Apple's Next Mac Pro Will Require a Change in Design Philosophy

Apple’s design philosophy for consumer Macs has been that of simplicity, indeed minimalism. Approachable and beautiful. But even the 2008-2012 Mac Pro, designed in the Steve Jobs era, understood the needs of technical and creative professionals. Now that Apple has had time to digest what went wrong with the 2013 Mac Pro, it’s time, according to Marco Arment, to change the design thinking from that of “no!” to that of “yes!”  Versatility should rule. It’s all on page 2 of Friday’s Particle Debris.

TMO Background Mode Interview with The Verge Senior Editor Lauren Goode

Lauren Goode is both a Senior Editor at The Verge and the co-host of the podcast Too Embarrassed to Ask. Lauren didn’t start out as a technical person. In high school, she was into competitive basketball and volleyball. But the seeds were evident as she became an expert with a camcorder. Her interest in basketball and English led her to Clark University. There, she developed her passion for writing and soon after she was working in media via cable TV. That’s where her passion for video technology flourished. Later, at the WSJ and AllThingsD Walt Mossberg was her mentor. Today, Lauren writes for The Verge, and we discussed her specialties: wearables, smartphones and apps, and laptop technology. Recently, she’s become involved with an interesting new series about cars, “Screen Drive,” that you’ll very much enjoy.

OLED Display Issues Pushing iPhone 8 Release to Late 2017

Patience, it seems, will be a virtue this fall when the iPhone 8 is announced because reports keep saying it won’t ship at the same time as the iPhone 7s and iPhone 7s Plus. The latest report comes from KGI analyst Ming-Chi Kuo who says OLED production issues will keep the iPhone 8 from shipping until October or November.

Slate Wrap for iPhone, a Study in Textured Black

The Slate wrap from Slickwraps crossed my desk a few days ago, and the thing is that it stuck with me. I find it compelling. Attractive. It’s a study in textured blacks, and I do like black cases and covers for my devices (YMMV). Slickwraps has been knocking it out of the part with their wraps lately, too. In any event, the company is calling this a limited edition, and say that it protects from minor scratches and small drops. They have them for iPhones, several Android devices (if that’s your thing), and even a MacBook. The ones for smartphone are priced at US$24.95.