We have a deal Pagico 8.7 for Mac, software that helps turn tasks, notes, and projects into interactive flowcharts. Version 8.7 added 14 new features to the software. You can get it through us for $19.99, less than half retail.
Bryan Chaffin
Bryan Chaffin is the cofounder of The Mac Observer and currently serves as Afternoon Editor. He has contributed to MacAddict and MacFormat magazines, and co-authored the last two updates of iPad and iPad Pro for Dummies with Bob “Dr. Mac” LeVitus and Ed Baig. You can find out more about Bryan at his personal site, GeekTells, or find his Twitter link below.
Articles by Bryan Chaffin
Carpool Karaoke on Apple Music Is Good, Woz Is Cool, AI Chips Are Important - ACM 413
Carpool Karaoke is coming to Apple Music, and Bryan and Jeff argue that this is a great move for Apple, whether or not the echo chamber thinks so. Speaking of the echo chamber, what’s with the hate on Steve Wozniak? Bryan and Jeff think he’s awesome and say anyone who has accomplished half so much as Woz is welcome to cast the first stone. They cap the show with thoughts on Apple developing its own AI chip.
Apple Reportedly Manufacturing Siri Speaker with Surround Sound, But No Screen
The Siri Speaker rumor mill hit critical mass with enough details to reach viability—this is happening, folks.
Apple Brilliantly Personifies iPhone Security
There are three new “Why Switch” videos on YouTube. Contacts is clever and does a pretty good job of conveying that it’s easy to move your contacts to iPhone from “your phone.” Smooth makes a good case that video is smoother on iPhone. But Security, now that one is brilliant. It personifies iPhone’s inherent security advantage over (the unnamed) Android in a funny, concise, and elegant way. It’s easy to understand, and I think it’s entertaining. You can watch it below.
Swift Programming from Scratch: $10
Does Apple’s WWDC have you thinking about programming? We’ve got a deal for you on Swift Programming from Scratch, an ebook and exercise platform designed to teach you Apple’s main development language. It’s $10 through our deal.
Carpool Karaoke Coming to Apple Music on August 8th, Here's the Lineup
The first season features two episodes hosted by James Corden, and we have the full lineup.
Steve Wozniak Talks Promising Moonshots (Video Interview)
Apple cofounder Steve Wozniak was interviewed on Bloomberg, where he was asked about promising moonshots. The interview took place from the floor of C2, a trade show in Montreal that “brings together Commerce and Creativity.” On Woz’s moonshot radar is artificial intelligence, especially with making them more like “a human friend,” game making, running companies, and autonomous vehicles. He cited Tesla, in particular, as the company most likely to have the next moonshot. He also talks about the value of companies building things for themselves, something Steve Jobs also believed in. It’s an interesting interview.
Turing Tumble on Kickstarter Has Kids Building Mechanical Computers
It’s designed to teach kids the fundamental building blocks of how computers work, and it’s super cool.
Roxio Toast 15 Pro: $74.99
We have a deal today on Roxio Toast 15 Pro, a professional authoring version of the software. It includes the ability to burn Blu-ray DVDs and has all the capabilities Toast Slice included. It also includes a variety of media conversion features. Read the deal listing for more details. It’s $74.99 through us, 50% off retail.
Apple Could Own Device-Centric AI with Custom Chip
Such a chip could give Apple a significant leg up deploying artificial intelligence, and if it succeeds, few of its competitors could respond.
iKlips miReader 4K: $46.99
We have a deal for you on the iKlips miReader 4K. This storage device has a Lightning connector for your iPhone and iPad, a micro USB, and a micro SD slot for sharing files between Mac and Window devices. Storage on the device is handled by a micro SD card.
Apple Bringing Editorial Direction to Apple News, Hires Experienced New York Magazine Exec
Politico reported that Apple brought on Lauren Kern, an experienced editor from New York Magazine.
Apple Transforms PR Site to a 'Newsroom' and Redesigns Executive Profiles
Out is a headline-oriented list of press releases and in is a Flipboard-like “Newsroom” with cover photos and clickable tiles.
New Apple Cartoon Looks at the Liam Recycling Robot
Apple launched a new video called “Earth Day 2017 — Does my iPhone believe in reincarnation?” It’s part of the cartoon series the company started on Earth Day earlier in May, but this one takes a look at Liam. That’s Apple’s purpose-built recycling robot that pulls iPhones apart so the components can be reused. I like this series of environmentally-themed cartoons. They’re fun, interesting, and informative. Lisa Jackson, Apple Vice President Environment, Policy and Social Initiatives, tweeted the video Thursday.
Yummy FTP Pro+ Lifetime License: $19.99
We have a deal on Yummy FTP Pro+, an FTP client for the Mac. The deal is for a lifetime license for Yummy FTP Pro, FTP Alias, and FTP Watcher. That license includes lifetime access to all minor updates and major upgrades, and it’s $19.99.
Apple Releases AirPods Firmware 3.7.2
Apple released firmware update version 3.7.2 for AirPods Wednesday. There are no patch notes for the update, but the educated guessensus is that it’s a performance and stability release. The release was first spotted by German site Macerkopf.de (via iDownloadblog). You can download the firmware update via your iPhone with your AirPods in their charging case. Your charging case will need to be plugged into a power source.
Samsung's Iris Scanning Joke, Crappy Business is Not OK, and PC Design - ACM 412
Unsurprisingly, Samsung’s crappy iris scanner on the Galaxy S8 has been defeated. Worse, defeating it is easy. Bryan and Jeff think it’s a joke and another example of Samsung’s delusions of relevance. They also discuss Bryan’s theory that PC makers can’t compete with Apple’s MacBook with me-too design, and say that surveillance capitalists being honest about spying on your doesn’t make their spying OK.
Apple Music Trailer for Sean 'Diddy' Combs Documentary 'A Bad Boy Story'
Apple Music bought the rights to Can’t Stop Won’t Stop: A Bad Boy Story, a documentary about Sean “Diddy” Combs and his record label, Bad Boy Records. The film was debuted at the Tribecka Film Festival earlier this year, and Apple Music subsequently bought the rights to it. The focus of the film is a reunion show with The Bad Boy Family, the original group of artists that launched with Bad Boy Records. According to the Tribecka Festivail, “the film also looks back to trace the label’s emergence in Harlem and Brooklyn, it’s meteoric rise, the tragic killing of Biggie Smalls, and the lasting influence on music, fashion, marketing and culture.” Note Apple executive Jimmy Iovine’s brief appearance in the trailer. The film debuts exclusively on Apple Music on June 25th, 2017.
Live Home 3D Pro for Mac: $24.99
Live Home 3D Pro for Mac allows you to design residential buildings from the ground up. Sheds, living rooms, homes, or even a skyscraper, according to the company that makes it. We have a deal on it for $24.99. Check the listing for all the features.
Soverin Secure Email 1-Year Subscription: $10
Our friends at Stack Commerce have put together a deal on a 1 year subscription to Soverin, the email service dedicated to protecting your data and privacy. There’s a lot to sat about Soverin, but the bottom line is that it’s an email service you pay for with money, rather than with your privacy. They make four commitments to their customers: no tracking, no advertising, no lock in, and privacy first. Plus, it’s encrypted. A 1 year subscription through us is $10. There are longer terms available, too. Click through to learn more.
Apple's New Switcher Campaign — for iPhone
Apple launched a new advertising campaign called Switch to iPhone at apple.com/switch. The campaign trades the white of the company’s original I’m a PC campaign for dark pastels and simple, compelling imagery. The message is that it’s simple to switch to iPhone, which is faster, that your music will sound better, and that moving your photos is easy. Watch the four videos that make that argument in our full story.
Apple's Driverless Test Car Caught in the Wild
Apple’s driverless test car—a Lexus SUV—was caught in the wild by a MacRumors reader. There’s nothing earth-shattering about catching Apple’s autonomous vehicle in the wild—it’s been done before. But, I enjoy these reminders that Apple is going full steam ahead on developing driverless technology. Project Titan leaks have dramatically slowed since Bob Mansfield took it over, but testing obviously continues apace. MacRumor‘s Juli Clover has some additional details on this particular spotting.
114 Year Old Car Company Puts Self Driving Car Exec In Charge
Ford, which turns 114 on June 16th, is out with the old and in with the new. The company is switching CEOs, and Jim Hackett, the new guy in charge, just happens to be the executive who was in charge of autonomous vehicles at Ford. From The New York Times:
Ford Motor replaced its chief executive, Mark Fields, on Monday and vowed to catch up in the race to build self-driving cars and define a new era in personal mobility. The company said Jim Hackett, who had overseen the Ford subsidiary that works on autonomous vehicles, would immediately take the reins from Mr. Fields.
Mr. Hackett said the board had given him a free hand to transform the nation’s No. 2 automaker, including seeking alliances with Silicon Valley firms, changing its product lineup, and divesting itself of unprofitable global operations.
Driverless cars are the future. It remains to be seen if Apple’s own autonomous vehicle efforts—Project Titan—result in an Apple Car, but the entire auto industry is becoming ever-more focused on driverless cars.
Drive Genius 5 Standard License: $39
We have a deal for you today on the venerable Mac utility Drive Genius 5. This software helps monitor and manage your storage device and its files with 19 different built-in utilities. It’s $39 [corrected to match the deal] through us, some 60% off.
