We’re thrilled to celebrate the 20th anniversary of Take Control Books, the ebook imprint that we founded in 2003 and sold to Joe Kissell back in 2017. Apple has introduced a third Apple Pencil model that trades wireless charging for USB-C and drops pressure sensitivity for a lower price. Adam Engst uses the addition of comments to the popular Kottke.org blog to encourage participation in topical social spaces in favor of scattershot social media. Finally, Adam reviews the Kini, a tiny device that sends a text message whenever it moves, enabling you to monitor access to valuable, dangerous, or off-limits items and areas. Notable Mac app releases this week include 1Password 8.10.18, VMware Fusion 13.5, Parallels Desktop 19.1, Default Folder X 6.0.1, Mimestream 1.1.3, Agenda 18.2, Airfoil 5.11.7 and Piezo 1.8.1, SpamSieve 3.0.1, Cyberduck 8.7, Mactracker 7.12.11, Scrivener 3.3.6, and Affinity Designer, Photo, and Publisher 2.2.1. 
Apple has unveiled a third—but not the third-generation—Apple Pencil. The new USB-C Apple Pencil is cheaper than the previous models and features USB-C charging but lacks pressure sensitivity.
Triggered by the addition of comments to the popular blog Kottke.org, Adam Engst encourages participation in focused online conversational spaces rather than scattershot social media.
Do you have anything—valuables, medicines, alcohol, guns—for which you’d like to monitor access? The Kini motion detection device notices when it moves and alerts you by text message within seconds. No apps, no subscription, no privacy issues.
Time flies when you’re doing good work. After Joe Kissell took over Take Control Books from TidBITS Publishing in 2017, the ebook imprint has continued to thrive and is now marking its 20th anniversary with a free ebook, a big sale, and some thoughts about the impact it has on the Apple ecosystem.
Watchlist
Enables you to control which family members have access to your vaults right in the app. ($35.88 annual subscription, free update, 4.8 MB, macOS 10.15+)
Adds support for installing Windows 11 as a guest operating system on M-based Macs. ($149.99/$199.99 new, free update, 722.9 MB, macOS 12+)
Maintenance release for the recently upgraded virtualization software. ($99.99 Standard Edition, free update for version 19 licenses, macOS 10.14.6+)
Maintenance release for the recently upgraded Open/Save dialog utility. ($39.95 new, free update, 17.2 MB, macOS 10.13+)
Adds Calendar banner support for invitations received on Gmail aliases. ($49.99 annual subscription, free update, 12.1 MB, macOS 12+)
Brings new features, improvements, and bug fixes to the date-focused note-taking app. (Free with a $34.99 Premium subscription or $119.99 one-time Premium purchase, free update for subscribers, 72.9 MB, macOS 10.14+)
Two Rogue Amoeba audio apps add full compatibility with macOS 14 Sonoma. ($35/25 new, free update, various sizes, macOS 11+)
Maintenance update for the spam-filtering utility following its recent major upgrade. ($39.99 new, free update, 47.1 MB, macOS 10.13+)
Open-source file transfer app adds SMB support. (Free, 156.2 MB, macOS 10.12+)
Adds detailed information about all recent hardware and operating system releases, including the iPhone 15 models and macOS 14 Sonoma. (Free, 210.5 MB, macOS 10.12+)
Restores a couple of features to the long-form writing tool. ($49 new, free update, 113.8 MB, macOS 10.13+)
A fistful of bug fixes for the three Affinity graphic design apps. ($69.99 new for each, free updates, various sizes, macOS 10.15+)
