ChatGPT gets deeper into Mac

OpenAI's app now works with a bunch of text and coding apps.

Author

Leander Kahney
December 20, 2024

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In yesterday’s newsletter, I mentioned that I’ve had my mind blown by AI on several occasions. ChatGPT’s writing abilities are one such example.

With the right prompts, OpenAI’s tool can spit out reams and reams of almost-perfect copy. It needs to be carefully fact-checked, of course, but what it produces is definitely human-level writing.

I’m not a coder, but I’ve seen similar testimonials about ChatGPT’s coding abilities.

And now it’s getting a big usability boost on Mac. Instead of going to the ChatGPT website, you can now use it right inside several popular Mac writing or coding apps, including Notes, TextEdit, BBEdit, Notion, MatLab and a bunch more.

Of course, I don’t know whether to cheer for this or not: It only hastens our inevitable irrelevance. But you can’t stop progress!

Also in today’s newsletter:

  • The knives really are out for MKBHD, the (once) popular YouTuber who’s been getting hate for speeding his car and releasing a subpar wallpaper app. Now his pick of the best smartphone camera in 2024 has the internet going bananas again.

  • AirTag batteries already last about a year. But if you really want to extend the trackers’ battery life, this case keeps them humming for a decade!

  • Our friends at CdkeySales are running a Christmas sale on a bunch of Microsoft software, including Windows 11 Pro for less than $23. Some kid’s getting lucky this year!

  • If you’re heading home for the hols, a long week of tech troubleshooting likely awaits. Here’s one trick you should definitely know: How to get your parents/grandparents/etc. to share their screen with you. Essential for post-holiday follow-ups.

  • Today is one of the most consequential days in Apple history: It’s the day Apple bought NeXT, and brought Steve Jobs back into the fold. Gil Amelio, Apple’s CEO at the time, is largely written off now, but this is one move he deserves credit for.

— Leander Kahney, EIC.

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A message from CdkeySales

Get Windows 11 Pro for less than $23 in CdkeySales Christmas Sale

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Today in Apple history: NeXT buyout brings Steve Jobs back to Cupertino

On December 20, 1996, Apple Computer officially bought NeXT, the computer company Steve Jobs founded after leaving Apple a decade earlier.

Keep it all connected with this speedy Thunderbolt 4 hub [Setups]

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Tweets of the day

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One more thing ...

❝

Funny enough, 20 years after we started Apple, there was nobody building computers for people again. You know? They were trying to sell consumers last year's corporate computers. We said, “Well, these are our roots. This is why we're here. The world doesn't need another Dell or Compaq. They need an Apple.”

— Steve Jobs, 1999.

Today’s poll

Do you use ChatGPT?

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Results from yesterday’s poll: Is trust in AI an insurmountable problem?

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