Enter our new international giveaway for a chance to win the brand new iPhone 16 Pro.
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.
Twelve South Products on Sale for Black Friday 2020
Apple accessory maker Twelve South has officially announced its five-day-long Black Friday 2020 sale.
The iPhone 12 Pro Costs Apple $406 to Manufacture
In a teardown of the iPhone 12 Pro, an estimation of the device’s components suggest it costs about US$406 to manufacture.
First Look at 'Cherry' - Heading to Apple TV+ March 12
Cherry, directed by Anthony and Joe Russo and starring Tom Holland, will arrive in theaters on February 26 and on Apple TV+ on March 12. Vanity Fair got a first look at the upcoming feature.
“We do think about it as an epic film, and it is very much a person’s life journey,” said Anthony Russo. “But it does have a little bit of a split personality between being this character study and an epic life cycle.” They described Cherry as six movies in one, spanning from the mid 2000s to the present. “He travels a great distance over a 15-year period,” Joe Russo said. “The movie’s broken up into six chapters that reflect those different periods, and each one has a different tone. It’s shot with different lenses, different production design. One’s got magical realism. Another chapter is absurdism. Another is horror…There’s a bit of gonzo in it. It’s raw in its tone. He’s a character in existential crisis.”
Ming-Chi Kuo: Redesigned Apple Silicon MacBooks Launching H2 2021
Apple fans can look forward to Apple silicon-powered, redesigned, MacBooks in the second half of 2021, according to a note by Ming-Chi Kuo. The analyst’s note, seen by MacRumors, also suggested various other new devices are on the way.
Kuo did not specify which models these will be, but he previously claimed that redesigned 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro models with Apple Silicon would launch in the late second quarter or third quarter of 2021… Kuo also expects third-generation AirPods to launch in the late second quarter of 2021… Last, Kuo predicted that the “new Apple Watch shipment’s momentum in 2021 will benefit from innovative health management functions and improved form factor design,” but it is unclear if he is referring to the Apple Watch Series 6’s new casing options like blue aluminum or to redesigned Apple Watch Series 7 models.
Twitter Client ‘Tweetbot’ Supports M1 Macs, macOS Big Sur
Tweetbot is a popular client for Twitter and the team recently updated it to support M1 Macs and macOS Big Sur.
Security Friday on Wednesday, Black Friday Deals – TMO Daily Observations 2020-11-25
Andrew Orr joins host Kelly Guimont to discuss Security Friday news (even though it’s Wednesday) and point out some Black Friday deals.
Watch 'A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving' For Free Via Apple TV
A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving was shown on November 22, but is still available, for free, via Apple TV.
Unclutter Launches ‘The Macnificent 9’ Black Friday Sale
The team behind Unclutter has launched a Black Friday app bundle called The Macnificent 9 with the sale lasting for three weeks.
We’re All Cyborgs and Didn’t Even Realize It
It’s certainly interesting to think about. Do smartphones count as “external brains?”Does wearing an Apple Watch make us a cyborg? Alex Hern examines the issue, although I disagree on one part: It’s definitely not an Apple-specific phenomenon.
Without us even noticing, Apple has turned us into organisms living symbiotically with technology: part human, part machine. We now outsource our contact books, calendars and to-do lists to devices. We no longer need to remember basic facts about the world; we can call them up on demand.
Read the article, then watch this TEDTalk from cyborg anthropologist Amber Case.
All the Devices That Support Apple TV
Apple TV is available on an increasing number of third-party devices, including televisions from major makers and the latest consoles.