Apple billed yesterday’s event as “One More Thing”, and while they announced three new Macs, it really was about one new thing: the M1. The new M1-based MacBook Air, 13-inch MacBook Pro, and Mac Mini are best thought of not as three different computers, but rather three different manifestations of the same computer.
These are, by all accounts and measures, far faster machines than the Intel-based Macs they’re replacing. But the big win, and clear focus from Apple, isn’t speed but battery life.
We’ve probably seen the last new Intel Mac, but the presence of Intel Macs on Apple’s price lists provides a handy to-do list for where the Apple silicon transition will go next. The M1 hits the lowest-end devices in the Mac. In 2021 I’d expect the the rest of the MacBook Pros and the iMac to get a boost. Your patience will be rewarded.
When you make a purchase through Apple and select Delivery with Setup during checkout, you’ll have the option of scheduling a next-day appointment with an Expert from Enjoy. An Enjoy team member will deliver your product to your door and help you set it up during a personal 30-minute appointment.
With AirBuddy 2, developer Guilherme Rambo has added a bunch of new features, including new ways to customize the app and interact with Bluetooth devices other than headphones.
The popular writing and Markdown editor app Ulysses is getting another important update following the official release of macOS Big Sur to the public this week. Ulysses 21, which is already available for iOS, is coming to the Mac with an improved interface and a refined Revision Mode.
Cultured Code has released a new update for its popular Things task manager app for macOS. This particular update is explicitly geared towards macOS 11 Big Sur and brings with it some great new features.
It’s been a long wait, but today Roku is starting to roll out support for Apple’s AirPlay 2 and HomeKit features. Both will be available for the majority of the company’s 4K players, “including the Roku Ultra, Roku Streambar, Roku Smart Soundbar, Roku Streaming Stick Plus, and Roku Premiere.”
Popular read-it-later service Instapaper expanding from its iPhone and iPad app and starting today is available on Mac thanks to Catalyst. The macOS version comes with all the Instapaper favorite features from iOS like Dark Mode and specific Mac features like full screen view, keyboard shortcuts, and more.
Apple asks developers to make sure their iOS apps are fully compatible with macOS and do not require any features that are available exclusively on the iPhone and iPad, such as a cellular connection and the TrueDepth camera. If the app is not compatible, then the developer must opt out of the Mac App Store.
Apple has updated its TestFlight beta testing application for iPhone, iPad, and Apple TV to version 3.0. The update brings support for automatic updates, as well as stability improvements and bug fixes.
By comparison, AppleCare+ for the HomePod mini involves a $15 upfront cost and an additional $15 per-incident fee for up to two incidents of accidental damage protection every 12 months.
The update added an entirely new section to the software license agreement, bringing it up to 16 sections. This new section is called “Leasing for Permitted Developer Services,” and it makes people’s jobs at companies like Macstadium much easier.
For users, it will gradually feel like we have broadband no matter where we might be, which is not terribly exciting except when you want to stream a 4K movie in the backseat of a car on a highway or download a 5 GB file in a minute in a coffee shop. The level of excitement should be more akin to finding out your city has (silently) dug up the streets while you were sleeping, replaced 10-inch water mains with 20-inch ones, and then cleaned it all up without you knowing. 5G is better network plumbing that your “Internet utility” had to install to deal with the amount of data and new data connections it wants to move around a city.