In today’s weird news, apparently some people have found coins hidden inside their MacBook, specifically the optical drive. Is this an engineering tradition of good luck? Or perhaps an error in manufacturing? We dive in to explore the explanations, and apply Occam’s Razor in a show of logic. Updated with comments from Kyle Wiens of iFixIt.
Columns & Opinions
My 3 Favorite iOS Apps From 2016
As 2016 comes to an end, it’s nice to look back and reflect upon the year. I’d like to share my three favorite apps that I’ve used this year, and why I liked them: Cryptomator, RNI Flashback, and Curiosity.
Apple's TV App Reveals its Plight with Television Industry
From time to time, we’ve seem articles that explain Apple’s plight with its TV business. But John has found a splendidly complete diagnosis at The Verge for this week’s focus. It examines the deepest motivations of Apple, it’s clash with the entertainment industry, its successes and failures, and how that has, in turn, affected Apple TV software design and customer perceptions.
Apple's Computing Future Could Be the Reverse ToasterFridge
Jean-Louis Gassée has an excellent piece on the future of desktop and mobile operating systems. It includes some lore—including that time Apple tried to buy a a code dump of BeOS from Palm—and some interesting speculation on the future. Both are well worth your time, and it got me thinking about an old interview of Steve Jobs from the mid-1990s. Think: the Reverse ToasterFridge.
The Benefits of a 32GB Mac For Average Users
I didn’t think the difference between 16GB and 32GB would matter for my every day use. Sure, I’m a geek, but I’m not involved in graphic design or video editing. In the course of a normal day I don’t really run any pro apps. When I upgraded my 2014 27″ Retina iMac from 16GB to 32GB a few months ago, however, I experienced a dramatic shift in my computing life. No longer was my Mac paging out to swap all the time, no longer were apps slow to launch, and no longer was I regularly pushing against the limits of my Mac’s RAM.
Apple Has Missed the Plot
John Kheit thinks Apple has lost the plot about what users need in Apple devices, especially with creative pros. He argues that Microsoft nailed it with Surface Studio, while Apple’s new MacBook Pro is a far cry from a pro Mac.
Touch Bar Is Apple's Double Down Against the Foolishness of ToasterFridges
Bryan Chaffin argues that the new MacBook pro’s Touch Bar is Apple’s double down against the ToasterFridge. More specifically, Touch Bar is Apple’s solution for the same need that ToasterFridges are trying to fill.
Apple's 'Hello Again' Event Wasn't About the Mac After All
During Apple’s “Hello Again” event, Apple spent an hour and 25 minutes talking about several cool things. The new MacBook Pros are very nice—but they were the only major Mac announcement. In contrast, the event tagline suggested that Apple would say something important about the “Mac” as a product. Instead, the vacuum persisted and Apple elected to take a stand, instead. on how it sees the MacBook Pro catering to the pro market with the Touch Bar.
Apple and IBM Partnership: Macs, iOS and Watson Are The Glue
IBM and Apple have been partnering with each other for some time now. The action continues with Macs finding great favor within IBM. Also, education initiatives continue. Finally, IBM’s Watson has to be giving Apple some big ideas. This has the signs of becoming one of the most productive partnerships ever, amongst former rivals, in the tech industry.
Apple Will Likely Let the 2013 Mac Pro Quietly Die
There was a time when Apple was into powerful headless Macs for technical professionals. Those who wanted their own multiple displays and great expandability. Lately, Apple seems to have lost interest in that market and focussed on mobility. There is a smattering of hopeful signs, but John Martellaro thinks the Mac Pro is headed for the annals of Apple history.
Technical Professionals Are Hanging on, Hoping For The Best from Apple
Soon, we think, there will be fall Apple event that launches new Macs. The nature of this event and the kinds of Macs that Apple updates and those that are left to quietly die will tell us a lot about where Apple is heading with technical professionals. Many of those former Apple customers have already switched to Linux. Those who remain are dismayed and are not very hopeful. Some readers weigh in.
USB Kill: The $55 Gadget That Will Fry Most Devices
There’s a device out there called USB Kill 2.0 that can fry an electronic device with a USB port. While it looks like an every day USB flash drive, rather than memory, these devices have capacitors that can store up juice being transmitted over the USB bus and then discharge at once. The result is a high-voltage attack on your PC, Mac, smartphone, or other device that can fry the electronics.
The Most Important Reason to Upgrade to macOS Sierra: Security
When Apple launches a new version of one of its OSes, say, macOS Sierra, the first thing users think about is the features. If they’re a bit more methodical, they’ll look at their mission critical apps and monitor for updates from those developers. But, above all, a decision to not upgrade (or do it soon) must be balanced against the security updates folded into the new version. John explains.
Evidence is Mounting: Apple Will Convert the Macs to ARM CPUs
The time since most of the Macs have been updated can now be described as geologic. Is that because Apple doesn’t care about the Macs? Or, more likely, could we be in for another major architectural change? Evidence is mounting that Apple will abandon Intel and take the Mac lineup to ARM. John looks at the evidence and makes the case.
This May be The 4K UHD Apple TV We've Been Waiting For
An Apple filing with the FCC looks very much like it might be a new 4K UHD, 5th generation Apple TV just in time for the December holiday period. It wouldn’t be a stretch to think that the old 4th generation Apple TV from October 2015 had been delayed. And now we may be getting what we really wanted all along just one year later.
Apple Hates Music Lovers Who Want to Own Their Music
John Kheit is in a frothing-at-the-mouth rage about iTunes in iOS and macOS Sierra. From missing ratings to iCloud downloads for songs that should be local, he’s fighting mad.
Things I Liked Most About watchOS 3. And a Nice Trick
It took two hours, but John Martellaro finally got his original Apple Watch upgraded to watchOS 3. Here are some of the things he liked most about this version. Plus, he discovered a nice trick when it comes to changing watch faces with a swipe.
Hands-On with iPhone 7 Home Button: Disappointing Haptic Feedback, Increased Functionality
Apple had two major changes in iPhone 7 beyond incremental improvements. The first is the much-talked about lack of an auxiliary port for headphones, but the other will effect the way we do things far longer than the transition to Lightning audio. That’s moving from a physical Home Button to a touch-sensitive, stationary Home Button. Here’s what Bryan Chaffin thought about it during his hands-on session at Apple’s media event.
iPhones Are Now Faster than Macs
It’s official—well at least according to reported Geekbench scores spotted in the wild! iPhones are now faster than Macs! The latest, and most recently updated, 2016 12” MacBook is slower than the iPhone 7 Plus.
Ageism Is Not an Institutional Problem at Apple Retail
Does Apple have an ageist problem when hiring for its Apple retail locations? If so, it’s not institutional, and the situation that sparked the original story doesn’t actually back up such a claim. Bryan Chaffin digs into the issues.
Apple Might Destroy the EU
It looks like the European Commission (EC) will rule against Apple and Ireland’s tax arrangement. If the European Union (EU) bullies Ireland (via the EC or other proxy) and basically rules that Ireland doesn’t have the sovereign right to set its own tax rates, there is some chance it could be a wedge issue that pushes Ireland to decide to leave the European Union.
Tim Cook Pivots to Play Active Role in Shaping Apple Narrative
Apple CEO Tim Cook has made a major pivot in managing the affairs of Apple. Bryan Chaffin believes Mr. Cook made a conscious decision to play an active role in shaping the Apple narrative.
The iPad Pro 9.7-inch Keyboard Case for Road Warriors
In a perfect world, Dr. Mac says he’d ditch his laptop and hit the road with just a svelte 9.7-inch iPad Pro. Two recent events make it possible; find out more in Dr. Mac’s Rants & Raves #189: The iPad Pro 9.7-inch Keyboard Case for Road Warriors