This is useful stuff. Worth bookmarking and passing along to other Mac support folks.
Apple
On Siri, other voice-assists and humor
A nice look at the difference in humor between Siri and counterparts from other tech companies. Very interesting.
The downside of being featured by Apple in the App Store
No doubt. Too many users too early in an app’s lifecycle can be bad news. Good words from M.G.
Apple to demote the iPod, but here’s one reason to get one…
The iPod touch is being demoted. But there’s an important use case that Apple is ignoring.
Use Siri to play sound effects
Try telling Siri:
Play the crickets sound
Lots of other sound effects available.
Man whose truck fell on him says Apple’s Siri helped save his life
When I read this story, I couldn’t help but think, “Siri, go get help, Timmy fell in the well!”
What will next month’s Apple TV bring to the living room?
Mark Gurman lays out all that’s known and speculated about the upcoming Apple TV release.
Sprint’s new iPhone forever plan
Sprint announces a plan that will always keep you up to date with the latest and greatest iPhone. A solid price, though the terms are a bit confusing.
Steve Jobs’ 1996 interview with Red Herring
Historian or not, this is a great read.
Icon crafting inspiration
This is an homage to some great icon creation efforts of yesteryear and, if you’ve got an icon to create, a great source of inspiration.
Microsoft wants you to pay $15 for DVD playback in Windows 10
What the heck is Microsoft thinking? This is truly awful.
Something is breaking in iTunes Store music links
iTunes links are breaking, something is clearly wrong in Apple Music land. Hate to see this.
Free iOS metronome, really well executed, go get it
Taptronome is a beautifully executed metronome for iOS. And it’s free. What are you waiting for? Go get it!
On Beats 1 expansion and Apple Music in the car
Some thoughts on Beats 1 taking on satellite radio.
Apple Music hooks 11 million trial members, App Store has record July
Marco della Cava, writing for USA Today:
One month after unveiling its new streaming music service, Apple has locked in 11 million trial members, company executives tell USA TODAY.
Here’s some math to go along with that.
How to view Safari cookies
It’s easy enough to view a list of sites that have cookies in Safari, but if you want to actually see the cookie and parameters used by a particular site, you’ll need to dive a bit deeper into the interface.
Worth giving this a try.
Why am I a Mac user?
Matt Taylor nails it.
Jean-Louis Gassée on Apple’s ad-blocking technology
Jean-Louis Gassée gets to the heart of the matter regarding Apple’s true motivation in releasing the upcoming ad-blocking technology, now in beta with iOS 9 and El Capitan.
The hand engraved Apple Watch
Pricy, but some exquisite craftwork. Well worth a look.
Apple now sharing full replays of Beats 1 shows on Apple Music Connect
Fan of Elton John’s Rocket Hour? Can’t get enough of Julie Adenuga or Zane Lowe? Now you can listen to full replays of the latest edition of every Beats 1 show, all via Apple Connect.
Here’s how…
How to keep your Apple music library 100% rock solid safe
There’s been a lot written lately about Apple Music, iTunes Match, and the threat of one or the other deleting your music from your music library.
This issue has turned into a perfect storm of fear, uncertainty and doubt. At the end of the day, I believe an understanding of the basic mechanics at work here will make it easy to keep your music library 100% rock solid safe.
Read on for the details.
Apple Pay Tracker study: Apple Pay use growing in US
The proportion of iPhone 6 users using Apple Pay is staying constant, but as the number of iPhone 6 users increases, Apple Pay use increases proportionately.
Apple radio ad scripts from back in 1984
Stephen Hackett got a stack of old Apple papers. Among them was a series of radio scripts.
BatteryBox: Chrome browser kills your MacBook battery the fastest
Huge difference in battery drain between using Safari and Chrome on a Macbook.
Magic Number, fantastic calculator for OS X
I’ve been playing with a replacement calculator for the Mac. Magic Number has been out for a while, but is new to me. There is an incredible amount of functionality built into the calculator, yet it is incredibly easy to use.
Wristly poll shows Apple Watch bringing healthier lifestyle changes
Lots more numbers to absorb. Read the article.
Tom Brady’s switch from Samsung to iPhone 6 at center of Deflategate
No matter your take on Tom Brady, there’s no arguing he has great taste.
How a long time iOS accessibility feature is changing lives
Christopher Hills has Athetoid cerebral palsy and is unable to walk or use his hands. In a world filled more and more with touch screens, he needed a breakthrough or he’d be locked out of the tech world.
Apple Music licensing rights, explained
Serenity Caldwell does a phenomenal job explaining the licensing rights associated with the various elements that make up Apple Music and why we should care. Great writing, great research.
Sources: Apple Music already over 10M subscribers
10 million subscribers in a month is an impressive number, even if they are mostly unpaid. Spotify hit 20 million paid subscribers about a month ago. It took Spotify five and a half years to get their first 10 million paid subscribers.