Tag: apple

  • Becky Hansmeyer on iPad Pro

    Becky Hansmeyer: There’s a lot more to like about the iPad Pro, especially if you’re upgrading from an iPad Air 2 like I did. The display is top-notch, ProMotion is one of those things you don’t understand how you lived without, and the Apple Pencil is downright magical. It’s much heavier than the Air, of…

    Continue >

  • Google Pixel Night Sight on a Google Pixel 2 XL compared to iPhone Xs

    My wife has a brand-new iPhone Xs and I have a one-year-old Google Pixel 2 XL. We always compare photos in a variety of situations. When she had the iPhone X my Pixel 2 XL would win handily in a variety of situations. Her new iPhone Xs wins here and there (e.g. in Portrait mode…

    Continue >

  • The iPad is Apple’s best product

    Faruk, of iPhonedo, on iPad: iPads are Apple’s best products. They almost never get old. They work for years. I agree. The iPad is a good investment as a product. Whatever you end up spending on them you get that back and much more. I’m still using my 4+ year old iPad Air 2 and…

    Continue >

  • Snapthread is now free to try

    Becky Hansmeyer: You can use all of the app’s features for free with only two limitations: a watermark in the lower left corner and a 30-second limit for video exports. I’ve mentioned Snapthread in the past. I’m not on iOS anymore, but if I were, I’d use and buy Snapthread in an instant. Looks great.…

    Continue >

  • How to transfer photos from iPhone to Windows 10

    Occasionally I will have need to transfer photos from Eliza’s iPhone X to my Windows 10 laptop. I’ve found the process of transferring the photos to be excruciatingly slow, unreliable, and frustrating. That is, until I figured out a better way. Most tutorials, including Microsoft’s own, will recommend you plug the phone into your computer,…

    Continue >

  • Photos for Mac isn’t a long term photo library option

    Bradley Chambers, writing for 9to5Mac, about his photo library backup strategy: If there is one thing I am obsessed with when it comes to technology, it’s my pictures. I keep them extremely organized and culled. He then goes on to say, regarding his use of iCloud Photo Library as a sort of backup: This service…

    Continue >

  • Spotify vs. Apple Music

    Sean Wolfe, compares Spotify vs. Apple Music for Business Insider: The subscription prices are generally the same, there isn’t much disparity in the music that’s available, and on the surface the services all appear pretty similar. But there are some important differences that will decide which music app is right for you. This is a…

    Continue >

  • My experience buying a Windows laptop

    After 16+ years working, writing, playing, making, listening, watching on a Macintosh, I’m switching back to Windows. Within a few days from today I will no longer be a Mac user. In fact, the only Apple product I will be using regularly will be my 2014 iPad Air 2 which I plan to replace soon.…

    Continue >

  • Om Malik on Google Photos vs Apple Photos

    I’ve finally found some time this morning to read Om Malik’s post on Google Photos vs Apple Photos – a post that has been sitting in my Unmark queue since the day he published it. Om Malik: The improvements in Google Photos and lack of magic in Apple Photos sometimes make me wonder if I…

    Continue >

  • My Everyday Carry, May 2018

    I’ve been meaning to make this list for some time now. Finally, I emptied my backpack and took a photo so that I can make a list of my every day carry. The above items are with me, in my backpack, every single day. Speaking of my backpack. It is a graphite Collins by Brenthaven.…

    Continue >

  • John Carmack’s stories of Steve Jobs

    John Carmack: I wound up doing several keynotes with Steve, and it was always a crazy fire drill with not enough time to do things right, and generally requiring heroic effort from many people to make it happen at all. I tend to think this was also a calculated part of his method.

    Continue >

  • Rob Shecter on switching from iPhone to Pixel 2

    Robb Shecter: Notifications are far better than what I’m used to. They’re are so good, it’s maybe the killer feature for me This may be more of an observation of Android than of the Pixel 2. But I can say that my experience has been similar to Robb’s. I really, really like my Pixel 2 XL…

    Continue >

  • iPhone X sales

    John Gruber: Starting to sound like iPhone X sales really are falling short of expectations. He is referring to this report by Bloomberg. There have been other reports and rumors too but this one seems legit. I have no idea if the iPhone X is selling well or not. I have only seen a few…

    Continue >

  • We’re in phase one of Augmented Reality

    Apple just published a page dedicated to Augmented Reality in the latest versions of iOS. It is a good page overviewing some of the use cases we’re already seeing with AR. This is just the beginning. I’ve written about AR many times, so I won’t reiterate everything today. But look at these use cases and…

    Continue >

  • Technology Dogmatism

    Are you dogmatic about the companies you will buy technology from? Are you an Apple fanboi? Or, perhaps you’ll only run Windows and Apple sucks at everything because reasons. I try not to be that guy. I try to look at the entire field of offerings in every category; hardware, software, cloud services, home entertainment…

    Continue >

  • The Siri pause

    John Gruber, under “miscellaneous” in his review of HomePod: People seem to naturally think they need to pause between saying “Hey Siri” and issuing the command or query, but in my experience you don’t need to. In this review, I’ve been punctuating directives with a comma after “Hey Siri”, but verbally you can speak without…

    Continue >

  • A review of the Google Pixel 2 XL and Android 8.1 by a longtime iPhone user

    After 10 years of using iOS as my primary mobile platform I’ve decided to give Android more than just a casual try. This post is my review both of the Google Pixel 2 XL and Android 8.1 as well as a few comparisons I’ve drawn between iOS and Android ecosystems. I’ve been an Apple fan…

    Continue >

  • Trey Ratcliff switches to Windows 10

    Trey Ratcliff, professional photographer (via the aforementioned Stammy): I converted to Apple over 5 years ago when it was clear to me Apple made the best products for creative professionals. I loved Apple and became a hardcore fanboy. I was all-in. Now, I’m switching back to PCs. The new line of MacBook Pros are not-that-awesome.…

    Continue >

  • Paul Stamatiou switches to Windows 10

    Paul Stamatiou, long, long-time online friend, designer at Twitter, and a hobbyist photographer: I decided it was time to upgrade to something a bit more powerful. This time I decided to build a PC and switch to Windows 10 for my heavy computing tasks. Yes, I switched to Windows. The shift of professionals needing to switch to…

    Continue >

  • Microsoft Office now shares a common codebase

    Erik Schwiebert: Mac Office 2016 version 16 is now live! For the first time in over 20 years, Office is again built out of one codebase for all platforms (Windows, Mac, iOS, Android)! MSFT is dog fooding big time with this latest release of Mac Office. I’ve been enjoying my work within their frameworks and…

    Continue >

  • Snapthread 1.5 Beta

    Becky Hansmeyer: I’m going to do something I’ve never done before: ask people to beta test my app! If you’re interested in being a part of my very first beta test, please either send an email to feedback@beckyhansmeyer.com or DM me on Twitter (@bhansmeyer). All I need to know is what email address you’d like me to…

    Continue >

  • Repost: Becky Hansmeyer re: app icons

    👉 Becky Hansmeyer: Xcode should, by default, generate app icons for all sizes from a single artwork file. That would eliminate such an obvious pain point for app developers and designers.

    Continue >

  • Universal Apple apps

    Mark Gurman, for Bloomberg: Starting as early as next year, software developers will be able to design a single application that works with a touchscreen or mouse and trackpad depending on whether it’s running on the iPhone and iPad operating system or on Mac hardware, according to people familiar with the matter. Remember the many times…

    Continue >

  • Repost: Cabel Sasser re: Apple update caching

    👉 Cabel Sasser on Twitter: macOS 10.13 Tip: have lots of iOS / Mac devices in your house? And a Mac that’s usually on? Turn on "Content Caching" in Sharing prefs, and updates will be downloaded to all your devices from your Mac, saving time and bandwidth. LINK

    Continue >

  • An original iPhone shot – November 2009

    An original iPhone shot – November 2009 The short story behind this photo that I’ve recently stumbled across is that Eliza and I were on a cruise in late-2009. I took my iPhone and she was still lugging around her DSLR. We both snapped a photo at the same time. But, I had never thought…

    Continue >

  • macOS High Sierra security vulnerability

    Dan Moren, reporting on this tweet from Lemi Orhan Ergin: Unsurprisingly, that news has quickly rippled through the Apple community as many people—including yours truly—have verified the claim. You can test it for yourself by going to any locked System Preferences pane, trying to unlock it, and entering username rootwith no password. (The number of…

    Continue >

  • Horace Dediu on Apple Watch revenue

    Horace Dediu: From a revenue point of view, I believe next year’s fourth quarter will see the Watch generating higher revenues than the highest quarter for the iPod. Let that sink in. Amazing. Some flop.

    Continue >

  • Apollo for reddit

    Apollo: Apollo is built by a former Apple employee with feedback from thousands of Redditors to sculpt the best client possible. It features a beautiful, native iOS design, smooth, customizable gestures, fast loading pages, a supercharged Media Viewer experience, a powerful, full Markdown editor, a Jump Bar for lightning-fast navigation, and so much more. You…

    Continue >

  • iOS shelf apps

    Des Paroz: One of the great things about iOS 11 is the multitasking capability, and with it the emergence of so-called ‘shelf’ apps. I had never heard of the term "shelf apps" until I read Des’ post.

    Continue >

  • Repost: Daman Rangoola on Twitter

    👉 Daman Rangoola: Random iOS 11 bug: type 1+2+3 quickly in the stock calculator app, see what happens. Bet it won’t say “6”.

    Continue >

  • Apple picking – October 2017

    Apple picking – October 2017 Eliza and I did some apple picking last weekend. We ate as many as we could while picking and then she made apple butter with our take.

    Continue >

  • Micro.blog for Mac beta

    Micro.blog: Mac users can use the native Micro.blog for Mac app. It’s a free download and supports most of the same features as the iOS version. You can see a short video of it on Manton’s blog. You’ll even notice a rather handsome avatar make an appearance. Unfortunately I cannot give this a spin yet…

    Continue >

  • Spotify’s Discover Weekly Playlist

    Sophia Ciocca: This Monday — just like every Monday— over 100 million Spotify users found a fresh new playlist waiting for them. It’s a custom mixtape of 30 songs they’ve never listened to before but will probably love. It’s called Discover Weekly, and it’s pretty much magic. I’ve mentioned Spotify’s playlists before. They are incredible. They are…

    Continue >

  • Twitterrific for Mac

    Iconfactory: The Twitter app for people who actually use Twitter. Now all-new for macOS. Imagine if Twitter cared as much about their desktop and mobile apps (and the people who used them) as Iconfactory does.

    Continue >

  • Jason Snell on Twitterrific for Mac

    Jason Snell: I started using Twitter because of Twitterrific for Mac. When the Iconfactory first released the app, I signed up for a Twitter account and started chatting with my friends. That was ten years ago. Ditto. I actually started using Twitter via SMS in 2006 then saw it bloom at SXSW in 2007 but…

    Continue >

  • The Apple Watch is less obtrusive than a phone

    Jeremy Keith: I’m always shocked when I’m out and about with someone who has their phone set up to notify them of any activity—a mention on Twitter, a comment on Instagram, or worst of all, an email. The thought of receiving a notification upon receipt of an email gives me the shivers. Me too. I…

    Continue >

  • SnapThread

    SnapThread by Becky Hansmeyer: Portrait video compilations made easy—that’s what SnapThread is all about. Like SnapChat without the network. I’ve long held that SnapChat and Instagram have the best UIs but it is a shame they aren’t just an app. Apple tried to solve this with Clips but that is only square-crop. This app could…

    Continue >

  • Microsoft releases Edge on iOS and Android

    Joe Belfiore: Introducing Microsoft Edge for iOS/Android and Microsoft Launcher for Android, two apps designed to make it easy to move what you’re working on between your phone and PC. Great move. Likely tons of Surface users that also have iPhones and definitely have Android devices. The Launcher is an interesting move. I’m anxious to…

    Continue >

  • Ryan Lau on iOS 11’s inconsistencies

    Ryan Lau: The unfinished feeling in iOS 11 mostly comes from UI and animation. UI elements in iOS are quite inconsistent, mixing a variety of UI elements, which might look quite similar but introduce a disconnected feeling for UX. The inconsistency of those elements majorly stems from those UI element updated in iOS 11, such…

    Continue >

  • Dave Mark on Apple Music

    Dave Mark, writing for The Loop: To me, the biggest issue with Apple Music is the depth of the user experience. For example, with For You, the on-boarding is primitive, at best. I never felt steered towards my deepest musical tastes. And as I listened to music, even as I diligently favorited my best loved…

    Continue >

  • Browser struggle

    In the opening scene of It Might Get Loud, Jack White fashions himself an instrument from a single guitar string, a glass Coke bottle, a piece of wood, and a few nails. He goes on to describe how he appreciates an instrument that he has to physically struggle with in order to force it to…

    Continue >

  • First day with Apple Watch Series 3 (audio)

    Recorded on September 22, 2017. I’ve been writing a lot about the Apple Watch Series 3. So, of course, you want to hear me yack about it. Enjoy. Download

    Continue >

  • Apple Watch sales so far

    Horace Dediu, doing what he does best: Overall, about 33 million Apple Watch units have been sold since launch and they generated about $12 billion in sales. Coupled with a 95% customer satisfaction score, altogether, this has been a great success story. But only 2.5 years in, it’s still act one. An incredible beginning for…

    Continue >

  • Marco Arment on needed watchOS updates

    Marco Arment: But limitations in watchOS 4 make it impossible to deliver standalone podcast playback with the basic functionality and quality that people expect. His post focused on updates that are needed for podcast apps to make sense on watchOS. After using the Apple Watch Series 3 while traveling for the weekend I expect to…

    Continue >

  • How to save battery life on the Apple Watch Series 3

    Follow me on Twitter. And be sure to read my blog. The following tips are very likely no-brainer battery saving tips for most of you and I’ve only used my Apple Watch Series 3 for a single day so feel free to completely ignore me. However! Here is my current strategy for saving battery power:…

    Continue >

  • Austin Mann’s iPhone 8 Plus camera review

    Austin Mann: While the iPhone 8 Plus looks essentially the same as the phone we’ve had since the 6 Plus, there are some new features in the 8 Plus which really impact creative pros across the board — most notably Portrait Lighting, along with a few other hidden gems. As per usual for Austin, he…

    Continue >

  • Pre-Apple Watch chat (audio)

    Listen to me ramble on about the Apple Watch for a few minutes. Download

    Continue >

  • WatchDots

    WatchDots: Personalize the look of your Apple Watch™ Sport with WatchDots™. Available in a variety of colors, WatchDots™ are precision cut, durable and thin. This is how the Apple Watch™ Sport should look. Personally, I have no issue with the red dot on the Series 3. We’ll see what I think once I have one…

    Continue >

  • Serenity Caldwell on Apple Watch Series 3 \”LTE issues\”

    Serenity Caldwell: In any case, no, this isn’t a problem with the watch’s Cellular service. It’s an existing issue that’s just suddenly become extremely relevant. Glad to see that it is very likely going to be solved in short order. My bet is that there are a few people at Apple that are going to…

    Continue >

  • John Gruber on Apple Watch Series 3

    John Gruber: Apple Watch Series 3 with cellular networking completely alleviates this anxiety. It is not a replacement for a phone, and is not supposed to be. But it lets you leave your phone at home when you go for a run, or in your locker while you’re at the gym, or in your hotel…

    Continue >