Follow these steps on your Mac if a blank optical disc (such as a CD-R, CD-RW, or DVD-R) doesn’t appear on the desktop or in the Finder after you insert it.
When’s the last time you used a CD or DVD?
Mac Power Users #481: Finder and Its Alternatives ⇢
This week on MPU, David and I got nerdy about Finder and some Mac applications that can enhance it, or even replace it:
At the heart of the macOS experience is Finder, which is part file manager, part search tool and a whole lot more. Its smiling blue icon boasts many features, and third-party developers have written tools to make it even more powerful for those users who need more.
My thanks to our sponsors this week:
- The Omni Group: We’re passionate about productivity for Mac, iPhone and iPad.
- 1Password: Have you ever forgotten a password? You don’t have to worry about that anymore.
- Backblaze: Unlimited cloud backup for Macs and PCs for just $6/month.
- Hover: Extensions for anything you’re passionate about. Grab a .ME domain for $9.99.
Connected #241: 123 Twitter Client Doesn’t Work ⇢
Stephen returns order to the podcast after two weeks away, Myke reads some Hex color codes and Federico turns on his hype machine.
We also talk about the death of Aperture, Overcast’s new sharing feature and Reeder 4.
My thanks to our sponsors:
- Hover: Extensions for anything you’re passionate about. Grab a .ME domain for $9.99.
- Squarespace: Make your next move. Enter offer code CONNECTED at checkout to get 10% off your first purchase.
- Away: Travel smarter with the suitcase that charges your phone. Get $20 off with the code ‘connected’.
macOS 10.15 Set to Clear House ⇢
Steve Troughton-Smith on Twitter:
Dashboard isn’t the only thing gone in 10.15 — so is 32-bit app & plugin support, Carbon, Ink, QuickTime 7 & QuickTime plugins, PPTP, and hardware RAID. You will get Python 3.7 and Ruby 2.6, at least ????
This fall, the Mac will move fully into a 64-bit world, and with it many old applications and services that users may still rely on today in Mojave. And as James Thomson pointed out, it’s also the end of any remaining Newton codebase.
Apple Posts Q2 2019 Results ⇢
Jason Snell has fired up his chart machine:
Apple’s quarterly results are in. The company posted revenue of $58 billion, down 5% from the same quarter a year ago. iPad revenue was up 22% and Services revenue was up 16%, but Mac revenue was down 5% and iPhone revenue was down 17%.
Don’t miss his transcript of the call.
Mojave Last Version of macOS to Support Aperture ⇢
Apple has a new support page up urging customers to migrate their libraries out of Aperture, for the end is nigh for the photo editing application:
In June 2014, Apple announced the discontinuation of development of Aperture. Since that time, Apple has released five major macOS updates. For technical reasons, Aperture will not run in future versions of macOS after macOS Mojave. To continue working with your Aperture photo libraries, you must migrate them to the Photos app included with macOS, or migrate them to Adobe Lightroom Classic.
Aperture’s history is mixed at best, but I know its user base was quite loyal in the day. This news shouldn’t come as a surprise, but I’m sure there will be users scrambling to escape this sinking ship.
via MacRumors
Kbase Article of the Week: Mac OS X 10.4: Reading .plist Preference Files ⇢
Mac OS X applications typically store preference settings in plist files, such as “com.apple.Mail.plist”. In Mac OS X 10.3.9 and earlier, plist files were typically in XML format. In Mac OS X 10.4 and later, plist files are often in binary format for faster application performance.
Mac Power Users #480: Catching up with Michael Hyatt ⇢
This week on Mac Power Users, Michael Hyatt joins David and I this week in an interview that ranges from how to get your life together and find a little focus to nerdy Keyboard Maestro scripts.
It was a lot of fun to talk to Michael about being a nerd who runs a growing business organization. My thanks to these sponsors:
- Moo: Custom business printing and design. Use promo code PRINT15 for 15% off.
- Sanebox: Stop drowning in email!
- TextExpander from Smile: Get 20% off with this link and type more with less effort! Expand short abbreviations into longer bits of text, even fill-ins, with TextExpander from Smile.
- Squarespace: Make your next move. Enter offer code MPU at checkout to get 10% off your first purchase.
Overcast Updated With Clip Sharing ⇢
The newest version of Overcast has a really nifty new feature, as explained by Marco Arment:
With today’s 2019.4 update, you can now share audio or video clips, up to a minute each, from any public podcast. Simply tap the share button in the upper-right corner.
You can generate an audio clip, or portrait, landscape, or square video, using your current Overcast theme setting.
Somewhat embarrassingly, I seem to have accidentally inspired this feature in an interview on Unco. Marco just popped up in a Slack private message with some screenshots, and I was really impressed at how well thought-out this feature is. It’s going to be a great addition to Overcast, and a really nice way to make podcasts more shareable.
Apple Prioritizing MacBook Keyboard Repairs ⇢
Joe Rossignol, with good news for owners of machines with the dreaded butterfly keyboards, quoting from an internal Apple memo he got his hands on:
Most keyboard-related repairs will be required to be completed in store until further notice. Additional service parts have been shipped to stores to support the increased volume.
These repairs should be prioritized to provide next-day turnaround time. When completing the repair, have the appropriate service guide open and carefully follow all repair steps.
This is a good move, as long as Genius teams can stay on top of the repairs and complete them correctly. Replacing the top case on these machines isn’t the easiest repair in the world.
A better move? Moving to a new, competent, keyboard design.
Liftoff #97: The Titans Who Live There ⇢
Stephen and Jason talk the news, from blackholes to Beresheet, and spacesuits to backronyms. Then, a bit about the Crew Dragon anomaly.
My thanks to our sponsor:
- ExpressVPN: High-Speed, Secure & Anonymous VPN Service. Get 3 months free with a 1-year package.
Kbase Article of the Week: MacBook Pro: Bottom case foot replacement DIY instructions ⇢
This article details the do it yourself (DIY) repair process for installing feet and plugs for MacBook (13-inch, Aluminum, Late 2008) and MacBook Pro computers that exhibit missing or damaged bottom case feet.