Review: Brydge Pro 12.9 keyboard

I’ve spent six months using the 2018 iPad Pro with Apple’s Smart Keyboard Folio and a collection of external USB and Bluetooth mechanical keyboards. The Smart Keyboard Folio has been a solid traveling companion, and it’s a major impr... | Continue reading


@sixcolors.com | 5 years ago

(Podcast) Upgrade #244: Push All the Sales Buttons

Apple’s financial results lead us to discuss the company bringing a new focus to iPhone sales and throwing Intel under the bus. Then Mark Gurman of Bloomberg swoops in with a huge collection of new and slightly used macOS, iOS, and watchOS rumors fo... | Continue reading


@sixcolors.com | 5 years ago

Are we headed for a Mac automation schism?

Steve Jobs introducing Automator in 2004 (left) and Craig Federighi introducing Shortcuts in 2018.User automation is important. Giving users the power to eliminate repetitive tasks and connect apps together in ways the app designers never anticipated ... | Continue reading


@sixcolors.com | 5 years ago

(Podcast) Clockwise #292: The Drums are the Worst Part

This week, on the 30-minute show that is always on time, no matter where you are, Dan and Mikah are joined by special guests Lory Gil and Matthew Cassinelli to discuss how we distract ourselves with tech while traveling, our thoughts on the new Luminary p... | Continue reading


@sixcolors.com | 5 years ago

(Podcast) Rebound 236: More Than Just Cursory

This week, on the irreverent tech show that is never quite what you think it’s going to be, we talk about the latest rumors that support for pointing devices is coming to iOS, Dan makes the latest case for a touchscreen Mac (and John makes the count... | Continue reading


@sixcolors.com | 5 years ago

Apple's financial results: Learning to sell the iPhone

Tim Cook loves satisfied customers.There was a time—a very long time, in fact—when Apple didn’t need to make much of an attempt to actually sell iPhones. I don’t want to imply that the act of creating new iPhone models and new ... | Continue reading


@sixcolors.com | 5 years ago

This is Tim: Transcript of Apple's Q2 2019 call with analysts

[Every quarter Apple’s CEO and CFO talk to financial analysts on an hourlong call. This is the transcript of that call from Tuesday, April 30, 2019.]Tim Cook: Thanks Nancy, and good afternoon, and thanks to all of you for joining us today. This ha... | Continue reading


@sixcolors.com | 5 years ago

Apple second-quarter 2019 financial results

Apple’s quarterly results are here. The company posted revenue of $58 billion, down 5 percent from the same quarter a year ago. iPad revenue was up 22% and Services revenue was up 16%, but Mac revenue was down 5% and iPhone revenue was down 17%.... | Continue reading


@sixcolors.com | 5 years ago

(Podcast) Upgrade #243: Fiddling Around With Folders

Jason struggles between the Mac’s insistence on file management and iOS’s lack of it, Podcasts take a step toward going viral with some help from Overcast, and we prepare for the Upgrade Summer of Fun with a new arrival from Dongletown. ... | Continue reading


@sixcolors.com | 5 years ago

(Podcast) Clockwise #291: My Fingers are My Meese

This week, on the 30-minute show that just keeps getting older, Dan and Mikah are joined by special guests Heather Kelly and Jeremy Burge to discuss rumors that the iPad will add pointing device support, our favorite tech flops, drone deliveries, and our ... | Continue reading


@sixcolors.com | 5 years ago

(Podcast) Rebound 235: Any Phone Is Foldable

This week, on the irreverent tech show that sometimes takes lengthy digressions, we discuss the debacle that is the Galaxy Fold, John’s pulling back from Instagram, Lex’s daughter’s surprisingly macabre game of The Sims, and Dan’s ... | Continue reading


@sixcolors.com | 5 years ago

(Podcast) Upgrade #242: Myke and the Modems

What’s next for macOS and iOS? This week we discuss all of last week’s reporting by Guilherme Rambo about the future of Apple’s platforms, from Find My Friends to support for external displays and pointing devices, to the complicated fut... | Continue reading


@sixcolors.com | 5 years ago

Review: Kindle Paperwhite (2019) and Kindle (2019)

In the last few months Amazon has released two new Kindles, the $130 Kindle Paperwhite and the $90 base-model Kindle. Both of them are notable improvements on their previous versions, making it harder for me to declare which Kindle you should buy. The bas... | Continue reading


@sixcolors.com | 5 years ago

(Podcast) Rebound 234: Webdings!

This week, on the irreverent tech show where nobody is innocent for long, we discuss Disney’s new streaming service—aimed directly at John and Dan—and what it means for Apple TV+, plus iOS 13’s rumored improvements, Lex’s too... | Continue reading


@sixcolors.com | 5 years ago

Restoring Mojave's "missing" VPN server with VPN Enabler

I recently updated my Mac mini server to macOS Mojave after a long and troublesome ordeal. 1 While the update has been mostly positive, one of the features I was sad to lose was the ability to configure my own VPN server. As you may recall, the VPN s... | Continue reading


@sixcolors.com | 5 years ago

(Podcast) Upgrade #241: The Tweaky Features

Disney finally unveils its streaming service at a price that makes us wonder just what game Apple thinks it’s playing; we get a sneak peek at some possible new iPad features for iOS 13; and Jason and Myke ponder the major changes due for the Mac thi... | Continue reading


@sixcolors.com | 5 years ago

(Podcast) Download #99: My Memory is Beyond the Event Horizon

Netflix ties its own hands, new Kindles arrive, Amazon gets criticized for cozying up to oil companies while touting its own green-energy efforts, web accessibility is trickier than you’d think, and… is that a black hole? ... | Continue reading


@sixcolors.com | 5 years ago

2019 iMac review: The best of a bygone era

The 2019 iMacs are a contradiction. They are brand-new computers that somehow feel like the last members of a dying order. They are shells designed in 2012 that somehow contain 8th- and 9th-generation Intel processors. They represent Apple’s bro... | Continue reading


@sixcolors.com | 5 years ago

(Podcast) Clockwise #289: Down to the Level of Atoms

This week, on the 30-minute show that is a flat circle, Dan and Mikah are joined by special guests Shelly Brisbin and Jeff Carlson to discuss whether our downloading of new apps has slowed, what we’d like to see changed if iTunes is broken up, smart... | Continue reading


@sixcolors.com | 5 years ago

Seeing a black hole with half a ton of hard drives

That’s a black hole. Source: Event Horizon Telescope Collaboration.In a legitimately amazing achievement for humanity, the Event Horizon Telescope Collaboration announced that it has directly imaged a black hole for the first time 1. There ... | Continue reading


@sixcolors.com | 5 years ago

(Podcast) Rebound 233: All Those Penguins

This week, on the irreverent tech show that asks the hard questions about government security, we discuss Apple’s 5G pickle, Netflix’s most recent decisions on technology and pricing, the hopefully inevitable disruption of iTunes, and how Grea... | Continue reading


@sixcolors.com | 5 years ago

(Podcast) Upgrade #240: Dance on the Grave of iTunes

John Siracusa joins Jason to discuss how 2019 is potentially an enormous year for the Mac in both hardware and software. Also, we make time to swap TiVo stories and generate John’s Hierarchy of Mac Pro Needs.... | Continue reading


@sixcolors.com | 5 years ago

BBEdit is back in the Mac App Store

Back in 2014, Bare Bones Software’s Rich Siegel announced he was pulling his app, BBEdit, out of the Mac App Store. It was a bad sign for the viability of the store, and Bare Bones wasn’t the only major Mac developer to realize it didnR... | Continue reading


@sixcolors.com | 5 years ago

(Podcast) Download #98: Important Business People With Ties

Apple’s News+ pitch failed with key newspapers—but Facebook might value news curation now? Future iPhones come into focus, but Apple’s 5G timeline is called into question. Dell’s new XPS laptop is a winner. And the “hearables... | Continue reading


@sixcolors.com | 5 years ago

(Podcast) Clockwise #288: Facebook Is Gonna Facebook

This week, on the 30-minute tech show where time is always on our side, Dan and Mikah are joined by special guests Aleen Simms and Rene Ritchie to discuss mundane tasks we think voice assistants could improve, living the multi-pad lifestyle, tech movie tr... | Continue reading


@sixcolors.com | 5 years ago

(Podcast) Rebound 232: Ray Romano

This week, on the irreverent tech show that goes where even we least expect it, we talk AirPower’s demise, some fallout from last week’s Apple event, the good and bad of April Fools Day on the Internet, and our latest much-anticipated picks. P... | Continue reading


@sixcolors.com | 5 years ago

(Podcast) Upgrade #239: Fighting Against the Laws of Physics

This week we say goodbye to AirPower, ponder the place of the new iPad Mini, speculate a bit about Apple Arcade, and take a hard look at Apple News+. Also, Jason literally sits in the iMac Pro Gap. ... | Continue reading


@sixcolors.com | 5 years ago

Updated: Which Mac laptop to buy for a student? ↦

[Updated March 27, 2019.]As a parent of children aged 17 and 14 who writes and talks about technology all day, all of a sudden I find myself being asked all the time by fellow parents for advice about buying laptops for their kids. Some of them have... | Continue reading


@sixcolors.com | 5 years ago

(Podcast) Clockwise #287: The Opposite of What They're Doing

This week, on the 30-minute podcast that’s also a half-hour sitcom, Dan and Mikah are joined by special guests John Moltz and Megan Morrone for an M-filled extravaganza. We discuss whether gaming subscription services are worth our money, what would... | Continue reading


@sixcolors.com | 5 years ago

(Podcast) Rebound 231: Steven Bielberg

Finally, some real honest-to-goodness Apple news…about Apple News? Plus, a whole lot of stuff that isn’t shipping yet, which gives us plenty of time to dissect the methodology of Apple’s announcements, whether it’s wise to not show... | Continue reading


@sixcolors.com | 5 years ago

Initial thoughts about Apple's services event

It was an unusual Apple event on Monday. No hardware, not much in the way of software, and a whole lot of services. Plus, a bunch of famous Hollywood types standing on a stage in Cupertino talking about their TV shows. Here are some quick-hit reactions... | Continue reading


@sixcolors.com | 5 years ago

Rogue Amoeba updates SoundSource

The audio mavens over at Rogue Amoeba have updated their SoundSource utility for macOS to version 4, bringing a ton of new features and a brand new interface. Think of SoundSource like a supercharged version of the system audio widget that lives in ... | Continue reading


@sixcolors.com | 5 years ago

(Podcast) Upgrade #238: The Future of TV Was Apps

Apple spent two hours on stage unveiling a bunch of new services, and now it’s time to break them down. We discuss the method of the Apple TV+ rollout, whether Apple Channels and a revamped TV app will change Apple’s fortunes, what Apple Arcad... | Continue reading


@sixcolors.com | 5 years ago

Apple Event: "Show Time" at Steve Jobs Theater

I’ll be posting live from the Steve Jobs Theater on Twitter at @sixcolorsevent, which is embedded below.Tweets by sixcolorsevent ... | Continue reading


@sixcolors.com | 5 years ago

Find video files that won't survive the 32-bit Mac apocalypse

A spotlight codec search.In future years we’re going to cling to macOS Mojave. Not because of any particular love for desert desktop images, but because it’s the last version of macOS to run 32-bit applications. If you rely on old software... | Continue reading


@sixcolors.com | 5 years ago

Yes, Logitech's Crayon works with iPad Pro

Over at 9to5 Mac, Zac Hall noticed that a few of us—at least myself and Nilay Patel from the Verge, and possibly others—have been passing along an interesting new iPad tidbit after meeting with Apple about the new iPad models this week. I ... | Continue reading


@sixcolors.com | 5 years ago

(Podcast) Rebound 230: Crazy Spreadsheet Business

This week, on the irreverent tech show that always arrives exactly when it means to, we discuss this week’s many and varied Apple announcements. Plus, you’ll never believe what John bought (you will absolutely believe it), Dan updates everybod... | Continue reading


@sixcolors.com | 5 years ago

Review: iPad mini 2019 is a modern version of a small classic

When three and a half years go by without Apple updating your favorite product, you start to get a little antsy. In the case of the iPad mini, Apple has spent those years completely reconfiguring the iPad line, introducing multiple models of iPad Pro ... | Continue reading


@sixcolors.com | 5 years ago

(Podcast) Clockwise #286: I Used to Be Boring

This week, on the 30-minute show that’s never boring, Dan and Mikah are joined by special guests Kathy Campbell and Rose Orchard to discuss Apple’s new iPad mini, how we decorate our devices, what Apple announcements we’re still looking ... | Continue reading


@sixcolors.com | 5 years ago

The iMac and spinning-disk disappointment

Tuesday’s announcement of new iMacs is exciting for those who have been waiting for an update before buying, but a bit disappointing for those who were hoping for a more comprehensive iMac redesign. I have to admit that I’d been hoping for a... | Continue reading


@sixcolors.com | 5 years ago

Today is iMac day: Apple announces new models with faster processors and graphics

There was a time when the iMac was Apple’s flagship product. But in an era where there are iPhones and iPads and Apple Watches, it’s easy for a Mac—and a non-laptop, at that—to get lost in the crowd. And yet for all of that, the ... | Continue reading


@sixcolors.com | 5 years ago

(Podcast) Upgrade #237: New iMacs, iPads, and the 2019 March Event Draft

After nearly two years, Apple has released new iMacs, and Jason has an exclusive interview with Apple’s iMac product manager, Colleen Novielli. We also discuss the surprising new iPad Air and iPad mini announcements, and then it’s time for ano... | Continue reading


@sixcolors.com | 5 years ago

(Podcast) Clockwise #285: Hey, It's Capitalism!

This week, on the 30-minute show that’s springing forward, Dan and Mikah are joined by special guests and superstar Panic designers Christa Mrgan and Neven Mrgan to discuss subscription service fatigue, fragmentation in the Internet of Things, Spoti... | Continue reading


@sixcolors.com | 5 years ago

(Podcast) Rebound 229: Go Back to Making Dinosaur Movies

This week, on the irreverent tech show where someone apparently talks about their Mac mini too much, we run down a variety of topics, including expectations for Apple’s upcoming “It’s show time!” event, Spielberg’s weird comm... | Continue reading


@sixcolors.com | 5 years ago

(Podcast) Upgrade #236: Whatever Keyboard Pleases Me

Disney opens the vault for its streaming service, we rank our own MacBook Hierarchy of Needs, and Jason goes against Myke’s advice and records some podcasts using only an iPad.... | Continue reading


@sixcolors.com | 5 years ago

(Sponsor) The Bayern Agenda

Hey readers, Dan here. Never thought I’d see the day when I was sponsoring our own blog, but I just wanted to let you know about my latest novel, The Bayern Agenda. Simon Kovalic, the Commonwealth’s premiere covert operative, has a problem. ... | Continue reading


@sixcolors.com | 5 years ago

Encyclopedia Netflixia: Translating Warner Media's Robert Greenblatt

So the other day Robert Greenblatt, the new chairman of Entertainment at Warner Media, where he’s in charge of HBO, TNT, TBS, truTV, and the forthcoming Warner Media streaming service, said something to NBC’s Dylan Byers about Netflix that go... | Continue reading


@sixcolors.com | 5 years ago

(Podcast) Download #94: From Switzerland to You

Fitbit unveils new low-cost fitness trackers, Apple goes hiring in Qualcomm’s backyard, Zuck has a vision for private conversations, and Stephen Hackett and I bring in our Special Automotive Correspondent Casey Liss to discuss electric car announcem... | Continue reading


@sixcolors.com | 5 years ago