512 Pixels

Allison Johnson, writing at The Verge, about the just-announced Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro’s take on mobile photography:

In its eight years of existence, Google Photos has shifted its official mission just once: from “home for all your photos and videos” to “home for all your memories,” says Google Photos VP Shimrit Ben-Yair.

That tagline switch starts to make a lot more sense when you look at the Pixel 8 and 8 Pro. Inside the new phones, Google Photos will see some of its biggest changes to date, all designed to refine your memories. There’s a lot to be proven about how well the new features work, and there are the usual messy questions to ask about the role of generative AI in photography. But you can start to see very clearly how Google is shifting from saving “your photos” to cataloging your messy, complicated memories.

Google isn’t the only company applying a lot of computing power to photos and videos taken with its phones, but they are doing a lot more than Apple or Samsung are at this point.

With Loopback, moving audio between applications goes from impossible to trivial. Loopback can combine audio from any software application and any hardware device, to make a virtual source usable anywhere.

Enhance the sound of your mic on Zoom calls, or pipe in music and sound effects. Podcasters can combine a mic with audio sources like Music.app or our own soundboard app Farrago, so remote guests all hear the same thing. Gamers can record gameplay videos with both game audio and commentary. With an easy-to-understand wire-based interface, Loopback gives you all the power of a high-end studio mixing board, right inside your computer!

Download the free trial of Loopback to take a test drive! Through the end of October, 512 Pixels readers can save 20% with coupon code HACK20LB.

Michael Steeber, writing something you should take the time to read:

October marks eight years since the death of Gary Allen, a legendary figure in the Apple community. Over the span of 14 years, Gary visited more than 140 Apple Stores and meticulously documented every detail of Apple Retail design and operations on his website, ifoAppleStore.com. I’ve never taken a moment to properly recognize Gary’s contributions to the community and his impact on my life, so today I’m going to fix that.

macOS Sonoma brings with it Desktop widgets, a new screen saver and desktop experience, more powerful video conferencing tools and updates to Safari, Messages, Notes, Reminders and more. This week on MPU, David and I explore the new release and talk about how Sonoma feels a little different to recent OS updates.

Neale Van Fleet:

Exactly 21 years ago today, Rogue Amoeba shipped its very first product: Audio Hijack 1.0. In a small nod to our birthday, I thought it would be fun to take a look back at our app icons over the years. Below, I’ve lined up the icons for all the Mac apps Rogue Amoeba has sold since the beginning.

This is delightful.

This interview is as unhinged as everyone has been saying it is.

X is doomed.

This week on the show:

A secret computer was discovered at Stephen’s house. Myke is loving the Apple Watch Ultra and Federico is pushing buttons with Shortcuts.

If you missed the Kickstarter, or just want to order a 2024 Apple History Calendar, stickers from each of the three projects and more, now is your time!

After many hours of processing, this year’s Podcastathon is now on YouTube for your viewing pleasure:

It has taken 15 years of being a content creator, but I’ve finally been able to destroy someone in a game of Human Hungry, Hungry Hippos for a good cause!

We are fundraising through the end of September, so there’s still time to join us in the fight against childhood cancer.

Today, Apple is rolling out macOS Sonoma. Here are the system requirements:

• iMac Pro: 2017 (RIP)
• MacBook Air: 2018 and later
• MacBook Pro: 2018 and later
• Mac mini: 2018 and later
• iMac: 2019 and later
• Mac Pro: 2019 and later
• Mac Studio: All models

If your machine can run it, and the third-party apps you depend on are ready, Sonoma has been pretty solid in my testing over the summer.

As usual, I’ve got a roundup of links for you:

• Sonoma’s entry in my macOS Screenshot Library
• John Voorhees’ review over on MacStories
• Jason Snell’s review on Six Colors
• Andrew Cunningham’s review on Ars Technica

Some great Mac utilities have been updated for Sonoma, including Bartender, Unite, Mimestream, Dark Noise, Things and many more, including Rogue Amoeba’s apps.

Netflix’s DVD business is winding down on Friday, and Janko Roettgers has a great look at what made it tick.

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