16, 16 Pro, 16 Pro Max, A18, A18 Pro, 4, Ultra 2, Pro 2, Series 10

So which one am I getting? iPhone 16 Pro Max 512GB Desert Titanium. I've heard mixed things about the new color from those who have seen it in person – some wish it was more bronze or brown! – but I always like to switch things up year-to-year. This is a bit of a unique year in that I don't think I'm going to get anything else? While the Apple Watch Series 10 looks nice, the battery life downgrade versus the Ultra is a deal killer for me. I'm still sort of confused why there are two different AirPods 4 models. Though I'm more confused by the AirPods Max changes (more on that below). In general, I'm confused by all the numbers in the naming schemes. It's pretty unwieldily at this point.

Some Thoughts...

🇮🇪 EU Courts Upholds Payments of Billions from US Companies to EU – I'm sort of surprised that people seem surprised that the "Court of Justice of the European Union" upheld judgements against Apple and Google which will require each to pay billions of dollars to the EU (or, in Apple's case, an EU country, Ireland – which, humorously, has never actually wanted the money, believing it's not legally their's, despite the EU telling them they must take it). This all feels a bit like "Vestager's Last Laugh" – but what are the ramifications here? Do Apple and Google just begrudgingly pay? Certainly it won't help an already strained relationship because of all the regulation which is clearly specifically targeted at US tech companies. Do more products get delayed or pulled from the bloc? Does the US government step in to stand up for US companies at some point? Long ago, I wondered if a then-incoming President Trump might intervene. Incredibly, I sit here, eight years later, wondering the same thing... [NYT]

🍓 Nearly Ripe Strawberries – OpenAI could roll out their new "Strawberry" AI (aka 'The Artist Formerly Known as Q*') in the next couple of weeks. Interestingly, it is said to be a stand-alone offering that's a part of the ChatGPT product but presumably is another drop-down menu option a la GPT-4o. With that in mind, it will also apparently cost extra to use (or maybe just to use beyond a certain threshold). Framing it as a "thinking" chatbot is interesting, while this is obviously just time tied to reasoning, it definitely humanizes the concept, as least in the way it's being reported here. Still, there are downsides, like not being multi-modal and yes, taking longer to do certain tasks that regular old ChatGPT might. Historically, OpenAI doesn't tend to roll such things out for no reason, is something else coming soon from elsewhere? Also, mentioned as an aside here, GPT-4o Voice still isn't widely available nearly 4 months after it was unveiled to much fanfare – and controversy... [The Information 🔒]

🎭 James Earl Jones, Whose Powerful Acting Resonated Onstage and Onscreen, Dies at 93 – Even a nearly 3,000-word obit can't really encapsulate what an incredible life and career he had. From a horrible stutter as a child that led him to be mute to one of the most booming and commanding voices in the history of entertainment. Not to mention iconic, of course, given you-know-who. He also started his movie career with Stanley Kubrick in Dr. Strangelove. He was so insanely prolific in acting that they obit can't even find space to mention his role as James Greer in the Jack Ryan movies, which are some personal favorites. Not only a Michigan Man, but now the voice of Michigan football leading up to every game. Goosebumps every time. [NYT]

Some Analysis...

Apple Needs an Editor

Apple events should be TV-length, not movie-length…

Spyglass •M.G. Siegler

More Like ‘Shudder Button’

Apple’s path to train AI in the real world at scale…

Spyglass •M.G. Siegler

Apple’s Tricky Touting of a More Muted Intelligence

‘Apple Intelligence’ may help sell new iPhones, but shouldn’t really, yet

Spyglass •M.G. Siegler

A Lot of Apple Asides...

Following yesterday's event, there's a lot of little tidbits coming out, some of which, remarkably given the length of the event, weren't mentioned.

• The iPhone 16 Pro and Pro Max are essentially the exact same phone once again this year, aside from screen size and battery life (thanks to the larger size of the device, of course). Cameras are back to parity. [MacRumors]
• Pour one out for Apple's FineWoven cases today – but don't pour one out on Apple's FineWoven cases today, as that would ruin them forever. And you don't want that, since you won't be able to get a new one. Apple's misguided replacement for leather lasted a whole year in the wild. Zero surprises here as this was the only Apple product I've ever returned. It was that bad. [Engadget]
  • No, Apple isn't going back to leather, so you need to either get one of the silicone or clear plastic cases or, randomly, Beats, Apple's separate headphones brand, is now making an iPhone case this year. They're said to be made of a "soft microfiber material" which hopefully isn't anything like FineWoven! [BGR]
  • Speaking of Beats, the Powerbeats Pro 2, which aren't due until next year but oddly that Apple is already teasing, apparently will have a heart rate sensor baked in. That's a first for any Apple headphones. [MacRumors]
• It seems like the iPhone 16 Pro models are getting support for JPEG-XL, which won't matter to most people but it would seem to be an admission that Apple's weird HEIC format hasn't really taken off. If you know what that is, it's the format that when you move a picture you've taken on your iPhone over to your Mac, you then have to convert to JPG or PNG to actually use anywhere. [MacRumors]
• It's pretty weird that Apple went to the trouble to give the AirPods Max a USB-C port (presumably they had to per EU regulations) and made new colors, but didn't upgrade the inside to at least the H2 processor that other, cheaper AirPods now have? They still have the H1 chip, which is from 2019! These things remain $549. [MacRumors]
• New iPhones, AirPods, and Apple Watches weren't the only thing Apple unveiled yesterday, there's also a new building on the HQ campus, the Observatory, meant for product demonstrations and "contemplation". Looks lovely. Very sci-fi. Very Apple. [Dezeen]

A Golden Oldie...

Apple’s Practical Fight

At its core, the DoJ’s case against Apple seemingly would seek to undo a lot of what makes the iPhone the iPhone. Which is equal parts worrisome, weird, and wild. And so at the highest level, of course Apple is going to fight back against this. At the same time,

Spyglass •M.G. Siegler

And I Quote...

"Like a time capsule that if you broke it open you would find a BlackBerry, an iPod and a Blockbuster Video card."

-- Karen Dunn, who is serving as the lead attorney for Google in their case against the Justice Department, which is alleging that the company has an illegal monopoly when it comes to online advertising. Dunn is saying the main argument in the case is based on "ancient history" as the world is much different now (something coming into play in the other antitrust case that Google recently lost but is awaiting remedies on). Well, as ancient history as that popular technology from 15-20 years ago is...

Equally interesting is this aside about Dunn in the story:

Dunn left the courtroom after delivering the opening statement. She is preparing Vice President Kamala Harris for a televised debate with former President Donald Trump on Tuesday.

Busy day.