Some hands-on iPad event impressions

Apple declared Tuesday as the biggest date in iPad history since the launch of the product in 2010. I’m not sure I’d go that far. It was a major event, to be sure, but so was the original iPad Pro and Apple Pencil launch in 2015 and the 2018 launch of the redesigned iPad Pro and … | Continue reading


@sixcolors.com | 6 months ago

(Podcast) Upgrade 511: You’re Nice to Hold

Both Jason (New York) and Myke (London) have had their hands on the new iPads and are here to report back with all the details. We discuss M4 surprises, iPad Air choices, iPad Pro use cases, and save a little time to Lawyer Up.… | Continue reading


@sixcolors.com | 6 months ago

Apple’s binning M4 chips in the new iPad Pro models ↦

Wes Davis, writing at The Verge: The newly announced iPad Pro hides a sneaky upgrade option that Apple didn’t mention during its event today. When you cough up the $600 it costs to jump from the 256GB base model iPad Pro to the 1TB version, Apple doesn’t just double the RAM along … | Continue reading


@sixcolors.com | 6 months ago

What Apple didn’t mention in its iPad keynote

Apple on Tuesday made some big moves to its iPad lineup, introducing new models of the iPad Air and iPad Pro, as well as a new Magic Keyboard and the Apple Pencil Pro.… | Continue reading


@sixcolors.com | 6 months ago

The iPad Pro is no longer the future, so what’s next?

iPad Pro and keyboard, circa its October 2018 announcement. It’s hard to believe that it was more than five and a half years ago that I flew home from a New York Apple event, my mind spinning with the announcement of a new iPad Pro at a unique Apple event in Brooklyn.… | Continue reading


@sixcolors.com | 6 months ago

(Sponsor) Magic Lasso Adblock: 2.0x faster web browsing in Safari

Want to experience twice as fast load times in Safari on your iPhone, iPad and Mac? Then download Magic Lasso Adblock – the ad blocker designed for you.… | Continue reading


@sixcolors.com | 6 months ago

Parsing Apple’s quarterly statements, from AI to India

Here are a few assorted thoughts about Apple’s second-quarter 2024 financial results based on the analyst call with executives that followed the release. For a “boring” quarter where Apple revenue was flat and profits surpassed $20 billion, there are still a few tidbits.… | Continue reading


@sixcolors.com | 6 months ago

(Podcast) Downstream 68: Gentle Hum

We revisit the philosophy of binge drops versus weekly releases—because it’s complicated. [Downstream+ members also get to hear us discuss the future of Paramount, complicated NBA rights negotiations, and more RSN drama.]… | Continue reading


@sixcolors.com | 6 months ago

(Sponsor) Conversation Tree Press

My thanks to Conversation Tree Press for sponsoring Six Colors this week. This is a very different kind of Six Colors sponsor, but they’re doing something special.… | Continue reading


@sixcolors.com | 6 months ago

Apple’s Star Wars themed Precision Finding ad ↦

Hey, it’s that time Apple made an ad directly targeted at me. I just used Precision Finding last week while traveling around the D.C. area; it was a handy way for my wife and to find each other in the Smithsonian museums when one of us would go off with the kid for a bit.… | Continue reading


@sixcolors.com | 6 months ago

This is Tim: Transcript of Apple’s Q2 2024 analyst call

On Thursday Apple announced its quarterly financial results, and that can mean only one thing: it’s time for Apple CEO Tim Cook and CFO Luca Maestri to spend some quality time with their favorite financial analysts on a scheduled phone call.… | Continue reading


@sixcolors.com | 6 months ago

2024 Q2 Apple Results: $90.8 billion revenue, Services record

Apple announced its financial results for its second fiscal quarter of 2024 on Thursday. The company booked $90.8 billion in revenue (down 4% versus the year-ago quarter) with $23.6 billion in profit.… | Continue reading


@sixcolors.com | 6 months ago

Apple tweaks Core Technology Fee terms for free apps and small developers ↦

Apple continues to revise its approach to complying with Europe’s Digital Markets Act, today announcing a pair of exceptions to its Core Technology Fee. The first pertains to apps that are totally free: First, no CTF is required if a developer has no revenue whatsoever. … | Continue reading


@sixcolors.com | 6 months ago

(Sponsor) Conversation Tree Press

At Conversation Tree Press, we celebrate the craftsmanship of beautifully designed, letterpress-printed, and finely bound books. Each of our editions include newly commissioned artwork from some of today’s leading illustrators and are perfect for those who appreciate quality and … | Continue reading


@sixcolors.com | 6 months ago

(Podcast) Clockwise 552: Spoiler: It’s Always DNS

How we’d like to see Apple implement GenAI, our home network troubleshooting process, the iPad model we currently use and what features would prompt an upgrade, and our views on the centralization of account logins, like those from Apple and Google.… | Continue reading


@sixcolors.com | 6 months ago

(Podcast) The Rebound 493: Mark Gurman Honeypot

Dan’s back to discuss our iPad event predictions, the very latest on Lex’s games and Moltz’s one weird trick for evading the iCloud logout problem.… | Continue reading


@sixcolors.com | 6 months ago

(Podcast) Upgrade 510: Jason Is Cool GOTO 10

We’re trying to puzzle through some strange rumors about next week’s iPad launch event. Also, the EU brings the iPad into the DMA party, Apple locks the Apple IDs of many people (including Myke!),… | Continue reading


@sixcolors.com | 6 months ago

Emulate all the things, Apple

Lode Runner running in Virtual II on the Mac, where all emulation is allowed. And just like that, Apple embraced retro game emulators in the App Store.… | Continue reading


@sixcolors.com | 6 months ago

The iPad joins the iPhone in DMA land ↦

Jess Weatherbed at The Verge: Following an almost eight-month investigation into whether Apple’s iPadOS holds enough market power to warrant stricter regulation, the European Commission has now designated the iPad operating system as a Gatekeeper service under its flagship Digita … | Continue reading


@sixcolors.com | 6 months ago

(Sponsor) Magic Lasso Adblock: YouTube ad blocker for Safari

My thanks to Magic Lasso Adblock for sponsoring Six Colors this week. Magic Lasso Adblock is simply the best Safari ad blocker for your iPhone, iPad and Mac.… | Continue reading


@sixcolors.com | 7 months ago

(Podcast) Clockwise 551: Clippy Vibes

Meta adds AI to its glasses, our thoughts on chronological vs. algorithmic timelines, how we find software tools, and the U.S.’s TikTok ban.… | Continue reading


@sixcolors.com | 7 months ago

(Podcast) The Rebound 492: onlyjames.fans

A bicycle for the mind, an iPad for your face.… | Continue reading


@sixcolors.com | 7 months ago

Logitech somehow takes mouse software to a new low ↦

Stephen Hackett has quite a story about what Logitech is doing to its Mac mouse software: I cannot tell how little I want THE SOFTWARE FOR MY MOUSE to include features tied to ChatGPT … let alone a mouse with a built-in button to start a prompt. … | Continue reading


@sixcolors.com | 7 months ago

The undersea cables that keep the Internet afloat ↦

What an amazing story by Josh Dzieza at The Verge about the people who repair undersea fiberoptic cables to keep data flowing around the world: The world is in the midst of a cable boom, with multiple new transoceanic lines announced every year. … | Continue reading


@sixcolors.com | 7 months ago

Author and Mac Admin Charles Edge has died ↦

I just got word this morning that Charles Edge, who helped jumpstart the Apple in the Enterprise Report Card and who actively participated in this year’s edition that I posted just last week, has passed away.… | Continue reading


@sixcolors.com | 7 months ago

(Podcast) Upgrade 509: Save the Fines

The world’s foremost e-reader podcast returns, but we also take time to talk about the appeal of retro game emulators, iPad and iPhone rumors, and the possible end of Apple’s leather replacement material.… | Continue reading


@sixcolors.com | 7 months ago

(Sponsor) Magic Lasso Adblock: YouTube ad blocker for Safari

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.… | Continue reading


@sixcolors.com | 7 months ago

Review: Zoom H6essential talks the talk and walks the walk

I’ve used Zoom audio recorders for many years, including the Podtrac P4 I wrote about here a couple of years ago. I carry a Zoom H4n Pro in my backpack for radio field work.… | Continue reading


@sixcolors.com | 7 months ago

Does everything need to be an ad?

Just as majestic as Apple’s Aerial screensaver, no? Increasingly, every pixel in front of our eyes is fought over by a pool of large technology companies that are trying to squeeze fractions of cents out of ads and promotions.… | Continue reading


@sixcolors.com | 7 months ago

(Podcast) Downstream 67: Paramount, Peacock, Peas in a Pod

Is this phase of the streaming wars reaching an endgame? We discuss the fates of Peacock and Paramount+, and consider Max after a year under its new name.… | Continue reading


@sixcolors.com | 7 months ago

Apple’s emulator about-face is good for everyone

Less than two weeks after Apple changed its rules on emulators, Riley Testut’s Delta game emulator climbed to the number one spot in the U.S. App Store within twelve hours of its launch.… | Continue reading


@sixcolors.com | 7 months ago

Apple in the Enterprise: A 2024 report card

In 2021, device-management startup Kandji approached Six Colors to commission a new entry in our Report Card series focusing on how Apple’s doing in large organizations, including businesses, education, and government.… | Continue reading


@sixcolors.com | 7 months ago

(Podcast) Clockwise 550: Strap In and Forget My Email

Early web nostalgia and memorable online experiences, the most disappointing tech product we’ve owned or reviewed, our persistence in troubleshooting tech, and the oldest piece of technology we still use.… | Continue reading


@sixcolors.com | 7 months ago

(Podcast) The Rebound 491: A Fundamental Misunderstanding of Podcasts

Can we record this discussion?… | Continue reading


@sixcolors.com | 7 months ago

(Podcast) Upgrade 508: You’re Judging It Wrong

Skepticism about the future of the Vision Pro and brutal reviews of the Humane Ai Pin make us discuss misguided expectations and the power of the smartphone duopoly.… | Continue reading


@sixcolors.com | 7 months ago

Can anyone but a tech giant build the next big thing?

Humane Ai Pin. (Photo: Humane) I’m not bullish on the Humane Ai Pin, the clip-on device whose first reviews arrived with knives out this week. The thing feels like a commodity product from 2026 that escaped back a couple of years—a basic hardware conduit for cloud AI models that … | Continue reading


@sixcolors.com | 7 months ago

The (poor) design of Apple Sports ↦

Dr. Drang has come for the Apple Sports app: Scores are only part of what a good sports app is about. Sports apps are used not only when you can’t watch a game and want to be kept plugged in, they’re also used—even more often used, I think—to give you background information on th … | Continue reading


@sixcolors.com | 7 months ago

(Sponsor) Kolide

My thanks to Kolide for sponsoring Six Colors again this week. Kolide wants your business to be secure. Think of it like airport security: there are two lines, one to verify your identity and another to scan your carry-ons.… | Continue reading


@sixcolors.com | 7 months ago

The chain, or opening files in macOS ↦

Howard Oakley of Eclectic Light Company has a deep dive on how your Mac knows what app to open when you double click a file: In the days of Classic Mac OS, that was accomplished using the infamous Desktop Database, which recognised files and apps by means of their Creator and Typ … | Continue reading


@sixcolors.com | 7 months ago

Gurman: Forget the M3, the M4 is on the way ↦

Mark Gurman of Bloomberg has another one of his excellent chip scoops, this time about the future of the Mac: The company, which released its first Macs with M3 chips five months ago, is already nearing production of the next generation — the M4 processor — according to people wi … | Continue reading


@sixcolors.com | 7 months ago

Want Apple to change? Regulation works.

Lately you can’t throw a digital camera without hitting a story on the various regulatory and legal challenges Apple’s been facing. While some have decried these actions as interference in the internal operations of a company, there’s one salient detail that I think those opinion … | Continue reading


@sixcolors.com | 7 months ago

(Podcast) Clockwise 549: The Sweetness of Adults

Color e-readers, apps and devices we use while traveling, tech products we have but no longer want, and the tech products we’d immediately replace.… | Continue reading


@sixcolors.com | 7 months ago

Report: DMA’s browser choice requirement benefiting third-party browsers ↦

Ashley Belanger, writing at Ars Technica: Reuters collected data from six companies, confirming that, when presented with a choice screen, many EU users will swap out default browsers like Chrome or Safari for more privacy-focused options. … | Continue reading


@sixcolors.com | 7 months ago

(Podcast) The Rebound 490: Rescue Robot

We’re not mad at technology, just disappointed.… | Continue reading


@sixcolors.com | 7 months ago

MLB iPad app updated, works on the Mac again ↦

Our weeklong baseball nightmare is over. As I recounted on opening day, the MLB app for iPad—which works on the Mac and is great to have!—had… | Continue reading


@sixcolors.com | 7 months ago

(Podcast) Upgrade 507: Differently Social

Casey Liss joins Myke to discuss Apple’s new Spatial Personas for visionOS, and their thoughts on an immersive experience from… Gucci? Also, emulators are coming to the App Store, and Myke wants to check Casey’s vibe.… | Continue reading


@sixcolors.com | 7 months ago

(Sponsor) Are You Worse at Security Than the TSA?

You know the drill: when you go through airport security there are two lines. In one, a TSA agent makes sure you’re the person in your passport photo.… | Continue reading


@sixcolors.com | 7 months ago

(Sponsor) Listen Later

My thanks to Listen Later for sponsoring Six Colors this week. Listen Later is such a clever idea. If you’re like me, you collect longer articles throughout the week that you just don’t have time to dive into at the moment.… | Continue reading


@sixcolors.com | 7 months ago