645: More Frosting
Episode
102 min
Read time
2 min
Topics
Fundraising & VC, Design & UX, Artificial Intelligence
AI-Generated Summary
Key Takeaways
- ✓macOS Tahoe Beta Evolution: Beta 2 reverses Finder icon colors with blue now on left side, adds menu bar background toggle in settings (off by default with tinted not opaque background), and increases frosting opacity in iOS toolbars making previously unreadable Safari and Music controls more legible though still problematic.
- ✓Icon Customization Tools: Pictogram and Replacion applications enable persistent custom icon replacement on Mac that survives app updates and auto-updates, automatically reapplying custom icons fast enough that relaunched apps display them immediately without manual intervention, solving the recurring problem of lost customizations after software updates.
- ✓AI Training Data Consent: Apple's Feedback Assistant now requires agreement that submitted bug reports including system diagnostics may train Apple Intelligence models with no opt-out option, forcing developers to choose between filing bugs or preventing their proprietary code and comments from appearing in future autocomplete suggestions to other developers.
- ✓Meta Copyright Defense Strategy: Meta argues in court that individual books have zero economic value as training data despite their AI requiring millions of books collectively worth billions, claiming paying authors would be impossible while simultaneously asserting fair use because single books change model performance by only 0.06 percent on benchmarks.
- ✓BMW CarKey Reliability: Apple CarKey on BMW iX works reliably approximately 97 percent of the time over one year of daily use, with occasional 2-3 second Bluetooth delays and rare CarPlay connection issues in first 30 seconds of driving, performing significantly better than earlier Rivian Bluetooth implementations and eliminating oversized key fobs.
What It Covers
Accidental Tech Podcast episode 645 examines macOS Tahoe beta updates including menu bar transparency changes, Safari toolbar improvements, iOS 18 liquid glass design iterations, and debates around AI training data ethics involving Meta, New York Times licensing deals, and copyright lawsuits.
Key Questions Answered
- •macOS Tahoe Beta Evolution: Beta 2 reverses Finder icon colors with blue now on left side, adds menu bar background toggle in settings (off by default with tinted not opaque background), and increases frosting opacity in iOS toolbars making previously unreadable Safari and Music controls more legible though still problematic.
- •Icon Customization Tools: Pictogram and Replacion applications enable persistent custom icon replacement on Mac that survives app updates and auto-updates, automatically reapplying custom icons fast enough that relaunched apps display them immediately without manual intervention, solving the recurring problem of lost customizations after software updates.
- •AI Training Data Consent: Apple's Feedback Assistant now requires agreement that submitted bug reports including system diagnostics may train Apple Intelligence models with no opt-out option, forcing developers to choose between filing bugs or preventing their proprietary code and comments from appearing in future autocomplete suggestions to other developers.
- •Meta Copyright Defense Strategy: Meta argues in court that individual books have zero economic value as training data despite their AI requiring millions of books collectively worth billions, claiming paying authors would be impossible while simultaneously asserting fair use because single books change model performance by only 0.06 percent on benchmarks.
- •BMW CarKey Reliability: Apple CarKey on BMW iX works reliably approximately 97 percent of the time over one year of daily use, with occasional 2-3 second Bluetooth delays and rare CarPlay connection issues in first 30 seconds of driving, performing significantly better than earlier Rivian Bluetooth implementations and eliminating oversized key fobs.
Notable Moment
A federal judge ruled that Anthropic can legally train AI models on physically purchased and scanned books under fair use, but explicitly did not address whether charging users to access those trained models constitutes copyright infringement, leaving the commercial exploitation question unresolved and setting up future litigation battles.
Episode Transcript
It's new Phish season. I'm very happy about that. It's also new Dave Matthews band season. I'm so sorry about that. Mhmm. Mhmm. Didn't I say that isn't Phish coming to Richmond or something like that, if I recall correctly? We have a fancy new amphitheater. I will be seeing Dave Matthews there, next month, but I believe Fish is coming for a night if you wanted to drive into what is presently the 7th Circle Of Hell. You're really selling it well. Why is it new Fish season and new Dave Matthews Matthew season? Is this when they when they spawn? Or I don't know. Summer tours, baby. Summer tours. Alright then. Well, there you go. Fish season and Dave Matthew season doesn't sound as good. It's like rabbit season, duck season. You know, that's annoying, John. Because as you're talking, the two of you are talking, I'm working on what will become the official show notes. And I'm trying to type fish and wabbit season, and then you made the joke on the show. So now it doesn't sound original. Great minds think alike, Casey. Mhmm. Mhmm. Anyways, well, if you wanna come to the new Alliance Allianz I don't know how to how you pronounce this. I think they're like an insurance company or something like that. Isn't that like the trip insurance company? Yes. I believe that's right. Okay. Let me am I supposed to be buying trip insurance when I go on trip? Because I haven't been. I mean, it's I think the are you talking about the thing where, like, if your flight gets canceled, you can get a refund or whatever? Mhmm. I I mean, that's what it that's what it purports. I've never actually tried to use it, but I don't it's just it's always like, do you wanna check this box and spend even more money at the end for things that are reasonable to be covered that we really should cover without this thing but we're not reasonable? I kind of reject that on principle, but, like, should I be doing that? I I mean, like, if you if you're booking a trip and you're like, well, there's a good chance I might have to change my mind on this trip, but it's not a refundable ticket. I think Well, but then it becomes squishy because it's you a lot of trip insurance, it's very specific about the ways in which you can cancel and what constitutes Well, it's like any insurance. They're gonna do everything they can not to pay it out, so you have to read the fine print. But, that's my understanding is always, like, consider what do you think the odds are that you could change your mind about this trip or that you could be sick or that you could not have to go or that something could go wrong in a way that otherwise you would lose your money? If the odds of that …
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Books, tools, and gear mentioned in this episode
SignalCast may earn commission on purchases via these links. As an Amazon Associate, SignalCast earns from qualifying purchases.
Tools
by Apple
“Apple's Feedback Assistant now requires agreement that submitted bug reports including system diagnostics may train Apple Intelligence models with no opt-out option, forcing developers to choose between filing bugs or preventing their proprietary code and comments from appearing in future autocomplete suggestions to other developers.”
“Sponsors: Notion”
- ReplacionRecommended
“Pictogram and Replacion applications enable persistent custom icon replacement on Mac that survives app updates and auto-updates, automatically reapplying custom icons fast enough that relaunched apps display them immediately without manual intervention”
“DeleteMe is listed as a sponsor with URL https://joindeleteme.com/atp”
- PictogramRecommended
“Pictogram and Replacion applications enable persistent custom icon replacement on Mac that survives app updates and auto-updates, automatically reapplying custom icons fast enough that relaunched apps display them immediately without manual intervention”
Products
by Apple
“Apple CarKey on BMW iX works reliably approximately 97 percent of the time over one year of daily use, with occasional 2-3 second Bluetooth delays and rare CarPlay connection issues in first 30 seconds of driving”
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