A new op-ed by me for Stuff magazine, on what iOS 7 really needs.

The average pundit might tire of a new device approximately eight seconds after switching it on, dismissing it with a weary sigh for not parping a tech revolution fanfare and simultaneously spraying complexity everywhere, but consumers are fond of familiarity. They rather like knowing that on tapping upgrade‚ everything will remain where it was before, but be a bit better. They’re more interested in useful enhancements than me-too (or even me-first) features that won’t fundamentally enrich their lives.

That’s the main gist of it, although there’s also a bit about Tim Cook being fired out of a cannon.

There’s a lot online today about the Xbox One, with Microsoft clarifying a few points about the system’s restrictions. Everything’s outlined in a Eurogamer piece by Tom Bramwell, and the short of it is you don’t own content (you license it, even if it’s bought on optical media), publishers decide whether resale is allowed, the Xbox One must connect every 24 hours or you can’t play games (live TV and optical media playback are exempt from this rule), and loaning/renting is still being figured out.

Bramwell also notes:

10 people can be authorised to play these games on a different Xbox One via the cloud, but not at the same time, similar to iTunes authorised devices.

I’ve also seen other articles comparing Xbox One to iTunes, but I don’t think the comparisons hold up. First, iTunes was always a digital system, whereas Microsoft’s still juggling digital and optical media; secondly, iTunes content is a hell of a lot cheaper than the games that will be sold for the Xbox One, which perhaps makes Apple’s restrictions more palatable; thirdly, I can play my games on all authorised iOS devices simultaneously if I like; and finally, I only ever have to go online to download updates or for game-specific functionality (Game Center, online multiplayer, and so on).

By contrast, Xbox One is a system that matches iTunes in you never really owning a physical thing, but the games are pricier, and cannot be played across multiple devices on one account at the same time. Additionally, you’re forced online daily or your games simply don’t work. That is truly astonishing.

If anything, Microsoft’s managed to out-Apple Apple in terms of creating a closed, user-hostile gaming experience. (As regular readers will know, I’m a huge fan of iOS gaming, but I’m not blind to its shortcomings regarding ownership and restrictions.) However, there’s also another angle to this, in that Microsoft’s also increasingly joining Apple in eradicating huge chunks of gaming’s history. As games designer and developer Ste Pickford said on Twitter earlier today:

I think that’s my main problem (with iOS too), that we’re losing the ability to archive our culture—games aren’t valued.

Some people will argue that Microsoft had no choice—that to continue funding triple-A games, further restrictions were necessary. No doubt there will be claims that the Xbox One is a win for gamers. But all I see is the hope of a win for deluded publishers, a probable win for Microsoft in terms of console sales (which will inevitably be high—at least in the short term—because most people will give in and buy the Xbox One regardless of their distaste for its restrictions) and a loss for gaming as a whole.

Marco Arment writes about Vesper, a new note-taking app by  John Gruber, Dave Wiskus, and Brent Simmons. He asks:

How can these guys launch a relatively expensive text-note app that’s missing so many features of competing text-note apps?

Balls.

I agree about the pricing (iOS apps should be more expensive); I agree about believing you have something to offer in a crowded category; but then:

It takes balls to release a note-shoebox app in 2013 that has no sync, import, or export.

To my mind, that’s not something that takes balls—that just is balls. Information silos for this kind of information, in 2013? Really? I’ll bet people defending this wouldn’t have done so had the app been by Adobe or Microsoft, or even by people lacking the fame and reputations of Gruber, Wiskus, and Simmons. (And, yes, Vesper might well get that feature in the future, but, again, isn’t that a bit like the usual tech excuse of “well, it’s only version 1.0, and it’ll be great by 2.0″ that everyone claims to hate?)

Slide to Play on Tetris Blitz:

It’s fun, it’s quick, and if you can look past its unsavory freemium trappings, it ought to satisfy your modern puzzle needs.

“It’s tasty, it’s quick, and if you can look past this burger being laced with glass, dead frogs and poison, it ought to satisfy your lunchtime needs.”

I don’t usually bang the speculation drum, but Apple earlier today did something quite interesting, in releasing a new iPod touch. This replaces the previous low-end model, which was effectively last year’s design. The new 16 GB iPod touch now has the same screen size as the 32/64 GB model (and therefore also the iPhone 5), but lacks an iSight camera.

What I find most interesting about this, though, is Apple’s now dumped the old 960-by-640 screen and old Dock connector entirely from its iPod touch line-up. On this basis, I imagine the 960-by-640 screen resolution is now effectively dead, along with their associated devices. (Further cementing this thought, indie dev Gary Riches told me earlier today that all new apps/app updates as of May 1 have to support the Retina display and iPhone 5 screen—that’s no longer optional.)

What this means for this summer’s iPhone revamp isn’t quite so clear, but I imagine the iPhone 4 and iPhone 4S are both gone (rather than the 4S sticking around at the very low end, replacing the 4). There will be a new iPhone (presumably the iPhone 6) and either the iPhone 5 will drop down one level, or a new lower-end iPhone—with the same screen size) will be added to the line-up. Possibly both. Two things are for sure, though—first, I’ll be amazed if anything still exists in Apple’s autumn line-up with a 960-by-640 screen and old-style Dock connector; secondly, I’ll have to soon invest in banana thumbs to reach everywhere on a device’s screen. Damn.