Linked List: August 3, 2016

Wednesday, 3 August 2016

Speaking of suits, Luke Leitch, writing for The Economist:

The potential impact of the Republican candidate in the American presidential election on world peace, global trade and democracy in America have been exhaustively covered. Less discussed is the dark shadow that Donald Trump casts over the world of fashion, but for those of us who live under it, it looms large. For I am not alone in suspecting that Trump will go down in fashion history as the man who killed the business suit.

‘We’re Apple. We Don’t Wear Suits. We Don’t Even Own Suits.’ ★

In light of last week’s leak from Time Warner executives that Eddy Cue showed up for a meeting wearing “jeans, tennis shoes with no socks, and a Hawaiian shirt”, it’s worth a look back to this 2010 Wired story by Fred Vogelstein on Apple’s strained relationship with AT&T:

Looking back, it’s clear that the cracks in the Apple-AT&T relationship began forming as soon as Jobs announced the iPhone in January 2007. It was the first time the public got to see the long-rumored device — and, shockingly, the first time AT&T’s board of directors saw it as well. (Apple refused to show the phone to all but a handful of top AT&T execs before the launch.) The split only deepened from there. Apple and AT&T have bickered about how the iPhone was to be displayed in AT&T’s stores: Apple insisted the phone be presented on its own display stand, away from other models. They have even fought about wardrobe: When an AT&T representative suggested to one of Jobs’ deputies that the Apple CEO wear a suit to meet with AT&T’s board of directors, he was told, “We’re Apple. We don’t wear suits. We don’t even own suits.”

Rumor: Steve Ballmer in Takeover Bid for Twitter ★

Jon Swartz, writing for USA Today:

Shares closed up 7 percent Wednesday on speculation about a rumored joint takeover bid by two billionaires who are major Twitter investors: former Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer and Saudi Prince Alwaleed bin Talal, no stranger to substantial tech investments.

Crazier things have happened.

Mossberg: TV Sets Are Still Too Complicated ★

Walt Mossberg’s decade-old Pioneer plasma gave up the ghost, so he replaced with an OLED set from LG. He loves the picture, but:

But learning to use the TV is a whole other story. The Bean Bird setup process was pretty straightforward, but it gets you going just enough to start watching something. Tweaking all of the TV’s many features, including common ones like picture tones and uncommon ones like zooming in on a part of the picture or using a built-in web browser, takes hours. You must wade through menus containing scores of choices.

And some controversial features common to modern TVs are buried deep in these menus. For instance, while I like motion smoothing others strongly dislike it — it’s sometimes known as the “soap opera effect.” If you don’t like it, the LG’s interface doesn’t make it at all easy to understand what’s happening to your picture or what setting to adjust to turn it off. It’s not even called motion smoothing in the menus — LG calls it “TruMotion.”

Motion smoothing should be illegal. It’s a crime against cinematography.

Evan Blass: New iPhones to Hit Retail on 16 September ★

Fits with my theory that the announcement event will be Wednesday 7 September.

Samsung Executive Mocks Apple’s iPhone 7 and the Removal of the Audio Jack ★

Live on stage during Samsung’s introduction event for the Galaxy Note 7:

You want to know what else it comes with? An audio jack. (Audience laughs.) I’m just saying.

You have to watch it to see just how smug he is about it. Merits of the decision to remove the headphone jack from next month’s new iPhones aside, think about how extraordinary it is that a Samsung executive can make a joke about an iPhone rumor and the entire audience gets it.

Also, how much says Samsung has new phones with no audio jack on the market by this time next year?

Natalie Kerris, Former PR Director at Apple, Leaves Twitter After Just Six Months ★

Alex Kantrowitz, reporting for BuzzFeed:

Natalie Kerris, who joined Twitter as its VP of communications in February, is leaving the company, BuzzFeed News has learned. Leslie Berland, Twitter’s chief marketing officer, will lead both marketing and communications in a combined role.

BuzzFeed News confirmed the departure with a Twitter spokesperson. “During her time leading communications at Twitter, Natalie helped us share the Twitter story with the world. We are grateful for her energy and enthusiasm and the impact she’s had, even in this short time,” said the spokesperson. “We wish her all the best.”

Another sign of turmoil at Twitter. Kerris was a longtime PR director at Apple, who left Apple after Steve Dowling was named Katie Cotton’s successor.