When I got my first demo of the new Apple Sports app, I admit to being a little surprised: didn’t Apple already do live sports scores? Hadn’t I just seen the Arsenal score and play-by-play on my iPhone on Sunday morning when I was in the kitchen making breakfast?
I had. And it has led to a lot of confusion about what the Apple Sports app does and doesn’t do, which highlights just how scattered Apple’s current effort to bring information to sports fans really is. I imagine that it wasn’t planned to work this way, and I wouldn’t be surprised if Apple connects all of its disparate sports pieces eventually, but in the meantime things are a little confusing.
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Vice.com Shutting Down⇢
Alexander Saeedy and Alexandra Bruell at the Wall Street Journal, via Apple News:
Vice Media said it would stop publishing content on its flagship website and plans to cut hundreds of jobs, following a failed effort by owner Fortress Investment Group to sell the embattled digital publisher and its brands.
The moves were laid out in an internal memo from Chief Executive Bruce Dixon, a copy of which was reviewed by The Wall Street Journal.
Intuitive Machines Makes History⇢
Aria Alamalhodaei, writing at TechCrunch:
Intuitive Machines has landed a spacecraft on the lunar surface, in a historic first for a private company.
Flight controllers confirmed the landing at 5:23 p.m. CST, though the exact condition of the spacecraft is unclear as engineers work to refine their signal with the lander.
“What we can confirm without a doubt is that our equipment is on the surface of the moon and we are transmitting,” mission director and Intuitive Machines CTO Tim Crain said. “So congratulations IM team, we’ll see how much more we can get from that.”
Connected #490: Ivy League Ferret⇢
Stephen, Myke, and Federico explore Apple’s ongoing AI efforts, talk about recent iPhone reports and iPad rumors, and share their thoughts on the annual Six Colors Report Card.
Apple Launches Apple Sports to Track Sports Scores⇢
Today’s the opening day of MLS, and Apple has a new iPhone app out for sports lovers. Here’s a bit from the company’s press release:
Apple today introduced Apple Sports, a free app for iPhone that gives sports fans access to real-time scores, stats, and more. Designed for speed and simplicity, the app’s personalized experience puts users’ favorite leagues and teams front and center, featuring an easy-to-use interface designed by Apple. Apple Sports is available to download now in the App Store in the U.S., the U.K. and Canada.
More on Accessibility and Vision Pro⇢
Zach Knox has published a very insightful article exploring the accessibility ramifications of Apple’s new platform:
I have low vision. A kind you can’t really correct for with glasses or contacts. I also bought Apple Vision Pro at launch. Why would I do this? Well because I’m a nerd who wants to see the future, but also because I was fascinated to see how Apple would handle accessibility for this new product. Apple’s track record on accessibility in the past decade has been stellar, in my opinion, with their teams adding powerful options every year and ensuring every new platform has accessibility support built in from the start.
Apple Vision Pro Gaming⇢
I think John Voorhees has played just about every game out for visionOS, but it’s interesting that the software isn’t the biggest issue:
In the final analysis, the trouble with the Apple Vision Pro is its lack of ports. Unless you’re relying on the games available on the App Store, that means you’ll have to contend with some sort of wireless connection. And, although there are some fun games on the App Store, the selection is far more limited than on iOS, iPadOS, or macOS, so it’s worth casting a wider net.
My Complete 2023 Six Colors Report Card Replies
Jason Snell posted his excellent Six Color Report Card this morning, and I have done before, I thought I would share my complete answers here:
The Mac: 4/5
2023 marked the end of the transition to Apple silicon. It may have taken longer than Apple anticipated, but it’s hard to argue with the results. Macs are running faster, cooler and longer than they ever could with Intel inside.
Kbase Article of the Week: If You See a Liquid-Detection Alert on Your iPhone⇢
When you connect a Lightning or USB-C cable or an accessory to your iPhone XS, iPhone XS Max, iPhone XR, or later, your iPhone can warn you if there’s liquid in the connector.
If you see one of these alerts, your iPhone has detected liquid in the Lightning or USB-C connector or on the cable or accessory. To protect your iPhone and the accessory, charging and accessory connection are unavailable until the connector, cable ends, and the accessory are dry.
The 2023 Six Colors Report Card⇢
It’s time for our annual look back on Apple’s performance during the past year, as seen through the eyes of writers, editors, developers, podcasters, and other people who spend an awful lot of time thinking about Apple.
This is the ninth year that I’ve presented this survey to a hand-selected group. They were prompted with 12 different Apple-related subjects, and asked to rate them on a scale from 1 to 5 and optionally provide text commentary per category.
Mac Power Users #732: Catching up with Mike Vardy⇢
Mike Vardy drops by the show to talk about the journey behind his upcoming book, his love of the Freewrite family of products, and how he runs his growing online business.
Connected #489: The Birds Chirp in the Black Void⇢
Federico, Stephen and Myke bring some weird Friday energy to the show and discuss the possibilities of a KitchenPod, some early favorite visionOS apps, and a couple of unusual iPhone cases.