512 Pixels

Fernando Bunn has some very helpful advice if it happens to be 2005 where you are:

The future is here! You have just spent $129 for the newest release of Mac OS X: Tiger. You’re amazed by the brand new Spotlight and Safari RSS, you like your new OS so much you want to develop apps for it. You read on Apple’s website about this app “Xcode” that just received the version 2.0 update. That’s it! Time to code!

You fire up Safari, go to Yahoo! and start searching for Xcode tutorials, unfortunately, besides a bunch of Geocities websites mentioning “Web 2.0” (or whatever that means), you don’t find much information online on how to create apps for Tiger.

Wouldn’t it be nice to find a tutorial to help you to get started?

Very few people work alone at the top of a mountain. For the rest of us, things like team collaboration and project planning are a very real part of our work. This week on MPU, David and I talk about these topics and discuss some of their apps and services that can make working with others easier and more productive.

One Thing is a Mac app that lets you put a string of text in your menu bar. If you’re a big theme person, you may find it handy.

Unite 4 for macOS allows you to turn any website into an app on your Mac. Using a lightweight, WebKit powered browser as a backend, you can easily create isolated, customizable apps from any site.

Unite 4 includes dozens of new features, including support for native notifications, new customization options, and much more. Unite apps also serve as a great alternative for resource hogging Electron apps or half-baked Catalyst apps.

Some examples of apps you could create in mere minutes with Unite:

• A Gmail web client that behaves like a native mail client.
• A status bar app for Apple Music or Overcast
• An isolated workspace for apps that may track you like Facebook
• A Google Meet app that works efficiently without using Chrome
• A fully featured Instagram app that has a resizable window, unlike the M1 version.
• A Robinhood, Figma, or Roam Research app for your desktop.

512 Pixels readers get 20% off this week when you purchase Unite 4 at bzgapps.com/unite512 or when you use the promo code ‘512Pixels’ at checkout.

You can also try Unite for 14 days absolutely free or use it as part of your subscription if you’re a Setapp subscriber!

Joe Rossignol at MacRumors:

Apple is planning to release a fifth-generation iPad Air with similar features as the sixth-generation iPad mini, including an A15 Bionic chip, 12-megapixel Ultra Wide front camera with Center Stage support, 5G for cellular models, and Quad-LED True Tone flash, according to Japanese blog Mac Otakara.

A weird side effect of Apple’s upgrade cycles on the iPad is that sometimes, one model falls out of step in a funny way. This rumored iPad Air update would bring it in line with the smaller iPad mini.

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This week on Connected:

The iPhone was announced 15 years ago. After the hosts recover from that shocking news, they talk briefly about the 2007 keynote, then move on to discuss some CES news. iOS 15’s Photos widget and shameless Wordle clones are also discussed.

On the longer, ad-free version of the show, Apple Frames 2.1 is examined and a title is chosen.

Some of the iPod nano models were great. The 6th-gen model — with its tiny touchscreen, lack of video playback and weird design — was the most unusual:

If only Apple ran some sort of program to approve apps before they appeared on the store.

Apple Support:

This could be caused by a USB device attached to the computer, an extension conflict, or an item in either the Startup Items or Shutdown Items folder.

Follow these steps to verify:

Disconnect all USB devices (including keyboard and mouse and any USB hubs) and power down the computer as follows:

• iMac - use the front power on/off button to power down.
• Power Mac Cube - hold down the power button for about 5 seconds to power down.
• Power Mac G4 - remove the keyboard and connect a known good Apple Pro Mouse and shutdown the computer via the special menu.

If the computer shuts down without restarting, it is likely the fault of one of the USB devices. Connect each USB device one by one and repeat the shutdown process until you identify which USB device is causing the fault. After identifying the suspect USB device, contact the vendor of the USB device for further instructions on resolving the issue.

If the computer continues to restart even after disconnecting all USB devices, then it could be caused by an extension/control panel conflict, or an alias in the Startup Items or Shutdown Items folder. Remove any items in the Startup Items or Shutdown Items folder. Restart the computer and shutdown to see if this was the issue. if the computer continues to restart then make sure the issue is not caused by and extensions conflict.

Ah yes, extension conflicts.

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TextExpander is available on Mac, Windows, Chrome, iPhone, iPad. 512 Pixels readers get 20% off their first year.

This time on Mac Power Users, David and I are joined by HomeKit expert Shane Whately to talk about the apps, products and automations that can be used together to make any home smarter. With HomeKit, anyone can scale from a single smart bulb to a house full of technology, and it was a lot of fun to talk through it with Shane.