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Apple-Acquired Weather App Dark Sky Reminding Users That iOS App Shutting Down on January 1

Darth Tulhu said:
...

Edit: The use of the term "monopoly" here is dubious at best.
Click to expand...
Perhaps, but a company need not be a monopoly to engage in monopolistic practices.

Anyway, the GUI in the Weather App in iOS 16 can't hold a candle to Dark Sky. Not even close. it usues uninformative icons and bins for predictions that are 15 minutes wide. Pretty useless and pedestrian IMO.In general, I feel Apple is headed that way - there are so many things wrong with Apple's operating systems that haven't been fixed (autoincorrect, no persistent toggle to display full file names in the Finder in spite of massive desktop screens, etc.). Apple is slowly slipping through utter arrogance and complacency.
 
I will be sad when it shuts down. The widget plays a major role on my iPad home screen.

Dark Sky.jpg
 
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I use both MyRadar Pro and Carrot. Looking days ahead hasn’t been very accurate in years and it’s worse and worse every year. I prefer MyRadar Pro “Chance of severe weather in the next 24 hours” which is very accurate and Carrot “weather is approaching” alerts which are also very accurate.
 
This is classic Apple. Build or buy a really good program/app. Wait till everyone is using it then stop developing it or shut it down. They are the masters of forced obsolescence. great products in the main but the company sucks In so many ways.
 
VulchR said:
Perhaps, but a company need not be a monopoly to engage in monopolistic practices.

Anyway, the GUI in the Weather App in iOS 16 can't hold a candle to Dark Sky. Not even close. it usues uninformative icons and bins for predictions that are 15 minutes wide. Pretty useless and pedestrian IMO.In general, I feel Apple is headed that way - there are so many things wrong with Apple's operating systems that haven't been fixed (autoincorrect, no persistent toggle to display full file names in the Finder in spite of massive desktop screens, etc.). Apple is slowly slipping through utter arrogance and complacency.
Click to expand...
Yeah, I cannot argue in favor of Apple deciding to take the app down. That sucks.

I've said it before, and while it's not really an excuse, I think Apple is juggling a lot of BIG stuff. Perhaps the AS transition is responsible...

In any case, overall I'm satisfied with their products ever since they started it, so we'll see if the "slip" starts trending up over the next couple of years. As an non-Mac iPad user, I can't agree with the complacency bit; The iPad has steadily grown from an accessory to a device that replaced my Macs almost entirely (I use my 2011 iMac for backups, really).

So Apple is getting at least some things right. Which has always been the case (*ahem* butterfly KB *ahem*).
 
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Canezmd said:
Monopoly power in action!!! This is why we need aggressive anti-trust action by the feds. You should not be able to purchase your best competitor and then shut them down. It limits innovation and consumer choice.
Click to expand...
You don’t understand what a monopoly is, do you? There are hundreds of other weather apps.

And no one forced Dark Sky to sell. Apple didn’t just take over one day like a superpower conquering a country. It’s similar to Siri, Shazam, etc. It’s the goal of nearly every startup to be acquired. That’s typically the exit strategy in a pitch deck. If companies were not sold to other companies, investment would not be a thing.
 
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I've noticed some weird things on radar in the iOS 16 weather app (was on Beta, but everyone can see it now). A storm will be moving in one direction, then when the prediction starts it veers off wildly in another direction. For instance, a thunderstorm was heading due West on a path right over my location, then the prediction said it would shift to North-North-West and miss me. It... did not miss me.

DarkSky sometimes had weird predictions, but nothing as egregious as those I've seen in iOS16.
 
Dark Sky, I'll miss you! I used the app every day. I really appreciated the Time Machine and pointers to areas that had more "interesting" weather than my own. Those were fun features that I don't see in the iOS 16 Weather app. I also like Dark Sky's dark mode. I don't need the Weather app providing a visual clue to the weather, just give me a dark mode and I'll miss Dark Sky less.
 
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Dark Sky was a game changer, but the interface took too many clicks to get to the information I needed. This prompted me to download separate apps for UV Index and Wind that still just relied on Dark Sky's data, but just presented it in a way that made what I needed more accessible.

The latest version of Apple Weather ditches The Weather Channel finally, and presents all of the information from Dark Sky, but deeper information can be gleaned with less clicks.

Ultimately, the Dark Sky app was just a working demo (advertisement) for the Dark Sky data (which is just a repackaged reselling of free government supplied data).
 
I don't get it though, the dark sky app and the apple weather app never have the same temp in my area and dark sky is wayyy more accurate with the weather. weather app tells me it's raining, dark sky doesn't. I look out and dark sky is right. every.single.time.

I'm gonna miss this app.
 
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DB2k said:
Liked Dark Sky but the accuracy of the rain forecast fell dramatically over the last 18 months..
Also its NEVER the same as the Apple Weather app and frankly I'd expect them to both be very similar so its weird they can be so different
Click to expand...

What is it with Apple killing what it buys?

Beats popularity drops after acquisition.
Shazam went from being more popular than Alexa to being a has-been after acquisition.
Dark Skys accuracy drops after Apple acquires them.

And I hear Apple is STILL using The Weather Channel years after acquiring Dark Sky, the most accurate weather app?

WHAT THE ****!???!!!!!
 
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richie510 said:
Dark Sky was a game changer, but the interface took too many clicks to get to the information I needed. This prompted me to download separate apps for UV Index and Wind that still just relied on Dark Sky's data, but just presented it in a way that made what I needed more accessible.

The latest version of Apple Weather ditches The Weather Channel finally, and presents all of the information from Dark Sky, but deeper information can be gleaned with less clicks.

Ultimately, the Dark Sky app was just a working demo (advertisement) for the Dark Sky data (which is just a repackaged reselling of free government supplied data).
Click to expand...

Oh OK, So Apple will finally use Dark Sky? I wonder if accuracy will continue to decrease, which in case, what's the point?

Also Apple shouldn't have discontinued Dark Sky on Android. With Apple Music, Apple could have started a mini "Apple One" for iPhoney users and make more money than the manufacturers themselves.
 
Disappointing since Dark Sky also offers the best Apple Watch complications including one which shows current temp, hi/low temp, and sunset time which I prominently display in the middle of my Modular watch face.
 
bbmertz said:
Disappointing since Dark Sky also offers the best Apple Watch complications including one which shows current temp, hi/low temp, and sunset time which I prominently display in the middle of my Modular watch face.
Click to expand...
MyRadar has a really good watch complication. It shows hi/low, current temp and cloudy, rainy or sunny. Tap on the complication and you get a radar screen with the current info below it and the forecast below that. Swipe left for hourly temps and precipitation chances and swipe left again for a 7 day forecast with hi/low and precipitation chances. I really like the app.
 
bbmertz said:
Disappointing since Dark Sky also offers the best Apple Watch complications including one which shows current temp, hi/low temp, and sunset time which I prominently display in the middle of my Modular watch face.
Click to expand...

If Apple doesn't replace these than what's the point?
 
nnoble said:
Dark Sky provided information regarding 'Precip Prob (%) which is useful but not the crucial data which is 'Precip Rate (CM/HR). You could see a 40% probability of rain but with a precipitation rate of 0 (zero). This is available on a 7 day forecast and is immensely useful and was presented with simple beauty. And it worked on iPad. Apple is taking on all the hallmarks of a rogue developer with deep pockets and a disregard for users, particularly in the case of iPad Dark Sky users.
Click to expand...
Following update to iOS 16 I did find precipitation rates and at some stage I'll be using Weather as fluidly as Dark Sky, at least on iPhone.
 
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BeatsBeats said:
Oh OK, So Apple will finally use Dark Sky? I wonder if accuracy will continue to decrease, which in case, what's the point?

Also Apple shouldn't have discontinued Dark Sky on Android. With Apple Music, Apple could have started a mini "Apple One" for iPhoney users and make more money than the manufacturers themselves.
Click to expand...
Apple has converted the back end of Dark Sky into Apple WeatherKit. It appears that the data is available via internal api calls and web based api calls. All that is required is an Apple developer account (likely a paid one, but I cannot verify at the moment).

developer.apple.com

WeatherKit - Apple Developer

WeatherKit brings valuable weather information to your apps and services through a wide range of data that can help people stay up to date, safe, and prepared.
developer.apple.com developer.apple.com

They did not have to discontinue Dark Sky on Android, but they would have had to rework it a bit. And at that point, why not just make it Apple Weather on Android, but I don't see how that is going to help their bottom line.

In the end, apps like Carrot Weather, etc. can still use the web based WeatherKit api for things like Android apps.

9to5google.com

WeatherKit, Apple's Dark Sky replacement, will allow for Android and web apps

Apple announced an iPad Weather app but more importantly detailed WeatherKit to replace the Dark Sky API that was deprecated for Android...
9to5google.com 9to5google.com

If not having the Dark Sky weather app is a dealbreaker for someone on Android, it seems like Tim Apple just found another way to push people over to iPhone. I hope that reporter is getting his mom a purple one.
 
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I will miss the the feature I rely on quite often which is the hourly "Wind Gust". Any other app recommendation that does the same (with simple UI)?
 
Canezmd said:
Monopoly power in action!!! This is why we need aggressive anti-trust action by the feds. You should not be able to purchase your best competitor and then shut them down. It limits innovation and consumer choice.
Click to expand...
I would totally agree if there wasn’t so many really popular weather apps out there. Buying one of multiple apps out there is it monopolistic action or monopoly. If this was the only other popular weather app or if they kept buying out competitive weather apps sure but this is just buying one because they wanted certain features or resources.

This is coming from someone that’s primarily uses Dark Sky. I’m not happy that Apple bought it and is shutting it down. I’m not much of a fan of the default weather app so I’m going to have to find another weather app to try.
 
richie510 said:
Apple has converted the back end of Dark Sky into Apple WeatherKit. It appears that the data is available via internal api calls and web based api calls. All that is required is an Apple developer account (likely a paid one, but I cannot verify at the moment).

developer.apple.com

WeatherKit - Apple Developer

WeatherKit brings valuable weather information to your apps and services through a wide range of data that can help people stay up to date, safe, and prepared.
developer.apple.com developer.apple.com

They did not have to discontinue Dark Sky on Android, but they would have had to rework it a bit. And at that point, why not just make it Apple Weather on Android, but I don't see how that is going to help their bottom line.

In the end, apps like Carrot Weather, etc. can still use the web based WeatherKit api for things like Android apps.

9to5google.com

WeatherKit, Apple's Dark Sky replacement, will allow for Android and web apps

Apple announced an iPad Weather app but more importantly detailed WeatherKit to replace the Dark Sky API that was deprecated for Android...
9to5google.com 9to5google.com

If not having the Dark Sky weather app is a dealbreaker for someone on Android, it seems like Tim Apple just found another way to push people over to iPhone. I hope that reporter is getting his mom a purple one.
Click to expand...
Yeah I don’t see why Apple should feel obligated to support their competitors in any way. Apple puts apps on android like Apple Music because they make money off of them.

This isn’t going to hurt Google or android at all. I don’t think anyone is going to think oh no I don’t have Dark Sky on my android phone anymore so now I have to get an iPhone. It’s a great app but not that great. I’ll agree that the purple iPhone is a good choice 😂
 
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