Apple appears to be expanding on the native Apple Maps review functionality that it first introduced in iOS 14, allowing Apple Maps users in the United States the option to review places of interest, restaurants, and other locations.
And:
In the Apple Maps app in iOS 14 and iOS 15, U.S. users can now see an option to provide a thumbs up or thumbs down for most locations. Tapping on the thumbs up/down icon brings up a secondary interface for providing thumbs up and thumbs down ratings for various categories like products, customer service, food, atmosphere, and more, based on the location being reviewed.
Follow the headline link, check out the embedded images. You’ll see that “Rate” option on your Mac Maps app as well. You can also upload your own photos.
From the Maps interface:
Ratings and photos you share are linked to your Apple ID to ensure a safe experience. Maps usage outside of ratings and photos is not linked to your Apple ID.
And:
Your approximate location will be sent to Apple and used to confirm authenticity.
And:
Ratings & Photos does not share any of your personal information with third parties.
Is Apple going to replace Yelp? As is, there’s no way to submit written reviews, which I’d expect as an intermediary step before that treasure trove of Yelp reviews could be jettisoned.
When Apple TV+ launched on November 1, 2019, The Morning Show was the big bet, got a ton of marketing push from Apple. Since then, we’ve seen a wide array of shows, including the first blockbuster hit, Ted Lasso.
The second season of The Morning Show, premiering September 17th (three weeks from Friday), will arrive in a different world. There’s the pandemic, of course, and a change of administrations. But this new season will not arrive as the unquestioned tentpole of Apple TV+. Apple TV+ is now a somewhat crowded space, the competition for eyeballs is now stiffer.
All that said, the trailer below does make the new season look every bit as compelling as the first season. Take a look.
On the Safari CovidWallet.app page, tap the button to select the pic with the QR-code
According to the web page:
This tool operates entirely on your device— your health information is never transmitted to any server.
Details from the SMART Health QR Code are cryptographically verified by the California Department of Public Health to prevent forgery.
Most importantly:
This tool is not affiliated with Apple nor the California Department of Public Health nor the US Centers for Disease Control.
That last gives me pause, mostly about privacy. Can I trust that this app truly keeps my info on my iPhone, that it doesn’t somehow harvest my vaccine info?
Would love to have a comment from Apple on this, or have an official “add vaccine card to Wallet” mechanism added to Wallet.
Adding these verified records into the Health app in the iOS 15 beta is as easy as pointing the Camera app at the QR code then tapping the add to Health button.
My vaccine card does not have such a QR code, so this is specific to California. Not sure the headline linked app is bad in any way, but why go there if you can just use your camera?
Steve Jobs used to say that consumers don’t know what they want and trust Apple to make decisions for them.
And:
That way of thinking has helped make Apple one of the most successful companies ever, topping $2 trillion in market value and selling billions of iPhones, iPads, Macs, AirPods and Apple Watches. Those products wouldn’t be the hits they are today without Apple’s approach. But it has also created problems for the technology giant.
One major example:
It took Apple about four years and several lawsuits before it admitted and fixed serious problems with its “butterfly” keyboards introduced in 2015.
All this leads to the point raised in the headline:
For iOS 15’s release this year, Apple planned to make some of the biggest changes ever to the design of the Safari web browser on the iPhone. The fundamental shift: moving the address bar from the top of the screen to the bottom, erasing nearly 15 years of muscle memory.
This past week, after mounting complains from users, including by me in Power On, Apple reversed course, making the new design an option in the Settings app. With that change, Apple will offer users two distinct interfaces for a core app, a rarity in the iOS world.
Interesting take. Mark’s Power On newsletter is a consistently good read.
I can’t remember the last time Apple made such a dramatic interface change in response to feedback from the user base. Of course, this assumes that feedback from users, as opposed to internal design feedback, is what caused the change.
