As the year draws to a close, David and I survey the landscape and talk through the products, services and policies that have shaped Apple and its users over the last year.
Connected #377: Connected Café ???????? ⇢
This week on a very normal episode of our podcast:
It’s time for our annual Christmas gift exchange round-robin, and then the boys get down to business with some competitive picks about what will happen in 2022. All that’s followed by a game of 20 Questions, with the questions supplied by Connected listeners! Happy holidays to everyone.
Kbase Article of the Week: BMW iPod Adapter FAQ ⇢
Thinking about getting the iPod adapter for your BMW? Find out the answers to some frequently asked questions.
This old Apple press release has more information on this $149 product:
The new system developed by Apple and BMW enables drivers to seamlessly use their iPod in BMW’s 3 Series, Z4 Roadster, X3 and X5 Sports Activity Vehicles and MINI Cooper by simply plugging their iPod into a cable located in the car’s glove compartment. With the iPod safely located in the glove compartment and powered by the car’s battery, drivers can now enjoy high fidelity sound through their car’s stereo system and control their iPod using the standard buttons on their BMW or MINI steering wheel.
“One of the next frontiers for a seamless digital music experience is the car,” said Steve Jobs, Apple’s CEO. “We all spend a lot of time driving, and now this elegant solution lets iPod users enjoy their entire music collection in their BMW or MINI.”
And there’s more:
The seamless integration of iPod makes it effortless for drivers to control their music through their existing audio system and the multifunction steering wheel. The BMW iPod Adapter enables drivers to easily access their entire music library, shuffle songs, skip between tracks and adjust volume—all of this with no loss of sound quality or driving control. Drivers can also create up to five unique “BMW playlists” to listen to while on the road enabling them to enjoy their favorite songs at the touch of a button. The BMW iPod Adapter integrates Apple’s iPod and iPod mini through a direct connection in the glovebox, providing outstanding sound quality and constant power to the iPod.
The Wayback Machine has a copy of the original webpage, which is glorious:
Video: Test Driving a Wireless CarPlay Adapter ⇢
I installed a wireless CarPlay adapter to compare it to good, old-fashioned wired CarPlay:
Mac Power Users #619: Home Studio Updates ⇢
David had to move his home office, while Stephen built a cabin. This week, the guys compare notes on how their studios have evolved over the last couple of years.
Don’t miss my video tour of the PodCabin and my updated gear page.
TextExpander ⇢
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Pixelmator Photo for iPhone ⇢
I really enjoy making photo edits on my iPad with Pixelmator Photo, so seeing that the app is now universal and supports the iPhone was an exciting way to start the work day. Don’t miss The One True John’s first impressions over on MacStories.
Connected #376: The Jape That Went Too Far ⇢
Myke has returned from vacation, armed with follow-up and listener questions. Meanwhile, Federico wanted the group to share some life lessons and Stephen has posted a video of the PodCabin.
On Connected Pro — the longer, ad-free version of the show — we talk about vaccination rates and the changes coming to Instagram.
Get an annual membership for 22% off at giverelay.com. Offer ends December 17!
A Little Less Sad
With yesterday’s release of macOS Monterey 12.1, this little bit of the Shortcuts UI looks much nicer:
Kbase Article of the Week: Data that a Legacy Contact can Access ⇢
Apple Support, on the as-of-this-writing new feature, Legacy Contacts:
The data that a Legacy Contact can access depends on what the Apple ID account holder stored in iCloud and in their iCloud Backup. For example, if they kept all of their photos on a third-party site, those photos aren’t stored with Apple and won’t be in their Apple ID data.
Adding a Legacy Contact is easy, and you should do it.
Video: A Tour of my New Studio ⇢
After six months, my expanded studio space is pretty much done! I hope you enjoy this new tour:
Sponsor: TextExpander ⇢
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The way we work is changing rapidly. Make work happen wherever you are by saying more in less time and with less effort using TextExpander. Check it out and get 20% off at this link.