A weekly list of things I found interesting, posted on Sundays.1 Sometimes themed, often not.
1️⃣ The Playdate is soon to be in the hands of its first customers, and some media folks got a first look at the innovative handheld console. Panic, the company behind the little device, put together a thread of some of the first looks. Man does it look fun! [Link - @playdate // twitter.com]
2️⃣ The Find My network is making reselling AirPods tricky when the original customer doesn’t remove them from their iCloud account first. [Link - Caroline Haskins // businessinsider.com]
3️⃣ I love seeing outdoor spaces designed with accessibility in mind. The care that goes into creating and servicing a park where anyone — in this case even someone who uses a motorized wheelchair — can have a solo backcountry expertise, warms my heart. [Link - Jason Thurston // adirondackexperience.com]
4️⃣The Verge scored an interview with a production designer for the show Severance. It’s a fascinating look into the thought behind the weird office the “Innies” live in. [Link - Andrew Webster // theverge.com]
5️⃣Severance captured my interest like nothing else on television has for some time. It’s utterly fantastic, and so creepy. This interview with director Ben Stiller provides neat insight into the casting and character development. I’ll be thinking about this show for the next year until season two comes out! [Link - Alan Sepinwall // rollingstone.com]
7️⃣ And because I guess I’m on a Severance tear, this tweet thread is a neat look at how they pull off the captivating elevator transition with some film magic. [Link - @vashikoo // twitter.com]
For payment apps, Apple Pay ranked first, partly due to 87% of teens in the survey saying they have an iPhone
PYPL’s Venmo ranked No. 2 (with the PayPal app No. 4) behind Apple Pay among payment apps used in the last month while SQ’s Cash App ranked No. 3
Teen culture becomes mainstream culture, and this latest survey shows that US teens have flocked to Apple Cash as their peer-to-peer payment method of choice. I was surprised by the news, but shouldn’t have been. A vast majority of teens have iPhones, and Apple Cash is right there in the built-in messaging app. The default is a hell of a thing.
There are lots more interesting findings in the rest of the report.
A weekly list of things I found interesting, posted on Sundays. Sometimes themed, often not.
1️⃣ I was going to do a post like this, checking to see which iOS 15 features were still MIA, but José Adorno beat me to it. It looks like everything announced has shipped! [Link - José Adorno // 9to5mac.com]
2️⃣ A staggering animation by the folks at NASA shows the dramatic increase in temperature on Earth over the last 150 years. [Link - @kirstinferguson // twitter.com]
3️⃣ This older piece by Nilay Patel about giving his parent a Chromebook (rather than an iPad or traditional laptop) got me thinking. Is the future the web, not apps? Which is more beneficial for a non-nerd to learn? [Link - Nilay Patel // theverge.com]
4️⃣ This new iOS app lets you scan and convert braille to text. Or copy and paste the braille itself. Very cool. [Link - @azzoor // twitter.com]
5️⃣ It looks to me as though Apple went all-in on using Shortcuts to build their April Fools’ Day game this year. Michael Potuck has the deets. [Link - Michael Potuck // 9to5mac.com]
6️⃣ I got the “Grace Kelly” song stuck in my head yesterday, so I fell back down the rabbit hole on its TikTok challenge. I could listen to these compilations all day. [Link - youtube.com]
7️⃣ I spent way too much time today reading about The Mighty Mountain Megamarathon, where folks try for the best time in climbing all 55 of the Colorado 14ers. This webpage looks like a time capsule from the year 2000 but is packed with the rules, myths and lore, and stats from its author, Cave Dog. [Link - Cave Dog // thedogteam.com]
I whipped out Pixelmator Pro over the last couple of weeks to make some new shirts that I really like. They’re all Classic Mac-inspired, using the hues from the colorful Apple logo. Those with an eye for typefaces will recognize Chicago used on the ⌘Q and ’84 shirts, and Ted Lasso fans might recall the Believe phrase from the series.
Each is available in a few different colors, and the shirts that Cotton Bureau uses are top-notch. Very soft and fits just right.
All designs can be made in several styles and colors. ⌘
Along with these three fresh designs, there is a handful more to see at my storefront. Every purchase helps me out with the cost of keeping this site up, so if you buy one, I thank you for the support! I hope you enjoy them as much as I do.
A weekly list of things I found interesting, posted on Sundays. Sometimes themed, often not.
1️⃣ Jason Snell recounts the days of yore when a Macworld cover concept unwittingly previewed an imminent iMac design — and Apple wasn’t happy. [Link - Jason Snell // sixcolors.com]
2️⃣ This pixel art of Apple Park by Basic Apple Guy is stunning and comes in both day and night versions for device wallpapers. [Link - Basic Apple Guy // basicappleguy.com]
3️⃣Vox explains how more superhero scenes in movies are computer-generated than you’d think. As in completely rendered, without someone in the suit. These “Digi-Doubles” are fascinating and I’m always a sucker for behind-the-scenes and how-it’s-made content. [Link - Vox // youtube.com]
4️⃣ I’m getting serious Black Mirror vibes from this preview of Roar on Apple TV+ — and I’m all in. [Link - Apple TV+ // youtube.com]
5️⃣ My podcast app of choice, Overcast, got Phase One of its long-awaited redesign this week. There are some bits I need to get used to, but I think it’s headed in the right direction! [Link - Marco Arment // marco.org]
6️⃣ Kill the Newsletter by Leandro Facchinetti is an incredible tool for folks like me who like reading email newsletters, but hate getting them via email where my actual correspondence lives. I use Reeder to save articles for later and to read internet stuff via RSS. Kill the Newsletter gives you an email address to use to subscribe to a newsletter and then converts it to a unique RSS feed just for you. Now I can keep receiving and reading everything in Reeder. (Via Club MacStories) [Link - kill-the-newsletter.com]
Learning that the Studio Display not only has an A13 processor but also runs the full version of iOS 15 and has 64 GB of storage has led to a bunch of ideas of how the display could do more than be an external monitor.
Personally, I think the most interesting of them is if the Studio Display could boot into an Apple TV mode running tvOS. It’s got enough storage to run streaming video apps and a couple of games, which either a paired keyboard/mouse or the Remote app on iOS devices could control.
Enabling iPadOS or macOS may be a stretch too far, but this display already has better guts than the Apple TV4K (running on an A12), and would make for a pleasant personal entertainment center. Throw in the FaceTime app to use its Center Stage camera, and Studio Display makes for an excellent stand-alone video call station, too.
A weekly list of things I found interesting, posted on Sundays. Sometimes themed, often not.
1️⃣ Go watch Severance on Apple TV+. Its dark and mysterious plot makes it the most compelling new show I’ve seen since The Leftovers. [Link - justwatch.com]
2️⃣ The new iPad Air has so much in common with previous iPads that Jason Snell cleverly reviewed it by piecing together quotes from his old reviews. [Link - Jason Snell // sixcolors.com]
3️⃣ When reading about Ayaka’s digital detox, this part stood out about catching up with others without worrying about who’s updated on what. I’ve noticed it, and it’s refreshing. [Link - Ayaka Nonaka // ayakanonaka.com]
Because I don’t look at or share on Instagram where people post about their adventures and major life events, when I actually catch up with people, there’s a lot to ask and talk about. It’s nice not having to wonder whether someone already knows about everything you’ve been up to, or if they think that you already know what they’ve been up to. We can just catch up on everything with no assumptions.
4️⃣ScreenTimes has a page outlining each week’s episode releases for Apple TV+ alongside a subscribable calendar. The volume of new episodes every week is starting to pack a punch. [Link - screentimes.net]
5️⃣ Hard research to back up what we already knew: pockets in women’s pants are woefully inadequate. They found that only 10% of women’s pockets will fit an average woman’s hand. This page has tons of great comparisons and visualizations. [Link - Jan Diehm, Amber Thomas // pudding.cool]
6️⃣ I’m a big fan of the MayTree YouTube channel, where the five-person acapella group performs short renditions of popular tunes. You’ve probably seen them. Their latest video showcases their frontwoman’s incredible soprano voice in the Up theme. [Link - MayTree // youtube.com]
7️⃣ A Whiskey Ginger has rapidly become my new favorite cocktail. It’s simple — just equal parts whiskey and ginger ale — and tasty. [Link - allrecipes.com]
Starting with the iPhone SE — a low-end model that goes on sale Friday for $429 — that process is changing, Apple has told retail employees. New iPhone SE buyers who choose AT&T Inc.or T-Mobile US Inc. as their wireless carrier won’t need to provide their information at the time of purchase. Instead, shoppers will be able to enter that data and connect to their carrier when they power on the device for the first time.
I can tell you from experience that connecting with carriers was often the longest and most frustrating part of selling a new iPhone. I’m happy for Apple’s retail Specialists who won’t have to deal with that part so much — the outcome of which is largely out of their control — but I’m a little worried for customers. It’ll be nice for the customers who want to get out of the store quickly and on with their day. On the other hand, I anticipate that inevitable carrier setup issues will have just deferred customer frustration to when they’re home and don’t have a “techy” person around to help.
Retail employees say the change also could benefit customer service. Sometimes activation servers can be overloaded and customers leave Apple retail stores with their phone not working — a poor experience that that new approach would mitigate.
Pushing this process out of the purchase flow won’t resolve all the underlying issues that often halt a sale — a credit denial, forgotten PIN, or incompatible carrier plan — though it might shift the blame for those barriers away from Apple to its rightful place with the carriers or customer themselves. But if they can’t figure it out on their own, they still won’t be a happy user.
Apple will also let users purchase an iPhone SE in stores with Apple Card monthly installment plans — without connecting it to a carrier.
I am happy to see that more customers will be able to purchase phones with Apple’s no-fuss installment plans. When I sold phones, I always felt silly telling customers they couldn’t use Apple Card Monthly Installments unless they connected the phone with a carrier in-store. Apple’s first-party payment option shouldn’t rely on third-party plans. Apple Card is the most transparent credit card I’ve ever seen and truly encourages people to pay less interest. If they’re going to use credit to pay for a phone, customers could do a lot worse than with Apple Card.
All-in-all, I expect that fewer customers will be denied from making a purchase due to carrier stipulations. Many prospective iPhone customers don’t realize that they have to be an ‘Authorized User’ on their carrier account to be allowed to make plan changes like connecting a new phone to a new or existing line. If they didn’t bring a photo ID that matches the list of Authorized Users for their account, they couldn’t purchase through the carrier’s installment plan or Apple’s. Their only option was to pay full price for the phone and connect it on their own later. Very few people want to purchase their phone in full these days, so I had to deny plenty of legitimate purchases to spouses, grown kids, and grandparents on family plans because they didn’t know about the red tape.
From Gurman’s reporting it sounds like that should no longer be as big of a problem since they could apply for Apple’s financing instead:
The faster purchase experience only applies to users buying an iPhone via Apple’s own installment plans or at full price, meaning that customers who want to use a carrier deal will need to use the more complex process. That could help Apple push users toward its own financing plans.
Overall, I think the additional flexibility will be good for Apple’s customers and hope these options will make their way to the rest of the iPhone lineup. But it doesn’t mean that the underlying issues are all resolved.
To be honest, I’m having a bit of trouble writing this Now update. It’s not that I haven’t done much; it’s just that the words aren’t flowing. So I’ll keep it short.
Jo and I have settled into living in the Adirondacks. We love our quirky rental home. We love the homey, welcoming community. We love the easy access to the outdoors. It’s hard not to be inspired to get outside when surrounded by such gorgeous scenery and accessible trails. We’ve gone on more walks and hikes in the last month than probably all of last year. Our dog approves (and super enjoys getting to go off-leash).
Our parents came to visit, which was nice. Heading to a new town — one that takes COVID seriously — meant we hadn’t had a lot of opportunities to make new friends. It’s a good thing my wife and I like each other because we were the only people we saw for about a month there. Our parents got us out into some touristy things, and we got to show off our spectacular new hometown. And we drank plenty of booze together.
With the house in order and guests gone home, I’ve been able to better turn my attention to finding a job. After applying to all the local guiding and outdoor rec centers and then waiting and waiting, I finally got some leads. And I’m pleased to say that, as of today, I’ve accepted a position with one of the longest-running gear shops and guiding services in the area! I need plenty of acclimation before I’m out on the trail with any groups, but I’ve hit it off with the owner and am excited to be part of the team. I’ll get to combine all my interests since I’ll be taking on their web and social media presence in addition to selling in the gear shop and working towards being a full-on Guide. So stoked!
Finally, as I hope you’ve noticed, I’ve been able to put more time into writing here. I’ve put out some posts that I’m proud of, and dusted off Pixelmator to put up new shirts for sale. Hiking, skiing, exploring, writing, and landing what could be a dream job — I feel I’m on the cusp of something great here.
I guess that wasn’t as short as I thought it’d be. 😅
📱 Apps I’m Trying
Logger - A debugging app for Shortcuts. I haven’t had much opportunity to test this out since I haven’t been building any complicated shortcuts in the past few weeks. But it looks fantastic and fills a real need in shortcut development by letting you log inputs and data as it passes from action to action — all inline.
Goodlinks - I tried Goodlinks years ago as a read-later app, and while I found it to be competent, it was a little too bare-bones to use full-time in that regard. But in searching out a place to house my ‘Trust Clicks’ for 7 Things, I immediately thought back to this app. Goodlinks’s superb Shortcuts support and lack of frills make it perfect for lightweight link management.
MaskerAid - Developed by Casey Liss, this app automatically places emojis over the faces in a photo. It helps mask young kids’ faces or anyone you’d rather not have shown in an image. But you can also use it to add any arbitrary emoji in a picture. I don’t need to use it often, but it’s a good tool for the arsenal.
Slopes - I’ve had my eye on this app but didn’t have the opportunity to use it until my birthday when I went skiing for the first time in years. It lives up to the hype, accurately and automatically tracking how many and which runs I went down. At the end of the day, I got an excellent record of my total elevation and distance skied, plus time spent active or sitting in a chairlift. I was blown away by the detail provided by this premium yet lightweight app. The care that the developer puts into Slopes is evident.
Lofi Garden - I can’t concentrate on reading or writing with lyrical music playing. But I also don’t want my Apple Music listening recommendations muddled by the instrumental, lofi, and electronic music that I play for hours on end while in the zone. So when Lofi Garden popped up on my Setapp newsletter, I knew it was for me. A simple one-click menu bar app, Lofi Garden simply plays and pauses an ever-changing loop of the perfect music for diving deep into a project at my Mac.
Raycast - This quick-launcher/command-central app comes highly recommended by John Voorhees and Federico Viticci of MacStories, so I’m giving it a fair shake. I’ll admit that it’s powerful with all its third-party plug-ins available. And it’s indeed speedy. But I’m finding it difficult to break my muscle memory from Alred. It requires more testing.
Perhaps the most exciting addition to our household is the Farmstand by Lettuce Grow. My wife and I have been pining for something green and leafy in our house and wanted to be able to grow some of our own produce year-round. This thing not only looks awesome but works exceptionally well! It’s a hydroponic grower that provides consistent light, water, and nutrients to your seedlings. We’ve had it for just a few weeks, and our plants have from this:
It’s super fun to watch everything grow noticeably larger overnight. And I can pick fresh lettuce to put directly onto a sandwich. We’re going to have a lot of fun with it!
(Look interesting? My referral code at checkout gets each of us $50 in credit: FRIEND-I6CK)
But I’ve also gotten out both downhill and nordic skiing ⛷️, and lots of snowshoeing and hiking 🥾. Winter might be on its way out here, with the mud season to follow.
My admiration for David Heinemeier Hansson has waned over the years, but I like to make sure my reading queue isn’t full of only authors with whom I agree. In this case, however, I appreciated his approach when considering Apple’s latest and greatest:
I had that Ultra machine all specced out in my cart when it suddenly struck me that I actually couldn’t recall any material difference hopping from the original M1 to the M1 Max machine. What if instead of splurging once again for more imperceptible power, I swapped back to that 2020 machine, just to feel the difference?
And what did he find when switching back to Apple’s thinnest, lightest, and least capable laptop on the market?
The 2020 M1 MacBook runs everything that I do more or less exactly as well as the three times more expensive specced-out MacBook Pro. Well, sure, I can measure an all-core full suite test run of our apps and find an advantage. But it’s not consequential, and that’s not a workflow I do all the time. Not even editing 50 megapixel photos in Lightroom seemed noticeably different.
One thing that hasn’t slipped my attention, but I don’t see many product reviewers point out, is that all of the M1 machines run on the same power, efficiency, and graphics cores — only with differing amounts of each. And when moving up to an M1 Pro or M1 Max, you’re primarily increasing graphics performance. (The M1 Ultra doubles everything, so it’s a bit of an outlier.) Sure, you do get a few more CPU cores and in a different ratio of the performance and efficiency types. Still, unless you have a workload that will light up all those cores at once, the basic M1 — in whatever machine you put it in — will probably get the job done just as well as the top-of-the-line chips.
DHH, realizing that the “low-powered” M1 didn’t throttle his workflow, concluded with an appreciation for features that only a MacBook Air can afford him:
And do you know what, I actually appreciate some of those vintage Ive sensibilities again: Slimness and lightness as qualities in themselves. Once a machine is Fast Enough and the battery lasts Long Enough, making it lighter and slimmer really does count for more. I don’t even mind the machine just having 2 USB Cs.
Maybe Ive was right all along — minus that awful keyboard! — he just didn’t have the chips to fulfill his vision.
I’m glad that DHH called out Jony Ive’s impact here. I have long felt that Ive gets a bad rap for what are relatively few of his design choices over a long and unfathomably successful and influential career. It seems that most people who criticize his work forget that many of the qualities that they love about their devices can be attributed to Apple’s design team under his leadership, too. But that’s a story for another day.
