Last week’s big tech news—the worldwide PC outage caused by CrowdStrike—affected Apple users only indirectly, but could it happen to Macs or other Apple devices? Adam Engst ponders what Apple users and the tech world should take away from the CrowdStrike debacle. He also looks at numerous predictions made by Steve Jobs in a 1983 speech—most were prescient, if overly optimistic as to when they would happen. Apple has opened the public betas of its 2024 operating systems, but we recommend you install them only if you know what you’re getting into. Finally, Backblaze announced a significant price increase for its USB Hard Drive Restore service, but it’s moot because you can still return the drive for a full refund. Notable Mac app releases this week include Fantastical 3.8.20 and Cardhop 2.2.19, Mellel 6.0.5, and Tinderbox 10.0.
Apple has opened the public beta program for its forthcoming 2024 operating systems. Remember, these aren’t meant for everyday use. Only install them on devices that you can dedicate to testing!
Online backup service Backblaze will soon increase the fee it charges to restore data by shipping you a USB hard drive from $189 to $279. However, the change is largely moot since the company refunds the full amount when you return the drive.
As part of a new digital exhibit, the Steve Jobs Archive has released a video of Jobs addressing designers at an industry conference in Aspen. Although it’s interesting to look back at the time, it’s also fascinating to see how accurate his predictions were.
By now, you’ve heard of the CrowdStrike update bug that wreaked havoc on Windows-based PCs around the world. It didn’t affect Macs, and it’s unlikely that something similar could. What about iPhones and iPads? Will the industry learn from this debacle or continue with business as usual?
Watchlist
Brings new RSVP features to the Fantastical calendar app. ($56.99 annual subscription, free update, 67.5/30.2 MB, macOS 11+)
Maintenance release for the word processor focused on bug fixes. ($69.99 new, free update, 93.8 MB, macOS 10.13+)
Note-taking assistant introduces new dynamic Gaudí view that continuously adapts the shape and placement of notes. ($289 new, free update, 37.1 MB, macOS 11+)
