This week on Ruminate, I go to Applebee’s and a new game store, we both check out the new Legend of Zelda Lego, Robb launched a new project, then we head into AI corner.
As WWDC approaches, Apple has announced the finalists in the running for its annual Apple Design Awards. The awards ceremony revealing the winners will be held during WWDC.
This year, there are seven categories, and each category has six finalists. That’s one more than last year, with Spatial Computing joining the categories for the first time. The 2024 ADA finalists are:
The selections include a broad range of games and apps, including some apps from smaller developers like Devin Davies, the maker of the wonderful recipe app Crouton, the team behind Gentler Streaks, one of my favorite fitness apps, and SmartGym by Mateus Abras, as well as titles from bigger publishers.
I’m glad that Apple announces the finalists in advance. Winning an ADA is a big achievement for any developer, but it’s also nice to know who the finalists are because it’s quite an honor among the many apps that could have been chosen too. Plus as a fan of apps, Apple’s list of finalists always reminds me of an app or two that I haven’t tried yet.
Today, Apple announced that WWDC 2024 will run from June 10th through the 14th. As has been the case for the past several years, the event will be predominantly online, with over 100 sessions for developers, opportunities for developers to consult with Apple’s engineers, and more.
WWDC will begin on June 10th at 10 AM Pacific time, with the annual keynote and the Platforms State of the Union to follow at 1:00 PM Pacific. Throughout WWDC, Apple will also offer online labs and consultation sessions with the company’s engineers and designers, who will be available to provide guidance on developers’ apps and games.
The over 100 sessions Apple is producing will be available in the Developer app, apple.com, and YouTube. Apple says developers will also have access to curated guides:
…to walk them through the conference’s biggest announcements, from new documentation to sessions and more.
In addition to the learning experiences available at WWDC, Apple has invited 50 Distinguished Winners of the Swift Student Challenge who will visit Apple Park for the event. As always, Apple will also celebrate the Apple Design Award winners.
I love attending WWDC. Getting to see the developers we cover at MacStories is a treat, and Apple’s announcements will be the fuel that takes the MacStories team into the fall and beyond. If you see me around, be sure to stop me and say ‘hi.’
On AppStories+, a video experiment, i have iPad Pro follow-up, and Federico has technical follow-up and a question for listeners about streaming videogames over Wi-Fi.
When MGM Resorts suffered a $100 million hack in September, CEO Bill Hornbuckle wasn’t too worried about the lost revenue, because cyber insurance would cover the tab. “I can only imagine what next year’s bill will be,” he joked.
Weeks later, on a call with analysts, Hornbuckle complained about the “staggering” rise of insurance costs in the past few years.
This story neatly illustrates the crisis in cyber liability coverage. For years, companies have invested more in security insurance than in actual security. The result has been a tidal wave of data breaches that have driven up the cost of premiums to the point that they are rapidly becoming unaffordable.
Some large enterprises are responding to the increased costs by creating their own “captive carriers,” insurance providers that exist only to serve them. But that’s clearly not an option for small businesses, which are more likely to go without insurance altogether.
According to Andrew Bucci, VP of Sales at Amplified Insurance Partners, “It’s going to come to a point where some people may have to self-insure, which means that they don’t take a cyber policy out and they just cross their fingers they don’t have some sort of breach.” That’s a huge gamble for SMBs, since they could be driven to bankruptcy by a single security incident.
At Kolide, we’ve seen our cyber insurance premiums go up by 40% in just the last two years, and we got curious about:
What’s driving the increases?
Who really needs cybersecurity insurance?
How can the average company reduce their premiums?
What we found was that insurance companies themselves can help get us out of this crisis, by mandating some (pretty basic) security requirements for their customers–things like MFA, endpoint security, and retiring end-of-life software.
Earlier this month, I linked to What If…? – An Immersive Story, which Marvel Studios and ILM Immersive developed for Disney+. The project is an Apple Vision Pro exclusive for which there were few details originally. Now, however, we have a trailer and a launch date. What If…? – An Immersive Story will be available to Disney+ subscribers in just over one week on May 30th:
The trailer’s description explains the project’s premise:
The Multiverse is in danger and The Watcher needs your help. Dangerous variants are hunting Infinity Stones and altering the fate of not only their realities, but yours as well. To save the fate of the Multiverse, you’ll need to use your own hands to learn mystic spells, defend your allies in epic battles, and more. But, be careful… everything might not be all that it seems.
Source: Disney+.
I can’t wait to try What If…? – An Immersive Story. There hasn’t been a lot of new immersive content since the Vision Pro’s launch. However, along with the appearance of Parkour in the TV app, which is set for release in a couple of days, the pace seems to be picking up.
This week on Magic Rays of Light, Sigmund and Devon highlight the return of Trying, recap the first season of Sugar, and revisit their 2023 WWDC hopes to see what came true and what remains on the wishlist.
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