Updates the built-in Lagutin Equalizer to tweak its animation and improve how it saves and edits user presets. ($29 new, free update, 13.9 MB) | Continue reading
Major upgrade for the vector illustration app with new AI-powered tools and enhanced collaboration features. ($249.99 annual subscription, 2 MB) | Continue reading
Apple has issued a statement outlining its response to the COVID-19 pandemic, with the most notable new addition being the closure of all Apple retail stores outside of China. | Continue reading
AppleInsider reports on the troubles it had getting a new Mac Pro repaired, stumping both Apple phone support and Apple Store technicians. | Continue reading
Cloud backup service Backblaze has released its hard drive reliability statistics for 2019, factoring in data for over 100,000 drives. | Continue reading
Like other big tech companies, Apple has canceled the in-person part of its developer conference. However, in a textbook case of putting the best face on a bad situation, Apple has cast the change as a new online format that will let many more developers participate. | Continue reading
We’re having trouble paying attention to anything outside the COVID-19 news, so here’s what we think we can contribute at the moment. Let us know what else you might like to hear from TidBITS on this topic. | Continue reading
What better day than Friday the 13th to check that your backups are actually working by restoring some critical files? | Continue reading
Don’t waste precious time manually repositioning and resizing macOS windows. You can automate that task to a large extent using native macOS controls, and third-party utilities give you even more power. Julio Ojeda-Zapata looks at two of the top window-wrangling apps. | Continue reading
Major upgrade for the Mac backup and recovery software with improved speed and dashboard displays. ($49 for Solo and $119 for Desktop new, upgrade pricing available, 195 MB) | Continue reading
Brings a lengthy list of updated features, improvements, and bug fixes for the Swiss Army knife of graphics programs. ($39.95 new, free update, 155 MB) | Continue reading
Speeds up folder opening and fixes a variety of bugs. ($34.95 new, free update, 8.4 MB) | Continue reading
Adds support for floating time zones so appointment times stay the same no matter what time zone you're in. ($39.99 new, free update, 65 MB) | Continue reading
Enhances email filtering accuracy and improves the spam message list text in Apple Mail with a variety of highlight colors. ($30 new, free update, 15.6 MB) | Continue reading
Maintenance release that focuses on fixes for niggling bugs for the long-standing text editor. ($49.99 new, free update, 13.9 MB) | Continue reading
Introduces Application Permissions management feature in Privacy module for more control over your personal data. ($89.95 new, free update, 49 MB) | Continue reading
The SETI@home project is going into hibernation to analyze all the data it has gathered, but you can now instead focus your spare CPU cycles on helping find a cure for COVID-19 with the Folding@home project. | Continue reading
The Verge dropped nearly $17,000 on a Mac Pro to put it through its paces for media production at Vox Media. Was it worth it, especially in comparison with a cheaper, more powerful PC? | Continue reading
Will wonders never cease? Strava has acknowledged that users hate a two-year-old change in how the workout-centric social network service presents its activity feed. Strava users can once again enjoy a simple chronological feed, free of algorithmic interference. There are other w … | Continue reading
Don’t want your HomePod’s Siri responses being too loud at night? Matthew Cassinelli has come up with a tip on how to automatically quiet the HomePod at bedtime. | Continue reading
Leap years have been on the Julian calendar since it was put into effect in 45 BCE. A recent customer-service failure shows Apple’s back-end developers are still trying to figure it out. | Continue reading
Environmentalists were concerned that the move to cloud computing and the prerequisite enormous data centers would prove to be an energy hog, but data centers have become incredibly efficient in the past decade. | Continue reading
Should you choose an Apple in-store trade-in when participating in an iPhone buy-back program, or go with a different option? Here's an overview of some of the top buy-back providers for Apple enthusiasts. | Continue reading
Black Ink from Red Sweater Software is an easy and intuitive way to play crossword puzzles from the Wall Street Journal, the New York Times, and other sources. | Continue reading
Brings more refinements to the recently upgraded calendar app. ($39.99 annual subscription, free update, 21.8 MB) | Continue reading
Adds a new menu item for accessing Quicken on the Web and fixes bugs. ($34.99/$49.99/$74.99 annual subscription, free update) | Continue reading
Required update revises how the media cataloging app looks up items on Amazon. ($39 new, free update, 86.7 MB) | Continue reading
An amusing anecdote from director Rian Johnson reveals Apple’s level of influence over Hollywood, but such influence isn’t out of the ordinary. | Continue reading
Who would want a Mac Pro costing nearly $32,000? Craig A. Hunter found that it’s a good value for the right sort of professional, given that it can complete calculations that would cost thousands of dollars per solution on a supercomputer. | Continue reading
Home security cameras are all the rage, but you have to start with the reason you want one in the first place. Do you want to record criminal behavior? Spot wildlife? Know your kids came in before midnight? It’s all about intent, and many people discover they have multiple overla … | Continue reading
Rounds up a variety of fixes and improvements for the automation and clipboard utility. ($36 new, free update, 25.9 MB) | Continue reading
Major new release with numerous enhancements for the photo geotagging app. ($39 new, free update, 25.6 MB) | Continue reading
Improves default settings for raw images and adds support for Large Document format (PSB) files. $9.99/$19.99/$52.99 monthly Creative Cloud subscription, free update) | Continue reading
Refreshes the Audio Capture Engine for both audio recording utilities, providing many backend enhancements. ($49/$19 new, free updates, 15.1/9.7 MB) | Continue reading
Jeff Porten reports on interesting items from his last day at CES, including what’s new in RAID from Other World Computing, decorative light panels, and wireless power transmitted through the air. | Continue reading
Have you been missing the startup chime on a new Mac? It’s once again possible to enable it with a simple Terminal command. | Continue reading
Step counting is a good way to ensure you’re staying active, and if you don’t have an Apple Watch, your iPhone can keep track of how many steps you take every day. Apple’s Health app includes step counting among its fitness metrics. Better yet, try a third-party pedometer app suc … | Continue reading
Maintenance updates with enhancements and bug fixes for the synchronization and backup tool and its helper app. (49.99 new for ChronoSync, $14.99 new for ChronoAgent; free updates; 67.1 MB, 26.6 MB) | Continue reading
Improves discovery of hidden spaces in macOS 10.15 Catalina. ($9.99 new, free update, 6.1 MB) | Continue reading
Larry Tesler, a pioneering computer scientist and long-time Apple executive, has died at age 74. Adam Engst shares a few of Tesler’s achievements and the full text of a 1997 email conversation they had on a private mailing list when Tesler was Apple’s Internet czar. | Continue reading
Apple’s services business is growing by leaps and bounds, but is Apple’s relentless push to sell services with non-stop ads hurting its core products? (Short answer: Yes, it is.) | Continue reading
Adds a new Do Not Disturb mode and improves the Alarm window design. ($49.99 new, free update, 22.8 MB) | Continue reading
Apple has released watchOS 6.1.3 to address a heart rhythm notification bug specific to Iceland. | Continue reading
Could an emergency responder use your iPhone to help save your life and alert your loved ones? Make sure you’ve configured your Medical ID, and even if you have done it already, check your emergency contacts to make sure their phone numbers are correct. | Continue reading
Have you run across Web sites that steal control of your Web browser so you can’t copy text or use standard system functions? StopTheMadness can give you back control over your browser. | Continue reading
Balances out some new export-related features with a couple of bug fixes. ($149 annual subscription, free update, 29.1 MB) | Continue reading
After being warned by both iCloud and Gmail that he was running low on storage space, Adam Engst embarked on a mission to free up cloud space rather than pay for more than he needs. If your clouds are filling up too, follow along to avoid missing email, failing file syncs, and mo … | Continue reading
The Swift Playgrounds app—a kinder, gentler way to learn Swift programming—is now available for Mac users running macOS 10.15.3 Catalina or later. | Continue reading