There’s a strange situation in technology. Language Learning Models are taking AI to the next level. Yet, has this tech truly made life better? It’s as if we have the worse of the two scenarios. There’s increasing job automation, which forces people out of jobs, but we also have a problem with inflation. Who wants a future where there are no jobs, but everything costs too much? That’s when I started wondering, why isn’t technology solving real problems? Even with all of our fancy gadgets, why does innovation feel so stale lately?
Waiting For Apple
This is a problem I’ve been thinking about for a while, but the new iPhone 16e emphasized the situation. Apple has been pushing “Apple Intelligence”, which is their implementation of AI. It’s still pretty weak. It’s like a tool looking for a purpose. What I would rather have seen is a cheaper iPhone. Instead of seeing an iPhone SE 4, Apple replaced the budget line with a more expensive model.
There’s a podcast on Photics.TV that further explains that problem.
Is Apple Being Greedy With The New iPhone?! 🤔
The point is that I was waiting patiently for a replacement to my iPhone SE (Second Generation). After years of waiting, starting after the third iPhone SE was launched, it was ultimately a journey in disappointment.
It’s been a reoccurring problem with Apple lately. I was waiting for a new AirPort Extreme, nope! What about a new iPod Touch? Nope! What’s the Apple Car going to look like? Nothing! I didn’t even bother getting my hopes up for the Apple Vision Pro.
Apple was able to deliver with the new M4 Mac mini, a cheap and powerful computer. A Photics.TV video puts the Mac mini through some tests and the results were good. That was quite a surprise. Apple Silicon was a great move. At least Apple has been innovating with their computers. But while waiting for an amazingly innovative iPhone, or at least affordable, I realized that I haven’t been excited about the iPhone since the first iPhone SE. Even that model was a lot like an iPhone 4, which launched nearly 15 years ago.
Waiting For An Affordable (Yet Sexy) Electric Car
It’s not just Apple though. I’ve been waiting to buy an electric car for almost a decade. Part of the reason for the delay is that I was driving a Mustang for 15 years. It was great. I would smile when seeing that car.
Why was that car so special? If you go way back to the origin of the Mustang, it was created to be alluring to Baby Boomers. It was also designed to be affordable. That was over 50 years ago. Where’s the affordable and sexy cars for today’s generations? Inflation adjusted, that base Mustang from the mid 1960s would be around $25,000 today. Unfortunately, today’s Mustang starts at over $30,000 and I don’t find it as exciting. Why does a Mustang have such big screens on the dashboard? I find the electric version even less appealing. It looks more like an Escape with a Hipster Mustache. That starts at $40,000.
The 40K number is why I didn’t get a Tesla. I was waiting for the $35,000 Model 3 to arrive. That sorta did happen, but the pricing was confusing. I cancelled my preorder after seeing the cost of paint, better rims, and delivery.
It’s been frustrating watching electric car companies promote an affordable vehicle and then seeing the price creep upwards. That’s if the vehicle launches at all. For years I’ve been watching the news of vehicles like Elio, Nimbus EV, Canoo, and Aptera. Why is this so difficult? Why can’t people have a cheap and fun electric vehicle?
With higher interest rates, car payments start looking more like mortgage payments. That is another problem I’m not even going to get into, as generations of people have been waiting for decades to obtain affordable housing.
Where’s Tumult Hype 5?
As the author of A Book About Hype, this problem is a little more specific to Photics. However, Hype is software that can affect the look and functionality of the Internet.
It’s been almost six years since a major update of Hype. After the death of Flash, there hasn’t been a true successor. While the iPhone made the Internet more accessible, it also flattened it with an anti-skeuomorphic design. I remember when the Internet was fun, filled with animation and interactivity. Now, the Internet is where you go to pay bills and doomscroll on social media websites.
That’s why Hype 5 matters. The software is a tool that Web Developers and Web Designers could use to build a better Internet. Hype is a powerful tool that shouldn’t be left to rust. Tumult has said that they are working on Hype 5. When will it launch? I don’t know! 🤷🏻♂️
What’s Hipster Whale Doing? 🐳
Also in the Photics sphere of interest is Crossy Road. That game was created by Hipster Whale. Their team has expanded since the early days. And based on what CEO Clara Reeves has said in recent interviews, it seems that the team is working on… something. They won’t say, so it must be an interesting secret.
Yet, what’s taking so long? The original game was created in 12 weeks. TWELVE WEEKS! The last tower in Crossy Road Castle was released over a year ago. After completing that tower, I didn’t see a reason to renew my Apple Arcade subscription.
And in that time, I didn’t see a single game that could justify the expense of Apple Arcade. The monthly price was increased by 40%. There were some good games, but none to justify renting games. What happened to the days when there were so many exciting 99¢ games? Seriously, I’ve been more excited about YouTube Playables than Apple Arcade.
So, what’s the next big game from Hipster Whale? ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Where’s The Nintendo Switch 2?
At least this one has an end in sight. According to a recent teaser trailer, the Nintendo Switch 2 should be launched sometime in 2025. It’s been over eight years since the launch of the original Nintendo Switch. That’s an exceptionally long delay between systems. It’s usually around five years.
Fortunately, the new system looks good. I’m more excited about it than the original Nintendo Switch from 2017. However, how much is this new system going to cost? Is Nintendo going to stay within inflation adjusted pricing? Is it going to be too expensive? I’m waiting to see what happens.
Where Are The Tools?
Back at CES 2023, Greenworks announced an 80V 4-Port Power Inverter. That would have been great when I experienced a bad blackout in following year. Why hasn’t Greenworks launched this helpful tool? I saw the 24v model on the Costco website. It’s not there anymore and it was expensive when it was there.
Where are the new tools? Where are the new gadgets? That was one of the best parts of the classic James Bond movies. It was fun seeing the new and covert implements created by Q-Branch. In the real world, it was nice seeing new tools from Greenworks. Those gadgets make life easier and more livable. So, I’ve been waiting for that next exciting tool from Greenworks. Maybe one day I’ll upgrade my snowblower. But other than that, what else is next from Greenworks? Will they ever launch the 80V 4-Port Power Inverter?
Where’s A Book About Making Web Games?!
Instead of ranting, I suppose I should be working on the book. Yet, I wanted to document this frustration. It’s been a lot of unusual waiting. There are a lot of little things missing. When I go to the stores, there’s usually some little toy or gadget that looks interesting. I haven’t seen that lately. Instead, there’s been a lot of empty shelf space.
At least with the book, I’m in control of the situation. The more I work, the sooner it will get done. Although, will the book sell well enough to justify the effort? It’s another wait-and-see matter. 😄