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Apple Apps

 29th August 2024 at 2:45pm

Stephen's Apple Apps Picks

Type2018 Annual PredictionsScore
Stephen Risky "iTunes rewrite or replacement for Mac OS" -1
  • iTunes was eventually split up in 2019.
Type2019 Media Event PredictionsScore
Stephen Risky "Apple TV app will receive a refreshed design" 2
Type2019 WWDC PredictionsScore
Stephen Regular "Apple replaces at least one bundled macOS app with a Marzipan version" 1
  • It's called Catalyst, not Marzipan, which is pushed back on a little. Podcasts is cited as fulfilling this (is it replacing a Mac app? Stephen gets away with this a bit) and they say that Messages might now be a Catalyst app, but in fact it isn't.
  • The permissive grading may be due to the other hosts not wanting to get too picky when it comes to grading later picks.
Stephen Non‑graded "Mail.app will get modern features like snoozing" 0.5
  • Threads can be muted, which isn't what he was talking about, really.
  • As these are "ungraded picks" being, uh, graded, Stephen is given a half point because why not.
  • Apple finally added a few features to Mail in 2022 including snoozing.
Type2020 Annual RickiesScore
Stephen Risky "Apple Podcast app launches on Android" -1
Type2020 Summer RickiesScore
Stephen Risky "Something in the default Dock of Catalina becomes a Catalyst app" 2
Type2022 WWDC RickiesScore
Stephen Flexie "At least one iOS system app is redesigned to bring its controls to the bottom of the screen" 1
Type2023 Annual RickiesScore
Stephen Flexie "Apple Music Classical ships" 1
  • Was originally written "Apple Music Classic", but Myke pointed out that it isn't called "classic music".
Type2024 May RickiesScore
Stephen Regular "Apple announces updates for Final Cut Pro and/or Logic for the iPad" 1
  • Was originally just "pro apps" but Federico wanted some clarification.
Stephen Flexie "Apple announces AI-powered changes to iWork" 0
Stephen Flexie "Final Cut for iPad gains a feature specifically for video in visionOS" 0
Type2024 WWDC RickiesScore
Stephen Flexie "Journal app comes to iPadOS" 0

Myke's Apple Apps Picks

Type2021 WWDC RickiesScore
Myke Regular "Shortcuts for the Mac" 1
Myke Flexie "The Home app gets redesigned" 1
  • The watch version of Home did get redesigned, so this pick is deemed technically correct. Myke made the same pick in the Upgrade Draft, but didn't get credit there as it was in the iOS and iPadOS section.
Myke Flexie "New features for FaceTime" 1
Type2022 WWDC RickiesScore
Myke Regular "New features for Tapback in Messages" 1
Myke Flexie "Redesign of the Home app... again" 1

Federico's Apple Apps Picks

Type2018 Annual PredictionsScore
Federico Risky "Workflow 2 will appear as a system feature or app" 2
  • "Heavy on Siri integration, framework for pro apps to talk to each other"
  • Ungraded: probably a migration tool from version 1, the App Store version might be kept around for a while
  • Some contention during grading about pro apps talking to each other leads to clarification that the entire pick must be true, but this one is deemed close enough.
Federico Non‑graded "Reminders will get a major redesign modeled after iOS 11 and Files" 0
  • "With new family sharing features and integration with the HomePod."
  • The redesign of Reminders did come eventually in 2019, with many more new features in 2021.
Federico Non‑graded "Apple Video and Apple Music have dedicated apps for Mac and iOS" 0
  • "Music and Video removed from iTunes on the Mac"
  • iTunes was eventually split up in 2019.
TypeAudio PredictionsScore
Federico Regular "Shortcuts will gain new HomePod/AirPlay 2 actions to play audio on HomePod more quickly" 1
Type2018 iPhone Event PredictionsScore
Federico Non‑graded "iWork updates for iOS 12" 0
  • A week after grading, there is some controversy from the listeners and Federico, as iWork did get updated (well, slightly, a few basic Shortcut actions were added), it just wasn't mentioned in the keynote. Stephen proposes a placating half point, but Myke stands firm that "there are no half points around here." This seems to be the last time that half points were ever considered for a pick.
  • The big iWork update eventually came in 2019.
Type2019 Annual PredictionsScore
Federico Risky "Reminders gets a major update" 2
  • "(how do we decide major? — on stage at WWDC or we decide past that)"
  • Ungraded: "some features that Federico would like to see", the actual features that Federico talked about were not recorded in the document, but were: a new, more flexible design, easier and faster to add dates and notes, tags, saved searches, better Files integration
Federico Non‑graded "Shortcuts 2.0 is showed off at WWDC with a new developer framework for apps" 1
  • "Shortcuts also gets folders and AirPlay actions in 2019."
Type2019 WWDC PredictionsScore
Federico Non‑graded "Improved support for ZIP archives in the Files app and framework" 1
Type2020 Annual RickiesScore
Federico Risky "Apple will release at least 1 new pro app for iPad that we haven't previously seen on iPad" -1
Federico Non‑graded "Shortcuts will gain folders and/or new ways to run Shortcuts" 1
Type2020 Summer RickiesScore
Federico Risky "The iPad gets a new development tool to write code, on device, that is not Swift Playgrounds" -1
Federico Non‑graded "Shortcuts gets folders" 1
Federico Non‑graded "Shortcuts gets new Files integration, ability to run bookmarks in 3rd party actions" 0
Type2020 September RickiesScore
Federico Risky "A new Apple Watch has at least one new built-in app because of an exclusive feature not found on existing watches" 2
Type2020 October RickiesScore
Federico Flexie "Apple launches a new AirPods app for iPhone, similar to Watch app" 0
  • Instead of an app, Apple made a section in Settings at the next WWDC.
Type2020 November RickiesScore
Federico Flexie "Apple redesigns the App Store app for Mac to include iOS, macOS, and iPadOS apps together" 0
Type2021 Annual RickiesScore
Federico Risky "Apple will release a new programming app for iPad" -1
  • Federico asks to be quoted as "very very positive" that he will win on the strength of this Ricky Pick.
  • Not Swift Playgrounds, that is not new. As it turns out, they added this functionality to Swift Playgrounds.
  • This was deemed not a reuse of a previous pick since it is even riskier and more specific.
Type2021 April RickiesScore
Federico Flexie "Shortcuts gets new actions or triggers for USB connections" 0
Type2021 WWDC RickiesScore
Federico Flexie "The Weather app comes to iPad" 0
Federico Flexie "The Files app gets new features" 1
Federico Flexie "Shortcuts gets new Files actions" 1
Federico Flexie "The Passwords feature of Settings becomes a standalone app" 0
Federico Flexie "Apple updates the Listen Now page of the Music app" 1
Federico Flexie "A new way to turn off confirmation banners in Shortcuts" 0
  • This happened later in the iOS 15 cycle in version 15.4.
Type2022 Annual RickiesScore
Federico Flexie "Apple stops using the iTunes Store app, and moves store content into dedicated apps" 0
Federico Flexie "Apple brings Mail extensions to iOS and iPadOS" 0
Federico Flexie "Apple Notes will borrow some features from the modern generation of note-taking apps" 0
  • "...like wiki-style links, a quick switcher, or nested pages."
Federico Flexie "Some Mac-only Shortcuts actions will become available on iPhone and iPad" 0
Federico Flexie "There are new ways to turn off the alerts that Shortcuts displays constantly" 1
  • "Either confirmation banners or the notification when running with automation."
  • This came with iOS 16, and the Dynamic Island changed some of these interactions as well.
Federico Flexie "Podcasts will gain audio effects for enhanced sound and trim silence" 0
  • Originally was Federico's Risky Pick.
Federico Flexie "Apple adds more filters to smart folders in Notes" 1
Type2022 WWDC RickiesScore
Federico Flexie "Shortcuts gets an API on iOS and iPadOS for apps to run Shortcuts directly, without URL schemes" 0
Federico Flexie "Shortcuts for Mac gets personal automations" 0
Federico Flexie "You will be able to set light and dark mode on a per-website basis in Safari" 0
Federico Flexie "Apple brings Quick Note's floating window to iOS" 1
Federico Flexie "The Music app gets an updated design in the Listen Now page" 0
Federico Flexie "Apple releases a Safari API to deal with cookie consent forms" 0
Federico Flexie "You can delete Messages in the Messages app, like in WhatsApp" 1
  • That is, the ability to revoke a sent message so that the recipient can no longer read it.
Federico Flexie "Apple introduces a proper Reminders API for developers" 0
Federico Flexie "Shortcuts gets an XL widget on iPad" 0
Type2023 Annual RickiesScore
Federico Flexie "Apple brings new actions to Shortcuts to control windows on iPadOS" 0
Type2023 WWDC RickiesScore
Federico Regular "The Health app gets mood tracking and an iPad version" 1
Federico Regular "Apple introduces a brand new journaling app" 1
  • Not graded: "location features for friends, ability to take notes and attach images, maybe integration with Music?"
Federico Flexie "The Messages app gets an easier way to send photos that does not require tapping an iMessage app anymore" 1
Federico Flexie "The Wallet app gets a new design" 0
  • Apparently left unfinished in the document, this was originally just "The Wallet app."
Federico Flexie "Some new Shortcuts features get covered in the State of the Union" 1
  • Single-action app Shortcut items now appear in Spotlight, among other "app intents" features.
Type2024 Annual RickiesScore
Federico Flexie "You will be able to create Shortcuts with the new LLM-infused Siri in iOS 18"
Type2024 WWDC RickiesScore
Federico Regular "There are some design and navigation updates to the Settings app across multiple platforms" 1
Federico Flexie "Notes gets new features, such as math calculations and voice recording" 1
Federico Flexie "Apple shows off the ability for Siri to control apps, but it's not launching this year" 1
Federico Flexie "The calculator app comes to iPad" 1