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Apple executives say creating Mac Studio was 'overwhelming' - AppleInsider

Posted: 23 Mar 2022 04:46 AM PDT

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Apple's Mac Studio and Studio Display executives say the new devices are borne from lessons learned in more than 20 years of previous Mac design engineering.

Apple only rarely introduces an entirely new Mac, but two executives working on the Mac Studio say that its design has its roots in Apple's work over decades. In a new interview with GQ magazine, vice president of hardware engineering Kate Bergeron traces it back to the first Mac she worked on, the 17-inch PowerBook G4.

"Way back in 2003 almost every single thing that we put in [that] was a new invention at the time," Bergeron told the publication. "Nobody made a laptop that big that you could carry at that point. They were sort of these horrible-looking seven and a half pound briefcases."

"Because of the Mac's product history," she continued, "we've been able to take those products from 20 years ago that might look pretty pedestrian to us today but were groundbreaking at the time, and then learn every single little thing that we can from them."

This applied equally to the new Studio Display, which Apple wanted to feature first-class speakers.

"You could say, 'Let's just go crank those speakers up and make them loud with lots of rich, full bass,'" said Bergeron. "If you do that in a really rigid mount, you would create a display that actually shook itself on the table."

"So our specialists on the audio team use a technology called force cancelling reverse where we actually offset the speakers," she said, "so that when they vibrate the system is amazingly stable and totally quiet."

Both Bergeron and Colleen Novielli, senior product marketing manager at Apple, told GQ that the resulting Mac Studio and Studio Display have met the company's goals. But also, they added that Apple doesn't know what users are going to make with them.

"We're able to offer this performance to our users in a way that we haven't before and really nobody has," said Novielli "Now we're just so excited to see what people are going to be able to do creatively."

Bergeron adds that she thinks the worth of the Mac Studio will become more apparent after it's been used for a time.

"I think it'll take a little bit longer for us to fully appreciate it," she said. "But when we're pulling the material together for the keynotes, and we're reflecting on the performance of the products that actually achieve what we set out for them to do, it can be quite overwhelming."

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Google Photos makes it easier to import and organize your pics - Engadget

Posted: 23 Mar 2022 12:56 AM PDT

Over the next few weeks, Google is rolling out new features for the Photos app that could make the daunting task of organizing shots you've taken over the years feel more achievable. To start with, the tech giant is updating the app's layout so that you can display groups of photos as a grid or a list that you can filter by type, namely albums, shared albums, favorites and on-device folders. Then, at the bottom menu, you'll find a new "import photos" section that will help you transfer photos from other services, such as Facebook and iCloud.

The new feature will also make easier to copy files from a camera, as well as to digitize old images and videos. Plus, it has a function to help you scan physical images with your phone. If you're on Android, you'll find more defined sections marked as partner sharing, shared albums and conversations under the sharing tab starting this week, as well. The sections will make their way to the iOS app in the near future.

Another update that could make organizing your images much more doable is the option to exclude your own device folder from backups. If you have a Pixel or another Android device that saves screenshots in that folder, that means you don't have to wade through snapshots of random things you found online or of bank and other payment transactions.

Google will soon add a shortcut for screenshots at the top of the main photo grid to take you right to them in case you choose not to back up your device folder. And soon, you'll also see a carousel of contextual suggestions to copy text, crop and search using Google Lens whenever you view a screenshot.

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