Pebble, maker of what most would argue is the first usable smartwatch, is on the defensive:
I would be too, I suppose, but their current messaging sure comes across as … immature.
posts
The best Markdown writing app for the Mac⇢
Matt Reich, for The Sweet Setup:
There’s no shortage of Markdown editors to choose from, and many of them are fantastic. We think Byword is the best of the bunch because it hits the sweet spot between simplicity and functionality. Byword offers a calm writing environment, yet has just enough features under the hood enough to make you a happy and more productive writer.
Apple posts bash updates
They can be downloaded now from Apple’s support site:
Closing out September⇢
Instead of running RSS sponsorships this month, I’m raising funds to support of St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital as part of Childhood Cancer Awareness Month. Click here to learn more and donate.
A month ago, I set out with a goal to raise $1,000 for St. Jude, but, thanks to you, as of this writing, we’ve raised over $12,000. I’m amazed and humbled by your generosity and support for a facility that is truly unparalleled in mission and scope. Thank you.
A Look at Apple’s iLife and iWork Software Boxes
While my kids may never believe it, software used to come in boxes. While the iLife and iWork brands are all but gone today, the retail boxes Apple used to package their CDs and DVDs are even more distant of a memory for most.
iLife
iWork
On using OS 9 in 2014⇢
Andrew Cunningham has learned what I did back in 2008: while OS 9 is fun to play with, it’s terrible for getting actual work done.
iPhone 6 review follow-up
I wanted to follow up on some open items that have come up since I published my iPhone 6 review.
- I finally got some photos of my space gray iPhone 6 up over on Flickr.
- I ordered the black leather Apple case for my iPhone. It arrived today, and my first impressions are positive. I haven’t put a case on an iPhone since my original phone in 2007, but the 6 is just too thin and slippery for me to be comfortable. The case is lightweight and thin, but time will tell if I stick with it.
- Today, David Sparks let me show off what’s on the home screen of my iPhone. Filling a new row of apps was harder than I thought; but as always, I’ve left an empty row above the Dock for a little breathing room.
iPhone 6 torture chamber⇢
This is almost as cool as those radio testing rooms Apple shared with the press a couple of years ago.
Orson Welles of the Genre⇢
The most recent episode of Electric Shadow over on the ESN podcast network is a great one about Apple’s events on the whole:
Apple has been using cinematic techniques in their events and ads since 1984. Horace Dediu, Jason Snell, and John Gruber discuss the story Apple has told on screens for 30 years: one of engineering thriving on dynamic creativity.
My favorite Pixar film, Wall-E, gets a shoutout as well. Go check it out.
Review: the iPhone 6
I — like many of you — am now carrying a space grey 64 GB iPhone 6.
In many ways, this is a hard device to review. Not only is my feedback limited to one of the two new devices, but by making the difference between the two basically a physical one, Apple has introduced choice and personal preference into the equation.
Of course, that something that Jobs-era Apple did, but in small ways. The iPod nano has been sold in about two dozen different shades, but always one size. With the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus (not to mention the endlessly-customizable Apple Watch), Apple is putting more control in the consumer’s hands than ever before.
The Divine Comedy of Homescreens⇢
I’m out with a new baby, but on this week’s show, Myke and The Teech talk about the iPhone 6 Plus and the end of the year-long #cleanmyke campaign.
Sponsored by:
On iOS 8’s built-in time lapse feature⇢
Dan Provost:
On Apple’s website, they claim that in time-lapse mode, “iOS 8 does all the work, snapping photos at dynamically selected intervals.” When I first read this, I thought they were doing something super fancy, like monitoring the frame for movement and only snapping a picture when something changes. On deeper reflection, this would be a bad idea. Time-lapse videos look best when they are buttery smooth, and dynamically selecting intervals in this fashion would create a jittery and jerky video. So what does Apple mean by “dynamically selected intervals”?