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Adam Engst 3 comments

iCloud Private Relay Down: Here’s How to Turn It Off to Avoid Connectivity Problems

Apple’s iCloud Private Relay traffic anonymization service is down for some users, causing various connectivity problems in Safari and other apps. If you’re experiencing problems, turn off iCloud Private Relay temporarily.

Adam Engst 3 comments

Solar Inverter Connectivity Problem Reveals Weak Troubleshooting

After failing to reestablish Internet connectivity for his solar panel inverters following a spate of power outages, Adam Engst finally figured out the problem with the help of a support tech who made him break it down into its constituent parts. Read on to learn from his mistakes.

Adam Engst 12 comments

Apple Maps on the Web Appears in Beta

We may soon get better sharing of Apple Maps location links with Windows users thanks to the beta of Maps on the Web.

Adam Engst 1 comment

Crash Caused by Apple Mail’s Previous Recipients Window and Editing in Contacts

Mail will crash if you open its Previous Recipients window and then edit a contact in Contacts. This bug has existed since macOS 12 Monterey and continues to plague the betas of macOS 15 Sequoia.

Adam Engst 38 comments

What Should Apple Users Take Away from the CrowdStrike Debacle?

By now, you’ve heard of the CrowdStrike update bug that wreaked havoc on Windows-based PCs around the world. It didn’t affect Macs, and it’s unlikely that something similar could. What about iPhones and iPads? Will the industry learn from this debacle or continue with business as usual?

Adam Engst 2 comments

Steve Jobs’s Predictions from the 1983 International Design Conference

As part of a new digital exhibit, the Steve Jobs Archive has released a video of Jobs addressing designers at an industry conference in Aspen. Although it’s interesting to look back at the time, it’s also fascinating to see how accurate his predictions were.

Adam Engst 3 comments

Backblaze Raises Its Fully Refundable Price for Restoration Drives

Online backup service Backblaze will soon increase the fee it charges to restore data by shipping you a USB hard drive from $189 to $279. However, the change is largely moot since the company refunds the full amount when you return the drive.

Adam Engst 8 comments

Apple Opens Public Betas for macOS 15 Sequoia, iOS 18, iPadOS 18, watchOS 11, tvOS 18, and HomePod Software 18

Apple has opened the public beta program for its forthcoming 2024 operating systems. Remember, these aren’t meant for everyday use. Only install them on devices that you can dedicate to testing!

Adam Engst No comments

Apple Explains How to Identify Social Engineering Attacks

Apple has updated a support document with helpful advice about how to identify and report social engineering attacks such as phishing messages, phony support calls, and more. Share it widely!

Adam Engst 6 comments

The Real System Requirements for Apple’s 2024 Operating Systems

Apple’s upcoming operating systems have good historical hardware support, but devils dance in the details. Two MacBook Airs, three iPads, and three Apple Watches fall by the wayside this year. Older devices that are generally compatible won’t be able to take advantage of all the new features. Read on to find out what your devices will support.

Adam Engst 3 comments

Adam Engst Joining CCATP Podcast Regularly

If you like TidBITS and Apple tech podcasts, take note: Adam Engst is now a regular contributor to Allison Sheridan’s Chit Chat Across the Pond podcast. For the inaugural episode, they talk about how to avoid missing calendar and reminder notifications and a slew of related topics.

Adam Engst 10 comments

TUAW Joins iLounge as an AI-Powered Zombie Site 

The Unofficial Apple Weblog, an early player in the Apple blogosphere that has been defunct for a decade, has been revived as an AI-powered site that rewrites content from other sites. iLounge suffered the same fate. Avoid both sites from now on.

Adam Engst 4 comments

Fast Company’s View of the Internet in 1994, Expanded by “Internet Explorer’s Kit for Macintosh”

Curious about what the Internet was like 30 years ago, in 1994? Fast Company has published an article looking at 15 websites from that year, but for a much more comprehensive (and amusing) view, check out the “Internet Explorer’s Kit for Macintosh” book by Adam Engst and Bill Dickson, now available online.

Adam Engst 25 comments

Why AI Web Scraping (Mostly) Doesn’t Bother Me

Despite the seemingly universal outrage about tech companies scraping the open Web to train their models, Adam Engst finds himself largely unperturbed. 

Adam Engst 6 comments

Just Due It: Persistent Notifications for Tasks

In his continuing search for apps that don’t let you forget something because you missed a single notification, Adam Engst looks at Due, which provides persistent notifications for reminders on all your Apple devices.