Opinion pieces & commentary

After literally years of investigation, the DOJ antitrust lawsuit is finally official. Apple is accused of using a dominant market position to lock in customers, block competitors, profiteer, and stifle new technologies.

The lawsuit mirrors moves made in the EU, most notably through the Digital Markets Act (DMA), which obliges Apple and other tech giants to adopt a less aggressive approach to protecting their own financial interests against competition …

Dear Tim,

I bought my first Apple product back in 2004, an HP-branded iPod. In 2005, I purchased a PowerBook G4 and have never looked back. I’ve been an Apple customer ever since, acquiring multiple iPhones, iPads, Apple TVs, and Apple Watches along the way. Like many others, I joined the App Store frenzy, becoming part of a global community. My journey with Apple mirrors that of many users; I adore Apple products.

However, I believe we’ve accelerated our technological advancements too rapidly with products designed to steal our attention away from the real world. This concern has weighed on my soul, leading me to stop wearing an Apple Watch years ago. Not because it isn’t a great product but because I grew tired of constant connectivity.

It was claimed earlier this week that Apple is actively working on a folding MacBook, and that plans for this are further advanced than those for a folding iPhone or iPad.

The term ‘folding MacBook’ is a rather awkward one given that the description could be applied to any of the existing models, but what’s meant by it is of course something very different …

My colleague yesterday referenced the fact that Spotify is demanding greater freedoms from Apple, but hasn’t yet taken advantage of the ones already offered to the company. Key among these is the company’s failure to implement Spotify HomePod support.

It seems pretty ridiculous to complain that Apple Music has an unfair advantage over Spotify, while at the same time failing to take advantage of a clear opportunity to partly level the playing field – and keep your HomePod-owning subscribers happy …

I guess most of us here find friends ask us which Mac they should buy, and for me the base model M3 15-inch MacBook Air just became the new default recommendation – even for those with somewhat demanding needs.

At $1,299, it’s a truly incredible amount of Mac for the money, even though Apple is still being somewhat stingy with the memory and storage …

Perhaps the primary question to be answered regarding Apple’s new spatial computer is: What is it for? And the bigger version of that question: Is Vision Pro a first step toward the future of computing?

Right now, in a world where relatively few people have even tried it, and even fewer of them have bought it, it’s clear that there’s nothing remotely approaching a consensus. Answers range from “Of course not, it’ll just be a short-lived gimmick” to “Absolutely, this will replace our Macs” …

Apple’s third-party app store announcements – in which the company set out the terms on which it will claim compliance with European antitrust law – was nothing if not confident.

The company’s announcement combined criticism of the law that required it, exceedingly tough requirements on any developer wanting to sell outside the App Store, and warnings intended to deter users from buying their apps anywhere else …

My colleague Zac wryly observed that the Apple Car has been four years away for nearly nine years now, following a report suggesting it will go on sale “as soon as 2028.”

That report also suggested that Apple has massively downgraded its ambitions, to something on a par with a Tesla, leading to critics referring to it as a “me too” product …

The start of a new year is a time many of us use to take stock – of our goals, our habits, the ways in which we spend our time. For me, one significant change has been adopting a more sane approach to social media, and apps in general.

I’m a huge fan of technology, of course, but I also fully acknowledge that tech also has its downsides – and social media in particular has been a very mixed blessing …

The US Supreme Court yesterday decided that the original ruling in the Epic Games case should stand – and Apple’s response to the antitrust ruling has been uncompromising, to put it politely.

The company’s announcement that it will allow external payments but still claim a 27% commission on sales made outside the App Store is effectively Apple giving the middle finger not just to Epic Games – which may be understandable – but also to the court which made the original ruling, and to antitrust regulators …

There’s a lot of speculation at present about what clues Vision Pro availability may give regarding the popularity of the device.

Whatever happens, we can expect breathless headlines about Vision Pro being either a runaway success or a flop, depending on how quickly or slowly delivery dates slip …

According to recent rumors, Apple is actively working on HomePod prototypes with a fully interactive display. More specifically, one of these prototypes identified as “B720” has the same form-factor as the HomePod 2, but with an LCD screen on top. But would this type of display on a HomePod really add much to the user experience?

Smart glasses aren’t a new thing, in fact, they’ve been around for a long time. But over the years, companies have been working on improving them, or at least trying to make them mainstream. Meta is one of the companies trying to do this, and I decided to give the Ray-Ban Meta glasses a try to see if there’s any point in having smart glasses.

There have been recurring rumors that a new Apple Watch band connector is in the works, rendering existing bands incompatible with future Watch models.

There are three reasons to believe that the reports are true, but I’d expect the change to be a whole lot less controversial than some are suggesting …

Anyone with a VanMoof ebike is likely concerned after the Dutch company confirmed that it is in financial trouble (and subsequently declared bankrupt).

Update: The new owners have announced details of the rescue plan, set to roll out in the first half of 2024. This will begin with replacement parts being made available to retailers, then new sales, and finally a VanMoof e-scooter. However, reports The Verge, the US situation is more complex. The rescue plan will come to the States, but the timeline is as yet unknown.

With a US ban on Apple Watch Series 9 and Ultra 2 starting this week, availability of the latest wearables from the company could dry up. But amid the uncertainty is an opportunity to consider the benefits of picking up an Apple Watch Series 8 or earlier. Here are four reasons to go for a previous-generation Apple Watch.

We’re likely less than six months away from the launch of third-party app stores on the iPhone – at least in Europe – and Apple’s plans for this appear to be advancing.

We’ve already noted that most consumers are unlikely to switch from the official App Store, unless they are given good reason to. But Apple also needs to keep developers loyal to the platform, and a seemingly small piece of news over the weekend likely revealed how the company intends to go about this …

We learned yesterday that the European Union looks set to impose an App Store anti-steering ban on Apple. That is, Apple would no longer be allowed to prevent Spotify and other music services from linking to their own company’s website for subscription sign-ups.

The ruling we’re expecting is a narrow one, in response to a complaint filed by Spotify almost four years ago now, and will likely only apply to streaming music services. But the principle is a sound one, and is unlikely to pose any great risk to Apple …

One of the key features added in the iOS 17.3 beta is Stolen Device Protection. This is a thoughtful and creative solution to balancing out the need for protecting iPhone users without stopping them do the things they want to do with their devices.

What I love about Apple’s solution here is that someone has clearly put a lot of thought into that balancing act …

Yesterday saw an Epic Games victory in its court case against Google, a jury finding that the Play Store was indeed operated in an anti-competitive fashion.

This is despite the fact that Epic mostly lost a near-identical case against Apple back in 2021. The differing conclusions in the two cases puts Apple back under pressure …

Even before Apple announced the Apple Watch Series 9, there were rumors that the company wanted to replace its leather accessories with something else. I was a bit skeptical about this since I’ve always been a fan of Apple Watch leather bands. In September, Apple announced the new FineWoven accessories. Now, I’ve finally decided to try the FineWoven Apple Watch band. Is it better than the leather band?