(Podcast) Downstream 76: Defund the Bundle

A judge puts a stop to the launch of Venu, bringing the entire economics of the cable bundle into question. [Downstream+ subscribers also get: Paramount’s sale complication, Disney+ success metrics, Olympics wrap-up, and theatrical’s revival.]… | Continue reading


@sixcolors.com | 3 months ago

Epic’s app store is still in conflict with Apple ↦

Emma Roth and Jay Peters of The Verge have a nice overview of the current state of affairs for app developers and alternative app marketplaces in the EU: Epic’s game store may offer better terms for developers, but every developer, Epic included, is still subject to fees from App … | Continue reading


@sixcolors.com | 3 months ago

Permission to Speak Freely, Siri?

I know all the cool kids are on 18.0 and 18.1 for brat beta summer, but I never want to roll the dice with iOS betas on my iPhone.… | Continue reading


@sixcolors.com | 3 months ago

(Podcast) Clockwise 568: The Canonical Answer Is Dan’s TV

A third-party app we consider essential for everyone, the first app we use in the morning, a piece of tech in our lives that needs an upgrade, and a tech product or concept we initially doubted but which later became successful.… | Continue reading


@sixcolors.com | 3 months ago

(Podcast) The Rebound 509: The Taco Bell Rebound

More talk about AI, Lex’s new iPad, and a new sponsor!… | Continue reading


@sixcolors.com | 3 months ago

Many Tricks releases Moom 4 ↦

Moom 4’s expanded interface. (Courtesy Many Tricks.) When I covered the macOS Sequoia Public Beta, I made the point that while there’s now a built-in feature for quick window tiling, it’s the typical Apple system-level offering: Yes, it’s a feature that’s been implemented by nume … | Continue reading


@sixcolors.com | 3 months ago

‘Monument Valley 3’ will be a Netflix game ↦

Netflix announced that Monument Valley 3, a (surprising?) sequel to the classic indie platformer, is coming December 10. It’ll be in the App Store, but exclusively for Netflix subscribers.… | Continue reading


@sixcolors.com | 3 months ago

(Podcast) Upgrade 525: Best of U3

Fortnite and Epic return to the (not your) iPhone, Apple opens up NFC and enacts new restrictions on Patreon, Spotify posts a link, and we discuss what is and is not a ‘Tabletop Robot.’… | Continue reading


@sixcolors.com | 3 months ago

(Sponsor) The infinite loop of security

I recently attended the RSA conference in San Francisco–security’s biggest event of the year– and I was struck by how infatuated everyone was with the promise of new, shiny solutions to fix new, shiny problems.… | Continue reading


@sixcolors.com | 3 months ago

visionOS 2 impressions: Isn’t that spatial?

I haven’t written a lot about the Vision Pro for a pretty simple reason: I haven’t actually had a lot of opportunities to use one. But earlier this week, Apple invited me down to New York City to spend an hour with not only Apple’s spatial computer, but also the forthcoming visio … | Continue reading


@sixcolors.com | 3 months ago

Interview: Game developer Zach Gage on Pile-Up Poker and resisting dark patterns

Pile-Up Poker is a part of Puzzmo. Zach Gage, creator of such Six Colors favorite games as Good Sudoku, Typeshift, Pocket-Run Pool, and Really Bad Chess, recently took everything he’s learned from building great iOS games and began building Puzzmo, a daily puzzle and game website … | Continue reading


@sixcolors.com | 3 months ago

(Podcast) The Rebound 508: Firing on All Three Cylinders

Apple squeezes Patreon, a new Mac mini and travel tips and troubles.… | Continue reading


@sixcolors.com | 3 months ago

(Podcast) Clockwise 567: That’s Not How Capitalism Works

A smaller Mac mini, Apple vs. Patreon, our notification habits, and the future of CarPlay.… | Continue reading


@sixcolors.com | 3 months ago

Athletes of All Abilities Race Side-by-Side in New Apple Film, “The Relay” ↦

With the 2024 Paralympic Games set to take the spotlight in Paris next week, Apple has released a new short film called “The Relay”. Though paralympians compete against others with disabilities, the film showcases several athletes with disabilities competing alongside athletes wi … | Continue reading


@sixcolors.com | 3 months ago

(Podcast) Upgrade 524: We’re Making a Trifle

This episode has a lot of layers, as we discuss the Olympics, the Google antitrust ruling, Apple’s new EU fee plan, a tiny new Mac mini, macOS dialog disasters, and the tech world of a decade ago.… | Continue reading


@sixcolors.com | 3 months ago

(Sponsor) 1Password

My thanks to 1Password for sponsoring Six Colors this week. Strings of data breaches and other cybersecurity failures have forced greater investment in vulnerability management. The SEC now requires companies to report on how their managers and board of directors deal with vulner … | Continue reading


@sixcolors.com | 3 months ago

(Podcast) Downstream 75: Playing the Long Game

Meg James of the Los Angeles Times joins Jason to discuss Paramount and WBD results, the WBD/NBA conundrum, Peacock and the Olympics, Venu’s price, the NFL dodging the antitrust bullet, a Disney price hike, and the high cost of prestige TV.… | Continue reading


@sixcolors.com | 3 months ago

Is the Mac mini finally getting truly mini? ↦

Mark Gurman of Bloomberg reports that the M4 Mac mini will be much smaller than previous models: Apple Inc. is planning a new version of the Mac mini that will be its smallest desktop computer yet, part of a broader overhaul of the Mac line with AI-focused chips. … | Continue reading


@sixcolors.com | 3 months ago

Apple’s permissions features are out of balance

In an attempt to protect Mac users from getting themselves into trouble, Apple introduced numerous permissions pop-ups into macOS Catalina. In the years since, the company has accelerated its approach, adding ever more situations where users must grant specific permission.… | Continue reading


@sixcolors.com | 3 months ago

(Podcast) Clockwise 566: That’s My Shredder Sound

The tech everyone should have, our device strategies for planes, Apple’s new Distraction Control feature, and the apps we want to control via Siri.… | Continue reading


@sixcolors.com | 3 months ago

(Podcast) The Rebound 507: Not Just Waving My Hands Over A Keyboard Like A Cat

Nothing but good vibes.… | Continue reading


@sixcolors.com | 3 months ago

Flighty 4.0 adds delay details ↦

Flighty 4.0 in action (courtesy of Flighty). The excellent flight-tracking app Flighty has been updated to version 4.0 with a bunch of new features designed to anticipate and explain flight delays.… | Continue reading


@sixcolors.com | 3 months ago

(Podcast) Upgrade 523: I Got It to Hallucinate Already

Myke has a mostly positive Apple Intelligence experience (except for Siri), Apple results make us consider the power of Services, and the Color Czar may be up to their old tricks.… | Continue reading


@sixcolors.com | 3 months ago

Disney+ Vision Pro app adds Iceland environment ↦

Now you can watch Ant-Man (and the Avengers) in 3-D in Iceland. Disney+ has been at the forefront of offering unique environments on its Vision Pro app, so you can watch movies at Avengers Tower or on the Monsters Inc.… | Continue reading


@sixcolors.com | 3 months ago

(Sponsor) Without C-Suite Buy-In, security is just rearranging deck chairs

There’s a line in Titanic that any IT or security professional can relate to. The ship’s architect explains that he wanted to include enough lifeboats for all the passengers, “but it was felt the deck would look too cluttered.”… | Continue reading


@sixcolors.com | 3 months ago

Existential thoughts about Apple’s reliance on Services revenue

Apple Pay and Apple Card are among Apple’s growing services. Apple’s latest quarterly results were about as boring as you can get while still featuring $21.4 billion in profit and setting an all-time third-quarter record.… | Continue reading


@sixcolors.com | 3 months ago

This is Tim: Complete Q3 2024 analyst call transcript

It’s that time again — Apple CEO Tim Cook and CFO Luca Maestri spoke on a conference call and took questions from financial analysts. Here’s our complete transcript.… | Continue reading


@sixcolors.com | 3 months ago

Apple results: Quarterly record, all-time high in Services

On Thursday, Apple announced results for its financial third quarter. Total company revenue was $85.8 billion, a record for its fiscal third quarter, which is traditionally the company’s quietest quarter.… | Continue reading


@sixcolors.com | 3 months ago

Apple’s puzzling Arcade approach ↦

Neil Long of Mobilegamer has a new report about a survey of Apple Arcade game developers that paints Apple as slow to respond, clueless about tech details, and generally not paying enough attention to the service: Two other sources told us that they had been approached by Apple t … | Continue reading


@sixcolors.com | 3 months ago

A little more about tech and travel

Like Dan, I’m also back from a trip to Scotland. His piece covered most of the issues regarding the life of a modern international traveler, but I had a few bonus observations to share.… | Continue reading


@sixcolors.com | 3 months ago

(Podcast) Clockwise 565: Friendship Dots

If and how we use Find My, the tech we haven’t upgraded, how Apple Intelligence will impact our Siri usage, and our latest tech travel tips.… | Continue reading


@sixcolors.com | 3 months ago

(Podcast) The Rebound 506: We’re All The Color Guy

Can you make this less swear-y?… | Continue reading


@sixcolors.com | 3 months ago

Tech wins and losses from a week-plus of traveling abroad

Good connection, great view. And we’re back! After a week and a half abroad, I’ve returned, with that weird combination of tired and wistful that always seem to accompany the end of a trip.… | Continue reading


@sixcolors.com | 3 months ago

(Podcast) Upgrade 522: Reserve Your Spot

After recapping their excitement about the Relay 10 event in London, Jason and Myke discuss the arrival of Apple Intelligence in a surprising beta release and imagine some interesting new directions for the iPhone product line.… | Continue reading


@sixcolors.com | 3 months ago

New betas for iOS 18.1, iPadOS 18.1, and macOS Sequoia bring some Apple Intelligence features

Apple If you’ve been looking forward to injecting a little intelligence in your Apple devices, the time is now. Apple on Monday rolled out developer beta releases of iOS 18.1, iPadOS 18.1, and macOS Sequoia 15.1, which include access to several—but notably, not all—of the company … | Continue reading


@sixcolors.com | 3 months ago

Important Apple-focused accessibility site to shut down ↦

AppleVis is shutting down. The site has been a crucial resource for blind and visually-impaired Apple users since iOS accessibility was new, though it’s always covered all Apple platforms.… | Continue reading


@sixcolors.com | 3 months ago

(Sponsor) 1Password

My thanks to 1Password for sponsoring Six Colors this week. 1Password wants you to understand the details about how laws like GDPR can affect your business.… | Continue reading


@sixcolors.com | 4 months ago

(Podcast) Clockwise 564: It Was Pokémon Go’s Fault

Our experiences with purchasing tech insurance like AppleCare and its benefits, our approach to managing battery levels and charging devices, the tools and apps we use for iPhone photography, and a non-Apple tech gadget we’ve enjoyed.… | Continue reading


@sixcolors.com | 4 months ago

(Podcast) The Rebound 505: Charlie Ten C Ten

This is an all brat podcast now.… | Continue reading


@sixcolors.com | 4 months ago

(Sponsor) You can’t ignore GDPR anymore

When the EU enacted GDPR in 2018, executives and security professionals waited anxiously to see how the law would be enforced. And then they kept waiting…and waiting…but the Great European Privacy Crackdown never came.… | Continue reading


@sixcolors.com | 4 months ago

Gone to Scotland

Isle of Skye, Scotland. (Shutterstock) Summer is the time for travel. And this summer, thanks to the Relay 10 event in London, a lot of your favorite podcasters and writers in the Apple world are using the event as an excuse to take an European vacation.… | Continue reading


@sixcolors.com | 4 months ago

Apple announces new immersive Vision Pro content ↦

Would you like to ride in my beautiful balloon? Immersive content for the Vision Pro—one of the device’s best features—has been frustratingly slow in coming. But Apple just announced a bunch of new stuff: Starting this week, Apple is releasing all-new series and films captured in … | Continue reading


@sixcolors.com | 4 months ago

(Podcast) Downstream 74: The Infinite Stadium

Sportswriter Will Carroll joins Jason for an all-Sports Corner edition. We discuss the NBA TV deal, the NFL lawsuit, and the future of sports broadcasting. [Downstream+ members also get: the post-RSN world, Netflix and live sports, and more.]… | Continue reading


@sixcolors.com | 4 months ago

Overcast turns 10 ↦

My podcast player of choice for the last ten years just celebrated, yep, its 10th anniversary. Here’s Overcast’s sole proprietor, Marco Arment: Today, on the tenth anniversary of Overcast 1.0, I’m happy to launch a complete rewrite and redesign of most of the iOS app, built to ca … | Continue reading


@sixcolors.com | 4 months ago

(Podcast) Clockwise 563: Peripherally Curious

Where we primarily do our text entry (smartphone, tablet, or computer), our involvement with user groups either as speakers or attendees, the apps we keep in our iPhone dock and why, and how we use Apple Pay.… | Continue reading


@sixcolors.com | 4 months ago

(Podcast) The Rebound 504: Excellent Choices in Whiskey and Stocks

In this episode we reveal whether or not we bought anything.… | Continue reading


@sixcolors.com | 4 months ago

First look: iPadOS 18 Public Beta

The iPadOS 18 Public Beta is here. Dan Moren has his first impressions of all the features it shares with iOS 18, but there are a few that are exclusive to the iPad.… | Continue reading


@sixcolors.com | 4 months ago

First look: macOS Sequoia Public Beta

macOS Sequoia, out in public beta now and due to be released this fall, is more of a work in progress than most macOS beta versions come July.… | Continue reading


@sixcolors.com | 4 months ago