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I like Wirecutter and read their reviews for things I know nothing about but mostly for helping me to narrow down options. I don’t obsessively buy exactly what they recommend in a given category.

Not sure what “We are taking a deeper look” actually means. I suspect it’s MarketingSpeak for, “Throwing the media a bone.”

Well, that’s embarrassing.

While not well known, this is starting to become more of an issue as the CDs from 10-20 years ago start to “age out.” If you’ve got an old CD collection, you should check it for “disc rot.”

Apple is trying to get those of you who didn’t sign up the first time around. You might as well give it a shot but fair warning, keep your expectations of Apple News+ low.

Apple isn’t perfect and I don’t trust the company implicitly but I do trust Apple significantly more than any other company I deal with.

This kind of tech is insidious and we need to be aware of what kinds of surveillance devices we have in our homes.

You just knew someone would be obsessively refreshing Apple’s Leadership page, just waiting to write this story.

This Twitter policy change is typical of the company – shortsighted, stupid, and made without regard to how it will affect real people.

I say yes but I also recognize my bias as a motorcyclist.

Obeying the law of other countries or not, these kinds of “capitulations” continue to be not a good look for Apple.

In conjunction with Carbon Copy Cloner, SuperDuper has been part of my backup planning for years.

I see the merits of both but lean toward preferring the weekly episodic approach. I think it allows for more buzz and conversation, avoids a lot of spoilers and builds anticipation for each episode. What do you prefer – episodes dropped all at once or the old school model of once a week?

Pixelmator makes great software. Sadly, this app won’t work on my iPad mini and isn’t available on the iPhone but, if you have a compatible iPad, it’s a no brainer to grab this app.

The best comment I saw was from Twitter (paraphrasing): “The Cybertruck is a truck for Tesla fans. Tesla should have designed a Tesla for truck fans.” Musk’s boasting of pre-orders notwithstanding, this is a tough market to crack with a tough audience.

Great backstory on Apple’s latest holiday spot.

Pushing the theatrical release back even further and delaying the Apple TV+ launch means Apple couldn’t make arrangements with the accuser that would satisfy them. The film’s release may either be canceled entirely and put away forever or, more likely, released later next year after the publicity has died down.

I’m not a fan of Musk or that monstrosity of a so-called truck but I did feel bad for him. Having done many presentations I know how awful a failed demo can feel. But the explanation is interesting and, in hindsight, obvious.

Giving to a cause is noble but that “up to a total of $1 million” sticks in my craw a little bit. For a company worth north of a trillion dollars and one that will make billions of dollars from consumers this holiday season, a million dollars isn’t even a drop in the ocean of cash Apple has.

There’s not a lot for pros to dislike with this new machine.

Apple has posted its “Black Friday” deals but, for the most part, everything they are offering is available for even cheaper elsewhere.

Another lovely, touching ad from Apple for the holiday season.

At only 57, early-onset Alzheimer’s disease took him far too soon but he is finally “home for a rest.”

Ignore the (possibly mistranslated) headline, this is an article that, at the very least, reminds us that seniors have different needs, wants, and desires from technology than “young people” do and there is a market for developers to cater to them.

Thanks to BBEdit for sponsoring The Loop this week. Bare Bones Software, makers of BBEdit, is one of my favorite software companies — in fact, I’ve been using BBEdit for more than 20 years. BBEdit has been updated to version 13, and is available in the Mac App Store as a subscription! Same great features. Same user experience. You can subscribe in the Mac App Store or purchase perpetual licenses directly from Bare Bones Software. Also, you can still get great merch, including Classic and Rebus T-shirts, enamel pins, and more in their merch store!

Dave and I kicked off this week talking about cooking, but moved into how people are using GarageBand on iOS and Mac. We also discussed autocorrect on iOS and whether or not the AirPods Pro leave any room for competition.

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Explains why Cook engages Trump the way he does.

This could be hugely damaging to the film and might kill it altogether.

For those of us who don’t want to spend the money, your iPhone (all versions) already have a “physical camera button” – the volume control buttons on your iPhone also work as a camera shutter. Watch out for fingers in the way of the lens though.

I’m a big fan of AltHistory stuff so I’m enjoying For All Mankind. It helps that it looks great with an interesting storyline and good acting.