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No, Apple Isn’t Cutting Pebble Off From iOS

Pebble owners, breathe easy. Apple’s not banishing your smartwatch from your iPhone.

You’d be forgiven for thinking that, though. This week, just ahead of the Apple Watch’s launch, the App Store rejected updates to a handful of iOS apps that support the Pebble. That led many to worry that Cupertino was trying to quash its competitor as its own smartwatch hit the market. But WIRED has learned Apple’s review team simply made a mistake, and the company plans to continue supporting Pebble as it always has. For now, at least.

There are 401 iOS apps that work with Pebble smartwatches, and many of them have been updated recently. RunKeeper, for example, pushed a big update Monday. But PocketMariner’s SeaNav, a nautical navigation iPad app that’s been in the App Store for years, saw its latest update rejected. Apple’s explanation, according to a post in the Pebble forums by PocketMariner CEO Steve Bennett, was, “We noticed that your app or its metadata contains irrelevant platform information in the app.” It went on: “Specifically, your app and app description declare support for the Pebble Smartwatch.” The great irony is the SeaNav update was to add support for the Apple Watch.

An Apple spokesman confirmed to WIRED that this was a mistake and the company has not changed its policy toward Pebble. The SeaNav update, and others rejected under similar circumstances, will be accepted, and the company does not plan to reject apps that support Pebble.

Still, under its own review guidelines, Apple was within its authority to reject apps like SeaNav. Its developer guidelines specifically prohibit mentioning support for “any other mobile platform.” But Apple has long accepted Pebble, presumably because it has not seen it as a competing mobile platform. Pebble’s products, CEO Eric Migicovsky says, always have been certified as Made For iPhone—including the new Time and Time Steel. Even now, dozens of apps in the App Store mention Pebble; there are even a handful of third-party apps for managing and connecting to your watch.

But with the Apple Watch launching, it appears someone within the company was overly vigilant in the app review process. And this does raise a broader question: What happens if Apple does decide to cut Pebble off? The App Store is fully within its control, and it is free to change its mind about who is and is not competitive. This is about more than Pebble. There’s been apparent progress on making Android Wear compatible with iOS, something Apple could quash at any moment. Fitbit has an API, which others can use to make compatible apps. Could it be deemed a competitor? What about Jawbone? Or Nest, which competes with HomeKit? The Watch is among Apple’s widest-ranging products ever, with such vast possibilities that it’s competition could include virtually anything.

At the moment, it looks like a crisis averted, at least for a few developers and one smartwatch platform. But it’s a reminder that Apple, even a more open Apple, remains a tightly controlled ecosystem. That has inspired an incredible wealth of apps, services, and cool stuff beyond anything anyone could have imagined, but no one should ever forget who’s in control.

Comcast Can Blame Us All for Sinking Its Time Warner Deal

Skip to story Comcast CEO Brian Roberts speaks at a news conference in Washington D.C., June 11 2013. Andrew Harrer/Bloomberg/Getty Images

Comcast officially abandoned its plans to acquire Time Warner Cable earlier today. But the nation’s largest cable provider didn’t simply decide it wasn’t interested in the $45.2 billion dollar deal any longer. Signals from the Department Justice and the Federal Communications Commission made clear that the merger wouldn’t be approved, and Comcast decided to cut its losses.

Some claim the move is a victory for the Obama Administration, which has long promised to crack down on antitrust violations and mega-mergers. But in 2011, the FCC and the DOJ approved the merger of Comcast and NBC Universal, another coming together of two massive media companies that raised serious questions about conflicts of interest.

Does that mean federal regulators have toughened up since then? Maybe, maybe not. But one thing is for certain: the rest of us have. The world is paying attention to internet policy in a way that it never has before. And with that attention comes pressure that will force the government’s hand on everything from network neutrality to antitrust as the internet becomes increasingly central to the lives of everyone.

A Different Perspective

One of the most obvious changes to the political landscape since the Comcast-NBC deal is the appointment of former telco lobbyist Tom Wheeler as FCC chairman in 2013. The previous chairman, Meredith Attwell Baker, left the agency in 2011 to take a job with Comcast about two months after her approval of the NBC merger.

Wheeler has brought a very different perspective to the FCC, says Randolph May, president of the Free State Foundation, a think tank that has generally been skeptical of government regulation.

“I think the current FCC has a way of looking at things that is more suspicious of the internet service providers than I think is warranted,” he says, pointing to the rise of wireless internet services and high-speed fiber networks as potential competitors to established cable and DSL providers. He also says the growing power and wealth of content providers such as Facebook, Google and Netflix could have served as checks on the power of a combined Comcast and Time Warner Cable.

May thinks that suspicion of ISPs has played out in other recent decisions as well. For example, the agency recently redefined broadband as 25 megabits per second, up from just four megabits per second. “By doing that they magically, or ipso facto, increased the ‘broadband’ marketshare of Comcast and Time Warner Cable substantially,” he says.

Only Itself to Blame

But the appointment of Wheeler as FCC chairman can’t be the full explanation for the government’s shifting stance on mega-mergers. After all, the DOJ also approved the NBC deal. John Bergmayer of Public Knowledge, an advocacy group that promotes network neutrality and broadband access, points out that most of the staff of the two agencies has actually stayed the same over the past few years. “The FCC and DOJ staff don’t turn over as quickly as you might think,” he says.

Bergmayer says the way Comcast handled itself following the NBC deal doomed its effort to get another major acquisition approved. The FCC and the DOJ imposed a number of conditions on Comcast in effort to prevent the NBC Universal merger from harming consumers. But, he says, Comcast didn’t always follow the rules.

For example, in 2012 the FCC fined Comcast for not honoring its agreement to provide stand-alone broadband after the merger. In 2013, the agency issued another fine, saying Comcast violated “neighborhooding” agreements by failing to group together competing channels — for example, Bloomberg and MSNBC — on television dials.

Bergmayer also says that although Comcast agreed to honor the principles of network neutrality as part of the deal, the company has imposed bandwidth caps that its own services were able to bypass in what amounted to less-than-neutral discrimination against other content providers.

Even when Comcast did follow the rules of the agreement, Bergmayer says, those rules didn’t always have the results that regulators expected. “Being litigious, always looking for loop holes, and the conditions not really having the pro-competitve effect intended all reduced the appetite among policy makers to negotiate with Comcast this time around,” Bergmayer says.

The Price of Freedom

But in a way, seeking to give credit or cast blame is beside the point. The one overwhelming difference between today and 2011 is the dramatically heightened interest in the policies and companies that impact our access to the internet. Net neutrality went from esoteric geek issue to John Oliver rallying cry. And while everyone was watching, Comcast couldn’t seem to avoid acting like a mustache-twirling villain over and over again.

There was Comcast’s perpetual low rankings in customer satisfaction. There were the news reports of company reps changing customer names to “asshole brown” and “superbitch”. Then there were the apparently ghostwritten letters of support for the Time Warner merger.

At the same time, the public has become more sophisticated about internet policy debates in general.
Bergmayer credits that interest to this year’s campaign to protect network neutrality by reclassifying broadband providers as public utilities. The surge in public engagement might go back even further to the widespread campaigns against the SOPA and PIPA bills that would have required broadband providers to block access to content deemed to infringe copyrights. Regardless of what has spurred this heightened attention, the public is paying closer attention to how the government regulates the internet, and that scrutiny is clearly influencing decision-making.

And that need for public vigilance hardly comes to an end now that the Comcast-Time Warner deal is off. Charter Communications is already eying Time Warner Cable for itself, and thanks to Comcast, it now has a playbook for what not to do. Google, meanwhile, could emerge as a major player in both content and broadband access thanks to Google Fiber. As we all become more dependent on the internet, the companies that provide access to it become more powerful. The best way to keep that power in check is to keep paying attention.

Surprise: Frank Miller Is Returning to the Dark Knight Saga

DC Entertainment

Okay, didn’t see that one coming. Thirty years after his seminal miniseries/graphic novel The Dark Knight Returns—and nearly 15 years after his much less seminal sequel The Dark Knight Strikes Again—Frank Miller is coming back to Gotham. DC Entertainment has announced that Miller will be writing “the epic conclusion of the celebrated…saga.” An eight-issue miniseries beginning in late fall, The Dark Knight III: Master Race will be a joint writing venture between Miller and Brian Azzarello (who has also worked on Joker and other DC books). No artists have been announced, though a teaser image that DC released seems to point to the fact that Superman is going to be involved.

Overall, this is great news—we think. The original Dark Knight was a watershed moment in both Batman’s development and the validation of sequential art as a literary platform, and Miller is responsible for some truly incredible work, from Ronin to Sin City. Given Miller’s recent ideological (d)evolution, though, we do wish they’d gone with a different title. Coming from the guy who wrote Holy Terror, this is just a wee bit problematic.

Gadget Lab Podcast: We’ve Got Some Serious Questions About Google and Yoga

Turns out, the Internet isn’t going straight down the tubes. We got some good news this week: the corporate merger between Time Warner Cable and Comcast was abandoned, and Google’s new Project Fi mobile experiment may end up delivering a strong blow against the wireless carriers’ empire. Consumers are winning! The hosts discuss the implications. Also, Michael and David wonder why Facebook wants you to make more voice calls, and why Dropbox wants to own the online note-taking space. Oh, and David desperately wants to know what he has to do to win at yoga. (It’s all in the breathing, David.)

Listen to this week’s episode and subscribe via RSS. Also, here’s a link to our iTunes page.

Send the hosts feedback on their personal Twitter feeds (David Pierce is @piercedavid and Michael Calore is @snackfight) or to the main hotline at @GadgetLab.

PS: This is Episode 237!

2015: The Year We Saved the Internet

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It’s Friday, so let’s look at the Historic Internet Moments ledger for 2015. Net neutrality survived a direct assault. Comcast’s monopolistic pursuit of Time Warner Cable has been abandoned. We’ve gracefully sidestepped not one but two potential online dystopias, and it’s not even May.

What’s been accomplished already in 2015 is all the more remarkable considering that neither of these results was a given, or even considered remotely likely just a short time ago. “About a year ago I was ready to call it quits,” says Tim Wu, policy advocate, Columbia Law School professor, and the man who coined the term “net neutrality” in the first place. “Between the NSA, net neutrality falling apart, the merger and the assumption it was going to happen… But the situation has reversed itself.” That reversal couldn’t have come at a better time.

Let’s start with Comcast’s retreat, since it’s still got that new-victory smell. Had its merger with Time Warner Cable gone through, we would have been faced with not just one more cable monopoly—and all the lack of choice and stunted innovation that comes with it—we would have consolidated so much of this country’s broadband that everyone from infrastructure companies like Level 3 to content providers like Netflix would have felt the pinch. Remember, too, that Comcast both controls how millions of Americans access the internet and owns NBC Universal, which means the deal would have put the fate of any online video platform in the hands of a company incentivized to crush it.

That the Comcast-Time Warner Cable deal should be stopped was never really in doubt, but until recently there wasn’t much in the FCC’s history to indicate that it was going to do anything about it. The agency is headed, after all, by Tom Wheeler, whose resumé includes stints as president of both the Cellular Telecom and Internet (CTIA) Association and the National Cable and Telecom Association (NCTA). In other words, the fate of the merger was largely in the hands of a man who built his career lobbying on behalf of the companies he is now charged with regulating. That’s not someone you would expect to crash a Big Cable wedding, calling it an “unacceptable risk to competition and innovation.”

And yet he did.

What we averted was an alternate universe in which Comcast and Time Warner trapped 35 million people in a hellscape of poor customer service and even worse pricing models.

Those same ties are what made the FCC’s February net neutrality ruling so surprising. The assumption had for some time been that corporate interests would prevail; the issues were too complicated, the required regulations to drastic. Instead, writing in WIRED, the FCC announced it would change the way that internet service providers are classified entirely, to ensure that online traffic is treated equally no matter where it comes from.

It’s going to be difficult to appreciate the full weight of these outcomes, in the same way it’s difficult to appreciate how you didn’t fall into a manhole yesterday; from the consumer’s vantage point, they both preserve the status quo. The internet will act and feel and cost pretty much the same.

What we averted, though, was an alternate universe in which Comcast and Time Warner trapped 35 million people in a hellscape of poor customer service and even worse pricing models, one where certain sites and services were delivered more slowly than others (or weren’t delivered at all) unless you or they tithed to the ISPs. We didn’t make the internet that much better this year, but we saved it from becoming demonstrably, intractably worse.

How We Won

Perhaps even more promising than the fact of these wins is how they were achieved. Wu credits the Obama administration’s decision to stand by its 2008 campaign promises, along with a regulatory body more interested in competition than entrenched interests. In other words, the FCC finally found its spine. The net neutrality fight, meanwhile, was aided greatly by 2.5 million online comments, submitted to the agency over a five-month period. Many of those were likely inspired by an explanatory video from comedian John Oliver that has piled up 9 million views on YouTube. It’s “a public that’s willing to act when it gets pissed off,” says Wu, “in ways that are not simply posting angry messages on forums but getting a little better involved.” It’s a tidy bit of symmetry; the internet needed protection, and found it within itself.

Hopefully there’s more where that came from. There’s still plenty of time left in 2015 for things to go wrong, and plenty of threats to worry about. The looming Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) agreement between 12 countries—including the U.S.—features overly restrictive copyright law that’s been roundly denounced by the Electronic Frontier Foundation and others. Likewise, the Cybersecurity Information Sharing Act (CISA) continues to wend its way through our legislative corridors, and could well make it even easier for the government to glean your online data and habits from the internet companies you rely on daily. These would each, in their own way, make the the internet a less open, less private, less enjoyable place.

The good news is, neither TPP nor CISA has passed yet. No, you probably shouldn’t bet against either (CISA’s twin in the House of Representatives passed earlier this week). Then again, that’s what most people would have said about the net neutrality ruling a year ago, or Comcast-TWC last fall.

So let’s look at these not as threats but opportunities. You don’t have to look far to find petitions against TPP and CISA, or for contact information for your local representatives. We’ve saved the internet twice already in 2015; there’s no reason we can’t do it again.

TV This Week: Fallon and Russell Crowe Duet About Oil Balls

So at first, we weren’t sure about this week’s TV. We had some clips gathered up, but beyond Anna Kendrick and and John Krasinski throwing down for a lip sync battle, we weren’t feeling especially wowed. But then the middle of the week came, which meant Amy Schumer being the best and some surprisingly satisfying late-night appearances, particularly on The Tonight Show. We started with a trickle, but ended with a flood—and fortunately for you, all the dirty work of sifting through the mire has been done. And even though we couldn’t fit it in the official top cuts, do treat yourself to Gina Rodriguez being ultra charming on Late Night with Seth Meyers. She won a Golden Globe for playing the title role in Jane the Virgin, and is apparently just a gem.

Inside Amy Schumer—Last F**kable Day (Above)

We gave you the GIF and Graf, and now we’re giving you the whole sketch. For bonus material in which Amy lambasts the hyper-aggressive and terrifyingly rapey culture surrounding football, check out “Football Town Nights” here. Be warned, this is the uncensored version with pretty NSFW language.

Lip Sync Battle—‪Anna Kendrick’s ‘Booty’ vs. John Krasinski’s ‘Proud Mary’‬

‬‬‬Careful. Watching this might make you so attracted to Anna Kendrick and John Krasinksi—and especially Anna Kendrick—that you might want to wait till you get home from work. Just trying to look out for you.

The Daily Show with Jon Stewart—2015 ‘Mercun Awards

‬‬For extra ‘Mercun fun, watch Stewart take the temperature of the Republican presidential hopefuls when it comes to gay marriage here.

The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon—Jimmy Fallon and Russell Crowe Sing ‘Balls in Your Mouth’

‬‬‬‬So at this point, Russell Crowe doesn’t exactly have a reputation for whimsy, but he’s pretty damn game here for some “Balls in Your Mouth.” Maybe him and Jimmy should start an all-star band called 31 Odd Foot of Grunts. Well played, Crowe.

The Late Show With David Letterman—Tracy Chapman: ‘Stand by Me’

‬What happens when you take a highly sentimental song and ask one of the most earnest artists in music to cover it? Tears. That’s what happens. Enjoy the simple beauty of Tracy Chapman and Ben E. King.

Jimmy Kimmel Live!—John Stamos Announces Full House Is Coming Back

The new Full House will focus on D.J. Tanner, who is now a widow and a veterinarian struggling to raise her two kids alone while expecting a third. So she does what anyone who grew up in such a FULL HOUSE would do: recruit her sister, Stephanie (a returning Jodie Sweetin) and BFF, Kimmy Gibbler (once again, Andrea Barber) to move into her San Francisco house and be one big modern family. Stamos is clearly on board, which hopefully means Aunt Becky (the similarly well-aged Lori Laughlin) is coming back, too, because wasn’t she great? But who knows about Bob Saget and the Olsen twins! According a Fox News story (so, basically according to nothing), America’s most impressive twins didn’t even know about it. Way harsh, Netflix. So, there’s already (fake) drama brewing, and they haven’t even started filming yet. But the bigger question here is: Where were you when Firefly needed your help, NETFLIX?!

The Late Show with David Letterman—Amy Schumer’s Mom’s Bad Advice

If Broad City had to wrap up for the season, at least we have Amy Schumer to cushion the blow, and hopefully we can look forward to a late-night Schumer press tour a la Abbi Jacobson and Ilana Glazer during this season of Inside. If you still need MOAR AMY, watch her taunt Letterman with her vagina here.

Conan—Rosario Dawson Wants to Mug New Yorkers

You heard it straight from the source, everyone. When that petty crime wave kicks up around New York City this spring, don’t say you weren’t warned. Rosario on the loose!

The Daily Show with Jon Stewart—Jeff Garlin

‬‬‬This whole “Jon Stewart is going off the air and running a victory lap” thing is going to be super fun, you guys. And now we want to go to a BBQ with Stewart and his old pal Jeff. Then we’ll keep the good times rolling by hitting up the supermarket with Jeff, Jon, and Billy Crystal after they get super high. #Goals

The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon—Say Anything With Blake Lively

‬‬‬Blake Lively. How do you stay so charming, Blake Lively? Taking a break from motherhood and the real-world fairytale that is preserve.us HQ—which she shares with husband/World’s Most Handsome Amiable Star, Ryan Reynolds—Blake stopped by The Tonight Show to raz Jimmy Fallon and tape his face together during one of his signature silly games. She also had a completely legitimate reaction while talking to her Age of Adeline co-star Harrison Ford after she binge-watched the Indiana Jones movies one night before seeing him on set. She talks about it here. Come on. Don’t act like you would be any cooler around Han Solo aka Dr. Jones aka Jack Ryan aka Rick Deckard. Because you wouldn’t.

Split Screen: Last Man on Earth Is a Nature Show About Jerks

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The Last Man on Earth wraps up its first season on Sunday, and even though Peter and Kelli have watched all the episodes together, they’ve had two totally different experiences. Peter can’t get enough of Will Forte’s insanity, but has probably hit his limit for cringe comedy. Meanwhile, Kelli puts on her anthropology hat and instead sees an ever-growing ensemble dealing with the struggles of getting over differences (and dislikes) to build society from scratch. One thing they can agree on: They’re excited to see what Season 2 brings.