Installing Rogue Amoeba apps is about to get a lot easier ↦

I love Rogue Amoeba’s Mac audio utilities, but in the Apple silicon era, installing them has been pretty rough, due to Apple requiring multiple reboots and a visit to Recovery Mode to perform a dubious-sounding reduction to a Mac’s “security policy.”… | Continue reading


@sixcolors.com | 10 months ago

BBEdit 15 adds ChatGPT support

ChatGPT at work inside a BBEdit 15 Worksheet. Two and a half years after BBEdit received its last major update, Bare Bones Software has updated the venerable Mac text editor to version 15.0. The bi… | Continue reading


@sixcolors.com | 10 months ago

Cutting out the RSS middleman

Way back when Google Reader went the way of all Google products (RIP), I ended up switching to Feedly, a web-based RSS service that had good integration with third-party clients.… | Continue reading


@sixcolors.com | 10 months ago

(Podcast) Upgrade 494: Copyright Violation Machine

Jason and Myke are back just in time to miss the Vision Pro shipping news, but they’ve still got time to catch up on the news they missed and preview their expectations for the year to come.… | Continue reading


@sixcolors.com | 10 months ago

iPhone that fell out of Alaska Airlines plane in flight still operable ↦

Wes Davis, writing at The Verge: Game designer Sean Bates found an iPhone in a bush Sunday that had fallen from Alaska Airlines Flight 1282 when it lost a part of its fuselage shortly after takeoff.… | Continue reading


@sixcolors.com | 10 months ago

Apple Vision Pro launches on February 2, preorders next week

The goggles do…something? Well, you’ll find out soon enough: Apple announced on Monday that the Vision Pro will be available in the U.S. starting on February 2, with preorders starting next Friday, January 19.… | Continue reading


@sixcolors.com | 10 months ago

There and Back Again: Foregoing Fantastical

Don’t get excited, it’s just… Calendar. Last month, I took a bit of an odyssey and explored the idea that maybe there aren’t that many must-have third-party apps, only nice-to-have ones.… | Continue reading


@sixcolors.com | 10 months ago

This Week in Apple: All the wrong answers (Member Post)

2024 kicks off with all new Apple acquisition fan drafts and even larger iPhones. And is Apple poised to join the AI arms race? Why? Peloton and on Last year’s Apple acquisition porn focused on the company acquiring no less than Disney.… This story is for Six Colors members only. … | Continue reading


@sixcolors.com | 10 months ago

Grief and a Photo Shuffle ↦

Charlie Warzel’s beloved dog died last year, and he used an iPhone feature to memorialize her: Instead of a memorial photo of Peggy, I opted to try a newer, “dynamic” wallpaper feature called “Photo Shuffle.”… | Continue reading


@sixcolors.com | 10 months ago

(Podcast) Clockwise 535: It’s Even Embarrassing in Metric

Where we’re putting our social media energy in 2024, which subscriptions we’re canceling, our opinions on the Apple Vision Pro, and what feature we want for our devices this year.… | Continue reading


@sixcolors.com | 10 months ago

(Podcast) The Rebound 476: Vision Pro No Show

The Apple Watch 9 is back and the Vision Pro is nigh, but not for us.… | Continue reading


@sixcolors.com | 10 months ago

(Podcast) Upgrade 493: Upgradies Hall of Fame

Happy New Year! In this extra-special episode, Jason and Myke pick their favorite Upgradies winners of the past ten years in each Upgradies category.… | Continue reading


@sixcolors.com | 10 months ago

This Week in Apple: Tick-tocking into the future (Member Post)

The Apple Watch is back, baby! Meanwhile, Apple is still looking into this whole “AI” thing you might have heard about and what is that I see dimly on the horizon?… This story is for Six Colors members only. Become a member to get access to exclusive stories, podcasts, and commun … | Continue reading


@sixcolors.com | 11 months ago

The Back Page: 2024’s all right for fighting (Member Post)

Look, the simple truth is that when you get to be a company the size of Apple, you can’t help but butt up against certain other entities, whether they be competitors, nation states, or the occasional megalomaniacal social-media purveyor.… This story is for Six Colors members only … | Continue reading


@sixcolors.com | 11 months ago

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

My thanks to Magic Lasso Adblock for sponsoring Six Colors this week. As a native Safari extension, Magic Lasso blocks all intrusive ads, trackers and annoyances – letting you experience a faster, cleaner and more secure experience across all your devices.… | Continue reading


@sixcolors.com | 11 months ago

Shocked—shocked!—to find that Amazon is putting ads in Prime Video ↦

Our friend and colleague Joe Rosensteel has perhaps one of the best perspectives on the “Amazon Prime is adding ads” story: Then investors wanted profit, not growth — The Netflix Correction — now it’s about generating money.… | Continue reading


@sixcolors.com | 11 months ago

(Podcast) Downstream 60: You Heard It Here First

The fate of Paramount Global hangs in the balance, and our favorites of the year. [Downstream+ subscribers get an extra half hour, including RSN collapses and potential streaming solutions, and our predictions for 2024.]… | Continue reading


@sixcolors.com | 11 months ago

End-of-year check-in: Where I’m working

Behold, Studio B. Every so often, people express an interest in my tech set-up. I suppose it’s a natural interest among tech fans to compare gear? Whatever the reason, here’s an update … | Continue reading


@sixcolors.com | 11 months ago

Jason’s favorites of 2023: Apps, movies, TV, books

So it’s come to this: Another lap around the sun, another year over. Before the calendars flip over to 2024—a year so hilarious that I can’t believe it’s not a typo—I thought I’d share some of the stuff I really enjoyed in the year gone by.… | Continue reading


@sixcolors.com | 11 months ago

(Sponsor) 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. It’s easy to setup, blocks all YouTube ads, … | Continue reading


@sixcolors.com | 11 months ago

(Podcast) Upgrade 492: The 2023 Upgrade Holiday Special

Twitter was dead, to begin with. Five years later, we look at the Ghost Of Apple Future from a different perspective. There’s also some Holiday Ask Upgrade. And who let that history podcast i… | Continue reading


@sixcolors.com | 11 months ago

This Week in Apple: Year-end closeouts (Member Post)

Hope you already got an Apple Watch 9 if you were in the market. Laughing at GM seems like it’s going to be a sport for a long time but the Beeper Mini saga seems to be ending.… This story is for Six Colors members only. Become a member to get access to exclusive stories, podcast … | Continue reading


@sixcolors.com | 11 months ago

(Sponsor) Kolide

My thanks to Kolide for sponsoring Six Colors this week. Getting OS updates installed on end user devices should be easy, but of course it isn’t. Forcing restarts without user approval will l… | Continue reading


@sixcolors.com | 11 months ago

Zoom on tvOS: Big screen video chatting needs some work

Your author, looking a bit like he’s trapped in a Wes Anderson movie. Ever since the announcement earlier this year of Continuity Camera for tvOS, I’ve been looking forward to giving Zoom a try on the Apple TV.… | Continue reading


@sixcolors.com | 11 months ago

(Podcast) Clockwise 534: Live From the North Pole

Our joyful tech moments in 2023, the most significant non-AI tech advancement or launch in 2023, tech anticipation for 2024, and a self-indulgent gift we’ve chosen for the holidays.… | Continue reading


@sixcolors.com | 11 months ago

(Podcast) The Rebound 475: Mortgage Krampus

Apple is staring down the barrel of a Watch import ban and we have some investment advice for you that involves time travel.… | Continue reading


@sixcolors.com | 11 months ago

Apple adds The Athletic to News+, Wirecutter coming soon ↦

Apple Newsroom: Apple and The Athletic today announced that Apple News+ subscribers now have access to The Athletic’s unrivaled sports journalism. The Athletic provides best-in-class team coverage, as well as coverage of the biggest and most compelling stories in sports daily, a … | Continue reading


@sixcolors.com | 11 months ago

(Podcast) Upgrade 491: The 2023 Upgradies

It’s time for the 10th Annual Upgradies! Myke and Jason discuss their favorites of 2023, take the input of many Upgradians, and hand out awards in numerous categories! Only the finest will wa… | Continue reading


@sixcolors.com | 11 months ago

(Sponsor) The Dirty Secret of OS Updates

Getting OS updates installed on end user devices should be easy. After all, it’s one of the simplest yet most impactful ways that every employee can practice good security.  On top of that, e… | Continue reading


@sixcolors.com | 11 months ago

Apple halting sales of Series 9 Apple Watch, Apple Ultra Watch 2 ↦

Chance Miller at 9to5Mac writes: In a statement to 9to5Mac, Apple has announced that it will soon halt sales of its flagship Apple Watch models in the United States. The Apple Watch Series 9 and Ap… | Continue reading


@sixcolors.com | 11 months ago

This Week in Apple: Like tears in rain (Member Post)

GM’s new software system better be a doozy after how it’s trash talked CarPlay. Apple beta tests a new set of security features for iPhones and you should be pre-warned that crying inside your Vision Pro may void the warranty.… This story is for Six Colors members only. Become a … | Continue reading


@sixcolors.com | 11 months ago

(Sponsor) Kolide

My thanks to Kolide for sponsoring Six Colors again this week. AI is a hot topic in lots of businesses, but most companies still haven’t come up with policies to manage AI usage—and employees are potentially handing over all sorts of sensitive data to tools that may or may not be … | Continue reading


@sixcolors.com | 11 months ago

The case for clipboard managers

Pastebot’s history window. Last week, I walked myself through the process of realizing the power of macOS Defaults and how, over the two decades of modern macOS, Apple has addressed most of the basic needs of the average user.… | Continue reading


@sixcolors.com | 11 months ago

(Podcast) Downstream 59: Netflix’s Spreadsheet

It’s finally happened: Netflix has made its viewing data public… via an Excel spreadsheet? Also: Disney+ and Hulu get connected in the U.S., it might be the endgame for Paramount Global, and your letters!… | Continue reading


@sixcolors.com | 11 months ago

(Podcast) Clockwise 533: I’m the App

The additional security measures we use, tech resources for traveling abroad, our valuable vintage tech, and how we feel about crowdfunding.… | Continue reading


@sixcolors.com | 11 months ago

(Podcast) The Rebound 474: Always Be Smirching

Are things worse than they used to be or as bad as they always were?… | Continue reading


@sixcolors.com | 11 months ago

How to stop Mail logs from eating your disk space

The other week, I noticed that the amount of free disk space on my MacBook Air had dropped rather precipitously to under a few gigabytes. As I usually don’t store that many files on that machine—much less large ones—I went poking around to figure out what was eating up all my dis … | Continue reading


@sixcolors.com | 11 months ago

(Podcast) Upgrade 490: The Cat Has a Team of Lawyers

John Siracusa joins Jason to discuss Beeper, this week’s Apple OS updates, next year’s expected Apple hardware (including iPads, Macs, and Vision Pro), and the power of the defaults on macOS.… | Continue reading


@sixcolors.com | 11 months ago

iOS 17.2’s Journal app offers introspection, surface-deep

I’ve never really been someone who journals. At various points, I’ve tried: on and off throughout high-school and college, while I studied abroad, during a cross-country roadtrip, but these always seemed to peter out eventually.… | Continue reading


@sixcolors.com | 11 months ago

(Sponsor) Stupid Companies Make AI Promises. Smart Companies Have AI Policies.

It seems like every company is scrambling to stake their claim in the AI goldrush–check out the CEO of Kroger promising to bring LLMs into the dairy aisle. And front line workers are following suit… | Continue reading


@sixcolors.com | 11 months ago

This Week in Apple: The haves and the have nots (Member Post)

Apple’s got big plans for next March, Android users are muddying the waters and, sure, she’s got an award-winning podcast and I don’t, but have you seen her dance?… This story is for Six Colors members only. Become a member to get access to exclusive stories, podcasts, and commun … | Continue reading


@sixcolors.com | 11 months ago

(Sponsor) Audio Hijack

My thanks to Rogue Amoeba for sponsoring Six Colors this week regarding its indispensable audio utility Audio Hijack. It is one of my very favorite Mac utilities. Audio Hijack lets you record and r… | Continue reading


@sixcolors.com | 11 months ago

(Podcast) Clockwise 532: Oh, My Poor Nose!

Our go-to photo apps, a budget-friendly tech favorite, iOS 17.2 excitement, and macOS Sonoma’s standout feature.… | Continue reading


@sixcolors.com | 11 months ago

(Podcast) The Rebound 473: Totally Flim-Flam-Flobbable

Cars, Watch interactions and name changes for the ages.… | Continue reading


@sixcolors.com | 11 months ago

Apple will now disclose government requests for push notification data ↦

Ashley Belanger, writing at Ars Technica: Apple has since confirmed in a statement provided to Ars that the US federal government “prohibited” the company “from sharing any information,” but now that Wyden has outed the feds, Apple has updated its transparency reporting and will … | Continue reading


@sixcolors.com | 11 months ago

Studios need to stop lying about CGI ↦

VFX pro (and friend of the site) Todd Vaziri has had it up to here with movie studios pretending that movies full of CGI were shot with only practical effects: Folks who follow me on Twitter (currently known as X) are probably aware of my years-old, depressing, frequently update … | Continue reading


@sixcolors.com | 11 months ago

On macOS, it’s best to start with the default

The default Sonoma experience on an M3 iMac. A question from reader Jack B. has led me on a journey of reflection about the result of Apple iterating on macOS for a couple of decades. “I̵… | Continue reading


@sixcolors.com | 11 months ago

Beeper brings on-device iMessage to Android–for now ↦

Beeper, a startup led by former Pebble CEO Eric Migicovsky, announced a new version of its Android app that supports direct on-device compatibility1 for iMessage.… | Continue reading


@sixcolors.com | 11 months ago