Happy New Year! Alas, Apple didn’t start 2019 on a positive note, warning of lower than anticipated revenues due to slower sales in China—we look at what might be affecting iPhone upgrades. Are you dealing with RSI pain in your arm? Josh Centers recommends an armrest mouse pad that might help. He also explains how iOS 12’s Screen Time feature can help you—or your kids—get a handle on out-of-control iPhone or iPad usage. Looking for a fun podcast listen? Adam and Tonya were guests on the Mac Admins podcast, and another episode featured Apple employees speaking in public, a rare occurrence. Finally, Julio Ojeda-Zapata reviews Luna Display, a USB dongle that lets you use an iPad as a second screen for your Mac. Notable Mac app releases in the past few weeks include Fission 2.4.5, BusyCal 3.5.7 and BusyContacts 1.3.2, Audio Hijack 3.5.6, 1Password 7.2.4, Bookends 13.1.5, Evernote 7.7, EagleFiler 1.8.5, SpamSieve 2.9.35, HandBrake 1.2.0, and VLC Media Player 3.0.5.
For the first time in 18 years, Apple has revised its guidance to investors, lowering revenue estimates by $5 to $8 billion. The company blamed the lowered earnings on economic slowdowns in the Greater China market hurting iPhone sales but noted that it would still set revenue records in the US, Canada, and a number of European nations.
A couple of recent episodes of the Mac Admins podcast are worth checking out. First, Adam and Tonya joined the hosts to talk about Internet technical publishing and a wide variety of other topics—you’ll enjoy the stories. Second, the Mac Admins hosts managed a rare coup, getting two Apple employees on the show to talk publicly.
If you’re suffering from upper arm and shoulder pain from reaching for the pointing device on your desk, this inexpensive armrest-mounted mouse pad may be able to help relieve your pain.
Is your iPhone consuming your life? Are your kids having trouble putting their iPads down when it’s time for bed? iOS 12’s new Screen Time feature provides tools you can use to monitor and manage your usage and that of your family members. Josh Centers has a quick guide on how to use them.
Astro HQ’s Luna Display dongle for the Mac turns an iPad into a secondary monitor via Lightning or Wi-Fi. Others have pulled off such an iPad-as-Mac-screen maneuver using software, but Luna’s hardware approach taps into the Mac’s graphics acceleration to improve performance.
Watchlist
Improves loading times for several audio formats. ($29 new, free update, 9.1 MB)
Maintenance updates with enhancements and bug fixes for the calendar and contacts apps. ($49.99 new for each, free update, 21.2/11.5 MB)
Improves display of audio devices and adds more accurate markings to the 10 Band EQ. ($49 new, free update, 15.8 MB)
Brings a holiday helping of bug fixes and enhancements to the password manager. ($64.99 new, free update, 52.1 MB)
Maintenance update with enhancements and bug fixes for the reference management tool. ($59.99 new, free update, 49.1 MB)
Tweaks Dark mode display in macOS 10.14 Mojave. (Free update, 56.9 MB)
Improves imports from Evernote and adds support for Continuity Camera in macOS 10.14 Mojave. ($40 new, free update, 21.6 MB)
Works around launching, plug-in, and Full Disk Access problems in macOS 10.14 Mojave. ($30 new, free update, 14.3 MB)
Improves support for opening previously unreadable sources and adds new official presets for Amazon Fire and Google Chromecast devices. (Free, 19.6 MB)
Updates the VLC dark user interface and adds support for runtime hardening in macOS 10.14 Mojave. (Free, 48.6 MB)
