Enter our new international giveaway for a chance to win the brand new iPhone 16 Pro.
Amazon's New Mini Cloud – TMO Daily Observations 2020-12-01
Bryan Chaffin and Dave Hamilton join host Kelly Guimont to discuss Amazon’s announcement of cloud computing available on Mac minis.
Amazon Web Services Launch Mac EC2 Instances
Amazon Web Services announced on Monday the launch of Mac EC2 instances so developers can run macOS environments in the cloud.
This Shortcut Lets You Download Podcasts
The Podcasts app lets you save podcast episodes to listen later or to archive them, but they remain within the app. What if you want to download podcasts and save them elsewhere, like the Files app? This shortcut lets you do that. I’ve only used it once so far but it worked like a charm. It’s a nice way to archive episodes that you find particularly interesting.
Gugu Mbatha-Raw to Star in Apple TV+ Thriller 'Surface'
Gugu Mbatha-Raw, who stood out in ‘The Morning Show’, is heading back to Apple TV+ in ‘Surface’, produced by Reese Witherspoon’s firm.
Apple Expands PRODUCT(RED) Contributions to Tackle HIV/AIDS And COVID-19
Apple has announced that it is expanding its partnership with (RED) to help provide treatment and services during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Apple Donates PPE to Help Zambia Fight COVID-19 and HIV
Apple has been supplying PPE to the Ministry of Health in Zambia to help medics working there deal with COVID-19 and HIV.
Why Are All The Companies Copying Snapchat?
As Arielle Pardes points out, you’d think some of the tech companies were merging with the amount of features they’re copying from one another. This market is so free you guys.
Does your head hurt? Mine does, as do my thumbs, which now have three times as many platforms to scroll for short-form and ephemeral videos. I am overwhelmed with content and underwhelmed by features—at least until the next big thing comes along, and everyone lunges to copy that.
I have definitely noticed this when it comes to Facebook, if only because I don’t like Facebook. They’ve copied all they could from Snapchat. In my opinion, Mark Zuckerberg wants Facebook to be as ubiquitous as WeChat is in China. All interactions, all commerce must flow through Facebook because Mark Zuckerberg can’t conceive of a different business model. Or, he can conceive but he doesn’t care. Why should he? We reward him by using his services.
The Official Cyber Monday Mac Bundle with Parallels Pro, Luminar 4, More: $41.99
We have a deal on a great bundle of apps called the Official Cyber Monday Mac Bundle. It features 12 apps, including Parallels Pro, Luminar 4, PDFpenPro 12, BusyCal 3, and more, all for $69.99—but Cyber Monday coupon code CMSAVE40 takes 40% off, bringing it down to $41.99, which is a great deal.
HYPER Offering 30 Percent Off This Cyber Monday
HYPER makes a variety of chargers and other accessories useful to Apple users. For Cyber Monday 2020, they are offering customers 30 percent sitewide. Furthermore, their doorbusters have up to 80 percent off, and users who spend $100 or more get a free USB-C to Lighting Cable.
Signed Apple I Computer on Auction for US$50,000
A fully functional Apple I computer signed by Stevie Wozniak will enter an auction for US$50,000 on December 10.
Take a Good Look at Your Digital File System This Holiday Season
Victoria Song advises that we should reexamine our digital file system and maybe reduce, reuse, and recycle our content.
Look, 2020 was supposed to be my year. I set out with what I thought were pretty reasonable New Year’s resolutions—one of which was to spend less time on my screens. And then the pandemic hit. During the endless hours that ensued, I noticed something: My digital filing system was a goddamn mess.
I’m taking this opportunity to shamelessly recommend my system of personal information management. It does use a series of structured folders but more importantly it creates a consistent way to write file names.
New Disney Parks Holiday Playlist Streams on Apple Music
Disney is curating a brand new holiday playlist for this year on Apple Music. It includes songs from Frozen and other beloved shows.
Prominent Venture Capitalist Josh Elman Joining Apple to Work on App Store
Venture capitalist Josh Elman, who invested in the likes of HouseParty, announced that he is joining Apple to work on the App Store.
Apple Declines to Sign up in French Big Tech Initiative... For Now
Apple and Amazon have, for the moment, not signed up to a French initiative trying to unite Big Tech behind a set of principles.
Cyber Monday Deal Bonanza – TMO Daily Observations 2020-11-30
Andrew Orr and Charlotte Henry join host Kelly Guimont to discuss some favorite Black Friday/Cyber Monday deals and shopping ideas.
New Wallpapers to Celebrating Opening of Second Apple Store in South Korea
The new Apple Store in South Korea, the company’s second in the country, is set to open soon. To celebrate, Apple has made new wallpapers for Macs, iPhones, and iPads available. Click on the link at the bottom of the outlet’s page and you can use it as the wallpaper for whichever device you’re on.
Apple Black Friday - Cyber Monday Shopping Event Closes Today - Offering Gift Cards Worth up to $150
Apple is offering gift cards worth up to $150 with the purchase of various products from Black Friday until Cyber Monday.
Quick Tips, Cool Stuff Found and Your Questions Answered: A Traditional MGG — Mac Geek Gab 846
There’s nothing wrong with enjoying the comfort of old traditions, and this week’s Mac Geek Gab has three of them for you: Quick Tips, Cool Stuff Found, and your questions answered. Press play and enjoy learning five new things as John and Dave, your two favorite geeks, steward us all through this week’s episode.
The Official Trailer for Mariah Carey's Apple TV+ Christmas Special is Here. It Might Just be What 2020 Needs.
I think we can all agree that we deserve a little bit of cheer towards the end of this year. Luckily, Apple TV+ and Mariah Carey have teamed up for a holiday special to help get us in the festive spirit. The trailer landed over the weekend and it’s… well…. exactly what you might expect! The show will be available from December 4, and TDO listeners will know that I am unreasonably excited about it.
Happy Thanksgiving 2020!
It’s Thanksgiving in the U.S., so that means The Mac Observer is taking Thursday and Friday off to celebrate the holiday. We’ll be back with our regular news, analysis, tips and podcasts on Monday, November 30th. We hope everyone has a great weekend, wherever you are in the world!
Retro TV Game Console: $35.95
We have a deal on a retro gaming console. It comes preloaded with 620 classic games and retro controllers. I’m linking to the version of the deal with AV outputs for $35.99. The deal listing also has a 2-pack option, and then options with HDMI outputs.
Apple Goes to Hollywood, With Tom Merritt - Media+
Charlotte Henry and her guests bring focus — and a little something extra — to discussions about digital media in today’s world. She is joined by Tom Merritt to discuss Hollywood’s excitement at the new M1 Macs and Apple’s potential purchase of Wondery.
How John Evelyn Created ‘The College Atlas’ Game for Apple Arcade
Developer John Evelyn created a hand-drawn, first-person shooting game for Apple Arcade called The College Atlas. In this interview he shares his story.
In broadly creative terms, and on a more positive note, there is a dizzyingly big market out there and the last 20 years have seen a huge diversification in terms of what kinds of games players will engage with. In decades gone by, I think I would have been laughed off the face of the Earth for my extremely low-poly approach – not to mention lack of scores or traditional narrative structure – but not now.
Apple Should Leave TikTok to The Experts - Its Users
Apple has had a TikTok account for a few months, now though it is starting to use it, initially to promote the iPhone 12 mini.