Start Monday off right: with some beige upgrades.
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Mac Power Users 785: First of All, I’m David Sparks⇢
This week on MPU, David and I talk about failed purchase migrations, talk more about notifications, experience the power of old-school blogging, and discuss something new in the Sparks driveway.
Apple Disabling Advanced Data Protection in UK to Avoid Building Government-Mandated Backdoor⇢
Earlier this month, the UK government demanded access to encrypted data stored on Apple servers. This demand was worldwide in scope, and would have required Apple building a backdoor into its encryption scheme for iCloud and related services.
Today, Apple has responded by announcing it will disable Advanced Data Protection in the UK. ADP is the optional setting that adds end-to-end encryption for iCloud data, device backups, message backups, and more.
I Wonder What Happened to That Mac Pro⇢
I just hope DOGE doesn’t find the machine.
More on the C1⇢
Stephen Nellis at Reuters, writing about Apple’s new cell modem:
The C1 subsystem is the most complex technology Apple has ever built, with a baseband modem manufactured with advanced 4-nanometer chipmaking technology and a transceiver made with 7-nanometer technology, Johny Srouji, Apple’s senior vice president of hardware technologies, said in an interview at one of Apple’s silicon labs in Sunnyvale, California.
The chips had to be tested with 180 carriers in 55 countries to ensure they will work in all the places Apple ships iPhones.
Connected 540: Itsa Sixtini⇢
There’s a new iPhone in town. It’s not what you think…
Beyond the new 16e, the guys discuss the end of Humane, the future of Siri, and quite a bit of feedback.
Apple Announces the iPhone 16e⇢
As predicted, there is a new iPhone out today; the iPhone 16e is here:
Apple today announced iPhone 16e, a new addition to the iPhone 16 lineup that offers powerful capabilities at a more affordable price. iPhone 16e delivers fast, smooth performance and breakthrough battery life, thanks to the industry-leading efficiency of the A18 chip and the new Apple C1, the first cellular modem designed by Apple. iPhone 16e is also built for Apple Intelligence, the intuitive personal intelligence system that delivers helpful and relevant intelligence while taking an extraordinary step forward for privacy in AI. The 48MP Fusion camera takes gorgeous photos and videos, and with an integrated 2x Telephoto, it is like having two cameras in one, so users can zoom in with optical quality. When outside of cellular and Wi-Fi coverage, Apple’s groundbreaking satellite features — including Emergency SOS, Roadside Assistance, Messages, and Find My via satellite — help iPhone 16e users stay connected and get assistance when it matters most.
Callsheet 2025.2⇢
Since shortly after Callsheet was released, my #1 request from my users has been the same thing: pins are great, but can we have multiple lists of pins?
Today is the day.
Over the last few days, Callsheet 2025.2 has been quietly rolling out to users. While there is a lot in this release, the headline feature is the ability to make multiple lists of pins. If you have Callsheet installed, and it hasn’t updated, you can open it in the App Store and force your device to update it.
Turns Out, You Can’t Spell ‘Humane AI Pin’ Without HP⇢
Jay Peters, writing at The Verge:
Humane is selling most of its company to HP for $116 million and will stop selling AI Pin, the company announced today.
AI Pins that have already been purchased will continue to function normally until 3PM ET on February 28th, Humane says in a support document. After that date, Pins will “no longer connect to Humane’s servers.” As a result, AI Pin features will “no longer include calling, messaging, AI queries / responses, or cloud access.” Humane is also encouraging users to download any pictures, videos, and notes stored on their Pins before they are permanently deleted at that shutdown time.
Sponsor: Unite 5 Turns Web Apps Into Supercharged macOS Apps⇢
Unite 5 for macOS takes your web experience to the next level, transforming websites into feature-rich Mac apps. Powered by a completely redesigned WebKit browser, Unite 5 offers a more immersive and customizable browsing experience.
What sets Unite 5 apart? We’ve gone beyond just app conversion. Our new intricate link-forwarding rules give you unparalleled control over web interactions, making your web apps smarter and more integrated than ever before.
Mac Power Users 784: Exploring AI & Productivity, with Michael Hyatt⇢
Michael Hyatt returns to talk with Stephen and David about the various tools in ChatGPT, including the ability to build custom GPTs. Michael also shares some of his other favorite AI-powered tools and some of his concerns about the future of AI.
Hell Didn’t Freeze Over After All⇢
Considering the trajectory of 2025 so far, perhaps we should’ve known that Netflix finally playing nice with the Apple TV app was too good to be true. And now the streaming giant has confirmed that’s exactly the case.
Netflix spokesperson MoMo Zhou has told The Verge that this morning’s window where Netflix appeared as a “participating” service in Apple TV — including temporary support for the watchlist and “continue watching” features — was an error and has now been rolled back. That’s a shame. The jubilation in our comments on the original story was palpable.