iPhone, iPad, and Mac app developers asked Apple for a free trial option on the App Store for years, and they finally got what they asked for—sort of. Now Apple says developers can offer in-app free trials for all paid apps and not just subscriptions. Mars Edit developer Daniel Jalkut says that’s not as great as it sounds because the onus for managing the purchase on app makers, and it’s confusing for users and potential customers. Jalkut explains there are plenty of other problems with Apple’s approach, too. His full blog post is worth reading.
Time Machine: How to Force a Backup to a Specific Disk
If you’re using Time Machine to back up to multiple drives, then sometimes you might need to force a backup to one disk or another (instead of relying on the software’s built-in schedule). In today’s Quick Tip, we’ll tell you how to do that!
![Ask Siri to Play the Top Song for Any Date [Update]](https://www.macobserver.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/siri-play-top-song-date.jpg)
Ask Siri to Play the Top Song for Any Date [Update]
“A Horse with No Name,” by America was the #1 song on April 3rd, 1972—I know this because I randomly picked that date to test this tip: ask Siri to play the top song from any given date, and you can be as specific as you want. [Updated to note that it requires an Apple Music subscription.]
macOS: A Shortcut to Pick Your Safari Search Engine
This gives you an option to change the search engine, but also gives you a list of recent searches.
Apple Lands Video Adaptation of Shantaram Book
Apple has gotten the rights to develop Gregory David Robert’s Shantaram book as a drama series. It will be produced by Anonymous Content and Paramount Television.
Scapple: $9.99
We have a deal for you today on Scapple for Mac, mind-mapping software from Literature & Latte, the makers of my favorite writing tool, Scrivener. It’s designed to help you put all your ideas in one place, then draw logical conclusions about them. You can get it through our deal for $9.99.
WWDC 2018 ARKit 2, the End of 32-bit Mac Apps - TMO Daily Observations 2018-06-07
Kelly Guimont and Bryan Chaffin join Jeff Gamet at Apple’s 2018 Worldwide Developer Conference to talk about ARKit 2 and what Apple is doing in the augmented reality space, plus they look at the coming end of 32-bit app support in macOS.
AT&T Raising iPhone's Grandfathered Unlimited Data Plan to $45/month
Those lucky few iPhone users grandfathered into AT&T’s unlimited data plans will see a monthly rate increase starting next month. A support article on AT&T’s website informs subscribers that, starting in July, the monthly rate will increase to $45, up from the current $40.
This $2 App Brings Amazon Alexa to Your Apple Watch...Sort Of
An Apple Watch app called Voice in a Can is seeking to satisfy the desires of those who love Apple hardware but rely on Amazon Alexa for its home automation capabilities. As a standalone app, Voice in a Can runs entirely on the Apple Watch without needing to pair with the iPhone. With just a Wi-Fi or LTE connection you ask Alexa to control your home lights, unlock the door, or set your thermostat. However, since Apple prevents third party apps from replacing Siri, you can’t use Voice in a Can to have Alexa make calls or control the audio playback on your watch. It’s by no means a perfect solution, but it’s the best Alexa users have thus far until Amazon and Apple work out an official solution. Grab it now on the App Store for $1.99.
The Awesome Insanity of Rackmounting the iMac Pro
Do you have a powerful new iMac Pro? If so, do you want to rackmount it? No, of course you don’t, because that would be bananapants crazy. But there’s at least one company that has need for such a monstrosity: MacStadium, the Mac-based hosting provider. Spotted by Zac Cichy on Twitter, the iMac Pro rack lets MacStadium offer remote access to the powerful capabilities of Apple’s newest Mac in a way that fits their existing equipment infrastructure. Of course, this isn’t the first time that a company has laughed in the face of Apple’s mission to destroy industry standard form factors.
