The big news this week is Apple’s release of new MacBook Pros that boast faster performance, a higher RAM ceiling, larger SSD storage, and more—read on for details from Adam Engst. The App Store has turned 10, and while Apple congratulates itself, Adam weighs the pros and cons. Speaking of weighing, Josh Centers engages in some navel-gazing while reviewing the Eufy BodySense smart scale. Notable Mac app releases this week include Security Update 2018-004 (Sierra and El Capitan), iTunes 12.8, Safari 11.1.2, Farrago 1.2, Keyboard Maestro 8.2.2, Luminar 2018 1.3, Bookends 13.1.1, and BBEdit 12.1.5.
A little over a year since the last update, Apple has now released new MacBook Pro models with quad-core and 6-core CPUs, an option for 32 GB of RAM, a True Tone display, a quieter butterfly keyboard, and an Apple T2 chip that enables Hey Siri.
The iOS App Store is celebrating its 10th anniversary, and Apple has posted a self-congratulatory article that gives the App Store credit for everything short of curing cancer. Adam Engst acknowledges the App Store’s success while pointing out that it hasn't been an unalloyed hit.
If you’re watching your weight, the Eufy BodySense helps you track it for about the same price as any other quality digital scale, but it can sync its data to your iPhone and Apple’s Health app.
Watchlist
Patches a number of vulnerabilities in Apple’s last two operating systems. (Free, various sizes)
Adds support for AirPlay 2 multi-room audio and HomePod stereo pairs. (Free, 263 MB)
Resolves multiple WebKit vulnerabilities and patches an address bar spoofing issue. (Free)
Adds MIDI support to Rogue Amoeba's soundboard application. ($39 new, free update, 14.1 MB)
Maintenance release for the automation and clipboard utility with a small collection of tweaks and bug fixes. ($36 new, free update, 22.4 MB)
Enhances the Raw Develop filter with improved handling of the Lens and Transform effects. ($69 new, free update)
Adds support for displaying both citation and bibliography styles in the formatted display pane. ($59.99 new, free update, 49.1 MB)
Bug fix release for the venerable text editor. ($49.99 new, free update, 13.1 MB)
