Adam Engst
Adam C. Engst is the publisher of TidBITS. He has written numerous books, including the best-selling Internet Starter Kit series, and many magazine articles thanks to Contributing Editor positions at MacUser, MacWEEK, and now Macworld. His innovations include the creation of the first advertising program to support an Internet publication in 1992, the first flat-rate accounts for graphical Internet access in 1993, and the Take Control electronic book series now owned and operated by alt concepts. His awards include the MDJ Power 25 ranking as the most influential person in the Macintosh industry outside of Apple every year since 2000, inclusion on the MacTech 25 list of influential people in the Macintosh technical community, and being named one of MacDirectory's top ten visionaries. And yes, he has been turned into an action figure.
In a welcome change from pundits pontificating, Apple executives Craig Federighi and Greg Joswiak appeared on John Gruber’s The Talk Show podcast to discuss the company’s announcements at WWDC 2020.
Through a series of circumstances, Adam Engst ended up with both a pair of AirPods and a pair of AirPods Pro. When free to choose one or the other at any time, which did he pick? The answer—and what he recommends—might surprise you.
Don’t have nearly 2 hours to watch the WWDC keynote, fast-paced though it was? Former Macworld and iMore editor Serenity Caldwell narrates a highly edited summary that covers the key points in less than 90 seconds.
The rumors finally came true. At the WWDC keynote, Apple announced that the Mac would be transitioning to custom-designed Apple processors along the lines of those that power the iPad Pro. The first such Mac should be available by the end of this year, with the full transition taking about two years.
The Slow Mo Guys have published a YouTube video with slow-motion, highly magnified footage of an Apple Watch ejecting water. Well worth a look.
Backblaze’s annual poll asking how often people back up their data shows small improvements across the board. But the percentage of people who either don’t back up at all or back up once a year or less is still far too high.
In the unfortunate event that a family member dies without sharing passwords or other Apple account information, there’s still a way to get Apple to provide access. Read on for details.
Essayist Craig Mod points out that the fit and finish of software isn’t on par with what today’s tech companies are doing in hardware. He suggests that developers need to refocus on their craft.
Did you know that Apple automatically deletes iCloud backups of your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch 6 months after the last backup was made? Even when you continue to pay for iCloud storage space? Neither did we, and while it’s not a common problem, plenty of people have suffered from it.
If you’re regretting not being able to hold an in-person celebration for a birthday, graduation, retirement, or other special occasion, check out the online service Kudoboard. It provides a multimedia version of the greeting card that’s passed around and signed by a group.
In response to and in support of the protests surrounding the killing of George Floyd, Apple dedicated the Apple Music user interface to a statement in solidarity with Black communities, curated a collection of movies addressing racism in Apple TV, and published an open letter from Tim Cook.
Apple has released updates to macOS, iOS, iPadOS, watchOS, and tvOS to address a security vulnerability in the kernel that could allow an app to execute arbitrary code with kernel privileges. Update soon!
Confused by President Trump’s executive order aimed at rolling back liability protections given to online forums? The Verge’s Adi Robertson gives the order a line-by-line read to provide context, background, and a reality check.
Apple has released macOS 10.15.5 Catalina with a new battery health management feature for recent Mac laptops, along with a necessary option for Group FaceTime, calibration for the Pro Display XDR, and a smattering of bug and security fixes.
At long last, Spotify has removed the restriction that prevented subscribers from adding more than 10,000 tracks to their libraries. If Apple opens the HomePod up to third-party music apps in iOS 14, Adam Engst might take another look.