Dave Hamilton and Jeff Gamet share their reactions to the 2018 Worldwide Developer Conference keynote presentation where Apple showed off iOS 12, watchOS 5, tvOS 12, and macOS Mojave 10.14.
Mac
Apple Releases macOS High Sierra 10.13.5 with Messages in iCloud Support
Apple released macOS High Sierra 10.13.5 on Thursday, two days after rolling out iOS 11.4, tvOS 11.4, and HomePod 11.4. The update adds Messages in iCloud support, which was introduced earlier this week for the iPhone and iPad.
WWDC 2018 Keynote Announcement Predictions - TMO Daily Observations 2018-06-01
John Martellaro and Andrew Orr join Jeff Gamet to talk about what they expect to see at Apple’s 2018 Worldwide Developer Conference keynote, plus what they wish Apple would announce.
Turning Off Significant Locations on Your Mac
Guess what? Your iPhone isn’t the only device you have that monitors where you go in order to make suggestions in Maps and Calendar—your Mac does it too. If that doesn’t give you a warm and fuzzy feeling, come read this Quick Tip! We’ll tell you how to disable it or remove old saved locations.
Apple's Intel Engineer Hires, iCloud Safari History - TMO Daily Observations 2018-05-31
Andrew Orr and John Martellaro join Jeff Gamet to share their ideas on what Apple is doing with the engineers it’s hiring away from Intel, plus they look at how much of our Safari browser history Apple retains.
Sync Your Hue Smart Lights with Videos, Music, and Games with the Philips Hue Sync App for the Mac
Signify released its Philips Hue Sync app for Mac and Windows on Thursday, giving Philips Hue smart light users a new way to control their lighting experience. The app uses Hue bulbs to add lighting and color effects in real time to music, videos, and games playing on your computer. It also works with televisions if you use AirPlay or connect via HDMI, which is great if your computer and TV aren’t in the same room. The Philips Hue Sync app is free and available for download at the Philips Hue website.
macOS: Check Your LaunchAgents for Malicious Software
Your Mac’s root-level LaunchAgents folder is a common location for adware to store files. Why is this bad? Well, it could mean that malicious software launches automatically when you log in to any user account on your Mac, which is certainly not great. In today’s Quick Tip, we’ll talk about how to get there and what to look for!
How Apple Might Approach an ARM-based Mac
Recent reports suggest that Apple may be working on a hybrid Mac, one that has a touchscreen and also runs iOS apps. Just how, exactly, would this work?
Apple Seeds macOS High Sierra 10.13.6 Developer Beta 1
Mum’s the word on features in the new release cycle, even while all eyes turn to next week’s World Wide Developer Conference.
Exploring Messages in iCloud and AirPlay 2 - TMO Daily Observations 2018-05-30
John Martellaro and Kelly Guimont join Jeff Gamet to explain Messages in iCloud, plus they explore AirPlay 2 and their experiences so far.
iTunes 12.7.5 Released with Minor Improvements
Apple released iTunes 12.7.5 for the Mac on Tuesday following the release of iOS 11.4, HomePod 11.4, and watchOS 4.3.1. The release notes note only “minor app and performance improvements.”
FBI's Router Reset Request, ARM-based Macs - TMO Daily Observations 2018-05-29
Dave Hamilton and John Martellaro join Jeff Gamet to explain what’s behind the FBI’s warning to reboot your home network router, plus they share their thoughts on the possibility of a Mac with an ARM processor.
Report Claims Apple Actively Ditching Intel for its Own ARM Processors in the Mac
Apple has tasked Pegatron with manufacturing an ARM-based MacBook, or so a report claims. This rumored ARM Mac is code named “Star” and series number N84.
Apple Offer 1 Month Free for iCloud Storage Upgrade
Apple is offering a free month for iCloud users upgrading from the free 5 GB storage tier to any of the paid options. The offer is a move to get more iCloud users to upgrade to a paid storage plan.
Intel's Mac CPU Roadmap, Network Buffer Bloat Explained - TMO Daily Observations 2018-05-24
Dave Hamilton and John Martellaro and join Jeff Gamet to look at what’s coming in Intels next generation processors for the Mac, plus Dave explains network buffer bloat and why it matters.
WWDC and Hardware Expectations, Apple Music for Other Platforms - TMO Daily Observations 2018-05-23
John Martellaro and Kelly Guimont join Jeff Gamet to talk about expectations for hardware announcements at Apple’s Worldwide Developer Conference, plus they debate if it’s time for Apple Music to come to more platforms.
Intels Warns of Spectre Variant 4 Chip Vulnerability
Intel has a new report out describing what the chip maker is calling a Spectre-like vulnerability dubbed Variant 4 that exploits the CPU’s speculative execution mechanism so hackers can potentially get at sensitive information on your computer.
The Developers Union Forms to Give Indie Developers a Voice to Apple
The group says it will start by asking Apple for developer-friendly changes to the App Store. Its goal is 20,000 members by early June (i.e. WWDC), and has 182 members so far (16 of whom joined while I was working on this article).
Getting Ready for WWDC iOS and macOS Betas, App Camp for Girls Fundraiser Concert - TMO Daily Observations 2018-05-17
Dave Hamilton and Kelly Guimont join Jeff Gamet to talk about WWDC’s upcoming iOS and macOS developer betas and how you can prepare for them, plus Kelly tells us about the James Dempsey and the Breakpoints fundraiser concert for App Camp for Girls.
StopTheMadness Safari Extension Keeps Websites from Blocking Mac Services
Do you have it when a website’s form blocks Safari’s autocomplete or autofill? Or sites that block control-click access to ordinary Mac services? Or—and why for the love of anything remotely holy or sane—copy/paste? Why on earth do you think it’s OK to stop me from copy/pasting? Like, when you use 1Password to make a 24 character password, but the site won’t let you paste it in for the confirmation field? I saw that one yesterday and about blew a gasket! ::pounds desk in righteous fury:: OK, I’m taking a deep breath, because developer Jeff Johnson has solved this with a Safari Extension called StopTheMadness [via Daring Fireball]. It re-enables all the normal Mac services in Safari, and you control which services you want on a site-by-site-basis if you wish. It’s $5 on the Mac App Store. I bought it immediately.
macOS: How to See Where a Download Came From
So you’ve downloaded files to your Mac. What’s an easy way to see where they came from if you forget? Or how can you tell where your dad got that pirated copy of Microsoft Office? In today’s Quick Tip, we’ll tell you how to see that info…and maybe help you call out your dad’s terrible computing habits.
Tweetbot 3 for the Mac Launches with Dark Mode, More
Tweetbot 3 for the Mac is out, and it’s loaded with a bunch of new features. The Twitter client has improved timeline management, autoplay (or not) for videos and GIFs, drag-and-drop column organizing, quicker access to DM chats, a dark mode, and more. Tweetbot 3 is priced at US$9.99 and is available at Apple’s Mac App Store.
Watch Susan Kare Talk about Working on Original Mac Icons and Typography
Check out this wonderful presentation from Susan Kare, a member of the original Mac team who designed the icons and typography for those early Macs. This movie has been around for years, but I just saw it in a piece at Tested about the Command Key icon. That story is part of the presentation and involves Steve Jobs. In fact, it includes all kinds of anecdotes and lore, and if you’re interested in Apple or Apple products, you will enjoy watching this presentation. And the reality is if you use a modern computing device, you owe Susan Kare a debt of gratitude. She’s done a lot of work for many other companies, too, and she touches on that in this preso. It’s great!
Three Ways to Fix Mac Hard Disk Failures
For as long as Dr. Mac can remember he’s relied upon the same three products when his hard (or solid state) disks go bad: Apple’s Disk Utility (free), Prosoft Engineering’s Drive Genius ($79), and Alsoft’s DiskWarrior ($119.99), but only one has succeeded three times in the past few months after the other two failed… Read Dr. Mac’s Rants & Raves Episode #276 to find out which one succeeded and which two failed!
