Welcome to our weekend Apple Breakfast column , which includes all of the Apple news show you missed this hebdomad in a ready to hand chomp - sized roundup . We call it Apple Breakfast because we guess it plump great with a morning loving cup of coffee tree or tea leaf , but it ’s nerveless if you want to give it a read during lunch or dinner hours too .
The price of free speech
I ’ve been doing my best — andnot always succeeding — to avoid writing about Elon Musk and Twitter 2.0 . Part of the problem is that the “ Chief Twit ” so transparentlywantsto be the shopping mall of the conversation that even literary criticism of his behavior stop up playing into his hand . The well way of dealing with an attending - seek child , in my experience , is to ignore them .
It ’s hard , however , for a website to neglect a man who publicly declare war on the caller you write about . This hebdomad Musk has take umbrage with Apple forcensoring apps , use up a“secret ” 30 percentage cutof app revenue , and threatening toremove Twitterfrom the App Store ( he later admitted that one was incorrect ) . Most bizarrely , he exact the company had reduced its ad spend on Twitter and marvel if it , therefore,“hate(s ) free words in America . ”
There ’s a clean moment of folderal here . You ca n’t argue that Apple detest loose speech because it declined to drop a sufficiently astronomical sum of money placing adverts next to white supremacists . That has nothing to do with free speech — it ’s a stage business decision . ( apropos , it might not have even been true , according to ad analytics . )
Furthermore , and despite apparent assurances that this wo n’t happen , it would n’t be unprecedented for Apple to take away Twitter from the App Store . Parler got booted for go bad to offer rigorous message moderation and was only allow back after it promised to do better . Fortnite was booted for attempt to go around App Store revenue cuts , and Muskreportedlywants to do the same affair for Twitter Blue subscriptions . In any case , Apple is allow to kick the great unwashed off its political program , just as Musk is free topeevishly cancela critical blogger ’s Tesla order . I sincerely yours doubt he believes that businesses should be obliged to make for with people they do n’t care .
Amongst the wrongness , however , there ’s some fair criticism . The revenue cut , for exemplar , sure as shooting is n’t a secret , but it may be extravagant and is arguably enforce by monopolistic behavior . Apple ’s militantly wholesome approach to app censorship is uncanny and frustrative . ( The company every which way holds apps to a different moral standard than other shape of media . “ If you want to pick apart a religion , ” the App Store guideline famously stated , “ write a book . ” ) And it has plenty of other blind smirch when it comes to free spoken communication .
Perhaps the most disturbing example of this could be observed last calendar month . Protesters in China had been communicate using AirDrop , but Apple obliginglyadded a restriction(in that country only ) on share file with strangers , a decisiveness believed to have been made in reception to pressure level from the state . Needless to say , Apple did n’t highlight this change in the iOS 16.1.1 firing notes , nor did it comment on the issue publically .
But this is n’t the first meter Apple has helped the Chinese state to limit free spoken language . The fellowship has removed numerous apps from the App Store in China , includingVPNs , RSS lector , theNew York Times , podcast player , and apps related to the Dalai Lama . If there ’s one matter Apple does without a fight , it ’s bend over backward to limit the speech of citizens to accommodate the wishes of a repressing state .
That ’s before we even get to Apple ’s own employees , who as recently as last year were face restriction on their power todiscuss pay with colleagues . In Cupertino , censoring begins at home .
The mistake , perhaps , is to regard these conclusion as political – which Musk would like them to be , because that serve him to paint Apple as a Marxist commune of woke snowflake . But that ’s precisely the contrary of the truth . Apple ’s position on complimentary speech is purely capitalist . It purges apps in China because China is an important market to see iPhones . It advertises on Twitter because that ’s historically been a serious position to reach customer and furbish its brand , and it will stop doing so when that ’s no longer the case . These are cold occupation decisions . Musk thinks Apple is too political , but when it comes to detached spoken communication , I do n’t think it ’s political enough .
Anyway , hopefully , I never involve to write about Elon Musk again , particularly as he and Tim Cook are apparentlybest mates now . After reading his Twitter provender I feel like I need a exhibitor . Let us never speak of this again . Unless you take a firm stand … after all , I do n’t require anyone to mean I hate free speech in America .
Apple maymiss many gravy holder , but it ’s only because they’reflimsy and taking on piddle .
If Apple isserious about sports , tvOS needs some serious ascent . Apple TVisn’t quick for prime time .
Android ’s Sunbirdmight in reality be able-bodied to cure us of thegreen bubble iMessage scourge .
A judge hasapprovedApple ’s massiveMacBook keyboard lawsuit payout . Here’show to claimyour ( up to ) $ 395 check .
‘ ethnic impact’took centre level as Apple announced the2022 App Store Awards success .
Apple Watch Ultra users can now get theOceanic+ appfordeep - sea dive .
Video of the week
A “ baffling”teardown of the tenth - gen iPadseems to have solved theApple Pencil mystery . Enjoy :
The rumor mill
“ Better speed , better barrage life , less heat . ” The upcomingM2 MacBook Prowill reportedly beworth the wait .
Do n’t fret , those leakedM2 Max Geekbench scoresareexactly what we anticipate .
Anew reportsays the iPhone 15 will get a‘breakthrough ’ camera sensor .
Apple’supcoming xrOSmay be the starting signal of awhole novel ecosystemof devices .
Jason Cross predictseverything coming from Apple in December . Are anyholiday surpriseson the style ?
Podcast of the week
This instalment is all about Macworld reader and listenerhot takes . You have intellection on Apple happenings and we ’re hold out to partake and respond to what you compose .
you may catch every episode of the Macworld Podcast onSpotify , Soundcloud , thePodcasts app , orour own site .
Software updates, bugs & problems
LastPass has warned users of a‘security incident’that may haveexposed personal datum .
Google has transport an8th emergency Chrome updatefor Mac to fix a‘high - severity ’ flaw .
orchard apple tree hasreleased iOS 16.1.2with improvedcrash detectionand carrier wave upgrades .
This weekiOS 16.2 beta 3got a secondRapid Security Response update .
