We’re taking next week’s email issue off in honor of the Memorial Day holiday in the US—look for our next issue on 6 June 2022. In the meantime, AT&T and Verizon customers should be aware of cellular price increases, but will T-Mobile follow suit? We’ll all benefit from new accessibility features that Apple previewed last week—read our coverage and look for them in the company’s WWDC upcoming announcements. In the lead-up to WWDC, Adam Engst shares five enhancements we’d like to see in Apple’s operating systems, and TidBITS readers have added theirs too. What would you like to see? Finally, if you have a Mac made in the last decade that’s no longer useful, consider bringing it into the modern world with Google’s Chrome OS Flex, as Julio Ojeda-Zapata did with his late brother’s 2012 Mac mini. Notable Mac app releases this week include Safari 15.5, SoundSource 5.5.1, Agenda 14.1, Pixelmator Pro 2.4.3, Transmit 5.8.5, PopChar X 9.4, and ChronoSync 10.2.
We’re taking a brief break from building an email issue of TidBITS next week in honor of the Memorial Day holiday in the United States, so look for the next issue in your mailbox on 6 June 2022.
Inflation is making everything more expensive, and wireless plans are no exception. AT&T and Verizon are both hiking prices slightly in response to current economic conditions. Will T-Mobile follow or lure in disgruntled switchers?
Apple has pre-announced some exciting new accessibility features for its future operating systems, several of which may be highly useful for non-disabled users.
Apple will be unveiling new technologies at WWDC 2022, and while some will undoubtedly be welcome, we have additional ideas that we hope will make their way into future versions of Apple’s operating systems.
If you have an old Mac gathering dust, Google may be able to return it to active use. Its free Chrome OS Flex replaces macOS and puts pep back in the Mac’s step. It’s a decent option for families who might want to set up workstations for kids or who just want a dedicated Web machine somewhere in the house.
Watchlist
Patches three WebKit-related security vulnerabilities. (Free, various sizes, macOS 10.15+)
Adds support for Monterey's Shortcuts app with a variety of helpful automations. ($39 new, free update, 26.6 MB, macOS 10.14+)
Updates the date-focused note-taking app with improved spell checking. (Free with $24.99 premium purchase option, 70.3 MB, macOS 10.12+)
Introduces a refurbished Photos browser and adds a few handy workflow improvements. ($39.99 new, free update, 456 MB, macOS 10.15+)
Brings additions, improvements, and bug fixes for the file transfer app. ($45 new, free update, 33.9 MB, macOS 10.15+)
Character discovery and font exploration utility is now a universal app with full native support for M1-based Macs. (€29.99 new, free update, 6.0 MB, macOS 10.10+)
Brings back support for bootable backups on M1-based Macs running macOS 12.4 Monterey. ($49.99 new, free update, 88.2 MB, macOS 10.12+)
