512 Pixels

Steve Levy, writing at Wired, got to speak with a bunch of folks at Apple:

Before our video conference ends, I pop a final question: Will Apple be selling Macintoshes 40 years from now?

“It’s hard to imagine there being an Apple and not having a Mac,” says [Greg] Joswiak. “It is in our blood — it’s a product that defines who we are.” [Craig] Federighi takes a shot at explaining why, in an industry where the standard is ephemeral, the machine that Steve Jobs introduced might be immortal. “The Mac has been able to absorb and integrate the industry’s innovations,” he says. “With each major technology wave, from graphical computing to the internet to even creating tools for mobile, the Mac has taken potential and turned it into intuitive creative tools for the rest of us. With seemingly disruptive waves like spatial computing and AI, the Mac will renew itself over and over.”

In April 1984, the first issue of Macworld went on sale, with Steve Jobs on the cover:

The entire thing is safe and sound over on the Internet Archive, and I suggest you spend some time flipping through it. Andrew Fluegelman’s feature on the making of the machine starts on page 126 and includes writing from Andy Hertzfeld, Joanna Hoffman, Bill Atkinson, Chris Espinosa, Susan Kare, Burrell Smith and more.

Today marks the Mac’s 40th anniversary. Joe Rossignol at MacRumors found the company’s original press release for the machine, and it’s a real gem:

Apple Computer today unveiled its much-anticipated Macintosh computer, a sophisticated, affordably priced personal computer designed for business people, professionals and students in a broad range of fields. Macintosh is available in all dealerships now. Based on the advanced, 32-bit architecture developed for Apple’s Lisa computer, Macintosh combines extraordinary computing power with exceptional ease of use–in a unit that is smaller and lighter than most transportable computers. The suggested retail price for Macintosh is $2,495, which during the introductory period also includes a word-processing program and graphics package.

Macintosh, along with three powerful new Lisa 2 computers, forms the basis of the Apple 32 SuperMicro family of computers. All systems in the family run Macintosh software.

Like Apple’s ground-breaking Lisa computer, Macintosh uses its built-in user-interface software and high-resolution display to simulate the actual desk-top working environment–complete with built-in notepads, file folders, a calculator and other office tools. Every Macintosh computer contains 64 kilobytes of read-only memory (ROM), built-in Lisa Technology and 128 kilobytes of random-access memory (RAM) that support these desk-top tools.

The press release goes on to talk about the Mac’s user interface, which wasn’t Apple’s first GUI. That achievement belonged to the Lisa:

Users tell Macintosh what to do simply by moving a “mouse”–a small pointing device–to select among functions listed in menus and represented by pictorial symbols on the screen. Users are no longer forced to memorize the numerous and confusing keyboard commands of conventional computers. The result is radical ease of use and a significant reduction in learning time. In effect, the Macintosh is a desk-top appliance offering users increased utility and creativity with simplicity.

“We believe that Lisa Technology represents the future direction of all personal computers,” said Steven P. Jobs, Chairman of the Board of Apple. “Macintosh makes this technology available for the first time to a broad audience–at a price and size unavailable from any other manufacturer. By virtue of the large amount of software written for them, the Apple II and the IBM PC became the personal-computer industry’s first two standards. We expect Macintosh to become the third industry standard.”

The Lisa would be dead within a few years of this, and while the Apple II would live on until 1993, the Mac would be the one to take on the PC, both in homes and in the workplace:

Macintosh is aimed at a broad group of business people, professionals and college students. These people perform tasks that are similar in one important respect: they all involve working at a desk and transforming information and ideas into memos, reports, budgets, plans and analyses.

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates that while there are 25 million of these “knowledge workers” in the United States alone, only 5 percent currently use desk-top computers. Apple market research indicates that the majority are unable or unwilling to invest the 20 to 40 hours it takes to master conventional computers and the additional three to 10 hours’ learning time required for each new application program.

Macintosh, by contrast, typically takes only a few hours to learn. Its operation mirrors the activities that are carried on by people at their desks. Papers can be shuffled on screen, documents revised or discarded, charts drawn–all with a few simple commands executed with the mouse. Several documents can be displayed on screen simultaneously, in “windows” that can be moved, expanded or shrunk. All applications, from financial-planning tools to graphics programs, are based on the same set of intuitive operations. This means that numbers, words and pictures can be easily .. cut" from memos, charts or graphs and “pasted” into other documents–even those created in separate application programs produced by different software companies.

“Macintosh easily fits on a desk, both in terms of its style of operation and its physical design,” said Jobs. “It takes up about the same amount of desk space as a piece of paper. With Macintosh, the computer is an aid to spontaneity and originality, not an obstacle. It allows ideas and relationships to be viewed in new ways. Macintosh enhances not just productivity, but also creativity.”

40 years on that last bit from Jobs really jumps out of me. Let me quote it again:

“With Macintosh, the computer is an aid to spontaneity and originality, not an obstacle. It allows ideas and relationships to be viewed in new ways. Macintosh enhances not just productivity, but also creativity.”

That still defines the Mac today, four decades after it was introduced. This is why I fell in love with the Mac in the first place way back at my high school newspaper, and why I still love it today.

With iOS 17.3, Apple has (optionally) made it more difficult for someone with your iPhone and PIN to lock you out of your Apple ID:

Stolen Device Protection adds a layer of security when your iPhone is away from familiar locations, such as home or work, and helps protect your accounts and personal information in case your iPhone is ever stolen.

This extra security comes in two forms:

• Face ID or Touch ID biometric authentication: Some actions such as accessing stored passwords and credit cards require a single biometric authentication with Face ID or Touch ID — with no passcode alternative or fallback — so that only you can access these features.
• Security Delay: Some security actions such as changing your Apple ID password also require you to wait an hour and then perform a second Face ID or Touch ID authentication.

This comes almost a year after Joanna Stern and Nicole Nguyen reported on the issue, which was eye-opening to many of us. I instantly turned this on, and you should too.

TLDR: I have joined David Smith’s company and will be working with him on his portfolio of apps, including Widgetsmith, Pedometer++, Sleep++ and more.¹

This isn’t changing anything I do at Relay or here on 512 Pixels, but it is important to me to disclose this change in my working life.

Year of the Long Now

Later this year, Relay will turn 10 years old and this blog will turn 16. In July, it will be 9 years since I left my job to go indie.

(Wow, that is a lot of big numbers.)

As part of my yearly theme — the Year of the Long Now ² — I have been thinking what I want out of the next decade.

Obviously, planning for the far future can be a bit of a fool’s errand, but Year of the Long Now is about making decisions with both the present and the future in mind. Too often on the Internet, it’s easy to think about the here-and-now of it all and not consider the future all that often.

On the professional front, longevity is a core pillar to my theme.³ I’ve been doing my thing on the Internet for a long time, and I want to keep doing it as long as possible.

There are all sorts of things that can end the career of a professional creator, including burnout, financial pressures, losing relevance and more. These are things I would like to avoid so I can keep writing and podcasting about the topics I care deeply about, with people I care deeply about.

As my theme was taking shape at the end of the year, I got a call from David. He was looking to bring someone on to focus on customer communication, marketing and internal processes. He’s an incredible developer, and as his apps have reached new heights of success, he knew there were roles in his company that he couldn’t fill anymore on his own.

After our initial conversation, I spoke to both Myke⁴ and my wife Merri about the possibility of joining David’s company, and both were incredibly supportive of the move. At the end of the year, we made it official.

Looking Forward

My new role should not have any impact on the amount of content I produce here and on Relay.

(I have made changes in my behind-the-scenes work at Relay to accommodate this change, but delegating those things has been a long time coming.)

One obvious factor at play is that I cover Apple and its ecosystem, including the work of third-party developers. For complete transparency, if David or one of his apps comes up in the course of my commentary, I will disclose my involvement with his work.

On the other side of the coin, my employment with David will not limit my writing or podcasting. I have been extremely fortunate to work with incredible people over the years, and David is no different. He has made it clear from the start that he doesn’t want this new position to create friction in my commentary. We’re all professionals here, and I trust that readers and listeners will understand that.

With that journalistic handwringing wrapped up, I want to say how excited I am to be taking on a new set of challenges. David’s apps are world-class, and it’s a real honor to be trusted to help shape them. This new role gives me an outlet for skills that I don’t get to use very often at Relay, and I truly believe both companies will be better for me getting to use them in this new way.

Jason and Myke did something fun this week on Upgrade:

Celebrating 40 years of the Mac, we’ve gathered an all-star panel of longtime Mac users to pick the best Macs, Mac software, and Mac accessories, as well as induct a few events or devices into the Mac Hall of Shame.

It was a blast to be on the panel, joining my pals Dan Moren, John Gruber, John Siracusa and Shelly Brisbin to honor the Mac as it enters its next decade.

What happens when you are afraid a member of a spaceflight crew is going to do something really stupid? You lock the hatch, apparently. This story is wild.

I can’t think of another first-party Apple app that has had a weirder rollout than this thing.

Especially given the fact that it seems to crash at launch.

The app has been updated again and the CarPlay version has been removed.

Unite 5 for macOS takes your web experience to the next level, transforming websites into feature-rich Mac apps. Powered by a completely redesigned WebKit browser, Unite 5 offers a more immersive and customizable browsing experience.

What sets Unite 5 apart? We’ve gone beyond just app conversion. Our new intricate link-forwarding rules give you unparalleled control over web interactions, making your web apps smarter and more integrated than ever before.

Some highlights of Unite 5:

• Advanced Link-Forwarding: Navigate your web apps like a pro.
• Revamped Browser Engine: Faster, more reliable, and tailored for macOS.
• Enhanced Customization: More ways to make your web apps truly yours.

Create powerful web apps in seconds, such as:

• A Gmail client that integrates seamlessly with macOS.
• A resource-efficient Slack or Discord app with full notification support.
• A dedicated AI app for ChatGPT or Claude.AI
• A Robinhood or Figma app that feels native on your desktop.

512 Pixels readers get an exclusive 20% off this week! Use the promo code 512Pixels at checkout or visit bzgapps.com/unite512.

Experience Unite 5 for yourself with a 14-day free trial, or access it as part of a Setapp subscription.

Apple has several variations of its warranty offerings. This week on Mac Power Users, David and I detail the differences between various AppleCare products and discuss their value to customers.

On More Power Users, we talk about our experiences pre-ordering Vision Pro headsets.

Apple Support:

If you have a pre-existing medical condition, consult with a medical provider before using Apple Vision Pro. Using this device with certain medical conditions might aggravate symptoms or increase the risk of injury or discomfort.

If you are at risk for falls or seizures, or have a serious medical condition such as a heart condition, consult with a medical provider before using Apple Vision Pro.

Michael Potuck, writing at 9to5Mac:

Apple has published its Vision Pro repair/replacement costs for issues like cracked front glass as well as a full replacement due to other damage. Replacing the $3,500+ headset for “other damage” will run $2,399 without Apple’s extended warranty and the front glass alone is a $799 repair.

Apple has two options for now when requesting repair/replacement for Vision Pro – “Cracked cover glass” and “Other damage.”