We are pleased to present our week-end Apple Breakfast column. It includes all the Apple news this week in a concise roundup. We call it Apple Breakfast because we think it goes great with a morning cup of coffee or tea, but it’s cool if you want to give it a read during lunch or dinner hours too.
It’s all Google’s fault
I was asked once in a job interview what my thoughts were about the launch of rival magazines. “It’s great,” I said bullishly. “It shows you’re doing the right thing.”
That’s a line I’ve always been proud of (and I did get the job), but I often wonder about its sincerity. Intense competition is a positive thing in the abstract, and we all pretend to thrive on it, but it’s much nicer to be doing the right thing without other people noticing and trying to horn in on your territory. Consider this: Apple posted a full page ad in 1981. I think it was being sarcastic. The Wall Street Journal “seriously” welcoming IBM to the PC marketplace.
Returning to the present day, Tim Cook probably isn’t welcoming Google’s launch this week of the Pixel WatchWith open arms. Google’s first in-house hardware for its Wear OS software platform is a big deal in the smartwatch market, which until now Apple has largely had to itself. There certainly hasn’t been much serious competition to threaten the Apple Watch’s dominance, and the arrival of a tech giant with immense mindshare among Android fans could alter the balance in a way that Apple doesn’t enjoy.
Then again, that’s Tim Cook’s problem, not ours. The rest of us are fine with an increase in competition. It is clear good. This year’s Apple Watch Series 8 (as you can read by following the link below) is a good-quality but dull product with very little to set it apart from the Series 7—and the lack of a serious rival is at least partly to blame. Google is very late to the market and Apple has been able to get away with a cautious development strategy. (A similar dynamic in the tablet market means Apple doesn’t have to take many risks with the iPad either.)
This isn’t to say that the arrival of the Pixel Watch will magically transform Apple’s approach to wearables. Just as Apple Maps lagged far behind Google Maps for years after launch, we can’t expect Google to crack smartwatches on its first swing. The Pixel Watch is not perfect: It has comically chunky bezels, and its 2018 processor doesn’t seen to match its ambitious price tag. Battery life may be a worry, too–not that the Apple Watch Series 8 is faultless in that department either.
But that’s the point. The Apple Watch hasn’t had to be faultless for a very long time because its rivals, either through weak products or no products at all, simply haven’t been able to capitalize on its missteps. Hopefully that will change now that Google is on the scene, but it’s a shame the company took so long to arrive.
Trending: The top stories of the week
The iPhone 14And the Google Pixel 7 ProThey are both incomplete. The perfect phone would be Always a year away.
There are Six good reasonsWhy you should purchase the iPhone 14 PlusInstead, choose the iPhone 14 Pro Max
Another MacBook killerWithout even knowing it, one dies. You can damage the MacBook.
The iPad isn’t a big iPhone or a touchscreen Mac–so What is it?
Jason Cross explains why Apple’s A16 chip isn’t worthy of its ‘Pro’ name.
Pour one out for a legend: Apple’s most popular iPhone ever is now ‘vintage’The iPhone 6 joins the There are many ranks of obsolescence.
Reviews corner
We continue to work our way through Apple’s fall product slate:
IDG
Rumor mill
Apple will be forced into switching to the iPhone to USB-C in 2024After the European Parliament voted for a common-charger directive. And it’s not just the iPhone that’s affected: we’ve rounded up 10 productsYou will need to change from Lightning to USB C.
Apple’s 27-inch ProMotion display may launch The beginning of next year.
The dream of Touch ID under-displayOn the iPhone: Most likely dead.
An M2 Pro Mac Minicould Replace the old Intel model.
Karen Haslam gathers all the new Apple productsYou can expect the following In the remainder of 2022 and 2023.
Podcast of Week
Apple’s AirPods Pro – NewThey are here! If you’re in the market for new earbuds, are they worthy of your consideration? We also look closely at the new Apple Watch Series 8This episode of Macworld Podcast.
Every episode of Macworld Podcast can be viewed on Spotify, Soundcloud?, Podcasts appOr Visit our site.
Software updates, bugs & problems
Stage Manager for the iPadIt is too important not to do this right. reckons Jason Snell.
Apple’s MagSafe Charger just Received a firmware upgradeThere are many reasons. Could iOS 16.1Soon?
Last week we celebrated the announcement that Adaptive Transparencywas going to the original AirPods Pro. That turned out to be the case. an iOS 16.1 beta bug.
And with that, we’re done for this week. If you’d like to get regular roundups, sign up for Our newsletters. You can also follow us Follow us on TwitterFor breaking news stories. Stay Appley, see you next Saturday.
