Comparing the iPhone camera, Apple's 'Underdogs,' Apple Card envy, and more on the AppleInsider Podcast

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This week on the AppleInsider Podcast, guest Vlad Savov joins Victor to talk about smartphone cameras, the immediate desire for Apple Card, and what's wrong with glorifying being overworked.

AppleInsider editor Victor Marks and The Verge editor Vlad Savov discuss:

Cameras. Vlad believes that Apple is the best in usability terms, but that the computational photography especially for low-light is better on some Android phones. Victor gets Vlad to talk about why DxOMark ratings aren't helpful.
Apple released a video entitled, "The Underdogs". Vlad and Victor both have concerns about what it says about Apple's view of work, overwork, and crunch time.
We're card-carrying geeks... but will we carry the Apple Card?
Apple's ECG feature launched for Europe and almost immediately, helped a wearer identify atrial fibrillation that had gone unnoticed. Vlad talks about step counting accuracy, and is concerned about false positives. Note: calibrate your Apple Watch for steps, and it's highly accurate.

We like reader email — send us your comments and concerns!.

The show is available on iTunes and your favorite podcast apps by searching for "AppleInsider." Click here to listen, subscribe, and don't forget to rate our show.

Listen to the embedded SoundCloud feed below:

Show note links:

Alleged photo of 2019 iPhone chassis claims to confirm three camera design
Samsung, Huawei getting close to iPhone, spending on camera hardware to get there
The iPhone's camera used to be a selling point
Apple touts workplace synergy in 'The Underdogs' ad
Apple Card will be the most secure credit card ever, and here's why
How the Apple Card will assist in managing your finances
Apple Watch credited with saving life days after ECG feature launched in Europe
Mentioned on the show: Halide, an app that puts perfect photography within reach.
And Filmic Pro, for shooting pro video, used in movies like Soderberg's "Unsane".

Follow our hosts on Twitter: @vladsavov and @vmarks.

Feedback and comments are always appreciated. Please contact the AppleInsider podcast at [email protected] and follow us on Twitter @appleinsider, plus Facebook and Instagram.

Those interested in sponsoring the show can reach out to us at [email protected].

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6 Comments

maestro64

said about 5 years ago

Guy you should not have gone off on a tangent, you even warned about doing that so I will take this time to say...

First, I do not think any company should take advantage or abuse their workforce, if they do that is just wrong. However, your statement about "crush time" and the fact there is no reason a company should do this to employees and there is no need to work 60 or 80 hr in a week and how people under perform when under this level of stress or lack of sleep does not represent everyone, and sleep study that Vlad quote is not true for everyone. I am glad Vlad really needs 8 hrs of sleep to feel normal each day. if I get 8 hours it bothers me.

I would point out Edison, who use to power nap all the time he never sleep a full night and this guy was prolific inventor and he did his best work with little sleep. Tesla was another who work endlessly. Steve jobs was known to do this, but he also knew how meditate. There are lots of people who can do this, they put out their best work under stress. Different people handle stress in very different ways so what may kill one person actually drives another person to succeed. I know you think you are somehow being a champion for people who work on in a environment which it is expect to put in long hours, but unless you actually work in this environment you have no idea what it is like. If we did not have people who could not work like this was we would not have the world we live. Something to keep in mind.

I spent half my career in this environment where we worked non-stop to release a product, keep in mind this is not 365 days/yr things we are talking 1 or 2 months or a week or two here and there. Most places once the product is release the company allows people to recover and rejuvenate. Yes some people can not handle it and they probably should find a different job. I use to love this environment, many times I produced my best work late at night. When I had my kids, I was the one who got up in the middle of the night and dealt with them since I could manage with little sleep. My worked never suffer I got some of my best raises and rewards during this time. When my kids were a little older, I worked a full time job in a high tech company in engineering, went back got my Master in Business at top school and had family time with the kids. Use to be up till 1 or 2 in the morning most days doing school work. It can be done and some people have the ability to do this. But I know people who can not and I also know some people work long hours because they can not figure out how to get things done in 8 hours or how to walk away and let it drop. That is not the companies fault some people are in the wrong job or profession.

The wife and I both removed ourselves form these kinds of environment, we done our parts and no longer interested in working those long hours. We work for more laid back companies now. I now spend time doing other things, but I can still do it if call upon. Most time I do it for my own things verse for a company.

Vlad, on your comment about the Apple watch and being accurate, I heard you say you tested it and found it not be accurate on steps wonder how long you tested it and how. Well I have the original watch so does my wife, and they are dead on accurate when it comes to activities and counting steps and distance. The watch needs to be trained to your walking habits and stride. It took about a month or so to the watch was actuate. The wife and I walk every morning 2.5 miles with our dog, and we know the path and how long it is. At first the watch would be off hundreds of feet for when we walk a mile eventually it landed the spot with in 10 to 20 ft every day and the step also come in about the same every day at 2500 steps per mile walked. The got her watch 6 months after me and her did the exact same thing it eventually was equal to mine. Also the software updates made the watch better, obviously Apple got it figure out since everyone walks or runs differently and the watch learn this it is not one size fits all. I will share you can fake out the step count, all you need to do is rack you lawn, racking and moving your arms back and forth does cause the watch to think your are talking more steps than you really are. I get 20,000 step when I rake my lawn. Raking is probably equal to 20,000 steps of activity.

22july2013

said about 5 years ago

In the podcast you said "penultimate." But in the immortal words of Inigo Montoya from the Princess Bride "You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means." https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dTRKCXC0JFg

vmarks

said about 5 years ago

22july2013 said:

In the podcast you said "penultimate." But in the immortal words of Inigo Montoya from the Princess Bride "You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means." https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dTRKCXC0JFg

It means 'second to final'. Perhaps he meant 'epitome.'

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I73sP93-0xA

vmarks

said about 5 years ago

maestro64 said:

Guy you should not have gone off on a tangent, you even warned about doing that so I will take this time to say...

First, I do not think any company should take advantage or abuse their workforce, if they do that is just wrong. However, your statement about "crush time" and the fact there is no reason a company should do this to employees and there is no need to work 60 or 80 hr in a week and how people under perform when under this level of stress or lack of sleep does not represent everyone, and sleep study that Vlad quote is not true for everyone. I am glad Vlad really needs 8 hrs of sleep to feel normal each day. if I get 8 hours it bothers me.

I would point out Edison, who use to power nap all the time he never sleep a full night and this guy was prolific inventor and he did his best work with little sleep. Tesla was another who work endlessly. Steve jobs was known to do this, but he also knew how meditate. There are lots of people who can do this, they put out their best work under stress. Different people handle stress in very different ways so what may kill one person actually drives another person to succeed. I know you think you are somehow being a champion for people who work on in a environment which it is expect to put in long hours, but unless you actually work in this environment you have no idea what it is like. If we did not have people who could not work like this was we would not have the world we live. Something to keep in mind.

I spent half my career in this environment where we worked non-stop to release a product, keep in mind this is not 365 days/yr things we are talking 1 or 2 months or a week or two here and there. Most places once the product is release the company allows people to recover and rejuvenate. Yes some people can not handle it and they probably should find a different job. I use to love this environment, many times I produced my best work late at night. When I had my kids, I was the one who got up in the middle of the night and dealt with them since I could manage with little sleep. My worked never suffer I got some of my best raises and rewards during this time. When my kids were a little older, I worked a full time job in a high tech company in engineering, went back got my Master in Business at top school and had family time with the kids. Use to be up till 1 or 2 in the morning most days doing school work. It can be done and some people have the ability to do this. But I know people who can not and I also know some people work long hours because they can not figure out how to get things done in 8 hours or how to walk away and let it drop. That is not the companies fault some people are in the wrong job or profession.

The wife and I both removed ourselves form these kinds of environment, we done our parts and no longer interested in working those long hours. We work for more laid back companies now. I now spend time doing other things, but I can still do it if call upon. Most time I do it for my own things verse for a company.

Vlad, on your comment about the Apple watch and being accurate, I heard you say you tested it and found it not be accurate on steps wonder how long you tested it and how. Well I have the original watch so does my wife, and they are dead on accurate when it comes to activities and counting steps and distance. The watch needs to be trained to your walking habits and stride. It took about a month or so to the watch was actuate. The wife and I walk every morning 2.5 miles with our dog, and we know the path and how long it is. At first the watch would be off hundreds of feet for when we walk a mile eventually it landed the spot with in 10 to 20 ft every day and the step also come in about the same every day at 2500 steps per mile walked. The got her watch 6 months after me and her did the exact same thing it eventually was equal to mine. Also the software updates made the watch better, obviously Apple got it figure out since everyone walks or runs differently and the watch learn this it is not one size fits all. I will share you can fake out the step count, all you need to do is rack you lawn, racking and moving your arms back and forth does cause the watch to think your are talking more steps than you really are. I get 20,000 step when I rake my lawn. Raking is probably equal to 20,000 steps of activity.

We didn't go off on a tangent. I intended to talk about the overwork aspect of the video, especially because Jobs had a reputation for requiring people to set up cots in the office. And yes, when I made products, we worked longer hours as we got closer to shipping, but that doesn't mean that it's actually healthy, or a good way of managing a project. Glorifying it because we can point out a few successful examples where it's worked, when it is on the whole detrimental is not great - and it leads to managers demanding it earlier and earlier in the project, which becomes an unhealthy cycle.

I could have spoken at length about sleep - for example, people require different amounts of sleep at different ages. 8 hours isn't the right amount for everyone, and it may not even be the right amount for Vlad. It also depends a little on how you count - you don't fall asleep the second your head hits the pillow, you wake briefly in the night, maybe when you think you're getting 8 hours, you're actually only asleep for 7 - and 7 is more appropriate for people in their 30s / 40s. But talking about sleep at length would have been a tangent we didn't need to go into.

christopher126

said about 5 years ago

My father (CEO) would get 'creative' about 6PM in the evening when everyone else was completing their work day. He'd make them stay till 3AM bashing out a proposal or presentation! Which was always first class and impressive.

The next few days he was incredibly irritable and difficult with employees.

He lost a lot of talent this way.

To give him his due, he was brilliant and was thinking about the project at hand right until the last minute! Then got in gear as the pressure of the deadline loomed over him.

Learned a lot listening to the discussion. I can recognize when things don't look good or I'm in a bit of a bad mood. It's invariably due to a lack of a good night's sleep. And one can't make it up just in one night.

I've really cut back on staying up late, working.

What an intelligent guest you had on, Victor. Just about every topic he had a somewhat unique perspective. Really enjoyed the conversation.

Would just say one thing, whenever Android is mentioned and compared to iOS, the issue of privacy is hardly ever addressed. It's one thing to say I like the way Android does 'Notifications' and Apple could learn a few things. But, honestly, iOS could have no Notifications capability and I'd still not switch to Android.

Again, b/c of the lack of privacy with Android. :)

Best regards and great podcast, as usual! :)