512 Pixels

There are three links you need:

• Jason Snell’s coverage of the beta and his first look at the OS
• Apple’s Public Beta webpage
• This 250 GB external SSD to run it on because it is an early beta and you shouldn’t be running it full time yet.

Apple PR:

The 2018 Midterm Elections section helps readers follow the latest on the elections with breaking news, exclusive highlights and analysis from reliable sources selected by Apple News’ team of experienced editors. Readers can quickly get up to speed on the most relevant topics and candidates by accessing the new section in the Apple News app from a banner across the top of the For You tab, as well as through Top Stories and the Spotlight tab.

Apple is getting into Election coverage after the companies like Facebook and Twitter totally botched things in 2016. Both social networks were overrun with fake news stories, often backed and spread by foreign agents.

Facebook in particular tried to influence the stories spread on its platform with human curation, but that ended … poorly.

I have hope that Apple will do better under the leadership of Apple News Editor in Chief Lauren Kern, whom Apple hired from New York Magazine. Kern is quoted in the press release:

Today more than ever people want information from reliable sources, especially when it comes to making voting decisions.

An election is not just a contest; it should raise conversations and spark national discourse. By presenting quality news from trustworthy sources and curating a diverse range of opinions, Apple News aims to be a responsible steward of those conversations and help readers understand the candidates and the issues.

Apple News will pull stories from Fox News, Vox, The Washington Post, Axios and Politico among “other publishers.” While I have a whole heap of problems with Fox News, I think this collection of publishers is pretty even-handed when it comes to political persuasion.

The New York Times is an interesting omission, but I love that Vox and Axios, two digital media startups are going to be featured sources within Apple News.

Currently, I don’t use Apple News all that much, but this may change that.

Yes, please.

Apple:

Apple has determined that a small percentage of the keyboards in certain MacBook and MacBook Pro models may exhibit one or more of the following behaviors:

• Letters or characters repeat unexpectedly
• Letters or characters do not appear
• Key(s) feel “sticky” or do not respond in a consistent manner

Apple or an Apple Authorized Service Provider will service eligible MacBook and MacBook Pro keyboards, free of charge. The type of service will be determined after the keyboard is examined and may involve the replacement of one or more keys or the whole keyboard.

This is great news, as is the final line of the document:

The program covers eligible MacBook and MacBook Pro models for 4 years after the first retail sale of the unit.

Repairs will be completed free of charge.

I really enjoyed this. Andy is a nerd hero of mine.

Mark Gurman, writing at Bloomberg:

Company engineers have been toiling away to address problems. One challenge is making sure the charger doesn’t overheat. Another is the complexity of the circuitry, according to people familiar with the device’s development.

Then there’s this:

The AirPower charger is also more advanced than the current competition because it includes a custom Apple chip running a stripped down version of the iOS mobile operating system to conduct on-device power management and pairing with devices. Apple engineers have also been working to squash bugs related to the on-board firmware, according to the people familiar. They asked not to be identified discussing a product that hasn’t been released yet.

Gurman says that Apple hopes to ship the charging mat by September, a full year after it was previewed.

I don’t think I’m in the market for this when it does ship. I like my mophie chargers a lot, and I use my Apple Watch in a stand that makes Nightstand Mode about the most adorable thing in my house.

This week is the fifth anniversary of Myke, Federico and I recording together. To celebrate that, we did what we do best: talk about iOS betas, ponder photo management and screw up a round robin. This is a really fun episode.

My thanks to our sponsors:

• Linode: High performance SSD Linux servers for all of your infrastructure needs. Get a $20 credit with promo code ‘connected2018’
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This week, things get nerdy on Query:

Ren got to play with a Logitech Crayon, and Stephen has been thinking about the Mac App Store.

My thanks to our sponsors:

• Pingdom: Start monitoring your websites and servers today. Use offer code QUERY to get 30% off.
• Away: Travel smarter with the suitcase that charges your phone. Get $20 off with the code ‘query’.

This week on Ungeniused Myke and I talk about the Glasgow-based drug cartels waged war on each other from ice cream vans in the 1980s.

My thanks to our sponsor:

• Warby Parker: Quality eyewear at a fraction of the usual price. Order your FREE Home Try-On kit today

This week on Liftoff:

Jason and Stephen talk about President Trump’s call for a Space Force, then Opportunity’s struggle against a Martian dust storm and Peggy Whitson’s retirement from NASA.

My thanks to our sponsor this week:

• eero: Never think about WiFi again. Use code LIFTOFF for free overnight shipping.

Apple:

The tables in this document list the update or updates you should install on your iMac computer. Under each iMac model is the list of updates that should be installed on your computer. If you are unsure if your iMac has a particular update installed, download and open the update installer. If the update is already installed, the installer will alert you.

Once you start noticing orange on Apple’s products, you realize it’s everywhere.