The group says it will start by asking Apple for developer-friendly changes to the App Store. Its goal is 20,000 members by early June (i.e. WWDC), and has 182 members so far (16 of whom joined while I was working on this article).
Bryan Chaffin
Bryan Chaffin is the cofounder of The Mac Observer and currently serves as Afternoon Editor. He has contributed to MacAddict and MacFormat magazines, and co-authored the last two updates of iPad and iPad Pro for Dummies with Bob “Dr. Mac” LeVitus and Ed Baig. You can find out more about Bryan at his personal site, GeekTells, or find his Twitter link below.
Articles by Bryan Chaffin
Chefman Sous Vide Precision Cooker with Wi-Fi: $89.99
We have a deal on on the Chefman Sous Vide Precision Cooker with Wi-Fi. This app-connected device will help you cook your sous vide masterpieces precisely. It’s $89.99 through our deal, 30% off retail.
StopTheMadness Safari Extension Keeps Websites from Blocking Mac Services
Do you have it when a website’s form blocks Safari’s autocomplete or autofill? Or sites that block control-click access to ordinary Mac services? Or—and why for the love of anything remotely holy or sane—copy/paste? Why on earth do you think it’s OK to stop me from copy/pasting? Like, when you use 1Password to make a 24 character password, but the site won’t let you paste it in for the confirmation field? I saw that one yesterday and about blew a gasket! ::pounds desk in righteous fury:: OK, I’m taking a deep breath, because developer Jeff Johnson has solved this with a Safari Extension called StopTheMadness [via Daring Fireball]. It re-enables all the normal Mac services in Safari, and you control which services you want on a site-by-site-basis if you wish. It’s $5 on the Mac App Store. I bought it immediately.
Portable USB-C Power Adapter and 6-Port Hub: $49
We have a deal on the CASA Hub PDC601 USB-C Power Adapter, a USB-C power adapter for your MacBook that also has 6 ports, including: USB Type-C PD port, three USB 3.1 Type-A ports, SD Card slot, and a microSD Card slot. It’s small, too, at 3.6″ x 1.6″ x 0.7″, and 100 grams. It’s $49 through us, 16% off retail.
About Twitter's API Stupidity
I was going to write a rant—OK, another rant—about how stupid Twitter is being its APIs and third party apps. The company announced a change that will effectively render third party clients useless without change—this after the company killed its own Mac client. Twitter has confused its ^#%$ desire for me to use its service on a browser with my desire to do so. Because I do not want to. At all. Anyhoo, enter John Gruber, who already wrote the rant. It’s a good one.
To me this is like finding out you’re now required to access email entirely through a web browser. Sure, lots of people already do it that way and either prefer it or think it’s eh, just fine, who cares — but a lot of others hate it and find it completely disruptive to longstanding workflows.
Senate Net Neutrality, Nader's Whiff, Jony Watchman - ACM 462
The U.S. Senate passed legislation that would restore Net Neutrality in the country, but Bryan Chaffin and Jeff Gamet explain why they don’t think it will go any further. They also break down Ralph Nader’s kind-of-weird whiff in complaining about Apple’s share buyback program. They cap the show with a look at how Sir Jony Ive is a watch-man, though Steve Jobs wasn’t involved with Apple Watch.
CINEMOOD Portable Movie Projector: $349
We have a deal on the CINEMOOD portable movie projector, a 3-inch device that streams Netflix and YouTube content. You can also download Netflix content for offline projecting. It’s $349 through our deal, 12% off retail.
Apple's Helpful Video on Using 2FA for Apple Devices
Check out this Apple video on using 2FA to secure your Apple devices. I won’t pass up an opportunity to promote device and service security. For instance—and while I’m here—DON’T REUSE PASSWORDS! So, anyway, Apple has this short (only 6 seconds) how-to video that gives you the quick run-down on using 2FA to protect your Apple ID. Really, it’s a pointer to a more in-depth piece on using 2FA, and that article has a lot of good information. TMO has some great articles on 2FA, too, and too, and too, and too. Many of our readers already know this stuff, but we all have friends and family who don’t. Pass it to them. Post a link in social media. Help the people who count on you for tech stuff learn more about protecting their digital #^%$!
Keep your personal information secure, even in your sleep. With two-factor authentication, you can protect your Apple ID with more than just a password.
Here’s how it works: https://t.co/d9RtMwoV1L pic.twitter.com/aXV5g6RjGL
— Apple Support (@AppleSupport) May 14, 2018
Watch Susan Kare Talk about Working on Original Mac Icons and Typography
Check out this wonderful presentation from Susan Kare, a member of the original Mac team who designed the icons and typography for those early Macs. This movie has been around for years, but I just saw it in a piece at Tested about the Command Key icon. That story is part of the presentation and involves Steve Jobs. In fact, it includes all kinds of anecdotes and lore, and if you’re interested in Apple or Apple products, you will enjoy watching this presentation. And the reality is if you use a modern computing device, you owe Susan Kare a debt of gratitude. She’s done a lot of work for many other companies, too, and she touches on that in this preso. It’s great!
TREBLAB X11 Earphones: $32.99
We have a deal on a pair of TREBLAB X11 earphones. These wireless earphones use Bluetooth 4.1 CSR, and are designed for active people. They features 6 hours of play time with a charge time of 2 hours. They’re $32.99 through us.
https://vimeo.com/210447417
Ralph Nader Uses Apple's Success as Focal Point for His Causes in Open Letter
Ralph Nader has penned an open letter to Apple CEO Tim Cook urging him to suspend his company’s plan to to spend US$100 Billion on stock buybacks.
Apple Seeds tvOS 11.4 Developer Beta 5
This version of tvOS is testing AirPlay 2 through Apple TV 4 and Apple TV 4K devices.
Apple Seeds macOS 10.13.5 Developer Beta 5
The biggest feature for end-users is continued testing of Messages in iCloud.
ZinCable Ultra-Strong MFi-Certified Lightning Cable: $19.95
We have a deal today on a ZinCable Ultra-Strong MFi-Certified Lightning cable. It features scratch-resistant connectors made from a zinc alloy, with reinforced stress points and a strain-resistant core. It’s $19.95 through us, 20% off retail.
Breaking News: Indy Mac Software Maker Thrives for 25 Years
This company has been making a product used throughout the Mac community, and has been able to stay in business while updating this software all this time, an amazingly rare success story
37 Sensors Starter Kit for Raspberry Pi (Pi 3B Included): $129.99
We have a great deal on a Raspberry Pi starter kit that includes 37 sensors and a Raspberry Pi 3B. Check out the full list of sensors on the deal page’s Specs tab. It comes with Raspbian system and Dragit programming language pre-installed, too.
$AAPL Closes at Record High $190.04, Hits Market Cap of $934 Billion
The stock hit an intra-day high of $190.37 , giving up a few cents before the closing bell.
Qi-Compatible Wireless Portable Charger with 10,000mAh Battery: $24.99
We’ve got a deal for you today on Powerup, a portable charger with a built-in Qi wireless charger. That’s pretty clever, to be sure, but you can also use the two USB 2.1 amp charging ports for charging cables, and the battery has a 10,000mAh capacity. It’s $24.99 through us, 64% off retail.
Hodinkee Does the Watch-Lover's Interview with Sir Jony Ive
Check out this great interview with Sir Jony Ive by Hodinkee‘s Benjamin Clymer. It’s essentially the watch-lover’s interview with Jony Ive. Here’s a snippet:
A publicist makes his way toward the rope – yes, it’s velvet – and straightens the post to which it is attached. He looks at it once more, and adjusts it again. It all feels very natural. The elevator bank opens and Jony strides off. He swiftly passes the twice-considered rope and is greeted by the team. I go in for a hearty handshake. But as with each time I converse with this man who has designed much of the world around us, I stumble at his kindness. “So nice to see you, Ben.”
Beautifully written, this interview includes annotations by Mr. Clymer to explain why he asked what he asked. And all of it is a piece by a fine timepiece enthusiast for fine time piece enthusiasts. One of the tidbits I found particularly interesting is that Jony Ive said he never talked about watches with Steve Jobs, and that the Apple Watch was first discussed a few months after his passing. This is a great interview.
Share Buybacks and Apple's Future, Same Old Facebook, Google Duplex - ACM 461
Warning, this one went long: Bryan Chaffin and Jeff Gamet discuss what Apple’s share buybacks say about Apple’s future. They also weigh WhatsApp’s founder leaving Facebook, and what it says about Facebook and Mark Zuckerberg. They go over when diving into Google Duplex, a demonstration that was as awesome as it was devoid of real value.
DaisyDisk for Mac: $6.99
We have a deal on DaisyDisk for Mac. DaisyDisk scans your disks to see all of your files and folders in a visual, interactive map. From there you can find unusually large files, preview their contents, and delete them if you don’t need them anymore. It’s $6.99 through us. Check out the promo video for the app:
Catalyst Waterproof Case for AirPods
Check out Catalyst’s Waterproof Case for AirPods, a protective cover for your AirPods case that is both waterproof (IP67, up to 33 feet) and offers 40 feet of drop protection. The video below shows how that works, and I think it’s pretty cool, especially for active folks. They’re available in multiple colors, including Frost White, Blueridge/Sunset, Slate Gray, Deep Plum, Army Green, and Glow-in-the-Dark. The company announced Tuesday that these cases will be available in Best Buy stores and the BestBuy.com, and you can find them on the Catalyst website, as well as Amazon, and they’re priced at $24.99 at all three locations. [Edit: Dave Hamilton also thought this case was cool, as he wrote about them in January. Check out his personal video in that piece. – Bryan]
Let's Play Spot-Apple-Park from High in the Air
Check out this great aerial photograph of Apple Park from photographer Joseph Olesh that was taken from high in the air.
Aura Premium Lifetime Subscription: $79.99
We have a deal on a lifetime subscription to Aura Premium, from the Aura Health app. This mobile app is designed to relieve stress and anxiety by providing short mindfulness meditation exercises every day. It’s $79.99 through our deal, a 79% discount.