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With Loopback, it’s trivial to pass audio from one application to another on your Mac. Need to play a recording into Zoom? Add sound effects into a podcast? Include music in a streamed event? Loopback gives you the power to do just that with just a few clicks. It’s like a high-end mixing board, right inside your Mac.

Loopback creates virtual audio devices, which merge audio from multiple applications and input devices into a single source. These virtual devices appear on your Mac just like a real, physical device, and can be selected for use in any audio app on your Mac. It’s incredibly powerful.

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This week on Mac Power Users:

iOS and iPadOS 15 have arrived, bringing new features to Apple’s mobile devices, including Focus modes, Live Text, new Home screen widgets, Safari extensions and a lot more. David and Stephen discuss their experiences with the beta and outline what’s best in this year’s upgrade.

My thanks to our sponsors:

• 1Password: Have you ever forgotten a password? You don’t have to worry about that anymore.
• Electric: Stop stressing over scattered devices. Get a free pair of Beats Solo3 Wireless Headphones when you schedule a meeting.
• Pingdom: Start monitoring your website performance and availability today, and get instant alerts when an outage occurs or a site transaction fails. Use offer code MPU to get 30% off. Offer expires on January 31, 2022, and can be used only once.
• Zocdoc: Find the right doctor, right now with Zocdoc. Sign up for free.

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Apple Support:

Apple has identified an issue where Unlock with Apple Watch may not work with iPhone 13 devices. You might see “Unable to Communicate with Apple Watch” if you try to unlock your iPhone while wearing a face mask, or you might not be able to set up Unlock with Apple Watch.

This issue will be fixed in an upcoming software update. Until the update is available, you can turn off Unlock with Apple Watch and use your passcode to unlock your iPhone 13.

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In my series 2001 Revisited, I’m covering Apple’s major announcements from 20 years ago. On September 25, 2001, the company announced the first major update to Mac OS X, and it shipped just four days later.¹

Dubbed “Mac OS X v10.1” and code-named “Puma,” this release looked an awful lot like the original version, but brought a lot of refinement and improvements under its very Aqua hood:

To see a lot more of Mac OS X 10.1, check out its entry in my macOS Screenshot Library

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My thanks to Podapp for sponsoring 512 Pixels this week. It is a podcast player that makes listening to podcasts better. It’s coming later this year to iOS, iPadOS, and macOS. Be the first to try it.

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Adam Savage and Fon Davis have a video up, looking through the late Grant Imahara’s workshop. I didn’t expect to feel this sad about someone I watched on TV for years, but here we are.

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This week on the show:

iOS and iPadOS 15 are out, as are reviews for the new iPhones and iPads. This week, Federico tells Stephen and Myke what the new iPad mini is like and what Safari extensions they should check out. Mood boards are also created.

On Connected Pro, Myke and I update Ticci on our Android usage, and he shares about a new problem in his life.

My thanks to our sponsors:

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Apple Support:

iPod (with Dock Connector) models come with a Dock Connector cover plug.

You insert the cover plug into iPod’s Dock Connector port on the bottom of iPod. This plug protects the connector, and keeps foreign matter out of the opening.

To put iPod in its dock, or to connect the Dock Connector to FireWire cable, remove the plug. iPod will not fit into its dock when the plug is installed.

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This week on Liftoff, Jason and I talk through recent NASA reports on its work with AR, VR and how people get sleepy while in a self-driving car. We then get into the breaking news of NASA’s two new mission directorates.

My thanks to our sponsors:

• LinkedIn Jobs: Post a job for free by visiting this link.
• Privacy: Smarter payments. Get $5 to spend on your first purchase.

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Amazon has updated its Paperwhite reader. The new version comes with a larger screen that includes more even, warmer light and USB-C for charging, which is something I wish my Kindle Oasis¹ had. The ad-supported version is $139, a $10 increase over the last model. There is a $189 version as well with 32 GB of storage, wireless charging and an auto-dimming screen. If you’re in the market for a Kindle, this looks like a great option.

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The Safari web extension I’ve been waiting for is here.

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Podcasts are the future of entertainment and education. Now a fifteen-year-old medium, podcasting has finally realized its full potential — enabling creators to share knowledge independently and own the rights to that content. Listeners have unprecedented access to high-quality, free shows about virtually any interest.

As podcasting has grown, some have foregone user experience and creator freedoms in an attempt to rule podcasting and lock users into a sandbox, moving away from podcasting’s open roots. Podapp is designed to stop this shift.

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