If you rely on iCloud Backup for your iPhones and iPads, be aware that Apple automatically deletes inactive backups after 180 days. In other sour news, Apple is ending support for iBooks Author, a once-groundbreaking ebook creation tool whose functionality has largely been subsumed by Apple’s Pages word processor. Rumors are once again hot and heavy about Apple switching the Mac from Intel processors to its own ARM-based chipsets. Apple veteran David Shayer joins us again this week to explain why Apple might make the switch. Wrapping up the issue, Josh Centers shows how you can use shell scripts with BitBar to put just about anything in your Mac’s menu bar. Notable Mac app releases this week include Art Text 4.0, EagleFiler 1.8.14, Typinator 8.4.1, Default Folder X 5.4.6, and Logic Pro X 10.5.1.
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.
Apple’s education-oriented ebook creation software will receive no further updates and will be pulled from the Mac App Store. The company is encouraging users to switch to Pages, promising that a future update to Pages will be able to import iBooks Author files.
Rumors of ARM-based Macs continue to appear. Lower power and longer battery life are always cited. But even more important are the business advantages Apple would reap from switching from Intel to ARM. Former Apple engineer David Shayer explains what would be behind such a processor transition.
BitBar is an open-source menu bar app with a rich library of plug-ins that are easy to adapt to your needs. Don’t see what you want? You can even create your own plug-ins!
Watchlist
Major upgrade for the typography design app with new Spray Fill tool and font distortion effects. ($29.99 new, 19.99 upgrade, 722 MB)
Improves imports from various Web sites (including the New York Times and specifying a more detailed Kind for text files. ($40 new, free update, 26.0 MB)
Maintenance release with improvements, bug fixes, and general revelry in recognition of the text expansion tool's 15th anniversary. (€24.99 new, free update, 7.1 MB)
Fixes a bug that could cause the "Save all attachments" dialog in Apple Mail to get stuck. ($34.95 new, free update, 14.5 MB)
Maintenance update with a grab bag of enhancements including stability improvements and updates to Live Loops. ($199.99 new, free update, 1 GB)
