Links
X does that thing again, but it’s totally chill this time
Elizabeth Lopatto writing for The Verge: X blocks links to hacked JD Vance dossier
X is preventing users from posting links to a newsletter containing a hacked document that’s alleged to be the Trump campaign’s research into vice presidential candidate JD Vance. The journalist who wrote the newsletter, Ken Klippenstein, has been suspended
Links
The core thing that makes WordPress, WordPress isn’t what you think
This might be the longest quote ever on Birchtree, but stick with me here. This is Matt Mullenwerg, CEO of Automattic, writing on the official WordPress blog (emphasis his):
WordPress is a content management system, and the content is sacred. Every change you make to every page, every post, is tracked in a revision system,
When does it become worth it? 🔋
Earlier today I saw a post from someone who has had their iPhone stop charging at 80% for the past
Why do these YouTubers keep talking about video editing?
I saw a post on Threads recently that is of a general genre of conversation I see on a regular basis. The first post was:
Just going on purely laptop tech reviews you would think 90% of the US population were employed as video editors.
Which got the reply:
You are right. We need non-
Why I'm so fired up about macOS Sequoia's screen (and a solution!)
The above screenshot is from my computer. There are 16 apps that have screen recording permissions, and each one of
The “nobody buys a new iPhone every year” lie
I recently posted this on Threads:
My regular reminder that anytime someone says “99% of users” is completely making things up and has done precisely zero investigation outside of their own experience.
Once you notice this, you start to see it everywhere. People have a very bad habit of assuming “everyone” does something, when that’
Members
My great subscription reset of 2024 (members post)
Last year I cancelled a bunch of subscriptions to see what was actually worth my money. That went great, so this year I'm doing it again!
To level up, the Vision Pro needs to make me feel less alone
There are several things I would like to see improve with the Vision Pro (and VR hardware in general), but it’s recently hit me that the main issue I have with using it is that despite all of the video passthrough and digital eyes on the outside of the screen, I always feel profoundly
Apple
I’ve been using iOS 18 all summer. This is what has made a difference to me
There are a billion things in iOS 18 this year, and I highly suggest checking out Federico Viticci’s review over on MacStories, but here are a few things that have actually been impactful for me since installing the beta back in June. This is addressing things in iOS 18 releasing tomorrow, and does not
Links
I appreciate box office data is just out there for everyone
Nicole Sperling for the New York Times: Apple Rethinks Its Movie Strategy After a String of Misses
Apple executives in Cupertino were already questioning the entertainment units over the amount of money being spent on movies, and the people said there was a thought within the company to not risk a public disappointment should the
Everyone says Chrome devastates Mac battery life, but does it? I tested for 36 hours to find out.
Long time Birchtree readers know I love data, and love data even more when I can throw it into a graph. I’m also a fan of testing things that everyone generally agrees are true, but no one seems to have any data to back up.
That brings us to the “Chrome devastates your Mac’
Links
The iPad wasn’t supposed to have this until it did
I was researching for my last article when I stumbled upon this post from John Gruber in 2011 where he responds to a bad article on Time.com about Windows 8. What was interesting to me was this bit about how Excel on an iPad with the ability to open files from an external drive
Links
Apple adds a new way for merchants to do business
Apple on their developer site today: Set Up Win-Back Offers
If your app offers auto-renewable subscriptions, you have the option to set up win-back offers to encourage lapsed subscribers to re-subscribe on the App Store. You can configure offers in App Store Connect to be displayed to eligible customers on your
Empathy, the buttons on timers and alarms are reversed, and my 3 year old fix I still dig
There’s a trope online where someone will post pictures of the iOS screen when alarms and timers are going
I believe in buttons
I have an evolving theory that buttons are amazing and people love them.
There were rumors Apple was going to
Politics
"Childless cat lady" makes her endorsement
Immediately following the presidential debate last night, Taylor Swift announced her endorsement of Kamala Harris on Instagram:
Recently I was
Members
The hierarchy of freedom (members post)
It’s been said Apple cares about themselves first, then their users, then their developers in that order. In this post, I explore whether I think corporate or individual freedoms should be prioritized.
Apple
Gut reactions to Apple’s “Glowtime” iPhone 16 event
I’ve been off the internet all day and wanted to share some gut reactions to the updates Apple just announced before being influenced by others. So, in the general order they talked about things, let’s go!
Apple Watch Series 10
This looks like a nice update to the normal Watch line and if
