Acme Weather

Like Casey Newton of Hard Fork and Platformer, I have been deeply disappointed by the idiotic UI Apple foisted on Dark Sky since they bought the app and integrated some of its features into the Apple Weather App. But the good news is the developers got rich, realized Apple’s made a hot mess of their baby, and are back with Acme. I am happy to pay and subscribe. The Watch app is superb too, but for now no native iPad app, thus 4 of 5 stars. Congrats on a solid app and keep curating. New proof that founders often really do know best and that their work should be built upon and not destroyed. (What Facebook did in its destruction of the once great Move App another example of Big Tech being stupid following an acquisition. As the Pete Seeger song goes, “When Will They Every Learn?”)

V1.0 has potential. As someone who pays for >6 different weather apps in order to compare data models (Euro, GFS, NAM, Apple, Foreca, Weather Channel) it is great to see a developer taking a shot at integrating varying short and long-range forecasts into a single product. CARROT offers many models, but you can’t visualize them all at the same time. Windy’s comparison view can be cumbersome to get to. ACME’s approach here is a pleasure to view. However, I’m not a convert yet. Needs better widgets (CARROT is the best), needs more model integration (NWS/NOAA, Apple, Weather Channel), the ability to select which models to enable, the Daily Forecast chart on the main page should also graphically depict the variability of the forecasts (which is the whole sale’s pitch of the application). The app is beautiful, no doubt, and the concept has significant potential. The implementation is close to a success, but not there just yet for me to use regularly or to replace my other weather apps.

On opening the app, I am immediately presented with a beautiful interface that strikes the perfect balance between information density, simplicity, and visual clarity. I like how the app isn’t overly complicated, but still gives more than enough information for the vast majority of weather enthusiasts. The default UI focuses on all the things I find most important, and I’m not presented with a dizzying number of toggles and switches in the settings panel to drive my optimizing mind into overdrive. The granular, customizable notifications (umbrella alerts, sunscreen alerts, etc.) and alternate forecast lines and proprietary weather model are my favorite features and really set this app apart from the many others I’ve tried. The Apple Watch app is pretty good as well and has everything I need while being a noticeable step up from the default Apple Weather app. I really like how the widgets show the relevant conditions as conditions change. Well worth the subscription.