Looks like @imyke@myke.social and @matt_birchler@mastodon.social were having a brainwave this morning.
Devon Dundee: ‘Apple Introduces AirPods Pro 3’ macstories.net
The other Apple Intelligence feature coming to AirPods Pro 3 (as well as AirPods Pro 2 and AirPods 4 with ANC) is Live Translation. When the user is having a conversation with someone speaking a supported language other than their own, AirPods will play real-time audio translations of the phrases being spoken while using ANC to lower the volume of the speaker so the translation is clear.
I didn’t realize this was coming to my AirPods 4 too! Gonna have to find someone to test this with…
Another awesome evening on the ropes with Brian. I had the pleasure of showing him around Pitchoff for his first time on the cliff, and we got a send on the three-pitch uber classic, Pete’s Farewell (5.7). Loving these beautiful fall climbing days!!
Dan Moren was wondering about satellite connectivity today:
I found myself thinking about satellite connectivity during today’s Apple event, during which the company announced that the Apple Watch Ultra 3 would include the feature. Back when the feature debuted on the iPhone 14 line, Apple said it would remain free for two years. When that period was up, Apple extended free coverage for another year. Which brings us to this year! Will people have to finally start paying?
The short answer? No, not yet.
When Apple said the Ultra 3 watch came with free satellite connectivity but didn’t mention for how long, I wondered if it meant they gave up on the idea that the feature might eventually require a subscription. But, alas, a footnote in the Newsroom post tells us it’s free for two years, just like the iPhone. I wonder how long this two years will last!
Anil Dash: ‘How Tim Cook sold out Steve Jobs’
The son of an immigrant, a child of the counterculture, a man offering an unmistakable fuck-you to Big Brother, and a person who, above all, would never kiss the ass of someone who had absolutely awful taste. This was Steve Jobs.
Solid reading to go along with my post from earlier today.
🆕📝 Post-Apple Event Gadget Waffling
Thinking through what's going in the shopping cart this time.
Oh wow, the Air is lighter than my current 16. That orange color and amazing cameras are tempting, but I don’t know if I want the drastically heavier phone of a Pro.
Weights:
iPhone 13 Mini: 141g
iPhone Air: 165g
iPhone 16: 170g
iPhone 16 Pro: 199g
iPhone 17 Pro: 206g
🆕📝 Live Thoughts on Apple’s September Event
Refresh the page to follow along! Or don't. Up to you. 😉
🆕📝 Rapid-Fire Pre-iPhone Event Thoughts
Can I publish this in the 4 minutes before the keynote starts??
🆕📝 On Tim Cook, Cowardice, and Leadership
This will probably get lost in the hubbub of today's iPhone event, but I had to get it off my chest before participating in the excitement of new gadget season.
Amit Gawande has come to embrace imperfection in blogging — something I’m still trying to learn:
I have a bad habit while blogging – my posts need to have a structure. Context first. Lead to the main point next. Follow that with as many supporting points as I can think of. And then I finally hit the whole point of writing the post.
This is foolish. I am not writing perfect prose. I am not writing to meet a particular word count. I often write to convey a thought. One thought. I should write just that one thought.
It doesn’t matter if it takes 10 words. Or 500.
Jules has attended summer camp in Old Forge the past few summers and got bit by the #46er bug. He and his dad booked us for a 2-day backpacking trip in which we knocked out three more peaks: Big Slide and the Wolfjaws, with Yard Mountain tossed in for good measure. It was so cool to help them dial in their hiking and camping skills, and we shared so many stories, riddles, and brain teasers on the trail. These two aspiring 46ers are well on their way!
Hanging out with Jim and @imjessicakahler and helping them on their @adirondack46ers_ journey was one of the highlights of my summer. Thanks for all the wonderful memories, guys, and I can’t wait till the next one! 🙏
Our clients are just the best! Just got a special delivery as member of the #SlothHikingTeam. 😁 I’ll wear it with pride. Thanks Jim & @imjessicakahler! 🦥
‘Twas a bad choice for folks to elect Trump. Don’t let voters ignore it.
The latest jobs report came in short, from AlterNet:
A federal jobs report released on Friday showed the US economy added a mere 22,000 jobs in August in yet another signal of weakness in the US labor market.
Economists had projected the economy would produce 75,000 jobs on the month[.]
Rep. Brendan Boyle says it plainly:
“Donald Trump inherited an economy built on years of steady job growth,” he said. “In just seven months, he’s managed to screw it up—just like he’s screwed up everything else in his life.
It seems the Trump administration’s guiding principle is to simply choose whatever side of an issue that will hurt the most people.
This time, they’re rolling back plans to make airlines compensate travelers for major disruptions and cancellations. But why?
🔗 macOS Icon History — Basic Apple Guy:
The new Apple Books icon might be the only one I like more than its predecessor. Good on BAG for putting this together, but it honestly makes me a little sad to scroll through. It’s like perusing a junk yard full of old masterpieces that were chucked aside.
Numeric Citizen: ‘While We Wait for the Next Apple Infomercial’
The consequences go beyond presentation style. The mythos of the Apple keynote—once a cornerstone of the company’s brand identity—risks fading into irrelevance. Once communal experiences, these events are now solitary viewings.
True. Though I’ve always watched the keynotes alone from my Mac, the feeling of being part of the crowd that was lucky enough to attend in person is gone. Producing a slick video takes skill, and Apple arguably does it best. But it doesn’t carry the same clout as nailing a live keynote, as they used to do.
Weird weather stuff this year. During the first few months, Upstate New York had something like 30 weekends in a row of rain or snow. Now we’re in a drought due to lack of rainfall for the last 90 days. No bueno! ☔️☀️
A sneak peek at an update to one of my most popular shortcuts…
(Oh, On-Device Apple Intelligence, bless your heart.)
I just installed the macOS 26 beta and yikes. I’ll reserve real judgment for when it’s actually released, but wow, the design has not made a good first impression. So many years of polish thrown out the Liquid Glass window for what feels—right now—like an unfinished and ill-considered desktop OS.