Summary

The article humorously discusses the meticulous attention to detail in software beta reviews, highlighting minor updates and the importance of thorough reviews, while also revealing the author's personal oversight regarding features in the iOS Weather app.

Abstract

The author of the article reflects on the minute changes that beta reviewers often report, such as icon color shifts and design tweaks, which may seem trivial to some but are crucial to others. While the author jokes about these minuscule updates, they acknowledge the value of in-depth reviews that uncover significant new features, which they sometimes miss. The article also narrates the author's discovery of the precipitation history feature in the iOS Weather app, which they had overlooked despite its relevance to their personal task of watering plants. This realization leads to a broader reflection on how users, including the author, can sometimes be unaware of useful features right in front of them due to a lack of exploration or assumption.

Opinions

The author playfully critiques the granular nature of some beta updates, like the slight change in the color of an icon, while recognizing the necessity of such detailed reviews.
There is a hint of sarcasm in the author's tone when discussing the extreme attention to detail paid by beta reviewers to elements like the arc of book pages or the presence of a highway shield in an icon.
The author expresses genuine appreciation for the insights provided by thorough reviews, which can reveal valuable features that may otherwise go unnoticed.
The absence of the Weather and Calculator apps on the iPad is questioned, with the author finding Apple's explanation unsatisfactory.
The author admits to their own laziness in not exploring the full functionality of the iOS Weather app, which led to a late discovery of the precipitation history feature.
The article concludes with self-deprecating humor, as the author acknowledges being part of the group of users who miss out on obvious features and encourages readers to explore and learn more about their devices' capabilities.

Technology

Isn’t It Exciting When an Icon Changes Color from D93411 to D93410?

Or is a millimeter wider? Be still my heart!

Screenshot of iPhone Weather App by author

Oh, those beta reviewers — what would we do without them? These are the sharp-eyed folk who tell us what changes are in each beta update. Some actual quotes:

Books in the app now have less of an arc on the pages and more rounded corners.
There’s a new Apple Maps icon visible in the second betas, with the Interstate 280 shield removed from the bottom-right corner.
The clock icon is slightly tweaked with a bolder font and thicker hour and minute hands.

Not everything is as exciting as those examples, of course. Sometimes reviewers focus on teeny details that you and I wouldn’t even notice.

But a color change like the one in my title? That’s critical. Reddish orange vs. Reddish redder orange? You need to know that!

But seriously..

I may poke fun at some of these updates, but reviewers — real reviewers, not lazy sods like me — dig through the betas and tell us about important new features. I, on the other hand, miss things. Sometimes reviewers alert me to changes that make me very happy. For example, I read something recently by Craig McWha that pointed out some changes in the IOS 15 iPhone weather app.

Let’s digress

I don’t touch my iPhone often other than taking pictures. I use my iPhone frequently, but I don’t physically touch it much. Other than pictures, it’s a mostly a conduit: in my car, it funnels podcasts to CarPlay. When I answer a call on my iPad or send a text, the phone is how that stuff works. When I go for a walk, the phone stays in my pocket while I listen to podcasts on my Airpods. I use my phone, but I don’t notice it much.

Weather and Calculator

Did you know that the Apple weather app on the iPhone does not exist on iPad? You can find iPad weather apps in the App Store, but no Apple Weather app is there.People have supposed that this omission is because iPads don’t have GPS, but Apple’s Craig Federighi has said that Weather and a Calculator App were left out because Apple wants to do really good apps that takes advantage of the iPad.

That sounds weak, doesn’t it? But never mind, it is what it is. Or isn’t, in this case.

The Flowers!

I want to know about yesterday’s weather. Specifically, I want to know how much rain fell yesterday. The reason I want to know that is because my wife has flowers in pots and it’s my job to make sure they get water. I’m lazy; I’m not going to bother with the flowers if it rained while I was sleeping, so I want to know how much watering the sky gods did for me last night.

Most weather apps either don’t tell you that or bury precipitation history where it’s hard to find. That annoys me: in addition to being lazy about going out to water, I’m lazy about clicking through stuff to find out if I need to get out there.

Silly me

It turns out that the iPhone weather app does report precipitation. I did not know that until I saw it in a screenshot at the IOS 15 review I mentioned earlier. Why didn’t I know that? Well, partly because I don’t touch my phone much, but also because I have never scrolled down in that app and that’s how you get to the precipitation stuff.

And, much to my surprise, that has been there since before IOS 15. Sheesh!

See, it pays to read reviews. Or not be so lazy about scrolling, maybe.

Anyway, there is a new temperature map in the IOS 15 Weather app. That is new.

Apparently, I should not go near any water today as some of it is very, very hot.

I wonder what else I’ve missed

Sometimes when I help someone with their phone or iPad, I wonder “How could you not know this?”

Well, how could I not know that the weather app on my phone had that rainfall information I had been seeking? Did I ever try scrolling down? No. Did I ever google for “weather app with precipitation records”? No, again. How could I have missed something that annoyed me?

It seems that a lot of us are “lazy”. A lot of us miss what’s right in front of our faces. Not you, of course. I mean other people.

Like me.

Hey! If you like Medium, you could sign up as a member by using my referral link! If you do that, I get a boatload of money! Well, a dinghy-load. A tiny dinghy will pull up to my dock every month and cross my palms with silver. Neat, right?

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