As you might suspect, I never enjoyed inflight entertainment. I liked to sit in what Stephen Jay Gould called “the geologist’s seat” looking out the window and also brought a book, magazine or laptop to read. As the seats continued to shrink the whole airline experience became increasingly uncomfortable to those of us with long legs and wide shoulders. I haven’t flown since before the pandemic and don’t miss it.
I was thinking of the passenger’s experience rather than the pilot’s, so I didn’t include the major improvements inside the cockpit.
As someone who has been around for — and has been reading TidBITS for — the entire 35 years, my hat goes off to you and to everyone who has worked to produce this remarkable achievement. With its unmatched combination of knowledge and insight, TidBITS will always remain on my “must read” list. Thanks and congratulations!
Well done, enjoyable, and accurate article. I’ve been reading via email pretty much the whole time. I’m 80 now and some articles are deeper than I want, but basically right on. I still rely on TidBITs.
Thank you for the 35 years Adam and thank you even more for this observation. I haver been on the journey with you from very close to the start. From Australia I was beginning to worry that all the US Good Guys had gone to ground. Glad to see it’s not ALL.
I am at the pointy end of life so cannot say I hope I’ll be reading TidBITS for the next 35 years. I should make the next 4 years though and I really hope the US makes it through the next 4 as well.
Congratulations on your 35th anniversary for TidBITS!! Thanks to you, Tonya and all the TidBITS contributors past and present for all you have done to make the Apple universe a better place for the rest of us.
Well said, Adam! This is one place that to me still has the friendly, enthusiastic vibe of the old Apple days—together with some top-notch, in-depth quality content and discussion that are unique. A great 35 years. Thanks for all you do!
May you continue to stay the course for many more years! I’ve been a fan for maybe 30+ and admire your perseverance as well as your well-stated adherence to the ideals that made this industry and this country great.
Congratulations, Adam and Tonya, on 35 years! I think I’ve been in orbit around TidBITS for maybe 30 of them, as TidBITS was such an invaluable resource back in dark days of Apple. It was definitely a regular companion during my professional career growth.
As much as I realize that Apple is just another corporation, owing more to its shareholders than to its customers, for much of it’s life I I felt that it was trying to balance both sides of the equation, believing that products designed to improve and enrich our relationship with technology would fuel its market growth. I applauded its early stand on Human Interface Guidelines, and was sad when it moved away from some of the core principles. I appreciate that it often lags some trends in order to release a better product. On the flip side, I know there have been misses along the way, with products that were released too soon, before the market was ready (Newton, anyone?). But there has always been a more human(e) side (of their products and their corporate ethos) that impressed me and kept me loyal to them as a company.
I am not a pollyanna, though, and some recent decisions do concern me, but I think those issues are far larger than Apple alone has the ability to resolve.
So I greatly appreciate your thoughtful article and the warnings and concerns you’ve expressed, Adam. Thank you for still being here.
Adam, many thanks for your years of supplying intelligent, useful, and well-written content to support my journey within the Apple ecosystem. And thanks for attracting and encouraging such helpful discourse within a community of great people!
Thank you so much, Adam and Tonya, for continuing your efforts over the past 35 years to bring us information about the Apple world with kindness and generosity. I’ve been reading you since the 1990s, and even though I’m not a regular, I’ve remained a loyal follower. Godefroy, Paris, France
Congratulations to Adam, Tonya, and crew! I can’t claim to have been here since Day One, but I started reading TidBITS fairly early. I just looked in my archives, and have an email confirming my subscription in 1997. Thank you!
Congrats on keeping it going this long, wish for many more! Greatly appreciate all your hard work to make sure it remains balanced and informative, well worth the subscription fee.
The problem with the Apple car was that it was never going to offer the margins that Apple expect. Maybe they could have spun it off as a separate company, which licensed the Apple logo.
On Apple intelligence, what I would like to be able to do is to ask Siri things like to find me directions from Home to Newcastle (I’m in Australia) via Wiseman’s Ferry by Car. Currently Siri doesn’t have a clue what I’m talking about. Maybe it will improve, but at the moment a bright 5 year old might beat it.
Thank you for yet another thoughtful, insightful, and inspiring item, Adam—and for your many, many contributions toward building and maintaining a community focused on helping the rest of us understand and apply technology “to improve the human condition.” Countless people have benefited from your writing and other work, and I personally am exceedingly grateful to have benefited from TidBITS for well over 25 years (I had been a subscriber for some time before I first wrote to express my gratitude to you right after you wrote about Tristan’s birth). Many, many thanks to you, Tonya, and all TidBITS contributors!
Wow—what a moving and thoughtful post! I’ve been reading TidBITS almost since the beginning, and I can hardly believe it’s been 35 years! TidBITS has made a real difference in my life—it’s been my anchor for all things Apple and a trusted voice in an often chaotic tech landscape. Your writing has always felt personal and accessible, and you’ve cultivated an exceptional group of contributors over the years. Thank you, Adam, for everything you’ve built and sustained.
I have been following TidBITS since the beginning. (I remember a HyperCard version at one time?) But I appreciate the articles and the community you bring with you and help moderate. My wife always knows what I am talking about when I get a problem that I have to run by “my TidBITS” community. And we are a community due to you and all the writers who contribute over the years. Thanks again.
Greatly appreciate all your hard work to make sure it remains balanced and informative, well worth the subscription fee.