One last thing…
Hello again.
Back in the early 2000s, as a young reporter covering the mobile telecoms sector and its increasing integration with the internet, I came across the term ‘walled garden’, which refers to ‘a closed environment where access to content or services are controlled’ (thanks ChatGPT). At the time, the internet felt truly open, and the most popular destinations were search engines, from where you were catapulted into the great unknown. The online world was your oyster.
Of course, that freedom still exists, and the internet has only continued to get exponentially bigger, but the rise of social media platforms has undoubtedly created more restricted, algorithmically curated experiences.
Another manifestation of the walled garden was Apple’s ecosystem around the iPhone. While Google opted to let any cellphone manufacturer use its Android operating system, and any app developer publish to its store, Apple kept a tight rein on controlling device manufacture and scrutinised the code of submitted apps.
I liked the idea of someone checking apps to increase device security, and my affinity to iPods and my music collection on iTunes, meant I transitioned to the iPhone about 15 years ago. I’ve never really been tempted to switch either, regardless of the innovations coming from other players. Despite being a bit of an Apple fanboy when it comes to mobile devices, this week I only had a mild interest in the annual Apple launch event. During the evening, I checked online for the major update announcements a couple of times, but it was all a bit ‘meh’. The focus was on iPhone 16 adding ‘Apple Intelligence’, however, the many new benefits seem to be tweaks on what already exists. And in the same vein, there were upgrades to the Airpods and Apple Watch, but it looks like Apple has run out of real innovation. The last new device category it launched, Apple Vision Pro, has followed in the footsteps of precursors Google Glass and Microsoft's Hololens. Apple’s quest for self-driving cars has hit a pothole, the prospect of a foldable iPhone has gone quiet, and even recent rumours of an Apple robot in the pipeline are failing to spark much interest. But, perhaps it’s not Apple, it could be me; the news this week that Huawei launched a tri-fold phone didn’t really excite me either. So, I’m wondering, has device innovation peaked? Or have I just got old?
While I’m left to ponder that, there was news this week that Adv Pansy Tlakula is seeking a legislative amendment to give the Information Regulator more bite. Elsewhere, Tlakula has also been busy issuing an enforcement notice to WhatsApp over its privacy policy. As one of our local community group's admins, I'm not sure whether to be filled with dread about POPIA compliance or relieved that the target is not our neighbourhood.
Given the recent call by ICASA’s chair for contributions from over-the-top players towards local network costs, it seems we’re starting to see more pressure being applied by our local regulators on the international social channels upon which we’ve all become so reliant.
Following our interview with ICASA’s Mothibi Ramusi, where he admitted that he’d not seen an application from Elon Musk’s Starlink to launch services locally, AfriForum has called on ICASA to drop the 30% BEE requirement to encourage Starlink into the country and give more widespread connectivity coverage. With reports circulating that president Cyril Ramaphosa has talked to Musk about the company providing the service locally, I guess time will tell.
And to hark back to when Apple did wow us, I’d like to leave you with ‘one last thing’. And that is, have a great weekend.
Until next time…
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