For years, Apple has sent new Genius hires to its Infinite Loop headquarters in Cupertino, or sometimes an auxiliary campus in Austin or Atlanta, to receive hands-on training for up to three weeks. Recently, however, Apple appears to have stopped offering these group-based trips, according to people familiar with the matter.
Apple’s off-site Genius Training program has been replaced by an in-store, self-guided experience using company-provided reference materials, according to a source. The training now involves watching web-based seminars through the Apple Technical Learning Administration System, or ATLAS, another source said.
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Nest Rumored to be Working on New Products⇢
The company is working on a version of its “learning thermostat,” which adjusts the temperature based on usage patterns, that would sell for under $200, the person said. The current version sells for $249. The cheaper model would include less expensive components and at least one internal prototype lacks the flagship model’s metal edges, the person said.
A home-security alarm system, a digital doorbell and an updated indoor security camera are also in the works, representing potential good news for a company that has struggled to release many new products.
WWDC Scholarships Now Include Lodging⇢
WWDC Scholarships reward talented students and STEM organization members with the opportunity to attend this year’s conference. Developers selected for a scholarship will receive a WWDC17 ticket and lodging free of charge.
I’m glad to see lodging covered as part of the scholarship. Most of the time, the WWDC ticket itself is not the most expensive thing about the trip.
Connected #132: Fun Conjecture Hour⇢
This week, Stephen talks about a possible iMac Pro while his co-hosts play Zelda. They come back to round robin some things that they find frustrating about working from iOS and the iPad.
My thanks to our sponsors:
- Casper: Because everyone deserves a great night sleep. Get $50 off with the code ‘CONNECTED’
- Squarespace: Make your next move. Enter offer code WORLD at checkout to get 10% off your first purchase.
- Away: Travel smarter with the suitcase that charges your phone. Get $20 off with the code ‘connected’.
Don’t miss the B-Side in which we try to replace Ticci’s dying, worthless MacBook Air.
Kbase Article of the Week: eMate 300 Read Me⇢
There aren’t a ton of read me files on Apple’s old support site, but the eMate 300 is there:
As a result of Apple’s extensive testing of this product, we’ve developed this guide of helpful hints and troubleshooting tips for using your eMate 300.
eMate 300 Turns 20
Apple’s weird, education-only Newton clamshell turns 20 years old today. I’ve rounded up some reading on the product:
- Original Product Specifications Announcement
- 512 Pixels: Basic Info on the eMate 300
- Complete eMate specs
- Benj Edwards at Macworld: The Forgotten eMate 300
- LowEndMac: My Great New Writing Machine: A Newton eMate 300
- Andy Welfle: The gadget I miss — the Apple Newton eMate 300
Steve Jobs, on the Genius Bar⇢
The Future of Target Display Mode
In the fall of 2009, Apple retired the 20 and 24-inch iMacs in favor of widescreen models with 21.5 and 27 inch displays.
These machines are not the Retina models we enjoy today, and still packed things like an optical drive. They introduced Target Display Mode, which allowed a user to use an iMac as an external display for another Mac.
Late 2009 and Mid 2010 models required a Mini DisplayPort cable for the feature to work. Setting it up was as simple as running a cable from the Mini DisplayPort on a MacBook Pro over to the same port on the iMac, and pressing Command-F2 on the iMac’s keyboard.
Review: 27-inch iMac with 5K Retina display
My years of a Mac user can be broken into three main eras:
- The Early Days: A string of PowerBooks and MacBook Pros with work and personal data on them.
- The Great Divide: An iMac at home and a laptop at work.1
- Giving Up: Using a work laptop for everything again with a Mac mini as a home server.
I’ve been lucky that every job I’ve had after leaving the Apple Store in 2008 has provided me with a Mac notebook to use as I see fit.
A History of Web Technologies⇢
What’s the most important thing to come out of Switzerland? Chocolate? Clocks? Neutrality? The largest, most expensive scientific experiment in history which may eventually unlock the very secrets of the universe and unify our understanding of the smallest particles with that of the largest of heavenly bodies? No, none of these things. The answer is, of course, is the Internet.
With that intro, Nutter goes on to write one of the best pieces on the history of Web tools that I’ve seen, complete with a look at its future.
Apple Promotes HomeKit on New Webpage⇢
HomeKit has quietly been getting better over the last year or so, and this new page on Apple’s website shows it off well.
However, this came to mind immediately:
Nice website, but the film just showcases to me how much easier it is to tell Alexa to do all the same things. https://t.co/bR994S5Rer
— Scott McNulty (@blankbaby) March 2, 2017
For me, I’m not installing any smart home devices that don’t work with both Alexa and HomeKit.
The 2017 512 Pixels T-shirt: ‘The Back Looks Better Than the Front’
It’s almost spring, and that means it’s time for a new nerdy 512 Pixels t-shirt. This time around, the art is all about the iMac G3:
The original iMac brought Apple back from the brink with a lovable, colorful design.
The quote on the back of the shirt is from Steve Job’s introduction of the machine, and became a joke in Apple keynote for years to come.
The shirts will be on sale until March 16 over at TeeSpring. There are both men’s and women’s options, as well as an unisex long-sleeve because Myke asked for it.