Editor’s note: this is an excerpt of my upcoming iOS and iPadOS 17 review. As is always the case for new versions of iOS and iPadOS, changes in the operating systems run the gamut of tentpole features, quality-of-life improvements, and smaller features that you may not even notice at first. Let’s take a look at...
Gadget Show & Tell
John
Two Remaining Issues of iOS and iPadOS 17
It’s no secret that I’m liking iOS and iPadOS 17 a lot. I’m having the best time this summer playing around with interactive widgets on the Home Screen, and I’m so satisfied with the improvements to Stage Manager on the iPad, I’ve returned to the device as my main computer (like it was meant to...
A Classic Pick 2
Apple Music Gains New Algorithmic ‘Discovery Station’→
Juli Clover, writing for MacRumors on a new addition to Apple Music:
Apple Music today gained a new “Discovery Station,” which is located under the “Listen Now” section under Top Picks in the Apple Music app. The customized radio station is paired with the personalized radio station featuring your name, and it has the “Made for You” label. It can also be accessed through this link for those who do not yet see it.
As noted by AppleInsider, the radio station appears to play songs of a similar style to songs that are in your personal library and that you have listened to and liked in the past, but it chooses songs you don’t have in playlists or your library.
I’ve been writing about the topic of algorithmic discovery in music streaming services for years now, so as soon as I read about this new station, I immediately went to check it out.
It’s only been a few hours, but my impression is that Apple sees the “discovery” part of this ‘Discovery Station’ as something fundamentally different from Spotify’s Discover Weekly. Spotify’s popular algorithmic playlist (which refreshes once a week) is generally skewed toward lesser-known acts and recent releases; in the hours I’ve been testing Apple’s new radio station, it seems it’s not afraid to recommend older music from bands I am familiar with and that I wouldn’t consider “niche”, but which I don’t have in my music library either. For instance, I’ve been listening again for the last 30 minutes, and my recommendations were largely mid-2000s emo/pop-punk songs. Not that I’m complaining.
Apple hasn’t officially announced the Discovery Station yet, and I assume they’re still adjusting the balance of the algorithm powering it. I did get a few recommendations from new and unknown (at least to me) artists, which is a good sign that the ultimate goal of the radio station might be a healthy mix of songs you’ve never heard of and songs you sort of knew but never saved in your library.
I’m going to keep an eye on the Discovery Station; I have a feeling I’ll end up listening to this radio station a lot over the coming weeks.
Why The Way Apps Are Made Has Changed
AppStories Episode 346 - Why The Way Apps Are Made Has Changed
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This week, Federico and John look at how making apps has changed along with the evolution of Apple’s hardware lineup and what that means for the future of apps on those platforms.
The End of the Light Strip Saga, and A New Beginning for My Home Automation
Who would have guessed that sometimes the most obvious answer is also the correct one? (Well, I can name one guy.) For the past two weeks, I’ve been writing about my experiment with an RGB light strip that I got from Amazon and wanted to make compatible with HomeKit by using either Homebridge or Home...
It’s the Year of Linux on Light Strips
This piece for the Monthly Log was supposed to be a different one. In the latest issue of MacStories Weekly, I wrote about how I installed a Bluetooth-powered RGB light strip on my balcony and my idea for making it HomeKit-compatible by using either Homebridge or Home Assistant. I thought that was going to be...