This week includes the Thanksgiving holiday in the United States, so we’ll be taking the opportunity to count our blessings and recover from the ravages of 2020 instead of preparing an issue for next week. Look for our next issue on 7 December 2020. Last week, Apple released iOS 14.2.1 to address three iPhone 12 bugs and set tongues wagging by cutting the App Store commission for smaller developers in half. macOS 11 Big Sur is here, but if you’re not yet ready to update, Adam Engst tells you how to hide its stinkin’ upgrade badges. To flesh out the issue, Josh Centers rounds up reviews of the iPhone 12 mini and iPhone 12 Pro Max, and Glenn Fleishman shares an in-depth explanation of what 5G is, how it works, and why it will eventually be important. We’re still catching up from having more Watchlist items than fit in an issue, so our notable Mac app releases this week include Mailplane 4.3, Agenda 11.2, URL Manager Pro 5.5, CleanMyMac X 4.7, Transmit 5.7, SEE Finance 2.2, Safari 14.0.1, Security Update 2020-006 (Mojave and High Sierra), Hazel 5.0, Nisus Writer Pro 3.2 and Nisus Writer Express 4.2, Firefox 83, Pixelmator Pro 2.0, Zoom 5.4.3, 1Password 7.7, and DEVONthink 3.6.
We’re taking the next email issue of TidBITS off to celebrate the Thanksgiving holiday—without traveling!—in the United States, although we’ll continue to publish articles on our Web site. You can look forward to the next email issue on 7 December 2020.
Apple has released iOS 14.2.1 to address a trio of bugs in the iPhone 12 mini, iPhone 12, iPhone 12 Pro, and iPhone 12 Pro Max.
At the start of 2021, Apple will open a new program that promises to slash the App Store commission for smaller developers in half.
macOS Big Sur has been out for only a short time, but Apple is already pushing it on users by badging the System Preferences Dock icon and displaying a Big Sur-only update to GarageBand. Adam Engst shares a few workarounds that can reduce the annoyance.
The early reviews are in for the iPhone 12 mini and iPhone 12 Pro Max, the two extremes of the iPhone range. What do you give up by choosing one of these extreme sizes?
The latest set of cellular networking standards—collected under the rubric of “5G”—improves mobile networking performance ever closer to Wi-Fi and wired connections, but it’s not worth all the hype. Not yet, anyway.
Watchlist
Brings support for macOS 11 Big Sur and adds a Clipboard option to the Save Clip feature. ($29.95 new, free update, 78.2 MB, macOS 10.12+)
Brings full compatibility with macOS 11 Big Sur and introduces the Relevant Notes widget. (Free with $24.99 premium purchase option, 59.3 MB, macOS 10.12+)
Adds compatibility with macOS 11 Big Sur and Macs with Apple's M1 chip. ($35 new, free update, 13.7 MB, macOS 10.13+)
Brings numerous under-the-hood changes, UI improvements, and bug fixes to ensure compatibility with macOS 11 Big Sur. ($89.95 new, free update, 63.9 MB, macOS 10.10+)
Adds support for macOS 11 Big Sur and fixes several bugs. ($45 new, free update, 40.3 MB, macOS 10.13+)
Personal finance app adds support for macOS 11 Big Sur and gains numerous improvements and bug fixes. ($49.99 new, free update, 49.5 MB, macOS 10.12+)
Updates Apple's Web browser to patch a couple security vulnerabilities. (Free, various sizes, macOS 10.15+ and 10.14+)
Patches exploited security vulnerabilities in Mojave and High Sierra. (Free, various sizes)
Major upgrade for the file automation and cleanup utility switches to a standalone app and adds support for macOS 11 Big Sur. ($42 new, $20 upgrade, 20.4 MB, macOS 10.13+)
Significant update adds support for macOS 11 Big Sur, M1-based Macs, and Dark mode. ($65 and $26 new, free updates, 277/71.7 MB, macOS 10.11+)
Improves speed and memory performance and adds pinch-to-zoom capabilities for Macs with trackpads. (Free, 73 MB, macOS 10.12+)
Major new release brings an all-new, more refined design, loads of new features, native support for M1-based Macs, and compatibility with macOS 11 Big Sur. ($39.99 new, free update, 217 MB, macOS 10.14.4+)
Adds the capability to share multiple desktop programs during a meeting instead of just a window or screen. (Free, 23.0 MB, macOS 10.9+)
Brings design improvements for macOS 11 Big Sur and enhances integration with Safari. ($64.99 new, free update, 57.5 MB, macOS 10.13+)
Updates the document and information manager with some necessary changes to ensure compatibility with macOS 11 Big Sur. ($99/$199/$499 new, free update, 115 MB, macOS 10.11.5+
