MacMost: Archives

1/31/19
A few features are floating to the top as possibilities for iOS 13, such as Dark Mode, a new iPad Home Screen, tabs inside more apps, and better file management. Long-rumored services like a Magazine subscription option are also mentioned in this Bloomberg article.
Mac Photos Editing Shortcuts
1/31/19

The photo editor in the Mac Photos app includes a lot of shortcuts that can help speed up editing, especially if you need to make adjustments to a range of photos. You can enter and exit editing mode quickly, move between photos without leaving the editor, jump to different editing modes, and compare the original to your adjustments easily. You can also fine-tune cropping and rotations.

1/30/19
Apple’s earnings for the quarter ending in December slightly exceeded predictions causing the stock to rise. Previously, Apple had warned of lower iPhone sales which contributed to a stock price drop over the last few months. The change came out almost exactly as Apple predicted, not any worse, which pleased investors. Despite this issue, the quarter was the second best for Apple of all time, after the same quarter last year.
The Most Powerful Keyboard Shortcut
1/30/19

The most powerful keyboard shortcut for your Mac is the Tab key. This single key helps you get around in windows, dialog boxes and even web pages. You can modify how it works in System Preferences and also in Safari's preferences. Once you master using the Tab key you can speed up your computer use by keeping your hands on your keyboard more and using your mouse or trackpad less.

1/29/19
A widely-reported flaw in group FaceTime allows users to call an Apple user and implement a series of steps to get the receiving device to answer the call without the other users’ approval. There are no reports of this exploit being used for malicious purposes and Apple has already blocked it by temporarily disabling group FaceTime. One-on-one FaceTime calls continue to work normally.
A Shortcut To Enclose Text In Quotes Using Automator
1/29/19

You can create a very short Automator action to take text as input, manipulate it, and replace the original text. In this example, we'll create a Javascript JXA action that encloses the text in quotes. You can use this in conjunction with a keyboard shortcut to quickly apply quotes in Pages and other apps.

1/28/19
News site Cheddar is reporting that Apple may be adding games to its upcoming subscription service plans. This is probably just research and development from Apple at this stage, so it is too early to tell if this would be like Netflix for games or something else, or which Apple devices it would include.
A Set Of iOS Shortcuts To Manage Text Clips
1/28/19

Sometimes you need a series of shortcuts to accomplish a task, not just one. In this tutorial, you'll learn how to create three small shortcuts to save and recall text clippings. The first two allow you to save the clipboard or the selection to a file in a folder. The third shortcut lets you recall one of those clips so you can paste it into a document, email, note or just about anything.

1/25/19
A new version of iOS for beta testers has revealed two possible upcoming features. The first is a magazine subscription service, which has been long rumored. The second is the ability to use voice-activated “Hey Siri” with the wireless AirPods.
Avoiding Blurry Custom Icons In macOS Mojave
1/25/19

A common complaint from Mojave users is that when you copy and paste a file icon to create a custom icon for a file or folder, the result is blurry. It turns out that this only happens when the icon image is not square. Convert the image to a square one, or copy a square portion of the image, and the result is crisp and clear.

Screen Share With Another Account On the Same Mac
1/24/19

You can share the screen of another Mac pretty easily. But it seems like it is impossible to do the same with another account on the same Mac. However, if you use Terminal to set up an ssh tunnel, you can share the screen of a second account using an alternate port number. This allows you to stay logged in to one account, while you use another account in a screen sharing window.

1/24/19
AirPods have quietly built up a strong fanbase, myself among them. The wireless in-ear earphones fit, work and sound much better than anyone expected. Rumors of second generation AirPods pointed to a 2018 and now first-half 2019 release. But what new features will be included? AirPods fans are speculating online about what will really be in the second generation of the device.
View Movie Trailers Ad-Free From Apple
1/23/19

When you view movie trailers on YouTube or other sites, you often have to sit through advertisements to see the trailer. This means you are watching an ad before you get to the trailer, which is essentially an ad itself. Apple gives you a site where you can watch high-definition trailers without ads. In addition, you can use Siri or Spotlight to go right to a trailer. On iOS, there is even an official Apple Movie Trailers app.

1/23/19
Over the last 24 hours Apple has released minor new versions of all of its major operating systems: macOS 10.14.3, iOS 12.1.3, watchOS 5.1.3, and tvOS 12.1.2. All updates will show up automatically as regular software updates on each device over the next day or so.
How To Reformat An APFS Drive As Something Else
1/22/19

A common problem people have been reporting is the inability to reformat an APFS drive as something other than APFS. It appears in Disk Utility that you can only erase a disk and keep it as APFS. However, a simple switch in Disk Utility is preventing you from selecting the device rather than the volume. Once you select the volume, you can reformat however you like.

1/22/19
A tech news site is reporting that suppliers are still producing parts for Apple’s AirPower, despite Apple being quiet about its release. Apple first announced it in 2017 as a 2018 product, but pulled all information about it from their site a few months back. However, it looks like the charging mat may be here later this year.
1/21/19
An industry news site is claiming that touch panel suppliers are shipping new screens for a set of new entry-level iPads for release in the first half of this year. These could be a new iPad mini and basic iPad model.
Using Dictation Commands As an Alternative To Keyboard Shortcuts
1/21/19

You can use Dictation Commands to trigger a keyboard shortcut, menu item, or to even insert some text. You can do this while typing, or while dictating. You can set the spoken phrase to precede a dictation command to make sure the command only executes when you want it to.

Technical Terms: GIF
1/18/19

GIF is an image file format that is commonly used to post images to the web, social media or messages. They are not ideal for photos, but are often used for graphics. Animated GIFs are commonly used to convey emotion on social media and messages. You can find free animated GIF images online and from tools right inside social media apps and messaging apps.

Mac File Save Power User Tips
1/17/19

When you save a file you get to assign a name and pick a location. The standard save dialog provides a lot of power user techniques that most people don't know about. You can harness the power of Finder windows to choose a location, you can use keyboard shortcuts to jump to locations and cancel. You can click on existing files to inherit the same name.