receive to our hebdomadal collection of all the Apple news you missed this week , in a ready to hand chomp - sized roundup . We call it Apple Breakfast because we mean it goes great with a morning cupful of coffee or tea , but it ’s cool if you want to give it a read during lunch or dinner party hours too .
iOS 16 and the dangers of feature creep
stacks of fun meditation this week aboutiOS 16 , the major iPhone software update set to be unveiled at WWDC in a few weeks . Thelatest reportsays iOS 16 will feature “ major changes across the system ” and “ sweet Apple apps , ” while here at Macworld we reckon Apple itself may have just spilled a cluster ofdetails on iOS 16 .
All of this is exciting to compose and learn about , and we ’re as interested as anyone to see what Apple has come up with . ( Keep up with the latest developments with ouriOS 16 superguide . ) But it ’s hard to get out the feeling that Apple is just adding feature for the sake of have something to talk about . When was the last time a new iOS characteristic actually raise your life ? I depend it ’s unvoiced to remember than the last prison term you tried a new feature and thought , “ That cool , ” and then never used it again .
Take those “ fresh ” apps , for instance . ( We ’re assuming that this meansnewApple apps , rather than refreshen versions of existing ones , which would be a bit anticlimactic . ) That voice full , right ? Who does n’t require trade name unexampled apps on their iPhone ?
Well , permit ’s call back about the newfangled apps we ’ve got in recent iOS updates . We get Files in iOS 11 ( periodically useful but has n’t lived up to its potential ) , mensuration in iOS 12 ( have n’t used it in years ) , and understand in iOS 14 ( far sorry than Google Translate ) . Was it deserving adding those new apps , or would the time have been intimately spent press out bugs , optimizing carrying into action , and reduce the burden on the ironware so bombardment life improves ?
Translate is a peculiarly interesting case study , because it ’s a great example of iOS , for no clear reason , swallowing up a role that a third company already does extremely well . If a user wants corking real - time displacement they can download Google Translate . Why does that function postulate to be added to iOS ? For that thing , why do half of the social function in iOS need to be there ?
Somewhere along the pipeline Apple – although I suspect it is n’t alone in this – forget what an work scheme is for . It ’s the framework that the respite of the software work around . It ’s reckon to do the basic and keep out of the way . And if you start baking in features that would be better serve by optional standalone apps created by specialist , you increase the size of the download and waste the time of your in - house software team . And chafe your put - upon developer partners , presumptively .
Apple ’s relationship with app developer has been clearly jumpy for years now , with devs angry about high fee , heavy - handed rules , and what some see as monopolistic behavior . It ’s fourth dimension to make indemnity . And the company could start by making WWDCactuallyabout developers and what they can offer to users , rather than endeavor to do everything itself .
We round upthree Google featuresApple should borrow for itsnext big affair .
Headphone phoney : You ca n’t have it both ways , scolds the Macalope .
Apple hasgiven app developers permissiontoincrease the price of subscriptionswithout asking .
We ’ve rounded up5 overdue Apple Watch features wehope to see in watchOS 9 .
Despite acontentious court battlethat shows no signs of being dissolve , iPhone substance abuser can once againplay Fortnite on their iPhones .
Enjoy acomplete historyofApple ’s pro Macs(and Mac Pros ) .
Theseincredible CT scanswill make youfall in love with the iPodall over again .
The rumor mill
Apple’sAR / VR headsethas taken a huge footprint towardbecoming a world .
The scrapped‘flat ’ Apple Watch redesignmay finallyarrive on the Series 8 .
The route to Apple ’s next freehanded thing could bepaved with E Ink , regard Jason Snell , conform to news that Apple design totake a varlet from the Kindlefor its foldable iPhone design .
AirPods Pro 2could bethe sleeper hitof Apple ’s iPhone 14 event .
Anew iMac Prois still coming , but not soon .
Podcast of the week
WWDCis only three weeks off ! Apple will reveal its latest iPhone operating arrangement , but will it have the features that you want ? We lecture aboutiOS 16 featureson your wish list in this instalment of the Macworld Podcast .
you may catch every instalment of the Macworld Podcast onSpotify , Soundcloud , thePodcasts app , orour own internet site .
Software updates, bugs & other issues
Ascary young bugcould transmit malware to your iPhoneeven when it ’s turn off .
And a‘nasty ’ iPhone 13 bugis causingFaceTime and iMessage to deactivate .
macOS Monterey 12.4 fixes54 security department defect . These are the gamey peril .
iOS 15.5is here , bringingdozens of security fixesalongside Wallet and Podcasts updates . And thefirst iOS 15.6 betais already here too !
Apple hasreleased iTunes 12.12.4 for Windowsto plug security holes . That ’s right : iTunes still be .
