Reading List
The most recent articles from a list of feeds I subscribe to.
The Information Says Apple Is Working on an AI Wearable Pin
Wayne Ma and Qianer Liu, reporting for The Information (paywalled, alas):
Apple is developing an AI-powered wearable pin the size of an AirTag that is equipped with multiple cameras, a speaker, microphones and wireless charging, according to people with direct knowledge of the project. The device could be released as early as 2027, they said.
Don’t make the mistake of thinking that because existing AI pins have sucked (and in one notable case, flopped in spectacular fashion), they’re all going to suck. Google Glass was an embarrassment but glasses are a great form factor. MP3 players used to suck too.
Such a product would position Apple to compete more effectively with OpenAI, which is planning its own AI-powered devices, and Meta Platforms, which is already selling smart glasses that offer access to its AI assistant.
It is very strange to put OpenAI’s upcoming io device(s) in the same sentence as Meta’s glasses, which are a real product you can buy today. None of these things are setting the world on fire though.
Ternus Now Overseeing Design at Apple, Reports Gurman
Mark Gurman, reporting at Bloomberg:
Apple Inc. has expanded the job of hardware chief John Ternus to include design work, solidifying his status as a leading contender to eventually succeed Chief Executive Officer Tim Cook.
Cook, who has led Apple since 2011 and turned 65 in November, quietly tapped Ternus to manage the company’s design teams at the end of last year, according to people with knowledge of the matter. That widens Ternus’ role to add one of the company’s most critical functions.
Ternus is now the “executive sponsor” of Apple’s design team, representing the critical function on Apple’s executive team. The move was under-the-radar: on paper, the teams report to Tim Cook despite Ternus’s role.
Here’s to hoping Ternus is as pissed as the rest of us are about MacOS 26 Tahoe.