>Ryan Christoffel, writing for MacStories, <ahref="https://www.macstories.net/news/clips-20-introduces-selfie-scenes-for-iphone-x-star-wars-content-icloud-syncing-and-more/">has a really good rundown of what’s new and what’s changed in 2.0</a>:</p>
<p>When Clips first debuted earlier this year, it was unknown what
kind of support the app would receive from Apple going forward.
Would it be another <ahref="https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/music-memos/id1036437162?mt=8&uo=4&at=10l6nh&ct=ms_ryan">Music Memos</a>, released to the public then
largely left alone? While Clips 1.1 was an encouraging sign of
life, today’s 2.0 clearly demonstrates Apple’s commitment to this
<p>I think Clips has flown under the radar since its release, but Apple seems very serious about it. It’s a big hit, apparently, in schools, where kids are using it to create presentations for classwork using iPads.</p>
<p>And one for the road: <ahref="https://www.imore.com/clips-20">Rene Ritchie has a good look at it for iMore</a>.</p>
<ahref="http://www.shirt-pocket.com/blog/">SuperDuper 3.0</a> <aclass="permalink"title="Permanent link to ‘SuperDuper 3.0’"href="https://daringfireball.net/linked/2017/11/10/superduper-3-0">★</a>
<p>Fantastic update to one of my very favorite Mac utilities. I bought SuperDuper 1.5 in 2005, and I believe every single update since then has been free. I wish they’d charge me, I love SuperDuper so much.</p>
<p>If you’re not familiar with it, SuperDuper lets you clone any volume to another drive or disk image. It’s really configurable, but with a very easy to understand UI. It’s also really smart, and incredibly trustworthy. I recommend it wholeheartedly.</p>
<ahref="https://www.wallpaper.com/design/jony-ive-apple-park">Wallpaper Interview With Jony Ive on Apple Park</a> <aclass="permalink"title="Permanent link to ‘Wallpaper Interview With Jony Ive on Apple Park’"href="https://daringfireball.net/linked/2017/11/10/wallpaper-ive-apple-park">★</a>
<ahref="https://www.theverge.com/circuitbreaker/2017/11/10/16633516/google-pixel-2-earbuds-dongle-xiaomi-usb-c-price">USB-C Earbuds: Slim Pickings</a> <aclass="permalink"title="Permanent link to ‘USB-C Earbuds: Slim Pickings’"href="https://daringfireball.net/linked/2017/11/10/usbc-earbuds-slim-pickings">★</a>
<p>Apple does better than selling $29 Lightning earbuds — they include a pair in the box with every iPhone. It’s embarrassing that Google doesn’t include a pair of USB-C earbuds with the Pixels.</p>
<ahref="https://www.pastemagazine.com/articles/2017/11/super-mario-odyssey-proves-nintendo-knows-how-to-s.html">Nintendo at Its Best</a> <aclass="permalink"title="Permanent link to ‘Nintendo at Its Best’"href="https://daringfireball.net/linked/2017/11/10/nintendo-at-its-best">★</a>
<ahref="https://mondaynote.com/forking-the-iphone-c18945c8388b">Forking the iPhone</a> <aclass="permalink"title="Permanent link to ‘Forking the iPhone’"href="https://daringfireball.net/linked/2017/11/09/forking-the-iphone">★</a>
<p>A fork is exactly right: the iterative, familiar iPhone 8 and 8 Plus on one side of the fork, and the novel, back-to-the-drawing board iPhone X on the other.</p>
<ahref="http://www.jsonline.com/story/news/investigations/2017/11/01/tripadvisor-removed-warnings-rapes-and-injuries-mexico-resorts-tourists-say/817172001/">TripAdvisor Removed Warnings About Rapes and Injuries at Mexico Resorts</a> <aclass="permalink"title="Permanent link to ‘TripAdvisor Removed Warnings About Rapes and Injuries at Mexico Resorts’"href="https://daringfireball.net/linked/2017/11/09/tripadvisor">★</a>
</dt>
<dd>
<p>Raquel Rutledge and Andrew Mollica, reporting for The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel:</p>
<p>It’s positively sickening that as a matter of TripAdvisor policy, actual rapes, sexual assaults, and druggings are OK, but reports about these crimes on their forums are not. TripAdvisor should get sued out of existence.</p>
<ahref="http://www.cs.vu.nl/~ast/intel/">Most-Used OS in the World?</a> <aclass="permalink"title="Permanent link to ‘Most-Used OS in the World?’"href="https://daringfireball.net/linked/2017/11/09/most-used-os">★</a>
<p>Thanks for putting a version of MINIX 3 inside the ME-11
management engine chip used on almost all recent desktop and
laptop computers in the world. I guess that makes MINIX the most
widely used computer operating system in the world, even more than
Windows, Linux, or MacOS. And I didn’t even know until I read a
<ahref="https://www.networkworld.com/article/3236064/servers/minix-the-most-popular-os-in-the-world-thanks-to-intel.html">press report</a> about it. Also <ahref="https://www.techpowerup.com/238514/intel-cpu-on-chip-management-engine-runs-on-minix">here</a> and <ahref="https://hexus.net/tech/news/software/111857-intel-management-engine-runs-minix-3-os/">here</a> and
<ahref="http://blog.ptsecurity.com/2017/08/disabling-intel-me.html">here</a> and <ahref="https://liveatpc.com/widely-used-os-world-least-known/">here</a> and <ahref="http://webwereld.nl/security/101772-het-populairste-besturingssysteem-ter-wereld-is---minix">here</a> (in Dutch), and a bunch of
<p>It’s an interesting development, having a full-blown operating system running inside a CPU. And it’s a nice feather in the cap for MINIX, which heretofore had best been known as a teaching OS for computer science students. But it can’t be the most-used OS in the world. Android is. (Or, if you only want to count the kernel-level operating system, Linux, which runs at the heart of Android.)</p>
<p>MINIX is now almost certainly the most widely-used OS <em>on Intel-based computers</em>, but Intel-based computers are now far outnumbered by ARM-based ones.</p>
<ahref="http://www.asymco.com/2017/11/08/when-watch-surpassed-ipod/">Horace Dediu: Apple Watch Will Soon Generate More Revenue Than iPod at Peak</a> <aclass="permalink"title="Permanent link to ‘Horace Dediu: Apple Watch Will Soon Generate More Revenue Than iPod at Peak’"href="https://daringfireball.net/linked/2017/11/09/dediu-apple-watch-ipod">★</a>
<ahref="https://www.cromulentlabs.com/notcho/">Notcho</a> <aclass="permalink"title="Permanent link to ‘Notcho’"href="https://daringfireball.net/linked/2017/11/09/notcho">★</a>
<p>It’s a clever little hack: you give Notcho an image, and Notcho lets you export a version with black bars and rounded corners at the top to hide the iPhone X’s sensor array notch. I don’t actually think this is a good idea — if there’s anywhere where I think embracing the notch is just fine, it’s on the lock and home screens. Where the notch should have been hidden is when you’re using apps. This utility doesn’t (and can’t) do anything about it. This was Apple’s decision to make, and even if you disagree with how they decided to handle it, I don’t think you should fight it. I still don’t like it, but I have to say that after nearly two weeks with iPhone X, I really don’t notice it.</p>
<p>But damn if the name “Notcho” isn’t clever — it might be the best possible name for a utility that does this. Also clever is the monetization strategy: Notcho is free to download and use, but any wallpapers you create with it are watermarked with “Notcho” in the bottom right corner. For $2 you can remove the watermark. And if anyone is going to be bothered by that watermark, it’s the same sort of person who’s bothered by the notch.</p>
<p>(I really hope that floppy disk icon for the Save button is a joke.)</p>
<h1><ahref="https://daringfireball.net/2017/11/twitter_280"title="Permanent link to ‘Twitter’s 280-Character Own Goal’">Twitter’s 280-Character Own Goal</a></h1>
<h6class="dateline">Thursday, 9 November 2017</h6>
<p><ahref="https://twitter.com/jk_rowling/status/928346292903927808">J.K. Rowling, on Twitter raising the per-tweet character limit to 280</a>:</p>
<p>USP is “unique selling proposition”. By doubling the character limit, Twitter has eliminated what made them unique. Yes, there were many trade-offs with the 140-character limit, both pros and cons. But one of the pros is it made Twitter unique. Twitter timelines now look more like Facebook — but Facebook is already there for Facebook-like timelines. Twitter trying to be more like Facebook is like basketball trying to be more like football — a bad idea that won’t work. </p>
<p><ahref="https://twitter.com/JohnDingell/status/928033696401195008">John Dingell</a>, 91-year-old retired Congressman from Michigan (<ahref="http://mashable.com/2017/09/16/john-dingell-twitter-trump/">who is truly excellent at Twitter</a>):</p>
<p>99% of you people don’t even deserve 140 characters.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>It’s no surprise that writers, in particular, object to this change. I agree with Ihnatko — the 140-character limit made it a challenge. Fitting certain complex thoughts into a mere 140 characters sometimes felt like solving a small challenge, like one of The New York Times’s tiny little 5 × 5 crossword puzzles.</p>
<p>But perhaps the best commentary <ahref="http://nfs.sparknotes.com/hamlet/page_92.html">comes from William Shakespeare</a>:</p>
<p>Given 280 characters, people are going to use them, even to express thoughts that could have fit in 140. Given unlimited characters, such as in email, people ramble aimlessly.</p>
<p>That’s why email feels like a dreary chore, and Twitter feels like fun. The fewer tweets that fit in a single screen at a time, the less fun Twitter feels. I’m sure Twitter considered this change carefully, but I’m convinced they’ve made a terrible mistake. <aclass="permalink"title="Permanent link to ‘Twitter’s 280-Character Own Goal’"href="https://daringfireball.net/2017/11/twitter_280">★</a></p>
<p>I still don’t quite understand the whole thing, but I have a much better grasp than I did before. And I’m more convinced than ever that Apple is doing something complicated, not something devious.</p>
<p><ahref="https://www.google.com/search?q=apple+tax+avoidance&client=safari&rls=en&source=lnms&tbm=nws&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjCxNbc8a_XAhVh_4MKHRvSBbYQ_AUICigB&biw=1200&bih=1333&dpr=2">The news coverage on Apple’s tax avoidance</a> would lead you to believe (and in fact has led many to believe) that Apple pays a lower effective tax rate than most companies, when the truth is they pay a higher rate than most of their peers.</p>
<p>The problem isn’t Apple’s tax structure, it’s U.S. law. You can argue that Apple should voluntarily pay more in taxes than they’re legally obligated to, but no one who holds such views would ever get hired as a finance executive at a large publicly held company.</p>
<ahref="https://www.bloomberg.com/view/articles/2017-11-07/why-apple-should-buy-netflix">Barry Ritholtz: ‘Why Apple Should Buy Netflix’</a> <aclass="permalink"title="Permanent link to ‘Barry Ritholtz: ‘Why Apple Should Buy Netflix’’"href="https://daringfireball.net/linked/2017/11/08/apple-netflix-ritholtz">★</a>
<p>Usually when someone proposes Apple make a huge acquisition, I hurt my eyes by rolling them so far back in my head. I remain unconvinced that Apple should buy Netflix, but I don’t roll my eyes at the notion.</p>
<p>I think the main problem is that there’s nothing magical about Netflix. Surely Apple could buy HBO for less money than Netflix would cost, and I would put HBO’s original content up against Netflix’s any day. I also think it’s a mistake to underestimate Apple’s ability to build its own first-class original content streaming service based on the crappy shows it’s released to date. A couple of more deals like <ahref="http://variety.com/2017/tv/news/amazing-stories-reboot-apple-steven-spielberg-1202585869/">the <em>Amazing Stories</em> one with Steven Spielberg</a> and they’ll already have a foot in the game — for <em>way</em> less than the $100 billion it would take to buy Netflix.</p>
<p>And, just as I was about to publish this post, this just in: <ahref="http://variety.com/2017/tv/news/apple-jennifer-aniston-reese-witherspoon-morning-shows-amazing-stories-1202610068/">Apple has announced a deal for a two-season scripted TV series starring Jennifer Aniston and Reese Witherspoon</a> as competing morning TV show hosts, with <em>House of Cards</em> producer Jay Carson writing the pilot and serving as showrunner.</p>
<p>Ritholtz (and others, like <ahref="https://om.co/2017/02/22/why-apple-should-buy-netflix-again/">Om Malik</a> and <ahref="https://stratechery.com/2016/apple-should-buy-netflix/">Ben Thompson</a>) argue that Apple’s incredible cash hoard would allow them to make an expensive acquisition like Netflix. My argument is that Apple’s cash hoard would allow them to outbid the competition for the best new shows. Make Apple Studios the place where top notch talent takes new pitches first, knowing they’ll get paid top dollar and treated well. The trick isn’t the money — the trick is hiring the right executives to identify the best new shows.</p>
<ahref="https://www.theverge.com/circuitbreaker/2017/11/8/16623076/logitech-harmony-link-discontinued-bricked">Logitech Will Brick Its Harmony Link Hub for All Owners in March</a> <aclass="permalink"title="Permanent link to ‘Logitech Will Brick Its Harmony Link Hub for All Owners in March’"href="https://daringfireball.net/linked/2017/11/08/logitech-obsolescence">★</a>
<p>Logitech has announced that it’s shutting down all services for
the Harmony Link hub, a plastic puck the company released in 2011
that gave smartphones and tablets the ability to act as universal
remotes for thousands of devices.</p>
<p>Owners of the product have received an email from the company
warning that the Link will completely stop working in March. “On
March 16th, 2018, Logitech will discontinue service and support
for Harmony Link. Your Harmony Link will no longer function after
this date,” the email says. There’s no explanation or reason given
as to why service is ending in the email, but a Logitech employee
provided more details <ahref="https://community.logitech.com/s/question/0D55A0000745EkC/harmony-link-eos-or-eol?s1oid=00Di0000000j2Ck&OpenCommentForEdit=1&s1nid=0DB31000000Go9U&emkind=chatterCommentNotification&s1uid=0055A0000092Uwu&emtm=1510088039436&fromEmail=1&s1ext=0">on the company’s forums</a>. “There is a
technology certificate license that will expire next March. The
certificate will not be renewed as we are focusing resources on
our current app-based remote, the Harmony Hub.”</p>
<p>This sucks, but it seems like the way of the future with cloud-backed products. In the old days, products stopped working when they broke. Now, they stop working when the company that sold them loses interest in continuing to support them. It feels spiteful. More than ever, it matters how much you trust the company from which you buy stuff.</p>
<ahref="https://stratechery.com/2017/apple-at-its-best/">Apple at Its Best</a> <aclass="permalink"title="Permanent link to ‘Apple at Its Best’"href="https://daringfireball.net/linked/2017/11/08/apple-at-its-best">★</a>
<p>“Surprise and delight” are intangibles. You can’t measure them with a benchmark or instrument. There are contingents of hardcore power user and open source nerd types who disdain surprise and delight as product attributes — and no surprise, those are the folks who seem to be dismissing iPhone X as a cynical cash grab.</p>
<ahref="https://www.wired.com/story/steven-soderbergh-new-app-mosaic/">Steven Soderbergh’s ‘Mosaic’</a> <aclass="permalink"title="Permanent link to ‘Steven Soderbergh’s ‘Mosaic’’"href="https://daringfireball.net/linked/2017/11/08/soderbergh-mosaic">★</a>
<p>This sounds fantastic, especially in the hands of someone as innovative and talented as Soderbergh. <ahref="https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/mosaic-from-steven-soderbergh/id1294357111?ls=1&mt=8">iOS-only</a> (for now?), but that includes Apple TV.</p>
<ahref="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hyJbIwWma3Y">iPhone X 4K Video vs. the Panasonic GH5 Professional Video Camera</a> <aclass="permalink"title="Permanent link to ‘iPhone X 4K Video vs. the Panasonic GH5 Professional Video Camera’"href="https://daringfireball.net/linked/2017/11/07/iphone-x-vs-gh5">★</a>
<p>Impressive side-by-side comparison. The Panasonic GH5 sells for $2000 for the body only, and costs around $2800 with a lens. The iPhone X camera largely held its own in outdoor lighting.</p>
<ahref="https://9to5mac.com/2017/11/06/apple-typing-letter-a-i-autocorrect-bug-ios-fix/">Apple to Release Software Update to Solve iOS 11 Issue When Typing the Letter ‘i’</a> <aclass="permalink"title="Permanent link to ‘Apple to Release Software Update to Solve iOS 11 Issue When Typing the Letter ‘i’’"href="https://daringfireball.net/linked/2017/11/07/ios-11-i">★</a>
<p>Such a weird bug — and embarrassing for Apple because it makes the device look so <em>dumb</em>. What I’ve heard is that this is a machine learning problem — that, more or less, for some reason the machine learning algorithm for autocorrect was learning something it never should have learned.</p>
<h1><ahref="https://daringfireball.net/2017/10/iphone_x_review_roundup"title="Permanent link to ‘iPhone X Review Roundup’">iPhone X Review Roundup</a></h1>
<li>Face ID works great. In practice it’s like not even having a passcode on the phone. You just swipe and you’re in. It’s also very quick to set up — way quicker than setting up even a single fingerprint in Touch ID.</li>
<li>I don’t really notice the notch while using it.</li>
<li>I do notice the lack of a home button. I think I’ll get used to the new no-home-button UI soon, but 10 years of habits die hard.</li>
<li>The device feels great.</li>
</ul>
<p>I was far from alone in not getting an extended period of time to test the phone before the review embargo lifted.</p>
<p>Here’s what others are saying in their reviews.</p>
<p><ahref="https://techcrunch.com/2017/10/31/review-the-iphone-x-goes-to-disneyland/">Matthew Panzarino used iPhone X for a week</a>, and stress-tested it with a family trip to Disneyland. (<ahref="https://techcrunch.com/2014/09/17/life-is-tough/">He did the same thing with the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus three years ago</a>— it’s a great conceit for a review.) He also got on-the-record interviews with Phil Schiller, Dan Riccio, Craig Federighi, and Alan Dye. Riccio flatly denied reports that Apple was scrambling to get Touch ID working with iPhone X:</p>
<p><ahref="https://www.buzzfeed.com/nicolenguyen/iphone-x-review">Nicole Nguyen also used iPhone X for a week and wrote a great review for BuzzFeed</a>:</p>
<p>It does look like a waste of space, but I wonder if testing showed that there needs to be some space under the keyboard to separate it from the virtual home button? If there weren’t a gap under the keyboard, you might hit the home button while trying to hit the space bar, and vice versa. <strong>Update:</strong> I’ve heard from a little birdie that my speculation is correct; also: it’s about typing comfort.</p>
<p>I’m surprised it’s only a minuscule number. I’ve got a fingerprint registered on my son’s iPhone — I’m sure other parents do the same thing. And last week my wife let me put a fingerprint on her iPhone so I could use Apple Pay while pre-ordering her iPhone X while she slept. <aclass="permalink"title="Permanent link to ‘iPhone X Review Roundup’"href="https://daringfireball.net/2017/10/iphone_x_review_roundup">★</a></p>
<p>Seemingly-sensational Apple story from Bloomberg today, reported by Alex Webb and Sam Kim, “<ahref="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-10-25/inside-apple-s-struggle-to-get-the-iphone-x-to-market-on-time">Inside Apple’s Struggle to Get the iPhone X to Market on Time</a>”:</p>
<p>That sounds terrible. But what exactly does it mean? Does it mean Face ID will create too many false positives? Does it mean it will be too slow? Does it mean there will be too many false negatives? Surprise surprise, Bloomberg doesn’t say.</p>
<p>It is extraordinary for Apple to issue a blanket “this is completely false” statement on any news story. Apple, as policy, no-comments every news story, even when they know it’s bullshit. So either this story is particularly strong bullshit, or Apple is lying, on the record, under an employee’s real name (as opposed to the anonymous “an Apple spokesperson” attribution).</p>
<p>And what exactly is the point of Bloomberg’s story if, as reported, “Face ID will still be far better than the existing Touch ID”?</p>
<p><ahref="https://twitter.com/rjonesy/status/923314964349308928">Apple didn’t “lose” a supplier</a>— Apple <em>cut</em> the supplier because they weren’t producing adequate yields.</p>
<p>Now we get to the real heart of the story. Did Apple adjust the specifications for the components, or just the testing parameters? And if “it’s not clear how much the new specs will reduce the technology’s efficacy”, what is the point of this story? When did Apple “relax” these specifications? Before or after the September event?</p>
<p>To be clear, I have no idea whether Face ID works as advertised or not. I haven’t used it even once yet. Maybe it stinks, maybe it’s great, maybe it’s somewhere in between. But Bloomberg clearly doesn’t know either, yet they published this story which has a headline and summary —“The company let suppliers reduce accuracy of the phone’s Face ID system to speed up production”— which suggests that Face ID is going to stink because Apple’s suppliers couldn’t get enough good components out the door. If this weren’t merely clickbait, they’d be able to say how well it actually works.</p>
<p>Frankly, I don’t trust anything Bloomberg reports about iPhones any more. On July 3, they published this piece by Mark Gurman, “<ahref="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-07-03/apple-said-to-test-3-d-face-scanning-to-unlock-next-iphone">Apple Tests 3-D Face Scanning to Unlock Next iPhone</a>”:</p>
<p>Apple did in fact replace Touch ID with Face ID in the iPhone X, but the timing on Gurman’s story is wrong. They weren’t “testing” the viability of any of this in July. According to several trusted sources within Apple, including multiple engineers who worked directly on the iPhone X project, the decision to go “all-in on Face ID” (in the words of one source) was made over a year ago. Further, the design of the iPhone X hardware was “locked”— again, a source’s word — prior to January 2017. If I had to wager, I’d say it was locked a few months before the end of 2016. This was a nine-month-old decision that Bloomberg reported in the present tense.</p>
<p>Beyond Bloomberg, there are the slew of reports from various “analysts” that suggested Apple was still working to incorporate Touch ID into the iPhone X display as late as this summer.</p>
<p><ahref="http://appleinsider.com/articles/17/01/21/apple-expected-to-replace-touch-id-with-two-step-facial-fingerprint-bio-recognition-tech">Ming-Chi Kuo in January</a>:</p>
<p>By January, there were no plans to embed an “optical fingerprint reader” in the display of any Apple device this year. Apple did, of course, investigate ways to embed Touch ID sensors in edge-to-edge displays, but, again, those efforts were abandoned in favor of Face ID over a year ago.</p>
<p>Cowen and Company analyst Timoth Arcuri, on June 21 (of this year), under the AppleInsider headline “<ahref="http://appleinsider.com/articles/17/06/21/apple-still-undecided-on-fingerprint-tech-for-iphone-8-no-shipments-until-october">Apple Still Undecided on Fingerprint Tech for ‘iPhone 8’, No Shipments Until October</a>”:</p>
<p>This, it turns out, was complete nonsense. Again, Apple was “all-in” on Face ID over a year ago. The idea that they were still “working this out” in June is a joke.</p>
<p><ahref="http://appleinsider.com/articles/17/08/04/apple-reportedly-nixes-plans-to-incorporate-under-glass-touch-id-in-iphone-8">And back to Ming-Chi Kuo, in August</a>:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>Apple has decided against an embedded Touch ID solution for its
forthcoming “iPhone 8” handset, according to well-connected
analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, leaving the door open for competitor Samsung
to debut similar technology in next year’s Galaxy Note 9.</p>
<p>In a note to investors obtained by AppleInsider, Kuo says Apple
has “cancelled” plans to embed a fingerprint recognition solution
in the next-generation flagship iPhone. The analyst left embedded
Touch ID off a list of standout “iPhone 8” features published in
July, but did not indicate that Apple had abandoned the initiative
<p>As with Gurman’s report in June, the problem here is with the timing, not the facts. By August of this year, this was a nearly year-old decision.</p>
<p>The Wall Street Journal, <ahref="https://www.wsj.com/articles/iphones-summer-production-glitches-create-holiday-jitters-1504801636">in a September 7 report attributed to reporters “Yoko Kubota in Tokyo, Tripp Mickle in San Francisco, and Takashi Mochizuki in Tokyo”</a>:</p>
<p>I quote the two Tokyo datelines in the byline because I don’t think this information came from Apple. Again, my sources at Apple, directly familiar with the decision, have told me that they chose Face ID over a year ago because they were convinced it was better than Touch ID. Touch ID was not abandoned because it was difficult to embed in the display.</p>
<p>For good measure while I’m pouring out the claim chowder, here’s Zach Epstein, writing for BGR on July 20, “<ahref="http://bgr.com/2017/07/20/iphone-8-release-date-soon-leaks-touch-id-scoop/">I Might Know the Truth About Touch ID on Apple’s iPhone 8</a>” (note that the device he refers to as “iPhone 8” is the iPhone X):</p>
<blockquote>
<p>I have now received information from three different well-placed
sources over the past few weeks, and they have all told me the
same thing: The iPhone 8’s Touch ID fingerprint sensor is in the
power button.</p>
<p>The news first came to me about a month ago from a source I know
well. I’ve since been told the same thing by two additional
sources I haven’t known for quite as long. All three sources have
provided information to me in the past that has proven to be
accurate.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>That’s a lot of “well-placed sources” for a bullshit story.</p>
<p>All of this fits with what I’ve heard from rank-and-file engineering sources within Apple for years. To wit, producing hardware at the iPhone’s scale, while pushing the boundaries of the industry in technology, is so difficult, so complicated, that it requires hardware designs to be locked down <em>far</em> in advance of when iPhones are actually announced and released. Apple’s iPhone hardware engineering teams did not spend 2017 working on the iPhone X and iPhone 8 — they spent this year working on new iPhone hardware for 2018 and 2019 (and perhaps beyond). Hardware is nothing like software. If Apple had really been dithering over Touch ID-embedded-in-the-display vs. Face ID in June of this year, iPhone X wouldn’t be hitting the market until 2018. And the final decisions on the hardware for the iPhones that <em>will</em> be debuting next year are being made right now.</p>
<p>So where do these rumors come from? I don’t know. My guess is that if there’s an intent behind them, it’s that competitors (<em>cough</em>, Samsung?) within the Asian supply chain are attempting to sow doubt about Face ID. The narrative presented by analysts and certain news reports this summer was that Apple was still scrambling to get Touch ID working embedded within the iPhone X display, suggesting that Face ID was their Plan B.</p>
<p>People are naturally skeptical about biometric ID systems. They were skeptical about Touch ID when it was still only rumored, just like they’re skeptical now about Face ID. Today, though, Touch ID is both trusted and familiar. So rumors claiming that Apple really wanted to get Touch ID into iPhone X but had to settle for Face ID play into both the skepticism of the new and the comfort of the familiar. <ahref="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fear,_uncertainty_and_doubt">FUD</a> is one of the oldest tricks in the book.</p>
<p>The other, simpler explanation is that it simply takes 9 months or longer for engineering decisions made within Apple to percolate out to the rumor reporters and analysts — and their sources are so far removed from the halls of Cupertino that they mistake old news for new news. <aclass="permalink"title="Permanent link to ‘Face ID FUD’"href="https://daringfireball.net/2017/10/face_id_fud">★</a></p>
