TidBITS

Adam Engst explores how ChatGPT can transform complex spreadsheet data into valuable visualizations, sharing insights from analyzing his running club’s registration patterns and promotional channel analysis.

The results of our poll asking about your backup strategy show that most TidBITS readers employ a variety of backup methods to facilitate recovery in different disaster scenarios.

Adds support for Apple Intelligence to the reference management tool. ($74.99 new, free update, 118.8 MB, macOS 10.13+)

Adds option to join conference calls directly from the event alert notification. ($56.99 annual subscription, free update, 67.4 MB, macOS 12+)

Updates the virtualization software with new features, improvements, and bug fixes. ($99.99 Standard Edition, free update for subscribers, macOS 10.14.6+)

Brings a small collection of improvements and bug fixes to the videoconferencing app. (Free, 134.2 MB, macOS 10.13+)

Maintenance update for the recently upgraded image editor. ($29.99 new, free update, 84.7 MB, macOS 14+)

Brings a smattering of improvements to the financial management app. ($71.88/$95.88/$131.88 annual subscription, free update, 3.2 MB, macOS 12+)

Maintenance update corrects various issues with the Open/Save dialog utility. ($39.95 new, free update, 17.6 MB, macOS 10.13+)

Adam Engst looks at Watch Duty, a nonprofit-developed app that combines wildfire mapping with real-time alerts from firefighters and first responders. It can help you track active fires and evacuation zones for yourself or affected family and friends.

In light of Apple Intelligence’s notification missteps, Adam Engst examines the value of summarization, overcoming an initial skepticism to argue that summaries are intrinsic to human expression but should be used judiciously.

On a recent visit to San Francisco, Adam Engst was thoroughly impressed with a ride in a Waymo robotaxi. How many years will it be before the company expands service to most of the country?

This week’s Do You Use It? poll asks how you could recover your data and get back to work in the event of a disaster ranging from a corrupted file to a house fire.Read original article

Apple didn’t see fit to describe the bugs addressed by these updates, and they don’t address any security vulnerabilities, so there’s no need to update your iPhone or iPad right away unless you’re experiencing problems.

Brings Genmoji and Shortcuts improvements and fixes. ($74.99 new, free update, 32.4 MB, macOS 14+)

Focused maintenance release with an important fix for the word processor. ($69.99 new, free update, 105.3 MB, macOS 10.13+)

Adam Engst investigates how macOS 15.2 Sequoia introduced a bug in Apple Software Restore that breaks bootable backups of M-series Macs. He provides guidance for adapting your backup strategy to accommodate a world without bootable backups.

Adds support for creating rules based on the time of day and introduces new AI-powered summary features. ($108/$132/$192 annual subscriptions, free update, 25.8 MB, macOS 10.15+)

Major upgrade for the image editor with new AI features. ($29.99 new, free update, 84.9 MB, macOS 14+)

Introduces new AI features to help you generate and enhance text graphics. ($29.99 new, free update, 795.2 MB, macOS 10.13+)

Improvements and fixes for the bundled calendar and contact apps. ($56.99 annual subscription new, free update, various sizes, macOS 12+)

Brings a major update for working with tasks in the calendar app. ($49.99 new, free update, 66.3 MB, macOS 10.15+)

Small maintenance update for the “charmingly simple” audio recording tool. ($19 new, free update, 18.7 MB, macOS 14.4+)

Adam Engst and Allison Sheridan delve into the latest online scams, offering practical tips to help you steer clear of these digital traps.Read original article

Rogue Amoeba has finished moving its entire fleet of audio apps to its next-generation audio capture technology, a process that took three years after being forced by Apple security changes. Here’s the story.Read original article

With macOS 15 Sequoia, Apple has addressed a long-standing issue by letting update notifications open the App Store’s Updates screen. It’s a small improvement that improves the user experience when updating apps from the Mac App Store.

We will be taking a few weeks off to spend time with family and friends over the holidays. You can expect the next email issue of TidBITS on 6 January 2025. Thanks for reading TidBITS, and we hope our articles enriched your year!

If you rely on a bootable backup of your Mac and haven’t yet updated to macOS 15.2 Sequoia, hold off. Those who have already updated can protect their work with a data-only backup.Read original article

Adds support for Apple Intelligence to the three iWork apps. (Free, various sizes, macOS 14+)

Brings feature enhancements and bug fixes to the photo editor and image manager. ($9.99/$19.99/$59.99 monthly Creative Cloud subscription, free update, macOS 13.1+)