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.
Apple has announced that pre-orders for its Vision Pro “spatial computer” will open on 19 January 2024, with the headset shipping two weeks later. Will you be ordering one?
Researchers have come up with a way to estimate how many videos there are on YouTube and various metrics surrounding them. It's a fascinating look into a site that has become an integral part of many people's lives.
After upgrading one of his Macs to macOS 14 Sonoma, Adam Engst ran into problems with Time Machine, which refused to back up until iCloud Drive had finished syncing and continued to balk even after the sync had seemingly finished. The problem? A seldom-used troubleshooting account that also had to finish syncing.
For additional background and color surrounding the Wall Street Journal’s reporting on iPhone passcode thefts, watch Joanna Stern’s interview with a convicted thief.
A handful of iOS and iPadOS updates address unspecified bugs, and the update to macOS 14.2.1 Sonoma fixes a bug that could share random windows via Screen Sharing.
Fans of professional and college teams across major sports leagues may appreciate the addition of The Athletic to Apple News+. Apple said content from Wirecutter would also be available to all Apple News users starting in 2024.
In keeping with our tradition, we’re going to take a few weeks off to spend time with family and friends over the holidays. You can expect the next email issue of TidBITS on 8 January 2024. Thanks for reading TidBITS, and we hope our articles enriched your year!
If you have purchased a smart TV recently, beware that it probably shares everything that appears onscreen with its makers. Here are instructions for turning off this privacy-abusing technology for three major smart TV platforms.
An ITC import ban has caused Apple to stop selling its new Apple Watch Series 9 and Apple Watch Ultra 2 in the US. Order soon if you want one, or choose an Apple Watch SE, which remains for sale.
The Wall Street Journal reports that Apple will introduce a new feature, Stolen Device Protection, to deter the kind of significant digital damage that iPhone passcode thieves have inflicted on victims.
Although the addition of the iPhone 15 lineup and Macs using the M2 family of chips to Self Service Repair is welcome, the release of the remote Apple Diagnostics for Self Service Repair troubleshooting tool is more interesting.
Apple has released iOS 17.2, iPadOS 17.2, macOS 14.2 Sonoma, watchOS 10.2, and tvOS 17.2 with notable improvements and several features promised early in the year. HomePod Software 17.2 received only unspecified bug fixes. Apple also published security updates for iOS 16.7.3, iPadOS 16.7.3, macOS 13.6.3 Ventura, and macOS 12.7.2 Monterey.
This week’s Do You Use It? poll asks how heavily you use widgets in various places on the iPhone, iPad, Mac, and Apple Watch. Have they become a core part of your Apple experience, or are they another feature you barely use?
If you try to print using the Lists style in Contacts in macOS 14 Sonoma, Contacts will freeze and require force-quitting. Worse, if Contacts gets stuck on Lists style, you won’t be able to print at all. Here’s how to recover.
If you've longed to carry on Zoom video calls on your Apple TV, the just-released Zoom app for the Apple TV should make that possible, assuming you have at least a second-generation Apple TV and an iPhone or iPad to use with Continuity Camera.