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Adam Engst 19 comments

Do You Use It? Podcast Apps

This week’s Do You Use It? poll asks what podcast app you prefer, Apple’s Podcasts or one from an independent developer. Or do you not listen to podcasts at all?

Adam Engst 9 comments

Follow These Steps to Clear Space on Your Mac

Apple no longer makes it easy to tell precisely how much free space is available on your Mac, but you know when you don’t have enough. Adam Engst offers (and explains) 21 simple steps to clear space quickly.

Adam Engst 3 comments

Walmart Sells M1 MacBook Air for $699

The M1 MacBook Air is back! After seemingly being dropped by Apple after the launch of the M3 MacBook Air, Walmart has picked up the base model of the M1 MacBook Air to sell at a low price.

Glenn Fleishman 4 comments

Newspaper Cartoonists Rely on Digital Tools, but Not as You’d Expect

You might think that modern cartoonists would create their strips using digital drawing tools, but in fact, many still rely on traditional pens and brushes. Glenn Fleishman explored the surprising way that cartoonists meld the old with the new as part of the research for a new book, How Comics Were Made.

Adam Engst 3 comments

The Last Man Standing in the Floppy Disk Business

Floppy disks may not be seeing a revival like vinyl records, but they’re still in demand by hobbyists and manufacturers—medical, aviation, embroidery—that created long-lived machines during the heyday of the floppy. Learn more from the man still serving those customers.

Adam Engst 11 comments

Text-to-Podcast Service Listen Later Sponsoring TidBITS

Please welcome our latest long-term TidBITS sponsor, Listen Later. Email an article URL to this innovative Internet service, and it cleanly converts the article text into a custom podcast episode in your favorite podcast app.

Adam Engst 1 comment

Federico Viticci’s Hacked-Together Mac-iPad Convertible

In a stunning feat of hackery, Federico Viticci of MacStories removed the screen from a MacBook Air and replaced it with a detachable iPad for the best of both worlds… and a better Mac Virtual Display for the Vision Pro.

Adam Engst 3 comments

Vision Pro’s Single-User Nature Hampers Apple’s Healthcare Aspirations

Apple is making much of the opportunities for the Vision Pro in healthcare, but it’s hard to see them making a significant impact while the Vision Pro remains a single-user device both digitally and physically.

Adam Engst 38 comments

Apple Releases macOS 14.4, watchOS 10.4, tvOS 17.4, HomePod Software 17.4, and visionOS 1.1

After the release of iOS 17.4 and iPadOS 17.4 earlier in the week, there was little question that Apple would soon push out updates to the rest of its operating systems. That has now happened, and we recommend updating quickly to protect against several zero-day vulnerabilities.

Adam Engst 21 comments

iOS 17.4 and iPadOS 17.4 Add Podcast Transcripts, Fix Zero-Day Vulnerabilities

Apple has released updates to the last three versions of iOS and iPadOS, adding features and fixing security vulnerabilities in iOS/iPadOS 17, addressing vulnerabilities in iOS/iPadOS 16, and fixing bugs in iOS/iPadOS 15.

Adam Engst 45 comments

New M3 MacBook Air Models Can Drive Two Displays

Apple has introduced M3 versions of the 13-inch and 15-inch MacBook Air, increasing performance, enabling them to drive two external displays, and updating them to more modern wireless networking standards.

Adam Engst 3 comments

Apple Hit with $2 Billion EU Fine for App Store Restrictions

The European Commission has fined Apple about $2 billion for preventing app developers from telling iOS users about alternative and cheaper music subscription options outside their apps. Apple is appealing.

Adam Engst 6 comments

Do You Use It? How TidBITS Readers Install macOS Updates

The results of our poll asking how TidBITS readers engage with macOS updates reveal that most people stick with Apple’s default settings and follow our advice about how quickly to install. That’s good!

Adam Engst 45 comments

Apple Reportedly Cancels Electric Car Project

So much for Project Titan and our fantasy of driving an Apple Car, but many of the affected employees will move to Apple’s artificial intelligence division to work on generative AI.

Adam Engst 74 comments

Do You Use It? Software Update on the Mac

This week's Do You Use It? poll asks several questions about how when and how you install macOS updates.