The 2021 14-inch MacBook Pro with which I am typing these words is arguably the best computer Apple has ever made. It is not as powerful as the Mac Studio or Mac Pro, not as elegant as the MacBook Air, and not the best value in Apple’s line — which, again, is probably the MacBook Air. But it manages to get nearly everything great about those other Macs in a package that is smaller in profile than the computer it replaces in my world.
OmniFocus 3, which is a popular task app for iPhone, iPad, and Mac, received a major update on Monday that makes it easier to use for people with motor limitations. That’s because the app now fully supports the Voice Control feature of iOS and macOS.
Apple Inc. plans to slow hiring and spending growth next year in some divisions to cope with a potential economic downturn, according to people with knowledge of the matter.
The decision stems from a move to be more careful during uncertain times, though it isn’t a companywide policy, said the people, who asked not to be identified because the deliberations are private. The changes won’t affect all teams, and Apple is still planning an aggressive product launch schedule in 2023 that includes a mixed-reality headset, its first major new category since 2015.
According to a complaint filed in San Francisco federal court, Apple "coerces" consumers who use its smartphones, smart watches and tablets into using its own wallet for contactless payments, unlike makers of Android-based devices that let consumers choose wallets such as Google Pay and Samsung Pay.
The plaintiff, Iowa's Affinity Credit Union, said Apple's anticompetitive conduct forces the more than 4,000 banks and credit unions that use Apple Pay to pay at least $1 billion of excess fees annually for the privilege.
There are still many other things that aren't working properly, including the USB-A ports on the Studio, faster-than-USB-2.0 speeds from any Type-C/Thunderbolt ports, and GPU acceleration, but progress is being made on all of those fronts. GPU work in particular is coming along, with a "prototype driver" that is "good enough to run real graphics applications and benchmarks" already up and running, though it's not included in this release.
I lead a 'double' life: I use my favorite OS, macOS, at home. And I use not-my-favorite OS, Windows, at work.
Because, you know, I also work from home, I try to keep things in sync, so that my old brain doesn't get confused. For example, we are using Outlook (in Office 365) for email at work. And I simply refuse to install Outlook on my precious Mac. Therefore, I'm using Outlook on the web in both Windows and macOS, to keep things consistent.
And because I've always preferred to have my macOS' Dock on the right of the screen, I've also moved the taskbar on the Windows machine to the right.
Which is the right way. After all, the computer screen is wider than taller. So, using up some space on the right is more logical than using up some space on the bottom.
Until this week. When I got 'upgraded' to Windows 11 at work. And the new taskbar only works on the bottom of the screen. Microsoft, once again, had done an half-assed job of copying Apple.
I am now contemplating whether to move my Dock to the bottom of the screen too. Oh, the horrors.
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Thanks for reading.