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Apple has an updated chart showing how the new $4.99/month plan differs from a regular Apple Music plan:

From reading the press release, it seems that the Music app will offer a stripped-down experience for these users:

Apple Music Voice Plan subscribers will get a customized in-app experience with suggestions based on the listener’s music preferences and a queue of recently played music through Siri. Within the app there will also be a dedicated section called “Just Ask Siri” where subscribers can learn tips to optimize Siri for Apple Music.

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The intro video for today’s event really spoke to me:

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Paul Kafasis:

Apple’s official release of MacOS 12 (Monterey) won’t be arriving until next week, but our software is already compatible with the new OS. As you can see on our helpful Status page, all seven of our major Mac apps now have compatibility with Monterey. Just make sure you’ve got the latest versions of Airfoil, Audio Hijack, Farrago, Fission, Loopback, Piezo, and SoundSource, and you’ll be good to go on Monterey.

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Next week is going to be busy; the next day is when the new MacBook Pros arrive. It looks like Safari 15 is going to be good again, and Universal Control is coming later this fall.

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There’s a lot to unpack in today’s news, but here are some details I’ve noticed already:

• The Touch Bar is dead and the display has a notch that the macOS menu bar will wrap around.
• MagSafe 3 isn’t a new charger; it’s a USB-C cable with the new magnetic attachment at one end. A spare 2 meter one will run you $49, but one comes in the box.
• One of the new models are thicker than the machines it replaces. The Intel 16-inch MacBook Pro was .64 inches thick, and the new one is .66 inches. The 14-inch MacBook Pro is .61 inches thick, just like the previous 4-port 13-inch Intel MacBook Pro
• The 14-inch MacBook Pro can be outfitted with a 8 or 10-core CPU with the M1 Pro. The 8-core machine comes with a 14-core GPU and 67W USB-C power adapter, while the 10-core comes with a 96W model charger and a 16-core GPU. The larger MacBook Pro requires a 140W charger. Fast charging requires the 96W or 140W adaptor. Neither come in fun new colors.
• The 140W charger has some cool tricks.
• The 14-inch can be equipped with a M1 Max with 10-core CPU and 32-core GPU and 32 GB of unified memory, same as the 16-inch. Both top out at 8 TB of storage.
• The smaller notebook comes with a 70-watt-hour lithium-polymer battery; the 16-inch has a 100-watt-hour unit.
• The new design features more prominent feet than before. The sides make me think of the old polycarbonate unibody MacBook in a weird way.
• The 14-inch is (as expected) slightly larger in area than the 13-inch MacBook Pro. The old machine is 11.97 inches (30.41 cm) wide and 8.36 inches (21.24 cm) deep. The new 14-inch MacBook Pro is 12.31 inches (31.26 cm) wide and 8.71 inches (22.12 cm) deep. If you use a form-fitting case of bag, you may need to made adjustments for this new notebook.
• The new thermal system can move 50% more air than before, but Apple says the fans will remain motionless for most daily tasks.
• As foretold, the new displays will run at a native 2x resolution by default at 254 pixels per inch. The 13-inch model clocks in at 227 pixels per inch.

I ordered a 14-inch model with these specs:

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Do you ever type the same thing over and over and over again? Whether it’s customer support answers, sales emails, or document edits, typing things repetitively or using copy and paste can be a burden.

That’s where TextExpander comes in. With TextExpander, you and your team can:

• Keep your message consistent
• Save time and be more productive
• Be accurate, every time

The way we work is changing rapidly. Make work happen wherever you are by saying more in less time and with less effort using TextExpander. Get 20% for being an awesome 512 Pixels reader.

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By all accounts, we’ll be seeing overhauled MacBook Pros during tomorrow’s event. These will be powered by the M1’s larger sibling. While its name is unknown, this system on a chip should propel the new MacBook Pro to new heights of performance.

After all, we’ve already seen what the M1 can do. The current MacBook Air, Mac mini and two-port MacBook Pro are amazing machines compared to their Intel predecessors. They’re fast, enjoy great battery life and are nearly (or always) silent.

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The LEGO Ideas Blog:

A huge congratulations to Jaijai Lewis (aka LEGO The Office) as his The Office recreation has been selected as the next LEGO Ideas sets. This is a super interesting and entertaining television show that we feel is universally known and loved and Jaijai’s creation captures all the details of that story so well. It’s also very apparent to us how much desire there has been for a set like this after numerous submissions reaching review over the years. This time we had the opportunity and we jumped on it.

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Victoria Song at Gizmodo:

City traffic can get pretty congested, but hardly anyone would expect an endless stream of self-driving cars flocking to one quiet residential street. Except, that’s what’s happening to one dead-end street in San Francisco, according to a local KPIX report.

Amazing.

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Out a few days early to clear Apple’s event on Monday, this episode of Mac Power Users is all about iOS 15’s revised multitasking system and some of our favorite workflows for the iPad.

On More Power Users, we spoke about the last ten years of Apple under Tim Cook’s leadership.

My thanks to our sponsors:

• 1Password: Have you ever forgotten a password? You don’t have to worry about that anymore.
• Squarespace: Make your next move. Enter offer code MPU at checkout to get 10% off your first purchase.
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• The Intrazone, by Microsoft SharePoint: Your bi-weekly conversation and interview podcast about SharePoint, OneDrive and related tech within Microsoft 365.

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It’s that time again:

Apple has announced an October event, so the Passionate Ones have gathered to appoint a new Event Chairman through the making of Picks, both Regular and Risky.

I love this game.

On the longer, ad-free version of the episode, I check a shipment, Federico gets some HomePods and Myke explains pet peeves.

My thanks to our sponsors:

• Fitbod: The fitness app for personalized exercise plans. Get 25% off your membership.
• Mack Weldon: Reinventing men’s basics. Get 20% off your first order with promo code CONNECTED.
• The Intrazone, by Microsoft SharePoint: Your bi-weekly conversation and interview podcast about SharePoint, OneDrive and related tech within Microsoft 365.

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If you deal with screenshots, this Shortcut by Federico is a must.

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