Predictions About Apple’s WWDC Announcements are Actually Valuable

There is a perspective that says it’s pointless for the pros to predict what Apple will say in the WWDC Keynote, but it’s just plain wrong.

Of course, no one can know the future. And there have been some spectacular flubs when it comes to predicting the elements of the WWDC keynote. So why do we journalists bother?

The authors of the book The Cluetrain Manifesto point out that “markets are conversations.” When informed, expert journalists talk about what Apple might discuss at the keynote, they’re not padding themselves on the back with their acumen at prognostication.

Instead, as I wrote this week, they’re building on a collective, community knowledge base about what they and their readers would like to see from Apple. Sometimes those wishes are self-serving in that they tantalize the reader with a juicy headline. The conceit that the reader may find out something delicious about Apple’s plans is a powerful one. In practice, we know better.

In general, the predictions by expert journalists is mostly a reflection of what they’ve learned from their readers and perhaps podcast guests since the last WWDC. This conversation can contain valuable insights for Apple, if it has a mind to listen.

Of course, the other side of that coin is the legacy of Steve Jobs. We are also fond of the notion that Apple knows what we need before we know it ourselves. When the One More Thing is revealed, we gasp and declare: “Of course! Wow!”

But we must also recall that the One More Thing surprise was one method Steve Jobs used to bring a company back from the dead. Today, Apple is thriving and successful. It has entered a mature stage. And, in that maturity, it’s also important for Apple to listen to customer needs even as it relentlessly moves technology forward.

So when you read really great articles like “WWDC 2017: Apple Has a Lot to Talk About This Year,” by Jonny Evans and “Here’s What to Expect at Apple’s WWDC 2017 Keynote,” by Jeff Gamet, don’t focus on how wrong they might be. Instead, take these thoughts as inspiration to help you formulate your own directions and needs. And then see how those personal reflections fit with Apple’s actual keynote.

In some cases, Apple will surprise. In some cases, it will disappoint. But our wisdom and perspectives evolve in the process.

Next Page: The News Debris For The Week Of May 29th. Net Neutrality is dead. Time to mourn.

Page 2 – News Debris For The Week Of May 29th

The Death of Net Neutrality.

We are so screwed.

Net Neutrality, the writing’s on the wall.

Netflix has given up the good fight for net neutrality. That’s because the new leadership at the FCC isn’t going to fight for and regulate net neutrality as before, predisposed as chairman Ajit Pai is, it seems, to promote the interests of big corporations. Seeing the handwriting on the wall, Netflix CEO Reed Hastings no longer sees net neutrality as an important corporate and consumer issue. The reason is depressing. According this article at CNET, “Net neutrality may have lost Netflix as an ally.,” Reed Hastings recently said:

We’re big enough to get the deals we want.

OMG.I could go on and on about this remark, but I’d fill up pages and pages. Suffice it to say that when, in my view, the government turns its back on the idea that the internet should serve everyone equally and that the government is the good steward of that service, the internet is in Big Trouble. In denial of responsible oversight and service to the nation, the FCC seems poised to promote the worst instincts of giant corporations.

Or at the very least, force Netflix into this callous, dog-eat-dog mentality. But in a rare win for consumers, this next item should bring a smile to your face.

More Debris

The tweet that alerted me to this article said, approximately: “The Supreme Court declares that if a company sells you something, you own it.” The context is whether a company can sell you toner cartridges for your printer and then dictate what you can do with it. Sidebar:

The SCOTUS ruling means companies can’t use patent law to stop you from doing what you want with the things you buy.

See: “Why The Supreme Court’s Ruling In Toner Cartridge Case Is A Win For Consumers.”

It was a 7-1 decision (Judge Gorsuch did not participate). w00t!

The OneLogin breach revealed this week made me think that perhaps services like that need to be licensed, just as engineers who design buildings and bridges must be licensed. After all, it’s a public safety issue. That’s apparently what China is thinking in this article: “China’s Unprecedented Cyber Law Signals Its Intent to Protect a Precious Commodity: Data.” But that initiative also comes with a wrinkle.

Among them is a requirement that certain companies submit their products to the government for cybersecurity checks, which may even involve reviewing source code. How often it would be required, and how the government will determine which products must be reviewed is unknown. This could come into play as part of China’s broader regulatory push to expand law enforcement’s power to access data during criminal investigations.

Along those lines, perhaps there is no rigorous licensing in the U.S. because law enforcement likes the prospects for a frisky hack when there’s a criminal investigation. All in all, protecting user data for the sake of a growing economy balanced against the need for criminal investigations is something the U.S. hasn’t yet squarely grappled with. Perhaps China’s lead will set a standard, if we have a mind to follow their lead, that is.

Few of us can ever expect to be as successful as Steve Jobs. He was unique in the history of technology. But there are many other successful men and women in tech who serve as stellar examples for us. While Mr. Jobs was one-of-a-kind, the skills he mastered can be an inspiration to the rest of us in ur work. Here’s a neat article that compares Elon Musk to Steve Jobs. “The Two Counterintuitive Traits That Make Steve Jobs and Elon Musk Exceptional Leaders.”

Most notable for me was the ability of these men to stick, instinctively, with a clear personal vision, and yet have the judgement, grace, and perspective to be properly corrected or adapt to a new situation when necessary. We all need to do that in our work. This article is a good read.

For those who are skeptical about Facebook, I must point to this post by John Gruber and his discussion of a Dave Winer missive about Facebook. WARNING. The language isn’t family friendly. “F**k Facebook.”

Finally, ICYMI, Walt Mossberg’s last weekly column for The Verge and Recode is a great one. If you haven’t read it yet, take some time with the master. “The Disappearing Computer.” I’m going to miss Walt’s regular columns.

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Particle Debris is a generally a mix of John Martellaro’s observations and opinions about a standout event or article of the week (preamble on page one) followed on page two by a discussion of articles that didn’t make the tmo headlines, the technical news debris. The column is published most every Friday except for holiday weekends.

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