Adios, MacSurfer

The venerable Apple news aggregation site MacSurfer has ceased operation: Dear MHN Readers:Not seeing a viable future with subscriptions, MacSurfer and TechNN will cease operations effective immediately. Please allow a few weeks to process forthcom... | Continue reading


@sixcolors.com | 4 years ago

(Podcast) Upgrade #287: Constant Applause

So is Apple really releasing a Smart Keyboard with a built-in trackpad? That’s the latest report, and Jason and Myke have a lot of questions about it. Is iPadOS 13 good enough to support a trackpad? Would a trackpad only for text editing and gesture... | Continue reading


@sixcolors.com | 4 years ago

Project xCloud Preview impressions: More than playable, less than perfect

I’d probably shock twelve-year-old me if I went back in time and told him that for the last thirteen years I’d been an avid user of a game console built by none other than Microsoft. 1 But here I am, on my second Xbox, and I remain pretty... | Continue reading


@sixcolors.com | 4 years ago

Fun With Charts: For immediate release

Some charts are dumber than others. Stephen Hackett asked me to ponder the volume of Apple press releases over time, and the Apple Newsroom has helpfully archived every Apple press release from 2000 onward. (Sample 2000 Apple press release: “Apple U... | Continue reading


@sixcolors.com | 4 years ago

9 questions about the rumored iPad Smart Keyboard with trackpad

Brydge’s iPad keyboard with trackpad.Wayne Ma of The Information is reporting that a Smart Keyboard for iPad is coming that will include a built-in pointing device: Apple is planning to release an iPad keyboard accessory later this year that w... | Continue reading


@sixcolors.com | 4 years ago

(Podcast) Rebound #278: Does That Performa Spark Joy?

Eeros now support HomeKit.Does the over-the-air recovery feature in the iOS beta mean a portless iPhone might be coming?Ming-Chi Kuo says ARM Macs are coming in 2021.John Gruber has thoughts on that.The Mac Pro’s wheels have no brakes. That&... | Continue reading


@sixcolors.com | 4 years ago

Review: Audio-Technica ATR-2100x microphone

The new ATR-2100x microphone (right) replaces a Mini-USB connector with USB-C.For a while now my go-to podcast microphone recommendation has been the Audio-Technica ATR-2100. At around $100 it’s relatively cheap, sounds great, and thanks to its ... | Continue reading


@sixcolors.com | 4 years ago

(Podcast) Clockwise #335: Some Sort of Dongleage

This week, on the 30-minute tech show that takes up just 1/48th of your day, Dan and Mikah are joined by special guests Jeff Carlson and Shelly Brisbin to discuss the debate over standardizing smartphone charging ports, how we feel about HomeKit Secure Vi... | Continue reading


@sixcolors.com | 4 years ago

Rian Johnson: Bad guys can't have iPhones onscreen

Rian Johnson’s Knives Out was perhaps my favorite film of last year, so when I saw that Vanity Fair had invited him to break down a scene from the movie, I eagerly went to watch the video. Little did I know that he snuck in an Apple tidbit as a bonu... | Continue reading


@sixcolors.com | 4 years ago

More on app defaults in Files on iPadOS

Last week I wrote my Macworld column about some of the ways the iPad’s approach to files is inadequate. I was focusing mostly on AirDrop, whose behavior doesn’t really make sense in a world where there’s a filesystem exposed on every i... | Continue reading


@sixcolors.com | 4 years ago

Wish List: Album Play Mode for Music

Okay, bear with me, because this is a weird one. As long time followers may know, I listen to a lot of movie scores. Like, a lot. And though I occasionally dip in and out of albums, listening to a track here or there, more often than not I’m using... | Continue reading


@sixcolors.com | 4 years ago

(Podcast) Upgrade #286: You Can't Make Me Change My Pocket

This week begins with us clearing up controversies about pockets and malware. The spread of the coronavirus is affecting Apple’s business, and making us wonder if WWDC in June could be affected. Ming-Chi Kuo drops a bombshell about ARM Macs, and Mar... | Continue reading


@sixcolors.com | 4 years ago

Safari will reject long-lived HTTPS certificates starting September 1

Your life is up! Well, the life of the security certificate on your website, anyway. News out of last week’s meeting of the CA/Browser Forum is that Apple has announced Safari will no longer accept HTTPS certificates older than about 13 months, as o... | Continue reading


@sixcolors.com | 4 years ago

Fun With Charts: Mobile prices and performance

This week’s chart is about the relationship between processor power and price on Apple’s mobile devices. It’s unfair in a lot of ways, because every dollar you spend on a device does not go to the processor. Buying an iPad or iPhone won&... | Continue reading


@sixcolors.com | 4 years ago

(Podcast) Rebound #277: Obligatory Cyberdog Reference

Apple may let users change their default apps on iOS.Jason Snell has some thoughts on iOS file handling.Apple updated its guidance for the quarter based on the effect of the Coronavirus.Apple’s platforms are increasingly being targeted by adwa... | Continue reading


@sixcolors.com | 4 years ago

(Podcast) Clockwise #334: I Like That We Live in the Future

This week, on the 30-minute tech show that’s only 1800 seconds, Dan and Mikah are joined by special guests Aleen Simms and Ant Pruitt to discuss apps and services we use to communicate, complaints about Google’s mobile productivity suite, our ... | Continue reading


@sixcolors.com | 5 years ago

(Podcast) Upgrade #285: Mac Pros for Mac Pros

Myke met the people for whom the Mac Pro was made, and reports back with details. Jason tries to combat confusion about whether the Mac is really being attacked by malware and explains what Apple is doing to stop it. And we address some five-year-old foll... | Continue reading


@sixcolors.com | 5 years ago

Drying out a moldy bedroom - a HomeKit adventure

My house gets damp in the winter. Like, really damp. So damp that stuff starts growing on the ceiling. Since getting a new house isn’t really an option, I’m left with mitigating it as best I can.So I tried to use smart-home tech to make it b... | Continue reading


@sixcolors.com | 5 years ago

Sleazy adware targets Mac users--and Apple steps up its game

Image from Malwarebytes report.Malwarebytes, a company that sells anti-malware software, came out with its annual report on the state of malware this week. It has fed a bunch of overhyped headlines around the web about malware on the Mac growing rapidly... | Continue reading


@sixcolors.com | 5 years ago

(Sponsor) Previs Pro

My thanks to Previs Pro for sponsoring Six Colors this week. Previs Pro is a brand-new iOS app for storyboarding film and video created by a team that has won multiple Apple Design Awards. If you make films or create videos, you already know the importa... | Continue reading


@sixcolors.com | 5 years ago

Fun With Charts: When Apple was in the red

So I was researching my chart about Apple in the 2000s when I came across a remarkable historical document on Apple’s website: CUPERTINO, California—January 15, 2003—Apple® today announced financial results for its fiscal 2003 first ... | Continue reading


@sixcolors.com | 5 years ago

Video: Editing Podcasts with Ferrite and Apple Pencil

Since last June I’ve edited just about every episode of The Incomparable on my iPad Pro using Ferrite Recording Studio and an Apple Pencil.Since people are often curious about just how using the Apple Pencil to edit a podcast works, I thought I | Continue reading


@sixcolors.com | 5 years ago

(Podcast) Clockwise #333: Throwing the Spaghetti at the Consumer

This week on the 30 minute tech show that’s like a wizard, Dan and Mikah are joined by special guests Brianna Wu and Shahid Kamal Ahmad to discuss Samsung’s latest flip phone, security tips for elections and ordinary people, high refresh rate ... | Continue reading


@sixcolors.com | 5 years ago

(Podcast) Rebound #276: The Definition of Mixed Reviews

ToothFairy didn’t exactly fix Moltz’s AirPod problem but it kind of did.Taika Waititi has some thoughts on the butterfly keyboard.Reviews of Apple TV+’s new show Mythic Quest: Raven’s Banquet have been mixed. We explain what th... | Continue reading


@sixcolors.com | 5 years ago

(Podcast) Upgrade #284: We're In the Ear Business

Why did Apple surprise developers with beta releases with intriguing new features this month? What does it mean for the future of Mac app development? Is a new keyboard going to be a major feature of new iPad Pro models? Would Apple really build Macs with... | Continue reading


@sixcolors.com | 5 years ago

Oscar-winner Taika Waititi tells Apple to fix its keyboards

Taika Waititi, director of Thor: Ragnarok, the upcoming Thor: Love & Thunder, What We Do in the Shadows, as well as this year’s Academy Award winner for Best Adapted Screenplay, really thinks Apple should fix those MacBook keyboards: Taika Wai... | Continue reading


@sixcolors.com | 5 years ago

Fun With Charts: A plague of Performas

Macworld Expo 2000: It’s so simple!When I mentioned that I was trying to do a weekly chart on Six Colors, Stephen Hackett suggested a few charts that he’d like to see—some silly, some serious. I’m not sure where this one falls.... | Continue reading


@sixcolors.com | 5 years ago

Bad AppleScript: Template Gun meets the Internet

Back in 2018 I wrote about Template Gun, my AppleScript app that lets me quickly generate new project folders for the podcasts I’m working on. (I picture the “Template Gun” as more of a hot-dog or t-shirt cannon.) The premise is th... | Continue reading


@sixcolors.com | 5 years ago

(Sponsor) Sponsor: Previs Pro

Previs Pro is a brand-new iOS app for storyboarding film and video created by a multiple Apple Design Award winning team. If you make films or create videos, you already know the importance of using storyboards to design that perfect shot. But, unless y... | Continue reading


@sixcolors.com | 5 years ago

(Podcast) Clockwise #332: One Hip Lies

This week on the 30 minute tech podcast that’s Roman all over, Dan and guest host Jason Snell are joined by special guests Carolina Milanesi and Matthew Cassinelli to discuss the best and worst of Apple in the year gone by, Google’s divisive S... | Continue reading


@sixcolors.com | 5 years ago

(Podcast) Rebound #275: Bezos, I'm Home

Matt Birchler has some great thoughts on where watchOS should go.Six Colors gives its annual Apple report card.YouTube-dl is a command line tool for downloading YouTube videos.Ring doorbells had a bad 2019.Google admits it sent private videos to s... | Continue reading


@sixcolors.com | 5 years ago

(Podcast) Upgrade #283: The Anger of the Panel

It’s time for our annual dive into the Six Colors Apple Report Card, as Jason and Myke interpret the scores and comments of 65 Apple-watchers and add their own views on where the company succeeding—and where it’s not. ... | Continue reading


@sixcolors.com | 5 years ago

Apple in 2019: The Six Colors report card

It’s time for our annual look back on Apple’s performance during the past year, as seen through the eyes of writers, editors, developers, podcasters, and other people who spend an awful lot of time thinking about Apple.This is the fifth y... | Continue reading


@sixcolors.com | 5 years ago

(Podcast) Rebound #274: A Monkey In This Hunt

Moviepass is no more.Apple has been in talks to be the future home of NFL Sunday Ticket.Apple had a good quarter.Apple has been in talks to acquire MGM.Apple has made a production deal with former Starz exec Carmi Zlotnik.Fantastical 3.0 is out.... | Continue reading


@sixcolors.com | 5 years ago

Apple and NFL Sunday Ticket

It’s Super Bowl week, which means that NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell gave his annual press conference on Wednesday. In a preview story on the Athletic (subscription required), reporter Daniel Kaplan mentioned Apple prominently: The NFL under te... | Continue reading


@sixcolors.com | 5 years ago

(Podcast) Clockwise #331: Ambulatory Meat Sack

This week, on the 30-minute tech show that’s powering through, Dan and Mikah are joined by special guests Jeremy Burge and Kathy Campbell to discuss our app preferences on macOS and iOS, if we’re TikTok’in’, our sleep-tracking habi... | Continue reading


@sixcolors.com | 5 years ago

Fantastical 3 steps out of Apple's shadow

Fantastical 3 on iPad is a huge upgrade. The left sidebar can come and go with a swipe.I’ve been using Fantastical as my calendar app across all my devices for years now. I’ve come to appreciate its thoughtful interface and its excellent n... | Continue reading


@sixcolors.com | 5 years ago

A few notes on Apple's latest record quarter

So, another record fiscal quarter for Apple. Are we surprised? Not really, I suppose, though it’s interesting to remember that last year’s holiday quarter was actually smaller than the previous year’s, which set the record. 2019 is now t... | Continue reading


@sixcolors.com | 5 years ago

This is Tim: Apple Q1 2020 results transcript

Here’s a transcript of the (ongoing) Apple conference call with financial analysts. It will continue to be updated.Tim Cook: Good afternoon and thanks to all of you for joining us. We’re thrilled to report Apple’s biggest quarter ever,... | Continue reading


@sixcolors.com | 5 years ago

Apple reports a record $91.8 billion holiday quarter

Apple announced that its calendar 2019 holiday quarter (the first quarter of its fiscal 2020) was its all-time best in terms of revenue, with a total of $91.8 billion, with a $22.2 billion profit. The company beat its estimates for the quarter, and in new... | Continue reading


@sixcolors.com | 5 years ago

The iPad era turns 10

Moments before the presentation started.It’s the tenth anniversary of the iPad’s announcement. Here are some links for your enjoyment:This week’s Upgrade goes into detail about the iPad’s legacy over the past 10 years.Last ... | Continue reading


@sixcolors.com | 5 years ago

(Podcast) Upgrade #282: The iPad at 10

It’s the 10th anniversary of the announcement of the iPad! Myke and Jason discuss why the seeds of the iPad’s success were visible on day one, the changes in the iPad’s life cycle over time, and how the iPad fits in our daily lives today... | Continue reading


@sixcolors.com | 5 years ago

Fun With Charts: Apple's turnaround decade

Last week I followed a thread from my chart about the growth of Apple’s Services and Wearables categories and ended up marveling at the spectacular growth Apple experienced during the 2010s.Which got me thinking about decades. Because while itR... | Continue reading


@sixcolors.com | 5 years ago

(Podcast) Rebound 273: You Talking to Me?

This week, on the irreverent tech show that sometimes goes international, it’s nearly all-encryption all the time as Guy explains the ins and outs of bits and bytes to John and Dan. Then it’s on to the newest iPhone rumors until we’re bl... | Continue reading


@sixcolors.com | 5 years ago

(Podcast) Clockwise #330: I Call That the Airplane Squirrel

This week, on the tech podcast that’s having the time of its life, Dan and Mikah are joined by special guests Jason Howell and Kelly Guimont to discuss digital wellbeing apps and features, movies and TV shows we thought would accurately predict the ... | Continue reading


@sixcolors.com | 5 years ago

(Podcast) Upgrade #281: Your Historical Knowledge Has Been Noted

We close the book on the 2010s with a special draft of Apple keynotes and media events from the past decade, joined by special guest Stephen Hackett. And in Upstream news, it’s a busy season of announcements for both Apple TV+ and Peacock. ... | Continue reading


@sixcolors.com | 5 years ago

Clever, Powerful, Useful: Time to upgrade the Mac's energy settings

Back in the olden days of the early 1990s, the Mac’s built-in power-management software was not great. Third-party apps filled the gap, the most impressive of which was Connectix PowerBook Utilities (CPU). As Adam Engst wrote 28 years ago(!): CP... | Continue reading


@sixcolors.com | 5 years ago

Fun with Charts: A decade of Apple growth

I wrote a throwaway line in last week’s set of charts about just how the Apple of 2020 is not the Apple of 2010 just as the Apple of 2010 was not the Apple of 2000. I deleted the reference because I thought the thought deserved its own chart and its... | Continue reading


@sixcolors.com | 5 years ago