Mac Potpourri

A scene from Dilbert
An animation cel containing a still from the animated series, Dilbert, depicting a scene where its title character visits 1 Infinite Loop in Cupertino, California as detailed in a feature story published in this column from 2019. (Photo: “nigelwackenfrets” / eBay)

About the Column

“Mac Potpourri” is a regular column here on MacPrices (generally published 4x a month though not necessarily on a weekly basis) which features an assortment of stories — mostly original but some inspired from other sources on the web — all revolving around Apple, Inc., the company whose products are price tracked daily on this website.

Latest Stories:

Tim Cook at 2021 Apple Event

Apple Product Announcements, As Of Late, Have Been All About Iterate (As Opposed To… Innovate)

COMMENTARY: 09.17.21 - If you were left feeling a little, "meh" following Apple's latest product launch, you're not alone. On Tuesday — in a pre-recorded virtual event dubbed, "California Streaming" — Apple took the wraps off its latest products. However, rather than unveiling the next innovation, the company's newest product ...
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Linked In News

‘Mac Potpourri’ Story On Apple And Folding Smartphones Featured As Editor’s Pick By LinkedIn News

FEATURE: 09.16.21 - A certain writer has been seemingly thrust into the limelight thanks to an article published last month on MacPrices. The article — a commentary on how Apple must "'flip' the script" (so to speak) on folding smartphones — was my take on what the Cupertino, California-based company ...
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Apple iPhone SE second generation

After This Year, The Only ‘mini’-Sized iPhone Model Available Might Be The iPhone SE

FEATURE: 09.13.21 - The next iPhone is expected to be announced by Apple at a virtual event on Tuesday but one model in particular that won't be released until sometime in 2022 is already garnering a lot of attention (and we're not referring to the "iPhone 14"). The iPhone SE ...
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12-inch MacBook Pro mini

Retro Reading: Apple Working On A 12-inch Ultraportable? (Feels Like 2007 At PowerBook Central)

FEATURE: 08.31.21 - Rumors of the MacBook being resurrected gave this writer the feeling of… déjà vu. Earlier in the month — in a feature story in this column about the return of an ultraportable laptop to Apple's portfolio of Macs — I cited a report from iDrop News which ...
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Smart T-Shirt

Could Smart Clothing Be The Next Wearable Technology Apple Innovates Within The Lucrative Wearables Space?

COMMENTARY: 08.29.21 - Let's face it… one can only reinvent the phone so many times before a company must ponder "wear" (pun intended) to go next, innovation-wise. The smartphone — a product category which continues to be "a cash cow" (so to speak) for Apple, Inc. — has been a ...
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Samsung Galaxy Z Flip and Fold

Apple Must… ‘Flip’ The Script If It Plans To Innovate In The Folding Smartphone Arena

COMMENTARY: 08.18.21 - The next chapter in mobile innovation is unfolding and sadly, the iPhone isn't the device that's involved. Samsung's new Galaxy Z Fold3 5G and Galaxy Z Flip3 5G — part of the company's "Galaxy Z" series of folding smartphones — were unveiled to the masses during the ...
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Apple 12-inch MacBook

Is Apple Going To Bring Back An Ultraportable Laptop To Its Mac Notebook Computer Lineup?

FEATURE: 08.15.21 - Apple's thinnest and lightest laptop to-date may be making a comeback. Apple — as of late — has been sending out surveys to a select group of its customers, asking them a number of questions related to the company's current and past products. According to a report ...
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‘A Man, A Plan, And…’ A Last Minute Demand For A Glass Screen On The iPhone

FEATURE: 06.29.21 - Building the Panama Canal would have been an easier task compared to what Apple's engineers were asked to do by Steve Jobs. The original iPhone — which hit store shelves on this very day back in 2007 — was not just a feat of innovation but an ...
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How iOS 15 Will Help Those Without Sight Interact With And ‘See’ More Details In Photos

FEATURE: 06.14.21 - Seeing the writing on the wall is never a good thing… unless you're a visually impaired individual looking at a photograph of just that. iOS — Apple's mobile operating system — will be getting a number of new features which will use, as the company described it, ...
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S.F.-Based Designer Of Cases & Bags Releases Two New Accessories Created Exclusively For Apple’s AirTags

FEATURE: 06.02.21 - The perfect solution for attaching an AirTag to keys or luggage is finally here. WaterField Designs — a San Francisco, California-based company which manufactures custom-fitted cases and bags for notebook computers, smartphones, tablets, and other digital devices — has designed two new accessories, a keychain and luggage ...
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The Company Store, The Apple Retail Store That Was Like Heaven For An Apple Fan

FEATURE: 05.26.21 - Did you know that there once was an Apple Store that (of all things) didn't sell the company's hardware or devices in-store? The Apple Store — a concept that is now 20 years old — opened its first two stores back in the Spring of 2001 at ...
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Minnesota-Based Retailer Aims To Expand ‘Apple Shopping Destination’ Concept To More Stores Across U.S.

NEWS: 05.18.21 - Guests visiting the electronics department at Target will soon be able to… "expect more" (of Apple's gadgets in-store). Earlier this year, Target — a Minneapolis, Minnesota-based retailer with more than 1,900 stores currently in operation across the U.S. — announced a new retail collaboration with the Cupertino, ...
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‘Get a Mac’ Actor Gets Real About Getting A… PC (As Opposed To A Mac)

FEATURE: 04.26.21 - Intel has fired a "long" shot across Apple's bow with its television spots featuring a certain celebrity spokesperson. Justin Long — the actor who personified the Mac in Apple's "Get a Mac" ad campaign which ran on television from 2006 to 2009 — is now peddling PCs ...
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Is Apple Looking To Its Past For Inspiration With The Designs Of Its New Macs?

FEATURE: 04.20.21 - Apple appears to be getting a little, "high" on nostalgia with new ideas for redesigning the Mac… back to the late 1990s and early 2000s to be exact. The first Apple Event of 2021 — teased as a, "Spring Loaded" special event — is predicted to see ...
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Mac OS X: Apple’s ‘NeXT’ Generation Operating System And How The Software Came To Be

FEATURE: 03.26.21 - It's hard to believe that it's been 20 years since a new way of computing on the Mac came roaring onto the scene like a mighty… cat (if you will). Mac OS X — the tenth major release (thus, the "X") of Apple's operating system for the ...
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The Rise & Fall Of Computer SuperStores And How The Apple Store Changed The Retail Experience

FEATURE: 02.27.21 - A popular chain of big box electronics stores on the West Coast which catered to technophiles, nerds, and computer geeks (and Apple fanboys alike) has shut down for good. After 36 years in the business as a purveyor of all things related to technology, Fry's Electronics — ...
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Apple’s Lead In Global Sales Of Smartphones Attributed To Consumers Upgrading to iPhones With 5G

NEWS: 02.24.21 - The galaxy has a new leader in the smartphone market but consumers might have not necessarily taken note. Apple, Inc. has surpassed its rival, Samsung Electronics, as the top vendor of smartphones globally with sales of its latest iPhone model: the iPhone 12. With the media's coverage ...
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Automaker’s Regulatory Filing Quashes Reports It Was Tapped To Build Self-Driving Car For Apple

NEWS: 02.15.21 - Apple's development of an autonomous electric vehicle (EV) has driven itself into the proverbial mud. Kia Motors, Corp. — part of the Hyundai Motor Group (and, a subsidiary of the Hyundai Motor, Co.) — has revealed via a new regulatory filing that it currently is, "not in ...
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Design Studio Takes A… ‘Stand,’ To Give AirPods Max Users The Accessory They Ultimately Deserve

FEATURE: 02.08.21 - Hey audiophiles, listen up! The ultimate charging stand for Apple's over-the-ear headphones is finally here (well… almost). Did you just "Max" out (pun intended) your credit card in order to get the latest and hottest — not to mention, the priciest — hard-to-get wearable from Apple? If ...
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Apple, Inc. And Kia Motors, Corp. Ink Deal To ‘Drive’ Production Of Company’s Electric Vehicle

NEWS: 02.05.21 - Get buckled up (and, fully charged up) because an Apple-branded autonomous automobile powered by electricity is almost ready to hit the streets. A new report out Wednesday from Fox Business has revealed details of a $3.6 billion deal inked between Apple, Inc. and Kia Motors, Corp. in ...
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One ‘Shell’ Of An Issue Threatens Apple-Hyundai Partnership On Autonomous EV Project (a.k.a., ‘Apple Car’)

COMMENTARY: 02.03.21 - They say that some matches are made in heaven but one such relationship appears to be headed towards… hell (and, not even Saint Valentine nor Cupid can help salvage it). Other than the news regarding the company's upcoming VR headset which broke late in January, one of ...
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Is ‘Apple Glass’ The Next Tech Innovation Being Developed Within The Walls Of Apple Park?

FEATURE: 01.31.21 - Like the outer walls of Apple's Cupertino, California headquarters that are lined as high as the eye can see with panels of the transparent material, the company's latest invention might just all be focused on… glass. Apple isn't exactly known to be… transparent (pun intended)when it comes ...
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Apple’s Riccio And What His ‘New Project’ Could Mean For The Future Of The Mac

FEATURE: 01.28.21 - There was a senior leadership shakeup of sorts within Apple this week and it could be a signal of even bigger groundbreaking changes ahead for the company's core (pun intended) product (no, not the iPhone but you'll be able to touch the new product's screen just the ...
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Retrospective: A Look Back At The Top 5 Stories Of 2020 In The ‘Mac Potpourri’ Column

FEATURE: 01.27.21 - All the tallies are in and we finally can publish the results (and, no, we're not talking about the tumultuous 2020 Presidential Election here!). 2020 has long since passed and boy, what a year it was for Apple. As far as the company's hardware and devices go, ...
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M1 MacBooks and Mac mini

Hey, Apple? It’s Time To Replace The MacBook Air With A New, More Ultraportable, Mac

EDITORIAL: 01.25.21 - Apple's laptop lineup really needs a shot in the arm (so to speak) and a new entry into the company's product pipeline just may be what it needs to achieve this. Back in November of last year, when Apple introduced the company's next generation of Macs powered ...
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Get A ‘Grip’ On Your iPhone With A CandyShell Or Presidio Case From Speck

FEATURE: 01.04.21 - If you're looking for a durable yet ultra slim and stylish smartphone case to protect your iPhone, especially if you're the type who tends to drop their phone a lot, there's one manufacturer of cases that's got you covered. It's a new year and if you're tire ...
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Trending on “Mac Potpourri”:

The top five stories from the previous Month’s posts (not necessarily published during the month for which it was recorded).

July 2021

August 2021

Featured Stories:

Stories written in this column that are a must read.

Story Archives:

All stories ever written in this column since its inception (including the author’s previous one from the sister site of MacPrices)

About the Author:

Joe Leo
(Photo: Lifetouch)
Joe Leo, since 2018, has been writing the “Mac Potpourri” column on MacPrices with a primary focus on all things Apple (as well as news from the world of personal technology and consumer electronics). Prior to joining the team, Leo, from 2006 to 2009, previously served as a columnist who wrote “The Press Box” column on PowerBook Central, the long defunct (and since merged) sister site of MacPrices.

Raves & Rants:

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