Published stuff

Something a bit different for my Stuff column this week: EV sounds need to alert us, not entertain us. I don’t need every car having its own cinematic score parping out. I also added Kino to my best iPhone apps list.

Over at TapSmart, Apple might have forgotten about AR, but I haven’t, and I dig into the best AR apps for iPhone. And video editor LumaFusion becomes the latest entry in my classic apps series.

Other stuff: or iDOS think Apple hath a problem

Back in April, I wrote:

I want more: a world where iPads and Apple TVs are havens for emulators for everything from classic arcade titles to obscure home micros. But Apple’s rules explicitly talk of ‘retro console games’. What does that mean for DOSBox, FinalBurn Neo, Retroarch, or an Apple II emulator? We’ve no way to know. 

Well, we know now. iDOS 3 was rejected from the App Store, with Apple citing that iDOS is “not a retro game console”. The thing is, nor is the C64. But there are C64 emulators on the App Store. And nor is the ZX81. But Apple approved a ZX81 emulator. And nor is the MSX. Yet there’s an MSX emulator on the App Store. You get the idea.

Yet again, Apple rules are incoherent and inconsistently applied. Yet again, developers have no idea if they decide to work on a really great product in this space (or any space, given Apple’s “we’ll know it when we see it” approach) whether Apple will reject it. No wonder most of the initial slew of emulators have been churnware.

This also makes me increasingly think that the only reason Apple opened this space up on the App Store was the screw with AltStore, which still hasn’t had a single approved third-party app. But there, Delta was the headline act – the thing everyone wanted, as evidenced by it topping the App Store charts for days.

But now people on iPhone have some emulators, perhaps they’re satisfied. So job done for Apple, I suppose. But there are still questions. Not “will we ever get mini vMac or an Apple II emulator for iPhone?” because I think we all know the answer to that. But what about MAME for iOS, which is currently in limbo? MAME is not a “retro game console”. But then again, nor is FBA, and a version of that already exists on the App Store. And will Apple clamp down on RetroArch and demand it remove cores that clash with the rules and approvals it’s haphazardly applied elsewhere?

That said, all this assumes Apple is even remotely aware of what RetroArch actually is or does, what old hardware is or isn’t a games console (good luck anyone working on an iPhone 8-bit Atari emulator), and what each individual emulator emulates. Ultimately, Apple doesn’t really care about any of this stuff, and that’s the real problem.

Published stuff

Loads of activity on Stuff this week. I wrote why I think being able to pause your Apple Watch rings is the best watchOS feature in years, a follow-up to a piece from last year about losing my Apple Watch streak. And apparently having finally lost my patience with iPadOS, I wrote about how Apple’s iPadOS 18 killed pro-user hopes for the M4 iPad Pro. 

My weekend column moved away from Apple, because Apple Apple Apple was driving my editor bonkers and he wanted something – anything – else. So I wrote about how playing my Game Boy Micro again was a reality check about old games consoles – and getting older myself. Which is basically 600 words about how it turns out when you’re deep into your 40s, perhaps you shouldn’t be complaining about how big mobile hardware devices (and their screens) are getting.

Also on Stuff this week, an update to the best upcoming Lego sets and a guide to Android and iPhone footie apps for Euro 2024.

Over at TapSmart, I had one more thing to get out of my system regarding WWDC24: This year, Apple wants to make things personal – with more customization features than ever. There’s a (minor) sting in the tail of that one. And I wrote a new ‘toolkit’ feature about travel – apps to take on your next journey or vacation.

Other stuff

Mostly wondering why the UK appears to be in a loop where it thinks it’s late April spliced with torrential downpours that remind me of distant trips to Florida – without the heat. I’m wearing a fleece. In June. Bah.

Published stuff

This week’s column is Google’s AI disasters are a warning shot for Apple’s iOS 18 AI plans, in which I explore Google’s gaffes, and how Apple can avoid the same. I also wrote about two celebrations of famous properties hitting 40: Tetris and Transformers. 

This week for TapSmart, I kicked off a new apps series, with a ‘deep dive’ into Snapseed.

Upcoming stuff

It’s WWDC next week, and I imagine I’ll be writing about whatever Apple churns out, assuming it doesn’t have a new AI system that rewrites my brain to repeatedly type I LOVE TIM COOK every other sentence. 

Honestly, I’d be quite happy if a senior exec rocked up on stage and said: “No new features this year – we’ve just fixed all the bugs, including that weird one where iCloud Photos won’t sync, even if your iPhone has 94% of its battery charge remaining.” Although I would like one new feature: for Apple to finally give us an off switch for the Home indicator.

Other stuff

After a week in Spain, I felt mentally happier than I had in a while, although physically knackered. (It’s surprising how much walking/swimming/being outside can take it out of you.) Natch, I now have a stinking headcold in a British June best described as ‘grey’.

It was also interesting in Spain to note in which ways they do some better specialist food than the UK. Their cheapest gluten-free bread was superior to even the most expensive I’ve bought here. And lactose-free products were readily available.

In the UK, it seems there’s a lot of ‘two birds, one stone’ going on. Instead of lactose-free, you get ‘vegan’ produce in free-from aisles. And even beer is going this way, increasingly twinning gluten-free and alcohol-free. I’d… just like a normal beer or yoghurt now and again, thanks, albeit one that doesn’t make me violently ill.

Published stuff

For Stuff this week, I wrote: The iPhone 17 Pro Max will be Apple’s thinnest ever – here’s why I think that would be a mistake. The mega thin iPhone 17 Pro Max is currently a rumour. Let’s hope it stays that way…

And over at TapSmart, there was: Don’t just remind me, Apple Calendar – help me get to places on time. Because I apparently want the impossible.

Other stuff

Still recuperating. Feeling a bit more like myself. So another very short one this week!

Published stuff

My Stuff column this week is Why apps could be Apple’s next subscription service – and what stands in its way. I’m not sure it’s likely nor even viable that Apple would launch such a service, but it somehow feels logical.

A trio of pieces over at TapSmart: my guide to meditative audio apps for iPhone, an updated iPad buyer’s guide, and an Apple Pencil buyer’s guide. The last of those should not be necessary and may come with added snark.

Upcoming stuff

Lots and lots of WWDC24, no doubt. I’m currently wondering if we’ll hear these words: “And we call it… Apple OS”.

Other stuff

I’ve felt something nagging at me for some time now – a slowly building unease and feeling of being overwhelmed. Which I now realise is burnout. So apologies for the short one this week. I’m sure lots of interesting stuff happened, but I’ve decided this weekend needs to be one for me. Normal service will be resumed as soon as we know what normal is, as an excellent game, based on a towel, based on a book, based on a radio show, once told me.