Newsletter Archives

• Apple has been analyzing your photos since September 2024

  Posted on March 31, 2025 at 02:44 CDT by B. Livingston • Comment in the Forums

  PUBLIC DEFENDER

  

  By Brian Livingston

  Apple silently turned on a feature in its new iPhone iOS 18, macOS 15, and other operating systems that sends a version of every photo in your collection to a central server for “evaluation” — with no publicity about the feature and without asking device users to opt into the process. It’s simply enabled.

  The Cupertino corporation released iOS 18 and macOS 15 (code-named Sequoia) on September 16, 2024. When I say the photo-analysis feature was “silently turned on,” I mean there’s no mention of Apple’s Enhanced Visual Search (EVS) in the company’s official What’s new in iOS 18 Web page. There’s a passing reference to using Apple Intelligence, the iPhone’s “smart assistant,” to search for photos in iOS 18.1 (released on October 28, 2024). But there’s been none of the promotional talk you’d expect for such an important change as EVS.

  Read the full story in our Plus Newsletter (22.13.0, 2025-03-31).

  Public Defender Apple, Enhanced Visual Search, iOS 18, macOS Sequoia, Newsletters

• Planning ahead for migration

  Posted on March 24, 2025 at 02:42 CDT by Susan Bradley • Comment in the Forums

  TAME YOUR TECH

  

  By Susan Bradley

  March 20, last Thursday, was the spring equinox. For me, that means I start planning ahead for gardening season.

  I’ll review seed catalogs and study how things worked out last year. Making a plan well ahead of turning that first bit of soil is essential for me, and I put it all on paper. From determining how much fertilizer and mulch I need to computing compost density and selecting the best seeds for this year, I want that plan.

  Okay, I know that as Will was editing this column, he was asking himself, “What the heck is she talking about? This is a tech newsletter!” I’ll explain.

  Read the full story in our Plus Newsletter (22.12.0, 2025-03-24).

  Tame Your Tech Apple, Business insurance, Cyber insurance, Linux, Migration, Mint, Newsletters, Patch Lady Posts, PC Upgrades, Windows 10, Windows 10 ESU, Windows 11

• Businesses in the crosshairs

  Posted on March 17, 2025 at 02:41 CDT by Susan Bradley • Comment in the Forums

  PATCH WATCH

  

  By Susan Bradley

  But first, a personal note.

  As you know by now, the founder of this site, Gregory Forrest “Woody” Leonhard, passed away unexpectedly on March 8, 2025.

  When Woody retired from freelance writing in 2020, he reached out to ask whether I wanted to take over the AskWoody.com site. He wanted to spend more time with his family and pursue other, personal interests. I didn’t hesitate for a second.

  Read the full story in our Plus Newsletter (22.11.0, 2025-03-17).

  Patch Watch Apple, CVE-2025-24984, CVE-2025-24991, CVE-2025-24993, CVE-2025-26633, Internet Printing Protocol, iOS, IPP, Newsletters, Patch Lady Posts, Remote Code Execution, SQL Server 2019, USB Printers, Web Browsers, Windows 11 24H2

• Thunderbolt is not just for monitors

  Posted on March 10, 2025 at 02:44 CDT by Ben Myers • Comment in the Forums

  BEN’S WORKSHOP

  

  By Ben Myers

  When will Windows computer makers embrace Thunderbolt?

  This is not an idle question, but the answers are quite complicated, involving three different evolving industry standards: Thunderbolt, USB, and DisplayPort. Today’s Thunderbolt 5 offers the possibility of simplified and very fast connections for all manner of devices, not just monitors.

  The Thunderbolt 5 aggregate data transfer rate is up to 120 gigabits per second in both directions, providing single data channels faster than USB and in the ballpark of the speeds inside a computer.

  Read the full story in our Plus Newsletter (22.10.0, 2025-03-10).

  Ben's Workshop Apple, DisplayPort, HDMI, Intel, Newsletters, Thunderbolt, USB, USB 3, USB 4, USB Implementers Forum, USB-C, USB-IF, VESA, Windows

• 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

• How good is Mac software vs. Windows software, really?

  Posted on February 10, 2025 at 02:44 CST by B. Livingston • Comment in the Forums

  PUBLIC DEFENDER

  

  By Brian Livingston

  The flame wars over whether Apple programs and apps are better or worse than Windows programs and apps have raged on ever since the Apple I was released in 1976. Like a fool, I’m stepping right into the middle of this battle royale with today’s column.

  In the first two parts of my Mac-vs.-Win11 series, I described how to get the best price on the new, 2024 Mac mini with its M4 chip and how to choose an inexpensive keyboard, mouse, and monitor (if you aren’t insistent on buying peripherals from Apple).

  Today, I’m going to cover the software that comes with the Mac mini, as well as programs and apps that you can get as separate add-ons. I’m probably not going to satisfy anyone.

  Read the full story in our Plus Newsletter (22.06.0, 2025-02-10).

  Public Defender Apple, Mac mini, macOS, Newsletters, Software, Windows

• The problems and joys of assembling a Mac mini

  Posted on February 3, 2025 at 02:43 CST by B. Livingston • Comment in the Forums

  PUBLIC DEFENDER

  

  By Brian Livingston

  This is not your daddy’s Mac mini. Unlike minis of old, you’ll need some bits and pieces to get it ready to power on.

  Although the original Mac mini was introduced in 2005, it wasn’t until 2006 that Apple replaced the PowerPC G4 CPU with an Intel CPU — at the time a Core Solo and almost immediately upgraded to a Core Duo. The rear port configuration changed, with the large DVI connector replaced by smaller mini-DVI and mini-DisplayPort connections. In 2009, Apple began shipping models that included Mini-DVI-to-DVI and Mini-DisplayPort-to-VGA adapter cables as well as more USB-A ports.

  At that moment, Apple began to actively market the Mac mini as an attractive alternative to Windows PC users because it became port-compatible with peripherals the user already had. This made it possible to buy nothing more than the Mac mini, with no extras required.

  Read the full story in our Plus Newsletter (22.05.0, 2025-02-03).

  Public Defender Apple, Apple M4, Mac mini, Newsletters, Peripherals

• Windows 11, or a Mac?

  Posted on January 27, 2025 at 02:45 CST by B. Livingston • Comment in the Forums

  

  ISSUE 22.04 • 2025-01-27

  PUBLIC DEFENDER

  

  By Brian Livingston

  Microsoft is ending all security and feature updates for Windows 10 on October 14, 2025. (There are exceptions, but they require fees.) Some of my readers who resist upgrading to Windows 11 — which can require a whole new PC — are instead considering the previously unthinkable: buying a Mac.

  This kind of speculation has been spawned, in part, by Apple’s introduction of the new 2024 Mac mini last October. If you buy computers based on their cuteness factor, brace yourself. The latest mini is adorable. At only 5 inches (12.7cm) square and 2 inches (5cm) high, it’s a shiny little block of aluminum that you can fit into one hand.

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

  Public Defender Apple, Apple M4, Mac mini, Newsletters, Windows 11
• « Older Entries