Apple released macOS 10.12.4 Monday, an update that adds a couple of new features and some other minor improvements. The biggest new feature is Night Shift, technology that shifts your Mac’s display towards the red at the end of your day. The update also adds cricket scores for Indian Premier League and the International Cricket Council to Siri. Apple also added a slew of enterprise-specific features.
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
Apple Ships iOS 10.3 with Find My AirPods, More Siri, Apple File System, More
Apple shipped iOS 10.3 Monday, a significant update to the company’s mobile operating system. Major features include the ability to find your AirPods under Find My iPhone; new Siri integration with third party apps; new CarPlay features, including daily curated playlists from Apple Music; and perhaps most importantly, the official rollout of Apple File System.
Live Home 3D Pro for Mac: $24.99
Check out Live Home 3D Pro for Mac, which helps you build from the ground up something as simple as a shed or living room or a complete sky scraper. You can design 2D floor plans, too—check out the deal listing for all the features. It’s $24.99 through our deal, 64% off retail.
Steve Wozniak Accepts Award from Startup World Cup, Says 'This One's for Apple'
Steve Wozniak spoke at the Startup World Cup Finale Friday, where he talked about Apple’s early days, his own even earlier days, startup value, and some of the lessons he’s learned along the way. At the end of his keynote, he was presented with a miniature version of the Startup World Cup itself, which he accepted saying, “This one’s for Apple.”
Ztylus Kamerar Zoom Lens Kit for iPhone 7 Plus: $31.95
We have a deal for you today on the Ztylus Kamerar Zoom Lens Kit for iPhone 7 Plus. It includes a case and three lenses: Macro Zoom lens, Fisheye lens, and Telephoto lens. The case allows for quick changing of the lenses, and you can get it through our deal for $31.95. [Update: Our friend Ewen Rankin tweeted a note to me about his case having some problems. – Bryan]
Airpod Skins Add a Splash of Colorful Protection to Apple AirPods
Check out Airpod Skins, which the company described to me as “minimal color protectors for apple AirPods.” I’m sure there are folks who would be interested in helping to protect the finish of their AirPods, but I thought they simply look great. They’re a simple wrap available in a dozen colors, with some of those colors involving a fade from top to bottom. They’re priced at A$8.25 and are available now. Each order includes two sets, too.
ARMOR-X Magnetic Charging Cable: $19.99
We have a deal for on an ARMOR-X Magnetic Charging Cable. This cable connects magnetically to a Lightning (or other) adapter you fit into your iPhone (or other device). Get the end of the cable near that adapter, and it will use magnetism to connect itself to your device. This lets you use multiple adapters with one cable. You can get one with a Lightning adapter for $19.99, half off retail.
Apple Acquires Workflow App and Developers, Makes Workflow Free Download
Apple recently acquired popular iOS utility Workflow in a deal that includes both the app and its developers. While many apps get pulled by Apple after an acquisition, Workflow remains on the App Store, and is now free.
Apple Loves Outdated Tech and Gives up on Social Media, Plus Electrified LEGO - ACM 403
Apple appears to be increasingly comfy offering yesterday’s technology at today’s prices, and Bryan and Jeff are all cranky about it. They also talk about Brixo, chrome-plated and electrified LEGO bricks, and Apple’s new Clips app and what it means for social media. Oh, and Jeff had to edit out an F-bomb because Bryan got all ranty.
Aeon Timeline 2 for Mac and Windows: $22.99
We have a deal for you today on Aeon Timeline 2 for both Mac and Windows. This tool is designed to help you organize even large projects and manage your workload. You can manage events, entities and relationships, dependencies and more. You can also link events with images, external documents, and websites to better track research and supporting documentation. You can get this license for both platforms for $22.99, a discount of 54%.
iPhone SE 2017 Another Example of Apple Doing Less and Less with More and More
In the midst of me-too products unveiled Tuesday, Apple kept iPhone SE available, but eliminated the embarrassing 16GB storage option on the device. The move falls squarely in the middle of conflicting rumors that Apple would either upgrade it or kill it, and it’s also another example of Apple doing less and less with more and more.
Here Are 14 New Apple Watch Bands Announced Tuesday
Apple launched several new Apple Watch bands Tuesday for Spring 2017. The collection includes new Striped Woven Nylon and Sport bands, standalone Nike Sport bands, and new flavors of Apple Watch Hermès bands. At the same time, Apple has sharply limited the number of out-of-the-box choices for new Apple Watch Series 2 purchases. Here’s what they look like.
iFixit Essential Electronics Toolkit: $19.95
Our friends at Stack Commerce have put together another deal with iFixit, this time on the iFixit Essential Electronics Toolkit. It features a magnetized driver handle, tweezers, a spudger, a jimmy, iFixit’s own opening tool, a suction handle, six iFixit opening picks, six screwdriver bits, including Pentalobe, Torx, and Torx Security. Plus a case, all for $19.95. I own an iFixit toolkit and one of the company’s lockpicks and love them. Good tools, excellent quality.
PSA: Don't Charge Your iPhones in the Bath
Folks, don’t charge your iPhones or iPads (or other smartphones, if that’s your thing) in the bath. While most people likely understand that, London’s The Daily Mail reported that Richard Bull from Ealing in west London died of accidental electrocution while charging his iPhone in the tub.
Drake Crushes Apple Music Record with 89.9 Million Streams, Beating Spotify
Drake set a new record for first-day streams with his new album, More Life, which was streamed 89.9 million times on the first day. That was not only a record-setting debut, it crushed Spotify’s first-day totals for the album of 61.3 million streams. That’s significant, because that was itself a record for the larger streaming service.
PDF Expert 2.2 for Mac: $29.99
We have a deal for you on PDF Expert 2.2 for Mac, a PDF-editing tool from Readdle. This was the 2015 App of the Year Runner Up in Mac App Store, and it allows you to edit text, images, links, and outlines in PDFs. You can also fill out forms, annotate, and more. We have it for 50% retail at $29.99.
Apple Pays Zilch in New Zealand Taxes on $4.2 Billion in Sales
Apple paid roughly zip to New Zealand Inland Revenue—that country’s taxing authority—over ten years, even while selling $4.2 billion in merchandise in the country. The practice is scrupulously legal—and therefore OK in the eyes of many. Bryan Chaffin, however, doesn’t think it’s right.
Uber's Bad News Now Includes a Ride that Ended in a Fireball
Uber has been delivering punishing, but self-inflicted wounds for weeks now. This week, the company can add the bad PR of a ride that ended in a fireball. A literal fireball. Firstly, the Uber driver in the car shown below—and his passenger—walked away with minor injuries. Secondly, the driver of a car hit moments before—and not shown in this video—did receive more serious injuries, according to local TV station KOMONews. The video below was captured by surveillance cameras when the Uber driver came speeding through a Seattle gas station, striking a gas pump and causing a fireball. On a side note, how amazing is gas station technology that the whole place didn’t go up in flames? Uber wanted folks to know this particular driver has been removed from its app. So there’s that.
iOS 10 and Swift 3 Starter Bundle: $45
We have a deal on the iOS 10 and Swift 3 Starter Bundle. It’s a collection of five training courses for learning how to code for iOS 10 using Swift 3, including The Complete iOS 10 Developer, iOS 10 Projects: Build Amazing Apps with Apple’s Newest iOS, Swift 3 Fundamentals & Essential Training, iOS 10, Swift 3 Hands On Features, and Master iOS 10 + Swift 3 & Create Apps. These developer courses retail for $654, but you can get them for $45 through our deal.
Private Internet Access VPN 2-Year Subscription: $59.95
We have a deal for VPN fans, a two-year subscription to Private Internet Access. With this plan, you get unlimited bandwidth on up to 5 devices, including Mac, iOS, Android, Windows, and Linux PCs. There are more than 3,300 servers in 25 countries to choose from, and the subscription comes with a variety of services. Check out the details on the deal listing. The price through our deal is $59.95, some 63% off retail.
These MIDI Scores Also Tell a Visual Story
Check out this awesome video by Mari Lesterberg (via Laughing Squid). It’s a MIDI Drawing where she draws a story—about Mario, in this case—with MIDI notes. That makes it both a soundtrack and a story, which is intensely clever. She has many more, including a still dedication to Frank Zappa, stories about cars and trains, and childrens’ fairy tales. Ms. Lesterberg is a performing musician, which is always awesome, but these MIDI projects are just too cool.
And Now for Some Old Fashioned 'Digital' Numeral Displays
I’ve been on a big anachronism kick lately, so it really resonated when John Kheit turned me on to this video of analog numeral displays. This is the sort of thing we had to look digital before we had digital. Or something like that. As noted by Boing Boing, this technology is called “edge lit digital display,” and it’s part analog and part mechanical. In the video, you can hear the mechanical relays clicking and buzzing away as they control which digit is being displayed. The video comes from Steve Johnson, who runs a website deliciously Steve’s Antique Technology. Steve, you had me at “Antique Technology.” He’s got a lot of info on these old systems.
Android Insecurity, Messaging Anachronisms, and Legacy Apple Auctions - ACM 402
Bryan and Jeff try and wrap their heads around a world where malware is being installed on Android devices in the supply chain, before customers even get the devices. They also take a trip into the anachronistic world of sealing wax and sealing wax stamps, as well as the fascinating world where 40 year-old Apple I computers are auctioned for hundreds of thousands of dollars.
Gekkopod Flexible iPhone, GoPro, and Android Mount
Check out the Gekkopod, a flexible mount and stand for iPhones, Android devices (if that’s your thing), and GoPros. The feet and arms are flexible so they can wrap your device and grab hold of wherever you need to set up your device. Check out the video below to see some of its uses. It’s $19.99 through our deal, with two color options.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YNxdNQmN8qM
