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Weekly Issues

Adam Engst

#1732: Thunderbolt 5 details, Sequoia window tiling, Apple Intelligence ads, locked iPhone security, TidBITS hosting issues

The new Mac mini and MacBook Pro with M4 Pro and M4 Max chips support Thunderbolt 5, but do you need it now, or will the M4 chip’s Thunderbolt 4 be sufficient? Glenn Fleishman explains…

Adam Engst

#1731: M4 Mac mini, M4 MacBook Pro, 16 GB MacBook Air memory, Apple Q4 2024 results, Apple acquires Pixelmator

Apple dominated the news cycle last week with the multi-day rollout of new M4-based Macs. We previously looked at the M4 iMac; this week, we cover the redesigned M4 Mac mini and the updated M4…

Adam Engst

#1730: First Apple Intelligence features ship, new M4 iMac, Postbox acquired, app purchase history, protect yourself from unauthorized location tracking

Apple has shipped macOS 15.1 Sequoia, iOS 18.1, and iPadOS 18.1 with the first wave of Apple Intelligence features. Adam Engst shares his initial impressions. The company also unveiled a new iMac with an M4…

Adam Engst

#1729: New iPad mini, Online Check reports Internet outages, multi-device wireless chargers, cryptocurrency attacks

Apple quietly announced an update to the iPad mini last week, with the seventh-generation model moving to the A17 Pro chip for Apple Intelligence and gaining support for the Apple Pencil Pro. Adam Engst compares…

Adam Engst

#1728: Messages via satellite, secure iPhone sharing with Guided Access, turbocharge the Finder with FileUtils, CA laws on AI

Apple’s new Messages via satellite feature on the iPhone 14 and later is so impressive that Adam Engst recommends everyone in the US and Canada with a compatible iPhone upgrade to iOS 18 to add…

Adam Engst

#1727: OS bug fixes, trouble opening Office files, iPhone 16 Pro 48-megapixel macro photos, facial recognition in smart glasses

Just over two weeks after the initial release of its 2024 operating systems, Apple has pushed out bug fix updates in macOS 15.01 Sequoia, iOS 18.0.1, iPadOS 18.0.1, watchOS 11.0.1, and visionOS 2.0.1. All of…

Adam Engst

#1726: Configuring Gmail aliases in iPhone Mail, limiting iPhone charging to 80%, iMore shuts down, Stephen Fry on AI

In the iPhone 15, Apple added an option to limit charging to 80% to prolong battery longevity. After seeing the results of a year-long test by Juli Clover of MacRumors, Adam Engst recommends using Apple’s…

Adam Engst

#1725: iPhone 16 Pro first impressions, workaround for repetitive permissions prompts, Communications Safety change

iPhone 16 pre-orders arrived last Friday, and Adam Engst shares his first impressions of the iPhone 16 Pro. This may be flirting with heresy, but he’s even more bullish about the standard iPhone 16 now.

Adam Engst

#1724: Upgrading to OS 2024, AirPods 4 and AirPods Pro hearing health, older OS security updates, Do You Use It? Action button results, adoc Studio

Start your engines! Apple has released macOS 15 Sequoia, iOS 18, iPadOS 18, watchOS 11, visionOS 2, tvOS 18, and HomePod Software 18. Adam Engst offers advice on when different types of users should upgrade…

Adam Engst

#1723: OS release date, iPhone 16 lineup, Apple Watch Series 10, Blip file transfer app, do you use the iPhone 15 Pro Action button?

At its Glowtime event, Apple unveiled the iPhone 16 lineup with the innovative Camera Control and Apple silicon necessary to support Apple Intelligence, plus camera improvements and more. The company showed off the Apple Watch…

Adam Engst

#1722: 404 Media, iPhone and iPad trackpad mode, the end of Finale and AnandTech, the start of AppBITS, Stapler

Last week felt like a lull before Apple’s iPhone unveiling on September 9, so Adam Engst took the opportunity to recommend 404 Media as a trusted source for investigative tech journalism. To counter the sad…

Adam Engst

#1721: Apple event on September 9, Apple Podcasts on the Web, iPhone apps on the Mac, comparing RSS-to-email services

Apple has announced an event for 9 September 2024, so we’ll all be very polite and say, “The iPhone 16? We had no idea. What a surprise! And an Apple Watch Series 10 and Apple…

Adam Engst

#1720: Backblaze permissions, watchOS and tvOS updates, more Sequoia permissions requests, CA driver’s licenses in Wallet, iOS 18.1 to open NFC, do you use iPhone apps on your Mac?

In response to public outcry, Apple has pulled back somewhat on the excessive permissions requests in the latest macOS 15 Sequoia beta, but Adam Engst thinks the company is still going too far for no…

Adam Engst

#1719: Sequoia’s excessive permissions prompts, OS bug fix updates, Network Utility resurrected, help track Apple support page changes

Last week, Apple released macOS 14.6.1, macOS 13.6.9, iOS 17.6.1, and iPadOS 17.6.1 to fix problems with turning Advanced Data Protection on and off. In macOS 11 Big Sur, Apple deprecated Network Utility, but DEVONtechnologies…

Adam Engst

#1718: macOS 14.6 and OS updates, Apple Q3 2024 financials, business news reporting poll

Thanks to a flotilla of family visiting, it was a busy week here at TidBITS HQ, but we found time to write up Apple’s release of macOS 14.6 Sonoma and its sibling operating systems. Then…