Apple started adopting biometrics in its devices beginning with iPhones, back in 2015. MacBooks released in 2016 were the first Macs that had embedded Touch ID Keyboards, and later an updated wireless keyboard with Touch ID was released in 2021. It’s been 4 years since the first Touch ID keyboard came out; and I’m yet to hear any other manufacturers jumping in on the chance to make the first non-Apple keyboard, let alone any rumors of development to make it happen.
From Op-ed
OLED Screens, Mac Studio, and MacBook Pro
My last TV, the one I had replaced just few months ago, lasted well over a decade. It was a 3DTV, (the one with the 3D glasses) but as far as the screen goes as a generic television, its panel wasn’t damaged even as I was planning to have it upgraded. It didn’t support HDR or 4K, and any smart features it came equipped with fell out of software maintenance, but it was ‘functional’. I will leave it at that. No doubt I can dig up some expert opinions on the longevity of consumer grade TV panels, but that’s not…
How I Tried Leaving 1Password in 2025
I’ve been using password managers for a while, and I believe I started using 1Password beginning with either version 3 or 4. Inevitably when I say I am using 1Password, I’m not just talking about simply using an app; I’m talking about the entire password manager platform. 1Password has gone through series of audits, bug bounties, and survived rounds of security breaches other password managers had to suffer through. I believe, at the very least, we can confirm a good password manager is more than an encrypted spreadsheet full of login infos.
First Party Apple Apps are “Sherlocking” Subscriptions
Back in late 2000s, back when I was considering to move to OS X as my primary system, one of the big appeal —albeit it’s not always up to the level— was that Macintosh was bundled with first party softwares that are often exorbitantly expensive on the other side. And let me tell you, the time and time again, Time Machine alone saved my skin several times; and I had the liberty to tell other people to do the same with their Macs and PCs, always have a backup.
It’s Now on CDN
Putting Mad Tea Party on CDN or any other cache servers have been on the back burner for the longest time. And for the first time since its inception, and frankly thanks to free tier services available, Mad Tea Party is now using CDN. It won’t drastically change the experience for the readers; perhaps some European traffic may be able to see the benefit. Other than that, I just wanted to see how free tier CDN operates.
No More Multi Column Layouts
When I started preparing Mad Tea Party back in early 2010, I recall I had a decision to make. The era of widescreen, 16:9 resolution, was here to stay. But most journals, magazines, and even newspapers didn’t print in widescreen. When they had the precious space, they either reserved the saving for the new advertisement, or they ran multi-column articles to save even more space so that the one story would fit nicely on one sheet of paper.
The Case of Missing macOS Sleep Trigger
I was on a lookout for a certain trigger to automate macOS, a sleep trigger. I try not to automate any of the scripts around uncertain triggers, especially sleep cycles, when there may be certain expectations of how things should be at that moment. For example, if a script inadvertently disrupts the machine from going into sleep, as a user, it would be confusing why the machine simply fails to go into sleep. Not to mention if I ever forget such a script is running in the background, it would be pain to discover it again. But when I actively…
M4, M4 Extreme, and eGPU
eGPU, the popular Thunderbolt solution for underpowered laptops, seems to be sitting on the back burner for Apple. Considering MacBooks did open the way with much of the eGPU devices and support in the early days, it does make me wonder if the Californian company is seriously considering to make Apple Silicon chips to compete against dGPUs. Despite their outrageous price range, —flagship graphics card can easily account for one-third, if not half of the laptop’s price tag— there is always a demand. And I believe Mac Mini, with its affordable price and scalability, has shown that there is still…
WordPress, Ulysses, and Integration
I’ve been writing on Ulysses app for some time, and I had been using Ulysses under the assumption that the app is pulling double duty as WordPress post editor; it is not. Ulysses doesn’t have access to posts already published on WordPress. From the email responses I’ve gotten from Ulysses team, it appears this is a technical issue whereby no future update is planned as of yet.
Lunar New Year, Lunisolar New Year, and Old New Year
I’m sure people are now aware of the hot topic which is about to erupt again next week —what to call New Year festivities celebrated by Asians, which is somehow not on the day of the New Year. I don’t consider myself to be an etymologist, but I’m old enough to remember how things were back in the 80s and 90s. We were throwing the word “Chinese” to describe pretty much anything Asian, —or oriental, as I was taught back then— and the public didn’t care for accuracy in the usage. It meant something exotic, and it meant something not…
When Nokia Downplayed Touchscreen on iPhone
Back in 2007, when Steve Jobs announced the first iPhone on stage, there were mixed responses to Apple’s new product. “Smartphones” weren’t around to capture the every historic moments, —and frankly, the PR nightmares tech companies faced— but with recently released Nokia Design Archive’s internal iPhone launch presentation, it seems the Finnish company decided to have their analysts take a look at iPhone launch. It’s an interesting read of its own, but I want you to to focus on page 12:
Analytics Tool, Google, and Geo-Lock
This post is a rant than a spiel, but thought to share some ideas on it. It you have seen some random cookie notices this morning, my apologies, if you were one of them. Long story short, I have been using Google Analytics on the website for the longest time, —probably since I started self-hosting it— and the latest changes in privacy regulations mandated that the website needs to have a cookie consent pop-up. And that cookie consent management, in Google’s words, came with paid partners. No more.
Benchmarks, dGPU, and Apple Silicon
When I bought my Mac Pro in 2019, I was running under the two assumptions: a. Apple may not be able to deliver competent SoC until later iterations, b. Apple will surely support Pro models for non-ARM works. I was sorely mistaken on both parts. Apple did deliver its M1 with huge success, and now Mac Mini —that Mac Mini— is on the list for cheapest and most cost-effective workstations. What really caught me off guard was how Apple showed no hesitance to throw away its AMD graphics card support, the last of its kind on Mac front.
Sonos, Apps, and IoT
Sonos CEO has stepped down. I won’t go into details about his departure from the company, nor the company’s future plans for its apps, product warranties, and/or future releases. I do recall I wrote a dreary review on dead Sonos Roam, but that’s really besides the point. What I had experienced was most likely a hardware failure, coupled with softwares incapable of detecting early signs —and this all happened in 2023. The overhauled app was launched in May 2024, and most of the problems were related to the software itself.
USB-C, USB-PD, and Travel Chargers
When Apple introduced all USB-C MacBooks with its infamous Touch Bar keyboard, it was not well received to put it lightly. USB-C chargers, in its infancy, were still one big brick with one port — one 100w brick to charge one device. It is only when USB-C and USB-PD became more prevalent, GaN chargers became ‘one charger to power them all’ device with its smaller footprint and more efficient materials overall. And this is when the crowdfunding for the new GaN chargers began.