Linked List: June 30, 2016

Thursday, 30 June 2016

Android N’s Name: Nougat 

I think the “Submit your suggestion for the name” contest announced at I/O was total bullshit. My bet is that they were still negotiating with Nutella, it didn’t work out, and so now they’re stuck with “Nougat”, which is a shitty name.

Apple Gets Patent to Disable iPhone Cameras at Concerts 

Collin Robinson, writing at Stereogum:

So that might be OK… assuming the technology is only used at concerts and doesn’t extend to, like, disabling phone cameras during instances of police brutality and/or sociopolitical/religious unrest.

Jason Snell:

I hope this is one patent Apple puts in the drawer and never, ever implements.

It really doesn’t make any sense to me for Apple to implement this. It would only block iPhone cameras, not Android cameras. It would be worth worrying about if Apple had a monopoly, but they don’t. This must be a patent anything you can get a patent for patent.

WSJ: Apple in Talks to Acquire Jay Z’s Tidal Music Service 

Speaking of Apple and streaming music rivals:

Apple is in exploratory talks to acquire streaming-music service Tidal, headed by rap mogul Jay Z, according to people familiar with the matter.

The talks are ongoing and may not result in a deal, these people said. Apple is exploring the idea of bringing on Tidal to bolster its Apple Music service because of Tidal’s strong ties to popular artists such as Kanye West and Madonna.

Doesn’t really make any sense to me why Apple would do this, but I felt the same way about the Beats acquisition.

Spotify Bitches About the App Store 

Speaking of Peter Kafka, here’s his report on Spotify’s complaint over Apple’s App Store policies:

In a letter sent this week to Apple’s top lawyer, Spotify says Apple is “causing grave harm to Spotify and its customers” by rejecting an update to Spotify’s iOS app.

The letter says Apple turned down a new version of the app while citing “business model rules” and demanded that Spotify use Apple’s billing system if “Spotify wants to use the app to acquire new customers and sell subscriptions.” […]

“This latest episode raises serious concerns under both U.S. and EU competition law,” Gutierrez wrote. “It continues a troubling pattern of behavior by Apple to exclude and diminish the competitiveness of Spotify on iOS and as a rival to Apple Music, particularly when seen against the backdrop of Apple’s previous anticompetitive conduct aimed at Spotify … we cannot stand by as Apple uses the App Store approval process as a weapon to harm competitors.”

Cry me a river. Spotify has long charged $12.99 via in-app subscriptions to get around the 30 percent “App Store tax”. And Apple has now cut the long-term subscription split from 70-30 to 85-15. And Spotify is the streaming service most at war with artists over their abysmal royalty rates.

Read between the lines and the real message here is that Apple Music is kicking Spotify’s ass.

In Senate, BlackBerry Era Officially Over 

Jim Swift:

The reign of the Blackberry lasted a good decade or more in Congress, early on due to the advanced nature of the devices and obsession with email checking. Even when the iPhone and Androids came about, the Blackberry still kept the throne for awhile because typing on those tiny little keys was faster, a mastered skill with which the iPhone could not compete. (This being government, they were slow to adopt other devices and Bring Your Own Device policies.)

Finally.

Facebook Is Shutting Down Paper 

Casey Newton, The Verge:

Facebook is shutting down Paper, a bold reimagining of the company’s flagship app for iOS that impressed critics but failed to attract a large audience, the company said today. The app transformed the core Facebook experience into a kind of newsreader, with customizable sections for politics, technology, food, and other subjects. Visitors to the app received a message saying the app would no longer function after July 29th.

Probably the most beautiful app I’ve ever seen. Wasted on Facebook.

Yours Truly on Peter Kafka’s ‘Recode Media’ 

I’m the guest on Peter Kafka’s podcast this week, talking about the history and business of Daring Fireball. I really enjoyed it.