Apple Inc. has set an April 11 deadline for corporate employees to return to in-person work, marking a key test of whether the tech giant can reestablish office life in the Zoom era.
Employees will be required to work from the office at least one day per week by that date, according to a memo sent by Chief Executive Officer Tim Cook on Friday. By three weeks after April 11, employees will be expected in the office twice per week. And on May 23, employees will need to be in the office at least three days a week – on Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays.
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MaskerAid⇢
Relay FM podcaster 1 and all-around nice human Casey Liss has a new app out today. It’s called MaskerAid, and it’s pretty darn clever. Here’s a bit from his announcement blog post:
In short, MaskerAid allows you to quickly and easily add emoji to images. Plus, thanks to the magic of machine learning, MaskerAid will automatically place emoji over any faces it detects.
Like Casey outlines in his post, I have become increasingly uncomfortable with using social media to share photos or details about my children and their lives.
Connected #387: The Rickies (March 2022)⇢
This week on Connected, we threw out the whole outline an hour before recording:
Apple is holding an event on March 8, so the guys have scrambled to put together a list of top-tier picks for this edition of the Keynote Rickies.
Apple Announces March 8 Event
The Mini Mac mini⇢
Speaking of Quinn Nelson, he has published a video in which he took an M1 Mac mini and built it into a tiny 3D-printed case:
The result is a machine much smaller than the existing M1 Mac mini, which uses the same design that first debuted back in 2010.
Electric Truck Maker Rivian Announces Major Price Increase (Updated)⇢
Fred Lambert, writing at Electrek:
Rivian today announced several significant price increases for its R1T electric pickup truck and R1S electric SUV that have resulted in the cost of many reservation holders’ configurations rising by more than $12,000. The price increases come as Rivian is trying to ramp production and make its electric vehicle profitable while adding lower component tiers that will arrive as early as 2024.
The news was sent to reservation holders via email yesterday. I first saw it via a series of tweets from Quinn Nelson. I’d encourage you to go read the thread, as in it, he outlines his communication with the company over the last several months.
Kbase Article of the Week: iPod (Click Wheel) Isn’t Recognized by Power Mac G3 (Blue and White) or Power Mac G4 (PCI Graphics) Computers⇢
This old article discusses a very specific problem:
When you connect an iPod (Click Wheel) to a Power Mac G3 (Blue and White) or a Power Mac G4 (PCI Graphics) via the FireWire port, it doesn’t appear in the iTunes Source list, on the desktop, or in Apple System Profiler.
Start by downloading the latest iPod updater…
Sponsor: StopTheMadness — Take Back Your Web Browser⇢
StopTheMadness is a web browser extension for iOS and macOS that stops websites from making your browser harder to use. And it protects your privacy on the web!
Many web sites deliberately disable user interface features in your browser that you normally expect to work. StopTheMadness re-enables those features for you in your browser:
- ⌘-click to open a link in a new tab
- ⌘-key keyboard shortcuts
- selecting, copying, cutting, and pasting of text
- drag and drop
- opening contextual menus
- autofill/autocomplete of passwords and emails
StopTheMadness also protects your privacy on the web by eliminating common tracking methods:
Dalrymple Retiring⇢
This is the most difficult, but at the same time, the most exciting story I have ever written. After almost 30 years of reporting on Apple, I am retiring.
Over the past couple of years, I have taken time to address issues in my personal life. In that time, I realized that there is so much more to life than work—I’ll be honest, that revelation came as a massive shock to me, but I couldn’t be happier.
Mac Power Users #629: Workflows with Craig Hockenberry⇢
Craig Hockenberry is back to weigh in on Apple Silicon, why he’s an Apple Watch Power User, and life as a Mac developer.
Last week was our son’s annual checkup at MRI — everything looks great! — but I missed this recording. I am looking forward to listening to it tomorrow.
Alleged iPhone 14 Design Ditches the Notch⇢
I think most folks have basically forgotten all about the notch, but if this story is to be believed, phones from the iPhone X to the 13 line are all going to look pretty dated this fall:
An image alleged to be the display schematic for the iPhone 14 Pro series has emerged online, offering us a look at the true size of the pill-shaped and circular cutout design expected to debut on the high-end 2022 iPhones in replacement of the notch.
TextExpander⇢
Repetitive typing, little mistakes, searching for answers — they’re all taking precious time away from you and your team. TextExpander is here to help.
My thanks to TextExpander for sponsoring the site this week. You can get 20% off here.