(Sponsor) Kolide

My thanks to Kolide for once again sponsoring Six Colors. Kolide takes a different approach to endpoint security and fleet management. They help companies meet compliance goals by enlisting the support of their users with a structured, message-based approach.… | Continue reading


@sixcolors.com | 2 years ago

Quick Tip: Smart albums based on Photos searches

Last week on the Accidental Tech Podcast, John Siracusa bemoaned the fact that Smart Albums in Photos on the Mac don’t take advantage of the sophisticated searches you can do from the app’s Search box, which include face, object, and scene detection.… | Continue reading


@sixcolors.com | 2 years ago

(Podcast) Clockwise 476: I Cheated With Two Questions

Our thoughts on all-in-one work platforms in regard to Zoom One, the mapping app(s) we use, our predictions for the future of social media, and our tech-buying habits when faced with supply-constraint delays.… | Continue reading


@sixcolors.com | 2 years ago

The Apple TV’s upgrade experience needs an upgrade

Apple has done such a good job of improving the iPhone, iPad, and Mac upgrade experience in the last few years that I’ve come to take it for granted that when I buy a new piece of Apple hardware to replace an old one, I will be able to fairly quickly transfer all my stuff and go … | Continue reading


@sixcolors.com | 2 years ago

Some currently verified Twitter users will get a different checkmark ↦

Jay Peters at The Verge: Although you can pay $7.99 per month for a blue check mark with the new version of Twitter Blue, select accounts for governments, companies, or public figures will get a gray “Official” check mark, according to a thread from Twitter’s Esther Crawford, wh … | Continue reading


@sixcolors.com | 2 years ago

Quick Tip: Replace albums with keywords in iCloud Shared Photos

Much to my friend Stephen Hackett’s frustration, there’s no way to share albums in iCloud Shared Photos. All the photos can be shared, but the concept of an album is currently limited to a single Apple ID.… | Continue reading


@sixcolors.com | 2 years ago

(Podcast) The Rebound 417: Oh God Space

You can find us on Mastodon. If you can complete The Trials.… | Continue reading


@sixcolors.com | 2 years ago

iOS 16 lock screen walkthrough (Member Video)

While I was writing my book about Photos, I spent a very long time tapping around in the new iOS 16 lock screen editor, and I thought that perhaps it was worth making a video about.… This story is for Six Colors members only. Become a member to get access to exclusive stories, po … | Continue reading


@sixcolors.com | 2 years ago

(Podcast) Upgrade 432: Upgrade (With Special Offers)

The strong dollar is helping to drive up Apple’s prices around the world, but is it teaching the company that high prices don’t matter? Also, Apple downgrades our favorite tvOS feature, Apple gets into the TV ad game, and iPhone production grinds to a halt.… | Continue reading


@sixcolors.com | 2 years ago

(Sponsor) Kolide–50% Fewer Service Desk Hairs Pulled Out, Guaranteed!

“When was the last time you restarted it?” If you’ve ever worked at a service desk, you’ve probably wanted to tattoo this question on your forehead. Ditto for: “What device drivers do you have inst… | Continue reading


@sixcolors.com | 2 years ago

In praise of Shared Albums: The social network antidote

Social networking in the modern era is more than just a double-edge sword: it’s a spinning wheel of blades that provide only occasional respites of joy amongst a thousand paper cuts of indignity. B… | Continue reading


@sixcolors.com | 2 years ago

Up Next? Disappointment.

Today I fired up my Apple TV and opened the Apple TV app to be greeted with a revised Watch Now tab. Much to my shock and horror, they made it worse than it was before! I hopped online and came acr… | Continue reading


@sixcolors.com | 2 years ago

Apple to Apple TV users: We don’t care what you want to watch ↦

Before (left): What I want to watch is at the top level! After: Nope. Apple is apparently beta testing some changes to the Watch Now tab of its TV app on Apple TV. As Chance Miller reports at 9to5M… | Continue reading


@sixcolors.com | 2 years ago

All existing Level locks will get Thread support in an update ↦

It’s pretty rare to see new hardware features unlocked by a firmware update, but smart lock maker Level is doing just that: its entire existing line of devices will be getting both Matter and, more interestingly, Thread support in an upcoming release.… | Continue reading


@sixcolors.com | 2 years ago

Chinese workers flee Covid lockdown at iPhone factory ↦

Sam Hancock, reporting for the BBC: Workers have broken out of Apple’s largest iPhone assembly factory in China after a Covid outbreak forced staff to lockdown at the workplace. Video shared … | Continue reading


@sixcolors.com | 2 years ago

Apple’s fiscal 2022 in charts

Last week Apple announced its fiscal fourth quarter results, setting another quarterly record amid a lot of concern on Wall Street about the standing of the tech industry. And as usual, I filled a … | Continue reading


@sixcolors.com | 2 years ago

Slingbox reaches the inevitable end ↦

Dave Zatz, media blogger and former Sling employee, is the perfect person to mark its passing: Welp. It’s come to this. Slingbox servers will be shut down forever come November 9th. At which point … | Continue reading


@sixcolors.com | 2 years ago

(Podcast) Clockwise 475: A Potato Will Arrive

Services and products we just can’t quit, our cringiest status splurges, whether advertising works on us, and the fate of Twitter under its new management.… | Continue reading


@sixcolors.com | 2 years ago

Endless portraits–just add your face and $3 ↦

Matt Haughey trained an AI model on his own face and ended up with dozens of impressive images of himself: In total, this cost me about $3 in Google Collab compute time to produce over 200 images from 70-80 prompts over the course of a couple hours.… | Continue reading


@sixcolors.com | 2 years ago

(Podcast) The Rebound 416: Do You Know Who I Was?

One third of the hosts of this podcast are verified.… | Continue reading


@sixcolors.com | 2 years ago

(Podcast) Downstream 30: I’m Fun to Have Drinks With

Peacock pivots, Netflix gets to know itself, “Doctor Who” is on the move, “Andor” teaches some important lessons, and Sports Corner returns!… | Continue reading


@sixcolors.com | 2 years ago

The Back Page: Bobbing for Apples (Member Post)

Once again, it’s the sPOooOOkiest time of year at Apple Park: Yes, the end of the fiscal year. WooooOOoOoO! When financial analysts haunt Tim Cook and Luca Maestri in order to find out how much cash Apple has taken home from customers in its oversized plastic jack o’lantern: appa … | Continue reading


@sixcolors.com | 2 years ago

(Podcast) Upgrade 431: Charty Charty Money Charts

Apple and the Mac had another record quarter, but there are some serious questions about slowing growth in services and what it means for Apple’s future strategies. This leads naturally into … | Continue reading


@sixcolors.com | 2 years ago

Vocaster Two: Twice the features, twice the price

It’s only fairly recently that I’ve delved into the world of recording podcasts with multiple in-person participants1, but that’s what finally opened the door for me to switch from a USB microphone to a dedicated audio interface.… | Continue reading


@sixcolors.com | 2 years ago

(Sponsor) Kolide–Endpoint Security For People, Not Paper Clips

You know the old thought experiment about the AI designed to make paper clips, that quickly decides that in order to maximize paper clips, it will have to get rid of all the humans? A lot of securi… | Continue reading


@sixcolors.com | 2 years ago

(Sponsor) Daylite

My thanks to Daylite for sponsoring Six Colors this week. For small businesses, acquiring new business often means juggling multiple priorities at the same time, as each deal has its own time frame and different client requirements.… | Continue reading


@sixcolors.com | 2 years ago

This is Tim: Q4 2022 analyst-call transcript

As always, Apple spends an hour talking to investment analysts about its just-completed quarter. And as always, we’ve got a transcript! Here it is, in progress… Tim Cook’s opening statement Good afternoon everyone, and thank you for joining the call today.… | Continue reading


@sixcolors.com | 2 years ago

Amid tech industry fears, Apple reports record Q4 results

Apple announced results for its fiscal fourth quarter on Thursday, with a fourth-quarter revenue record of $90.1B in revenue. Mac revenue was way up (to an all-time record!), iPad revenue was flat … | Continue reading


@sixcolors.com | 2 years ago

(Podcast) The Rebound 415: SquirrelDrop

In this episode we Ventura some opinions.… | Continue reading


@sixcolors.com | 2 years ago

(Podcast) Clockwise 474: Bobbing for Apple Watches

Mixing tech with Halloween, the show or film we’d bring to Apple TV+, our thoughts on an Elon-run Twitter, and our low-tech habits.… | Continue reading


@sixcolors.com | 2 years ago

(Podcast) The Talk Show 360: Neither Fish Nor Fowl

I return to John Gruber’s show to talk about the new 10th-gen iPad and M2 iPads Pro.… | Continue reading


@sixcolors.com | 2 years ago

(Podcast) Upgrade 430: Other Kickstands Are Available

Jason’s got new reviews of macOS Ventura, the tenth-generation iPad, and the M2 iPad Pro. We discuss Stage Manager, System Settings, the Magic Keyboard Folio, and the curious pace and nature of iPad innovations.… | Continue reading


@sixcolors.com | 2 years ago

macOS Ventura review: A work in progress

In recent years we’ve had some macOS releases that were disruptive, in the worst way. Whether it was bugs or incompatibilities or broken features, nothing makes the excitement of a new OS update evaporate faster than not being able to use your Mac as you’d prefer.… | Continue reading


@sixcolors.com | 2 years ago

(Sponsor) Meet the Daylite Opportunities Board

  Unlock your sales potential with the new Daylite Opportunities Board For small businesses, acquiring new business often means juggling multiple priorities at the same time, as each deal has its own time frame and different client requirements.… | Continue reading


@sixcolors.com | 2 years ago

2022 iPad and iPad Pro review: Mixed feelings

Viewed individually, the 10th-generation iPad and the M2 iPad Pro don’t seem strange at all. In fact, the new iPad Pro is extremely familiar—it’s a look that hasn’t changed much in four years.… | Continue reading


@sixcolors.com | 2 years ago

(Sponsor) Kolide

My thanks to Kolide for once again sponsoring Six Colors. If you build a dystopian and cynical security program born out of fear, mistrust, and suspicion, then you will inevitably make your fellow employees your enemies.… | Continue reading


@sixcolors.com | 2 years ago

(Podcast) Clockwise 473: Solar Eclipse Potato

The iPad lineup’s squishy middle, why Apple pros aren’t allowed to have fun, our Apple Pencil usage, and whether we get cellular-enabled iPads.… | Continue reading


@sixcolors.com | 2 years ago

(Podcast) The Rebound 414: Use Promo Code Aaaaahhhhhhhhh

So many iPads.… | Continue reading


@sixcolors.com | 2 years ago

The iPad’s erratic odyssey continues

The new iPad and the new Magic Keyboard Folio.On Tuesday morning, Apple announced new iPad and iPad Pro models via press release. On their own, they are reasonable and understandable upgrades over the previous-generation model.… | Continue reading


@sixcolors.com | 2 years ago

(Podcast) Downstream 29: Let the Sharks Feast and Fight

Is “Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story” the real winner of this fall’s battle between Dragons and Elves? Also: Netflix opens itself up to ratings, Sports Corner covers Apple’s negotiations with the NFL, and we discuss the merits of Paramount and Hulu.… | Continue reading


@sixcolors.com | 2 years ago

Apple TV 4K gets a few minor improvements and lower prices

In addition to new iPads, Apple unexpectedly revamped its Apple TV line today, offering two configurations: a 64GB model with Wi-Fi only for a lower cost of $129, and a 128GB model that also has Gigabit Ethernet and Thread for $149.… | Continue reading


@sixcolors.com | 2 years ago

Apple revamps iPad with new design, revs iPad Pro to M2

Changes are afoot in Apple’s lineup of tablets, as the vanilla iPad gets a brand new design on par with the rest of the company’s iPad models, and the high-end iPad Pro adds the new M2 processor and a new Apple Pencil “hover” experience.… | Continue reading


@sixcolors.com | 2 years ago

(Podcast) Upgrade 429: Freedom Doors

This week we praise trackpads, condemn Google, ponder VR headset design, and think big thoughts about the AirPods Pro 2. Then it’s time for some final prognosticating about what products Appl… | Continue reading


@sixcolors.com | 2 years ago

Leave the maps to the professionals ↦

Via Paul Kafasis, here’s the remarkable story of a man who made a basic site planning website for homeowners who are working on simple renovation projects. (Most cities and counties don’… | Continue reading


@sixcolors.com | 2 years ago

(Sponsor) Kolide: You Don’t Have to Spy on Your Employees to Keep Your Company Secure

“If you build a dystopian and cynical security program born out of fear, mistrust, and suspicion, then you will inevitably make your fellow-employees your enemies.” That’s a quote from Honest Security, Kolide’s mission statement and North Star.… | Continue reading


@sixcolors.com | 2 years ago

(Sponsor) Kolide

My thanks to Kolide for once again sponsoring Six Colors. Kolide knows how challenging it can be to prove compliance to a third-party auditor–they just went through it themselves. They learne… | Continue reading


@sixcolors.com | 2 years ago

Apple’s smart home is still a few bricks short

Smart home tech is having a moment, thanks in no small part to the newly released Matter standard, which promises better interoperability between devices from various manufacturers. It’s even… | Continue reading


@sixcolors.com | 2 years ago

Shortcuts as Apps ↦

While I’m linking to articles from this spring that I only read today, Matt Birchler wrote a piece for The Sweet Setup about using Shortcuts with the Stream Deck that provided a great workaround for the limited and buggy third-party Shortcuts plug-in for Stream Deck: Did you kno … | Continue reading


@sixcolors.com | 2 years ago