My wife has been using a first-generation 12-inch MacBook since its debut back in 2015. Despite picking one up with the best specs available at the time,1 it is feels like Mac much older than its three years.
She uses it docked to an external display with a Bluetooth keyboard and mouse. I don’t know the last time it was used as an actual notebook, and after seeing the SSD was nearly full, I decided it was time to do something.
I’m tempted to pick up some of the new outdoor fixtures.
I thought it’d be fun to explore part of my workflow that some may find surprising: I write a ton in paper notebooks.
This week on Connected, Myke and I kick off iPhone and iPad rumor season, then talk through some recent app news and Apple’s cancellation of the App Store Affiliate Program.
It was made possible by:
Janko Roettgers, writing at Variety:
Patreon wants a bigger slice of the subscription and membership business: The San Francisco-based startup announced the acquisition of Memberful Wednesday to expand into the realm of white-labeled membership services. Memberful’s entire staff of 7, including its founder Drew Strojny, are joining Patreon as part of the deal. Financial details of the transaction weren’t disclosed.
Here’s a bit from Strojny’s email to customers:
As a Memberful customer, you might be surprised by this news. You might also be concerned about the future of Memberful. Are we giving up? Are we shutting down? Quite the opposite. Memberful has been growing fast, and our growth has even accelerated in 2018. We’re partnering with Patreon to take this to the next level. Patreon brings capital, expertise, and resources that will help us make Memberful even better for you.
Apple Support, channeling the dictionary:
Beta is a term used to describe software that is in the last stage of testing. Software publishers frequently make beta software availabile [sic] to a limited audience so that it can be tested in real-world environments. This is called a beta test.
Because beta software may be incomplete, it may not function correctly all of the time. You should only install beta software if you know how to remove it, or how to troubleshoot errors it may cause. Before installing any beta software, be sure you have a backup of important files you want to keep.
I joined John Voorhees on this week’s episode of AppStories to talk about what lives in our Mac’s menu bars.
I’ve rounded up some links to mark the occasion:
Happy birthday, Green Machine.
This morning, Apple became the first American company to reach a $1 trillion market cap.
Mark Gurman has a piece up about it:
Apple was worth about $350 billion when Jobs died, so Cook has led the creation of even more stock-market value than his former boss and mentor. Bloomberg News asked him about the $1 trillion target in a February interview.
“I don’t really think about it,” he said, suggesting that if the company keeps making successful products, financial success will follow. “I still view Apple as a pretty small company, the way that we operate. I know it’s not numerically, but the way we function is very much like that.”
This week on Liftoff, the James Webb Telescope, water on Mars and the Space Force are all back in the news.
My thanks to our sponsor:
Apple:
With the launch of the new App Store on both iOS and macOS and their increased methods of app discovery, we will be removing apps from the affiliate program. Starting on October 1st, 2018, commissions for iOS and Mac apps and in-app content will be removed from the program. All other content types (music, movies, books, and TV) remain in the affiliate program.
This is not totally surprising after Apple cut the rate for in-app purchases last year. However, this is going to hurt a lot of people in the media ecosystem around Apple.
Myke is back, and comes with news of a new household robot, while Stephen reflects on his Macs, both old and new.
My thanks to our sponsors: