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#1544: Holiday hiatus, iOS 12.5 and watchOS 6.3, App Store wars, LG 27UK850-W monitor review

2020 is winding to a close, and this is the last email issue of TidBITS for the year. We’ll publish our next issue on 11 January 2021. In the meantime, check our site for continuing coverage of the Apple world. Last week, Apple released surprise iOS 12.5 and watchOS 6.3 updates to those otherwise-unsupported operating systems to add COVID-19 exposure notifications and an important security fix. We also report on the latest developments in the increasingly high-stakes battles surrounding the App Store. Finally, if you’re in the market for a monitor for your Mac, Josh Centers has a detailed review of the LG 27UK850-W, which is a decent and affordable 4K monitor for your Mac. Notable Mac app releases this week include Audio Hijack 3.8, Piezo 1.7, and SoundSource 5.2, Safari 14.0.2, Firefox 84, TextExpander 6.8.1, BBEdit 13.5.3, Ulysses 21.3, Scrivener 3.2.2, DEVONagent 3.11.4, Airfoil 5.10, Fantastical 3.3.3, Alfred 4.3, GraphicConverter 11.3.3, Typinator 8.6, Evernote 10.5.7, and macOS Server 5.11.

Adam Engst 10 comments

TidBITS 2020 Holiday Hiatus—See You in 2021!

In keeping with our tradition, we’re going to take off the last few weeks of 2020, which this year means staying safe with our immediate households and scheduling virtual gatherings with our extended families. You can expect the next email issue of TidBITS on 11 January 2021. Thanks for reading TidBITS, and we hope you’ve found our content useful, accurate, and enjoyable!

Watchlist

TextExpander 6.8.1 Agen Schmitz No comments

TextExpander 6.8.1

Updates the user interface for macOS 11 Big Sur and adds native compatibility with M1-based Macs. ($40 annual subscription, free update, 42.6 MB, macOS 10.14+)

Fantastical 3.3.3 Agen Schmitz No comments

Fantastical 3.3.3

Maintenance release for the calendar app adds an option to choose which browser to use for conference calls. ($39.99 new, free update, 41.3 MB, macOS 10.13.2+)

Alfred 4.3 Agen Schmitz No comments

Alfred 4.3

Keyboard-driven launcher now runs natively with both Intel-based and M1-based Macs. (£23 new, free update, 4.8 MB, macOS 10.11+)

Typinator 8.6 Agen Schmitz No comments

Typinator 8.6

Text expansion utility brings user interface and compatibility improvements with macOS 11 Big Sur. (€24.99 new, free update, 7.2 MB, macOS 10.8+)

Evernote 10.5.7 Agen Schmitz No comments

Evernote 10.5.7

Improves performance for note loading, the sidebar, and attaching files, plus adds several user interface improvements. (Free, 148 MB, macOS 10.10+)

ExtraBITS

Adam Engst No comments

Apple Publishes Device and Data Access Safety Advice

Just because you once shared access to your Apple devices or accounts doesn’t mean you necessarily want to keep on sharing, especially if a relationship change means that you no longer feel safe with that person. Apple has published clear, sensible instructions for reviewing and revoking shared data and device access.