Newsletter Archives

• Apple silicon just got confusing

  Posted on March 5, 2025 at 12:40 CST by Will Fastie • Comment in the Forums

  Today, Apple announced several new products without fanfare: the iPad Air, MacBook Air, and Mac Studio. In a related announcement, Apple unveiled the M3 Ultra chip.

  This is not the progression I anticipated. I thought 2025 would be the year of the M4, expecting general upgrades to M4 and a new M4 Ultra. Instead, the iPad Air got an M3 chip, the MacBook air an M4 (expected), and the Mac Studio in two models, one with the M4 Max (expected) and the other with the new M3 Ultra (completely unexpected).

  

  Image courtesy Apple, Inc.

  The progression for the Airs makes sense. But the Studio? Now the entry model has an M4 and the tricked-out model has an M3. That will confuse the buying process. It also makes me wonder where the M4 Ultra is.

  Apple Apple, Apple M-series chips, Apple M3 Ultra, Apple M4 Max, Apple Silicon, iPad Air, Mac Studio, MacBook Air

• Mac mini setup — KVM update

  Posted on March 3, 2025 at 02:43 CST by Will Fastie • Comment in the Forums

  APPLE

  

  By Will Fastie

  Reconfiguring the Mac mini so it would be a part of my KVM arrangement went without a hitch.

  I more or less expected that because the KVM box is a rather simple thing, although my use case is odd. I’ll explain that below. For now, I’ll just describe the slight differences that showed up when I made the KVM connection.

  Read the full story in our Plus Newsletter (22.09.0, 2025-03-03).

  Apple Adapters, Audio, DisplayPort, KVM, Mac mini, Mac setup, macOS, Newsletters, PC setup, Thunderbolt

• Setting up the Mac mini

  Posted on February 17, 2025 at 02:42 CST by Will Fastie • Comment in the Forums

  APPLE

  

  By Will Fastie

  Apple has an excellent reputation for helping iPhone users migrate from Android, a process that is smooth, precise, and friendly.

  It’s been over a decade since I set up a Mac, a 2009 model. My memory of that is vague, but I recall it as straightforward and easy to understand. I wondered whether today’s experience would live up to Apple’s past or to its excellent iPhone experience.

  I do not expect any oddities in my setup. However, there are a few things I should explain.

  Read the full story in our Plus Newsletter (22.07.0, 2025-02-17).

  Apple Adapters, HDMI, Mac mini, Mac setup, macOS, macOS Sequoia, Newsletters, PC setup, Thunderbolt

• SLAP and FLOP – should we be concerned?

  Posted on February 5, 2025 at 03:00 CST by Susan Bradley • Comment in the Forums

  

  You may have seen the news that Apple devices are subject to vulnerabilities that could potentially (note that word!) allow an attacker to see the content of your Web browsing when using Safari or Chrome.

  Let’s interpret the statement, shall we?

  If an attacker can inject malformed data into these processes, then it can read memory content that shouldn’t be accessible …

  Translation: If a bad guy can trick you into going to their malicious website, and:

  The researchers say there is no evidence that either vulnerability has yet been exploited in the wild…

  The attack sequence also would entail the following:

  “FLOP requires a target to be logged in to a site such as Gmail or iCloud in one tab and the attacker site in another for a duration of five to ten minutes. When the target uses Safari, FLOP sends the browser “training data” in the form of JavaScript to determine the computations needed. With those computations in hand, the attacker can then run code reserved for one data structure on another data structure. The result is a means to read chosen 64-bit addresses.”

  I don’t see this as a huge threat. I have never seen these side-channel attacks done at the consumer level. Targeted nation state? Maybe. You and me? No. If you really are concerned, just make it a point to swipe up and close your applications and tabs. It’s wise to shut down the apps every now and then anyway — and rebooting your phone will not close apps.

  So don’t panic. It’s just a research whitepaper.

  Apple Patch Lady Posts

• What are we doing, and why?

  Posted on January 27, 2025 at 02:44 CST by Will Fastie • Comment in the Forums

  APPLE

  

  By Will Fastie

  Now you know what I alluded to a few weeks ago: Windows fanboy Brian Livingston is writing a comprehensive series about Macintosh — specifically, the Mac mini.

  No, we’re not changing course. This newsletter covers all things Microsoft and Windows and will continue to do so.

  But as I have noted in my news coverage of Apple over the last few years, there has been a seismic shift in personal computing as Apple transitioned into its own silicon. This cannot be ignored, especially because Microsoft has made strong efforts to make its software solutions available beyond Windows’ borders and into the Apple folds.

  Read the full story in our Plus Newsletter (22.04.0, 2025-01-27).

  Apple Apple, Apple M4, Apple Mac, Mac mini, Newsletters, Windows 11

• When is a good time to replace?

  Posted on January 24, 2025 at 03:00 CST by Susan Bradley • Comment in the Forums

  My sister has a guideline — never replace a device before you’ve paid it off. The phone companies will gladly let you trade in your phone for a new phone even if you haven’t fully paid off the old phone. But when should you replace a device?

  There are a few hard and fast rules:

  1. When the vendor stops supporting it or giving you updates, it’s time to seriously consider replacing it. Devices are app-driven and thus app vendors are bound by the restrictions the phone and device vendors put in place. Often older apps will no longer work. Not just unsupported, but flat out won’t work.
  2. When the device’s storage space is getting too full. If an iPhone’s free space gets too tight, updates won’t install. Patching devices that don’t have enough free space is a real hassle (ask me how I know).
  3. When the device can no longer hold a charge. For this you can opt for third-party solutions, available at local firms in the battery business.
  4. When it won’t support the application you are trying to download. This is typically related to number 1.

  For me, the most common reason is power. Batteries tend to go bad before the support for the operating system lapses.

  Apple Batteries, Patch Lady Posts, Phones, Support, updates

• Three days of M4

  Posted on November 4, 2024 at 02:43 CST by Will Fastie • Comment in the Forums

  APPLE

  

  By Will Fastie

  Or were they?

  It turns out that the rumors I mentioned in my Apple article last week were not entirely accurate. With respect to the M4 chips, they were. With respect to the number of days, the count turned out to be three, not five.

  Now I think I know why, which I’ll get to in a moment.

  On the surface, the announcements last week had the M4 chips in common. It’s deeper than that.

  Read the full story in our Plus Newsletter (21.45.0, 2024-11-04).

  Apple Apple Intelligence, Apple M-series chips, Apple M4, iMac, Mac mini, MacBook Pro, Newsletters

• The October surprise

  Posted on October 28, 2024 at 02:42 CDT by Will Fastie • Comment in the Forums

  APPLE

  

  By Will Fastie

  Most observers were expecting an Apple event in October. They were wrong.

  Which is not to say there was no surprise.

  On October 15, Apple announced its new iPad Mini. “Announced” may be overstating the case — the Mini didn’t even make it to Apple’s home page, and as I write this on the Friday just prior to our publication, it still isn’t there.

  Read the full story in our Plus Newsletter (21.44.0, 2024-10-28).

  Apple Apple M-series chips, Apple Mac, iPad Mini, Mac mini, Macintosh, Newsletters
• « Older Entries