Why I’m Writing
I enjoy reading and writing about tech and often get sent questions, about product recommendations, upgrades and workflows. These posts are an attempt to share things I’m into, my opinions on tech, and tech media coverage that I find valuable. Feel free to send me a suggestion if there’s topic or product you’d like my thoughts on.
As always when making a purchase take some time to source multiple opinions and come to your own conclusions about what will work best for your unique situation and setup.
Thanks for reading!
This Week In Apple
- Congrats to all!
Apple releases public beta versions of iOS 17, macOS Sonoma, and more
- The public beta versions for Apple’s iOS 17, iPadOS 17, macOS Sonoma, watchOS 10, and tvOS 17, are now available.
- Installing public betas is not recommended for most users.
- If you own multiple devices run the public beta on a non-production machine. Do not place betas on any device you rely on to make an income.
- The risk level of public betas from lowest risk to highest risk in my opinion are listed below.
- Public Beta Risk Level defined as a risk to mission critical apps and workplace tools not working.
Very Low = Minimal impact on workplace tools
Low = Minimal impact to workplace tools. Some bugs may be annoying.
Medium = Expect issues with third party apps that are not yet fully updated to support the upcoming OS release/s.
High = Expect regular issues with both first party and third party apps. Possible iCloud and cloud based syncing issues that could range from annoying to hindering productively tasks.
Very High = Professional applications like (Pro Tools, Logic Pro, Adobe Creative Cloud etc.) will likely not support the upcoming releases. Expect error messages, bugs and crashes when opening projects. Unsupported first party and third party plugins. Workplace place critical utilities will likely not work and/or have bugs. Think clipboard managers, cloud storage clients, time tracking apps, screen shot tools etc.
| Operating System | Public Beta Risk Level |
|---|---|
| tvOS 17 | Very Low |
| watchOS 10 | Low |
| iPadOS 17 | Medium |
| iOS 17 | High |
| macOS Sonoma | Very High |
Quoting the Mashable article:
“As always, if you plan to install the new betas, bear in mind that beta software is prone to bugs; always back up your devices before switching from a stable software release to beta software.”
Apple Insider – M3 Macs Launching October 2023
M3 Device Release Timeline Prediction
| Device Model | Release Season |
|---|---|
| MacBook Air 13″ | Fall 2023 |
| MacBook Air 15″ | Fall 2023 |
| MacBook Pro 13″ | Fall 2023 |
| iMac 24 | Fall 2023 |
| iMac 32 | Fall 2023 |
| iPad Pro | Fall 2023 |
| Mac mini | Winter Early 2024 |
| MacBook Pro 14″ | Winter Early 2024 |
| MacBook Pro 16″ | Winter Early 2024 |
| Mac Studio | Spring 2024 |
| Mac Pro | Spring 2024 |
| iPad Air | Spring 2024 |
M3 release timeline and product release predictions will be updated as development moves forward.
An Alerting Vista of Sonoma • furbo.org
Yay deprecated API alerts to scare us all! That only appear once and never again?….
Apple’s security practices on macOS are well intentioned and an are a valiant effort to keep users informed of what’s going on with their Mac. I appreciate the effort and intent. However, with each new macOS release Privacy & Security settings are becoming an increasingly convoluted and confusing mess. To “Allow” or “Don’t Allow” is the question that must be answered near daily on macOS. Annoying and intrusive, surely Apple can figure out a more elegant way of providing their users with the information they need to know to protect themselves? It’s gotten to a point where most people just assume I need to “Allow” to keep my work day going, regardless of the risk.
Quoting Craig Hockenberry;
“From a UI point-of-view, these alerts have serious issues:
▪ They are scary and not actionable.
▪ The only unique information is the title. The name, however, is not something I recognize.
▪ I know what a deprecated API is and how its removal can be a bad thing, but ordinary users won’t.
▪ There is no mention of what API caused the alert.
▪ I’m advised to contact the developer for an updated version, but there is no information on who that developer is. (In the screenshot above, I’m assuming the developer is Apple itself, so I notified them with FB12560773, FB12560774, FB12560776).”
Plugin
Gain plug-in in Logic Pro for Mac
A great tool built right into my main DAW Logic Pro. Logic Pro is full of great built in plug-ins that get the job done. The gain plugin is no exception. Super useful as the first plugin on a channel strip to raise or lower the overall level of sound source, invert phase, and sum stereo sources to mono. A super simple Swiss army knife of a plugin that doesn’t cost a cent.
My main use of the plugin is to run null tests to check that a printed 2MX or a cue or track matches the summation of printed STEMS that make up or equal the printed 2MX.
Learn more about Null Tests via the links below;
Articles
iCloud Keychain and Chrome Compatibility
Finally Chrome users on macOS can use iCloud Keychain passwords within Chrome and other chromium based browsers via an extension.
Quoting Apple software engineering manager Ricky Mondello via Twitter;
“macOS Sonoma brings Apple’s password manager to Google Chrome, Microsoft Edge, and other browsers using their extensions stores with the “iCloud Passwords” browser extension.”
Good news for Apple iCloud Keychain users. Bad news for 1Password the company, but good news for their users who refuse to use the Electron based 1Password 8. As version 7 appears to be the last native mac app build of their popular password manager tool.
Read more about 1Passwords Electron build via their community forums;
1Password 8 Mac Electron App Experiment
Revisiting a link from last week see In Review 27th Week Of 2023 for the full post.
Apple may be ‘experimenting’ with a 32-inch iMac, but don’t expect one soon
My thoughts from last week in italics;
iMacs are great but they aren’t for me. I’d rather have a souped up MacBook Pro or Mac Studio connected to a Studio Display over an all in one machine. The main problem with all in one machines is the screen almost always outlives the computer stuck behind the glass. Given Apple’s full lineup of non upgradeable Macs. I could see a beautiful 32 inch iMac, with a gorgeous 6k display, internal SOC going out of date in less than three to five years for power users. All in one’s are also hard and awkward to transport. In today’s largely hybrid work environments. The portability of a high end MacBook Pro or Mac Studio, for those who need the maximum amount of processing and RAM available, are the ideal machines for creative Pros on the move. As it’s generally easy to find relativity cheap screens anywhere you may find yourself working.
I’d rather Apple release a 32 inch version of the Studio Display instead of developing a 32 inch iMac Pro esque machine that runs M3 Pro/Max/Ultra chips. This seems like a better long term investment for Pro users who are more likely to upgrade their Macs every 3-5 years to stay up to date with the latest chipset releases and spec upgrades.
A 32 inch Studio Display priced starting around $2,000.00 would fill the current gap between the current 27 inch Studio Display which starts at $1599.00 and the high end but aging Pro Display Display XDR starting at $4,999.00 which famously does not include a stand. See WWDC 2019 Pro Stand Crowd Reaction.
Review
First Look: 2023 Public Beta platform features
Great new features around the corner for all of Apple’s software releases.
Product
PANTHEON DELUXE DUAL OVERDRIVE
I purchased this pedal used a few months back and have been using it on both electric guitars and bass. It sounds great and is fun take a on a classic blues breaker styled pedal with two distinct modes. That can be used individualy or together. Being able to change the flow of the signal path has a huge impact on the desired tone. It also sounds great with my analog Korg Monologue and re-amping percussion samples and loops through it. In the future I will follow up with some sound bites of the pedal in action in various music production scenarios.
Podcast
THE TALK SHOW WITH JOHN GRUBER 381: ‘Tape Deck Dongle’, With Joanna Stern
A great episode and with follow up on Joanna Stern and Nicole Nguyen’s excellent investigative piece A Basic iPhone Feature Helps Criminals Steal Your Entire Digital Life
If you enjoyed the post and found it to be useful. Entirely optional, and appreciated. Thanks for your support!
Written on MacBook Pro using Drafts Pro in Markdown.
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