A weekly list of interesting things I found on the internet, posted on Sundays. Sometimes themed, often not.

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1️⃣ Hilarious new animations by The Oatmeal. [🔗 theoatmeal.com]

2️⃣ If you’re wondering just how widespread climbing gyms have gotten… [🔗 @climbing_castle // instagram.com]

3️⃣ This trailer for the new Thwip app by Rafael Conde is up there with the best I’ve ever seen. The app is super fun and well-designed too. [🔗 @rafa // mastodon.design]

4️⃣ “Cheapest flagship iPhone since the original” would be quite a statement, and yet it’s true about the iPhone 15 Pro. I’m almost surprised that Apple didn’t tout it themselves. [🔗 Wally Nowinski // perfectrec.com]

5️⃣ Over at The Brooks Review, I’ve really enjoyed their recent posts on their recommendations for getting a collection of a particular kind of item. They’ve got articles for knives, flashlights, bags, and watches — so, nerd fodder — with separate collections for budget, mid, and luxury pricing. What a neat idea. (The luxury watch collection will only run you a paltry $100,000 😎) [🔗 Ben Brooks // brooksreview.net]

6️⃣ It’s not just me! There’s math behind the right way to tie your shoes! [🔗 Ethan Siegel // bigthink.com]

7️⃣ Okay, look at these colors, artificially saturated by Basic Apple Guy, of the new iPhone 15 and tell me they don’t look way better than the faded, barely-there colors that Apple went with this year. [🔗 @BasicAppleGuy // mastodon.social]

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7 Things

As is the case with most Tim Cook interviews, there wasn’t much substance in this CBS one with John Dickerson that we didn’t already know. Although, I will say that I’m glad Dickerson pushed Cook on their X (formerly Twitter) advertising.

Despite the lack of notable conversation, it’s interesting to see behind the scenes in Apple corporate centers where some interviews occur. For instance, I was tickled to see this wall display by a drinking fountain at one of their call centers. Why put in a dumb screen when you can install a whole old iMac?

And check out those light bars that go up the wall and across the ceiling. Apple’s architectural prowess shows even in the places customers never (well…) see.

I’ve only just started reading Federico Viticci’s review of iOS and iPadOS 17 on MacStories. But the very first sentence was simply too good to not stop and share:

In the year when the vision is elsewhere, what do you get the OS that has everything?

Chef’s kiss

Federico’s review is my favorite every year. I can’t wait to read his impressions and revel in all the little details that’s he’s dug up. He always finds the best stuff.

Oh, and even if you save the review to a read-later app, you’ve gotta click through to see the fantastic animation and graphics created by Michael Steeber.

Linked

I didn’t get to watch the event live today, and I haven’t checked out any other coverage. So here’s what’s rattling around my head after just having finished the keynote. (I think most of my before thoughts hold up.)

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The “Apple products saved my life” video to start the event was, as ever, quite moving. Very keen of them to do the theme around birthdays that might not’ve been. Tim Cook once said that Apple’s greatest contribution to the world will be their impact on the health field. I can see that they’re taking that very seriously.

I showed my wife the (somewhat corny) carbon neutral scene because I thought they were throwing around some pretty astounding figures. She’s not into tech, and not into Apple fandom. Her response? An enthusiastic “That’s pretty cool! And quite the commitment to climate.” Kudos, Apple. Kudos.

I didn’t expect much new with the Apple Watch Ultra, and there’s not much to it. But we got a new model number, the Ultra 2, which was a moniker I wasn’t anticipating. That brighter (and dimmer) display, plus the Double Tap gesture will be things I look forward to in a future model, but certainly won’t be upgrading this year.

Did anyone else notice the theme of the original iPhone ringtone, Marimba, when they were talking about calls?

I love that they didn’t beat around the bush about leather being a less environmentally friendly material, especially at Apple’s scale. (I’m down with the FineWoven textile. And while I’d been thinking about phone cases and watch bands, I hadn’t even considered all the other leather products Apple makes. Good to see that they’ve gone whole hog with replacing the AirTag cases, MagSafe Wallet, and more.)

The iPhone 15 looks really nice with that color-infused glass. And it looks to be a really great value. I caught myself thinking that it was the Pro phone introduction at one point.

Speaking of the Pro phones…

• The titanium finish looks even better than I imagined. I love that they went with the brushed finish, as opposed to the smooth finish of the Apple Watch Ultra. (I’m not sure I see the difference between “white titanium” and “natural titanium” though.)
• We all thought it would be a periscope lens shooting down vertically into the device to enable a longer zoom. I bet a lot of folks at Apple smirked as they innovated with the folded tetraprism glass.
• I hate having to make the choice to take a Portrait photo, and rarely do so in the moment. The fact that the data will be captured so that you can apply the effect afterward is pretty cool.
• The Action button looks great. I wasn’t sure if it enables both ring/silent switching via a long press plus other actions with a regular press or if you need to choose only one action.
• A 3x longer range Ultra Wideband chip is quite the improvement. Curious, though, that they went with calling it a “second generation” chip, rather than the “U2” chip. Maybe a licensing disagreement with the band? But they’ve always been on very friendly and cooperative terms with U2.
• It’s very cool to extend the satellite messaging service to roadside assistance. I can see a progression where they keep integrating with different emergency types until eventually they can handle all kinds of general satellite messaging. That’d be an insta-upgrade for me.
• The A17 Pro chip (will next year’s iPhone 16 get the A17 non-Pro?) is laying a solid foundation for the next-gen M-series chips headed for Macs. The gaming-focused improvements and boasting about the all-new GPU have me wondering if they’ll be back in the high-end GPU conversation even without a quad-sized M# Extreme chip.
• I had zero expectation that this year’s iPhone would be able to capture spatial videos. But turns out you’ll be able to record those (reportedly emotionally moving) 3D-ish videos to watch on a Vision Pro without the cringyness of wearing the headset to do so. Color me hella impressed.
• Did you detect the flex on the prices staying the same this year on all the models? Sure, the Pro Max starts at $100 higher, but comes with the higher storage tier, so it’s more of an elimination of the lower tier than a price increase. Higher prices were heavily rumored for the Pro phones at least.
• I see we’re saying goodbye to the mini-sized iPhone. You can’t buy the iPhone 13 mini anymore, even though the regular iPhone 13 is still for sale. 🤞 for its reintroduction next year.

That photography room in Apple Park looked incredible. I can see the newest Apple Store design influence there. Or was it the other way around?

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My overall impression is that Apple is at the top of its game with reducing and reversing environmental impact, materials sciences, chip design, camera hardware, and so much more. The rate at which they extend their lead leaves little hope for other companies to catch up. And they do it all with such cool confidence and careful consideration.

It was another great presentation. I’m excited to go dive into all the details!

John Gruber got down in writing what’s been rattling around my head for a few years now. The regular and pro duopoly of iPhone introductions has some — still evolving — idiosyncrasies that most folks don’t appreciate. Here’s a couple of key things that Gruber points out:

What everyone groks about this strategy is that the pro models are more expensive. Of course they are. But there are a few aspects to Apple’s strategy that many people miss. The most important is that the iPhone Pro models are only produced for one year. If the pattern holds, come next week, the iPhone 14 Pro and Pro Max will cease production, and be replaced in the product line by the new 15 Pro models. The non-pro iPhones, however, stay in production for at least two additional years, dropping in price by $100 each year. I find that fascinating, but it’s seldom remarked upon. The iPhones that are the most expensive, most cutting-edge, and I presume the hardest to manufacture are only produced for one single year. That’s an altogether new strategy from the years before the iPhone X, when there was just one new flagship iPhone per year (albeit in two sizes during the iPhone 6-6S-7 years), and most iPhones stayed in the lineup at reduced prices for years to come.

And

We won’t know tomorrow whether this more repairable, more accessible system architecture will repeat with the iPhone 15, but I suspect it will. No matter what, the regular iPhone 15 models will not simply be the iPhones 14 Pro models repackaged in aluminum frames rather than stainless steel. The strategy Apple has achieved, as I see it:

• Pro models: cutting-edge chips, cameras, and materials; will be produced for just one year.
• Non-pro models: refined architecture using the year-old SoC and older camera systems; will be produced for 2-3 years to come.

You can’t just wait around the price of a Pro phone to come down if you’re buying it from Apple. It’s always going to be that price until the next one replaces it.

Linked

Later today, the world will be introduced to Apple’s latest and greatest. If Apple follows its longstanding routines, new iPhone models, regular and Pro, will be unveiled alongside updated Apple Watches.

If I’m honest, I’m a bit underwhelmed by the rumors and leaks, but I’ll be happy if proven wrong and Tim Cook and Co show off something that really rocks my world. But seeing as they just took the wraps off Vision Pro, which did rock my socks, I can give them a pass if the rest of the year’s announcements are more benign.

Anyway, here’s what I’m feeling at the moment about the anticipated product releases.

iPhone

👍

• Titanium finish for Pro models. Titanium seems to be the new stainless steel, and I’m all for the durability paired with lighter weight. I’m not sure it’ll be the jaw-dropping weight savings that some think it will be, but any dropped grams are okay by me.
• Dynamic Island coming to all models. It was such a cool introduction last year, that it’s one of the few features that I lust after while I cling to my 13 mini. I hope it being on more models will help with it becoming more useful with more apps.
• Better battery life. I’m really waiting for that next leap in electron storage technology to make a meaningful difference in day-to-day battery life. But in the tick-tock cycle we seem to have picked up in great battery life then okay battery life, this should be a “tock” (better battery life) year. That’s never a bad thing.
• Action button. Although I’ll be a little sad to see the mute switch go, it makes so much sense to turn it into a user-programmable button. Nearly everyone just sets and forgets their ring/silence preference, so the “switching” nature of the mute switch is probably hardly ever used. And for those who do regularly turn their phone’s ringer on and off, I imagine that software and haptics will make doing that with the Action button just as easy. But for the rest of us, we just might finally get that dedicated hardware camera button, flashlight, app launcher, or shortcut starter we’ve always wanted. I just hope it’s faster than the Action button on the Apple Watch Ultra, which is so criminally slow to launch a shortcut that I only begrudgingly use it.
• USB-C all the things. Lightning has had a great run and lasted the decade that Phil Schiller told us it would. I didn’t begrudge the port change then, and I don’t begrudge it now. I do think that every iPhone should get bumped to at least USB 3.0 speeds though. USB 2.0 just feels cruelly slow for a premium product like an iPhone in 2023. Most of all, though, I hope that they’ll use the opportunity to update the Magic Keyboard with Touch ID with USB-C as well, and release it in a black and silver color option.

👎

• Periscope lens for the Pro Max. After several failed attempts, I’ve come to accept that I just don’t have enough interest to pursue becoming a discerning mobile photographer. I’m, at best, a point-and-shoot kind of person. And while a longer lens would certainly open up more options in those quick and dirty shots I take, I just can’t get myself excited for the ever-diminishing returns in smartphone camera improvements. And certainly not if it only comes to the largest of iPhones.
• Pro Max vs. Ultra. Speaking of large phones, until recently, it seemed that the “Ultra” moniker was going to replace “Pro Max” for the largest iPhone Pro. I was on board with the change, especially since it’s been rumored there would be a real feature difference between the regular-sized Pro phone, and the big boy. Now it seems “Pro Max” will be sticking around. I’ve never liked that name, and think “Ultra” would be more clear.
• No mini-sized phone. It’s the best one. A couple of years ago, I had hoped that Apple would switch back and forth from having a smaller then a bigger version of their regular phone available. A mini year, then a Plus year. No signs pointed toward that trend, but still, I held out hope. Despite supposedly weak sales of the iPhone 14 Plus, I guess I’ll have to keep my fingers crossed for a two-year back and forth. They did offer the mini for two years before switching to the Plus after all…

Apple Watch

👍

• Chip updates. It’s been far too long since we’ve seen a performance leap in the system-on-a-chip in the Apple Watch. And while most people don’t seem to crave a faster watch, we shouldn’t forget that the S-series chip has also gone into other products like the HomePod. I want the HomePod’s software to stay relevant for as long as possible since their audio quality should continue to be top-notch. Plus, with faster chips usually comes better battery life — always a welcome thing for a watch — and I’ll take any performance boost to that brute forces running shortcuts faster.

🤷‍♂️

• Anything else? I’ve been wracking my brain to come up with anything else to say about the Apple Watch. New colors? Sure. Different band options? Great. Action button on the regular Series models? Okay, but that would dilute the Ultra’s differentiation. But we haven’t heard any whispers about new sensors, screen sizes, or anything else of note this year. It might be a sleeper year for the Watch lineup.

Grab Bag

👍

• Event day in general. This is only the second Apple event of 2023, which is a bit of an outlier. Can you believe that the only one since 2022’s iPhone event was WWDC23 in June? It’s a great year when we have an Apple Event to look forward to in each season. So to be “back” at Apple Park for anything is exciting.
• Bye-bye leather. I’m good with Apple replacing their leather accessories with something more progressive. I know some people swear by their leather cases, but I’ve never used one and I’m confident Apple will have developed a worthy replacement. Their textile game is so good. And “FineWoven” is a cool name.

🤷‍♂️

• Pre-recorded events. Okay, I’ll concede that the polished videos are slick, fun to watch, and pack more in than a live presentation ever could. And pre-2020 keynotes now look a little dated and dark compared to the brightly lit scenes from around Apple Park of their modern event videos. But it’s a bit awkward to invite all the press to come watch a movie together in the Steve Jobs Theater, and I do miss the electric atmosphere of in-person presentations on event day, knowing that it was all happening live.

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At this point, I’m not planning on purchasing anything rumored to be announced tomorrow — gotta save those pennies for the Vision Pro.

A weekly list of interesting things I found on the internet, posted on Sundays. Sometimes themed, often not.

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1️⃣ I love this drought-resistant sidewalk garden that a family has been maintaining for the last six years. [🔗 zachklein.com]

2️⃣ I’ll never not be impressed by the care and usefulness poured into CleanShot X. It’s got a great new update this week, and Matt Birchler made this excellent feature promo video. [▶️ CleanShot X // youtube.com]

3️⃣ I can’t say that I’m a Rolling Stones fan, but I did really like the creativity of their latest music video. The song’s pretty good, too. [▶️ Rolling Stones // youtube.com] (Via Daring Fireball)

4️⃣ It’s heartwarming to see that the late, great Alex Hay has been memorialized by Starfield’s developers in the game he was so excited to play. [🔗 Matthew Cassinelli // matthewcassinelli.com]

5️⃣ Could next year finally be the year that Siri gets good? I’ve been duped into that idea before, but tighter integration with Shortcuts is always a good thing in my book. [🔗 Zac Hall // 9to5mac.com] (Via Matthew Cassinelli)

6️⃣ Words to live by. [🔗 HeyScottyJ // heyscottyj.com]

7️⃣ This is an awesome tool to rank any list of things. [🔗 Chorus.fm // chorus.fm]¹

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Take a Chance

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Thanks for reading 7 Things. If you enjoyed these links or have something neat to share, please let me know.

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1. For example, I ranked every iPhone model.↩︎

7 Things

A weekly list of interesting things I found on the internet, posted on Sundays. Sometimes themed, often not.

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1️⃣ 🔗 Link

2️⃣ 🔗 Link

3️⃣ 🔗 Link

4️⃣ 🔗 Link

5️⃣ 🔗 Link

6️⃣ 🔗 Link

7️⃣ 🔗 Link

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Take Another Chance

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Thanks for reading 7 Things. If you enjoyed these links or have something neat to share, please let me know.

7 Things

Casey Liss, describing his new app Callsheet:

Callsheet, in short, allows you to look up movies, TV shows, cast, and crew. You can think of it as similar to the IMDb app but… with respect for its users. Which, actually, makes it not like IMDb at all. 🙃

When I watch a movie or TV show, I’m constantly trying to figure out who that actor is, who the director is, and so on. Early this year, I wanted a way to look this up that was native to iOS/iPadOS, but also fast, with no fluff that I wasn’t interested in. I wanted a bespoke version of the IMDb app.

It’s unlikely that you haven’t heard about Callsheet yet this week, but I’m here to pile on the praise. I’ve been using Casey’s app throughout the beta period, and it’s been solid from day one.

I’m totally that person who can’t help but point out what show or movie we know an actor from, and it completely derails my attention until I can figure it out. Callsheet makes figuring that out easy, ad-free, and — most importantly — fast. I love all the attention to detail that Casey has poured into the app. For example, try tapping on a show or movie’s runtime to see at what time it would end!

The pricing is more than fair. $1 per month or $9 per year (as of launch). Plus you get 20 searches totally free to try it out AND a weeklong free trial when you start your subscription. I even appreciate the honest, whole-number pricing — no $0.99s or $8.99s in sight.

Casey is right to disparage the IMDb app. It’s become an ad-filled, in-your-face, and in-your-way atrocity. One of the only good things that I can say about it is that it has inspired the creation of Callsheet. In a myriad of ways, right down to app size, Callsheet respects its users where IMDb doesn’t. IMDb weighs in at 103 MB of storage on your device. Callsheet punches way above its weight class, beating IMDb at its own game with a minuscule 5 MB.

Stephen Hackett summarized it best, saying, “Callsheet is the indie app scene at its best — taking on a huge app written by people who don’t seem to care about their users — and doing a better job at it in every single way.”

The TV Tracking Dynamic Duo

Callsheet pairs well with my other favorite TV-focused, indie-developed app: TV Forecast. Callsheet excels at looking up people, and TV Forecast is best at tracking shows (and now movies!) that you’ve watched and want to watch. And while you can get actor details in TV Forecast, Callsheet has quickly become the tool I reach for to solve the “where do we know them from?” problem.

You should give both apps a look, but especially Callsheet this week to boost Casey’s launch. And, for the love of god, delete IMDb!

Apps

A weekly list of interesting things I found on the internet, posted on Sundays. Sometimes themed, often not.

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1️⃣ If you’re wondering how long we’ve been waiting for delivery on an Elon Musk promise, this site’s got the receipts. [🔗 elonmusk.today]

2️⃣ AI-generated summaries of product reviews sound pretty useful! [🔗 Emma Roth // theverge.com]

3️⃣ An absolutely mesmerizing percussive performance in the water. Yeah, you read that right. [🔗 instagram.com]

4️⃣ Super cool portfolio of Mike Matas’ work across Apple, Facebook, Nest, and other startups. Sounds like he’s headed to Jony Ive’s LoveFrom next. [🔗 Mike Matas // mikematas.com]

5️⃣ I loved this exploration of web design that replicates many of the constraints that writing with a typewriter would have. The result is a beautiful and simple site with every detail considered. [🔗 Leon Paternoster // thisdaysportion.com]

6️⃣ As recommended by Joanna Stern, this Grover tech rental site looks super interesting and sustainability-conscious. [🔗 grover.com]

7️⃣ RSS is still just the best and hasn’t died on the vine as some major news publications seem to think. Matt Birchler sets the story straight. [🔗 Matt Birchler // birchtree.me]

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Take a Chance

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Thanks for reading 7 Things. If you enjoyed these links or have something neat to share, please let me know.

7 Things