Apple's Week February 6: DOOM™, Death, and Inevitability

If you're anything like me as an Apple fan, you're exhausted from the doom and gloom that continues to revolve around the company. As podcasts and blogs shift to reminiscing about the good old days and talking about how AI changed their life and their workflow, I hope to be one of the few that maintain some semblance of sanity in my tech coverage.

Here's the news of the week:

• Call Screening creating problems for the wealthy
• Two years of Apple Vision Pro and there's still no visible plan
• Bad Bunny wins Album of the Year at Grammys
• Apple TV Press Day reveals 20 upcoming properties
• Apple and Google CEO's keep saying the same thing, but analysts want to hear something different – failure
• Tim Cook continues to whisper resistance in the face of oppression
• Apple Health+ no longer one big launch, will roll out in smaller increments
• One song will ruin Apple Music's recommendations and Apple needs to fix it
• Tim Cook sounds increasingly weary and ready to retire as Apple turns 50

The incessant need for Apple to fail

If there's one thing about being an Apple fan that follows the news, it is getting used to the doom and gloom surrounding the company. Thankfully, we've seen folks like The Macalope, John Gruber, or AppleInsider's own Daniel Eran Dilger take on the role of critiquing the absolute absurdity of analyst reports.

I don't mean to pick on any individual or publication and avoid pointing fingers because, as a writer myself, I know you're not always in complete control of what's published. However, it does seem that we have repeat offenders in the space that want nothing more than their narrative to be the correct one, and it colors everything they write.

I'm fully aware that the previous paragraph could apply to me as well. Perhaps I'm too optimistic and give Apple too much wiggle room for error. However, I will say that it is a good feeling when you err on the side of positivity and turn out in the right, versus going too hard the other way and being wrong.

I'll take being disappointed by Apple and criticizing them for real problems they create over making up problems myself in the hopes they prove to be true. One is so much more productive than the other.

What confuses me is how short our memory is for this kind of reporting. Negativity sells, even when it is wrong. What counts is the emotion created by the headline, not whether or not it proves true later. That's frustrating.

This topic is on my mind today because it seems to be an increasing function of reporting around Apple Intelligence.

Apple taking a more prudent approach after seeing ChatGPT flounder with health in a chatbot and a leadership change turns into reports of confusion and failure to predict users' needs within the company. Apple and Google telling the world that they have no intention of detailing a deal further while explicitly saying the same conditions over and over again turns into Apple failing to have enough compute and pushing user queries to Google technology.

I can see how these reports reach those conclusions. It isn't as if they're a totally manufactured concept devoid of reason – they just seem to try and paint everything in the worst possible light. Often, when these kinds of reports land on my desk, I attempt to dissect them so that all that remains is the bare facts with none of the angle.

When writing, I am clear about what is said by the publication, what is said by me, and what is said by sources. I think this is the only way to let the readers arrive at their own conclusion instead of me trying to force my narrative on them.

I long for the days that everything isn't some controversy waiting to take Apple down. Though, looking back at the past few decades of how Apple is covered, no matter their successes, there will always be those looking for its ultimate failure.

It is up to us to try and remain positive in spite of the clickbait headlines and doom reporting.

Apple and Google have said their peace on AI

Bouncing off of the doom and gloom topic, there has been a lot of head-scratching reports surrounding the Apple and Google partnership to use a powerful Gemini model to improve Apple Foundation Models. Apple and Google have said very little and won't be saying more, but that hasn't stopped speculation around Apple's supposed failures and compromises to user privacy.

From what I can gather, and I have as much information as anyone, it seems that Apple Intelligence and Siri will run using Apple Foundation Models on-device and in Private Cloud Compute servers. Google is providing Gemini to help improve Apple's models, but won't be involved in the end-user experience. Also, even if Apple utilizes any part of Google's cloud technology like servers, that will be in service of Apple technology, not sending user data to Google.

There are interpretations of this that suggest Apple is replacing its models with Gemini or sending data to Google. They all miss the mark.

Even the more reasonable interpretations suggest that this deal is an indication of Apple failing to prepare for the AI revolution. Somehow, this is said with a straight face even as the AI bubble is set to pop, companies are turning to ads and porn to help their platforms, and controversies rock various companies relating to their irresponsible AI rollouts.

Meanwhile, Apple has kept its head down, had a single (if significant) delay, and focused on releasing helpful tools that stay in the background. Of the various approaches, Apple's is the one that will ultimately win out.

I'm excited to see what iOS 26.4 brings to the ecosystem.

Don't die in a cubicle

I want to wrap up my thoughts this week on the continued discussion of Apple's leadership departures and Tim Cook's ultimate retirement. Of course, every person leaving Apple is painted as yet another failure of Apple, but we've beaten that dead horse enough.

I found myself watching this keynote from 2016, Apple's 40th anniversary, where it opens with a celebration of the company's birthday. After that video, Tim Cook's initial comments at this keynote address meant to reveal new products are to say Apple has a responsibility to stand up to the government to protect Apple users.

This comment occurred after the San Bernardino shootings where the FBI tried to compel Apple to create a back door to their device encryption. Thankfully, everything Cook said here hasn't changed for Apple. End-t0-end encryption still stands, but Apple's relationship with the government is strained these days.

Cook attending a movie that was paid for with bribe money from Jeff Bezos on the day ICE agents murdered an American citizen is disgusting on many levels. There's no coming back from that, and Cook's internal memo calling for de-escalation didn't help.

That said, you can see the weariness creeping in on Cook. Just a few weeks later, he is internally talking about lobbying for better treatment of immigrants, Apple's 50th birthday, and how retirement comes for everyone of a certain age.

I think, as gross as everything has been with this administration, Cook's actions have been about what we could expect from Apple. The company is biding its time and waiting for this administration to pass while doing little, if anything, to change the company as a whole.

That has been demonstrated particularly through Tim Cook's actions. He's donating from his wallet, he's attending dinners and parties. All the while, Apple has continued operations without government interference.

Who knows how long that will last, but it seems Cook wants to keep up this illusion of capitulation until Trump is out of office. Let's hope Apple can keep it up, because, for better or worse, it's working so far.

A week of blog posting

I've put out something every day this week, and thankfully it's been quite easy. I did write a whole thing about Apple Music that ended up going to AppleInsider instead, but that's how it goes sometimes. It will be a challenge finding things to discuss that otherwise wouldn't belong at my main job, but that's the fun of it.

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