This page is a static snapshot of a page on Rickipedia. For the fully functional site, go to rickies.net.

Unvindicatable

 16th February 2022 at 8:11pm

Not a topic per se, this tag is mostly for me to mark picks that are never going to become ahead of their time so that I know that I already looked at it and made the decision.

Stephen's Unvindicatable Picks

TypeThe AirPower GameScore
Stephen Non‑graded "AirPower will come out the first week of December 2018" 0
  • This wasn't actually an option, but Stephen felt confident. (Really, he changed it to just be "after the 2018 iPhone event" as well, but that's not as fun.)
Type2018 iPhone Event PredictionsScore
Stephen Non‑graded "Names will be XC and XS" 0
Type2019 Fall RickiesScore
Stephen Regular "No Mac or iPad hardware in the keynote" 0
  • 10.2" iPad was announced
Stephen Non‑graded "Jeff Williams will take a greater role in the keynote" 0
  • More than just the Apple Watch section
Type2020 Annual RickiesScore
Stephen Non‑graded "WWDC brings no real changes to Mac Catalyst" 0
Stephen Non‑graded "Apple will not ship an ARM Mac in 2020" 0
  • In 2019, Stephen picked the first ARM Mac to be shipped, so this was his... revenge?
Type2020 Summer RickiesScore
Stephen Non‑graded "A new iMac is announced with Intel CPUs" 0
  • While it could still happen, as of 2022 the Apple Silicon transition appears to be complete for the iMac with no last Intel version.
Type2020 September RickiesScore
Stephen Flexie "Joz wears a non-solid-color shirt" 0
Stephen Flexie "Apple somehow sets expectations for when the iPhone will be announced" 0
Stephen Flexie "The removal of Force Touch on watchOS is framed as the inclusion of Haptic Touch" 0
Stephen Flexie "Preview of fall Apple TV+ content" 0
Type2021 Annual RickiesScore
Stephen Flexie "The new iPhone will be the 12S, not the 13" 0
Type2021 April RickiesScore
Stephen Regular "The iPad Pro is updated to a variant of the A14 chip" 0
  • If it's the M1, Apple would have to also mention that the M1 is an A14 variant to get the pick.
Stephen Flexie "We see Joz introduce something" 0
Stephen Flexie "The Magic Keyboard for iPad goes unchanged" 0
  • Ungraded: what if it got a camera on the long edge? That'd be incredible.
Stephen Flexie "No mention of AirTags" 0
Type2021 October RickiesScore
Stephen Regular "At least 1 new Mac model announced ships in November" 0
  • All of them shipped in October.
Stephen Flexie "USB-C charging is faster than the new MagSafe" 0
  • Which charging methods can do what differs between models, but in all cases MagSafe appears to be equally fast or faster than USB-C.
Stephen Flexie "The chip is called the M1X" 0
Stephen Flexie "macOS Monterey features are reviewed" 0
  • Some Mac software features were mentioned, like running iOS apps, but nothing really specific to Monterey.
Type2022 Annual RickiesScore
Stephen Regular "The iPad's external display support goes unchanged" 0
  • Was originally "By December 31, 2022, no Intel Macs will remain on sale as new machines", but this was also too close for comfort, although arguably the previous pick was more permissive than this would have been.
  • Stage Manager in fact brought major changes.
Stephen Risky "Apple (of its own choice, not in direct response to a legal case) will allow developers to use payment methods outside the App Store" -1
Stephen Flexie "Apple announces a developer kit for its headset" 0
Type2022 March RickiesScore
Stephen Flexie "iOS 15.4 and/or macOS 12.3 get a release date" 0
  • They did get a window but not an actual date.
Type2022 WWDC RickiesScore
Stephen Flexie "A presenter references the fact that some developers are at Apple Park for the keynote" 0
  • This is litigated a bit later when Myke's very similar pick got graded, as Tim Cook did address the audience before the video played. He was decided to not be "a presenter" at the time, ultimately.
Type2022 September RickiesScore
Stephen Regular "The Apple Watch SE, announced in 2020, moves down in price with no feature changes" 0
  • Not graded: Series 7 or SE 2 takes the middle price point where the SE is now
Stephen Flexie "Lightning is updated to be faster than USB 2.0" 0
Type2023 Annual RickiesScore
Stephen Flexie "The iPhone 15 and 15 Pro use the same generation system-on-a-chip" 0
  • They could be different chips with different branding, but not, say, an A16 and an A15.
Type2023 WWDC RickiesScore
Stephen Risky "The announced price of the headset will be less than $2,500" -1
Stephen Flexie "Apple reframes an existing feature as being powered by "AI"" 0
Stephen Flexie "Jeff Williams has a major role in introducing the headset" 0
  • Was originally Kevin Lynch until Myke, ever the sportsman, pointed out that Lynch is supposedly on the car project, not the headset.
Type2023 October RickiesScore
Stephen Flexie "We don't see Tim Cook on video" 0
Type2024 Annual RickiesScore
Stephen Flexie "An updated iPad Air comes in at least one new color" 0
  • At pick time, the colors were: Space Gray, Starlight, Pink, Purple, and Blue.
  • After May 2024, the colors were: Blue, Purple, Starlight, Space Gray... so the exact opposite.
Type2024 May RickiesScore
Stephen Flexie "A new Apple Pencil is announced and only works with the new iPad Pros" 0
  • Close, but the iPad Air got it too.
Type2024 WWDC RickiesScore
Stephen Flexie "Some AI features on the Mac require an M2 or later" 0
Type2024 September RickiesScore
Stephen Regular "The iPhone 16 and 16 Pro are larger than their predecessors" 0
  • Stephen meant "Pro" and "Pro Max", but no one caught what he had actually written.
Stephen Flexie "Apple Intelligence gains no new features" 0
Stephen Flexie "Craig travels from one set to another in a ridiculous fashion" 0

Myke's Unvindicatable Picks

Type2018 iPhone Event PredictionsScore
Myke Non‑graded "The cheaper iPhone will be called iPhone 9" 0
Myke Non‑graded "The larger iPhone will be called XS+" 0
Type2019 Fall RickiesScore
Myke Risky "Tim Cook thanks Jony Ive, the camera shows Jony in the audience, Jony doesn't stand" -1
Type2020 September RickiesScore
Myke Flexie "Someone washes their hands during the presentation" 0
Myke Flexie "No specific date for iOS 14's release" 0
  • Originally a candidate for Myke's Risky Pick.
Type2020 October RickiesScore
Myke Regular "Apple gives another extended free period of TV+ with new product purchases, even if you already had a trial" 0
  • The pick went through a little more revision after round 2 ended.
  • Apple extended the existing free period for TV+, which does not count
  • Myke notes that, since this extension was announced via press release before the event, a differently-worded pick may have been ambiguous based on the rules at the time, so an explicit rule about the scoring window is added.
Myke Flexie "Apple TV+ trailers are shown" 0
Type2020 November RickiesScore
Myke Regular "Apple demos iOS apps running on a Mac" 0
Type2021 April RickiesScore
Myke Regular "The 12.9" iPad Pro ships later than the 11" iPad Pro" 0
Myke Risky "2 sizes of iMac announced" -1
  • An iMac even being announced was fairly risky. However, it came in just one size.
Myke Flexie "Apple talks about App Tracking Transparency in iOS 14.5" 0
Type2021 WWDC RickiesScore
Myke Flexie "Preview of the new Apple Silicon Mac Pro" 0
Type2021 September RickiesScore
Myke Flexie "New Apple Watch is not a part of the presentation" 0
Type2021 October RickiesScore
Myke Flexie "Webcam will be called "highest quality on a Mac"" 0
  • It was "Mac notebook".
Type2022 Annual RickiesScore
Myke Flexie "iPadOS multitasking remains unchanged from iOS 15's implementation" 0
Type2022 March RickiesScore
Myke Flexie "Tim Cook mentions the war in Ukraine" 0
Myke Flexie "John Ternus is wearing a black T-shirt" 0
Type2022 WWDC RickiesScore
Myke Flexie "Tim presents some portion of the keynote in front of a live audience" 0
Myke Flexie "There is no additional external display support for iPadOS" 0
Myke Flexie "iPadOS multitasking remains fundamentally the same as the iPadOS 15 version" 0
Type2022 September RickiesScore
Myke Flexie "New Apple Watch is a 'Series 8' Watch" 0
  • "It may 'technically' be an Edition, but no new name (like Pro or Max)"
  • As mentioned in the Upgrade Draft earlier in the week, but not chosen there. This was deemed insufficiently Risky, and so was demoted to a Flexie.
Myke Flexie "Someone is wearing the new Apple Watch while riding a skateboard" 0
  • A reference to the "Apple Watch Extreme" rumors. Maybe Tony Hawk?
Type2023 Annual RickiesScore
Myke Risky "Apple shows off their headset in March, they announce developer tools at WWDC, then show it off again at an event in September. It ships to customers in October" -1
Type2023 WWDC RickiesScore
Myke Flexie "We do not know what the price of the headset will be" 0
Myke Flexie "The headset portion of the keynote lasts over an hour" 0
Myke Flexie "tvOS is not covered in the keynote" 0
Type2023 September RickiesScore
Myke Risky "Apple calls the new camera the "Magic Telephoto"" -1
  • Myke thinks that "periscope" is a bad name for regular people and so Apple will pick something else, and to make it risky, he has made a specific guess at the branding. He also considered "Ultra Telephoto".
Type2024 May RickiesScore
Myke Flexie "iPad Pro does not get an M4" 0
Type2024 WWDC RickiesScore
Myke Flexie "RCS is not spoken aloud in the keynote" 0
  • An earlier draft of this pick was a risky pick that also specified that it would appear in the "bento box" slide specifically in the bottom left.
Myke Flexie "Chatbot features from AI partners are available only to iCloud+ subscribers after a free trial" 0
Type2024 September RickiesScore
Myke Flexie "Apple does not say "AI" or "Artificial Intelligence"" 0
Myke Flexie "Tim Cook is surrounded by long grass" 0
Myke Flexie "The Apple Watch segment is presented in and around a gym" 0
Myke Flexie "Craig wears a costume for some portion of the event" 0

Federico's Unvindicatable Picks

Type2017 Annual PredictionsScore
Federico Regular "An executive shakeup in the iOS or Mac OS software teams" 0
Type2018 Annual PredictionsScore
Federico Regular "A streaming service announced as Apple Video" 0
  • "1-2 months for free, bundled with Apple Music as an option"
TypeAudio PredictionsScore
Federico Regular "HeadPods will be wireless only and they will have no headphone jack and will charge via Lightning or USB-C" 0
TypeThe AirPower GameScore
Federico Non‑graded "AirPower will come out before the 2018 iPhone event" 0
  • Confidence remained high even days before the event in episode 208.
Type2019 Media Event PredictionsScore
Federico Risky "Apple will mention at least one new feature coming to the HomePod" -1
Federico Non‑graded "Apple gives a quick tour of improvements to next round of software updates" 0
Type2019 Fall RickiesScore
Federico Regular "The biggest phone will not be called Pro Max" 0
Federico Non‑graded "Apple gives a release date for iOS 13.1 and mentions the update on stage" 0
Federico Non‑graded "Apple announces new environmental efforts, such as a new recycling robot" 0
Type2020 Summer RickiesScore
Federico Non‑graded "The keynote is held outside on the stage Apple uses for concerts at Apple Park" 0
Federico Non‑graded "One major video game developer will bring an exclusive title to Apple Arcade" 0
Type2020 September RickiesScore
Federico Flexie "Apple showcases at least one new feature coming in iOS or iPadOS 14.1" 0
  • The version number wasn't stated explicitly, otherwise Fitness+ would have counted.
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.
Federico Flexie "iOS 14.2's Shazam recognition is demoed" 0
Type2020 November RickiesScore
Federico Regular "The first Apple Silicon chip is a variant of the A14 family" 0
  • The M1 could be related, but Apple never said so, and instead say that it was built specifically for the Mac.
Federico Flexie "Apple demos a game running on an Apple Silicon Mac" 0
Type2021 September RickiesScore
Federico Risky "An iPhone gets an updated Face ID sensor that supports partially occluded faces" -1
  • Cannot be a feature that comes to existing iPhones
  • This feature did come in 2022, but didn't require new hardware.
Type2021 October RickiesScore
Federico Flexie "Apple demos a Mac app that takes advantage of the updated Neural Engine" 0
Federico Flexie "John Ternus is wearing jeans and a black t-shirt" 0
  • It was a blue t-shirt.
Type2022 March RickiesScore
Federico Risky "A new base model Mac mini is introduced with the M2 chip..." -1
  • "... The new Mini is at least 30% smaller than the current one. It's thicker, but narrower, making it more similar to an Apple TV or Intel NUC."
  • In other words, closer to a cubic shape, but not necessarily a cube. Although Federico loves cubes, so that would be great.
  • The base model would get updated the next year, but it's the same shape.
Federico Flexie "Universal Control is demoed again" 0
Federico Flexie "Craig is wearing a blue shirt" 0
Type2022 September RickiesScore
Federico Flexie "On the always-on Lock Screen for iPhone 14 Pro, you see notifications in Count mode" 0
Federico Flexie "Bands for the new Apple Watch "Pro" are not backward compatible with other Apple Watches" 0
Federico Flexie "Tony Hawk will make an appearance at the event" 0
Type2023 Annual RickiesScore
Federico Flexie "There is no second generation Apple Watch Ultra this year" 0
Type2023 September RickiesScore
Federico Risky "At least one of the new iPhones will support the new Qi 2 wireless charging standard..." -1
  • "... and "reverse wireless charging" for AirPods cases. MagSafe charging speed will also be raised from 15 watts."
  • Originally didn't include the last sentence.
  • The previous rumors of reverse wireless charging didn't disqualify this pick since it's in combination with Qi 2 as well. It's pointed out that Qi 2 is basically just standardized MagSafe as well, but it's still allowed as they'll have to be specific about Qi 2 to count it. Stephen still thinks it lacks passion. Later, Federico sprinkled some passion on it after all by adding a charging wattage increase after all.
Federico Flexie "Some of the new iPhones will be more expensive in some European countries" 0
  • In fact the opposite happened, surprisingly.
Federico Flexie "The David Guetta song plays either before or during the event" 0
  • In response to Myke's more negative pick. This possibly falls slightly afoul of the scoring window rules as it includes things before the event but is allowed, with a rule update to be implemented later.
Type2023 October RickiesScore
Federico Flexie "Vision Pro is mentioned at some point during the video" 0
Type2024 May RickiesScore
Federico Flexie "The video is shorter than 31 minutes" 0
  • Close, but over.
Federico Flexie "Gaming on the iPad Pro is mentioned with at least a triple-A game shown" 0
  • Although Assassin's Creed was mentioned, it wasn't with the iPad Pro.
Type2024 WWDC RickiesScore
Federico Flexie "Some AI features will be region-locked" 0