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The Answer-Was-No Edition Tuesday, June 27, 2023

The Mac Pro’s Biggest Problem Is The MacBook, by Monica Chin, The Verge

I wanted to know whether Apple’s purported target demographic — people who spend their days animating, making visual effects, and doing various other tasks generally associated with big, powerful computers — were actually interested in purchasing this machine. So I asked a bunch of them, and the answer, basically across the board, was no. Not because the Mac Pro is bad but because Apple’s other computers, namely its laptops, have just gotten too good.

Why Tips Like 'Turn Off Your iPhone For Five Minutes' Don't Actually Help Users, by Chance Miller, 9to5Mac

While true that rebooting an iPhone on a weekly or daily basis may ever-so-slightly help reduce the threat presented by spear phishing and zero-click exploits, those aren’t threats that most users need to worry about. In fact, for most users who do need to worry about those threats, Apple’s Lockdown Mode exists as a much more robust solution.

Essentially what Albanese did was cherry-pick a piece of advice meant for the security community, remove the nuance, and pass it off as generalized advice for all iPhone users.

Vision Pro Accessibility: Great Potential, But Many Unknowns, by Shelly Brisbin, Six Colors

I’m sure there will be alternatives that allow me to use the Vision Pro, but the question for me, and for blind users, too—many of whom are already excited about the platform—is whether the device will give enough of an upgraded experience to make it worth seriously considering it as an alternative to a Mac or an iOS device when I’m doing anything beyond watching a movie or playing a game.

Stuff

Apple Increases iCloud Storage Prices In The UK And Other Markets, by Benjamin Mayo, 9to5Mac

Apple has upped the price of iCloud storage in the United Kingdom and some other geographic regions, possibly reflecting changes in foreign currency exchange rates. iCloud pricing in the United States remains the same.

Apple Launches 2023 Back To School Promotion In Canada And Mexico, by Joe Rossignol, MacRumors

Apple’s annual Back to School promotion is now available in Canada and Mexico after launching in the U.S. earlier this month. Now through October 2, college and university students in these countries can receive a free Apple gift card or accessory with the purchase of an eligible Mac or iPad, in addition to Apple’s standard educational discount on these products. Students can also receive 20% off AppleCare+ plans for eligible devices.

Affinity Photo Review - Affordable Photoshop Alternative, by Eugen Wegmann, translated by Karen Haslam, Macworld

If you are a beginner, hobby graphic artist, or photographer, Affinity Photo is an incredibly attractive alternative to Adobe Photoshop, which hardly differs from the class leader in its essential functions. You lose out on the really smart features here and there, but there is nothing wrong with learning how to retouch and select objects properly by hand.

Pixelmator Pro Review: An Affordable Alternative For Pro Photoshop Users, by Macworld

There’s no doubt that Pixelmator Pro’s powerful array of editing tools represents excellent value for money, and the video editing features that arrived at the beginning of 2023 make this app even easier to recommend.

Develop

Streak Redemption, by Lukas Mathis, Ignore The Code

If you do have streaks in your app, to avoid completely demoralizing your users after a streak loss, offer them a chance at streak redemption.

Bottom of the Page

For the Mac Pro to be late and underwhelming, it certainly seems like something is not right back in Apple Park.

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Thanks for reading.