Iterate Weekly - Issue 199
This week we're talking about Apple's new Invites app, The U.S. Government asking employees to quit, Ferrari's new supercar, Gemini's Gouda mistake, and "The Substance"!
Welcome to issue 199 of Iterate Weekly.
Let’s jump into this week’s stories shall we?
Thank you as always for reading!
🖥️ Tech
Apple wants to plan your next event
I’ll be the first to admit that it’s getting harder to invite people to parties.
Some people want a text, others want an email, some people want you to send an event invitation using Facebook, Evite, or a paper card in the mail. It’s hard to please everyone and make sure that your event will be well-attended.
So it makes total sense that Apple is creating a new app called Apple Invites to solve this problem.
Of course, this app is not without its problems. And no, this isn’t an Android fanboy raining on Apple’s parade. I think an app like this should exist, I just question the execution here.
In order to create events, you must subscribe to Apple’s iCloud+ service. Honestly, I didn’t know this service existed. I’m pretty much fed up with any service that has a “plus” added onto the end. Maybe a different name would be better here.
You don’t need to have an iPhone or Apple account to RSVP to a party, but it sure seems like it will be a better experience if you’re already in the Apple ecosystem. Party attendees can upload photos to a shared folder and also contribute to the playlist…on Apple Music.
I’m not surprised by the Apple walled garden approach, but a little more flexibility would make this app more appealing to the masses. I’m sure I’ll be seeing some invites to things created with Apple Invites soon. I’ll give it a little bit of credit until I’m able to see the workflow myself. And I’m sure it’s only a matter of time until Samsung and Google release similar apps to make things even more confusing.
🎓 Education/Productivity/Work
The U.S. Government asks over 2 million employees to quit
It’s pretty difficult to approach this story without any political bias, but I’ll give it a shot.
This really isn’t a political story at all, it’s a story of workplace etiquette and the proper way to relay information to employees. But when Elon Musk is involved, it gets complicated.
This is eerily similar to a memo directed at former Twitter employees when Musk took the helm of the company. It’s a line in the sand where you’re either in or out when it comes to the new regime taking over. I suppose it isn’t unheard of for actions like this to take place in businesses, especially after acquisitions.
But this isn’t a private company. This is the U.S. Government that has a responsibility to keep the nation humming along. And we’re talking about over 2 million actual human beings dealing with employment uncertainty.
To make matters worse, the fine print associated with this offer to leave is making this more difficult to understand. Termination dates are shifting, employees aren’t entirely clear what they’d be agreeing to if they decide to accept this offer. It’s just an HR nightmare to put it lightly.
Who knows? Maybe this will all blow over in a few days. Maybe some employees will happily exit the new reality of the job and be properly compensated. But I imagine things will only get more ugly before we find clarity. And sadly, that’s been a recurring theme in the first few weeks of the Trump White House Part II.
♻️ Health/Environment/EVs
Ferrari announces a new electric supercar!
Here’s a more fun story!
Let’s talk about a new electric supercar from Ferrari!
Well, at least they’ve announced that they will announce this car in the coming year. An announcement about a future announcement I suppose. So the current announcement doesn’t really announce much of anything. All clear? Good.
The car won’t look like the rendering above, but it may not be too far off. We will need to wait until October 9th, 2025 for the full unveiling of the vehicle. And what makes a supercar so super? Uhhh, I guess we’ll have to wait and see?
It’s sort of a silly news story today, but there is a kernel of importance deep within all the marketing jargon. Plenty of people question if a true sports car can be powered by electricity. Many enthusiasts feel the need to hear a revving engine and smell exhaust to feel like they’re driving something truly powerful. Ferrari has some obstacles to overcome if this car is going to be a commercial or even critical success. So yeah, there actually is a lot literally riding on this product announcement.
Sure, you can recreate engine sounds and even exhaust smells on an electric car if you really wanted to. I’m curious to see if Ferrari goes that route. This car is part of a broader electrification effort that will redesign some of its other iconic models. While I have little need to drive something this powerful myself, I’m very excited to see if Ferrari can find a new audience of EV fans from its existing brand loyalists.
🛍 Grab Bag
Gemini gets its cheese stats wrong in a Super Bowl ad
I needed at least one funny Super Bowl ad story before the big game!
Google has a new Super Bowl ad lined up to promote the Gemini AI assistant. That’s fairly predictable.
But what wasn’t predictable is that they would allow the ad to go live with a somewhat obvious incorrect fact about cheese.
I don’t consider myself to be a cheese expert, but I also don’t believe that Gouda is the most consumed cheese with 50-60% of the global cheese market share. That seems high. It was probably worth double checking before including the fact in an ad that would be seen by millions of people. Evidently the fact was listed on a website called cheese.com so Gemini just assumed that it was factually correct. Who can argue with that?
Google has since removed that invalid factoid from the commercial. So if you are relying on Gemini to power your mom & pop cheese shop, you should be all gouda now! (I actually made a conscious effort to not insert a good/gouda dad joke here, and it just somehow ended up on the page anyway, I’m dad joking on a whole new level, I can’t even help it.)
💬 Quote of the Week
"If you cut down a forest, it doesn't matter how many sawmills you have if there are no more trees."
-Susan George
🎥 Content Review
The Substance
Another week, another Oscar-nominated film to recommend. This week it’s “The Substance”!
This is one of those movies that was so intense that I had trouble even taking a sip of water while watching it. It’s a movie that surely felt important and clever with some amazing performances. It’s a movie that I did enjoy watching, but probably never want to watch again.
Demi Moore and Margaret Qualley are both fantastic in different ways. Moore’s facial expressions alone convey so much even while wearing heavy makeup and prosthetics. Qualley simultaneously plays the role of horror movie supervillain, starry-eyed leading lady, and comedic show-stopper with staggering aplomb.
The movie brings up all sorts of questions and feelings about beauty, aging, morality, and the use of technology. The last thirty minutes of the film are especially difficult to sit through but I’d still highly recommend it.
Demi Moore certainly should garner a lot of votes for best actress this year. This movie makes me want to go back and revisit some of her older work that I may have overlooked.
Thanks for reading, I’ll see you next week!
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