If you need more than what iOS’ built-in Contacts.app allows you to do, Greg Pierce’s new app piece of wizardry is for you:
Interact empowers you and your contacts to get more done in less time, with features like group management, one-tap contact creation, and more you won’t find in the built-in iOS Contacts app.
I was able to beta test this app, and it really is amazing what you can do with your contact data right from an iPhone with this app. Go check it out.
Previously, when asked to sell very large quantities of LEGO® bricks for projects, the LEGO Group has asked about the thematic purpose of the project. This has been done, as the purpose of the LEGO Group is to inspire children through creative play, not to actively support or endorse specific agendas of individuals or organizations.
However, those guidelines could result in misunderstandings or be perceived as inconsistent, and the LEGO Group has therefore adjusted the guidelines for sales of LEGO bricks in very large quantities.
As of January 1st, the LEGO Group no longer asks for the thematic purpose when selling large quantities of LEGO bricks for projects.
Nothing about the Apple IIc this week; I’ve chosen something somewhat useful to today’s Mac user:
Learn more about using USB 3 ports and devices on Mac computers.
Holy install numbers, Batman!
iOS overtook Windows last year, as expected. pic.twitter.com/5LgnZsxWaL
— Horace Dediu (@asymco) January 12, 2016
This is a guest post written by my friend and Newton aficionado Thomas Brand.
The PowerBook G3 Series was Apple’s most upgradable portable computer ever! It weighed 7.8 pounds, and cost anywhere between $2,299 to $7,000 fully loaded. Codenamed “Wallstreet” the PowerBook G3 Series was the second line of Macintosh portable computers to include a PowerPC G3 processor, and the oldest portable Macintosh capable of running Mac OS X 1.
image via Shrine of Apple
Compared to the svelte lines of a wedge-shaped MacBook Air, the Wallstreet more closely resembles the bulky profile of a New York City paving stone. The PowerBook G3 Series initially came with one of three different processor configurations, 233, 250, and 292 MHz; with a fourth 300 MHz configuration added later that year. Early PowerBook G3 Series computers had the option of two different system bus speeds depending on processor frequency 2, and three different screen sizes using either Passive or Active Matrix TFT technology 3. The abundance of configurations gave customers a greater amount of choice, but all of the available options were causing havoc for Apple’s supply lines. In September of 1998, Apple streamlined the production of PowerBook G3 Series by standardizing the bus speed at 66 MHz, and dropping the number of display options down to a single 14.1" configuration. 4
In addition to all of the available built-to-order options, the Wallstreet also offered an impressive array of expandability. The PowerBook G3 Series included two hot swappable docking bays on either side. The left hand bay could accommodate a battery, a 3.5" floppy disk, a Iomega Zip drive, a third-party magnetic optical drive, or even a secondary hard drive. The right hand bay was larger and could accommodate all of the above plus a full size 5.25" optical drive. A small internal nickel-cadmium battery allowed swapping of the main batteries while the computer was asleep, and with two batteries installed at the same time the PowerBook G3 Series could last up to seven hours on a single charge. A maximum of 4 MBs of graphics memory limited the PowerBook G3 Series’ 3D performance, but an optional PCMCIA hardware controller made the Wallstreet the first Apple portable capable of DVD playback.
In addition to two CardBus slots, and two hot swappable bays, the PowerBook G3 Series shipped with an extensive array of ports. 10BASE-T Ethernet, ADB, Serial, VGA, S-Video 5, Infrared, and Audio in and Out were all standard. Although the PowerBook G3 Series had no built-in WiFi to speak of, but it did have an optional 56K Modem, and HDI-30 SCSI connector for fast 5 megabit connections 6! (USB, FireWire, Bluetooth, and WiFi were all available upgrade options via the Wallstreet’s two CardBus slots.)
The PowerBook G3 Series was a no-compromise machine built with all of the expandability and build-to-order customizability of a desktop computer. Its removable processor card, user replaceable parts, and wide array of ports made it the most upgradable Macintosh Portable ever constructed. It was big, heavy, expensive, and prone to overheating. The wide variety of build-to-order options made keeping parts in stock difficult, and supporting the vast number of possible configurations frustrating. In the end PowerBook G3 Series customers got the most future proof laptop money could buy, but no matter the number of hot swappable bays, or CardBus slots, technology moved on 7.
The Wallstreet was the last PowerBook with an Old World ROM, and this combined with a low memory ceiling of 512 MBs kept it from running versions of Mac OS X past 10.2.8. Discontinued in May 1999, the PowerBook G3 Series would be the last Apple computer ever to use the rainbow-colored Apple logo, and the last Mac to support Apple’s 1.44 MB Superdrive. It was replaced by the PowerBook G3 “Bronze Keyboard,” which was 20% thinner, two pounds lighter, and easier to produce at half the price.
Today’s MacBooks may not be upgradable, and are certainly not future proof, but nothing in technology ever is. For those looking for a more upgradable laptop, might I suggest last year’s model. Tomorrow’s devices will always be, thinner, faster, lighter, with less bays, and fewer ports.
XPostFacto is an open source utility that enables the installation of Mac OS X on resource starved PowerPC-based Macintosh systems that are not supported by Apple. ↩︎
66 MHz for the 233 MHz model, or 83 MHz 250 and 292 MHz models. The original 233 MHz model also lacked a L2 Cache giving it the name “Mainstreet” by critics for its slow performance. ↩︎
12.1" Passive Matrix or 13.3"/14.1" Active Matrix TFT displays support 800 x 600 or 1024 x 768 native resolutions. ↩︎
There was also a limited-edition 233 MHz 12.1" active-matrix model which sold for $2,299 U.S in late 1998. ↩︎
Only video mirroring was supported. ↩︎
The PowerBook G3 Series had one of the best built-in keyboards ever to to accompany a Macintosh portable, and at two inches thick it could afford it. ↩︎
On this week’s Connected, we were joined by Fraser Speirs to talk about the iOS 9.3 preview.
My thanks to these sponsors:
With the new Apple TV tvOS 9.2 beta, Apple has added a whole host of new features to the tvOS platform. This includes support for pairing Bluetooth keyboards, Folders organization for apps on the home screen, a new App Switcher UI and a native Apple Podcasts app.
There are also some enhancements to Siri and other improvements. Apple has added support for two new Siri languages: US Spanish and French Canadian.
I’m liking the aggressive release cycle tvOS is currently seeing, but it does feel like Apple is still playing catch up with the old model in places.
Big iOS news today. Apple is previewing iOS 9.3 on its website. The update will bring some interesting goodies, such as a F.lux-like “Night Shift” feature:
Many studies have shown that exposure to bright blue light in the evening can affect your circadian rhythms and make it harder to fall asleep. Night Shift uses your iOS device’s clock and geolocation to determine when it’s sunset in your location. Then it automatically shifts the colors in your display to the warmer end of the spectrum, making it easier on your eyes. In the morning, it returns the display to its regular settings. Pleasant dreams.
Notes will gain TouchID protection, News.app will be better and predicting stories that will interest you and the dashboards in Health.app are getting a lot more useful, too.
iOS 9.3 doesn’t have a public release date, but there’s a lot more to the release than the features listed above. It’s coming with a full suite of Education-only tools for using and managing iPads in the classroom:
Technology can reshape education. And iPad, with its powerful features and apps, opens up new, more engaging ways of learning. With the iOS 9.3 beta, you’ll find a preview of new features that will make it even easier for schools to put devices where they’ll have the greatest impact — in the hands of students.
This preview of an upcoming version of iOS has four major features:
Here’s how Apple explains this feature:
When a 1:1 student-to-iPad ratio isn’t possible, Shared iPad offers an elegant solution that lets students enjoy the benefits of having their own iPad in whatever classroom they’re in. They simply log in to any iPad, and their content is ready to go.
I have a million questions about this. My assumption is that the students’ “home folders,” to borrow a Mac phrase, are being loaded onto the iPad on-demand, but it’s unclear at this point from the public webpage. I’m sure Caching Server is playing a big role here.
I’d love to see some of these features be available on iOS in a broader way, especially the multi-user support.
In my house, my wife’s iPad Air 2 is often handed to one of the kids, and I know we’d both feel better about it if we knew her apps, email and more were safely out of the reach of our seven year old who likes to push buttons to see what they do.
If this does come to iPads not tied to a school, I’m sure the accounts would need to be local on the disk, not being fed from a server, so I’m not holding my breath quiet yet.
Apple Remote Desktop and VNC clients have allowed teachers with Macs control of multiple computers at once for years, but iOS has lacked similar tools until now. Classroom.app will allow teachers to force-launch apps on all their iPads, and guide students to the correct content.
In addition to this, other tools are present, including the ability to AirPlay any iPad’s screen to an Apple TV and the option to reset forgotten passwords from the teacher’s iPad.
Apple School Manager is a web(!) tool for teachers and administrators to create and manage AppleIDs, build courses and manage MDM server information for all the school’s devices. Volume purchasing is here, too.
This one may see the least exciting, but having worked with school IT folks, I can tell you its a big deal:
Apple School Manager offers something completely new: Managed Apple IDs. Like any Apple ID, they allow you to store documents in iCloud, enroll in iTunes U courses, and more. But Managed Apple IDs are designed just for schools, so you can easily reset passwords, audit accounts, create IDs in bulk, and create customized roles for everyone in the district.
For many schools, Google’s been leading the way with account tools, and while I’m not sure this will match what Google Apps offers, it sounds like a big step in the right direction.
There’s a new game coming to Steam and the Ouya tomorrow:
An immersive narrative video game that retells Joel Green’s 4-year fight against cancer through about two hours of poetic, imaginative gameplay that explores faith, hope and love.
Go pre-order this game and support a family that’s been through a life-shattering tragedy. It looks amazingly beautiful.
We’re excited to announce two new shows on Relay Fm today: Remaster and Canvas.
Remaster is replacing Virtual, and is a podcast about playing and making games. Federico Viticci and Myke Hurley are joined by Shahid Kamal Ahmad a veteran of the industry. Shahid has been wonderful to work with over the last few months planning this show, and we’re honored to have him as part of the network.
Canvas is an all-new podcast about working on iOS. Hosted by Viticci and Fraser Speirs, each episode of Canvas will be full of real-world examples of workflows and tips to making working from an iPad or iPhone an easier and more powerful experience.
Go check them out!
If the rumors are true — and for the sake of this article, let’s roll with that — Apple will be releasing a new 4-inch iPhone sometime this spring.
Dubbed the iPhone 6C, this rumored device is said to have:
It’s fun to talk about rumors, and I think this one has two big categories of things to think about: the phone itself, and where it would land in Apple’s product line.
While the iPhone 5C was basically an iPhone 5 in a new case, the 6C could be the result of a different strategy. The A9 chip has only been found in the 4.7 and 5.5-inch form factors of the iPhone 6S and 6S Plus. It doesn’t seem like this phone is going to be a remixed version of a previous device.
A new 4-inch device with an A9 would represent an option that people who want a smaller phone haven’t had in a while. Since the fall of 2014, if you’ve wanted something smaller than 4.7 inches, it meant buying something old.
I won’t be surprised if the A9 in the 6C ends up being clocked slower than the 1.8 GHz found in the iPhone 6S and 6S Plus. A smaller chassis means a smaller battery and a more strict thermal envelope.
If Apple can squeeze the A9 into something this size, I think it will sell well. I’ve heard from readers and people in my personal life who would like to purchase a new phone of this size. My wife, who reluctantly just upgraded to a 6S, is going to be frustrated if the 6C is real and any good.
I don’t think that this phone would be as fully-featured as its bigger siblings. I bet that 3D Touch may be left out to help keep the cost down a bit, but I do expect to see Apple Pay coupled with the older Touch ID sensor that’s still found on the iPads.
As far as cameras, I wouldn’t be surprised if the 8 MP sensor from last year’s iPhone 6 makes a return appearance.
As far as the exterior of the device, I’d love to see some colors return to Apple’s iPhone line. I still get a tinge of envy when I see a green or blue iPhone 5C out in the world. The rumor mill says Apple will use anodized aluminum instead of plastic, which would help this phone feel higher end and less chunky than the 5C did.
As a successor to the now-discontinued iPhone 5C, it’s interesting to think about where this new phone would sit in the product line.
In 2013, this arrangement was pretty straight forward. The 5S occupied the top spot, with the 4S at the bottom as the free-with-contract device. The 5C sat in the middle, replacing the iPhone 5 entirely. This is what the 2013 iPhone lineup looked like:
Today, things are a bit more complicated. In addition to the top-tier 6S and 6S Plus, Apple continues to sell the 6 and 6 Plus, as well as the 5S:
The easy assumption is that the 6C would replace the aging 5S as the free-or-very-cheap option, but the recurring rumor of the 6C being powered by the A9 makes me think this may slide in roughly where the iPhone 6/6 Plus currently sits in the lineup.
Would Apple then move the iPhone 6 down to the bottom rung and put the iPhone 5S out to pasture after two and a half years of sales? While I would certainly like to see it roll off, the Apple of today likes a wide spread of devices to hit a lot of price points, so 2013’s iPhone may have a little life left in it.
This would put the 6C’s pricing lower than the flagship phones, but not in the cheapest slot in the lineup. I think at the end of the day, Apple will position the iPhone 6C as a good phone for people who want something a little smaller, while older devices are still around for the budget-conscious. The C didn’t stand for cheap last time around, and I don’t think it will this time, either.
T-Mobile has taken some heat for its Binge On program, in which the company downsamples streaming video to 480p in exchange for not counting the data against customers’ data plans.
The program can be turned off, but is on by default for T-Mobile customers. Netflix, Hulu, HBO Now, Watch EPSN and Sling Television are listed as partners, and the company says that video from other sources isn’t affected.
Two days ago, the Electronic Frontier Foundation voiced concern that all video is downsampled:
Back in November, T-Mobile announced a new service for its mobile customers called Binge On, in which video streams from certain websites don’t count against customers’ data caps.1 The service is theoretically open to all video providers without charge, so long as T-Mobile can recognize and then “optimize” the provider’s video streams to a bitrate equivalent to 480p. At first glance, this doesn’t sound too harmful—customers can watch more video without worrying about their caps, most will consider 480p to be adequate quality (especially on a small phone screen), and the harms of treating individual video providers differently are diminished when T-Mobile offers the program to any provider for free.
However, as Marvin Ammori wrote in Slate, there is another “feature” of Binge On that has many customers complaining. Ammori pointed out that T-Mobile is applying its “optimization” to all video, not just the video of providers who have asked T-Mobile to be zero-rated. T-Mobile claims it does this to provide a better experience for its customers, saying that “T-Mobile utilizes streaming video optimization technology throughout its network to help customers stretch their high-speed data while streaming video” and that Binge On helps “deliver a DVD quality (typically 480p or better) video experience with minimal buffering while streaming.”
The EFF’s testing shows that with Binge On enabled, T-Mobile throttles all video traffic, and doesn’t seem to optimize video at all.
Earlier today, T-Mobile posted a blog post on the subject, by John Legere, in which the CEO writes:
Customers now have the option to get WAY more video from their data plans PLUS FREE VIDEO from popular sites, AND more power and control over how they use their data. And customers want it! Video usage is huge! Just since launch, customers are watching 12% more video. In fact, we’ve already seen daily average viewership on one of our top services spike 66% among customers not on unlimited high-speed plans, in other words the ones who benefit from Binge ON the most! AND viewing time increased 23%. It’s crazy!
[…]
There are people out there saying we’re “throttling.” They’re playing semantics! Binge On does NOT permanently slow down data nor remove customer control. Here’s the thing, mobile customers don’t always want or need giant heavy data files. So we created adaptive video technology to optimize for mobile screens and stream at a bitrate designed to stretch your data (pssst, Google, that’s a GOOD thing). You get the same quality of video as watching a DVD – 480p or higher – but use only 1/3 as much data (or, of course, NO data used when it’s a Binge On content provider!). Watch more video, use less data from your service plan. That’s an important and valuable benefit!
In addition to the blog post, Legere posted this super-professional response to EFF on Twitter earlier this afternoon:
. @EFF pic.twitter.com/pv6V4oOJwS
— John Legere (@JohnLegere) January 7, 2016
(The answer to his last question, by the way, can be found here.)
I haven’t done any testing on my T-Mobile account, and in fact, turned off the option as soon as it was announced because seeing video in the highest resolution is more important to me than eating into my data. However, the carrier’s response to EFF is pretty gross, and has me feeling pretty weird about having a T-Mobile SIM in my iPhone.