Zone’s Ross Basham handpicks and shares the five best stories on new digital trends, experiences and technologies…
1. Apple turns sour with Chinese censorship
Apple’s twice-yearly transparency report became a little bit more transparent this week, as for the first time it published the number of requests it received from governments to remove apps from the App Store. Not surprisingly, Apple didn’t list the apps removed but did (in most cases) give the reasons why.
China was responsible for the majority of requests (517), saying the apps violated its pornography and gambling laws. However, another report claims to have exposed the extent to which Apple cooperates with Chinese government internet censorship. Unlike Google and Facebook, Apple has continued to operate in China but its tacit support for online suppression calls into question its dedication to privacy.
2. AR make-up is volumising online sales
Make-up would appear to be the perfect vehicle for augmented reality — after all, you only know what it’s going to look like when it’s on. Google recently announced it will let users experiment with AR make-up in YouTube, while L’Oreal says it is launching one project a day with its recently acquired AR beauty company, Modiface.
L’Oreal claims that when its marketers put an AR feature on a website or app, engagement time doubles while conversion triples, and it is allowing third-party platforms to use the tech. It’s not hard to envision a time in the not-too-distant future when all online make-up buying journeys include AR as standard.
3. Eat out über fast with Uber’s new app
Ideally, going out to a restaurant is a leisurely experience — choosing what to have, enjoying a drink and a chat while you wait for your food. But there are occasions when you’re pushed for time (or the kids are raising hell) and you just need to get in, eat and get out. Well, Uber Eats may have the answer to your prayers…
Its new feature, Dine-in, lets you order a meal via the app and tells the restaurant to have it ready for you when you sit at your table. Being trialled in a few US cities, the app also has an option for someone to cut up your food and pour your drink down your throat while you pay the bill. OK, that last bit might not be strictly true.
4. Diversity in design is best for business
The Design Economy report in 2018 found that just 12% of design-related manager roles are held by BAME (black, Asian and minority ethnic) people. That bleak statistic reflects the experiences of Zone designer Fatma Al Mansoury, who was devastated to find that the industry did not even reflect the diversity of design school.
Here, Fatma points out that diversity is not just a moral issue — it’s about ensuring people who create your brand messages understand the people who will be consuming them. Ultimately, diversity is just a smart business decision.
5. Murderous moggy foiled by AI-powered flap
Cat-owners will be familiar with that horrible feeling when you realise Tiddles has brought you a little meat present through the cat flap. But there’s nothing you can do about it, right? Well, it depends how motivated you are. An Amazon engineer spent months gathering thousands of images of his cat, Metric, to create an AI-powered cat flap that locks the bloodthirsty feline out if he tries to bring in a dead animal.
Sadly, because the machine learning platform only took images of Metric (just the 23,000 of them), it won’t work for anyone else. But you could always create your own version. Time to get snapping…
