Ever wondered why the Mac's β key looks like that? π€β¨οΈ
π Early Mac menus showed a tiny π logo next to every shortcut
π€ Steve Jobs saw it and said "There are too many Apples on the screen!"
β³ The team had only a few days to replace it
π Designer Susan Kare flipped through a book of international symbols
πΈπͺ She found β, a sign used in Sweden to mark a place worth visiting
π¨ She drew it as a tiny 16Γ16 pixel icon
π» And it's been on Mac keyboards ever since β¨
Did you know this? π
Everyone loves to hate the Camera Control button.
Me? I still use it every single day to open my camera πΈ
One press and I'm ready to shoot, straight from my pocket. No unlocking, no hunting for the icon.
Maybe I'm the only one, but I think it's the best button on my iPhone π«Ά
Do you actually use yours? π
Every "OK" button on your Mac exists because someone thought Apple called him an idiot π
Early 1980s: Apple was testing its new software (for the Lisa, the Mac's big sibling) on real people.
Dialog boxes had two buttons: "Do It" and "Cancel."
Some testers kept clicking Cancel. One got visibly annoyed, so the tester stopped and asked him what was wrong.
His answer: "I'm not a dolt, why is the software calling me a dolt?"
In that font, the capital "I" looked just like an "l". "Do It" read as "Dolt."
Apple switched the button to "OK," a word they'd avoided for being too casual.
Next time you click OK, you know why π«‘
Every rounded corner on your Mac started with an argument in 1981 π€
Bill Atkinson showed Steve Jobs super fast circles and ovals on the early Mac software.
Steve asked for rectangles with rounded corners too. Bill said it was too hard and not needed.
So Steve took him on a walk around the block and pointed out every rounded corner they passed. A no-parking sign finally did it.
Bill came back the next day with "RoundRects" drawing almost as fast as plain rectangles.
Look at your windows, buttons and app icons right now. Rounded corners everywhere π
Okay so I need to talk about Apple's 40W Dynamic charger for a sec π
Don't get me wrong, it's honestly a cool piece of tech. It's a 40W brick that can push up to 60W when it needs to, and it adjusts the power depending on what you plug in. One charger for my iPhone and my MacBook? Love that.
Butβ¦ my 17 Pro Max gets SO warm on it π₯΅
Like, noticeably warm. I've been using the 30W MacBook Air charger for my phone every single day for over a year and it never gets like that.
So yeah, I quietly went back to the 30W one. A bit slower, but my phone stays chill and so do I π
Speed vs. a cooler phoneβ¦ which would you pick? π
"MagSafe is pure Apple poetry π§²
2006: a cable that lets go, so your MacBook doesn't hit the floor.
2020: a ring of magnets that snaps right onto your iPhone.
Today: the base of Qi2, so every phone gets the snap π«Ά
A tiny amber light, then green. Simple and beautiful.
Snap or light, which do you love? π"
Can't believe the first iPad Air is 13 years old today π₯Ή
I still remember people picking it up for the first time and just going "wait, that's it?" It was so thin and light compared to the older iPads, which felt like holding a textbook.
The funny part? Today the iPad Pro is actually lighter than the iPad Air π And the iPad mini is lighter than both. The "Air" isn't the airiest iPad anymore.
Did you have one? Or what was your first iPad? Tell me π
Nine years of the iPhone figuring out where to put the front camera π±
First came bezels with a Home button. Then the notch with the iPhone X in 2017, and everyone had opinions π It got smaller on the iPhone 13, then turned into the Dynamic Island on the 14 Pro. The 18 Pro shrank the island, and now the iPhone Duo's outer screen has a tiny camera hole.
Every step gave us a little more screen, and somehow each one felt normal within a week.
Which one was your favourite? I still have a soft spot for the Dynamic Island π«Ά
300 of you π₯Ήπ
When I started @Finder_ui I honestly didn't know if anyone would care about Mac shortcuts and iPhone hacks at 10 PM π
But you read them, saved them, argued in the replies, and shared your own tips. That's made this so much fun.
A big thank you to every single one of you, iPhone people and Android friends too π
What tip or topic should I cover next? Tell me below and I'll make it happen π
Okay I need to talk about this whole "keep your battery between 20 and 80%" thing π
My iPhone 17 Pro Max: I followed the 20 to 80% rule from day one. Never let it drop low, never charged it to full. 1 year and 1 month later, battery health is at 94%.
My MacBook Air M3 from 2024: I never followed the rule even once π I'd let it drain to 3 to 4% and then charge it all the way to 100%. Every single time. Battery health? Also 94%.
I babied my iPhone for a whole year and it's sitting at the same number as the MacBook I've been "abusing" for longer π€―
So now I'm genuinely asking⦠is the 20 to 80% rule even worth the stress?
What's your battery health, and do you follow the rule? π