June 20, 2021

Fully Vaxxed, Oh Google, Oh Apple and My New Laptop

Hey there, this the first proper newsletter of Farai's Fuzzy Thoughts. COVID-19 cases are shooting up in Zim now so I'd strongly encourage you to get vaccinated. Here's my experience of getting vaccinated.

I also got a new laptop which is a land of contrasts. Now for a rant on YouTube's automatic captions and iOS/iPadOS 15.

I was catching up on captioned videos for The Conspicuous Consumer (which has 0 views) and it did this:

What I had said was koeksisters (an afrikanner confectionary) which looks like this (CC-BY-2.0 image by Arnold Goodway on Wikimedia.

While it's hilarious as fuck and YouTube is far better at automated captions than I'd expect (not like this tweet), redacting profanity makes it harder for deaf people to understand captions [VIDEO: 13:05].

iOS/iPadOS 15

Apple had WWDC where they introduced their newest operating system. Here's a bunch of disorganized thoughts on it.

• I appreciate how they're supporting it all the way to the iPhone 6S. Android does provide security updates and component updates so it might not be that big of a deal but to see Apple work so hard to keep their tech supported is commendable. If only repair was as good.
• I don't really use Facetime but SharePlay looks neat though I don't have friends to use it with. Also they said it "works on Android" but it does through with the browser. A really hamfisted way of doing it. C'mon Apple, open up Facetime aas Steve Jobs was trying to [VIDEO 0:31]. Support RCS while you're at it too.
• Notifications look interesting though I don't get bombarded with enough of them to be a problem.
• Maps update seems great if you live in large metros in the US but it doesn't support directions in Zimbabwe. Also, why does the Mac it?
• I've kinda discussed Safari on the Codelab newsletter but I kinda like the refresh (especially not having to reach up to refresh) but why did they put a bunch of functions behind a menu?
• Having official documents and car keys in your phone seems convenient but what happens if your phone gets stolen?
• Live text is really good, and spotlight can even search in them! Also pointing to identify is kinda neat, though I'm not sure if I'll use it.
• Yadayadayah privacy.
• iCloud+'s private relay seems interesting though I'm not sure how I feel about it being dependent on CDNs. Apparantly it's like a tor relay instead of a VPN though it doesn't hide location. Also there's a custom domain for email which I may or mayn't use.
• Notes finally has tags though I'm wondering why it doesn't support nested folders though it does on MacOS.
• Secure Paste sounds like it should have been there since forever and I'm great it's there now but there are some reasonable uses for scanning clipboard, like convenience.
• The magnification glass for text selection is back which thank you!!!
• Not a big deal but you get some extra space when transfering your phone. Had this issue when switching phones.
• Voice memo needs transcripts!
• With regards to the iPad not being "pro" enough, people need to realize that people use computers in different ways (and they don't determine the use of a produce off of branding). Buying a $1k product and whining how it doesn't make you superhuman is silly.
• That being said, it's hard to see where the iPads power is going. I don't see how multitasking is improved. It's worse than the Apple Macintosh despite 37 years of additional knowledge.
• Don't get the fuss about quick notes
• Making 3D objects from images is rad as hell.
• Swift Playgrounds lets you publish apps from an iPad but it's missing a bunch of things developers actually use to make apps. It can still improve but does Apple talk to any developers or ar their heads stuck up their own asses?
• Universal control looks rad as hell.

In all there isn't anything "exciting" but Matt has a good perspective on it being boring [VIDEO 5:34]. Basically, iOS is very mature and it's hard to change too much without ruining the user experience (though they didn't care about that in Safari. Still feel bad for developers who Apple keeps ignoring. Looks like they're banking on software revenue but they can't do anything useful so they're gimping the competition with arbitrary rules that favor those who can complain in court.

Still, I just hope it's stable.

770 Words Later

Thanks for reading! I hope you enjoyed. Honestly I'm not sure what's next for content. Mostly book reviews and a written edition of the Conspicuous consumer. I'll figure it out as I go.