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John Gruber

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John Gruber

Apple Reports Strong Q4 2025 Results

apple.com/newsroom/2025/10/apple-reports-fourth-quarter-results/

Apple Newsroom: Apple today announced financial results for its fiscal 2025 fourth quarter ended September 27, 2025. The Company posted quarterly revenue of $102.5 billion, up 8 percent year over year. Diluted earnings per share was $1.85, up 13 percent year over year on...

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John Gruber

CarPlay Seems Essential for Rental Fleets

joe-steel.com/2025-10-22-Why-GM-Will-Give-You-Gemini-But-Not-CarPlay.html

Joe Rosensteel: I have no plan to purchase a GM vehicle, but I do rent cars. GM makes up a sizable portion of rental car fleets. At some point in the future those cars will no longer support CarPlay. I’m not going to sign up for a GM federated ID that stores my login cre...

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John Gruber

‘Hi, It’s Me, Wikipedia, and I Am Ready for Your Apology’

mcsweeneys.net/articles/hi-its-me-wikipedia-and-i-am-ready-for-your-apology

Tom Ellison, at McSweeney’s:

How are my competitors doing, the ones you all insisted students use instead of me? That’s right, they were supposed to go to the American Journal of Social Sciences, Powered by OpenAI. Or museums, like the Smithsonian’s Charlie Kirk Shrine to American Greatness. I guess they can still count on credible journalism, once they get past the paywall for Palantir Presents: The Washington Post, so they read the Pulitzer-Bezos Prize–winning work of coeditors-in-chief Bari Weiss and Grok.

Link: mcsweeneys.net/articles/hi-its-me-wikipedia-and-i-am-ready…

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John Gruber

Elon Musk’s Grokipedia Launches With AI-Cloned Pages From Wikipedia

theverge.com/news/807686/elon-musk-grokipedia-launch-wikipedia-xai-copied

Jay Peters, writing for The Verge: However, despite Elon Musk promising that Grokipedia would be a “massive improvement” over Wikipedia, some articles appear to be cribbing information from Wikipedia. At the bottom of the page for the MacBook Air, for example, you can se...

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John Gruber

Local Note: WMMR’s Pierre Robert Found Dead at 70

share.inquirer.com/A2DX3Y

Nick Vadala, reporting for the Philadelphia Inquirer: Longtime WMMR-FM host Pierre Robert was found dead in his home Wednesday. He was 70. Robert’s surname, I must point out, rhymes with Pierre (and with Colbert). A native of Northern California, Robert joined WMMR...

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John Gruber

PCalc 4.11.1 for Mac

mastodon.social/@jamesthomson/115458178673560956

James Thomson:

I’ve released a small PCalc 4.11.1 update that’s out now for the Mac.

There was a bug with the theme getting reset, which I could have fixed in five minutes, but I ended up doing what I should have done over three decades ago, and added a dedicated section to the settings that puts all the visual customisation in one place.

No more having to search for all this stuff in a submenu somewhere!

After the glum news this week regarding Nisus Writer, it feels good to link to a similarly-aged Mac app that’s still thriving. If you’ve never tried PCalc, you’re missing out.

Link: mastodon.social/@jamesthomson/115458178673560956

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John Gruber

Trump Is Deeply Unpopular

economist.com/interactive/trump-approval-tracker

The Economist: Presidents’ popularity tends to wane. In his second term Donald Trump’s has fallen faster than that of his recent predecessors. Since modern polling began most presidents have started their terms with positive net approval ratings (the share of voters who...

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John Gruber

Samsung Shows Off Tri-Fold Smartphone at APEC Forum in Korea

macrumors.com/2025/10/28/samsung-tri-fold-smartphone-debut/

The Onion, in February 2004: “Fuck Everything, We’re Doing Five Blades”.

Link: macrumors.com/2025/10/28/samsung-tri-fold-smartphone-debut/

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John Gruber

Toyota BEVs Gain Support for Apple Maps EV Routing

macrumors.com/2025/10/28/toyota-bz-apple-maps-ev-routing/

Tim Hardwick, writing for MacRumors:

The Apple Maps EV Routing option will allow Toyota BEV users to plan travel routes that include stops for charging. Without it, drivers would have had to exit out of CarPlay in order to create a route that included charging stops.

Apple Maps’ EV Routing feature uses real-time data from the vehicle to guide drivers to their destinations more efficiently, automatically suggesting charging stops when needed. The system takes into account elevation changes and other driving conditions to decide when a recharge is necessary. If the vehicle’s battery level becomes too low, Apple Maps will automatically direct the driver to the nearest compatible charging station.

Meanwhile GM CEO Mary Barra is spending her lunch hour eating another jar of paste.

Link: macrumors.com/2025/10/28/toyota-bz-apple-maps-ev-routing/

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John Gruber

OpenAI Acquires Sky, a Still-in-Beta System-Wide AI Automation Tool for the Mac

openai.com/index/openai-acquires-software-applications-incorporated/

Other Mac-related news from OpenAI last week:

Sky is a powerful natural language interface for the Mac. With Sky, AI works alongside you, whether you’re writing, planning, coding, or managing your day. Sky understands what’s on your screen and can take action using your apps.

We will bring Sky’s deep macOS integration and product craft into ChatGPT, and all members of the team will join OpenAI.

Two of the founders of Software Applications Incorporated, the company behind Sky, are Ari Weinstein and Conrad Kramer, who a decade ago co-created Workflow, which Apple acquired in 2017 and turned into Shortcuts.

Federico Viticci got an advanced look at Sky and wrote a glowing preview back in May.

Link: openai.com/index/openai-acquires-software-applications…

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John Gruber

★ Thoughts, Observations, and Links Regarding ChatGPT Atlas

OpenAI, one week ago: Today we’re introducing ChatGPT Atlas, a new web browser built with ChatGPT at its core. AI gives us a rare moment to rethink what it means to use the web. Last year, we added search in ChatGPT so you could instantly find timely information from ac...

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John Gruber

Nisus Writer: Schrödinger’s Word Processor

tidbits.com/2025/10/25/nisus-writer-schrodingers-word-processor/

Joe Kissell, writing at TidBITS: For more than a year, we’ve heard scattered complaints: problems with Nisus Software’s website, particularly the user discussion forum; slow or absent responses to support requests; assorted bugs; and other issues. But earlier this week, ...

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• Daring Fireball Department of Commerce

[Sponsor] Jaho Coffee Roaster

jaho.com/s/df

Great coffee takes care. Family-owned since 2005, our slogan “Live Slow” guides our every day in and out of our roastery. From sourcing small-lot single origins to blending coffees for balance, we small-batch roast our award-winning coffees in Salem and Tokyo. For the at-home coffee drinker, we roast to order and pack the same coffees brewed and served in all of our cafés. For the office worker, Jaho is proud to be a wholesaler with select partners across the nation and in Japan. DF readers: take 20% off with DF.

Fresh beans shipped nationwide.
Give up bad coffee for good.

Link: jaho.com/s/df

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John Gruber

★ Apple Loses Landmark U.K. Lawsuit Over App Store Commissions

Sam Tobin, reporting last week for Reuters: Apple abused its dominant position by charging app developers unfair commissions, a London tribunal ruled on Thursday, in a blow which could leave the U.S. tech company on the hook for hundreds of millions of pounds in damages....

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John Gruber

App Store IDs Hint at Possible iPad Versions of Pixelmator Pro, Compressor, Motion, and MainStage

macrumors.com/2025/10/27/apple-may-release-pixelmator-pro-for-ipad/

Joe Rossignol, MacRumors: Apple might be preparing iPad apps for Pixelmator Pro, Compressor, Motion, and MainStage, according to new App Store IDs uncovered by MacRumors contributor Aaron Perris. All four of the apps are currently available on the Mac only. A quick overv...

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John Gruber

Joe Rosensteel: ‘Creative Neglect: What About the Apps in Apple?’

sixcolors.com/post/2025/10/creative-neglect-what-about-the-apps-in-apple/

Joe Rosensteel, writing at Six Colors, regarding the demise of Apple’s Clips app: It’s not that it was completely inept, but it was an aimless showcase to demonstrate what Apple could do. It withered over the course of eight years before it was quietly killed. At no poi...

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John Gruber

Gurman Reports That Apple Is Preparing to Sell Ads in Maps Starting in 2026

bloomberg.com/news/newsletters/2025-10-26/what-s-next-for-the-ipad-pro-iphone-17-pro-like-vapor-chamber-apple-maps-ads-mh7nq39h

Mark Gurman, in his weekly paywalled Power On column for Bloomberg: I reported a few years ago that Apple was working to bring more advertising to iOS. Well, now that effort is gaining traction — with a plan to start the ads as early as next year. The company is focusing...

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John Gruber

Inside the Math That Detects Cheating on Sports Bets

usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2025/10/24/nba-rozier-betting-cheating-math-monitors/86857550007/

Dian Zhang and Ignacio Calderon, reporting for USA Today: Even before Terry Rozier dropped out of the 2023 NBA game in which he’s accused of rigging his statistics, computers at an “integrity monitor” firm flagged a flood of bets that did not match a mathematical model o...

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John Gruber

Behind the Design: Adobe Premiere on iOS

adobe.design/stories/process/behind-the-design-adobe-premiere-on-ios

Adobe Design profiles Adobe’s new Premiere app for iOS, and interviews Christopher Azar, group design manager for Adobe Video, regarding the thinking behind the app and its design: What was the primary goal when you set out to design Premiere on iOS? Christopher Azar: O...

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John Gruber

The Talk Show: ‘You and Frank Sinatra’

daringfireball.net/thetalkshow/2025/10/26/ep-432

For your weekend listening enjoyment, a new episode of America’s favorite 3-star podcast, with special guest Dan Moren. Topics include Atlas, ChatGPT’s new web browser (or anti-web browser) for the Mac; Apple’s loss in a “landmark” regulatory lawsuit in the UK regarding App Store commission rates; multiple reports of poor sales for the iPhone Air; and Apple’s M5 product announcements: MacBook Pro, iPads Pro, and Vision Pro.

Brought to you by these fine sponsors:

  • Squarespace: Save 10% off your first purchase of a website or domain using code talkshow.
  • Factor: Healthy eating, made easy. Get 50% off your first box, plus free breakfast for 1 year.

Link: daringfireball.net/thetalkshow/2025/10/26/ep-432

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John Gruber

The Sad State of Macintosh Hardware Back in 2018, at the Tail End of the Intel Era

weblog.rogueamoeba.com/2018/06/14/on-the-sad-state-of-macintosh-hardware/

Worth a re-link, following up on my post yesterday linking to Stephen Hackett’s “Boring Is What We Wanted”, here’s Rogue Amoeba co-founder Quentin Carnicelli, writing back in 2018: At the time of the writing, with the exception of the $5,000 iMac Pro, no Macintosh has be...

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John Gruber

The Scenario Where ChatGPT’s WhatsApp Gateway Was Useful: Airplane Wi-Fi

daringfireball.net/linked/2025/10/24/meta-whatsapp-rival-chatbot-ban

Yours truly on Friday, regarding the news that Meta is going to ban rival AI chatbots from WhatsApp: Perhaps because I’m only a light user of WhatsApp, I had no idea that rival AI chatbots had accounts there. I just tried it with 1-800-ChatGPT and it seems pointless. It’...

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John Gruber

‘Boring Is What We Wanted’

512pixels.net/2025/10/boring-is-what-we-wanted/

Stephen Hackett, writing at 512 Pixels: Apple silicon has been nothing but upside for the Mac, and yet some seem bored already. In the days since Apple announced the M5, I’ve seen and heard this sentiment more than I expected: This is just another boring incremental ...

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John Gruber

WorkOS

workos.com/?utm_source=daringfireball&utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=q12025

My thanks to WorkOS for their continuing support of DF with another sponsorship week. With WorkOS you can start selling to enterprises with just a few lines of code. WorkOS provides a complete user management solution along with SSO, SCIM, and RBAC. The APIs are modular and easy-to-use, allowing integrations to be completed in minutes instead of months. WorkOS simplifies MCP authorization with a single API built on five OAuth standards.

Today, some of the fastest growing startups are already powered by WorkOS, including OpenAI, Cursor, and Vercel.

For SaaS apps that care deeply about design and user experience, WorkOS is the perfect fit. From high-quality documentation to self-serve onboarding for your customers, it removes all the unnecessary complexity for your engineering team.

Link: workos.com/?utm_source=daringfireball&utm_medium=RSS&utm…

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John Gruber

Sora Has a Pervert Problem

businessinsider.com/sora-video-openai-fetish-content-my-face-problem-2025-10

Katie Notopoulos, writing at Business Insider: There are really two separate issues at hand: Should users be allowed to make fetish content of any woman who is stupid enough (like me) to allow anyone to make cameos of her? And how do you stop people from making fetish co...

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John Gruber

Meta Announces Ban on Rival AI Chatbots From WhatsApp

techradar.com/ai-platforms-assistants/meta-will-ban-rival-ai-chatbots-from-whatsapp

Eric Hal Schwarz, reporting for TechRadar: Meta is closing the door on third-party AI assistants inside WhatsApp. Starting January 15, 2026, no general-purpose AI chatbot, including ChatGPT, Perplexity, and others, will be allowed to operate on the platform. The change i...

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John Gruber

SerpApi’s Public Customer List

serpapi.com/use-cases

At the bottom of their “Use Cases” page, SerpApi lists the following companies and organizations as customers (“They trust us. You are in good company. Join them.”): Airbnb Nvidia Meta Shopify Perplexity KPMG Ahrefs Grubhub Samsung AI21labs United Nations (!) Thomson Reute...

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John Gruber

Reddit Files Lawsuit Accusing ‘Data Scraper’ Companies of Stealing Its Information

nytimes.com/2025/10/22/technology/reddit-data-scrapers-perplexity-theft.html?unlocked_article_code=1.vk8.W49v.NYfYXfBwO0Ry&smid=url-share

Mike Isaac, reporting for The New York Times: Eight years ago, SerpApi, a start-up in Austin, Texas, dived headlong into the byzantine world of using robots to “scrape” Google’s search algorithms, so it could collect information to help customers appear higher in search ...

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John Gruber

The Hollywood Reporter: ‘Is Jessica Chastain’s “The Savant” Ever Going to Be Released?’

hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-news/jessica-chastain-the-savant-delay-will-it-be-released-apple-1236406858/

Tony Maglio, The Hollywood Reporter: The Savant, which originally had a Sept. 26 premiere date, was yanked in the weeks following the Sept. 10 assassination of conservative political pundit Charlie Kirk. Language on the landing page for the series has since vacillated fr...

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John Gruber

New M5 Vision Pro and Dual Knit Headband Are Assembled in Vietnam, Not China

macrumors.com/2025/10/22/apple-vision-pro-now-made-in-vietnam/

MacRumors:

Apple’s upcoming wave of new smart home devices, including a smart home display, indoor security camera, and tabletop robot, will also be made in Vietnam, according to Bloomberg.

Link: macrumors.com/2025/10/22/apple-vision-pro-now-made-in…