Reading List

The most recent articles from a list of feeds I subscribe to.

Bonus Thought Regarding the Name ‘iPhone Ultra’

One more thought re: the item I posted this week speculating on what Apple will name their much-rumored two-screen folding iPhone this year. If they do name it “iPhone Ultra”, I think Apple using that name for the folding iPhone will imply that they have no plans whatsoever to ever make a “rugged” iPhone — a model akin to Apple Watch Ultra.

I suspect Apple has no plans for a dedicated rugged iPhone. People who want that just buy extra-thick cases for regular iPhones. A watch is different. I know some people put their Apple Watches in ungainly protective “cases”, but they look hideous, which is why you see so few people using them. For aesthetically pleasing ruggedness, the watch case itself needs to be designed for it. But maybe there is a large enough potential market for such an iPhone — especially if such a device had significantly longer battery life than any regular iPhone, as an Apple Watch Ultra does relative to a regular Apple Watch.

But if Apple calls the folding iPhone “Ultra”, stop holding your breath for such an Apple-Watch-Ultra-style iPhone. In the same way that “Air” means very different things on Mac, iPad, and iPhone, so too might “Ultra”.

It’s slushy season, and Ninja’s frozen drink machine is nearly half off

Woot is making it more affordable to own a frozen drink machine. Ninja’s Slushi that has an 88-ounce container for storing your ice-cold creations is down to $184.99 at Woot, which is a whopping 47 percent off its list price. The Slushi requires no ice, just the liquid of your choosing and a little time […]

Canva unveils Canva AI 2.0, which can generate editable layered designs from conversational prompts using Canva's foundation model built specifically for design (Olivia Poh/Bloomberg)

Olivia Poh / Bloomberg:
Canva unveils Canva AI 2.0, which can generate editable layered designs from conversational prompts using Canva's foundation model built specifically for design  —  Australia's highest-profile tech unicorn is undertaking a risky transformation as it seeks to prove its relevance in the age of generative AI.

Roku hits a major milestone with 100 million users

Roku continues to solidify itself in a very busy streaming landscape. As of April, over 100 million households are streaming with Roku devices, including its streaming sticks and boxes and Roku TVs. Roku originally spun out of Netflix in 2008, where it was conceived as an in-house streaming device. It's not just Roku that has […]

Tomodachi Life fan sites are already filling in Living the Dream's gaps

Tomodachi Life: living the Dream players are already spinning up fan sites that help fill in some of the game's missing features.