(Sponsor) Magic Lasso Adblock: incredibly private and secure Safari web browsing

My thanks to Magic Lasso Adblock for sponsoring Six Colors this week. With over 5,000 five star reviews; Magic Lasso Adblock is simply the best Safari ad blocker for your iPhone, iPad and Mac.… | Continue reading


@sixcolors.com | 19 hours ago

Our 2024 favorites: Hardware

[As the year comes to a close, those of us who write for Six Colors have decided to share some of our favorite things of the past year.… | Continue reading


@sixcolors.com | 1 day ago

(Podcast) Clockwise 585: Way Too Spatial

Rumors of a foldable iPad, spatial computing on the Mac, how often we use Street View-like features, and the iOS 18 features we’ve turned off.… | Continue reading


@sixcolors.com | 2 days ago

iOS 18.2 Mail is a misfire

Out of all the new features in iOS 18.2, I really didn’t expect that I’d be writing about Mail of all things. And yet, given how many times a day I use Mail on my iPhone, the changes in Mail in iOS 18.2 might be the worst thing about the release.… | Continue reading


@sixcolors.com | 3 days ago

(Podcast) The Rebound 526: Instantgram

Keep watching the clock. Wait, wrong podcast.… | Continue reading


@sixcolors.com | 3 days ago

Acorn 8 brings subject selection, Live Text, Data Merge, more

Not unlike text editors, image-editing software is a category that provokes strong feelings from its users. There are your Photoshop fans, Affinity users, and those who adore Pixelmator.… | Continue reading


@sixcolors.com | 3 days ago

(Podcast) Upgrade 542: Wellies on the Ground

Myke prepares the way for a big arrival (including of many Upgrade guest hosts), we’re deeply puzzled by reports of a large folding Apple device, and Myke gets out the conspiracy yarn regarding what Tim Cook is up to in the United Kingdom.… | Continue reading


@sixcolors.com | 4 days ago

(Sponsor) Magic Lasso Adblock: incredibly private and secure Safari web browsing

Online privacy isn’t just something you should be hoping for – it’s something you should expect. You should ensure your browsing history stays private and is not harvested by ad networks.… | Continue reading


@sixcolors.com | 4 days ago

The long, strange story of Audio Hijack ↦

Audio Hijack is a thing of beauty. And we almost lost it. Back in the early Apple silicon era, must-have Mac audio tool got a serious downgrade via a new installation process that required many steps and multiple reboots.… | Continue reading


@sixcolors.com | 7 days ago

(Sponsor) 1Password

My thanks to 1Password for sponsoring Six Colors this week. Strings of data breaches and other cybersecurity failures have forced greater investment in vulnerability management. The SEC now requires companies to report on how their managers and board of directors deal with vulner … | Continue reading


@sixcolors.com | 7 days ago

The iPhone-as-computer experience ↦

So many words spent handwringing on whether you can do “real work” on an iPad and yet nobody ever stops to ask the actual question: can you do real work on an iPhone?… | Continue reading


@sixcolors.com | 7 days ago

Appearance: Apple Intelligence’s generic humans

Choose from three different collections of appearances. On Wednesday iOS 18.2 and macOS 15.2 were released, and we wrote about it here. One of my complaints is that you can’t just make generic figures of people—you have to choose actual people in your library.… | Continue reading


@sixcolors.com | 8 days ago

(Podcast) Clockwise 584: Hush, We Don’t Have Time

Our interest in current smart glasses, the smart tech we use to monitor our homes and pets, our thoughts on iOS 18.2 features like Genmoji and Image Playground, and how we organize and manage holiday gift-giving lists for ideas and tracking.… | Continue reading


@sixcolors.com | 9 days ago

(Podcast) The Rebound 525: I’m Wrong But I Feel Like I Should Be Right

We’ve all got problems.… | Continue reading


@sixcolors.com | 9 days ago

(Podcast) Downstream 84: The Hulu of It All

How Disney’s strategy has led to ESPN inside the Disney+ app, Disney and Netflix content strategies, Warner Bros. Discovery and Comcast make a deal, the ramifications of Comcast’s “SpinCo,” crafting a theatrical hit out of a Disney+ TV show, and TV picks!… | Continue reading


@sixcolors.com | 9 days ago

Mic drop mutes your microphone everywhere

Mic Drop offers temporary floating status warnings and a persistent Menu Bar item as options. I’ve gotten so used to having a physical mute button on my podcast recording setup that it’s quite disconcerting when I use a different setup that doesn’t offer one.… | Continue reading


@sixcolors.com | 9 days ago

iOS 18.2/macOS 15.2 Review: Picture not so perfect?

Generating an image using Image Playground. Apple Intelligence is back, and this time it’s visual. With the iOS 18.2, iPadOS 18.2, and macOS 15.2 updates, Apple is rolling out its second round of generative AI features, including its first image-related features like Genmoji, Ima … | Continue reading


@sixcolors.com | 9 days ago

(Podcast) Upgrade 541: Nonotexture

Jason bought a laptop, Apple and Sony may be cooking up a Vision Pro scheme, and we review Apple Intelligence in iOS 18.2.… | Continue reading


@sixcolors.com | 11 days ago

(Sponsor) Without C-Suite Buy-In, security is just rearranging deck chairs

There’s a line in Titanic that any IT or security professional can relate to. The ship’s architect explains that he wanted to include enough lifeboats for all the passengers, “but it was felt the deck would look too cluttered.”… | Continue reading


@sixcolors.com | 11 days ago

Simply brings its piano app to Vision Pro

I took piano lessons when I was a kid, and always hated practicing. I can blame it on the cold room we kept the piano in, but part of the reason I hated it was that most of what I played was boring.… | Continue reading


@sixcolors.com | 14 days ago

(Sponsor) Magic Lasso Adblock: 2.0x faster web browsing in Safari

My thanks to Magic Lasso Adblock for sponsoring Six Colors this week. With over 5,000 five star reviews; Magic Lasso Adblock is simply the best Safari ad blocker for your iPhone, iPad and Mac.… | Continue reading


@sixcolors.com | 14 days ago

Festivitas hangs holiday lights on your Mac ↦

Developer Simon Støvring (Scriptable, Runestone) has just released a fun new app for the holidays called Festivitas: Festivitas automatically adds festive lights to your menu bar and dock upon launch and you can tweak their appearance to match your preferences ✨ That’s it—that’s … | Continue reading


@sixcolors.com | 16 days ago

(Podcast) The Rebound 524: Boo All the Way to the Bank

Lex gets a new Watch, Moltz is tired of technology and Dan thinks Apple doesn’t need our help.… | Continue reading


@sixcolors.com | 16 days ago

(Podcast) Clockwise 583: In the Car, With My AirPods

Our family tech support travails, tech gift recommendations under $50, smart home decorations, and seasonal music recommendations.… | Continue reading


@sixcolors.com | 16 days ago

KVM 2024: One switch to rule them all

The KVM switches between the Mac mini and MacBook Pro, allowing them to share the keyboard, a monitor (on the arm above) and a mouse. The Zoom Podtrac P4 audio interface is also shared between the two Macs. … | Continue reading


@sixcolors.com | 17 days ago

(Podcast) Upgrade 540: Validation for Shower Jason

Stephen Hackett joins Jason to discuss emergency calls, reaction to Jason’s “The Mac is the Model” piece, iPhone metals, our innate troubleshooting powers, Jason’s laptop dilemma, the ChatGPT Mac app, and some very old Vision Pro news.… | Continue reading


@sixcolors.com | 18 days ago

Even better command line control for Logitech’s Litra line

A while back I wrote about a piece of software that let you control Logitech’s Litra Glow camera via Shortcuts. But recently I came across an even better option that’s even easier to use and set up.… | Continue reading


@sixcolors.com | 18 days ago

(Sponsor) Magic Lasso Adblock: 2.0x faster web browsing in Safari

Magic Lasso Adblock: 2.0x faster web browsing in Safari Want to experience twice as fast load times in Safari on your iPhone, iPad and Mac? Then download Magic Lasso Adblock – the ad blocker designed for you.… | Continue reading


@sixcolors.com | 18 days ago

Take Control of Photos 4.1 on sale ↦

My book about Apple’s Photos app on Mac, iPhone, and iPad has been updated to cover some additional stuff announced with the iPhone 16. It’s a free update for fourth edition readers.… | Continue reading


@sixcolors.com | 21 days ago

(Sponsor) Magic Lasso Adblock: YouTube ad blocker for Safari

My thanks to Magic Lasso Adblock for sponsoring Six Colors this week. With over 5,000 five star reviews; Magic Lasso Adblock is simply the best Safari ad blocker for your iPhone, iPad and Mac.… | Continue reading


@sixcolors.com | 21 days ago

(Podcast) Clockwise 582: Good Ol’-Fashioned Googler

Our tech use with family and friends during the holidays; gadgets we’d bring for a long, power-limited day trip like attending a Supreme Court rally; seeking or avoiding Black Friday tech deals; and the apps we use for recipe discovery and management.… | Continue reading


@sixcolors.com | 23 days ago

(Podcast) The Rebound 523: Beaks!

‘Tis the (Black Friday) season.… | Continue reading


@sixcolors.com | 23 days ago

(Podcast) Downstream 83: CNBC without NBC is just C

Apple’s movie mistakes, Comcast pushes cable channels onto the ice floe, Diamond exits bankruptcy, Netflix goes live, the holiday season as a streaming opportunity, and our TV picks!… | Continue reading


@sixcolors.com | 24 days ago

(Podcast) Upgrade 539: 98 Yards with My Boys

Apple might recommit to the smart home, Smart Siri feels a long way off, Apple’s movie movies anger Hollywood creatives, and Jason’s done with the era of App Store exclusivity.… | Continue reading


@sixcolors.com | 25 days ago

(Sponsor) Magic Lasso Adblock: YouTube ad blocker for Safari

Do you want to block all YouTube ads in Safari on your iPhone, iPad and Mac? Then download Magic Lasso Adblock – the ad blocker designed for you.… | Continue reading


@sixcolors.com | 25 days ago

Time for Apple to take the Smart Home seriously ↦

Jennifer Pattison Tuohy, writing at The Verge: Next year, [Apple] will reportedly launch an “AI wall tablet for home control,” and it’s said to be developing more devices for the home (including cameras, a tabletop robot, and maybe even a TV). … | Continue reading


@sixcolors.com | 28 days ago

Sill gives a Nuzzel vibe to Mastodon and Bluesky links ↦

Journalist and developer Tyler Fisher, on his personal blog: Today I’m excited to launch the public beta of Sill, my new social media tool. Sill connects to your Bluesky and Mastodon accounts and aggregates the most popular links in your network. … | Continue reading


@sixcolors.com | 28 days ago

(Sponsor) 1Password

My thanks to 1Password for sponsoring Six Colors this week. 1Password wants you to understand the details about how laws like GDPR can affect your business.… | Continue reading


@sixcolors.com | 28 days ago

Wish List: More head gestures

Apple’s spent a lot of time investigating alternative ways of interacting with its devices, but one of my favorite is one of the newest: head gestures with AirPods.… | Continue reading


@sixcolors.com | 29 days ago

Indecision at the intersection of Mac Studio and Mac mini

My current desktop Mac, the one I work on day in and day out in my garage/office, is an M1 Mac Studio. I’ve had it for almost three years, and it’s still great.… | Continue reading


@sixcolors.com | 1 month ago

(Podcast) Clockwise 581: Visit That Like a Time Period with Dinosaurs

How we deal with physical media, the most tech heavy restaurants we’ve patronized, tech that ended up disappointing us, and the social media networks of yesteryear that we’d bring back.… | Continue reading


@sixcolors.com | 1 month ago

(Podcast) The Rebound 522: I’m All Out of Feelings

Get ready for the Apple TV TV.… | Continue reading


@sixcolors.com | 1 month ago

How Does Clean Up Measure Up?

In my previous post for Six Colors, I wrote about why Apple’s Clean Up (and photo retouching tools in general) were a fine tool for people to have in their photo editing toolkits.… | Continue reading


@sixcolors.com | 1 month ago

(Podcast) Upgrade 538: A Lot of Mac in Your Face

Is Apple trying to boost revenue by truly embracing smart home products, or is it too late? Also, Jason reviews Kindles while lamenting the current state of e-readers, and the Vision Pro gets new accessories and a music video by The Weeknd!… | Continue reading


@sixcolors.com | 1 month ago

(Sponsor) You can’t ignore GDPR anymore

When the EU enacted GDPR in 2018, executives and security professionals waited anxiously to see how the law would be enforced. And then they kept waiting…and waiting…but the Great European Privacy Crackdown never came.… | Continue reading


@sixcolors.com | 1 month ago

(Sponsor) Magic Lasso Adblock: incredibly private and secure Safari web browsing

My thanks to Magic Lasso Adblock for sponsoring Six Colors this week. With over 5,000 five star reviews; Magic Lasso Adblock is simply the best Safari ad blocker for your iPhone, iPad and Mac.… | Continue reading


@sixcolors.com | 1 month ago

(Podcast) Downstream 82: What Is This Horror?

Monday Night football on ABC, streaming delays, and more TV picks. (Downstream+ subscribers also get: an Unrivaled new sports TV product; Amazon’s deal with the NBA; and pondering the limits of the NFL.)… | Continue reading


@sixcolors.com | 1 month ago

Apple’s fiscal 2024 in charts

On Halloween, Apple announced its fiscal fourth quarter results, posting another flat sales quarter even while continuing to beat all-time quarterly revenue records. And as usual, I filled a bunch of numbers into a Numbers spreadsheet, ran my little charting Automator app, and po … | Continue reading


@sixcolors.com | 1 month ago