The original iPhone was introduced ten years ago today. Here’s some stuff you should send to your read-it-later service:
Apple: iPhone at Ten » The company that used to never look back looks back yet again.
Internet History Podcast: The History of the iPhone » How we got from Newton to iPhone. Also, the ROKR was a thing.
The Prompt #30: The Internet in Your Pocket » Three years ago, Myke Hurley, Federico Viticci and I spent over two hours walking through the iPhone keynote.
(The original Mac had 128 kilobytes of RAM, not megabytes. I misspoke in the video. Sorry about that.)
Anyways, I’m a big fan of this watch stand. You can grab one on Amazon for just $15.
Apple’s iTunes affiliate program can earn you commissions when you link to apps, movies, TV shows, music, books, and other media. The trouble is, creating those links is a hassle on iOS. Blink, by Squibner, solves that with easy-to-use search and link conversion.
Blink’s search functionality puts Apple’s iTunes stores at your fingertips. Run a search for media, then tap the result you want. Blink does all the hard work of generating an affiliate link that includes your affiliate program credentials.
Karan Varindani, on the new TV.app on the Apple TV:
I think that sums up how I feel about Apple’s latest TV offering: It removes so much minor irritation and is leaps and bounds better to navigate than any other individual app out there, but it doesn’t have nearly enough support from networks and other content providers right now, and it’ll ultimately fail without them.
Agreed.
My YouTube suggestions list is a wonderful place. This gem recently popped up. It’s a recap of the original iMac keynote coupled with the coverage done by Computer Chronicles on the machine:
Update: Tony Fadell spoke to Nilay Patel about this device. It’s fascinating.
Sonny Dickson has unearthed something very special:
While it has always been known that Apple considered a variety of ideas when they were deciding to enter the mobile phone market (with ex employees discussing it behind closed doors, as seen in this Cult Of Mac article, not much was known about alternate versions of the iPhone until now.
Much like the first production iPhone, the prototype features many of the same features including an aluminum chassis, multi-touch compatible screen, 2G connectivity and WiFi radios. However, despite carrying a similar design, the phone itself is extremely different from the iPhone we know today.
Earlier this week, an Imgur user named Greatease uploaded some photos that explain the key difference between an Apple SuperDrive and a run-of-the-mill optical drive. Namely that his or her SuperDrive had a US penny wedged underneath the plastic cover.
As an isolated incident, finding money crammed into a rapidly-spinning computer part is of course strange. Did it fall in? Is it serving some crucial operational purpose? Thing is, Greatease is far from the only person to discover loose change in their optical drive.
Other World Computing has announced a new accessory for the 2016 MacBook Pro, as explained by Matt Gonzalez at MacRumors:
The DEC attaches to the bottom of the MacBook Pro by replacing the screws that hold on the bottom plate. This method won’t void your warranty, but it will allow for the dock to be securely attached at all times.
[…]
When considering the functionality of the dock, the size and weight compromises may be worth it. The DEC connects to the MacBook Pro over Thunderbolt 3 and will bring USB Type-A ports, Gigabit Ethernet, an SD Card Slot, and up to 4TB of storage. Additional features are also being considered, such as an expanded battery pack.
Jacob Kastrenakes at The Verge:
Apple never shows up to CES, but the last couple years, it’s still managed to have a quiet presence through HomeKit. That’s true this year, too, but it’s been really quiet, failing to drum up anywhere near the excitement of something like Amazon’s Alexa.
[…]
CES is where that tends to change, as companies building HomeKit gadgets turn up to show off their newest products. This year, there are more than a dozen companies presenting HomeKit devices — but, for better or worse, they’re all pretty boring.
Myke, Federico and Stephen draft their predictions for Apple’s 2017 before talking a little bit about some resolutions for the new year, tech-related and otherwise.
Between me and you, some of Myke’s predictions are way out there. My thanks to our sponsors this week:
I’ve been thinking more about the Mac’s place in the world, and there’s more to worry about than “just” the hardware.
Let’s talk about macOS’ release cycle. Here’s when every major version was released, and how long until it was replaced:
| Release | Date | Time on Market |
|---|---|---|
| Public Beta | September 2000 | 6 months |
| 10.0 Cheetah | March 2001 | 6 months |
| 10.1 Puma | September 2001 | 11 months |
| 10.2 Jaguar | August 2002 | 14 months |
| 10.3 Panther | October 2003 | 18 months |
| 10.4 Tiger | April 2005 | 30 months |
| 10.5 Leopard | October 2007 | 22 months |
| 10.6 Snow Leopard | August 2009 | 23 months |
| 10.7 Lion | July 2011 | 12 months |
| 10.8 Mountain Lion | July 2012 | 15 months |
| 10.9 Mavericks | October 2013 | 12 months |
| 10.10 Yosemite | October 2014 | 11 months |
| 10.11 El Capitan | September 2015 | 12 months |
| 10.12 Sierra | September 2016 | — |
