Need a New Mac, iPad, or Apple Watch? You May Have to Wait

If you need a new Mac or other Apple product, you may be waiting for a while. Direct orders for some of Apple’s most popular products have longer-than-usual shipping delays. It’s worth checking with independent Apple resellers too. | Continue reading


@tidbits.com | 4 years ago

Don’t Bury a Wet Laptop in Rice! Better Advice from iFixit

What should you do if you spill liquid on your laptop? The repair experts at iFixit tell you what to do. Save your rice for dinner. | Continue reading


@tidbits.com | 4 years ago

Adobe Acrobat Reader Flaws Could Let Attacks Hijack Your Mac

If you use Adobe Acrobat Reader, you should update immediately to protect your Mac from some nasty security vulnerabilities accessible to local attacks. | Continue reading


@tidbits.com | 4 years ago

Microsoft Office for Mac 16.37

Adds a new way to search for commands and help in Word, Excel, and PowerPoint. ($149.99 new for one-time purchase, $99.99/$69.99 annual subscription options, free update) | Continue reading


@tidbits.com | 4 years ago

Pixelmator Pro 1.6.2

Adds a new Replace Image feature and brings new and revised keyboard shortcuts to the image editing app. ($39.99 new, free update, 193 MB) | Continue reading


@tidbits.com | 4 years ago

Be Careful When Scheduling Events Using Siri

Adam Engst recently scheduled a Zoom call with colleagues on a non-profit board and had to apologize when one of them was irritated at ending up in Google Hangouts by himself for 10 minutes. The problem arose due to a confluence of issues with Siri and Google Calendar—read on to … | Continue reading


@tidbits.com | 4 years ago

PDFpen and PDFpenPro 12.0.2

Adds support for Dark mode in macOS 10.14 Mojave. ($74.95/$124.95 new, $30 upgrade, 71.4/118 MB) | Continue reading


@tidbits.com | 4 years ago

Logic Pro X 10.5

Major update to the professional audio app that adds a professional version of Live Loops and brings a redesigned sampling workflow. ($199.99 new, free update, 1 GB) | Continue reading


@tidbits.com | 4 years ago

BusyCal 3.10 and BusyContacts 1.4.6

Bring enhancements and bug fixes to the two personal information management apps. ($49.99 new for each, free update, 22.9/13.1 MB) | Continue reading


@tidbits.com | 4 years ago

1Password 7.5

Enables you to share links to items with other people in your 1Password account. ($64.99 new, free update, 54.5 MB) | Continue reading


@tidbits.com | 4 years ago

PopChar X 8.10

Maintenance release with a couple of improvements for the character discovery utility. (€29.99 new, free update, 4.8 MB) | Continue reading


@tidbits.com | 4 years ago

The Stratospheric Growth of the AirPods

Although they hit the market with little fanfare, Apple’s AirPods have become a stealth hit, now singlehandedly outpacing the annual revenue of many large tech companies. | Continue reading


@tidbits.com | 4 years ago

Former Apple Engineer: Here’s Why I Trust Apple’s COVID-19 Notification Proposal

David Shayer, who has worked as a software engineer at Apple and other companies, explains Apple’s internal approach to privacy and contrasts it with other companies, all with an eye toward showing why we should trust the current draft of the COVID-19 exposure notification propos … | Continue reading


@tidbits.com | 4 years ago

Making Sense of Cellular Data Upgrades for the Coronavirus Pandemic

Your cellular carrier is likely offering more of a data allowance for no extra charge during the coronavirus pandemic. Wirecutter has a guide on how to make sure you know what you’re getting. | Continue reading


@tidbits.com | 4 years ago

Four TidBITS 30th Anniversary Podcasts

A number of podcasts helped us celebrate the 30th anniversary of TidBITS by inviting publisher Adam Engst on as a guest, and the resulting conversations are well worth listening to if you enjoy reminiscing about the early days of the Macintosh world. | Continue reading


@tidbits.com | 4 years ago

Piezo 1.6.5

Updates the Audio Capture Engine and adds support for Facebook's Messenger app and Cisco's Webex and Webex Teams apps as VoIP audio sources. ($19 new, free update, 9.8 MB) | Continue reading


@tidbits.com | 4 years ago

How to Mirror Your Apple TV to Your Mac for Screenshots or Presentations

Need to display your Apple TV on your Mac for screenshots or a presentation? It’s easy and the necessary software is included with macOS. | Continue reading


@tidbits.com | 4 years ago

ACES Conference: The Prequel Free for All Small Business Owners

If you’re a small business owner—in any industry—check out ACES Conference: The Prequel, a free virtual event aimed at helping small businesses survive COVID-19. It takes place on May 19th and 20th. | Continue reading


@tidbits.com | 4 years ago

ExactScan Might Be the ScanSnap Replacement You Need

The loss of the 32-bit ScanSnap Manager software has prevented users of Fujitsu’s older ScanSnap scanners from upgrading to macOS 10.15 Catalina. But ExactSCAN, third-party software that supports many ScanSnap devices, might provide a solution to this problem. Dave Kitabjian take … | Continue reading


@tidbits.com | 4 years ago

Apple’s First Virtual WWDC to Start June 22nd

Apple’s first virtual WWDC will kick off on 22 June 2020. We should be glad that Apple is even attempting to pull it off, given the cancellation of other major tech conferences. | Continue reading


@tidbits.com | 4 years ago

Retrospect 17.0.1

Improves Disaster Recovery support for macOS 10.15 Catalina and 10.14 Mojave and fixes bugs. ($49 for Solo and $119 for Desktop new, free update, upgrade pricing available, 151 MB) | Continue reading


@tidbits.com | 4 years ago

HandBrake 1.3.2

Brings improvements and bug fixes to the open-source video conversion program. (Free, 20.2 MB) | Continue reading


@tidbits.com | 4 years ago

Bookends 13.4.1

Maintenance update to the reference management tool. ($59.99 new, free update, 71.1 MB) | Continue reading


@tidbits.com | 4 years ago

Updated 13-inch MacBook Pro Dumps Butterfly Keyboard, Doubles Storage

Apple has announced an update to the 13-inch MacBook Pro that eliminates the butterfly keyboard and doubles the standard storage. The higher-end models also feature 10th-generation Intel CPUs for faster performance. | Continue reading


@tidbits.com | 4 years ago

AirPods Pro Firmware Problems

Many early adopters of the AirPods Pro say that Apple has released firmware updates that have reduced the efficacy of the noise-cancellation algorithm. Users are allowed no control over what firmware revisions their AirPods Pro get, and Apple has yet to comment on the situation. | Continue reading


@tidbits.com | 4 years ago

GraphicConverter 11.2

Offers user interface updates, bug fixes, and other improvements to the Swiss Army knife of graphics programs. ($39.95 new, free update, 157 MB) | Continue reading


@tidbits.com | 4 years ago

Audio Hijack 3.7.2

Brings improvements to the recently added Live Stream feature, including streaming to Facebook Live. ($49 new, free update, 18.3 MB) | Continue reading


@tidbits.com | 4 years ago

With the Trackpad-Equipped Magic Keyboard, You Can Use an iPad Pro Like a Laptop

The Magic Keyboard for iPad Pro is Apple’s first iPad cover with an integrated trackpad, and it also features a revised keyboard, a rugged hinge with a built-in USB-C charging port, and a new docking system that holds the iPad in the air. It makes the iPad Pro into more of an alt … | Continue reading


@tidbits.com | 4 years ago

Apple’s Q2 2020 Was a “Very Different Quarter” Than Expected

Despite a pandemic and a pending economic catastrophe, Apple still managed to eke out some growth in Q2 2020, largely thanks to its Wearables and Services categories. | Continue reading


@tidbits.com | 4 years ago

Apple Maps Now Displays COVID-19 Testing Sites

Apple Maps on iOS and iPadOS now displays COVID-19 testing sites throughout the United States. | Continue reading


@tidbits.com | 4 years ago

PDFpen 12 Compresses, Magnifies, and More

Version 12 of Smiles PDF-editing apps, PDFpen and PDFpenPro, include a new magnifier window, compression and optimization capabilities, new document stationery, a callout tool, and, for pro users, a new digital signature feature. | Continue reading


@tidbits.com | 4 years ago

Microsoft Rebrands Office 365 to “Microsoft 365”

If you start seeing references to “Microsoft 365,” don’t worry, it’s just Microsoft’s existing Office 365 plans with a new name that better reflects how the bundled apps and services go beyond the traditional Office suite. | Continue reading


@tidbits.com | 4 years ago

Ulysses 19.1

dds a Material sheets feature for brainstorming and notes plus support for using keywords in Markdown files. ($39.99 annual subscription, free update, 20 MB) | Continue reading


@tidbits.com | 4 years ago

Mactracker 7.9

Adds detailed information about all recent hardware and operating system releases, including the refreshed Mac Pro, 16-inch MacBook Pro, and iPhone 11 models. (Free, 124 MB) | Continue reading


@tidbits.com | 4 years ago

Bloomberg Reports Apple Will Start Transitioning the Mac to ARM in 2021

After years of rumors about how Apple was planning to transition the Mac from Intel-based CPUs to its own ARM-based processors, Bloomberg reports that the move will start in 2021. | Continue reading


@tidbits.com | 4 years ago

Six Lessons Learned from Dealing with an iMac’s Dead SSD

After working through the failure of his iMac’s SSD, Adam Engst shares the lessons he learned with regard to backing up, restoring, and eking out the most life from old hardware. Hint: waiting to upgrade hardware and software can make troubleshooting and recovery more difficult. | Continue reading


@tidbits.com | 4 years ago

Two Affordable Standing Desks for Temporary Telecommuters

Office workers have left their fancy standing desks behind as they work out of their homes due to the pandemic. Luckily, low-cost alternatives exist. Julio Ojeda-Zapata tested two affordable tabletop computer stands. | Continue reading


@tidbits.com | 4 years ago

How Many Spaces at the End of a Sentence? Microsoft Weighs In

Debate has raged for decades about how many spaces belong after the end of a sentence. Now Microsoft Word will be marking two spaces after a period as an error. | Continue reading


@tidbits.com | 4 years ago

The “Sleazy” Method That Gave the Apple II Color

The man who created Pong and hired Steve Jobs to work at Atari explains how he introduced Steve Wozniak to a cheap way of adding color to computer displays. | Continue reading


@tidbits.com | 4 years ago

TipBITS: Stop Getting Finder Windows in Tabs

Frustrated by having drives and folders in the Finder open in tabs instead of new windows, Adam Engst discovered that there are two preferences that control this behavior, and one is in a surprising spot. | Continue reading


@tidbits.com | 4 years ago

iOS Mail Exploits Serious but Unlikely to Affect Normal Users

A security research firm found a pair of bugs in Mail in iOS 13 that could be leveraged to allow arbitrary code to run without a user viewing the message. But claims about how severe and how widespread the exploits are seem overstated. | Continue reading


@tidbits.com | 4 years ago

Two Affordable Standing Desks for Temporary Telecommuters

Office workers have left their fancy standing desks behind as they work out of their homes due to the pandemic. Luckily, low-cost alternatives exist. Julio Ojeda-Zapata tested two affordable tabletop computer stands. | Continue reading


@tidbits.com | 4 years ago

Transmit 5.6.4

Adds support for automatically converting Google Docs files during download. ($45 new, free update, 34.8 MB) | Continue reading


@tidbits.com | 4 years ago

Fantastical 3.0.11

Improves support for the Todoist task app and fixes numerous bugs. ($39.99 annual subscription, free update, 21.9 MB) | Continue reading


@tidbits.com | 4 years ago

Default Folder X 5.4.5

Improves performance when running over a screen sharing session. ($34.95 new, free update, 8.4 MB) | Continue reading


@tidbits.com | 4 years ago

TidBITS Memberships Increase—Thank You!

Our membership drive last week was a success, with nearly 600 new members joining, and additional contributions from 75 current members. Thanks to everyone for the support! | Continue reading


@tidbits.com | 4 years ago

RAW Power 3.0

Major upgrade to the professional RAW image editor and Photos extension. ($39.99 new, free upgrade, 62.2 MB) | Continue reading


@tidbits.com | 4 years ago

Apple Releasing “Today at Apple at Home” Videos

Looking for some quick Apple-related project ideas? The company is releasing high-quality how-to videos from Apple Store employees stuck at home. | Continue reading


@tidbits.com | 4 years ago