Tim Cook — on X (gross) — with some news:
Mac just had its best launch week ever for first-time Mac customers. We love seeing the enthusiasm!
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Connected 595: Federico Says “He Will Gone”⇢
Stephen has been a menace all week with Lil Finder, Myke keeps thinking about the MacBook Neo, and Federico shares his most recent thoughts on foldable phones.
NASA Reportedly Starting the Process to Move Away From the SLS⇢
NASA’s SLS rocket program has been a mess for a long, long time. Many industry-watchers have wondered why NASA would spend billions of taxpayer dollars on its own rocket while the private space industry is working on their own heavy-lift vehicles that could accomplish similar things.
It seems that NASA’s new administrator Jared Isaacman may be asking the same question, according to Loren Grush, Ed Ludlow, and Julie Johnsson at Bloomberg:
Under the original plan set years ago, Boeing’s Space Launch System rocket would have launched a crew of four riding inside the Lockheed Martin Corp.-built Orion crew capsule to the moon, with the spacecraft then putting itself in the moon’s orbit. A [SpaceX] Starship lander would then meet up and dock with the capsule around the moon, before taking astronauts down to the lunar surface.
Tennessee Teenagers Suing xAI After Grok Used Their Images to Make CSAM
Faiz Siddiqui, writing at what’s left of The Washington Post ( Apple News) about the continuing fallout of xAI’s CSAM scandal:
“When a mother from eastern Tennessee asked local police how someone had created naked photos of her teenage daughter, she recalls being told it was a company she’d never heard of: xAI, the artificial intelligence start-up run by Tesla CEO Elon Musk.
Police alleged a person arrested in December had used Grok, xAI’s chatbot, to edit photos, including one from the teen girl’s Instagram account, removing a blue bikini from one image to “depict her without any clothes,” according to a lawsuit filed Monday.
The Missing iMac Special Edition
Inside the MacBook Neo
I’m putting my thoughts together for a review of the MacBook Neo, but I think a huge part of this laptop’s story is its repairability. Unlike Apple’s other products, the Neo is put together with screws only — no adhesive. Some of these screws are pentalobes, but if you’re taking apart a computer, you’re probably the kind of person to have that sort of bit on hand, or are willing to get one.
A Collection of Lil Finder 5K Wallpapers
I was just going about my day then James Thomson of PCalc and other fine applications dropped these images on me and said I could share them.
They are all 5K, so they’re ready to go; just click to open up the full-res image.
This would have been sick on an iMac G3.
3D Print Your Own Lil Finder
After a week of tinkering with design files and babysitting my 3D printer, I have an adorable new coworker. The final print took 20 hours, but I’m enamored with the results:
I was thrilled to collaborate with Basic Apple Guy on bringing Lil Finder to life. We both hope the Mac community enjoys this project.
If you want to print your own, I’ve uploaded a .3mf file here.
I ran mine on my Bambu P2S, with some fuzzy skin to give the final version a softer finish. On my example, the bright blue is Bambu’s Cyan PLA; the darker color is Overture’s Gray Blue PLA+. You may need to do some adjusting to get things dialed in for your setup.
Mac Pro Wheels on Sale⇢
Huge news for Apple’s biggest computer: the $699 Mac Pro Wheels Kit can be picked up for $199 on Woot for the next 13 hours or until they are sold out.
They go for about $300 a set on eBay these days and are a great place to stash AirTags.
Connected 594: Vibing at 50 / Warranted But Not Sexy / The Relay Account Has Signed In⇢
This week on a very full episode of the podcast:
Stephen and Federico have MacBook Neos (MacBooks Neo?) and share their impressions as Myke restrains himself from making a purchase. The guys explore the new set of emoji coming with iOS 26.4 via a round of The Jeremies, and try to enjoy Apple at 50.
Unlock Mac-Specific Accent Colors⇢
Accents is an app that lets you use the iMac/MacBook Neo accent colors on any Mac.
This is really clever. The iMac and MacBook Neo come with custom accent colors that are only available on those machines. Thanks to Michael Tsai for linking to this little gem of a macOS app.
Tim Cook, on 50 Years of Apple⇢
Through every breakthrough, one idea has guided us — that the world is moved forward by people who think different.
That’s because progress always begins with someone — an inventor or scientist, a student or storyteller — who imagines a better way, a new idea, a different path. That spirit has guided Apple from the start. But it has never belonged to us alone.
Every invention we bring into the world is just the beginning of a story. The most meaningful chapters are written by all of you — the people who use our technology to work, learn, dream, and discover. You’ve made breakthroughs and launched businesses. You’ve cheered up loved ones in the hospital and captured your toddler’s first steps. You’ve run marathons, written books, and rekindled friendships. You’ve chased your curiosity, found your new favorite song, and shared stories that connect us all.