Author: sparta

An Indian court has ordered Apple to collaborate with the Competition Commission of India (CCI) in a current antitrust investigation concerning the App Store. The court turned down Apple’s request to halt the proceedings, which has been a source of conflict between the tech giant and the Indian regulatory authority.

The disagreement centers on the CCI’s request for Apple to provide its worldwide financial data, which Apple claims exceeds the jurisdiction of the CCI. Earlier this month, Apple accused the CCI of crossing its judicial limits after the regulatory body issued a demand for the financial information, establishing a final hearing for May 21.

At the heart of the dispute is Apple’s challenge to India’s revised competition legislation, which permits penalties to be calculated based on a company’s global revenue rather than just local profits. Apple is contesting this structure in court, aiming to suspend the CCI’s proceedings while it examines the legality of the law.

The CCI has accused Apple of postponing the investigation and requesting extensions while neglecting to provide the required financial information. In reaction, the Delhi High Court has directed Apple to “fully cooperate” with the CCI’s inquiry but has barred the CCI from making a final determination until the case is reconsidered in court on July 15. The court has also allowed Apple to present certain documents related to its challenge of the antitrust penalty framework.

This ongoing legal struggle underscores the intricacies of global business operations and regulatory adherence, especially as nations like India fortify their competition laws to tackle market dominance by leading tech firms.

The Shortcuts application has consistently been an incredibly robust automation resource for individuals who grasp the significance of these very terms. However, it may now finally transform into a user-friendly tool that realizes its genuine potential for a diverse range of users. Here’s the rationale.

## Focusing on the user experience and retrogressing to the technology

Even prior to Apple’s acquisition of Workflow in 2017 and its subsequent rebranding as Shortcuts in 2018, this app stood out as one of the most remarkable tools ever introduced on iOS. It simplified much of the complexity that rendered macOS’s outstanding Automator daunting to some users, all while maintaining a degree of capability and inter-application connectivity that had always seemed out of reach (or even prohibited) on the iPhone and iPad.

While Apple has consistently enhanced Shortcuts over time, including its recent incorporation of AI models, a large portion of its features and advantages has remained confined to a small group of users.

Once you grasp how Shortcuts operates, especially if you possess (or cultivate) some familiarity with programming, you can create amazing things with it. Just consult Federico Viticci and the MacStories crew, alongside Stephen Robles, who have dedicated years to demonstrating just how far Shortcuts can extend. I couldn’t begin to express the amount I’ve learned from their insights.

Yet, despite the glamorous notion that any average user is just one encouragement away from ascending to the status of a Shortcuts expert, that has historically not been the case for the broader user base of iPhone, iPad, and now Mac. This is frustrating.

However, this does not imply that these less tech-savvy users lack requirements that exceed “convert these photos into a GIF” and “turn off the living room lights when I depart from home.” Indeed, the workflows they might benefit from could be of a nature that even the most proficient Shortcuts users would find difficult to construct.

That’s why a report from Bloomberg today has made me even more enthusiastic for next month’s WWDC. When discussing an impending enhancement to Shortcuts, the report mentioned:

> The version presently in testing allows users to create shortcuts simply by articulating what they wish the shortcuts to accomplish. Currently, users are required to manually construct shortcuts within the app or download them from Apple’s collection.
> In the updated app, users will be greeted with a prompt asking, “What do you want your shortcut to do?” accompanied by a text field to detail the request. The system then automatically generates and installs the shortcut on the device.

This inquiry, “What do you want your shortcut to do?” is fundamental to what Shortcuts was always intended to be: not just an exercise in automation creativity (even though it can indeed be an enjoyable one), but a solution hub for constructing customized connections between applications, files, and information, uniquely suited for every individual iPhone, iPad, and Mac user, irrespective of their technical expertise.

Providing an input field where users can express, in everyday language (even through voice!), the outcome they need, and then having Shortcuts handle the execution to achieve that result, epitomizes one of the most beautiful and sophisticated illustrations of what Steve Jobs famously stated during WWDC 1997: “You’ve got to start with the customer experience and work backwards to the technology.”

In truth, that exemplifies one of the most beautiful and refined representations of what personal computing has always signified.

If Apple successfully implements this, an AI-enhanced Shortcuts application that comprehends what users are attempting to accomplish and converts that into a functioning shortcut, regardless of how intricate it may be beneath the surface, could finally render Shortcuts as beneficial to average users as it has long been to the knowledgeable ones.

And naturally, for users who are already adept with the app, the potential is about to escalate even further, which is equally thrilling.

### macOS 27 to Exclude Intel Macs: Compatibility Restricted to Apple Silicon Models

macOS 27 is anticipated to be revealed at WWDC in a few weeks, signifying a major shift for Apple as it will be the inaugural macOS version solely for Apple silicon Macs. This change follows Apple’s earlier announcement that macOS Tahoe would be the final iteration compatible with Intel Macs.

#### Models Losing Support

Apple has verified that the following four Intel Mac models will be incompatible with macOS 27:

– MacBook Pro (16‑inch, 2019)
– MacBook Pro (13‑inch, 2020, Four Thunderbolt 3 ports)
– iMac (2020)
– Mac Pro (2019)

These models represent the final Intel variations currently supported by macOS Tahoe and will be unable to install the new software upon the release of macOS 27.

#### Future Compatibility

It is improbable that any additional models will lose support, as macOS 27 is expected to retain compatibility with all Apple silicon models. M1 Macs, in particular, are predicted to receive support for at least a few more years.

An official list of compatible devices from Apple will be published at WWDC, but for the moment, it is confirmed that at least these four Intel models will be excluded from macOS 27.

#### Related Developments

In a related update, there are rumors that iOS 27 will also cease support for four iPhone models this year, reflecting a broader trend in Apple’s move away from Intel architecture.

For users still using Intel Macs, the forthcoming lack of compatibility with macOS 27 may act as an incentive to consider updating their hardware.