When You Think You Own The Railroad

The European Commission and Google

Kicking this post off let me say I’m not really sure how I feel about any of this. The subject matter is The European Commission’s Recent Guidance to Google for AI Interoperability on Android & Sharing of Google Search. John Gruber has a very good post on Daring Fireball that’s worth reading if the topic interests you.

Shutterstock 208228144.

You should be interested and you should read Gruber’s post as he lays the arguments out quite well. The bottom line is the European Commission is trying to slow down what has made Google’s railroad run(Search) and what Google wants to use to run them in the future (AI). Here’s a quote:

Today, the European Commission has issued two sets of binding specification measures to Google under the Digital Markets Act.

The aim of the first specification measures is to ensure that competitors’ Artificial Intelligence (AI) services can compete with Google’s own AI services, such as Gemini, by having equal access to features on Google’s Android devices.

The aim of the second specification measures is to rebalance the playing field by giving third-party search engines access to search data that only Google Search can collect at scale.

In a moment when device costs are rising because of AI and companies like Apple are reportedly planning leasing hardware to users to offset higher prices in the same way automobile companies lease cars, it seems like this move from the EC, obviously striking at what most would consider a monopoly, also has the potential to segment computing in a different way than I’ve been writing about.

We’ve already seen that Apple is having similar problems with the EC, choosing so far not to release any of its now in beta new SiriAI and Siri related Apple Intelligence features in Europe until they can resolve similar conflicts with the EC’s aims.

The big difference is Google has built the beginnings of its new railroad and Apple doesn’t want to lay down its European tracks until the EC gives guidance approval. The EC doesn’t work that way, only passing guidance on what exists, not what’s planned.

If it sounds like the railroad expansion era in America during the Gilded Age, you’re not imagining train whistles in the dark.

On the one hand it’s very easy for me to feel this is a good move for consumers who believe users should be able to control what’s on their devices. On the other, it is conceivable that Google and Apple could end up creating separate operating systems and devices for different parts of the world operating under different governing bodies. Some of that already exists with tech companies following different laws from different countries, but nothing on a level like this that seems to strike at the core of how Google and Apple build these devices, operating systems, and companies.

As I said in the beginning,  I’m not really sure how I feel about this. The EC’s guidance seems like a potential good thing long term. But in a world that seems increasingly splintered along so many different lines, I’m not quite sure how I feel about the potential of segmenting our computing lives across borders.

I guess I’m old enough to remember when technology began to bring the far flung corners of the globe closer together rather than keep it separated. I’m also old enough to remember the early days of the Internet when some pointed out that our governments were too far behind the curve and ceding too much control to big tech companies too easily. Watching things grow and change at the speed of a bullet train mostly felt harmless back then. Things don’t seem quite so harmless today.

The cry then was to give users more control back in those early days. But it all became too convenient too quickly to stop or slow down, and those big tech trains left the station. As good or bad as the EC’s new guidance may ultimately be for users, it feels more like a potential derailment rather than switching tracks.

(Image from designbydx on Shutterstock)

Thanks for reading. You can subscribe to this blog if you care to. You can also find more of my writings on a variety of topics on Medium at this link, including in the publications Ellemeno and Rome. I can also be found on social media under my name as above. This site does not use affilate links.

Report: Apple To Launch Subscription Services for Devices

Softening the price increase blow and segmenting the marketplace.

As I have been saying for quite some time, even before Apple announced its recent price increases, Apple is, according to Bloomberg, getting ready to announce what amounts to a subscripton service for some Apple devices.

There have been rumors of Apple offering hardware subscriptions for some time, but with the costs of hardware rising due to the consumer device RAM shortages brought about by the demand for more AI ready chips for data centers and the like, the timing seems right that we were going to see some sort of financing type arrangement for computers beyond credit cards and others that currently exist.

While there are not many details in the Bloomberg report, I’m sure these will roll out eventually, but the one detail mentioned (assuming it is correct) is this:

The Apple Upgrade service will work like a subscription and users can pay off the device early during their term, upgrade early to a new model or keep it at the end of the leasing period. In certain cases, those transactions will incur an additional fee. Like a car lease, it can also be returned at the end of the term.

Leases for iPhones and Apple Watches will run for 24 months, while Mac and iPad plans will run for 36 months. Users will need to be approved for the program via a soft credit check.

Again, this is just a report, but what I find interesting is that Apple is leaning into the 2 and 3 year cycle for users leasing devices, while at the same time Apple and all of the AI bros are pushing technology in what seems like a race with no finish line that will inevitably require newer and faster chips more quickly than the duration of those leasing cycles

The Bloomberg report says that the program won’t include AppleCare, and also that the Apple Watch SE, entry level iPad, iPhone 16, and MacBook Neo will not be eligible.

As I’ve been saying, we’re heading into an age of segmented computing, dividing the “able to haves” from “those not able.” While this may look, feel and be marketed like a way to lower the cost of computing close to the edge and trend lines, in the end, and as always, those who control financing operations will be the winners.

Thanks for reading. You can subscribe to this blog if you care to. You can also find more of my writings on a variety of topics on Medium at this link, including in the publications Ellemeno and Rome. I can also be found on social media under my name as above. This site does not use affilate links.

 

We Had Some Adventures

A great (and greatly exhausting) weekend!

We’re back home after a crazy long weekend celebrating my birthday with the grandkids. We had some adventures on land, in chasing a few leaves around the pool, and walking across a few bridges. 

This grandpa couldn’t have asked for a better time celebrating.

Now to prepare for our next trip. 

Thanks for reading. You can subscribe to this blog if you care to. You can also find more of my writings on a variety of topics on Medium at this link, including in the publications Ellemeno and Rome. I can also be found on social media under my name as above. This site does not use affilate links. 

Sunday Morning Reading

Still milling milestones

It’s a Sunday. It’s a Sunday when I can say I’ve hung around for seven decades as the clock ticked past 70 yesterday. Spending the weekend celebrating with the grandkids, dodging in an out of pockets of time when the air is breathable, so there’s only a few links to share in this week’s Sunday Morning Reading. Hope you enjoy them as much as I have spending it with two innocents watching them approach the world from that perspective. When they look to you for answers, it’s awesomely terrifying.

David Todd McCarty thinks We’re Teaching Our Kinds The Wrong Lessons. As someone who wonders why we spend so much time teaching them not to lie in a world that rewards liars, I often think the same.

NatashaMH writes about An Artist’s Search For Meaning. The quote below she included from Viktor E. Frankel, hit in a different way on this birthday weekend.

“It did not really matter what we expected from life, but rather what life expected from us. We needed to stop asking about the meaning of life, and instead to think of ourselves as those who were being questioned by life — daily and hourly.”

It wouldn’t be a Sunday Morning Reading column without at least one nod to politics, Her’s the nod from Carlyn Beccia, wondering Has America Crossed The Asshole Threshold? I would argue yes, but wouldn’t limit it to just America.

Claire Stapleton worked at Google. She saw most of it. She tells what she saw in The Voice Of Google in a piece that is so much more than just about Google and the tech culture.

Thanks for reading. Feel free to subscribe if you want. It’s free. If you’re interested in just what the heck Sunday Morning Reading is all about you can read more about the origins of Sunday Morning Reading here. If you’d like more click on the Sunday Morning Reading link in the category column to check out what’s been shared on Sunday’s past. You can also find more of my writings on Medium at this link, including in the publications Ellemeno and Rome. This site does not use affilate links.

 

Achievement Unlocked: 70 Spins Around The Sun

I hit seven decades of living on this planet today. That’s 15 years beyond the shelf life of males on my father’s side of the family, so feeling pretty good about the accomplishment.

Celebrating with grandkids and family this weekend after a joint party last week with a dear friend who shares the same birthday week. (That’s where the picture above is from.)

Onward.

Thanks for reading. You can subscribe to this blog if you care to. You can also find more of my writings on a variety of topics on Medium at this link, including in the publications Ellemeno and Rome. I can also be found on social media under my name as above. This site does not use affilate links.

 

Dry Throats and Smokey Sunset

Smoke gets in your everywhere

Out on an errand run, I grabbed this shot of an orange dot of a sun trying to burn through the smoke and haze blowing through the US from Canadian wildfires.A hazy street scene in Chicago looking down a road with cars. A tall street light pole with a green "N Laramie Av" sign stands in the foreground, with the prominent clock tower of the Copernicus Center visible on the right against a dim, glowing sun obscured by thick smoke from Canadian wildfires

Forgot to grab my mask as I headed out for the short trip, so traveling from two parking lots into two stores, my throat and sinuses dried up with that burning taste in a hurry.

Seeing very little in town traffic for this time of day, it sounds like most folks are heeding warnings and staying inside. Wish I had.

Stay careful out there.

Thanks for reading. You can subscribe to this blog if you care to. You can also find more of my writings on a variety of topics on Medium at this link, including in the publications Ellemeno and Rome. I can also be found on social media under my name as above. This site does not use affilate links.

 

We Survived The Window Install Adventure

Long hot day of work well done.

That was a day. We survived the adventure of having new windows installed in our two flat. 18 windows in total between the two units.

We actually had the easy part as we moved to the basement while the crew did the hard work.

I’m not sure how the guys doing that hard work survived, but Daniel and his crew pulled it off like the professionals they are. Hot, sweaty work on a hot steamy day. They began unloading just after 7am and finished the job just before 5pm.

So, job well done. Kudos to the crew and kudos to Renewal By Anderson for every step along the way. We’re very pleased with the work.

Now that’s over, we’ll rehang some curtains and blinds, and then we’re on to new adventures for the rest of the summer.

Thanks for reading. You can subscribe to this blog if you care to. You can also find more of my writings on a variety of topics on Medium at this link, including in the publications Ellemeno and Rome. I can also be found on social media under my name as above. This site does not use affilate links. 

Yeah, We Need New Windows

Tomorrow is going to suck. We’re getting new windows in our two flat.

As you can see, some are sorely needed, like these two on our converted back porch that serves as my office. So the suckage will hopefully pay off once we’re done putting the two untis back together again. Today was all about tearing them apart in preparation.

Given the predicted 90+ degree temps, we’re holding off on removing the air conditioners until the last second. That’s a pyschological game more than it is a real fix, but hey, we’ll take it.

Here’s hoping we make it through the day, and the job only takes one day.

Thanks for reading. You can subscribe to this blog if you care to. You can also find more of my writings on a variety of topics on Medium at this link, including in the publications Ellemeno and Rome. I can also be found on social media under my name as above. This site does not use affilate links.

 

Bushels of Apple’s Public OS 27 Betas Released

Adventures forthcoming

Apple released the public betas of its next round of operating systems, all ending with OS27 today for Mac, iPhones, iPads, Apple Watches, and goodness knows what else.

Following close on the heels of the release, a slew of reviews and first looks were published on the usual blogs and websites, with I’m sure more to come. All of that will make interesting reading in the days ahead, but as to the big SiriAI come from behind update it appears from quick glances at some of those articles that things are very much on the right track, but not quite there yet. Most of that is being chalked up to things still being in beta. Keep in mind that SiriAI itself is also still a beta, nestled within a beta. It’s suspected to be released as a beta this fall when the official release happens.

I don’t find that strange, because regarding anything AI these days, things change so much so frequently that it seems like all of those who are chasing the constant changes for the other AI platforms are perpetually running in beta mode, even though the software is not advertised as such.

But to a large degree, we’ve all been in a perpetual beta mode with most software releases since before the AI explosion hit. It’s not that I expect things to ever be “finished.” But I do expect things to at least move forward and not break what was working before. “New” is only great if it works. Who knows, perhaps one day we’ll retire the beta label as meaningless.

As for me, this is going to be one of the first years in a long time that I install a beta. After buying and setting up a MacBook Neo for a client earlier this year, I picked up one for myself just to run the macOS Golden Gate beta. Fortunately, before the price hike. Given that I have some travel to do in the next few weeks, I’ll probably wait until the next public beta version is released before giving it a go.

It will be an adventure, I’m sure.

Thanks for reading. You can subscribe to this blog if you care to. You can also find more of my writings on a variety of topics on Medium at this link, including in the publications Ellemeno and Rome. I can also be found on social media under my name as above. This site does not use affilate links.