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Apple's week May 1: breaking records without AI

A record breaking quarter and a continuing odd rumor cycle in this week's newsletter.

Apple's week May 1: breaking records without AI
No reason for the HomePod mini snail, I just think it's cute

Apple continues to beat Wall Street expectations in spite of all the doom casting around its lack of AI advancements. That said, Apple fans really shouldn't be worrying themselves with finances, leadership, or anything that isn't the products themselves.

Here's the news of the week:

What happened to the happy user?

It's been one of those weeks where a lot happened, but they were such specific events that I feel like I've already covered them sufficiently through the week. If all you read is my newsletter, make sure to open the HilliTech website and read the rest of the week's posts that I don't always link to directly here.

Instead of beating a dead horse on Apple Vision Pro rumors or WWDC, I'm going to go a different direction.

I feel like some of the tech spaces I inhabit no longer express excitement and joy about technology. There are multiple reasons I could point to, but I'm not so sure it's as clear-cut as "Apple worse" or "world bad." Though, there's something to be said about how much room we have in our lives for genuine excitement when the world is on fire.

I remember when I began exploring the tech space and its communities in earnest. There was always the doom and gloom report or the loudmouth in the forum, but I always felt like the excitement and joy burned through.

Perhaps I'm following the wrong folks, but it hasn't felt that way in a while.

That isn't to say that some joy does burst through from time to time. A podcast I'm listening to will have someone genuinely excited about a new gadget. An article I read will show that the love of tech, anime, and video games isn't dead.

But for some reason, it feels like those bright spots are more rare than they've ever been. So much of the internet and those interacting on it are thriving on anger and hate. I know it's always been the case that hate gets more clicks, but even those I used to enjoy following have fallen into dark holes of grift and cynicism.

This isn't a sad blog post though. I think that people are finally done with all this bleakness. In recent months, I've seen more and more genuine excitement and happiness around independent media and journalism, and that's a good sign.

I used to be rather careful with what accounts I follow if only to prevent my timeline from becoming too unwieldy. However, more recently, I've taken to following anyone that seems to have an interesting job, idea, or opinion.

It's what has led me to a lot of really incredible new websites. Some of those are linked in this week's bulleted list. (I may try to do this going forward and spread the love with what I'm linking to)

Perhaps the problem is I've devoted a part of my available time to being a fan of a multi-trillion-dollar company. It's now so big that it can't help but have some kind of annoyance, problem, or political snafu week to week.

Maybe that's what's burning out Apple fans. These folk that have been following the company for years expect it to remain spotless and small even as it grows and grows. They hate what it has become.

To be clear, I don't. I'm quite happy with Apple and want it to enter more product categories and offer more services. It has its problems, but I'd be foolish to believe it could eradicate them all.

There's no such thing as a company that's your friend or one that has your best interest at heart. Apple certainly isn't one of them. I expect people can't contend with that while still enjoying the products.

For whatever reason, they have to love it completely, or hate everything it has ever done. It just feels dramatic and exhausting.

At the end of the day. we're talking about a phone or a laptop. Even as much of a fanboy as I can be at times, out of excitement, I don't lose sight of that. There are so many more important things for us to get worked up over.

This one meandered a bit, and I'm not sure I had a point. So take this for what it is as a brain dump as I try to gather my thoughts and feelings on the topic.

I suppose if I had a point, it would be that we all should enjoy what we enjoy and don't let the haters bring us down. Even as tech feels like it's more aggressive and doomerist than ever before, ignore those people and just revel in the thing you enjoy.

It's all we can really do.

Return to your love of hobbies

That's it from me. A bit shorter and more singular than usual. My Friday was full, and I'm about to be late to a dinner with the family, so I'll keep it short.

Thanks for reading, and I hope if you haven't already, subscribe to the blog with your email. It's free, and this weekly newsletter will be delivered to your inbox. It's a good reminder to visit the website and see what I've been writing.

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I'll be back next week with more tech nonsense, so see you then and keep reading!

A black cat's face up close with his yellow eyes looking off to the side
Agatha demands snuggles and food, his only needs in this life