Category: Apple

Jason Snell, in an incredible piece for Macworld:

To a kid growing up in the 1980s, the idea that the maker of your computer would actively stop you from using software it didn’t approve of would have seemed beyond the pale. It certainly would’ve been a deal-breaker. And yet so many of today’s computing devices are locked down–for some good reasons, but also a lot of bad ones.

What do we want the world to look like in the future? Is the destiny of the most important invention of the last half-century, the computer, to become a series of locked-down devices controlled by the giant companies that designed them? Should the iPhone be the model for all future devices?

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Joe Rossignol at MacRumors is reporting that Apple’s long-running repair extension program for the butterfly keyboard has ended:

Apple’s free butterfly keyboard service program for select MacBooks models ended late last week, nearly six and a half years after it launched.

With the program now over, it is no longer guaranteed that customers with affected MacBook keyboards will be able to receive a free repair from Apple or an Apple Authorized Service Provider. However, exceptions could be made.

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From the Newsroom announcement:

Final Cut Pro 11 takes full advantage of Apple’s M-series chips, introducing the powerful and intuitive Magnetic Mask; Transcribe to Captions, a highly requested feature that provides fast and accurate closed captions; spatial video editing; and a range of timesaving tools and workflow optimizations.

While I use Final Cut occasionally, I am by no means an expert. Thankfully, Tyler Stalman is:

Final Cut Pro is $300 in the Mac App Store, and this update is free for Final Cut Pro X users. A free 90-day trial is available as well. Apple still offers its “Pro Apps Bundle for Education” for just $199.

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Writing at Bloomberg:

Apple Inc., aiming to catch up with rivals in the smart home market, is nearing the launch of a new product category: a wall-mounted display that can control appliances, handle videoconferencing and use AI to navigate apps.

The company is gearing up to announce the device as early as March and will position it as a command center for the home, according to people with knowledge of the effort. The product, code-named J490, also will spotlight the new Apple Intelligence AI platform, said the people, who asked not to be identified because the work is confidential.

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I really do not understand why this app is updated so slowly. It launched in March of 2023, but wasn’t available for the iPad until November 2023.

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Jerrod Hofferth has done some very good work here.

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Quinn Nelson bought a new Mac mini then took it apart for all of us:

Over on Mastodon, Paul Haddad pointed out some of the differences between the M4 and M4 Pro models:

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Dan Moren has reviewed the new Mac mini, and has high praise for the small machine:

As the most versatile Mac, the Mac mini finds itself into all sorts of niches that no other Mac can easily (or cost-effectively) fill. Whether it’s rack-mounted as a server, hooked up to a TV, or even tucked somewhere in a car, the mini is the Mac of all trades.

Since the Apple silicon revolution, it’s also become more powerful than ever, and the new M4-powered models are no exception. The mini holds its own against consumer models like the iMac and MacBook Air, and can be upgraded into the mid-range with an M4 Pro chip, positioning it comfortably alongside some MacBook Pro models.

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I don’t think the Apple Desktop Bus Keyboard is anywhere near Apple’s best, but this project is wild:

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I know these machines have earned these labels but jeez.

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Apple’s VP of camera software engineering Jon McCormack gave Nilay Patel a quote about how Apple views photography in our modern age. Here’s what he said:

Here’s our view of what a photograph is. The way we like to think of it is that it’s a personal celebration of something that really, actually happened.

Whether that’s a simple thing like a fancy cup of coffee that’s got some cool design on it, all the way through to my kid’s first steps, or my parents’ last breath, It’s something that really happened. It’s something that is a marker in my life, and it’s something that deserves to be celebrated.

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Joe Rossignol:

Apple has seemingly leaked the rumored next-generation Mac mini with five USB-C ports, according to a code change within Apple software that was discovered today by MacRumors contributor Aaron Perris.

The code refers to an unreleased Mac mini model with an Apple silicon chip and five ports, which lines up with a previous report from Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman that said the next Mac mini will be equipped with five USB-C ports. Similar to the Mac Studio, Gurman said two of the ports will be located on the front of the new Mac mini. Technically speaking, at least some of these ports will likely be Thunderbolt 4 ports, which use the USB-C connector design.

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