Year: 2023

How to use Shortcuts for Mac to quickly login to a web site

Dan Uff February 3, 2023 0

During the day, I update several websites with new content.

So, one day, I got sick and tired of typing in the URL for the web site to login. Then it dawned on me:

"Can I use a shortcut to automatically go to the login page for logging in?"

Well, as it turned out, I could! The shortcut takes me to the website's login page, where I can then manually input my username and password. It's a small time saver, but it works.

Here's how:

Open the Shortcuts app (Finder > Applications > Shortcuts).
The app will show any shortcuts you currently have.
Press the "+" button on the upper-right of the window.
This will bring you to the create a new shortcut window.
Because you'll be using Safari, type Open App in the search box on the right.
Drag and drop the Open App statement in the blank area on the left.
The command will appear in that window.
Now do another search for Safari.
Select Safari (or your web browser of choice).
Do step #6 and #7 again.
Now, where it says Open, click the "+" button.
Type the URL you wish to go to when the shortcut is executed.
That's it.

Test the shortcut to make sure it works.

Now, you want to put the shortcut somewhere that it's convenient. In this case, lets put it in the Menu Bar.

Here's how:

Close the creation window by clicking the red button in the upper-left corner.
Now, drag and drop the new shortcut to the "Menu Bar" option on the left.
An icon now appears on the menu bar.
Click on the icon to select the newly created shortcut.
That's it.

You can use the shortcuts app for a verity of things that you do with your Mac.

Report: Apple Axes the position of design chief in major design shift

Dan Uff February 2, 2023 0

MacWorld.com and others are reporting that Apple is shutting down its design chief position previously held by Jonny Ives, and the same department in which catapulted Apple back in 1998 which the introduction of the fruit colored iMac.

According to MacWorld.com:

According to a Bloomberg report, a “core group of about 20 industrial designers” will now report to chief operating officer Jeff Williams, who has been with the company since 1998. According to Apple’s leadership page, Williams “played a key role in Apple’s entry into the mobile phone market with the launch of iPhone, and since 2010 has led worldwide operations for all products.” He currently leads Apple’s design team and the software and hardware engineering for Apple Watch and presumably had a major hand in the design of the Apple Watch Ultra.

To read the rest of the report, click here.

Peacock offering limited time offer. Details inside

Dan Uff February 2, 2023 0

For those of you who are considering joining Peacock after the free tier goes, here's an offer that was just announced by them:

Peacock is offering a Limited-Time Offer: $29.99 for 1 year. This offer Excludes current Peacock Premium and Premium Plus subscribers. Additional eligibility restrictions and Terms Apply.

For more information, go to https://www.peacocktv.com/

NBCU’s Peacock ending free tier

CompuScoop Staff February 2, 2023 0

Once touted the free, ad-supported flavor of Peacock as a competitive advantage in the streaming wars when the service first took flight in 2020 — even debuting with the tagline “Free as a Bird.” But now, the media company will make anyone who wants to stream Peacock pay up.

As of Monday (Jan. 30), Peacock had stopped allowing new users to sign up for the free tier. To get Peacock, users will need to subscribe to the Premium plan ($4.99/month) with ads or Premium Plus ($9.99/month) without ads.

An NBCU spokesperson said that as part of its growth strategy for Peacock, the company is shifting focus to the paid plans. Peacock Premium, the rep said, better reflects the streaming platform’s brand and the “unique” experience it offers.

Existing users who have signed up for Peacock Free will continue to be able to access the service for no charge, with ads, for now, according to NBCU. The free Peacock tier has offered only a subset of the programming on the paid plans, with around 10,000 hours.

Meanwhile, NBCU has offered eligible Comcast Cable and Cox customers the ability to access Peacock Premium (with ads) for no additional cost. However, the company plans to eventually end that, too, NBCU chief Jeff Shell said last year.

The move to end signups to Peacock Free comes as Comcast reported 20 million paid subscribers for the streaming service as of the end of 2022, more than doubling from 9 million a year earlier. For full-year 2022, Peacock had an adjusted loss of $2.5 billion — which Comcast expects to increase to about $3 billion in 2023, marking the year of peak losses for Peacock.

The amount of content on Peacock Premium will continue to grow in 2023, ultimately reaching nearly 100,000 hours of programming across original series, licensed TV shows, movies, and live sports and news, according to NBCU.

Original series on Peacock include “Poker Face,” “Bel-Air” and “Dr. Death,” with upcoming originals including “Mrs. Davis,” “The Continental,” “Based on a True Story” and “Bupkis.” The service includes popular library TV content like “The Office,” “That ’70s Show” and “Yellowstone.” Pay-1 window movies from Universal Pictures coming to Peacock include “Tár,” “M3gan” and “Puss in Boots: The Last Wish.” Live sports coming to the streamer in 2023 include the FIFA Women’s World Cup and Big 10 football. In addition, Peacock now offers next-day streaming of NBC and Bravo shows following their linear TV premiere, after NBCU clawed back those rights from Disney’s Hulu in 2022.

NBCU’s ending signups to the free Peacock tier was first reported by The Streamable.

Via: Variety.com