This is the ad-free version.… | Continue reading
Jason recently reviewed the new M3 MacBook Air, and a key feature of the new models is Wi-Fi 6E support. Wi-Fi 6E is a big deal because it adds the 6GHz spectrum to the 2.4GHz and 5GHz bands we’re all used to.… | Continue reading
Since 2021, Six Colors has been compiling an annual report card focusing on how Apple’s doing in large organizations, including businesses, education, and government. We formulated a set of survey questions that would address the big-picture issues regarding Apple in the enterpri … | Continue reading
Developer Steve Troughton-Smith watched all of today’s workshop between Apple and the EU on the Digital Markets Act and posted some highlights on Mastodon. Of particular interest was an exchange between Apple’s representatives and Riley Testut, the developer of AltStore, an exist … | Continue reading
Quite a scoop from Mark Gurman at Bloomberg: Apple Inc. is in talks to build Google’s Gemini artificial intelligence engine into the iPhone, according to people familiar with the situation, setting the stage for a blockbuster agreement that would shake up the AI industry. … | Continue reading
Is Apple working with Google on its A.I. strategy? We break down what that might mean for the future of Apple’s platforms—and why it might make a lot of sense.… | Continue reading
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
My thanks to Kolide for sponsoring Six Colors this week. None of us are as good at clocking deepfakes as we think we are. Even your mom, or your boss, or anyone in your IT department might not be able to tell the difference.… | Continue reading
Hugo Barra, former head of Oculus at Meta, has a lengthy review of his Vision Pro experience that’s well worth reading. Don’t let the somewhat inflammatorty first headline (of four?!)… | Continue reading
Sticky scrolling through a Python project in Nova, complete with a terminal tab and an SFTP sidebar. I’ve been writing scripts in Python for a few years now, and it’s taken over a lot of my remote automation.… | Continue reading
Eating before podcasting was a mistake.… | Continue reading
The Europe-mandated tech changes we’d like to see in the US, circular vs. square smart watches, how often we completely reset our devices, and the extent of our home automation pursuits.… | Continue reading
It’s been a seismic few weeks for Apple in the European Union, and the company’s approach to distributing iOS apps continues to evolve. On Tuesday, Apple announced a few further changes to its rules, all of which stand to make significant changes to the marketplace for iOS apps.… | Continue reading
We discuss Apple’s latest embarrassing and unnecessary policy stumble in Europe, and then explain how Jason’s full review of the M3 MacBook Air managed to kill his home network.… | Continue reading
Now, don’t get offended, but–you aren’t as good at clocking deepfakes as you think you are. And it’s not just you–nobody’s that good at it. Not your mom, or your boss, or anyone in you… | Continue reading
My workspace is what is apparently called an “unconditioned space,” in that it’s a lighly insulated garage with no access to my home’s central heating system. In the winter … | Continue reading
This week has been a heck of a roller coaster for Epic. After the game-maker’s Sweden branch reportedly had its developer account restored so that the company could launch its alternative app marketplace in Europe, the company was subsequently banned again by Apple.… | Continue reading
My thanks to Magic Lasso Adblock for sponsoring Six Colors this week. As a native Safari extension, Magic Lasso blocks all intrusive ads, trackers and annoyances – letting you experience a faster, cleaner and more secure experience across all your devices.… | Continue reading
It’s not pretty—but it never was. The point is, it runs! Last month, Dan wrote about getting PC games up on Mac using Apple’s game porting toolkit and the Wine API translation tool, all via an easy to use free app called Whisky.… | Continue reading
The first major visionOS update was released Thursday, with a bunch of security fixes as well as some more substantive interface updates: Personas are improved, and there’s a new accessibility mode you can use to capture a Persona hands-free.… | Continue reading
Here’s a ruling that isn’t music to Apple’s ears: the European Commission this week levied a fine of $2 billion against the company for violating antitrust regulations in the EU, specifically in terms of the distribution of music streaming apps.… | Continue reading
If you haven’t already seen it, well, this is a sentence that happens early in Federico Viticci’s opus about exploring differently shaped macOS and iOS devices: Alright, so obviously the first step of the process is to physically remove the screen from a MacBook, right?… | Continue reading
A midnight M3 MacBook Air driving two Studio Displays in lid-closed mode. Apple’s definitive laptop of the last decade, the MacBook Air, finally got an exterior redesign in 2022 with the release of the M2 MacBook Air.… | Continue reading
Mark Gurman and Drake Bennett of Bloomberg have a detailed story about the rise and fall of Apple’s car project. This was my favorite small bit: The new design also incorporated a more traditional automotive interface: a steering wheel and pedals.… | Continue reading
The importance of encryption in messaging services, the topics we’d want to see in a prediction market, how many monitors we use, and our preferred podcast app(s).… | Continue reading
Don’t put our words in our mouths.… | Continue reading
Someone new is in charge of Netflix’s film output, which lets us ponder the company’s past and future film strategy. [Downstream+ members get: Max’s new Harry Potter approach, and lessons we could learn from The CW’s mid-budget approach to superhero TV.]… | Continue reading
One of my surprisingly favorite features of the Vision Pro is the dynamic display of photographic panoramas. Immersive environments are great, and I love that I can capture stereo video now, but I’ve got an immense library of panoramas that date back to the 1990s.… | Continue reading
(Left to right): A transcript playing back, selecting a paragraph in the transcript view, and sharing a quote from a podcast. As was foretold back in January, with the release of iOS 17.4 Apple’s Podcasts app now supports podcast transcripts.… | Continue reading
It’s time to say goodbye to the M1 MacBook Air (hello, new M3 models!) and our Upshift segment (RIP Apple Car project), but our in-depth coverage of Apple being regulated and fined by the European Commission rolls on!… | Continue reading
Do you want an to try an ad blocker that’s easy to setup, easy to keep up to date and with pro features available when you need them? Then download Magic Lasso Adblock – the ad blocker designed for… | Continue reading
If you’ve been keeping your powder dry for Apple’s most popular laptop models to get its latest processors, well, time to light that candle. The company announced on Monday that it has updated its MacBook Air line with M3 processors, bringing not only faster performance but also … | Continue reading
There was a moment when it seemed like an Apple Car made sense. Ten years ago, when the Apple Watch wasn’t anything more than a rumor (and I still worked at a magazine), it seemed like the entire automotive industry was on the edge of an enormous change, and the traditional playe … | Continue reading
My thanks to Kolide for sponsoring Six Colors again this week. You might have heard about the September 2023 MGM ransomware attack. But beyond the broken slot machines and other anecdotes is the fact that it’s an example of an emerging style of attack that we’ll certainly be seei … | Continue reading
Aa a longtime Mac user, I’m just as aware of the platform’s limitations as I am its strengths. Chief among those limitations is—and has been for many years— gaming.… | Continue reading
The end of Apple’s car project, the tasks we’d put an AI Siri to work on, hidden Apple OS features, and using the Apple Vision Pro in public.… | Continue reading
This is a breaking news podcast.… | Continue reading
We discuss what an iOS release focused on AI features might look like, check in on our ongoing Vision Pro experiences, and discuss what the Apple Sports app might mean for Apple’s sports ambitions.… | Continue reading
The September 2023 MGM hack quickly became one of the most notorious ransomware attacks in recent memory. Journalists and cybersecurity experts rushed to report on the broken slot machines, angry hotel guests, and the fateful phishing call to MGM’s help desk that started it all.… | Continue reading
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
Left to right: Setting favorites in News, monitoring scores in Sports, setting a Live Activity in TV, and displaying the Live Activity on the home screen.… | Continue reading
Fallout from the “Spulu” announcement from Disney, Fox, and WBD continues; picking apart HBO’s “Last Week Tonight” YouTube strategy; and what does Peacock have in common with the New York Jets?… | Continue reading
How we’d use a HomePod with a screen, Apple’s new Sports app, Vision Pro impressions after a couple weeks, and what we use our iPhone’s Action button for.… | Continue reading
I know the space beat is usually Jason’s bailiwick, but I really enjoyed this lovely piece about Voyager 1, which seems to be on its last legs after nearly half a century, in which it has traveled further from Earth than any other spacecraft.… | Continue reading
Hit the showers.… | Continue reading
The Apple Sports app wants to get you scores, fast. If you know one thing about Apple’s Senior Vice President of Services, it’s probably this: Eddy Cue loves sports. He’s frequent… | Continue reading
Jason already makes excellent and informative figures for the annual Six Colors Apple Report Card. Here I’ll just add a few more that, hopefully, will also be informative and also go just a little ways beyond what can easily be accomplished in an application like Numbers or Excel … | Continue reading
So many games at once! Now on the iPad, too. As fans of Major League Soccer are no doubt already aware, Wednesday marks the kickoff of the new season, the league’s second with Apple as its media partner.… | Continue reading