Linked List: September 18, 2014

Thursday, 18 September 2014

Dave Wiskus:

There are a number of technical details that Brent can clarify, but the bottom line is that UITextView on iOS 7 had a number of significant technical problems. iOS 8 brings fixes for most of them, which allowed us to work around the rest fairly reliably. If you find any lingering problems, please let us know.

Also, while not technically a feature, we did use 2.004 as an opportunity to provide support for the iPhone 6 and the iPhone 6 Plus. When you get your new phone, Vesper should look great.

First thing I did with my iPhone 6 review units was install Vesper, and I can testify that it looks good. For marketing purposes, Apple is (rightly) focused on what’s new in iOS 8. But under the hood, Apple fixed a lot of bugs and tweaked a slew of details. The TextKit improvements are near and dear to my heart because of Vesper, but there are improvements like that all over iOS 8.

‘I’ll Walk From Here’ ★

Speaking of Derek Jeter and his impending retirement, if this new spot from Gatorade doesn’t make you feel something, you’re not hooked up right.

342,000 Swings Later, Derek Jeter Calls It a Career ★

Fascinating data visualization from the New York Times. As Kottke wrote, “This is like Powers of Ten, but with Derek Jeter bat swings.”

(Web dev nerds: be sure to check it out on your phone, too. It runs smoother and looks better on my iPhone than it does my aging MacBook Pro.)

Apple Says iOS 8 Update Keeps Data Private, Even From the Police ★

Brian X. Chen, writing for the NYT:

“Unlike our competitors, Apple cannot bypass your passcode and therefore cannot access this data,” the company said on the new webpage. “So it’s not technically feasible for us to respond to government warrants for the extraction of this data from devices in their possession running iOS 8.”

Christopher Soghoian, a principal technologist for the American Civil Liberties Union, said Apple’s new privacy policy reflected the revelations of the government surveillance programs revealed in documents leaked by Edward J. Snowden. “The public has said they want companies to put their privacy first, and Apple has listened,” Mr. Soghoian said.

Austin Mann’s iPhone 6 and 6 Plus Camera Review in Iceland ★

Amazing, jaw-dropping review of the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus cameras. Hats off to Mann (and his partners at The Verge) for this. Informative, amazing, and gorgeous.

Larry Ellison Steps Down as Oracle’s CEO ★

Ashlee Vance, reporting for Businessweek:

Larry Ellison has agreed to step down as the chief executive officer at Oracle, ending one of the most entertaining and profitable runs for a leader in business history.

Oracle announced Ellison’s departure via a press release delivered on Thursday afternoon after the close of the U.S. financial markets. The company said that Ellison will remain Chairman of Oracle’s board and take on the role of chief technology officer. Mark Hurd and Safra Catz, both presidents at Oracle, will each inherit the CEO title. Catz will remain as chief financial officer as well.

He goes out on top, on his own terms, with Oracle stock at an all-time high.

Sign of the Impending Culture Clash ★

Phil Nickinson, writing for Android Central:

Sure, the Horween Leather on the Moto 360 is mighty fine, but watches are all about customization, particularly when it comes to the straps. But because of the size and shape of the Moto 360, we’ve had to be a little careful of shoving just any old strap in there. A good many have turned out to just be too thick to fit in the curved plastic casing.

Meanwhile, a good many of us are waiting for the official steel bracelets to be made available (at a hefty a la carte price of $79.99). But it turns out that you might already have an alternative on hand, or can get one for a mere $20.

$80 for a steel watch band is a “hefty price”. That’s adorable.

Update: Allow me to elaborate. $80 is not a “hefty price” for a steel watch bracelet. It’s normal, for watches in the $200-300 range, which is exactly the range where the Moto 270 sits. Pebble’s $19 steel watch bracelet is the equivalent of $.99 prices for apps. $500 for a watch bracelet is “hefty”, I agree. $2,500 for a bracelet is extravagant, I’d agree. But $80 is squarely within the mainstream, the mass market.

(Via Rene Ritchie).

‘I Have a Great Way of Saying the Government Has Ordered a Pizza’ ★

Geoffrey Fowler and Joanna Stern:

Now the latest version of Apple’s iPhone software, iOS 8, adds a layer of smarts on top of autocorrect called QuickType, predictive typing of a sort previously found on Android. Not only does it suggest spelling, it also suggests words you might want to type next. If you keep following its train of robotic thought, QuickType will form entire sentences on your behalf.

The result is so goofy that it is brilliant. For the last week, we — your WSJ personal technology columnists — have been conducting serious tests of the new iPhones and iOS 8, while also holding nonsensical auto-generated conversations with each other.