When you’re traveling home from work or on your way to meet someone, you can use Apple Maps on iPhone or inside CarPlay to quickly share your estimated time of arrival (ETA). We’ll show you how.
Clever DIY project turns AirTag into slim wallet card
An intrepid do-it-yourselfer disassembled Apple’s new AirTag and rebuilt it into something slim enough to fit into a wallet.
Watch his video with step-by-step instructions for following in his footsteps — if you dare.
How to report accidents, hazards and speed traps in Apple Maps
Apple Maps gives users in the U.S. the ability to report accidents, hazards and speed traps in iOS 14.5. The information you submit could help other road users avoid lengthy jams and expensive tickets.
Here’s how to file your own report inside the Maps app.
24 years later, Twentieth Anniversary Macintosh still serves [Setups]
By the time of its release in March 1997, the over-the-top-shelf powerhouse known as the Twentieth Anniversary Macintosh had seen its initial price of $9,000 cut to $7,499, or about $12,000 in today’s dollars.
The interesting-but-still-hopelessly unaffordable system — for a time delivered door-to-door and set up by tuxedoed concierges — failed in the marketplace. It went on to become a collector’s item.
These days, a Twentieth Anniversary Macintosh, or TAM, often sells for around $1,500. So Redditor Cbaltz2 kind of scored when he picked one up a while back on eBay for $800. And remarkably, he found a good use for it in the here and now.
Mythic Quest fine-tunes its epic comedy for strong second season [Apple TV+ review]
In its second season, Mythic Quest doubles down on characters and lets workplace dynamics subsume the work itself. The creative team that drives the Apple TV+ comedy about game developers found the sweet spots that made the first season above average, then worked on them like mechanics.
The result is a season every bit as strong as the first — and one that portends greatness for the future.
Apple could bring a splash of color to its next-gen MacBook Air
Apple could bring a splash of color to the MacBook Air, says Apple tipster Jon Prosser in a new video. Prosser suggests that the next-gen M2 MacBook Air could come in a fancy blue color and, quite possibly, a range of other shades as well.
That would make a lot of sense given the recent iMac redesign, which marked the first time in 20 years Apple has released its desktop computers in multiple colors. It would also match Apple’s strategy back in the late 1990s when the colorful iMac G3 was followed up by the equally colorful iBook.
Mosquito Coast slows to a satisfying simmer [Apple TV+ review]
This week on The Mosquito Coast, the Foxes are on the run and the heat is hot on their tail — in every way possible.
The third episode of Apple TV+’s paranoid new drama can’t do much but crawl. But it covers some important ground. And strong acting and clever writing again combine to keep you hooked.
Only a tiny proportion of iOS users let apps track them
Apple’s new App Tracking Transparency feature looks surprisingly popular with users — and potentially devastating to advertising. According to analysis by Flurry, just 4% of U.S. users allow apps to track them when given a choice.
The new privacy feature, rolled out in iOS 14.5 in late April, requires developers to ask for permission to use Apple’s Identifier for Advertisers tag to track users’ movements across websites and third-party apps. Flurry’s stats indicate a massive 96 out of 100 users in the United States denied that permission.
How to enable AirTag’s hidden debug mode on iPhone
AirTag owners have discovered a hidden debug mode inside the Find My app on iPhone. It offers more detailed information on your tracker and allows you to customize the Precision Finding interface.
We’ll show you how to enable it on iOS 14.5 or later.
How to reset an AirTag before giving it away
AirTag, like many Apple devices, is automatically linked to your Apple ID when you set it up for the first time. If you plan to sell one or give it away, you will first need to remove it from your account with a factory reset.
We’ll show you how.
Creeps could use AirTags to stalk people with ‘frightening’ ease
It it “frighteningly easy” to use Apple’s location-tracking AirTag to stalk somebody, a new report suggests.
While Apple says it’s been careful to incorporate anti-stalking measures to stop the AirTags from being used in this way, a Washington Post columnist says Apple’s countermeasures are not effective.
Apple’s treatment of Netflix highlights arbitrary App Store rules
The latest insider info brought to light by the Epic Games v. Apple trial is the lengths the Mac-maker went to convince Netflix to continue taking subscriptions in its iPhone/iPad app. But Netflix stopped anyway, and Apple took no action.
When Epic Games tried to do something similar, Apple banned all its software from the App Store.
Print a variety of useful AirTag holders with these free 3D models
It’s not necessary to buy an accessory to attach an Apple AirTag to your keys, bike or dog’s collar if you own a 3D printer. There are tons of CAD files with options to connect the recently released item tracker to various objects. And all of them are free to use.
AirTag ‘found moving with you’? Here’s how to avoid being tracked.
Got an “AirTag found moving with you” alert on your iPhone or iPad? It means an AirTag registered to another person is traveling with you and you may be being tracked. Here’s what you can do to stop it.
Mixed-reality Apple glasses could add a new dimension to fitness
Like Apple Watch before it, Cupertino’s much-anticipated mixed-reality headset looks set to be another leap forward for fitness wearables.
Mixed reality is already commonplace in TV sports. You see it every time the virtual line of scrimmage is superimposed onto a football field. Now imagine that the players on the field can see that virtual line too, just like the viewers at home. That’s exactly what Apple’s latest gadget could deliver, adding a whole new dimension to sports and fitness.
How little can you spend on good-enough lighting? [Setups]
The big open window shown in the photo above certainly helps keep the place lit for free in bright daylight. But what does Redditor Kwipz do about cheap lighting for the darker hours?
They spend a few bucks. Literally.
Execs fretted over whether App Store ads were ‘at odds’ with Apple messaging
Many people may be surprised to hear that while Tim Cook has often taken thinly-veiled shots at the targeted ad-supported business model of some rivals, Apple does itself sell targeted ads.
Although there is a bit more nuance to that, it can look like a contradiction, or even a bit of hypocrisy, from the outside. As emails highlighted during the current Apple vs. Epic legal battle shows, Apple employees also grappled with whether or not Apple should offer ads in the App Store — and whether this opposed Apple’s messaging.
Read Epic Games’ reasonable idea for opening up the App Store
Epic Games suggested a change to the iPhone App Store that, if Apple had followed it, might have prevented the lawsuit that landed the two tech giants in court this week.
The game developer recommended that Apple continue to police third-party software, looking for malware, privacy violations, etc. But once the iPhone-maker signed off on an app, it would be up to the developer how the software got distributed.
What to do when you find someone else’s lost AirTag
Apple’s new AirTag tracker is no bigger than a coat button and cannot be attached to anything without the use of accessories. So it’s likely many are going to get lost. Here’s what you should do if you ever find one.
Steve Jobs once called Facebook ‘Fecebooks’
Disagreements between Apple and Facebook have made headlines recently, but bad blood between the two companies dates back decades. In 2011, Apple co-founder Steve Jobs even called the social-networking service “Fecebooks.”
Quickly view available keyboard shortcuts in any iPad app [Pro tip]
iPad has gotten better and better at working with external keyboards in recent years. You’ll now find great support for keyboard shortcuts in most of the apps you use regularly. But how do you quickly find out which keyboard shortcuts are available to you?
There’s an easy way in iPadOS — and it works inside any app.
iFixit shows how to add a hole to AirTag
There’s no direct way to attach Apple’s just-released AirTag to a set of keys because the item tracker doesn’t include a hole. But iFixit x-rayed the device and found three places a brave user could drill a hole.
How to measure a person’s height with iPhone 12 Pro
iPhone 12 Pro and 12 Pro Max, thanks to their built-in LiDAR Scanners, have a handy feature that lets you quickly (and surprisingly accurately) measure someone’s height — without the need for third-party apps.
We’ll show you how.
Don’t expect next iPad mini for months
Apple’s next small tablet isn’t coming soon, no matter what previous rumors indicated. A trusted analyst and Apple prognosticator says the 2021 iPad mini won‘t be on the market until the second half of the year.
According to unconfirmed reports, this will be a significantly redesigned device, with a larger display.
One mammoth display to rule them all [Setups]
These days, lots of folks rock two or three or even four large monitors in their computer setups. But some people go for one huge, mesmerizing display, like kenneth_powers1, among other Redditors — and it’s a TV set, at that.
Powers credits fellow Redditor TerronG for the inspiration to use a Samsung 43-inch TU-8000 series 4K Smart TV with his aging computer. Powers uses it with a 2013 MacBook Pro and a PC he built himself. TerronG runs a similar TU7000 series TV with a 2012 Mac mini upgraded with a newer SSD and additional RAM.