512 Pixels

In my Apple History column at iMore this month, I take a look at a long-time favorite of many Mac users: the Blue and White G3.

After a delay last week, watchOS 2 is rolling out now. The update requires iOS 9 be on the connceted iPhone. It can be downloadedthrough the Apple Watch app on the iPhone by going to General >Software Update.

Note that the update requires the Watch be connected to the MagSafe charger and be on Wi-Fi.

Life with cancer is a series of moving targets.

When our son’s brain tumor was first discovered, the target was knowlege. How big is it? Is it operable? What kind of cancer is it?

After his diagnosis, the target was beginning treatment. He was too young for radiation, but would chemotherapy be enough? Could his 6-month body handle 18 rounds of poision being pumped into it? What drugs would do the least damage to things like his kidneys and hearing?

During treatment, the target was surviving. Would the cancer outrun the drugs? Could we keep him isolated and healthy as his immune system got beat down, month after month?

Now, in post-treatment life, the target is not just living, but thriving. Josiah has MRIs every six months, and for five years, his cancer has been stable. That’s thanks to the hard work of an amazing team at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital here in Memphis. At each stage of his treatment, they’ve been there, fighting with and for us and our son.

Learn more and donate here.

Studio Neat is one of my favorite companies. They make design and build great products, and Tom Gerhardt and Dan Provost are two of the smartest, hard-working people I’ve met through the Internet.

Today, they are launching a Kickstarter campaign for the newest product, Obi:

We both love our pets, and assume you do too (love your pets, that is). Keeping your pet active is important for their health and well being, which is why we made Obi. Obi is a simple and beautiful device that sits on a shelf or mantle in your home. When activated, it shoots a laser, something most cats and dogs go wild for. Using your iPhone or iPad, you can control the laser manually, or set it up in automatic mode, where you can customize the way Obi behaves.

Tom and Dan have been recording all of their conversations during the planning stages of Obi. These conversations date back six months, and along with new ones recorded with my Relay FM co-founder Myke Hurley, are being released as a new podcast named Thoroughly Considered.

It’s a new type of show for us, as it is deeply focused on one thing: how a physical product gets designed and made in our digital age. It’s been fun to listen to some of these chats, and I’m excited to welcome Tom and Dan to the network.

This week on Analog(ue), I filled in for Myke to talk to Casey about going indie, XOXO and cars.

Marco Arment:

Achieving this much success with Peace just doesn’t feel good, which I didn’t anticipate, but probably should have. Ad blockers come with an important asterisk: while they do benefit a ton of people in major ways, they also hurt some, including many who don’t deserve the hit.

Peace required that all ads be treated the same — all-or-nothing enforcement for decisions that aren’t black and white. This approach is too blunt, and Ghostery and I have both decided that it doesn’t serve our goals or beliefs well enough. If we’re going to effect positive change overall, a more nuanced, complex approach is required than what I can bring in a simple iOS app.

One of the features I like in Ghostery’s desktop browser plugin is the ability block things by network. It lets me see ads from people I like running ads from networks that respect me as a visitor, and hide the junk that clogs up big-name sites.

That ability isn’t present in Peace, and it led to a bunch of weirdness over the last few days.

Clearly, all of this didn’t sit well with Marco, and he’s pulled Peace from the App Store as a result. I respect the hell out of that.

The results of The Verge’s reader poll on ad blockers is rather amusing.

Also, I tried reading this but then my head exploded.

I’ve been thinking a lot about ad blockers, and while my feelings are conflicted, I will say this: I’m glad that my sidebar ad is such a small percentage of my income — compared to the native advertising on this site and in my podcasts — that if you block it, it won’t make a big difference in my checkbook each month. I wouldn’t want to be a tech publication built on display ads with a poll running like The Verge’s.

Federico Viticci:

In many cultures, the number “10” evokes a sense of growth and accomplishment, a complete circle that starts anew, both similar and different from what came before. In Apple’s case, the company has a sweet spot for the 10 numerology: Mac OS was reborn under the X banner, and it gained a second life once another 10 was in sight.

What happens before a dramatic change is particularly interesting to observe. With the major milestone of iOS 10 on track for next year, what does iOS 9 say about Apple’s relationship with its mobile OS today?

After two years of visual and functional changes, is iOS 9 a calm moment of introspection or a hazardous leap toward new technologies?

Can it be both?

I’m going to pay Ticci the highest nerd-journalism compliment I can: this iOS review is Siracusian not only in length, but in detail, care and humor. Go read this.

iOS 9 is due out today, bringing a vastly improved experience to the iPad, but not all models will get all the new features it brings. That’s nothing new, of course:

iOS 5 is a free software update offering new features for all iPad models.

Features and capabilities vary between models, with some features available only with certain models.

I find this whole thing rather charming.

With Myke still in Portland after XOXO, Federico and I sat down this morning to talk abuot the iPad Pro and Club MacStories.

My thanks to this week’s sponsors:

• Harry’s: An exceptional shave at a fraction of the price. Use code CONNECTED for $5 off your first purchase
• lynda.com: An easy and affordable way to help individuals and organizations learn. Free 10-day trial.
• Blink: Better affiliate links

My good friend Federico Viticci has just announced something pretty great:

Since 2009, MacStories has delivered quality articles for the Apple community with a focus on depth, accuracy, and personal stories. We’ve written thousands of detailed app reviews. We’ve covered news with facts and opinions. We’ve shared stories on how technology is changing our lives.

Now, we’re ready for the next step. Today, I’m thrilled to introduce Club MacStories.

Club MacStories isn’t a paywall; it is a way to support Ticci and his team and gain access to extra content. I know they’ve been working on this for a long time, and I think they’ve nailed what a membership model should look like. I signed up instantly.