Link: Rethinking My Apps and Home Screen ⚛

Steve Best tries to cut down duplicate apps and clutter (via Patrick Rhone):

I decided to take a mental inventory of the apps I actually used and preferred, and I set out to transform my phone back into something I actually liked to use. First I set up some ground rules:

1. If one of Apple’s native iOS apps fit the bill, I would use that. I like most of Apple’s stock apps in terms of how they work and their simplicity. Plus, they were designed by Apple, who has the deepest inside knowledge of the inner workings if iOS, and as a result most of those apps load fast, are stable, and are very responsive.
2. If one of Apple’s native apps would not fit the bill, I would use a web app. I love the openness of the web, and I feel that is the future. Forecast is an example of a spectacular web app. If there was no suitable web app, I would use a third party app from the App Store.
3. There would be little to no duplicate apps. Any app that appeared to be a duplicate must have had some important must-have feature(s) that I could not live without.

Although I haven’t gone to this extreme, it is good to look through my folders and figure out why I have some extra apps that haven’t been used in months, or apps that get used frequently on my iPad and never my iPhone.

Link: Creative Suite to Become Subscription-Only ⚛

Jacob Kastrenakes for The Verge:

Adobe is making a major move into the cloud. The company has just announced the next version of its flagship digital editing tools, Creative Suite, and for the first time the new products will only be available through the company’s online subscription service. Adobe previously offered standalone editions of each product, which users could choose to keep or upgrade as new editions were released, but now the only way to receive major feature updates to the product series will be to remain subscribed to the $49.99 per month service.

Subscription software may work for businesses, but I think end-users (even small businesses or freelance) still like owning their own software. If anything, this is going to drive folks away from Adobe even more, especially since there are more alternatives like Pixelmator.

Link: What’s Holding Apple Back in the Developing World ⚛

Philip Elmer-DeWitt points out something many of us are forgetting:

But the real limiting factor for Apple in India—and other emerging markets—may not the phone’s price as much as the issue apparent in the OpenSignal map above: The vast portions of the subcontinent with no 3G and 4G cellular coverage.

Link: Apple Releases iOS 6.1.4 for iPhone 5 Speakerphone ⚛

The latest update is available for all iPhone 5 users and is available via the Software Update item in Settings (link coming soon). This 11.5MB file seems to be a minor update with only one release note:

• Updated audio profile for speakerphone

Link: Sapphire iPhone Screens ⚛

Tim Worstall takes a break from hunting slags to share some sciency information for The Register:

And at $10 and under for a screen, most think that sapphire would be competitive with Gorilla Glass at its $3. After all, the sapphire is some three times stronger, three times less likely to crack if dropped, and three times harder to scratch…