Ever wondered why Apple’s Internet services always focus on personal data syncing instead of on community or collaboration? Michael Cohen suggests that it’s the result of something that Steve Jobs believed even before he returned to Apple. Key to that vision today is ubiquitous Wi-Fi, but as we all know, Wi-Fi isn’t always reliable. If your Mac is having trouble maintaining a Wi-Fi connection, consultant Alicia Katz Pollock suggests some solutions. And if you’re among those who are perturbed by iTunes, Kirk McElhearn puts the Vox minimalist music player to the test. Locations and dates for MacTech BootCamp III events around the U.S. and Canada have been announced (with a discount for TidBITS readers), and we have another exciting DealBITS drawing this week: a chance to win a copy of the Art Text 2 vector illustration program (a $19.99 value). Finally, the Sochi 2014 Winter Olympics are now in full swing, so Josh Centers takes a look at some of the best ways to follow along online and via iOS apps in his latest FunBITS column. Notable software releases this week include Mellel 3.3, Evernote 5.5, Voila 3.7, and Downcast 1.0.6.
Consultants and other Apple techs looking for training, networking, and professional credentials can find all three at the upcoming MacTech BootCamp III events, which take place roughly monthly in different cities in the United States and Canada.
If you would like to create your own logos, buttons, and other text- and icon-based graphics without learning Photoshop, check out this week’s DealBITS drawing for a chance to win a copy of BeLight Software’s Art Text 2.4.6.
Your Mac’s Wi-Fi should automatically connect to a remembered network when you turn on or wake up your Mac. But sometimes you have to remind it how.
Vox promises a simplified alternative to iTunes, but how does it hold up for serious music fans? Kirk McElhearn, author of “Take Control of iTunes 11: The FAQ,” puts it to the test.
The roots of iCloud go back to Steve Jobs’s days at NeXT, and the vision that drives it is insanely Steve, and only ever so slightly social, communal, and collaborative.
The Winter Olympics are here again, and there are more ways to follow them now than ever.
Notable software releases this week include Mellel 3.3, Evernote 5.5, Voila 3.7, and Downcast 1.0.6.
This week in ExtraBITS, Microsoft has named Satya Nadella, executive vice president of the company’s Cloud and Enterprise group, as its new CEO. The bad news for Microsoft is that even North Korea doesn’t want to copy its products anymore, as the latest version of the regime’s official Linux distribution has ditched the Windows look for a more Mac-like theme. What would Steve Jobs have thought? Who knows, but he apparently wanted Sony to install Mac OS X on its VAIO line of computers. NBC tried to shock us with claims of hacking at the Sochi Olympics, but the entire report turned out to be completely fabricated. Finally, Apple is buying back its stock at a deep discount, and CEO Tim Cook has promised new product categories for this year.