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The Return-to-the-App-Store Edition Friday, April 5, 2019

BBEdit Returns To The Mac App Store After 4+ Year Absence, by Ryan Christoffel, MacStories

BBEdit 12, the latest version of the popular writing app for macOS, features more than three hundred new features and refinements since the app was last available on the Mac App Store. It also introduces a new pricing model: unlike direct purchases from Bare Bones Software, where an app license can (still) be purchased for a one-time $49.99 cost, on the Mac App Store BBEdit is available only as a subscription.

How To Tap Less On Your Phone (But Get More Done), by David Pogue, New York Times

Yes, eliminating the keys and buttons left a bigger canvas for displaying apps. But it also eliminated the keys and buttons. As a result, almost every smartphone task now requires tapping on glass. Typing text, correcting errors. Entering numbers, correcting errors. Changing settings, correcting errors.

Over the years, Apple and Google have put enormous effort into reducing the tap tally for tedious tasks. With each software update, we get more features that streamline the steps.

The iPad Cops Keeping Us Safer, by Mark Furler, Queensland Times

"Today, iPad mini is an integral tool to help our front-line officers make smarter, safer decisions. By accessing critical information, assessing risks, conducting searches and issuing infringements in the field in real time, our officers can spend more time in the community and less time at their desks doing paperwork.

"For Queensland Police, iPad mini was almost a no brainer. The built-in security of iOS meets our strict requirements, and the mini's compact size allows our officers to be truly mobile... our officers like the iPad mini so much that we redesigned their uniform, adding a custom pocket to allow them to quickly secure their device."

Town Squares

Apple Store Plans Shelved After Heritage Authorities Say 'No', by Clay Lucas, Sydney Morning Herald

A plan to build an Apple store at Federation Square has been shelved, after heritage authorities refused an application to demolish part of the existing square.

Apple will not proceed with its plan, and the Andrews government will now review the operation of Federation Square.

I Respect Apple’s Intentions With Its ‘Town Squares’ Concept, But Share Public Unease, by Ben Lovejoy, 9to5Mac

So much as I respect Apple’s vision, I do think that public spaces should be genuinely public. And that’s something the company can easily achieve simply by creating the areas and then handing over ownership to the city. In that way, they truly would be town squares.

Stuff

Apple iPad Air Review (2019): Just Right, by Nathan Ingraham, Engadget

After a week with the iPad Air, I'm convinced it's the best iPad for most people. It offers clear and significant benefits over the standard iPad, including double the storage, a much better screen and support for the smart keyboard -- while still being affordable. The iPad Pro is a stunning piece of hardware that is simply too expensive for a lot of potential buyers. The iPad Air, on the other hand, nimbly toes the line between Apple's basic tablet and the Pro lineup. If the iPad Pro is Apple's vision for the future of computing, the iPad Air is a device meant right now, with a price point and feature set that'll make almost anyone happy. It's the Goldilocks iPad: just right.

Sketch, by Shelby Putnam Tupper, PC Magazine

Sketch is a full-fledged tool born for designers who create screen-based design experiences, and it does this masterfully. With its familiar (for Mac users), intuitive interface and easy cross-collaboration between designers and their clients, Sketch has earned its sound reputation as the go-to prototyping tool, because it facilitates and expedites the design validation and approval process.

Best Lightning Cables: Top-notch Cables That Are Meant To Last, by Sarah Jacobsson Purewal, Macworld

You only get one Lightning cable with your phone (and it’s probably already broken), so you’re going to need to stock up—but not at the Apple store. We tested 10 Apple-approved Lightning cables over the course of a month to figure out where you should spend your money. Read on to find out which cable is the best, and what we thought of the others.

PageTurn Uses Facial Recognition For Hands-Free Navigation Of PDFs, Perfect For Musicians, by Ryan Christoffel, MacStories

The aptly-named PageTurn utilizes the power of the TrueDepth camera system found in all iOS devices that support Face ID – the iPhone X, XR, XS, and XS Max, plus the 2018 iPad Pros – to enable turning pages of a PDF using only your face.

Luminar Flex Adds Plug-in Power For Photographers Used To Adobe, by David Pierini, Cult of Mac

Today, Skylum rolled out Luminar Flex, a plug-in it says will add its AI-powered features to photographers used to working with the Adobe suite.

Develop

Making Video Games Is Not A Dream Job, by Jason Schreier, New York Times

There’s only one way for these workers to push back against the way they’re exploited while franchises like Call of Duty churn out money for those at the very top: unionization.

Notes

Apple Store Barricade Highlights Apple’s Obsessive Attention To Detail, by Luke Dormehl, Cult of Mac

The latest example of this kind of obsessive perfectionism? That Apple reportedly insists that the tiny screw divots in its temporary Apple Store barricades are covered up. Because Apple.

Bottom of the Page

I guess Apple is now working on a charging mat that detects where your phones and watches and AirPod cases are, and move the charging coils to where the devices are.

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Thanks for reading.