Apple's week May 8: Pride and Encryption

The weird news cycle hasn't slowed, but we've seen Instagram abandon encryption even as Apple doubles down on it. In a world where the United States is run by an authoritarian wannabe dictator, the release of an Apple Watch Pride Band feels like a form of protest.

Here are some stories I'd like to share this week:

• Aftermath: The Star Fox reboot looks fucked up, but maybe in a good way?
• Also Aftermath: Nintendo's nostalgia plays are obvious and will work every time
• Palette Swap: Nerds obsessing over leaks better play these damn games
• Anime Herald: CW for this one, Takopi's Original Sin is an incredible, if graphic, exploration of childhood trauma
• AppleInsider: Owning an Apple Home: HomePods as whole-home audio

The encryption conundrum

When Apple first embraced its new identity as the bastion of user privacy and security, it wasn't clear exactly how far it was willing to go. As I've said about taking marketing at face value, you can never tell if a company will stand up to scrutiny under pressure.

I don't feel like I need to detail the whole San Bernardino saga, but Apple basically told the FBI and US government that it couldn't crack the iPhone's encryption. And this was an iPhone 5c, the one without Touch ID and the Secure Element.

Apple may not have the picture of perfection throughout its history, but this has been one area it has held strong. No matter what government asks, it won't break its encryption or introduce a back door for "the good guys."

The battle is about to begin again, this time in Canada. The legislation is poorly done and will likely be walked back, but I know that Apple won't weaken its encryption. It might pull Advanced Data Protection for Canadian users, which is unfortunate. We've not seen what happens if governments push further, but Apple could pull its business out of Canada temporarily to prove a point.

It has the money to do so.

The United States would love nothing more than for Apple to weaken or abandon encryption. We can see this with Meta, which is removing encryption from Instagram Messaging as of this post. Meta claims that it was due to low adoption of the feature, which is optional, but it feels like it may be to appease a certain administration.

If Meta cared about user privacy, which it never has, it would make encrypted messaging the default.

Apple also championed end-to-end encryption for RCS messaging, which Google tried to make into a siloed product. Instead, Apple went to the main consortium in charge and worked to make an encrypted standard that would be used for all RCS, not just the one in Google Messages.

That's coming with iOS 26.5 next week. It's carrier-based, so the rollout won't be instant, but I'm happy that it's going to be there. We recently made some new friends that joined a local group chat, which was always an iMessage chat. Well, they made it into an RCS chat.

Other than some glitches and the notification that someone renamed the chat nearly every message, it's been fine. But I'm not happy that the chat doesn't have the same privacy protections as iMessage. It's good that it is changing soon.

I'll say that I'm not an Apple snob in the way you'd think. I want everything Apple because it integrates so well, but I don't want to exclude my friends just because they choose another device. I don't think Apple needs to deal with the logistics of bringing iMessage to Android, but I do think it is a happy medium having a private, secure protocol that's nice to use.

My wish would be that Apple finds a way to blend the RCS experience into iPhone so it is almost invisible. Sure, it'll probably always be green, but hide the rough edges with some Apple magic.

In any case, consumer privacy and security are increasingly important. You should be wary of any company actively seeking to back away from it.

Following the rumor cycle

One of the stories I linked above from Palette Swap was an entertaining read. You could easily switch "video game rumor" for "Apple rumor" and end up with the same story.

In the decade plus I've been paying attention, it seems there's a specific kind of Apple or tech fan that thrives on rumors. Every little leak or story turns into fuel for a fight about... something.

That something can be either how great Apple is and no one can do it better, or how terrible Apple is and how it is doomed to fail. There's rarely any in between.

If you've been reading everything I post, you might have noticed this has been on my mind a lot lately. What's the purpose of following these things? Is it for entertainment or something else?

I like the rumors for the idea that I'm getting a peek at what might be. I know that they're not always accurate and I don't care. I just like knowing where things might go so I can try to understand how it might affect my use cases.

However, not everyone treats it that way. For many, they seek validation in their purchase. "The next one looks boring, so I'm happy I bought this one" or "I'm glad I went Android" and so on.

I don't have anything revolutionary to say here, but I'll just reiterate that everyone needs to take a step back. Whether it is video games or technology, let's remember that humans work on these and love when they can provide a genuine surprise. Maybe we should try harder to be surprised.

Takopi

Content warning for this section.

An anime where a cute pink alien from the Planet Happy exists only to make others smile lands in the middle of a child's worst day on Earth. It's a graphic anime that doesn't hold back on dark themes that include suicide, so it isn't for those that might be triggered by that. Especially since it involves children.

I wanted to cover this because I watched the first episode and it hit me like a ton of bricks. The show is only six episodes, but I struggled to find the strength to make it past episode two. The story I linked has motivated me, however, and I want to finish the season.

I won't go into detail here because I'm not looking for pity points. I had a rough childhood (who didn't?) and I did consider taking my own life at a young age. This show involves the alien using a time travel mechanic where the alien tries many, many times to prevent the character from taking their own life. It is heart-wrenching and difficult to watch.

But I couldn't stop watching.

It captured something that I remembered feeling even when I was only 12 years old. This feeling of helplessness that you couldn't overcome. Thankfully, I eventually found my way through and I'm a totally functional human being these days, whatever that means.

I don't want to bum anyone out. I just wanted to share the beauty of storytelling and its ability to tell even the toughest stories with the light of hope. It opened up a conversation with my wife about the situation that we hadn't had before, and it was good for us both.

Just remember you might be having a tough day, but the people around you are leading their own lives too. Your bad day could be someone else's best, or someone else's worst. Empathy, love, and care are so important. We have to be interested in each other's lives and be there for each other. It's a matter of survival.

So hug your loved ones, ask the tough questions, and protect each other. Take nothing for granted. Life is just a blink.

Sometimes you can save someone without realizing it just by looking at them and saying you're happy that they are there. That's all it takes.

Happy thoughts

I do apologize for where this week's newsletter went. Perhaps it was too personal and I shouldn't have shared. But in any case, this blog is a view into my thoughts and that isn't always going to be candy-coated.

I did just publish a fun piece about how we use HomePods in our home. I hope everyone gets a chance to check that out. It's one of those things in Apple's ecosystem that I think people don't realize is as capable and useful as it is.

I've never played Star Fox, but maybe I might finally do it. Whether it's this remake or an N64 cartridge I find at the flea market, I wouldn't mind finally seeing what it is all about. Of course, I had to joke that it's just the most boring aspects of Kingdom Hearts as a full-length game.

I do hope that this means the Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time remake is real. It's one of those games I play over and over again on the original hardware. I liked the 3DS graphical upgrade it received too, but a full graphics do-over could be fun.

I'm aware I'm playing into the hands of nostalgia capitalism, but I don't care. I fight my battles everywhere else, so let me lose this one with dignity.