OPINION: It’s a sunny bank holiday weekend here in the UK and what better way to celebrate than by crowning our winners and losers of the week from the world of tech.
There were some important software updates this week: Android 15 was first rolled out to Pixel 9 devices and Apple reportedly restructured its App Store business in response to EU legislation.
Meanwhile, JBL launched a new pair of smart earbuds, Sonos abandoned plans to release its old mobile app, and Instagram took us back to the days of MySpace by asking users to add music to their profiles.
Read on to find out who our winners and losers were this week.
Winner: Procreate
This week’s winner is Procreate after developer Savage Interactive reassured GenAI skeptics that the digital painting app would not be releasing AI tools any time soon.
While companies like Adobe, Apple, and Google are busy launching generative AI tools like Firefly, Image Playground, and Pixel Studio, Procreate is determined not to jump on the bandwagon.
“I really hate generative AI. I don’t like what’s happening in the industry and I don’t like what it’s doing to artists,” co-founder and CEO James Cuda said in a video posted on X.
“We will not introduce generative AI into our products. Our products are always designed and developed with the idea that a human will create something. We don’t know exactly where that story will lead or how it will end, but we believe we are on the right path to supporting human creativity.”
A statement on Procreate’s website also assured users that there are no plans to track users’ activity or use it to train AI models, making the platform a tantalizing haven for any artists who fear that joining a new platform may mean giving up the rights to their art.
This announcement came just days before Google ran into trouble over the lack of restrictions on its own image-generating app, Pixel Studio, which allowed Digital Trends to dress up SpongeBob as a Nazi, Barney the Dinosaur shooting Elmo with an AK47, and nail Paddington Bear to a crucifix, among other things.
Loser: Google
Our loser this week is Google after the company confirmed that it will continue to not offer screen repairs for its third-generation Pixel Watch, meaning that if even the screen breaks, the watch will have to be completely replaced.
“If your device is damaged, you can contact the Google Pixel Watch customer support team to review your replacement options,” a Google representative said when asked by Android Authority.
When the reporter asked if this meant that the Pixel Watch 3 could not be repaired at all, the representative replied: “Correct! There is only one replacement for the Pixel Watch 3.”
The lack of repair options for the Pixel Watch 3 isn’t a huge surprise, as Google never offered repairs for any of the smartwatch’s predecessors. However, it’s unfortunate that Google is continuing this trend for another year.
Google has also made a commitment to sustainability in other areas, such as making the packaging of its Pixel, Fitbit and Nest devices 100% plastic-free. But when it comes to repairing watches, the company continues to produce unnecessary waste. There’s no need to replace the entire device if the screen is cracked, but it seems that’s the only option left for Pixel Watch owners if they don’t want to stare at an ugly crack all day.
Not only is this wasteful on Google’s part, but it also shifts the blame onto the customer, who has to consider whether it’s worth producing so much unnecessary waste when the watch otherwise works perfectly.
