OPINION: It’s a sunny bank holiday weekend here in the UK and there’s no better way to celebrate than by crowning our winner and loser for this week from the world of tech.
This week saw some major software updates with Android 15 rolling out for the first time on Pixel 9 devices and Apple reportedly restructuring its App Store business in response to EU legislation.
Meanwhile, JBL launched a smart new pair of earbuds, Sonos abandoned plans to release its old mobile app and Instagram brought us back to the MySpace days by inviting users to add music to their profiles.
Keep reading to learn who we named our winner and loser this week.
Winner: Procreate
This week’s winner is Procreate after developer Savage Interactive reassured GenAI sceptics that the digital painting app wouldn’t be releasing AI tools anytime soon.
While companies like Adobe, Apple and Google are busy releasing generative AI tools such as Firefly, Image Playground and Pixel Studio, Procreate is committed to not jumping on the bandwagon.
“I really… hate generative AI. I don’t like what is happening in the industry and I don’t like what it’s doing to artists”, said co-founder and CEO James Cuda in a video posted to X.
“We’re not going to be introducing any generative AI into our products. Our products are always designed and developed with the idea a human will be creating something. We don’t exactly know where this story is going to go or how it ends but we believe we’re on the right path supporting human creativity”.
Procreate also reassured users in a statement on its website that it has no plans to track user activity or use it to train AI models, making it a tempting refuge for any artists anxious that they might be signing away the rights to their art when joining a new platform.
This announcement came just days before Google found itself in hot water for the lack of restrictions present in its own Pixel Studio image generation app, with Digital Trends able to generate SpongeBob dressed as a Nazi, Barney the Dinosaur shooting Elmo with an AK47 and Paddington Bear nailed to a crucifix, among many other things.
Loser: Google
Our loser this week is Google after the company confirmed that it still won’t be offering display repairs for its third-generation Pixel Watch. This means that if you so much as crack the screen, the watch will need to be replaced entirely.
“If your device is damaged, you can contact the Google Pixel Watch Customer Support Team to check your replacement options”, said a Google representative when questioned by Android Authority.
When the reporter asked if this meant the Pixel Watch 3 could not be repaired at all, the representative replied: “Correct! Pixel Watch 3 is replacement only”.
The lack of repair options for the Pixel Watch 3 isn’t a huge surprise given Google didn’t offer repairs for any of the smartwatch’s predecessors. However, it’s unfortunate to see Google continue the trend for another year.
Google has made other stances for sustainability, such as making its Pixel, Fitbit and Nest packaging 100% plastic-free, but when it comes to Watch repairs, the company continues to create unnecessary waste. There’s no need to replace the entire device in response to a cracked screen, but it seems this is the only option Pixel Watch owners are given 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 places the onus of the guilt on its customers as it forces them to consider whether it’s worth creating so much unnecessary waste when the Watch otherwise works perfectly fine.
