Apple has quietly laid the MacBook to rest following its July refresh of the MacBook Air and MacBook Pro. I don’t think this is goodbye to the MacBook, however. Just farewell for now. It wouldn’t surprise me at all to see it again before too long.
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About Those MacBook Pro keyboards
Apple recently acknowledged that some of its laptop users are having problems with their keyboards, almost three years after a new “butterfly” mechanism was introduced. It’s a product quality issue that has Apple users understandable upset, but it shouldn’t be a surprise to anyone. Apple often designs for the user it wants, as opposed to the users it actually has.
Apple’s Ambitious Plans for Apple Arcade
I’ve been writing about Mac games on and off for 25 years, and I can’t think of a single announcement from Apple that has intrigued me as much as Apple Arcade. It could be a real game changer, or it could be a total disaster. Apple Arcade, announced before Apple’s introduction of Apple TV+, is coming this fall. The Mac is getting the new games alongside iPhones, iPads and Apple TV. What’s more, Apple is contributing to the development costs. This is the first time I can remember Apple footing the bill. That should tell you that Apple has some ambitions beyond just launching a new service.
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What happened to the iMac?
The iMac debuted 20 years ago. It’s not hyperbole to say that it’s the computer that saved Apple and set the stage for Apple’s ascendance to becoming the biggest tech company in the world. All that said, Apple’s lost something in the translation – while the iMac is still a fixture in Apple’s product line, it lacks some essential qualities of that first model. Its personality has changed. The iMac has gotten harder. It’s lost the sense of whimsy, fun, and wonder that made the first iMac such a joy to use.
Why it’s OK that Apple killed AirPort products, finally
Last week Apple made official news we’d suspected for a very long time: It’s discontinued the AirPort line of network routers. Apple says once its current stock of supplies is depleted, that’s it. Apple hasn’t needed its own line of networking gear for many years, but let’s remember how truly disruptive AirPort was.
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How to beat fake news: Trust, but verify
All of us of a certain age remember Ronald Reagan’s utterance “Trust, but verify” – a translation of the Russian proverb “Doveryai, no proveryai.” Reagan used it during nuclear disarmament talks between the US and the Soviet Union in the 1980s. “Trust, but verify” is an important maxim to observe on social media as well, as we try to figure out what to do about “fake news.” More thoughts on this after the break.
Facebook and Cambridge Analytica: Is Your Data Exposed?
Facebook is under fire for enabling a company called Cambridge Analytica to obtain information about more than 80 million Facebook users. Until recently there was no way to know if your data was included. Now there is. Here’s how to find out.
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What’s in store for Apple’s Mac?
For decades, pundits have compared Apple’s Macintosh computers to Windows PCs. Recent articles about Apple’s Mac plans provide us with a look inside its hardware and software engineering efforts. They also reveal what Apple is doing to make such comparisons less relevant in the future. I’m going to read the tea leaves a bit to try to figure out what Apple has planned.
MacVoices: Talking About Social Media
Chuck Joiner and I recently spoke on his MacVoices podcast. Our subject was social media and its impact. Some of the topics we discussed included protecting ourselves at a time when many of us are dangerously overexposed. I went deep on my specific experience with Twitter, which has a lot of value. But Twitter’s also become really toxic; I stepped away because of that and some other reasons which I go into. I even got a bit ranty. Chuck’s a very gracious host, so he let me spin my top.
The Committed: On Apple Design, and more
Ian Schray, Kirk McElhearn, and Rob Griffiths were kind enough to invite me to talk with them on their podcast The Committed this week. We talked about the controversy over Apple’s design of the iPhone X (the infamous “notch”), the Apple TV 4K, and the new LTE-enabled Apple Watch Series 3. I had a great time with these three gents, I hope you have a great time listening in.
