On a sin we have sinned: the great sins of technology companies

Glitches and holes in screens, slippery phones, Alexa and Google that don't speak Hebrew - in honor of Yom Kippur we collect and list the great sins of technology companies, ones for which they really should ask forgiveness from us the consumers

Lilian dialect

04/10/2022

Tuesday, October 4, 2022, 10:00 a.m. Updated: 10:01 a.m.

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Tim Cook, Satya Nadella, Sundar Pichai and Mark Zuckerberg enter a synagogue.

This is not the beginning of a joke, but even if it was, the heads of the technology companies have a lot to complain about and we decided to give them an account of themselves, even if among these four Zuckerberg is the only one blowing the horn.

So here are a few technological sins that maybe, maybe they will decide to fix this year:

Defects and holes

It doesn't matter if it's a defect or "just" a hole, and even Apple in the iPhone 14 made lemonade out of the lemon with the "dynamic island", still the main ingredient in lemonade is lemons!

At the top of our smartphone screens, channels or just holes are still carved.

Yes yes, we know they house important things like facial recognition sensors and selfie cameras that have become an essential item for an entire generation, and still - it's ugly, and it hurts the user experience, and why do I have a hole in the middle of my screen?

Samsung's Fold at least tries to obscure the matter a bit with a sub-screen camera, but one that is really completely hidden behind the screen is still in development, and far from being a perfect solution.

But that doesn't mean we have to put up with ugly holes in our screens, even if you call them pinholes.

We were also really fine with cameras that pop up from the front of the device (where did they go?), the main thing is, don't touch our screen.

We want whole screens, without holes.

It's not jeans.

It's ugly, and it hurts the user experience, and why do I have a hole in the middle of my screen? (Photo: PR)

One smart home to rule them all

So we have Alexa, Google's nameless assistant (and a bit of personality), Apple's Siri, Samsung's Bixby and there was also Cortana, the name Yakum Dama, and each company also has its own ecosystem for a smart home, smart smart but separate:

devices that are compatible with Home Kit are not necessarily compatible with Alexa, and things that work with Google do not necessarily work with Apple.

Why?

So.

As in many standards wars, each tech company has tried to make its system the de facto standard, but right now the situation is a draw, and no company has really established itself as a leader, although Samsung's excellent Smart Things, which is less common here, speaks to almost everyone .

And yet, the systems do not talk to each other.

So it's true, the companies agreed to develop a uniform standard called Matter, but it too, like the underscreen cameras, is still taking its first steps, while many of us already had to "choose a side" when we built our smart home systems.

Why?

Look at the Bluetooth standard.

Bluetooth Smart, Bluetooth talks to everyone.

Be Bluetooth!

good to know (in advance)

B-Cure Laser - does it really help?

The truth is revealed

Served on behalf of B Cure Laser

Things that work with Google don't necessarily work with Apple.

Google's nest mini speaker (Photo: ShutterStock)

Where is my store?

Following on from the previous section of smart home equipment: for this ongoing sin, Google, Microsoft and Amazon should really pray and fast hard this year: why is their wonderful hardware still not officially sold here in Israel?

Why are there no official, physical or online stores here?

Why are we assigned?

What is?

We don't deserve to buy in shekels and immediately get some shiny new Echo device?

Take a Pixel 7 or Nest off the shelf at the store, or buy a new Surface Pro?

True, we are a small market.

But edgy, full of early adopters and a gadget lover.

Look how Samsung treats us nicely!

The fact that Google, Amazon, and Microsoft do not count us in this regard, and force us to buy their toys abroad instead of in Israel or through sometimes greedy third-party importers - is a serious reason to ask for atonement and forgiveness. And if we're at it, say Google and Amazon, Hebrew support for your assistants, will it be in our lifetime? Look at Apple! If Apple can, then so can you!

The Google store in New York.

Why is there still no official import in Israel? (Photo: Google)

For the lightning sin

And did you think that Apple would slip away from us?

Oh, not really.

Apple has a continuing sin, which will only come to an end next year, in the form of the annoying Lightning socket.

The whole world has already moved to USB-C, including Apple itself in some of its devices, but when it comes to the iPhone - no.

Apple continues to insist and stick to its proprietary and weird jack that no one but iPhone users use.

And the most annoying part?

In terms of the technical standard, Lightning is USB-C for everything, it's just that Apple decided to design the physical plug in a strange way that doesn't connect to any other device, like some exotic electrical outlet that exists in two and a half countries and tourists scratch their heads in front of it - all to sell a few more cables in -20 dollars or euros a piece and improve the profit line for investors a little more.

So this year, after no less than a whole decade of discussions, the European Commission put an end to greed in the form of a strange plug.

Starting next year, there will be a uniform charging standard and information across the continent, and Apple is so green that it took our chargers from the boxes (see also honorable mentions), will be forced to either put adapters in its boxes or join the enlightened world, abandon its illusory plug, and join the rest of the enlightened world which uses USB-C.

Tim Cook, thank you for your care.

Apple has a persistent sin, which will only come to an end next year, in the form of the annoying Lightning socket (Photo: ShutterStock)

Insta, why are you trying to be Tiktok?

Is it true that they always say be yourself, because everyone else is already taken?

So Instagram hasn't heard of it.

From a social network that built itself on photos and was quite fun there, Instagram has become some sweaty imitation of Tiktok's effort with the reels, which we don't think Instagram themselves are still closed on the format, and decided if they want 15, 30 seconds or a minute.

The interface is clumsy, unpleasant and oppressive, and in general it is not clear what Instagram wants from our miserable lives with the reels.

Either way, it seems that Meta/Facebook are constantly running after the competition, constantly changing settings and not really closed on the Reels feature, which is quite clearly an attempt to make Tiktok on Instagram.

So don't be Tiktok, be yourself.

Be Instagram, it's really fine, just stop pushing us the riles already!

Stop trying to be tiktok.

Instagram (Photo: ShutterStock)

A place of honor

And let's dwell on two small sins that, although they did not enter the big list, but they also deserve that the technology companies ask us for forgiveness for them.

One, is removing the chargers from the boxes of the new smartphones.

Apple started this annoying fad, followed by Samsung and other manufacturers, and started taking the chargers with the wall socket out of the boxes, claiming it was better for the environment.

We're not sure buying this bluff.

So apart from the fact that in the end we almost always have to purchase a charger separately, and the only green that really comes out of that is more dollars in the companies' pockets - it's quite annoying to buy a smartphone with the best of our money, which sometimes costs thousands of shekels, and find out that we've been spared a basic item like a charger.

Say, do you see Tnuva selling bottles of milk without a cap?

Not true?

So stop it and return the chargers to us!

And the last sin that is also related to smartphones - the companies that design them with a slippery back.

True, it looks very beautiful.

But tell me - are you doing this on purpose?

One of the most frustrating things is to put your phone on the table and see it suddenly start to slide and travel when it rings or even on its own if the table is also smooth.

It also ensures that we will drop them from the hands of the clumsy among us, and whoop, there you have sold another replacement screen.

So come on, stop it.

Besides, plastic or glass really aren't the only options.

They brought back the interesting corpses with the fabric, leather or brushed aluminum that were both pleasant to the touch and to hold.

By the way, build something that you can hold and that doesn't slide - thanks.

And may you have a good signature.

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