Right to repair in California gets major boost as Apple comes out in support
Apple told a California legislator that it is formally supporting a right to repair bill in California, a landmark move that suggests big tech manufacturers understand they have lost the battle to monopolize repair, and need to allow consumers and independent repair shops to fix their own electronics.
"Apple writes in support of SB 244, and urges members of the California legislature to pass the bill as currently drafted," Apple wrote to Susan Eggman, the sponsor of the bill, in a letter obtained by 404 Media. "We support SB 244 because it includes requirements that protect individual users' safety and security, as well as product manufacturers' intellectual property. We will continue to support the bill, so long as it continues to provide protections for customers and innovators."
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The Scope that Changed the World
A few years ago on a long flight across the North Atlantic, the perfect choice for a good read was iWoz, the autobiographical account of [Steve Wozniak]’s life. In it, he described his work replicating the wildly successful Pong video game and then that of designing the 8-bit Apple computers. A memorable passage involves his development of the Apple II’s color generation circuitry, which exploited some of the artifacts of the NTSC color system to produce a color display in a far simpler manner than might be expected. Now anyone seeking a connection with both Pong and the Apple II can have one of their very own if they have enough money because [Al Alcorn]’s Tektronix 465 oscilloscope is for sale. He’s the designer of the original Pong and used the instrument in its genesis, and then a few years later, he lent it to [Woz] for his work on the Apple II.
What a remarkable piece of modern history. The same device which created the first massively successful video game and also was critical to the development of the Apple II.
The post goes on to note that the device is up for sale and I wish I had the means to acquire it as I'd love such an artifact in my collection.
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Apple
I just can't get excited for it, even ignoring the price. Facebook tried and made it much more affordable. We'll see I guess.
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Android app design sucks
Android enthusiasts don’t want to hear it, but from a design perspective, the apps on Android suck. They may not suck from a feature perspective (but they often do), but they’re aesthetically unpolished and poorly designed even from a “design is how it works” perspective.
He's right. I fully agree and bemoan the state of Android apps rather than iOS.
However, he neglects an important thing. The Android app store is far less lucrative for app developers it seems, and thus the financial incentives for small apps lie with Apple.
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Apple and their cords
I have to take a moment and marvel at the tomfoolery on Apple's part. My mother-in-law has had an iPad we bought her last year. This trip she decided she wanted an iPhone and airPods. After a trip to the Apple store yesterday we acquired both, and I began the process of educating her. In doing so I discovered that each of her devices has a unique cable.
Her iPad has a USB-C to USB-C connecting cable. Her iPhone has USB-C to Lightning. And her airPods have USB-A to Lightning.
Just imagine, if they didn't try to carry forward their own unique connector, how simple things could be.
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Ted Lasso to end after Season 3
Seeing discussion online that next season will be the show's last. I hate it, and I love it. I hate that the show is ending, but love that we're not going to see the show fade away and limp into the sunset.
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The Problem with Jon Stewart
I forgot how much I needed Jon Stewart. For people of my generation, I can't overstate the importance of the Daily Show with Jon Stewart. It was a huge blow for my political education when he moved on from the show. I'm thrilled he's back producing content and talking about the dystopia around me.
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