The '90s are back!

Transparent gadgets make their return.

Leander Kahney
May 17, 2023

With artificial intelligence dominating tech news, lots of pundits say Apple is falling behind amid the AI revolution.

But yesterday’s announcement of Personal Voice shows what hogwash this is.

Personal Voice allows your gadgets to talk in your own voice with just 15 minutes of training.

It was designed as an accessibility feature for folks who are in danger of losing their ability to speak, but it has a far wider application — as Cult of Mac writer Ed Hardy explains after digging up a recent Apple patent. Personal Voice could radically change text messaging.

Personal Voice is just another example of how Apple is infusing AI throughout its product line. Almost every Apple product already has a ton of AI tech -- from Face ID to Visual Look Up, which can recognize plants, animals and more in photos.

Some of it sucks (Siri) — but it is there!

Apple today also made the bold move of resurrecting the biggest design trend of the late 1990s — see-through electronics.

The look’s been resurgent for a while now, with stickers, cases and wallpapers that resemble gadget innards — like this cool Spigen iPhone 14 case that I use.

It’s a very welcome comeback for me. I love see-through electronics.

Also in today’s newsletter:

Why does this setup have monitors set at crazy angles?
We love the new Apple TV+ show High Desert. Star Patricia Arquette is “deeply fun to watch.”
I’m always mortified when I travel and can’t communicate even the basics. That’s why I’m going to try Babbel. I like the idea of daily 10-to-15 minute language lessons.
Today’s the day John Sculley took over as Apple CEO. He was much maligned, but he grew Apple and, years later, had a lot of insightful things to say about Steve Jobs.
Most Cult of Mac readers already use some of Apple’s accessibility features, according to yesterday’s poll (see the results below). It shows that Apple’s commitment to all users, no matter their abilities, benefits us all.

— Leander Kahney, EIC.

Review roundup: New Beats Studio Buds+ win with cool clear case and audio upgrades

The '90s-nostalgic, iMacs-of-yore transparent case option and internal upgrades are great, but some features are missing.

Another Apple employee allegedly caught stealing self-driving car tech for China

An Apple employee was recently indicted for transferring self-driving car technology trade secrets to a rival company in China.

Apple rejected nearly 1.7 million App Store submissions in 2022

Apple says it denied 1.7 million apps submitted for approval in 2022. Plus, the company blocked nearly 3.9 million stolen credit cards from being used.

^{A message from the Cult of Mac Store}

Class up your look with a two-tone Italian leather Apple Watch band

A custom leather strap like Olpr's Petite Single Italian Leather Apple Watch band is a timeless accessory. Get one now for just $49.

Bass wheel sets Skullcandy's new headphones apart

The updated Crusher ANC 2 cans include a dedicated wheel on the left ear cup so you can adjust the bass.

‘Ted Lasso’ starts to wrap up loose ends this week [Apple TV+ recap]

Apple TV+’s runaway hit “Ted Lasso” starts closing up shop this week as the show nears the end of season three.

^{A message from the Cult of Mac Deals team}

Learn your dream languages with a lifetime subscription to Babbel

Grab this sub to gain eternal access to all 14 languages on the Babbel app for only $199.97 (regularly $599).

Apple's Tap to Pay on iPhone expands to Australia

The feature lets businesses accept payments from customers using just an iPhone.

Apple’s new Personal Voice tech might make texting more personal

The newly announced technology could be expanded to read incoming text messages in the sender's own voice.

Today in Apple history: John Sculley brings 'Pepsi Generation' marketing to Apple

On May 17, 1983, former Pepsi-Cola boss John Sculley became Apple's third president and CEO. He brought some serious marketing savvy.

Dual curved displays set at crazy angles for sane reason [Setups]

A MacBook Pro workstation mounts and carefully angles two slick gaming displays for the best ergonomics.

Tweetz o’ the day

All hail the return of the 90s Clear Craze!
— Basic Apple Guy (@BasicAppleGuy)
2:15 PM • May 17, 2023

The 15 Pro Max's ultrawide camera is swapping positions with the telephoto compared to the 14.
Why? Because there is no room on the bottom lens for the periscope. Can't go down because of the battery. Can't go right because of the LiDAR scanner.
Has to be the middle lens.
— Vadim Yuryev (@VadimYuryev)
10:22 PM • May 16, 2023

Use a Mac? This is for you:
An annotated list (very easy to scan) of option key shortcuts (link below).
A ton of useful info here. Nice work. Via @mjtsai.
#Apple#Mac#macOS
— Dave Mark (@davemark)
12:16 PM • May 16, 2023

One more thing ...

❝

Another priority was to make Apple more entrepreneurial and startup-like. So we immediately reorganized, drastically narrowed the product line, and changed compensation for senior managers so they get a lot of stock but no cash bonuses.

— Steve Jobs, 2000.