Gmail turns 15, gets smart compose improvements and email scheduling

Exactly fifteen years ago, Google decided to confuse everybody by launching its long-awaited web-based email client on April 1. This definitely wasn’t a joke, though, and Gmail went on to become one of Google’s most successful products. Today, to celebrate its fifteenth birthday (and maybe make you forget about today’s final demise of Inbox and tomorrow’s shutdown of Google+), the Gmail team announced a couple of a new and useful Gmail features, including improvements to Smart Compose and the ability to schedule emails to be sent in the future.

Smart Compose, which tries to autocomplete your emails as you type them, will now be able to adapt to the way you write the greetings in your emails. If you prefer ‘Hey’ over ‘Hi,’ then Smart Compose will learn that. If you often fret over which subject to use for your emails, then there’s some relief here for you, too, because Smart Compose can now suggest a subject line based on the content of your email.

With this update, Smart Compose is now also available on all Android devices. Google says that it was previously only available on Pixel 3 devices, though I’ve been using it on my Pixel 2 for a while already, too. Support for iOS is coming soon.

In addition to this, Smart Compose is also coming to four new languages: Spanish, French, Italian and Portuguese.

That’s all very useful, but the feature that will likely get the most attention today is email scheduling. The idea here is as simple as the execution. The ‘send’ button now includes a drop-down menu that lets you schedule an email to be sent at a later time. Until now, you needed third-party services to do this, but now it’s directly integrated into Gmail.

Google is positioning the new feature as a digital wellness tool. “We understand that work can often carry over to non-business hours, but it’s important to be considerate of everyone’s downtime,” Jacob Bank, Director of Product Management, G Suite, writes in today’s announcement. “We want to make it easier to respect everyone’s digital well-being, so we’re adding a new feature to Gmail that allows you to choose when an email should be sent.”

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Apple cancels AirPower product, citing inability to meet its high standards for hardware

Apple has canceled the AirPower product completely, citing difficulty meeting its own standards.

“After much effort, we’ve concluded AirPower will not achieve our high standards and we have cancelled the project. We apologize to those customers who were looking forward to this launch. We continue to believe that the future is wireless and are committed to push the wireless experience forward,” said Dan Riccio, Apple’s senior vice president of Hardware Engineering in an emailed statement today.

After a delay of over a year since it was first announced in September of 2017, the AirPower charging mat has become something of a focal point for Apple’s recent habit of announcing envelope tickling products and not actually shipping them on time. The AirPods, famously, had a bit of a delay before becoming widely available, and were shipped in limited quantities before finally hitting their stride and becoming a genuine cultural moment.

AirPower, however, has had far more time to marinate in the soup of public opinion since it was announced. Along with recent MacBook keyboard troubles, this has functioned as a sort of flash point over discussion that something isn’t right with Apple’s hardware processes.

Everything I’ve personally heard (Apple is saying nothing officially) about the AirPower delay has been related to tough engineering problems related to the laws of physics. Specifically, I’ve heard that they ran too hot because the 3D charging coils in close proximity to one another required very, very cautious power management.

Always worth reading @gruber’s show recaps. The AirPower situation is real – heat is a problem and it was shown off too early. Sometimes Apple does this and eng rises to the challenge and delivers. Sometimes, physics. https://t.co/2YNlpPO1qO

— Matthew Panzarino (@panzer) September 16, 2018

Obviously, it would do Apple very little good to release a charging mat that caused devices to overheat, perhaps even to the point of damage. So, it has canceled the project. If you know more about this, feel free to reach out, I’m fascinated.

There have been other scenarios where Apple has pushed the hardware envelope hard and managed to pull it off and ship them, the iPhone 7 Plus, its first with a twin-lens system, being one that jumps to mind. Apple had a fallback plan in a single-lens version but at some point had to commit and step off a ledge to get it done in time to ship — even though knowing they still had problems to solve. Apple has done this many times over the years, but has managed to ship a lot of them.

AirPower, however, was the other kind of case. The project was apparently canceled so recently that boxes of the new AirPod cases even have pictures of AirPower on them and the new AirPod sets have mentions of AirPower.

This is a very, very rare public mis-step for Apple. Never, throughout the discussion about when AirPower might be released, did the overall trend of the discussion lean toward “never.” That’s a testament to the ability of its hardware engineering teams to consistently pull of what seems to be nearly impossible over the years. In this case, it appears that the engineering issues have proven, at least at this point, insurmountable.

The fact of the matter is that hardware is, well, hard. The basic concepts of wireless charging are well known and established, but by promising the ability to place multiple devices anywhere on a pad, allowing them to charge simultaneously while communicating charge levels and rates Apple set its bar incredibly high for AirPower. Too high, in this case.

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Apple cancels AirPower product, citing inability to meet its high standards for hardware

Apple has canceled the AirPower product completely, citing difficulty meeting its own standards.

“After much effort, we’ve concluded AirPower will not achieve our high standards and we have cancelled the project. We apologize to those customers who were looking forward to this launch. We continue to believe that the future is wireless and are committed to push the wireless experience forward,” said Dan Riccio, Apple’s senior vice president of Hardware Engineering in an emailed statement today.

After a delay of over a year since it was first announced in September of 2017, the AirPower charging mat has become something of a focal point for Apple’s recent habit of announcing envelope tickling products and not actually shipping them on time. The AirPods, famously, had a bit of a delay before becoming widely available, and were shipped in limited quantities before finally hitting their stride and becoming a genuine cultural moment.

AirPower, however, has had far more time to marinate in the soup of public opinion since it was announced. Along with recent MacBook keyboard troubles, this has functioned as a sort of flash point over discussion that something isn’t right with Apple’s hardware processes.

Everything I’ve personally heard (Apple is saying nothing officially) about the AirPower delay has been related to tough engineering problems related to the laws of physics. Specifically, I’ve heard that they ran too hot because the 3D charging coils in close proximity to one another required very, very cautious power management.

Always worth reading @gruber’s show recaps. The AirPower situation is real – heat is a problem and it was shown off too early. Sometimes Apple does this and eng rises to the challenge and delivers. Sometimes, physics. https://t.co/2YNlpPO1qO

— Matthew Panzarino (@panzer) September 16, 2018

Obviously, it would do Apple very little good to release a charging mat that caused devices to overheat, perhaps even to the point of damage. So, it has canceled the project. If you know more about this, feel free to reach out, I’m fascinated.

There have been other scenarios where Apple has pushed the hardware envelope hard and managed to pull it off and ship them, the iPhone 7 Plus, its first with a twin-lens system, being one that jumps to mind. Apple had a fallback plan in a single-lens version but at some point had to commit and step off a ledge to get it done in time to ship — even though knowing they still had problems to solve. Apple has done this many times over the years, but has managed to ship a lot of them.

AirPower, however, was the other kind of case. The project was apparently canceled so recently that boxes of the new AirPod cases even have pictures of AirPower on them and the new AirPod sets have mentions of AirPower.

This is a very, very rare public mis-step for Apple. Never, throughout the discussion about when AirPower might be released, did the overall trend of the discussion lean toward “never.” That’s a testament to the ability of its hardware engineering teams to consistently pull of what seems to be nearly impossible over the years. In this case, it appears that the engineering issues have proven, at least at this point, insurmountable.

The fact of the matter is that hardware is, well, hard. The basic concepts of wireless charging are well known and established, but by promising the ability to place multiple devices anywhere on a pad, allowing them to charge simultaneously while communicating charge levels and rates Apple set its bar incredibly high for AirPower. Too high, in this case.

 

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Apple to close Texture on May 28, following launch of Apple News+

A year ago, Apple acquired the digital newsstand app Texture to form the basis of its new subscription-based service, Apple News+, which launched on Monday. As some have expected, the standalone Texture app will soon shut down as a result. According to emails sent to current Texture subscribers pointing to a FAQ on the company’s website, Texture’s last day of service will be May 28, 2019. Existing customers will be offered a one-month free trial to Apple News+ to make the jump.

A closure like this was bound to come. It doesn’t make sense for Apple to continue to operate both Texture and Apple News.

But not everyone is thrilled about this change, of course.

Specifically, Android users and other subscribers without any Apple devices will now no longer have a way to access Texture, they’ve realized. That means they’ll lose access to the service entirely when it closes down in May (unless they buy a Mac or iOS device.)

@texture I'm not happy about this. I'm able to save money by reading all my fave mags here & not having to get a separate subscription for each or buying in store. I don't have any apple products so this hurts me. You guys need to rethink this. pic.twitter.com/QsqGLXX3VE

— Tiffany aka Onyx (@DarkOnyx98) March 29, 2019

#Texture service ending , now apple only. What a slap in the face for Android users. F. Y. Texture.

— Michael Oakley (@user13mo) March 29, 2019

Texture is officially ending and the service is being replaced by Apple+ News, which sucks for anyone like me who doesn't own an iPad. my Kindle Fire was only $60.

— jack's diary (@JacksKnow) March 29, 2019

I guess I'm done with @texture now, seeing as I only have Android devices. I can see the same thing happening with a TON of current subscribers. Apple is dropping the ball with this one.

— Dean (@ImThatDeanGuy) March 29, 2019

Nothing like being a @texture user for the last few years, only to be bounced with the new Apple magazine service as a non-Apple user.

Such horrible customer service, and helping hasten magazines to their untimely end.

— Emily W (@Andora81) March 29, 2019

@Apple this is bs. Ive been texture subscriber for 5 yrs, shutting down to force people to buy your proprietary hardware is complete garbage. Well my spouse wanted to save $ guess I'll stick with scribd. Keep texture on android, cause this won't make me buy apple. pic.twitter.com/NsWvPnaSW4

— Lori King (@1loriking) March 29, 2019

@texture I am thoroughly disappointed in you. A fine way to let some of your subscribers down. I love Texture and to receive an email pretty much saying No Apple/iOS device? Sucks for you! A huge letdown.

— kellie (@kelliesjubilee) March 29, 2019

Just read there will be no more @texture. Very disappointed. The replacement will only be on apple devices. Cancel my subscription.

— Maurice Hughes (@MauriceHughes2) March 29, 2019

These customers were early adopters of subscription-based news reading. Many have had their Texture accounts for years. And it’s clear that most were holding out hope that Apple would launch a web or Android version of Apple News, or at least continue to operate Texture until such a thing was ready.

It wouldn’t have been entirely unprecedented for Apple to go this route.

Apple today runs an Apple Music Android app, for example, and offers an Android app for its Beats Pill speakers. It also provides desktop software to non-Mac users with iTunes for Windows, for example. And with the launch of Apple TV+, the company is seemingly embracing non-Apple platforms by rolling out an Apple TV app to Vizio, Samsung and LG smart TVs, Amazon Fire TV, and Roku.

It’s also bit surprising that Texture’s existing customers aren’t being offered a better incentive to switch to Apple News+, as a way to reward their loyalty or to make up for the frustrations around having to switch apps – especially since their favorites and collections will not transition to the Apple News app. Instead, the Texture email says they’ll be offered a “one month free trial” to test out the service. That’s the same deal all new Apple News+ subscribers get.

After the first month, the subscription will auto-renew at $9.99 per month.

Apple News+, however, does deliver more value than Texture, in terms of content selection.

Instead of only offering access to hundreds of magazines for one low subscription price, Apple News+ subscribers can also read articles from a handful of newspapers, including The Wall Street Journal, Los Angeles Times, and Toronto Star, as well as online publications like theSkimm, The Highlight by Vox, New York Magazine’s sites Vulture, The Cut and Grub Street. TechCrunch’s own subscription product, Extra Crunch, is also participating in Apple News+.

It’s also available for the Mac for the first time.

That doesn’t help non-Apple customers, though.

Those losing access to Texture as a result of Apple’s decision to make Apple News+ an Apple device-only service do at least have something of an alternative with Scribd. Its subscription service offers unlimited access to audiobooks, ebooks and magazines for $8.99/month, or can be bundled with The NYT for $12.99/month. However, it doesn’t have the same range of magazines as on Texture, so switchers may lose access to several of their favorite titles.

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Crypto 2.0, accessibility, and Apple’s future strategy

From Extra Crunch

• Jon Evans has a comprehensive look at the most compelling futures for “Crypto 2.0.” With the trading frenzy out of the way (at least for the time being), engineers and product designers can now get back to the real world of improving these systems.
• Digital accessibility expert Beth Franssen has a piece on how to improve accessibility for websites. Handling this well can improve the quality of a product for all users, while limiting legal liability.
• We’ve published our post-Apple extravaganza conference call transcript with TechCrunch editor-in-chief Matthew Panzarino. Lots of nuggets in here about the future of Apple’s strategy.

Wide Angle

Rajesh Vijayarajan Photography via Getty Images

Stories from outside the 280/101 corridor

• Can you buy your own train? Apparently, yes, but as with all things, it is complicated.
• Ken Doctor does his thing with a deep dive into the LA Times’ transformation into a (hopeful) digital media powerhouse.
• I talk about CFIUS a lot these days, and here is a story of how it is blocking the acquisition of gay dating app Grindr by a Chinese game company.
• Nikkei has a great deep dive into the expansion of low-cost mobile services in India with Reliance’s Jio service. We talked a bit about this with James Crabtree a few weeks back.
• Speaking of which, Y Combinator is going to be conducting a set of interviews for their next batch from India.
• Naspers is going to list its Tencent shares (roughly a third of the company) on Euronext Amsterdam.

Thanks

To every member of Extra Crunch: thank you. You allow us to get off the ad-laden media churn conveyor belt and spend quality time on amazing ideas, people, and companies. If I can ever be of assistance, hit reply, or send an email to danny@techcrunch.com.

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Apple Watch ECG capabilities arrive for users across Europe and Hong Kong

Apple’s latest-generation Apple Watch doesn’t just have a curved display and a new industrial design, one of the major features of the Watch when it launched last year were its advanced health-tracking capabilities, particularly in regards to heart health and AFib detection.

Those features arrived in the US in December, but users abroad have had to wait. Today, Apple announced that the electro-cardiogram feature and irregular rhythm detection functionality is coming to 19 European countries and Hong Kong in the Watch’s latest update. These users will also gain access to the irregular rhythm detection features available on Watch models Series 1 and later.

Supported countries include Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hong Kong, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Romania, Spain, Sweden, the U.K and Switzerland.

Apple Watch’s ECG feature is already proving its worth

Irregular rhythm detection is available on Apple Watch Series 1 and later. The ECG app is only available on the Apple Watch Series 4, but if you’re a European or Hong Kong-based user and curious of the new capabilities, update your Watch to 5.2 then open the Health app on your updated iPhone and go through the on-boarding process.

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Apple ‘sorry’ for latest MacBook keyboard woes

Apple’s continued to improve the MacBook line’s butterfly switch keyboards. In fact, the technology is on its third generation, which added a rubberized membrane designed to fix ongoing issues and reduce that loud clacking sound.

But even the most devoted Apple fans have continued to have gripes, from stuck keys to random misfires. True story: One time at an Amazon event in Seattle I sent an employee on a mad dash for some compressed air inside the Spheres. I can’t remember which consonant I lost, but it seemed pretty vital to the delivery of breaking news at the time. I think maybe it was “M.”

More recently, I had to take my laptop into IT after it was firing off random spaces and periods. I might have screamed at my desk a few times over that one. Then there was this, wic onestly couldn’t ave appened at a worse time.

I kid you not, te "H" key on my Macbook just started acting up. Only firing alf te time

— Matthew Panzarino (@panzer) March 25, 2019

Apple’s acknowledged issues in the past, suggesting free repairs. And now it’s offered The Wall Street Journal a bit of an apology for the ongoing woes.

“We are aware that a small number of users are having issues with their third-generation butterfly keyboard and for that we are sorry,” the company writes. “The vast majority of Mac notebook customers are having a positive experience with the new keyboard.”

It goes on to suggest users contact AppleCare over any issues that might arise. I will say that the latest keyboards are a step in the right direction for the company, but enough of the original problems continue to persist that Apple really ought to go back to the drawing board on this one.

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