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The Wimpy-Specs Edition Tuesday, January 22, 2019

Apple Mac Mini Review: Small But Mighty, by Raymond Wong, Mashable

With seemingly wimpy specs like an Intel Core i3 processor, 8GB of RAM, and Intel UHD 630 integrated graphics, I didn’t expect the Mac mini would be good for much more than browsing the web, streaming videos and music, and writing a story or two.

But the Mac Mini surprised me. Despite its less-than-perfect-on-paper specifications, the smooth space gray aluminum computer proved to be a fairly capable machine for creating content.

Nuance Has Abandoned Mac Speech Recognition. Will Apple Fill The Void?, by Adam Engst, TidBITS

TidBITS reader Todd Scheresky is a software engineer who relies on Dragon Professional Individual for his work because he’s a quadriplegic and has no use of his arms. He has suggested several ways that Apple needs to improve macOS speech recognition to make it a viable alternative to Dragon Professional Individual.

Apple’s Employee Charitable Giving Program Topped $125 Million In 2018 Donations, Apple Highlights Volunteering Efforts, by Benjamin Mayo, 9to5Mac

The company announced that Apple’s Giving program has raised more than $365 million for nonprofits around the world since it began eight years ago. It also shines light on some of its volunteering initiatives, including a coding class in Ireland run by volunteers from Apple’s Cork campus.

Schoolwork

New App Helps Families Connect With Classrooms In Greenwich, by Jo Kroeker, West Port News

“The kids love when you comment on their work or videos, and I love to see the digital devices being used as such great tools for learning and sharing,” she said. “The older they get, the more they enjoy the comments and feedback parents can leave for them as well.”

Parents get better insights into their children’s growth, McGuire said.

“It’s more meaningful than sending home a unit test or a piece of paper,” she said. “They actually see their child doing the work, and explaining it.”

New Albany-Plain Local Educators Say iPads Are Making The Grade, by Sarah Sole, ThisWeek

Jenny Shoaf, a math and pre-algebra teacher at the intermediate school, said the iPads have given students new ways to visualize and manipulate data while providing new opportunities to share their work.

"Whether they are building science or math graphs digitally, or using text-to-speech to check their writing or grammar in social studies or writing, there are so many resources that truly transform their ability to express their growth and understanding," Shoaf said.

Stuff

Pixelmator Pro Update Adds Clipping Masks, Streamlined Layer Adjustments And Filtering, by Benjamin Mayo, 9to5Mac

This release adds clipping masks which apply to normal layers, groups and shapes. The mask defines the visible region of everything else, enabling complex designs to be created much more quickly. To add a clipping mask, just option-click in the layers sidebar or use the Format menu.

Loopback 2 Review: Elevates The Interface For Sophisticated Sound Routing In macOS, by Glenn Fleishman, Macworld

Apple didn’t include robust audio routing and mixing controls in macOS, and it’s hard to blame the company for that, because only a small subset of Mac users need them. Loopback bridges that gap, although its $99 price tag aims the product at audio professionals, podcasters with a budget, or business users. It’s not a casual tool, but it can be vital and affordable for those for whom this review left them pumping their fists.

Concepts For iPad: An Adaptable Infinite Canvas To Suit Anyone’s Needs, by John Voorhees, MacStories

Concepts affords me an infinite canvas free of space constraints. It also offers a level of control over the tools I use that fits well with how I approach text editors.

Fuzion App For iOS Brings Effortless Double Exposures And Image Blending To iPhone Portrait Photos, by Michael Potuck, 9to5Mac

It uses TrueDepth camera data from new iPhones to seamlessly create stunning images by automatically taking the silhouette from Portrait mode photos and removing the background. User’s can then easily blend the silhouette with another image and even add overlays.

Develop

For Women Job Seekers, Networking Like A Man Isn't Enough, by Emily Dreyfuss, Wired

Women need access to key kinds of information that men don’t. And how can they get it? From other women.

Notes

Apple Hosting Employee Activity Challenge In February With Exclusive Sport Loop As Reward, by Mitchel Broussard, MacRumors

Those who complete this challenge will receive an exclusive Black Sport Loop, which has colored details on the plastic attachments that connect to the Apple Watch case, and on the end of the velcro band. The blue, red, and green colors on the band represent the Stand, Move, and Workout Activity rings on Apple Watch.

Foxconn Looks Beyond China To India For iPhone Assembly, by Yang Jie, Yoko Kubota, Newley Purnell and Rajesh Roy, Wall Street Journal

Executives at Foxconn, a contract manufacturer that assembles a large portion of the world’s iPhones in China, are studying whether to include an India project in budget plans, one of the people said. Senior executives, possibly including Chairman Terry Gou, plan to visit India after next month’s Lunar New Year to discuss plans, the people familiar said.

Foxconn’s look at India comes as sustained friction between Washington and Beijing over trade and technology is pushing many companies to consider diversifying their supply chains away from China, a global center of assembly for smartphones, computers and other electronics.

Bottom of the Page

Do not be mistaken that the new Mac mini is a low-cost, entry-level Apple computer for the switchers. No more. That role is now been fulfilled by the regular iPad.

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Thanks for reading.