I’m not talking about the orange buffoon’s latest antics. I’m not talking about the sweltering heat that’s descending on Europe once more. I’m not even talking about the collective insanity that has pushed a racist, misogynist, authoritarian, conspiracist, transphobic, and climate-change denier’s virtual fortune over one trillion dollars. And i’m definitely not talking about the boys running around with a ball. I’m talking, of course, about Apple’s latest announcements.
In my twenty years covering Apple, i don’t remember another instance where the most popular devices on sale couldn’t benefit from all the features of their latest operating system. The iPhone 17 and MacBook Neo don’t have enough RAM to use Apple’s most advanced on-device foundation models. It’s a bit maddening, but at the same time, i can’t help but feel hopeful. For the first time in years, the hardware actually is the limit, and if the current state of the market is any indication, it should remain so for a few years. Let’s hope it drives everyone to optimize the software.
Last time Apple came that close to saying “i’m sorry”, it was when they realized that the iPad wouldn’t replace the Mac, which gave us the fantastic run of Apple Silicon-based devices we’ve had. Can we hope for a comparable outcome with Liquid Glass? I’m afraid not. I’m all for edge-to-edge sidebars and more defined toolbars, but they weren’t the real problem. The user interface is still broken at a fundamental level, and a new coat of paint isn’t going to fix it.
Apple was the last holdout believing that a photo was the product of photons hitting a sensor, but it finally caved in. Your gallery literally is your photographic memory: when your memory fades, your photos remain, and they end up becoming your memories. Giving people the ability to fabricate photos, partly with the Spatial Reframing and Extend tools or entirely with Image Playground, gives them the ability to create false memories. I don’t think that’s something you should announce so cheerfully. Worse, treating other people as mere “distractions” that you can remove with the Clean Up tool is the perfect way to create a generation of sociopaths.
If Siri AI is as good as Apple claims it is, then the lock-in will be stronger than ever. That’s why Craig Federighi is once again whining about the DMA. By requiring interoperability, European citizens are preventing Apple from imprisoning them in its walled garden and preserving their right to choose the best tool for their needs on the platform they’re using. We need to go even further: like we did with cloud services and music streaming, we should require portability between personal assistants, in order to switch from one to another without losing personal data and context. That should keep Apple whimpering for another few years.
About the Z1NZ0L1N dispatch system
Z1NZ0L1N is a dispatch system operated by Anthony Nelzin-Santos, transmitting from the field since January 2025. This document describes the operator, the protocol’s naming convention, its transmission history, its field office, and how it’s funded.
Operator
Anthony Nelzin-Santos is a writer at heart, teacher by instinct, flâneur by habit. He’s known to wander in search of old shopfronts, to spend an inordinate amount of time curating his music library, to craft pocket notebooks with vintage roadmaps, to keep a collection of half-repaired typewriters and half-empty fountain pens, to wear jeans and hiking shoes all year round, to watch his plants grow, to roam around with the heaviest long-tail bike on the planet, and to acquire more books than can be read. He’s married to the only person willing to put up with all of it.
Naming convention
“Zinzolin” is a shade of purple between lavender-field blue and crushed-blackberry red. The medieval Italians traced it to jujube fruits (giuggiolino). The Mozarabs, were they still around to argue the point, would insist on sesame seeds (djoudjolân) instead. The operator chose it because it’s his favourite colour — partly because it sounds like his name.
Transmission history
The operator was born before the world wide web was invented, but grew up surrounded by computers. He launched his first website in 2000, started his first blog in 2004, recorded his first podcast in 2005, and uploaded his first video in 2006. He went pro in 2008. In 2025, after years spent transmitting in French, the frequency switched to English.
Field office
Z1NZ0L1N is hosted by Infomaniak near Geneva (CH). The operator is based in Lyon (FR) but has also sent dispatches from Aachen (DE), Antwerpen (BE), Besançon (FR), Bruxelles (BE), Liège (BE), Marseille (FR), Moulins-sur-Allier (FR), Paray-le-Monial (FR), Paris (FR), Schaerbeek (BE), Seyssins (FR), Utrecht (NL), and Vienne (FR). He’s made it a goal to visit and write in every country in the European Union (8 down, 19 to go!).
Funding
Z1NZ0L1N is proudly ad-free. The operator covers hosting and the domain name — roughly €120 a year — out of pocket. The best way to support his efforts is to subscribe to the RSS feed and share your favourite dispatches with your friends. That being said, if you ever feel like sending one, a cup of coffee is always welcome.
Colophon
Tools
Notebooks: handmade. Ink: purple, one of many. Pen: a fountain pen, often a Lamy Safari, also one of many. Backup: a Leuchtturm1917 Drehgriffel Nr. 1 ballpoint, a Uniball Zento Signature rollerball, or a Caran d’Ache 849 mechanical pencil. Notes when the notebook’s out of reach: Bloom. Computer: MacBook Air. Mechanical keyboard: more than one. Writing: Lettera, formerly Ulysses. Coding: BBEdit. Proofing: Antidote. Publication: Hugo.
Blogroll
Inspirations: Aegir, V.H. Belvadi, Ian Betteridge, Mandy Brown, But she’s a girl…, Frank Chimero, Simon Collison, Zinzy Waleson Geene, Josh Ginter, Chris Glass, Piper Haywood, Nick Heer, Jon Hicks, Alan Jacobs, Keenan, Winnie Lim, Tom MacWright, Louie Mantia, Craig Mod, Manuel Moreale, Riccardo Mori, Anders Norén, The Pen Addict, Kev Quirk, Robin Rendle, Melanie Richards, and Mateusz Urbanowicz. Suggestions: please.
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