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Adam Engst 5 comments

Apple Plugs Apple Watch Ultra 2 Usage in Long-Distance Relay Race

Apple has posted an account of a team using the Apple Watch Ultra 2 (and iPhone 15 Pro Max) during The Speed Project, an unofficial, unsanctioned relay race from Santa Monica to Las Vegas. Adam Engst wonders how well the technology really worked.

Adam Engst 43 comments

No TidBITS Issue on 8 April 2024 for the Solar Eclipse

We’re taking the next email issue of TidBITS off to view the total solar eclipse, although we’ll continue to publish articles on our website. You can look forward to the next email issue on 15 April 2024.

Adam Engst 57 comments

Do You Use It? Versions

This week's Do You Use It? poll asks how often you use the macOS versioning feature, which was in the news recently due to a bug in macOS 14.4 Sonoma.

Adam Engst 26 comments

Canva Acquires the Affinity Suite of Professional Design Apps

Canva specializes in easy-to-use online design tools with collaborative features, whereas the Affinity apps offer a powerful but inexpensive alternative to Adobe’s Creative Cloud. The acquisition could bring more collaborative capabilities to the Affinity suite and give Canva more design power.

Adam Engst 24 comments

Using Apple’s iCloud Passwords Outside Safari

Password managers like 1Password have long provided a deep set of features for creating, storing, and entering passwords and other confidential information. The iCloud Passwords extension for Chromium browsers makes Apple’s built-in password management features available outside Safari, but how do they compare to independent password managers?

Adam Engst 7 comments

Beware of Attacks Using Password Reset Request Notifications

Brian Krebs covers an attack that exploits a vulnerability in the Apple ID password reset process to deluge users with requests to reset the password. Consider yourself forewarned.

Adam Engst No comments

WWDC 2024 Scheduled for June 10–14

Mark your calendars—Apple has announced that its Worldwide Developer Conference will kick off on 10 June 2024. Will the keynote bring an AI-powered version of Siri?

Adam Engst 6 comments

macOS 14.4.1 Sonoma and macOS 13.6.6 Ventura Fix Bugs and Vulnerabilities

Apple doesn’t say what has changed for macOS 13.6.6 Ventura, but the bugs fixed in macOS 14.4.1 Sonoma have bedeviled users for the last two weeks.

Adam Engst 7 comments

Do You Use It? TidBITS Readers Prefer Overcast to Apple Podcasts

The results of our poll asking which podcast apps TidBITS readers prefer reveal that Marco Arment’s Overcast is by far the most popular, well ahead of Apple Podcasts. No other podcast app broke double digits.

Adam Engst 12 comments

Apple Launches Documentation Site for Manuals, Specs, and Downloads

Apple has unveiled a new Documentation site that lets users browse for information about Apple hardware and (older) software. It’s a big win, especially considering the sorry state of the Apple website’s search engine, but some parts of it still need work.

Adam Engst 2 comments

Apple Releases iOS and iPadOS 17.4.1 and 16.7.7, and visionOS 1.1.1

Release notes for these updates list “important bug fixes and security updates” or just “important security fixes” so they probably address one or more zero-day security vulnerabilities.

Adam Engst 14 comments

US Files Antitrust Lawsuit against Apple, Alleging iPhone Monopoly

The US Justice Department and 16 states have filed an antitrust lawsuit accusing Apple of maintaining an illegal iPhone monopoly based on its practices in super apps, cloud gaming, messaging apps, smartwatches, and digital wallets. The big question is whether the iPhone actually enjoys monopoly status.

Adam Engst 91 comments

Do You Use It? Podcast Apps

This week’s Do You Use It? poll asks what podcast app you prefer, Apple’s Podcasts or one from an independent developer. Or do you not listen to podcasts at all?

Adam Engst 40 comments

Follow These Steps to Clear Space on Your Mac

Apple no longer makes it easy to tell precisely how much free space is available on your Mac, but you know when you don’t have enough. Adam Engst offers (and explains) 21 simple steps to clear space quickly.

Adam Engst 6 comments

Walmart Sells M1 MacBook Air for $699

The M1 MacBook Air is back! After seemingly being dropped by Apple after the launch of the M3 MacBook Air, Walmart has picked up the base model of the M1 MacBook Air to sell at a low price.