by Jason Snell

January 11, 2023 1:44 PM PT

Gurman: Apple working on touchscreen Macs

Bloomberg’s very reliable reporter Mark Gurman says that Apple is working on touchscreen Macs:

Apple Inc. is working on adding touch screens to its Mac computers, a move that would defy long-held company orthodoxy and embrace an approach that co-founder Steve Jobs once called “ergonomically terrible.”

Apple engineers are actively engaged in the project, indicating that the company is seriously considering producing touch-screen Macs for the first time, according to people familiar with the efforts. Still, a launch hasn’t been finalized and the plans could change.

The plan is, apparently, to start with a revision to the MacBook Pro in 2025. So we’re talking at least two years from now. Still, this is big, since it will probably require design changes to macOS to make it more appropriate for touch. I have to wonder if the entire interface will just be made to even more resemble the iPad. Of course, apps built for touch (for the iPad and iPhone) would be able to support touch right out of the box, presumably.

I don’t think this is quite as big a deal as everyone will undoubtedly make it out to be. I frequently use a Mac via a touch interface (using Screens to control a Mac mini from an iPad), and while it’s not ideal, it works just fine. When my daughter used a Chromebook with touchscreen as her main computer, I found myself reaching for the screen to quickly tap an item or scroll something, even though the laptop had a standard trackpad.

And the best example is the one closest to home: The iPad Pro, in a Magic Keyboard, is essentially a touchscreen laptop. I use the keyboard and the trackpad a lot… but I also reach up and touch the screen. Of course the context of using a touchscreen in a laptop configuration is very different than a phone or a tablet. But that doesn’t mean it can’t be useful. (And it opens the doors for different designs, like a tear-off or fold-away keyboard that would make the Mac feel more like an iPad. And Apple Pencil support starts to make more sense in those scenarios, too.)

And the Mac and the iPad continue to move closer together…

by Dan Moren

January 11, 2023 12:12 PM PT

Tapbots shares road map for Mastodon client Ivory’s development

If you’ve spent any time at all over on Mastodon, you’ve probably heard about Ivory, a new client for the social network from Tweetbot developer Tapbots—probably in the context of “Man, they opened like two thousand new testing slots for the Ivory beta and they were all gone within five seconds!”¹

Whether you’re using Ivory’s current pre-release version or not, you may be interested in what lies ahead for the client. Well, your curiosity is being rewarded: Tapbots has gone ahead and posted a road map for the app, laying out what exactly is in the works for the near future. Currently on the list, which Tapbots plans to update as it goes, are the ability to create content warnings on posts, enhanced profile features, and a filterable navigation bar, among others.

While the list on the Tapbots road map is limited and, as it proclaims, in no particular order, there’s at least one significant feature that’s nowhere to be found: Mac compatibility. Tapbots has said it’s developing a Mac version of the client as well, but so far that has not materialized even as an Early Access option on par with the iOS client. Personally, it can’t come soon enough, as the current state of Mastodon clients on the Mac is pretty underwhelming.

by Jason Snell

January 10, 2023 9:45 AM PT

Eddy Cue celebrates 2022 in services

Apple SVP Eddy Cue, in a post on Apple’s Newsroom site:

2022 was a groundbreaking year for entertainment. At some point over the past year, you probably discovered a new app, a new song, a new TV show or movie, or game. An experience that made you laugh, taught you something new, or helped you see the world in a new way — and moved you to share it with others.

Cue’s—press release? blog post? open letter?—is a bullet-by-bullet summary of everything Apple’s been doing in its services business this past year. It’s an interesting view into that part of the business.

I have to wonder what prompted this format for all of this information. A lot of this feels like an expanded version of the sort of discussion Tim Cook makes in the scripted portion of his phone call with financial analysts when Apple’s corporate results are released.

Apple’s results for the last quarter of the calendar year, due to be released on February 2, are probably going to be a bit of a bloodbath due to limited iPhone inventory due to factory shutdowns in China. I wonder if the idea of spotlighting Apple’s services success right now is to get it out of the way of the bad news narrative that’s going to form closer to the results release. There’s also probably some ego boosting going on here, as a senior VP gets to personally trumpet all the successes of his division.

Either way, it’s an interesting document for a year where Apple set records and, oh yeah, released the movie that won the Best Picture Oscar.

by Dan Moren

January 5, 2023 6:40 AM PT

Apple launches AI narrators for some audiobooks

Your next audiobook from Apple may not be narrated by a human. Leyland Cecco, writing at The Guardian:

Apple has quietly launched a catalogue of books narrated by artificial intelligence in a move that may mark the beginning of the end for human narrators.

This has been an issue brewing for some time. Some may remember that Amazon tried a few years ago to offer a blanket ability for books to be read aloud by text-to-speech, only to get sued by the major publishers.

Apple’s feature doesn’t seem to be quite the same: for one thing, it’s currently limited to certain genres of books, as The Verge points out:

The service is only available in English at present, and Apple is oddly specific about the genres of books its digital narrators are able to tackle. “Primary category must be romance or fiction (literary, historical, and women’s fiction are eligible; mysteries and thrillers, and science fiction and fantasy are not currently supported),” its website reads.

The company seems to be tuning specific voices to specific genres, with two others for nonfiction and self-development coming soon.

For another matter, Apple’s website advertising this feature describes it as “Empowering indie authors and small publishers.” The titles must be nominated by rights owners, who retain the rights to audiobooks and—this is important—can still produce and distribute other versions of the audiobook if they want.

That obviates one of the main criticisms of Amazon’s previous attempt in this direction: secondary rights like audio can be a valuable source of income for authors¹. Apple’s play seems targeted more at books that otherwise wouldn’t have audio versions, because the rights holders don’t have the money or inclination to have them produced. Apple is also doing quality checks (a good idea, given that it’s not hard to imagine AI getting tripped up by some words)² so turnaround time is listed at a couple months.

The advantage of this, of course, is that it’s a big win not only for those who prefer audiobooks, but for accessibility as well. There are millions of titles out there that aren’t available to individuals with disabilities that make it difficult or impossible for them to read ebooks or print books. The addition of easy-to-produce audio versions could open up a wealth of content.

Finally, there’s the question of the impact on audiobook narrators. It’s a tough business already, and while there are certainly narrators so big that they have their own followings³, it does potentially squeeze out those who are just eking out a living book-to-book or those who are trying to break into the industry. Certainly it’s not hard to imagine a cost-conscious publisher wondering why they should shell out for a human narrator when an AI one is much cheaper.

That’s part of a larger trend, of course, of AI coming for various creative professions, from art to writing. It shouldn’t be much of a surprise to find that audiobook narrators are at risk as well. It’ll be interesting to see if this becomes a point of contention, or whether it can co-exist peacefully alongside the existing audiobook market.

by Jason Snell

January 4, 2023 2:39 PM PT

Scott McNulty’s replacement for Dark Sky

‘Tis the season for people to replace the Dark Sky weather app, as Dan did with Carrot Weather. Our pal Scott McNulty downloaded a dozen weather apps in order to find the one that was right for him:

It is important to know what I’m looking for in a weather app, so you can figure out if this blog post will be helpful to you. Here’s what I need in my weather app:

• An easy-to-read hourly forecast for the day.
• A little bit of personality, but not too much personality.
• An attractive design.
• A reasonable price, and if it is free not too many ads.

As you can see, all of these attributes are highly subjective, but that’s the way of the world.

Scott’s thought process is very interesting, and I encourage you to read his post. But the TL;DR is, he chose Hello Weather, but thinks true Dark Sky fanatics might prefer Carrot Weather.