Looks like Apple isn’t done with new products this month. Tyler Stalman shared this over on Threads:
I think the MacBook Pro is about to enter its touchscreen era.
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Sponsor: SoundSource, Sound Control So Good It Ought to Be Built In⇢
The audio experts at Rogue Amoeba are back to sponsor 512 Pixels. Their app SoundSource adds powerful audio controls to your Mac that you’ll be glad to have.
It starts with volume controls for each and every app on your Mac, all in one place: your menu bar. Turn down noisy websites without affecting your music, or boost a quiet video call past the usual maximum.
SoundSource does much more than just volume, though. Use it to send any app’s audio to a different device, so your music plays through your desk speakers while your calls stay in your headphones. Built-in effects like Magic Boost and Headphone EQ bring better sound to the tiniest speakers and your favorite headphones, and experts can even use it to apply powerful Audio Unit plugins to any app.
Duo Walk-In Purchases Discouraged⇢
Hartley Charlton at MacRumors with some bad news for me:
Apple Store employees told MacRumors that they have been advised that there will likely be no iPhone Duo stock available for walk-in purchases on launch day. Staff have been instructed to discourage customers without pre-orders from coming in expecting to buy the device, warning that they will be disappointed.
Apple’s online store tells customers to check back on Saturday, October 24 for pickup availability. Pickup reservations were briefly available when pre-orders opened before the option was disabled.
Mojave Paint⇢
My thanks to Mojave Paint for sponsoring 512 Pixels. Development is moving quickly on Mojave Paint; during this week’s sponsorship they added true Clipping Masks.
My iPhone Duo Pre-Order Went South
I am currently traveling, but dutifully set my alarm to order an iPhone Duo. Having multiple devices is the way to go in these situations, so I was at my laptop and had my iPhone.
The Apple Store app on my phone loaded first, and that’s when I learned a terrible truth:
I could only choose Apple Stores near me for pickup, and uhhh, I am not flying across the country again next week to pick this thing up.
The iPhone Duo is Expensive to Repair⇢
iPhone Duo preorders open tomorrow. AppleCare seems like a very good idea for this product:
| Repair | Price |
|---|---|
| Cover layer damage | $49 |
| Back glass damage | $199 |
| Battery service | $229 |
| Rear camera damage | $229 |
| Outer display damage | $379 |
| Outer display and back glass damage | $509 |
| Inner display damage | $999 |
| Other damage | $1,499 |
I’ve been using AppleCare One for a while now, and recently moved to the AppleCare One Family. For my family, it was a good bit cheaper than all five of us having our own AppleCare One accounts.
“I’d Just Use My Phone”
Years ago, Marco Arment said something that I think about all the time:
Don’t bet against the smartphone.
It’s amazing how many products have run straight into this idea, like a sprinting outfielder who hasn’t slowed down in time to avoid the wall.
There are some obvious examples, especially in our AI-crazed day. The Humane AI Pin never stood a chance. The Rabbit R1 is beautiful, but is at best a novelty. The friend is never going to escape the gravity of its own domain name.
With HomeView, Apple Shows How Powerful Its Ecosystem Can Be
Do you remember “Everything is a Remix,” the series of work by Kirby Ferguson? His main premise is that almost all the creative work we see in the world derives inspiration from what came before it.
I think Apple’s just-announced HomeView may be the latest entry in the list of things that prove Ferguson’s point.
To put it in another set of terms: the HomeView is “new but somehow familiar,” to borrow a Jony Ive phrase. I think it applies to just about every aspect of this product.
Siri AI Coming to HomePod mini 2 ‘In a Future Software Update’⇢
I’m a little surprised by this bit of news, and sad that my beloved orange model is gone.
Sponsor: Mojave Paint⇢
Mojave Paint for Mac is a love letter to image editing programs of the past — a time before generative AI, infinitely customizable tool palettes, and online-required subscription access.
With familiar layer-based rendering and powerful typography tools, Mojave Paint works equally well for design or photography. Use masks on any filter or adjustment to get the right look on a photo, or make the best-looking flyer for a lost cat your neighborhood telephone pole has ever seen.
“HomeView”⇢
Mark Gurman, writing two days before Apple’s event this week:
The centerpiece is a new smart home hub called the HomeView. Equipped with a display and an A18 chip, the product essentially serves as the Siri command center for an Apple-powered household…
The HomeView comes in two versions: a countertop model with a metal speaker base and a wall-mounted version with a flat, square base that sits against the wall beneath the display. The countertop offering will come in four colors: space gray, silver, starlight and pink, while the wall-mounted version will be limited to space gray and silver.
NAS Reborn⇢
My thanks to NAS Reborn for sponsoring the site this week. It turns an iPhone 6s, iPad Air 2, or anything newer into a network drive for the Finder, the Files app and even Windows Explorer. Check out the TestFlight beta for iPhone, iPad and Mac at nasreborn.com.