Apple had a busy week. The company posted record revenues and profits for its third fiscal quarter and then terminated affiliate fees for Mac and iOS app sales. Adam Engst sees this move as unnecessary, mean-spirited, and harmful. Also this week, Josh Centers shares tips about how to teach Siri about the people in your life and explores what the new USB Restricted Mode in iOS 11.4.1 means for you. Notable Mac app releases this week include Bookends 13.1.2, Cardhop 1.1.3, and ScreenFlow 8.0.
Apple has posted yet another record-breaking third quarter, thanks in large part to the iPhone X’s high price tag and the company’s ever-increasing Services revenue.
Like most small children, Siri doesn’t know how people are related and it often has trouble pronouncing names correctly. Learn how to teach Apple’s personal assistant about relationships, nicknames, and proper pronunciations.
USB Restricted Mode is a new security feature in iOS 11.4.1, but it can have some unintended consequences. Josh Centers explains what it is, how it works, why it exists, and how you can turn it off if necessary.
As of 1 October 2018, Apple will stop paying affiliate fees on apps purchased through recommendation links. It’s a small-minded, unpleasant move that can’t benefit Apple in any significant way but will hurt many small publishers, although TidBITS won’t be affected.
Watchlist
Major upgrade of screencast recording and video editing app with new Templates and Styles features, plus access to an integrated Stock Media Library. ($129 new, upgrade pricing available, 110 MB)
Adds a floating citation feature that is available when using a word processor, Scrivener, DEVONthink, or Tinderbox. ($59.99 new, free update, 49.4 MB)
Adds support for Instagram as a social profile type. ($19.99 new, free update, 11.1 MB)