I did a Google search this morning, and I seem to have stumbled into an A/B test that I very much dislike.

Corbin Davenport at Android Police:

The new design removes the blue link color, as well as the green color for page categories/directories. Google tried something similar last year on the desktop, and people weren't happy about it then either.

Blue for links and purple for visited links dates back to the earliest days of the web. Many sites today override those colors, but search is very much the public directory to the Internet. It should follow some basic conventions. All black, I think, is objectively worse for usability.

Federico Viticci at MacStories:

There's so much more work to be done with iOS, multitasking, and the redefinition of computing for the multitouch era. The iPad Pro can be a computer for everything, but it needs another leap forward to become the computer for everyone.

This is being widely shared today, but it's really good so I've got to link to it as well. The production quality on the video is on par with Apple's.

In particular, I think his concept for the app picker in split view is inspired. It's simple and powerful. Apple should adopt this concept, or something very much like it.

When I was at Apple, some of the most gratifying experiences were teaching our daily workshops and special events like Apple Camp during the summers.

Today at Apple seems designed to elevate those workshops into more sophisticated, creative territory.

Many sessions will be taught by new Creative Pros, the liberal arts equivalent to Apple’s technical Geniuses. Each Creative Pro is an expert in one or more areas of the arts, and highly trained to pass along their knowledge to Apple users of all levels.

I'm most excited about two new programs: Teacher Tuesdays, where educators can learn about incorporating technology into the classroom; and the coding sessions to introduce people to Swift.

My high school no longer offers the programming courses I took when I was a student. I'm of the opinion that programming should be a part of every high school math curriculum, right alongside algebra and geometry. But in the absence of that, it's nice that Apple offers these sessions and Swift Playgrounds so that those who are motivated have resources take control of their own learning.

BGR with a source stating the iPad mini will be phased out:

Not one to ever be shy about disrupting the company’s own lineup, our source beats the Apple drum and states that there’s "fierce cannibalism of our own products" and that the iPad mini has just been "sized out of its own category."

I think the writing has been on the wall since the 32GB iPad mini was dropped last month as Apple released its new, cheaper 9.7-inch iPad at $329. Apple has also implied on their earnings calls that the long term decline in iPad unit sales is largely attributable to the iPad mini, while sales of the larger models remain strong.

iPad mini debuted to strong sales alongside the 4th generation iPad in October 2012. At 0.68 pounds to the larger iPad's 1.44 pounds, iPad mini had a clear role to fill as the lighter, more portable tablet, while still offering a lot more screen than the 4-inch display on iPhone 5.

The next year, iPad Air debuted and cut the weight down to just 1 pound. And then the following year, Apple released iPhone 6 and 6 Plus. With lighter iPads and bigger iPhones in the lineup, iPad mini's niche has been narrowing.

I recently experimented with using all three sizes of iPad for about a month, and I'll have more to say about their relative merits in an upcoming post on Infinite Bloop.

Steven Levy for Wired:

For the next two hours, Ive and Whisenhunt walk me through other parts of the building and the grounds. They describe the level of attention devoted to every detail, the willingness to search the earth for the right materials, and the obstacles overcome to achieve perfection, all of which would make sense for an actual Apple consumer product, where production expenses could be amortized over millions of units. But the Ring is a 2.8-million-square-foot one-off, eight years in the making and with a customer base of 12,000. How can anyone justify this spectacular effort?

A lengthy piece out today from Steven Levy going in-depth and in detail on all the many aspects of Apple's new campus. It's worth your time. Many interesting comments, like this one from architect Stefan Behling:

[Jobs] knew exactly what timber he wanted, but not just "I like oak" or "I like maple." He knew it had to be quarter-­cut. It had to be cut in the winter, ideally in January, to have the least amount of sap and sugar content. We were all sitting there, architects with gray hair, going, "Holy shit!"

Definitely check out the full piece at Wired.

(I find it funny that Apple's current campus is on Infinite Loop, which, if you've been there, you know is not really a complete loop, while their new building is a perfect circle but it's called Apple Park.)