Do you feel like Apple’s “pro” Macs aren’t designed for your particular profession? You’re not alone. TidBITS publisher Adam Engst has been using Macs for over three decades, and he has some ideas for how Apple could better support professionals who don’t work with audio, video, … | Continue reading
Many websites advise you to change your password routinely. That advice is nearly universally wrong: you should only update a password when there’s a weakness. Why does it persist? | Continue reading
Improves identification of sorted columns and the sort order of the Investment Dashboard Top Movers card. ($35.99/51.99/77.99 annual subscription, free update, 95.5 MB, macOS 10.13+) | Continue reading
Brings new and enhanced features and bug fixes to the video conferencing app. (Free, 28.7 MB, macOS 10.9+) | Continue reading
Apple has announced an event for early next week. Rumors point toward the release of a new iPhone SE, iPad Air, and at least one Apple silicon Mac. | Continue reading
Is it really TidBITS#1600 already? The weeks just keep slipping by as we write and edit TidBITS and keep up with all that’s necessary for a modern-day Internet presence. | Continue reading
Brings a variety of improvements and bug fixes to the drive-cloning and backup utility. ($39.99 new, free update, 19.2 MB, macOS 10.15+) | Continue reading
Adds support for tracking email metadata in Microsoft Outlook and basic support for tracking information from Mac Catalyst apps. ($42 annual subscription, free update, 27.2 MB, macOS 10.14+) | Continue reading
Update to the office suite focused on enhancements for Excel. ($149.99 new for one-time purchase, $99.99/$69.99 annual subscription options, free update, macOS 10.14+) | Continue reading
Adds support for accepting and declining invitations in Google Calendar, among other improvements. (Free, 9.1 MB, macOS 10.15+) | Continue reading
Maintenance update for the calendar app with a few improvements and bug fixes. ($49.99 new, free update, 53.3 MB, macOS 10.12+) | Continue reading
We live in a global, interconnected world, so the Russian invasion of Ukraine isn’t just news reports from far away. Between impacted Ukrainian Apple developers, efforts by other Apple-adjacent firms, and calls for Apple to block the App Store in Russia, we’re all in this togethe … | Continue reading
On the Apple Buying Advice site, Josh Centers cautioned against cellular Apple Watches, but TidBITS readers were quick to point out that many people need cellular connectivity. | Continue reading
Adam Engst discovered that iOS 15 lets you move apps to the Home screen after finding them in a search… and then he stumbled across something even more exciting: you can now make aliases to apps! | Continue reading
Engineer and Apple pundit John Siracusa aims his critical eye at video streaming services, offering suggestions for how streaming video apps could improve. | Continue reading
It has now been 1000 days since Apple has updated the iPod touch, the last remaining iPod model. Has Apple abandoned it entirely, or does it still have a future? | Continue reading
Do you or a loved one need a quick recommendation about which Apple products and accessories are best? TidBITS Managing Editor Josh Centers has launched a personal side project that can help. | Continue reading
Internet mapping services have democratized cartography and brought it to the masses. Adam Engst has been working with maps of late and shares the most effective services, techniques, and tips that he’s found. | Continue reading
Peloton exercise bikes are expensive and lock users into the company’s exercise service. Julio Ojeda-Zapata tried a less expensive alternative, Bowflex’s C6 bike. It gives users the flexibility to use a range of fitness services with an iPhone or iPad, an Apple TV, or a Mac. | Continue reading
Maintenance release for the document and information manager blends a few new features with improvements and bug fixes. ($99 new, free update, 136 MB, macOS 10.11.5+) | Continue reading
Major new release for the keyboard shortcut and emoji cheat sheet enables you to assign keyboard shortcuts on the fly. (€19.99 new, €9.99 upgrade, 5.4 MB, macOS 10.10+) | Continue reading
Brings new effects and filters plus bug fixes to the Swiss Army knife of graphics programs. ($39.95 new, free update, 270 MB, macOS 10.9+) | Continue reading
Blue light emitted from screens has been linked to a number of health issues. Here are a couple of ways you can reduce or block it on your Mac, iPhone, and iPad. | Continue reading
If you subscribe to either of Verizon’s 5G Play More or 5G Get More unlimited plans, you now get free access to Apple Arcade indefinitely. | Continue reading
Overhauls the Auto-title functionality with configurable hierarchy chains, an updated user interface and a new style category. ($49 new, free update, 101 MB, macOS 10.9+) | Continue reading
Enables you to share synced libraries and allow either read/write or read-only access. ($59.99 new, free update, 100 MB, macOS 10.13+) | Continue reading
Adds support for creating and opening multiple notebooks and improves support for Shortcuts in macOS 12 Monterey. ($49.99 new, free update, 22.4 MB, macOS 10.14.2+) | Continue reading
Apple has moved the iPhone 6 Plus to its list of vintage products, meaning that you might have a tougher time getting it repaired. | Continue reading
Curious how much it would cost to repair an Apple device? The Apple Support app now offers estimates in select locations. But only for the most common repairs to certain devices. | Continue reading
Patches unspecified security vulnerabilities in Big Sur and Catalina. (Free, various sizes, macOS 11 and 10.15) | Continue reading
We’ve resubscribed several hundred TidBITS readers who were inexplicably unsubscribed several months ago, and on a completely different topic, Adam shares a tip on how to run Monterey on a Mac that doesn’t support it. | Continue reading
Adds support for the forthcoming macOS 12.3 Monterey update. ($30 new, free update, 20.2 MB, macOS 10.9+) | Continue reading
Adds a Flatten Shape Processors menu item and now remembers the canvas backdrop color on all open images. ($39.99 new, free update, 19.4 MB, macOS 10.14+) | Continue reading
Maintenance release for the file transfer app adds support for upgrading RSA key security. ($45 new, free update, 33.9 MB, macOS 10.15+) | Continue reading
Brings a few improvements and bug fixes to its macOS edition as well as some new features for the iOS edition. ($49.99 annual subscription, free update, 31.9 MB, macOS 10.15+) | Continue reading
New York Times privacy reporter Kashmir Hill used an AirTag, a Tile, and a GPS device to track her husband’s every move (with his consent). It’s a fascinating story of how well the different products worked and how creepy it felt. | Continue reading
Media reports of AirTags being abused by criminals have stirred controversy. Apple has published a brief but detailed plan on how it is addressing privacy concerns. | Continue reading
The full-featured calendar app Fantastical from Flexibits has received a significant upgrade in the form of Fantastical Scheduling, a two-part feature that simplifies setting up meetings with others. | Continue reading
To many, the Mindfulness app may seem pointless or even annoying, but Josh Centers has discovered that it serves a secret function in monitoring your health. | Continue reading
The latest maintenance updates to Apple’s core operating systems fix a couple of serious bugs and a major security flaw. | Continue reading
Merchants will soon be able to accept contactless payments directly on their iPhones without any additional hardware. | Continue reading
Despite owning an Apple Watch from the beginning, Josh Centers didn’t get much use from its fitness-tracking capabilities until he gave up on Apple’s software. | Continue reading
Jason Snell of Six Colors released his seventh annual Apple report card, featuring ratings and quotes from a select group of Apple commentators, including many from TidBITS. | Continue reading
The compact, inexpensive Roku Express 4K+ could give you everything you want from a streaming media player for your TV, including AirPlay 2 support. It’s a fraction the cost of an Apple TV 4K and nearly as well designed. | Continue reading
Triggered by a conflation of recent cloud storage issues, Adam Engst examines the real-world experience surrounding cloud storage and explores a variety of quirks, irritations, and gotchas with Dropbox, Google Drive, iCloud Drive, and OneDrive. | Continue reading
Brings a variety of small improvements to the document and information manager. ($99 new, free update, 137 MB, macOS 10.11.5+) | Continue reading
Updates the handling of cloud-synced folders to ensure correct tracking of synced folders. ($34.95 new, free update, 15.7 MB, macOS 10.10+) | Continue reading
Apple released watchOS 8.4.1 shortly after watchOS 8.4 with no explanation beyond “includes bug fixes for Apple Watch Series 4 and later” | Continue reading