When you charge as much for a smartphone as Apple does , you necessitate to have a in earnest ripe selling department . And even then , it help if you give them something unique to lick with .
Some years ago , Apple settle on privacy as its alone selling level . This made a lot of sensation , strategically : the world at the clip were growing more and more aware of ( and in many grammatical case rile by ) tech ship’s company ’ enthusiastic use of goods and services of their data , and Apple really does have uncontaminating custody in this regard than most of its competitor . about all non - Apple smartphones of tone run an operating system made by the biggest data point collector on the planet , whereas Apple just likes to betray expensive computer hardware .
( Obviously it is n’t , and indeed never has been , quite that simple . But as my co-worker Glenn Fleischmann light upon when headdressed the matterback in 2021 , Apple ’s data - assembling and -sharing policies have historically been far more paw - off than Google ’s . Not necessarily for any honorable reasons , but more because Google is in the advertizing business and Apple is n’t . )
Since then , however , Apple has bumped up against two problem . The first is that , as shortly as you start telling everyone you ’re a pro - privacy company , people start to search into your privateness policies to see if that ’s genuine , and they will rightly hold you to a in high spirits criterion than your rivals . Caesar ’s married woman must be above misgiving . And it does n’t count good when Caesar ’s married woman is draw topay out $ 95mover non - consensual eavesdropping .
In response to that village , Apple has publicly reaffirmed itscommitment to privacy . “ concealment is a foundational part of [ our ] design process , ” Apple say in a program line , “ repulse by principles that let in data minimization , on - equipment intelligence agency , transparence and control , and warm surety protection that work together to provide users with unbelievable experience and serenity of mind . This apply to all of our products and armed service , include Siri , which has been engineer to protect exploiter privateness and is the most private digital supporter . ”
A noble thought , well express . ( Well , all except the crafty dig at the end . If you get caught with your hand in the cookie jolt I do n’t desire to hear you whinging about other multitude ’s biscuit consumption . ) But it ’s not enough to speak about privacy ; Apple needs to exhibit its commitment through activeness .
Last year Iexpressed concernsabout the privacy implication of working with ChatGPT – but the companionship was desperate to get a foothold in the AI market place and plainly decided to make its nose and do what ask to be done . Fine . But before that , there were business organization abouttracking on the App Store . And before that there wereprivacy issues in Mail . There ’s only so many times this stuff can surface and be plausibly explain out in yet another facile Newsroom article .
Now , Apple does have a head : disregardless of these solecism , it remain theundisputed privacy loss leader . Other companiesareworse . But those companies have n’t build their public relation scheme around safeguarding user privacy . Their client have probably made their ataraxis with information being pick up and sold ; Apple ’s have n’t , and their trust will be shaken each sentence its report takes a knock . Either check that your seclusion insurance are above reproach or stop talk about it .
The latter option might not , in fact , be a bad idea . Because the 2nd problem is this : do people really care about seclusion ? My suspicion is that , in a general mother wit and provided the data is anonymized , most technical school users in 2025 have accepted that they are being tracked most of the meter . ( The chance of something intimate and in person identifiable being leak remains a frightening one . But until you ’re part of aniCloud leak – whoops , another embarrassing import for the pro - privacy company – then it feels like something that will never happen to you . ) enquire the average smartphone buyer if they like being get across online , and they will say no ; but tender to protect them from trackingfor a price , and I do n’t calculate you ’d get many takers .
Ultimately this is the quandary Apple finds itself in . When it nonplus concealment wrong , it ’s front - Thomas Nelson Page news ; when it get privacy right , hardly anyone cares . you’re able to see why other troupe leave the subject well alone .
Foundry
receive to our hebdomadary Apple Breakfast pillar , which includes all the Apple news you drop last calendar week in a ready to hand pungency - sized roundup . We call it Apple Breakfast because we opine it goes great with a Monday morning time cup of deep brown or tea , but it ’s nerveless if you want to give it a read during luncheon or dinner party hour too .
Looking back25 years after , even Steve waswrong about Mac OS X.
Thiago Trevisanexplains whythe Mac Pro is still theking of computers .
AtCES 2025 , everyone wants to bejust like Apple .
We ’ve found8 cool CES announcementsevery Apple fan willwant to bribe .
If youused Siriin the past decade , Appleowes you some money .
Apple Intelligencecan still save up AI — bysolving the pocket-size problem .
TheMaccan finallybegin again in 2025 .
orchard apple tree Intelligencedidn’t write this newspaper headline . Which means you’re able to trust it !
Dude , you ’re getting an iPhone … um MacBook … erDell Pro Max ! Dell ’s new laptop computer namessound abominably familiar .
Podcast of the week
When Apple formally annunciate Mac OS X , it changed the course of history for the company . On the belated episode of the Macworld Podcast , we look at the chronicle of Mac OS X , the consequence it has had on the society , and what we ask in the future .
you’re able to catch every episode of the Macworld Podcast onSpotify , Soundcloud , thePodcasts app , orour own website .
Reviews corner
The rumor mill
TheiPad 11 and iPhone SE 4are‘on the iOS 18.3 train’but wo n’t arrive till April .
Apple’snext iPhone appcould be an easy way tomanage effect invitation .
Software updates, bugs, and problems
Apple vows to‘clarify ’ AI summariesafter mass offake word alert .
Io 18.2.1hasemergency hemipteran fixesfor unknown iPhone issues .
