TidBITS

One of the few downsides to Macs powered by Apple silicon is that they have not been able to control brightness and contrast on most external monitors, until now.

Parker Ortolani of 9to5Mac has created concept art of Mac OS 9-based phones, watches, and tablets. Imagine what might have been if the hardware technology of the day had been up to the task.Read original article

The Intel-based Mac Pro may be around for a good while yet, given that Apple has just released new graphics card modules for the high-end workstation Mac.Read original article

The social media service TikTok is known for how it algorithmically decides which videos you want to watch. The Wall Street Journal created dozens of automated accounts to see how it works so well, or rather, how it tends to send people down rabbit holes that…

Maintenance update following the recent major upgrade to the screencast recording and video editing app. ($149 new, free update, 85.4 MB, macOS 10.15+)

With the return of Steve Jobs, Apple became a titan of the tech industry, but the COVID crisis has proven that Tim Cook’s Apple is truly “antifragile,” in that it grows stronger under adversity.

Apple has rolled out the watchOS 7.6.1 to fix a severe security exploit that was patched in iOS 14.7.1, iPadOS 14.7.1, and macOS 11.5.1.

Apple once again shattered records with its Q3 2021 financial results, but the uncertainties of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and a global chip shortage cast a shadow, albeit small, over the company’s celebrations.

Users of Apple TV Channels have had subscriptions spontaneously canceled over the past week, including HBO and the Paramount+/Showtime bundle.Read original article

Apple has completed its latest cycle of operating system updates with the release of iPadOS 14.7 and macOS 11.5. Along with them come security notes for all recent releases. Apple later followed with iOS 14.7.1, iPadOS 14.7.1, and macOS 11.5.1 to address a…

Sometimes you want to take a screenshot of a dialog that’s attached to a window. It turns out you can do this by pressing Command-Shift-4, pressing the Space bar, and then holding down the Command key when you mouse over the desired dialog.

Revises a large number of plug-ins to restore or improve their capabilities as well as renames some for clarity. (Free/$4.95/$49.95, free updates, various sizes, macOS 10.10+)

When Apple unveiled its AirTag tracker, many wondered why the company failed to build Find My technology into its second-generation Siri Remote, introduced at the same time. Now a couple of accessory makers are solving this issue with silicone Siri Remote…

Responding to President Biden’s executive order, the Federal Trade Commission has voted 5-0 to go after companies that make repair difficult.Read original article

Patches three WebKit-related security vulnerabilities. (Free, various sizes, macOS 10.15+ and 10.14+)

Patches security vulnerabilities in Catalina and Mojave. (Free, various sizes, macOS 10.15.7 and 10.14.6)

Consolidates the Search and Jump To bars into a single unified search. (Free, 25.3 MB, macOS 10.10.9+)

Bare Bones Software has released BBEdit 14 with a new Notes feature that recognizes the extent to which many users keep numerous untitled documents open in BBEdit at all times. The release also provides significant enhancements to source code editing thanks to…

iOS 14.7 brings support for the MagSafe Battery Pack and shared Apple Card credit limits. Apple also released watchOS 7.6, HomePod Software 14.7, and tvOS 14.7 with minor changes.

Choosing Apple earbuds or headphones becomes more complicated when you factor in gear from Apple subsidiary Beats by Dre. To wrap his head around all the options, Julio Ojeda-Zapata constructed a huge comparison chart. This companion article separates the…

Anyone using FTP or SFTP to connect to their Web site or other servers should consider a tweaky but significant security upgrade that swaps passwords for encryption keys.

Improves support for M1-based Macs and the Magic Keyboard with Touch ID. ($9.99 new, free update, 28.9 MB, macOS 10.11+)

Maintenance release for the professional audio app fixes a couple of crashes. ($199.99 new, free update, 1.1 GB, macOS 10.15.7+)

Works around a change in the macOS 12 Monterey public beta that caused a crash in the document organization and archiving app. ($40 new, free update, 31.4 MB, macOS 10.12+)

Adds options for custom app icons in the Dock and support for Working Elsewhere availability in Exchange. ($39.99 annual subscription, free update, 53.1 MB, macOS 10.13.2+)

Consumer Reports and The Verge are conducting a survey of Internet access in the United States, and they’re asking users to perform speed tests and upload PDFs of their bills.

Microsoft’s forthcoming Windows 365 service promises to let you stream Windows from the cloud to a Mac or iPad. It could be a win for those looking for an x86 Windows solution on an M1-based Mac.Read original article

Online backup service Backblaze is raising its prices to $70 per year to accommodate larger backups and higher component costs. But you can lock the previous $60-per-year price in for another year by prepaying now.Read original article

Smile’s PDFpen, which has long provided a powerful yet inexpensive alternative to Adobe Acrobat Pro DC, has been acquired by Nitro Software for $6 million in cash. 

Fed up with Verizon’s high prices and poor service, Josh Centers decided to try the AT&T network through Consumer Cellular. After a successful test, he ended up switching.