About the thing that everybody is talking about this week

I’m not talking about the orange buffoon’s latest antics. I’m not talking about the sweltering heat that’s descending on Europe once more. I’m not even talking about the collective insanity that has pushed a racist, misogynist, authoritarian, conspiracist, transphobic, and climate-change denier’s virtual fortune over one trillion dollars. And i’m definitely not talking about the boys running around with a ball. I’m talking, of course, about Apple’s latest announcements.

In my 20 years covering Apple, i don’t remember another instance where the most popular devices on sale couldn’t benefit from all the features of their latest operating system. The iPhone 17 and MacBook Neo don’t have enough RAM to use Apple’s most advanced on-device foundation models. It’s a bit maddening, but at the same time, i can’t help but feel hopeful. For the first time in years, the hardware actually is the limit, and if the current state of the market is any indication, it should remain so for a few years. Let’s hope it drives everyone to optimize the software.

Last time Apple came that close to saying “i’m sorry”, it was when they realized that the iPad wouldn’t replace the Mac, which gave us the fantastic run of Apple Silicon-based devices we’ve had. Can we hope for a comparable outcome with Liquid Glass? I’m afraid not. I’m all for edge-to-edge sidebars and more defined toolbars, but they weren’t the real problem. The user interface is still broken at a fundamental level, and a new coat of paint isn’t going to fix it.

Apple was the last holdout believing that a photo was the product of photons hitting a sensor, but it finally caved in. Your gallery literally is your photographic memory: when your memory fades, your photos remain, and they end up becoming your memories. Giving people the ability to fabricate photos, partly with the Spatial Reframing and Extend tools or entirely with Image Playground, gives them the ability to create false memories. I don’t think that’s something you should announce so cheerfully. Worse, treating other people as mere “distractions” that you can remove with the Clean Up tool is the perfect way to create a generation of sociopaths.

If Siri AI is as good as Apple claims it is, then the lock-in will be stronger than ever. That’s why Craig Federighi is once again whining about the DMA. By requiring interoperability, European citizens are preventing Apple from imprisoning them in its walled garden and preserving their right to choose the best tool for their needs on the platform they’re using. We need to go even further: like we did with cloud services and music streaming, we should require portability between personal assistants, in order to switch from one to another without losing personal data and context. That should keep Apple whimpering for another few years.

BK