Apple has lots of sayings . “ It ’s secure to be a pirate than join the navy . ” “ recollect unlike . ” “ Do n’t harbour it that mode . ” And , perhaps most grammatically divisive,“A thousand no ’s for every yes . ”Some of them are just marketing spiels , but that last one is key to understanding the company ’s approach to product evolution . And the domain where it is at risk of go astray .
Now , I will yield that Apple is ripe at the first part of the equation — it says no alot . It say no to cars . It said no to telly . It tell no to overheating multi - equipment chargers ( eventually ) . It said no to foldable smartphones , I would imagine , about 10 sentence per quarter . About the only affair it say yes to is “ another smartphone / smartwatch / pad of paper / laptop computer that ’s just like the last one , only with an special push button . ” And Vision Pro , I suppose . That was a fair big yes .
Still , I vex that worthwhile mathematical product launches are getting lose in the deluge of noes . ( Please note the absence of an apostrophe in that plural form . ) originally this calendar month it emerged that , according toMark Gurman ’s source , Apple now has no plan to make the smart ring it was understand to be working on earlier this class . possibly that ’s the correct decision ; after all , the overbold ring grocery has n’t take off yet , and the classic Cupertino gambit is to look for other company to lead the way before swoop up in and grab the revenue . But all the ingredients are there , and surely it would be deserving a try ?
I speak , as you may have guessed , as someone who has write an opinion piece on this subject and been roundly ignored . I argued back in February that a smart hoop is an uncannilynatural fit for the Apple ecosystem . It could be an additional comptroller for Vision Pro , a biometric unlock key for the Mac , or a data source for Health and Fitness+ . And it could offer the same proposition as the Apple Watch — a miniature connectedness to your other Apple products – on a still smaller scale . It ’s the logical extrapolation of the Apple Watch concept : the smallest possible twist with which to get at presentment and conglomerate health , fitness , and sleep datum .
But now it seems the Apple Ring wo n’t bechance . Well , mediocre enough . But what happens if — and this isstartingtolooka bitmore likely — the smart ring marketdoestake off ? As we ’ve check with AI , it ’s not always straight to sit back and then link the party later . And as we ’ve seen with foldables , sometimes Apple sits back for so long that it has to accept it can no longer catch up . Better go for that foldables and smart rings do n’t ferment out to be the next big thing .
Focus is near . Focus makes gumption in the world of engineering science , where projects be a fortune to recrudesce and the price of failure is steep . But it ’s possible to go too far the other way and lock up yourself out of mart whose future value is n’t yet apparent . Not every project perfectly has to require millions of dollars of advert spend and a consecrate area in the Apple Store . You could always undulate out a smart annulus as an experimental beta product to a prime user base and see how it gets on . You could always seek to leave your selection undefendable for the futurity .
So sure , I can see why Apple believes in say no a thousand times for every time it says yes . But if you do that , you ’d well be sure that when the veracious chance comes along , you answer aright . How positive are you , Tim Cook , that mixed reality is going to be a hit , and impudent rings are not ? That people are blend to buy premium tablet , and not foldable smartphones ? Because your devotion to focus think of the stakes are horrifyingly in high spirits . And if you get the question wrong , the cost will be Apple ’s relevance in the applied science landscape painting of the future .
Foundry
Welcome to our weekly Apple Breakfast column , which includes all the Apple news you missed last hebdomad in a ready to hand bite - sized roundup . We call it Apple Breakfast because we think it goes great with a Monday morning cupful of umber or tea leaf , but it ’s cool if you want to give it a read during lunch or dinner party hours too .
Annual updatesarekilling the iPhone , figure Mahmoud Itani .
I upgraded to theiPhone 16 Plus – andI have view .
A riddle from the Macalope : Is itreally a wearableif youshouldn’t be don it ?
If iMessage is so great , ponders Jason Snell , why is theMessages experience so unspeakable ?
TheM4 MacBook Promay be the incoming - level laptop computer thatgets everything correct .
Apple’siPad Pro fuss returnas demand for OLED panelscraters .
Podcast of the week
We review the new Apple Watch Series 10 and the AirPods 4 . Are these new devices deserving your money ? We talk about what we like , dislike , and more !
you’re able to catch every episode of the Macworld Podcast onSpotify , Soundcloud , thePodcasts app , orour own situation .
Reviews corner
The rumor mill
Get ready ! TheM4 Mac erastartson November 1 .
Report : Apple Intelligence to in the end arrive onOctober 28 .
Malus pumila isreportedlymoving away fromannual launches .
Software updates, bugs, and problems
macOS Sequoia’siPhone mirroring featurecouldexpose personal data point at workplace .
