Web Excursions 2021-05-22
Previews of software updates designed for people with disabilities
Jakob: Microsoft’s Inclusive Design Manual gives an excellent high-level view of context-dependent disability: “Disability is not just a health problem. It is a complex phenomenon, reflecting the interaction between features of a person’s body and features of the society in which he or she lives.”
“Display Curtain” switches off only the display while the app is still running.
wittyreference: As a physician, I wish more folks appreciated that “disability” is a property of the relationship between a person and their environment, and can emerge (or disappear) based on changes in that persons capability as well as changes in their environment.
Hot Pod: 2020 Podcast Ad Revenue, Inside Flash Forward's Book Adaptation, Celebrity Gossip
IAB: U.S. podcast advertising revenues climbed to $842 million in 2020, expected to exceed $1 billion in 2021.
it’s prudent to pay closer attention to the trend line than the actual numbers.
The $842 million in 2020 number marks a 19% increase from 2019, which, of course, is a development that should be read against the larger context of the pandemic
the negative economic impact of the pandemic is still present in the $842 million number; the IAB had previously projected the industry to reach $863.4 million
another notable estimate: that podcast advertising would exceed $2 billion by 2023, effectively doubling in size over that stretch
driven, at least in part, by corporate enthusiasm pertaining to the industry’s increasing consolidation around a few advertising sales options; the rise of marketplace platforms with greater dynamic ad insertion, programmatic, and targeting features; and basically the ongoing co-option of the podcast space by traditional audio players
it remains to be seen whether those gains will trickle down to more creators, more shows, and more good jobs
Persistent Problems with Apple Podcasts
continuing to get reports — about a dozen now — from podcast creators experiencing problems with reliable publishing on the Apple Podcasts platform
the volume of these problems doesn’t appear to be abating anytime soon.
exacerbated by what’s been described to me as slow customer-support systems relative to other platforms.
the podcast creators and publishers I’ve communicated with about this generally decline to be identified for fear of losing favor when it comes to future marketing opportunities on the Apple Podcasts front page.
24-inch M1 iMac review: She’s a rainbow
To begin, you pair the keyboard’s Touch ID with the iMac by double-clicking on the iMac’s power button; once Touch ID is set up, it works just like it does on Mac laptops.
The iMac’s magnetic power cord is powerful.
To remove it, you have to impart a lot of force.
It feels more secure than the power plug attached to my iMac Pro, which I have accidentally yanked out on more than one occasion.
Apple has pulled in the bezels when compared to the old 21.5-inch model, but this display hardly qualifies as edge-to-edge;
in fact, the bezels are slightly larger than half the size of the old ones.
Apple has supplied background images for each iMac that match its color,
and even the General pane of System Preferences is set by default to use an accent color that matches the iMac itself.
We should’ve seen Apple’s addition of customizable accent colors in macOS Mojave as a hint that this day would come.
Center Stage is a feature that actually makes more sense on the iMac than a light, mobile device like the iPad—and yet it’s missing in action.
It’s clear from my discussion with Apple’s iMac product manager that Apple has shifted its iMac messaging
to be focused on specific use cases
rather than attempting to sell it as a device with broad appeal.
I’m more convinced than ever that
Apple sees the iMac as more of a supporting player that needs to justify its existence by doing certain tasks better than an iPad, iPhone, or MacBook.
And the big differentiator remains the screen.