Tag: mac
Apple’s Q1 2017 Results
John Gruber commented on Apple’s Q1 2017 Results. Year-over-year unit sale changes, from Apple’s data summary: iPhone up to 78.3 million from 74.8 million. iPad down to 13.1 million from 16.1 million. Mac up slightly, to 5.4 million from 5.3 million. “Services” are up significantly, percentage-wise, to $7.2 billion in revenue, from $6.1 billion a…
6 reasons to get excited about OS X El Capitan
Jason Snell wrote on MacWorld about 6 reasons to get excited about OS X El Capitan. These improvements are on the top of my list of things to look forward to as well. Spotlight – Cmd + Space is probably the key stroke combination that I use most often daily. I use Spotlight for tasks…
Macs not vulnerable to BadUSB attack
TidBITS reported on the BadUSB vulnerability. “The new MacBook’s single port comes with a major security risk,” proclaims The Verge. Gizmodo took The Verge’s story a step further with, “The NSA Is Going to Love These USB-C Charging Cables.” So what’s the big deal, and is there any fire behind all this hot air? These…
Oracle extends its adware bundling to include Java for Macs
ZDNet reported on Oracle bundling adware in Java for Mac. For several years, Oracle has been bundling the Ask toolbar with its Java software for Windows PCs, often using deceptive methods to convince customers to install the unwanted add-on. With the latest release of Java for the Mac, Oracle has begun bundling the Ask adware…
Duet: iPad as a secondary Mac display
I previously used Air Display to create a secondary display for my Mac, which is useful when I’m on the road. The only issue I had with it was the fact that they needed to be connected to the same Wi-Fi network and the lag associated with streaming the display over Wi-Fi. This new app…
The rise of smartphone notifications
Mat Honan writes about the rising importance of notifications. Interactive notifications will spur all sorts of new behaviors. (And yes, Android already has interactive notifications, but the ones in iOS 8 look to go beyond what KitKat can do.) Some of these will be simple, like the ability to reply to an email or text…
How the value trap squeezes Windows PC makers’ revenues and profits
The Guardian discusses the impact of the value trap on Windows PC makers. The problem for Windows PC makers is that they are caught in the “value trap”. Even as prices are being forced down by commoditisation and slumping demand, they have no obvious way to capture any of the money that a consumer who…
Similarities between the new Mac pro and the Power Mac G4 Cube
When the Mac Pro was unveiled, the first thing I thought about was the Power Mac G4 Cube, which in my personal opinion is one of the most beautiful machines ever designed. I think the Museum of Modern Art agrees with me. Stephen Hackett has done a brief but good comparison of the technologies and…
A seamless Apple communications system
Cult of Mac writes about how Apple can become the ultimate communications company. I previously talked about my wish for a seamless experience switching between devices while on FaceTime. The ultimate future home run, of course, is when Apple does and should auto-select how to make calls. In other words, you call someone by taping…
FaceTime Audio to be available on Mac OS X
MacRumors report that the OS X 10.9.2 beta that has been released to developers includes FaceTime Audio. With Messages, FaceTime, and FaceTime audio on iOS and OS X, Apple will have a complete communication system in place. With a simple way to answer telephone calls and chat requests from all devices, those in Apple’s ecosystem…