Phil Schiller and Craig Federighi Talk iMessage, Siri API and Mac App Store on 'The Talk Show'

[MacRumors]

A day after Apple's WWDC keynote address, Apple SVP of Marketing Phil Schiller and SVP of Software Engineering Craig Federighi joined Daring Fireball's John Gruber on a special edition of his podcast, The Talk Show. The duo addressed many topics, including the emphasis on iMessage in iOS 10, opening up Siri and other parts of iOS up to developers and the Mac App Store.

The bulk of Apple's presentation on iOS 10 was focused on the extensive improvements to iMessage. When Gruber asked Federighi about the focus on Messages Federighi said the company knew that it was the app iPhone users spent the most time in, and the one they get the most excited about.

Every time we add emoji it would be the biggest thing. We work all year on a new file system or something and people are more excited about the two more emoji. So we figured if there's one place where we could make a difference in how people experience iOS it's Messages.

With iOS 10, Apple announced that many of its services would be opened up to developers. Siri now has an API that allows developers to interface with it, iMessage includes a new App Store that will allow developers to create stickers and payments for it, and Apple Maps now allows developers to create extensions for their apps, allowing users to book a reservation or hail a cab via Maps.

Federighi and Schiller both said that Apple likes to create a baseline for its technology first, then allow developers to build on it. Federighi said this is illustrated by Share Sheets, which at first only featured Facebook and Twitter extensions that were built by Apple, rather than third-party developers. He said that once the company creates the systems they deem necessary for a feature, they feel comfortable opening it up to third parties.

Federighi said that Apple wants to give developers more opportunities to give users better experiences, and that if developers feel like they can help users get things done by invoking their apps through Siri they want to help.

Federighi also addressed the ability to "delete" stock apps in iOS 10, clarifying that the apps are not actually deleted, with only user data and necessary hooks being removed if a user opts to delete the apps from his or her device. The apps themselves remain on the device as part of the signed package Apple uses to assure authenticity. "Re-downnloading" the apps from the App Store doesn't actually involve a download and instead simply re-links the apps back into iOS so they can be used.

When asked why Siri's API is limited to certain kinds of apps, like ride-hailing services like Uber or messaging, Federighi and Schiller once again talked about Apple's baseline philosophy. Federighi said the decision to go with those apps types was made because Siri largely understands the domains of messaging and requesting purchases, making it easier to give the keys to developers and ensure a great user experience. He also said that Apple is working to expand Siri's familiarity with certain domains over time.

Recently, a survey indicated that developers were dissatisfied with the state of the Mac App Store. Gruber asked Schiller and Federighi whether the store was a second priority for the company because of the popularity of the iOS App Store, which Apple recently revealed a slew of improvements for. Schiller said that Apple "loves all of our kids" and that they're very happy with the Mac App Store, noting that they think it's important enough to host their own apps on it. Apple thinks it's an important solution for the future of the platform and are dedicated to it.

Schiller said that Apple pushes to make sure that all things make as much sense as possible on all storefronts, and that they organize development time and resources based on what they think the need for some features are. For example, Apple felt like the need for TestFlight on iOS was more important than the need for TestFlight on macOS.

In the full talk, the pair also talks about Swift, WWDC lunch boxes, and more. The episode of The Talk Show is not yet online, but it should be available in video form on Daring Fireball in due time.

Article Link: Phil Schiller and Craig Federighi Talk iMessage, Siri API and Mac App Store on 'The Talk Show'

 

[Bbqthis]

Tried to watch it and got this:

Shame on Gruber.

 

[JimmyHook]

These guys hit a home run with iOS 10!

 

[CrystalPepsi]

Tried to watch it and got this:

View attachment 636023
Shame on Gruber.

As much hate that goes around in the Apple community in regards to Flash, I was very surprised to see this.

 

[swingerofbirch]

Every time we add emoji it would be the biggest thing. We work all year on a new file system or something and people are more excited about the two more emoji.

I wonder if these "people" he's talking about are Tim Cook? It seems like the thing he'd be excited about.

The Mac users I know, and like myself, want stability and not gimmicks, and a new file system is the most exciting thing Apple has announced with relevance to the Mac in many years' time.

 

[cmChimera]

They do need to fix the Mac App Store.

 

[lovehateapple]

I understand why apple spent so much time and energy improving (hopefully) Messages in iOS, but I really wish they would also fix Messages on the Mac. I have lost the ability to screenshare, which was a very useful tool.

 

[baller1308]

I forgot about Phil. No hardware at WWDC, no Phil :-/

 

[Internet Enzyme]

A day after Apple's WWDC keynote address, Apple SVP of Marketing Phil Schiller and SVP of Software Engineering Craig Federighi joined Daring Fireball's John Gruber on a special edition of his podcast, The Talk Show. The duo addressed many topics, including the emphasis on iMessage in iOS 10, opening up Siri and other parts of iOS up to developers and the Mac App Store.

The bulk of Apple's presentation on iOS 10 was focused on the extensive improvements to iMessage. When Gruber asked Federighi about the focus on Messages Federighi said the company knew that it was the app iPhone users spent the most time in, and the one they get the most excited about.
With iOS 10, Apple announced that many of its services would be opened up to developers. Siri now has an API that allows developers to interface with it, iMessage includes a new App Store that will allow developers to create stickers and payments for it, and Apple Maps now allows developers to create extensions for their apps, allowing users to book a reservation or hail a cab via Maps.

Federighi and Schiller both said that Apple likes to create a baseline for its technology first, then allow developers to build on it. Federighi said this is illustrated by Share Sheets, which at first only featured Facebook and Twitter extensions that were built by Apple, rather than third-party developers. He said that once the company creates the systems they deem necessary for a feature, they feel comfortable opening it up to third parties.

Federighi said that Apple wants to give developers more opportunities to give users better experiences, and that if developers feel like they can help users get things done by invoking their apps through Siri they want to help.

When asked why Siri's API is limited to certain kinds of apps, like ride-hailing services like Uber or messaging, Federighi and Schiller once again talked about Apple's baseline philosophy. Federighi said the decision to go with those apps types was made because Siri largely understands the domains of messaging and requesting purchases, making it easier to give the keys to developers and ensure a great user experience. He also said that Apple is working to expand Siri's familiarity with certain domains over time.

Recently, a survey indicated that developers were dissatisfied with the state of the Mac App Store. Gruber asked Schiller and Federighi whether the store was a second priority for the company because of the popularity of the iOS App Store, which Apple recently revealed a slew of improvements for. Schiller said that Apple "loves all of our kids" and that they're very happy with the Mac App Store, noting that they think it's important enough to host their own apps on it. Apple thinks it's an important solution for the future of the platform and are dedicated to it.

Schiller said that Apple pushes to make sure that all things make as much sense as possible on all storefronts, and that they organize development time and resources based on what they think the need for some features are. For example, Apple felt like the need for TestFlight on iOS was more important than the need for TestFlight on macOS.

In the full talk, the pair also talks about Swift, WWDC lunch boxes, and more. The episode of The Talk Show is not yet online, but it should be available in video form on Daring Fireball in due time.

Article Link: Phil Schiller and Craig Federighi Talk iMessage, Siri API and Mac App Store on 'The Talk Show'

Craig's right, you know. I heard a conversation where one person was trying to convince the other that they should updat to iOS 9. His reason for not updating was that he didnt like the new app switcher (as petty as that is), and her reason was that their were new emoji's. That's all anyone cares about, as sad as it is. I ****ing hate emoji

 

[argentum47]

Right before WWDC, there were rumors of iMessage becoming open to other platforms such as Android, but where is that now? If that's not happening, and if Apple is making such a big deal out of iMessage as they are doing now, I'd say they're just being arrogant or ignorant or intentionally incompetent. No matter how good iMessage becomes, it will simply not pick up unless it's accessible to all major platforms, except in Apple campus.

 

[Tubamajuba]

I wonder if these "people" he's talking about are Tim Cook? It seems like the thing he'd be excited about.

The Mac users I know, and like myself, want stability and not gimmicks, and a new file system is the most exciting thing Apple has announced with relevance to the Mac in many years' time.

The majority of Mac, iOS, Windows, Android, etc. users are not like the average MacRumors forum user. Most people would stare at you blankly if you said "file system". They wouldn't even care if you explained what a file system is. That's why Apple went hard on things like emojis and Minnie Mouse during the keynote.Those are things that average people care about. Yes, WWDC is for developers, but Apple is well aware that the keynote attracts attention from the mainstream media.

Times have changed in the tech world. Techies are such a small part of the userbase that we frequently get ignored.

 

[msh]

New Apple vision: lowest common denominator pandering

 

[Aldaris]

I forgot about Phil. No hardware at WWDC, no Phil :-/

Biggest surprise is he doing the interview. It's not his foray, no hardware to show off, no Schiller, no Ive, they should be back at Apple working and not playing the media game imo. When you have something to present then you can play show and tell.

(Not that Ive needs to be included as he has been MIA from what I've seen, but to establish the theory here).

 

[developer13245]

"Recently, a survey indicated that developers were dissatisfied with the state of the Mac App Store. Gruber asked Schiller and Federighi whether the store was a second priority..."

Wow, what a way to tip toe around the issue. Did Gruber ask them about the dissatisfaction? Or did MR just add that to make it sound like they did?

Does the interview actually address developer satisfaction? Did Shriller and Fettuccine address the survey results?

Keep up the "soft balling" MR, can't wait until wait until we're all back on Windows....

 

[TechZeke]

Biggest surprise is he doing the interview. It's not his foray, no hardware to show off, no Schiller, no Ive, they should be back at Apple working and not playing the media game imo. When you have something to present then you can play show and tell.

(Not that Ive needs to be included as he has been MIA from what I've seen, but to establish the theory here).

"Where are the Macs Phil?" would have been first thing I would have asked. Phil would definitely give a BS answer like when he defended 16GB iPhones, but someone needs to publicly ride Apple's ass about Macs. Its not even funny anymore.

 

[branca]

With respect for new faces and emoji, I keep reading that people and I we simply want a file manager in iOS that let us share things, avoid the cloud, skip iTunes. Throw in a card reader and a little more connectivity and you have a real iPad Pro. As for the MacBooks Give us a refresh, more upgrade chances (SSD and RAM) and that is it.
The watch is nice but 450 eur for a second iPhone screen is a little too much.

 

[theheadguy]

Does anyone find it interesting (or even really notice) that the apple execs really dismiss what the people actually want and instead just defend their initial positions. Only when Jobs was there did they ever actually admit when they screwed up. This is a classic executive circle who's focus is on keeping their jobs than making bold decisions based on customer demand.

An earlier commenter said they hit it out of the park with iOS 10. Are they joking? The billions of dollars of resources and sheer numbers of employees and length of time and this is called hitting it out of the park? We've set a very, very low bar to be so impressed by them...

 

[macduke]

Was

As much hate that goes around in the Apple community in regards to Flash, I was very surprised to see this.

I was watching it fine on my iPad—well, that is until the stream crashed and I couldn't get it to resume.

--

The show started out ok with Gruber fumbling through his sponsors. Then after Craig and Phil came out on stage, there were some awkward and persistent audio feedback issues, with Craig and Phil trying to concentrate and casually adjust their audio gear while Gruber seemed to be dying, unable to focus for a bit while also mouthing or gesturing something over to the crew while the guys talked, and then he seemed to lose his train of thought with his questions because of the noise. I was cringing so hard. I don't even think Craig's mic worked at first. You don't get many opportunities like this and I wanted to curl up in a ball while watching. I think I actually did start rocking nervously—like a train wreck I couldn't look away from it! Eventually they tamed the audio feedback (didn't seem like it was completely gone) but things improved drastically with the interview. Then a few minutes later the stream cut out. I assumed Apple shut it down, nuking it from orbit, like they do.

 

[shareef777]

Right before WWDC, there were rumors of iMessage becoming open to other platforms such as Android, but where is that now? If that's not happening, and if Apple is making such a big deal out of iMessage as they are doing now, I'd say they're just being arrogant or ignorant or intentionally incompetent. No matter how good iMessage becomes, it will simply not pick up unless it's accessible to all major platforms, except in Apple campus.

This! The arrogance of Apple. It's like they're telling everyone, if people you know don't have iPhones, they're not worth messaging with.

 

[developer13245]

Does anyone find it interesting (or even really notice) that the apple execs really dismiss what the people actually want and instead just defend their initial positions. Only when Jobs was there did they ever actually admit when they screwed up. This is a classic executive circle who's focus is on keeping their jobs than making bold decisions based on customer demand.

An earlier commenter said they hit it out of the park with iOS 10. Are they joking? The billions of dollars of resources and sheer numbers of employees and length of time and this is called hitting it out of the park? We've set a very, very low bar to be so impressed by them...

Agree! But I don't think this situation will resolve until it's too late. I'm naming this phase of Apple's life the "Apple Mutual Admiration Society" (AMAS).

 

[macduke]

Craig's right, you know. I heard a conversation where one person was trying to convince the other that they should updat to iOS 9. His reason for not updating was that he didnt like the new app switcher (as petty as that is), and her reason was that their were new emoji's. That's all anyone cares about, as sad as it is. I ****ing hate emoji

 

[Cloudsurfer]

"Work all year on a new File System"

What file system? You mean the HFS that has been here since the dawn of time?

 

[glindon]

New Apple vision: lowest common denominator pandering

You mean the majority of people buying devices?

 

[cipo]

I don't see the big deal about iMessage. I have to use a cross-platform messenger for my non-iPhone contacts anyway (and WhatsApp is the quasi standard in my area) so why keep two around? It's as if I had to use a separate mail app just to talk to Gmail users.

The only reason I sometimes use it is its graceful fallback to SMS.

 

[TechZeke]

The majority of Mac, iOS, Windows, Android, etc. users are not like the average MacRumors forum user. Most people would stare at you blankly if you said "file system". They wouldn't even care if you explained what a file system is. That's why Apple went hard on things like emojis and Minnie Mouse during the keynote.Those are things that average people care about. Yes, WWDC is for developers, but Apple is well aware that the keynote attracts attention from the mainstream media.

Times have changed in the tech world. Techies are such a small part of the userbase that we frequently get ignored.

Unfortunately, this is a hard truth. Joe and Jane could care less about whether their new iPhone is using an A8 or A9, or whether their new MacBook has Skylake when Broadwell and Haswell run perfectly fine.

Its the same deal with why the non-retina MBP continues to sell. In average Joe or Jane's mind:

Mac? - check
CD Drive? - check
cheap? - check
plenty of storage? - check

As much as us Macrumorites hate HDDs, the average joe would choose 500GB HDD over the 128GB SSD every time. They don't really know or care, they just want more storage.