This week on The Prompt:
Federico, Myke and Stephen (Yo!) learn about unlocking British (Yo!) iPhones, visit LinkedIn, try to (Yo!) understand Slingshot and walk through (Yo!) Google I/O.
Google’s Material Design ⇢
Like Gruber, this design language reminds me a lot of webOS. The animations are playful, and the colors are relaxing. Matías Duarte is working to make Google more approachable and friendly. It’s a lot less Tron and a lot more Monument Valley. Where Apple’s using transparency to show depth, Google is using motion and subtle shadows. In many ways, this feels closer to OS X Yosemite than iOS 8 does. While I haven’t played with it yet, from what I’ve seen, I’m a fan.
Google introduces new Gmail API ⇢
Eric DeFriez:
Designed to let you easily deliver Gmail-enabled features, this new API is a standard Google API, which gives RESTful access to a user’s mailbox under OAuth 2.0 authorization. It supports CRUD operations on true Gmail datatypes such as messages, threads, labels and drafts.
As a standard Google API, you make simple HTTPS calls and get your responses in JSON, XML or Google Protobuf formats. You can also make these calls from standard web languages like Java and Python without using a TCP socket, which means the API is accessible from many cloud environments that couldn’t support IMAP.
I wonder what this means for Apple’s Mail applications.
While I think open standards like IMAP should be used when at all possible, Google has a history of home-built APIs over open standards when it gives them more control and allows developers to build more powerful applications. Just ask CalDAV or XMPP.
iOS 8 and Accessibility ⇢
Steven Aquino, over on MacStories:
Without any tinge of hyperbole, I often marvel at how truly Accessibility reflects Apple’s ethos of designing products for everyone, regardless of cognitive or physical impairment. (A sentiment I have expressed numerous times elsewhere.) Again, these are signs of real innovation, although they (unfortunately) go largely unheralded. It’s my strong opinion that Apple is leading the industry in this regard, and iOS 8 takes another step forward in extending their lead.
Supreme Court rules against Aereo ⇢
Sigh.
Tim strikes again ⇢
Lost Generation of Sudan ⇢
Earlier this summer, my brother, brother-in-law and a couple of close friends left Memphis, flew to South Sudan and filmed what will be the first multi-camera documentary filmed in the war-torn country.
This fall, Lost Generation of Sudan will tell the story of a new generation of lost boys, victims of the on-going devastation brought on a helpless population.
Editorially team joins Vox ⇢
Editorially was an excellent online collaboration tool for teams of writers. Until it closed, it was our primary tool for working together on The Sweet Setup.
Vox says that Editorially won’t re-open, and that the core team they’ve hired will be working on Chorus, the CMS that powers all of Vox’s site. While that makes a ton of sense for the company, I’d be lying if I didn’t say I am a little sad such a great service is going away.
Starting Anew ⇢
Angela Ahrendts, Apple’s new SVP of Retail, in a blog post on LinkedIn:
My father used to always say, “Ask questions, don’t make assumptions.” Questions invite conversations, stimulate thinking, break down barriers, create positive energy and show your willingness to understand and learn. Questions show humility, acknowledgement and respect for the past, and give you greater insights into both the business and individuals. And don’t be afraid to ask personal questions or share a few of your personal details. Talking about weekend interests, family and friends can give you a more complete view of your peers and partners, their passion and compassion. Building a relationship is also the first step in building trust, which quickly leads towards alignment and unity.
It’s a great read, and a sure sign that Apple’s corporate life is changing. Can you imagine a post like this going up five years ago? Five weeks ago?
On the Oxford Comma ⇢
Walt Hickey at FiveThirtyEight:
FiveThirtyEight and SurveyMonkey Audience ran a poll from June 3 to 5 asking 1,129 Americans which camp they fell into, and wouldn’t you believe it? We’re split on that comma.
We asked respondents which sentence was, in their opinion, more grammatically correct: “It’s important for a person to be honest, kind and loyal.” Or: “It’s important for a person to be honest, kind, and loyal.” The latter has an Oxford comma, the former none.
The result was pretty much down the middle, with pro-Oxford partisans commanding 57 percent of the vote and opponents to the tyranny of the extra comma grabbing 43 percent. Although those numbers might be enough to defeat Eric Cantor, it’s hardly a clear victory for the Oxfordians.
As a general rule, AP drops punctuation and spaces to preserve space. While newspapers are dying (and the guys who used to set type by hand are gone), I prefer the style. I learned AP style in high school and college and my brain barely registers that the punctuation exists, much to the chagrin of my wife and her fancy English degree.
Dan Frommer, on Tim Cook ⇢
Over at Quartz:
As Apple’s product line matures and growth slows, it is easy—perhaps too easy—to criticize Apple CEO Tim Cook for not being enough like Steve Jobs, his legendary predecessor. But that misses the real story: Since taking over as CEO, Cook has made several key moves—including some Jobs might never have considered—to set Apple up for its next big thing.
The QuickTake 100 turns 20 ⇢
Stewart Wolpin at Mashable:
First unveiled at the Tokyo MacWorld Expo on February 17, 1994, the QuickTake 100 went on sale 20 years ago from yesterday — June 20, 1994. It was priced at $749 and initiated the age of consumer digital photography.
One reason why the QuickTake 100 is not often mentioned as an Apple breakthrough — other than the fact that Jobs’ himself had nothing to do with it — was that it’s one of the few non-computer products Apple produced and one Apple itself didn’t design.
The entire QuickTake 100 line was built by Kodak, but the 200 was by Fujifilm. No matter the source, these products are still an interesting look at weird, 90s Apple.
More interesting? By some measures, the iPhone is the most popular camera in the world. I bet that twenty years ago, no one thought that a camera with an Apple logo on it would take over the world.