Apple results, Jason’s charts, Apple car exec maneuvers, and Touch ID.… | Continue reading
How we store and share files in the cloud, the streaming video services we go to when we’re looking for something new to watch, the one computer or tablet we’d use if we could only use one, and our webcam setups.… | Continue reading
My Downstream co-host Julia Alexander, writing for Puck News (subscription required) about the launch of the Apple TV+ series “Black Bird”: Anecdotally, as someone who talks to a lot of executives in the industry, conversations about “Black Bird” all go a similar way. First, the … | Continue reading
Mark Gurman, reporting for Bloomberg: Apple Inc. expects to delay its next major iPad software update by about a month, taking the unusual step of not releasing it at the same time as the new iPhone software, according to people with knowledge of the matter. It’s unusual, but i … | Continue reading
Mikah Sargent joins Jason to discuss smart home strategies.… Become a member to listen to our exclusive weekly podcast and get more benefits. | Continue reading
We told you a couple of weeks ago about the latest update to OmniFocus, the task manager from The Omni Group, which adds an interesting new way to control the app – with your voice. Now we’re going to take a closer look at how it works. To import new voice commands, navigate to t … | Continue reading
Like seemingly everyone else, during the early days of the pandemic I tried to spruce up our outdoor space by buying some LED string lights. They were affordable, and with a simple kit I was able to suspend some nice lighting above my patio. But plugging and unplugging the lights … | Continue reading
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. It’s easy to setup, doubles the speed at which Safari loads and now blocks all YouTube ads. Magic Lasso is an efficient, high performa … | Continue reading
Stephen Hackett joins Jason to discuss the beta lifestyle, adapting to the Mac Studio, Apple’s financial results, and Stephen’s Kickstarter project.… Become a member to listen to our exclusive weekly podcast and get more benefits. | Continue reading
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 learned firsthand something their customers had been telling them for a while: that they couldn … | Continue reading
Being a member of Six Colors means you get access to members-only posts, the Six Colors Podcast, and a whole lot more. For a few years we’ve also offered a community for members in Slack. Unfortunately, while we love Slack, it’s not really a product made for communities like ours … | Continue reading
As always, Apple CEO Tim Cook and CFO Luca Maestri are talking to analysts after revealing Apple’s quarterly financial results. Here’s an ongoing transcript. Tim Cook’s opening statement Today, Apple is reporting another record June quarter, with revenue of $83 billion, which was … | Continue reading
Apple’s fiscal results are out. The company generated $83B in revenue. Compared to the year-ago quarter, Mac sales were down 10%, iPad sales down 2%, iPhone up 3%, Services up 13%, and Wearables down 8%. Here are all the charts! … | Continue reading
The Apple Store Time Machine is a project by Michael Steeber, who has been a go-to authoring on Apple’s retail stores for many years. It’s a free Mac app called Shop Different, built with Unity, that lets you walk through four different Apple Stores as if you were in a video game … | Continue reading
We fear change. When I first saw that the Music app in iOS 16 had done away with its old controls for adjusting volume and scrubbing, I was confused and upset. It’s human nature. But now that I’ve used them a little more… I think I approve. Here’s what it’s been like forever: bot … | Continue reading
For those who didn’t hear the news, Jason is a regular panelist on TWiT’s MacBreak Weekly now. This week we discussed the Newton cameo in “For All Mankind,” Rene Ritchie going to YouTube (which is why Jason is now on MacBreak Weekly!), patents, and the M2 MacBook Air.… | Continue reading
Dan had a baby so we discuss tech advice for new parents and our favorite toys. But we also dig into invasive network video cameras, the ruination of Instagram, and if VR is ever going to be a thing.… | Continue reading
Time zones. I hate them. But without them, I’d be waking up with the sunrise at 10 a.m. or 3 p.m. or some other outlandish times. I do, however, enjoy collaborating with people in different times zones and putting my stuff out there to be read by anyone, anywhere, regardless of t … | Continue reading
Goodreads, overriden by Noir.One of my favorite Safari extensions is Noir, which applies a dark stylesheet to websites that don’t get satisfactorily dark when in Dark Mode. The $3 app, which is available for macOS and iOS, just got a big update. Noir now offers a library of dark … | Continue reading
Just imagine. (Mock-up by Joe Rosensteel.)In my previous column I wrote about the disappointment over the current state of tvOS and the lack of any significant forward movement with the platform. Now I want to focus on one area where I think Apple could substantially revamp and i … | Continue reading
Jason and Julia answer your letters. So many questions! We discuss live TV on Apple channels, merger mania, niche streaming, valuable hot-dog streaming rights, “it’s just an eight-hour movie”, and tactical release times.… | Continue reading
In 2021, our company went through the SOC 2 Type 1 audit, and we found out just how challenging it can be to prove compliance to a third party auditor. We also learned firsthand something our customers had been telling us for a while: that we couldn’t have gotten our SOC certific … | Continue reading
In this special Summer of Fun episode, Jason and Myke welcome three special guests to discuss how development, accessibility, and widgets have been affected by Apple’s latest operating-system cycle.… | Continue reading
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. Here’s Kolide’s secr … | Continue reading
James Thomson officially declares Jason a developer. James just wants panda stickers. eInkCalendar SystemSix WeatherKit API woes Lametric Time Substance 3D Painter PCalc MiSTer … Become a member to listen to our exclusive weekly podcast and get more benefits. | Continue reading
A keyboard lurks beneath my desk.I’ve wanted Touch ID on my Mac for a long time. Here at Six Colors, we’ve wished for it since the earliest days of this site. But when it arrived, it was a strictly laptop-only affair. Finally, in 2011, Apple gave desktop users what we had wanted, … | Continue reading
Dan would have wanted you to listen to this episode. Sniff.… | Continue reading
Apple Pay, Apple Arcade, and Jony Ive says goodbye.… | Continue reading
How we pay online, in stores, and elsewhere. How we use (or wish we could use) our smartphones to aid in travel. The data we’d like to see on our iPhone Lock Screen. Our three favorite emoji and a new emoji we’re most excited about.… | Continue reading
The latest update to the Omni Group’s OmniFocus task manager has a mild-mannered version number – 3.13 – but it includes one pretty big new feature. You can now control the app (on iPhone, iPad, or Mac) using your voice, with an assist from JavaScript-based Omni Automation featur … | Continue reading
Myke and Jason both have new M2 MacBook Airs, so it’s time for our full review. Jason opens the Stocks app for the first time in ages. Jony Ive’s long fade-out from Apple is completed. And in honor of World Emoji Day, we select our favorite emojis in seven categories.… | Continue reading
“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 installed?” and “What do you MEAN you wrote the password on a sticky note and then you … | Continue reading
My thanks to Kolide for once again sponsoring Six Colors. Kolide takes a different approach to endpoint security and fleet management. It’s all about helping customers meet compliance goals by enlisting the support of their end users with a structured, message-based approach. Kol … | Continue reading
We discuss our favorite features of the public betas and Dan’s going on leave! (This episode also contains the complete audio of our hourlong YouTube live stream about the M2 MacBook Air.)… Become a member to listen to our exclusive weekly podcast and get more benefits. | Continue reading
The definitive Mac of the last decade was the 13-inch MacBook Air, introduced in 2010 and featuring a wedge-shaped design. It influenced all the Apple laptops (and let’s face it, a lot of PC laptops) that came after it. Its last major update in 2018 added a Retina display and shr … | Continue reading
The 400th episode spectacular! Celebrate Prime Day! Discuss the public betas! And some important news from one of our hosts.… | Continue reading
Digital lending, when to install public betas, our favorite utility apps, and how we feel about TikTok’s algorithm changes.… | Continue reading
JWST images, Apple’s public betas, the fate of the Apple Car, Lockdown Mode, and MacBook Air orders.… | Continue reading
How do the creators of TV shows know how well their shows are doing when their streaming services won’t share meaningful data? Is the Marvel Cinematic Universe tired, or getting creative? And which streamer ranked tops in Vulture’s survey?… | Continue reading
Tripp Mickle, reporting for the New York Times: Mr. Ive and Apple have agreed to stop working together**, according to two people with knowledge of their contractual agreement, ending a three-decade run during which the designer helped define every rounded corner of an iPhone an … | Continue reading
Apple’s iOS, macOS, and iPadOS betas have gone public and we have our first impressions! Also, the M2 MacBook Air has gone on sale, the new “extreme sports” Apple Watch is coming into focus, and for the Summer of Fun we’re drafting favorite app icons.… | Continue reading
If it’s July, that can mean only one thing: it’s Apple’s public beta season. As has become de rigueur for this time of year, Apple has released the preview version of its upcoming software platform updates, giving the public its first chance at seeing the latest capabilities comi … | Continue reading
Apple’s macOS Ventura, an update due to ship this fall that has arrived Monday as a public beta preview, is full of both little feature refinements and big swings at improving Mac productivity. On the small side, it’s improved search in Spotlight and Mail, expanded Handoff suppor … | Continue reading
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 security teams have a similar idea when it comes to meeting compliance goals: it would be … | Continue reading
My thanks to Magic Lasso Adblock for sponsoring Six Colors this week. Magic Lasso Adblock is a great ad blocker for Safari on your iPhone, iPad and Mac. As a native content blocking extension, it blocks all intrusive ads, trackers and annoyances – letting you experience a faster, … | Continue reading
Jason bought an M2 MacBook Air, but Dan’s M1 Air is Just Fine. Public Betas are in the air. And Lockdown Mode joins Developer Mode in Apple’s new mode-centric worldview.… Become a member to listen to our exclusive weekly podcast and get more benefits. | Continue reading
Jason bought an M2 MacBook Air, but Dan’s M1 Air is Just Fine. Public Betas are in the air. And Lockdown Mode joins Developer Mode in Apple’s new mode-centric worldview.… | Continue reading
As promised, the M2 MacBook Air went on sale Friday with the first machines shipping to customers next Friday. (I got my hands on one for a little while at WWDC, but haven’t touched one since.) This product has been repeatedly delayed by supply-chain issues, and so it’s not surpr … | Continue reading