Interesting that there is a Siri menu bar icon as well as a dock icon.
Mac
The major and minor tweaks that just came to iTunes
Kirk McElhearn, writing for Macworld:
I find the changes Apple has wrought to the interface of iTunes 12.4 to be both positive and intuitive, and I think all users will find these new ways of navigation to be more efficient, once they get used to them.
Read on for the details.
Jason Snell’s 2016 MacBook review
If you are considering the 2016 MacBook, definitely read this review. It focuses on the product itself, rather than a comparator between the new MacBook and the previous model (though there’s some of the latter as well).
OS X security and privacy guide
This guide dives pretty deep, but is very readable. Chock full of links and suggestions, all designed to help safeguard your privacy.
WhatsApp releases Mac app
WhatsApp has a user base of more than a billion users worldwide. Facebook paid about $20 billion for the company back in 2014. Now WhatsApp has expanded their reach to the desktop, with clients for Mac and Windows.
The Verge’s review of the 2016 MacBook
Solid review by Lauren Goode. Lots to enjoy (be sure to watch the clever side-by-side video) and some solid numbers to chew on, especially regarding a comparison to the MacBook Air.
App Store search back up and running
Yesterday, searches on the iOS, Mac, and iBook App Stores were failing. Looks like the problem has been resolved. The tests I ran yesterday are now showing their proper results.
New Apple MacBook comes with tamper evident screws [UPDATE]
If you make your way through iFixit’s Retina MacBook 2016 teardown, you’ll see some tamper evident screws holding the hinge to the aluminum body. Looks like Loctite, not tamper-proofing.
Interesting.
On Apple’s new MacBook: Wow, that’s some Turbo Boost!
A first look at the new MacBook and some math on processor speed. Wow, that’s some Turbo Boost.
Another (quickly hidden) clue that Apple may shift OS X back to MacOS
This is speculation. But mounting speculation.
Hey Apple, fix this!
Kirk McElhearn has a new column out, daylighting a major Mac or iOS flaw, with a goal of getting Apple to fix it. I love the idea and propose one issue that could use some daylighting.
Today’s 100 best Mac games
Pretty impressive list. My favorites are all on here (including FireWatch and Braid), but there are many that are new to me.
15 years of OS X: How Apple’s big gamble paid off
Ryan Faas walks through the history of the birth of OS X. Fascinating.
How to password protect Notes in iOS 9.3 and OS X 10.11.4
MacRumors:
In iOS 9.3, Apple has improved the functionality of its first-party Notes app with the ability to add password or Touch ID security for individual notes.
Every possible way to open a file in Mac OS X
Great post, worth it to scan through, tuck away, and pass along.
Troubleshooting Handoff for Mac and iOS
Handoff giving you trouble? Here’s a checklist walkthrough of all the settings to make sure you’ve got everything enabled properly.
Apple, it’s time to move on from “OS X”
Pauli Olavi Ojala raises some excellent points regarding the dissonance in using Roman numerals in Mac OS branding but not in iOS.
Massively speed up Time Machine backups
An excellent tip from Mac Kung Fu.
Apple’s fantastic attention to detail
From a Quora post about the MacBook Pro’s gently pulsing sleep light. Incredible attention to detail.
The great Mac dev survey – Please help spread the word
There’s a survey for developers, takes 7 minutes to fill out, it’ll be up ’til April 3rd.
Know a developer? Am a developer? Please help spread the word. And there are prizes.
Basic self-defence: How to block the NEXT ransomware outbreak
Terrific post, definitely worth reading.
Intuit sells Quicken to company promising to double size of Mac engineering staff
Color me cautiously optimistic. Quicken was a “Mac last” outcast under Intuit.
First fully functional Mac ransomeware in the wild, limited impact
The malware impacts version 2.90 of the Bit Torrent app Transmission. Worth reading the post, just to learn how this happened.
How to reset a forgotten OS X password
The linked article will both show you how to reset your Mac’s password if you’ve forgotten it and, at the same time, demonstrate how easy it is for someone else to do this to your Mac if they get their hands on it. Unless you have FileVault enabled, which you should.
Of all the data
Stephen Hackett finds an egregious typo in Disk Utility. Yes, it’s just a typo, but this sort of thing is highly unusual in a released Apple product. At least in my experience.
PlayStation 4 remote play coming soon to the Mac
From Sony’s PlayStation blog:
We’re bringing PS4 Remote Play to Windows PC and Mac. This feature won’t be available to test in the beta, but you can look forward to it soon.
How to set up minimal iTunes for music only
Find the iTunes interface on your Mac just too busy? Kirk McElhearn walks you through the process of walking through the setting and trimming iTunes down to its minimalistic best.
Many Siris
Terrific article, well worth reading. Some thoughtful insights on Siri’s potential.
How to use iTunes Home Sharing to share music from your Mac to your iPhone
If you are on the same network as your Mac and want to save space on your phone, this is an easy way to use your Mac as a music server.
Siri and Microsoft’s new Windows vs Mac campaign
Microsoft has launched a series of ads focusing on login via face recognition, Cortana (Windows equivalent of Siri), and touchscreens, three features on modern Windows machines that are not found on the Mac. Interesting timing with the recent Siri rumor. Connection there?