Everything Apple announced at its March 8 event

Everything Apple announced at its March 8 event

Youtube    أبريل 02, 2022   

 

Although it’s still using a dated iPhone 6-era design, the updated processor puts it on par with the best flagship phones for performance. Unlike many budget phones using mid-range and low-end processors, the iPhone SE should maintain decent performance for several years to come.

Apple event March 8

The phone is using a 12MP rear camera, but A15 bionic means it gets the latest computational photography techniques for better skin tones and improved low light performance. Apple also says the iPhone SE has improved battery life, although it didn’t specify how it compares to previous models or other iPhones.

The iPhone SE will retail for $429. Pre-orders open Friday and it will be available starting March 18.

An updated iPad Air with M1

Apple announced an update to the iPad Air, which was last refreshed in 2020. This time around it’s using the same M1 processor in the iPad Pro and MacBook Air. Apple says the device is 60% faster than the A14 chip in its predecessor, and 2x faster than the best-selling Windows laptop.

Apple event March 8

Apple has also updated the front-facing camera with 12MP ultra-wide optics, allowing it to use the Center Stage feature that automatically adjusts framing for more cinematic video calls.

The new iPad also supports 5G connectivity and 2x faster USB-C storage speeds. It comes in purple now too, which is neat. It will retail for $599, starting at 64 GB, and will be available on March 18. Pre-orders begin Friday.

M1 Ultra

Apple’s transition to its own desktop processors revolutionized performance on macOS — and made competitors step their game up. Today Apple announced the most powerful chip in the M1 family: the M1 Ultra.

M1 Ultra is essentially two M1 Maxes stuck together using a special interconnect technology dubbed “UltraFusion.” It features 114 billion transistors and 128GB of unified memory while maintaining “industry-leading” power efficiency.

Apple event March 8

In all, the chip has a 20-core CPU (16 high-performance and 4 high-efficiency), a 64-core GPU, and a 32-core neural engine, for performance 8x faster than M1. Apple also says the GPU is more powerful than the top-range discrete graphics on the market (presumably an Nvidia 3090, although Apple didn’t specify) while using 200W less power.

Of course, that will depend on optimization, as we saw with the M1 Pro and Max, but those chips were certainly no slouches. The M1 Ultra is set to be a beast in both CPU and GPU performance.

Mac Studio

Apple has long been rumored to be updating the Mac Mini with a more powerful variant, and that finally arrived today in the form of the Mac Studio.

Apple event March 8

It looks a lot like a chunkier Mac Mini. The svelte desktop computer uses M1 Max and the new M1 Ultra, offering beastly performance in such a tiny frame.

Design-wise, it has a footprint of just 7.7 inches squared, and a height of 3.7 inches. It offers four Thunderbolt 4 ports, two USB-A ports, a 10GB Ethernet port, an HDMI port. It also has two USB-C ports on the front (Thunderbolt 4 on the Ultra) and an SD card slot (!).

The introduction of M1 Ultra shatters performance compared to even the most expensive Mac Pro. Apple says M1 Ultra Studio offers 60 percent faster CPU performance than the top-of-the-line 28-core Intel Xeon Mac Pro. It also offers 80% faster graphics than the Radeon 6900X chip in the same maxed-out configuration.

Apple says it can even handle 18 streams of 8K ProRes 4:2:2 — something it claims no other PC in the world can do.

It’s a beast of a tiny computer, and I feel bad for anyone who recently bought a Mac Pro. The device starts at $1,999 with the M1 Max, and $3,999 with M1 Ultra. You can pre-order it now, and it will be available March 18.

Studio Display

Apple announced a new monitor to go along with the Mac Studio: the Studio Display.

Apple event March 8

It’s a powerful 27-inch monitor, with 5K Retina resolution, 600 nits of brightness, True Tone support, and an anti-reflective coating (a nanotexture glass option is available for further glare reduction).

The monitor also features a 12MP ultrawide camera with Center Stage support, as well as 6 speakers with support for Spatial Audio and Dolby Atmos. It even features an A13 Bionic chip to handle image processing as well.

As for connectivity, you get three 10Gbps USB-C ports, and one Thunderbolt 4 port that connects to your Mac and transmits up to 96W of power. There are two stand options available; the default option only supports tilt, while a more expensive stand includes tilt and height adjustment. There’s also support for VESA adapters if you want additional flexibility.

The Studio Display will be available on March 18 starting at $1,599. Thankfully, the default stand (or the VESA adapter) are included at that price. Pre-orders are open now.

A green iPhone 13 and iPhone 13 Pro

Apple event March 8

The iPhone 13 and 13 Pro now come in green. Nice.

I have a theory about why Apple won’t release another router

I have a theory about why Apple won’t release another router

Youtube    أبريل 02, 2022   

 

Back in 2018, Apple bowed out of the networking game entirely and discontinued its AirPort and Time Capsule line-up.

Besides me, one who hasn’t let this slide is Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman. In a piece published earlier this week, the renowned Apple analyst and leaker called for the company to reintroduce Wi-Fi routers as part of its product portfolio.

And, honestly? The argument for this relaunch is compelling.

apple airport express first gen

This is the AirPort Express, which was both capable of AirPlay and being a wireless access point.

Effectively, Gurman argues that now Apple has finally pulled its head out of its arse with its Mac range (ergo, dropping irritations like the Touch Bar and the Butterfly Keyboard, while improving the MacBook Pro and introducing the M1 chip), the time is nigh for the company to take another look at networking.

There’s some sense in this by itself, but the aspect of Gurman’s reasoning that appealed to me most was the suggestion that Apple should develop a mesh system using its devices.

The company has already done something similar with its AirTags, as it uses a mesh of Apple devices to locate the trackers. In terms of providing a Wi-Fi signal in your home, the company could release an updated AirPort router that then connects to other Apple devices (like the HomePod Mini), creating a mesh network covering your whole house.

It’s a fantastic idea — but it’s not gonna happen.

Why won’t Apple release new routers?

There are two main reasons. Shockingly, let’s start with the first: technical limitations.

When Apple shuttered the AirPort range, it began retailing other companies’ routers as a replacement. For example, it’s currently selling a Linksys Velop mesh system with three units for $500.

Linksys Velop mesh system

This is a pic of the Linksys Velop, a mesh system that even looks a tiny bit ‘Apple.’

The point here is that mesh networking doesn’t come cheap. And if the company wants to get its beloved ‘Apple tax’ and deliver a comparable experience, the new AirPort units will be bum-clenchungly expensive.

This leads onto our next point. For the new AirPort router range to be worthwhile for the average user, they need to deliver something beyond what other companies are doing with their networking equipment.

The aforementioned idea of meshing Apple products gets us close — as will expected features like an improved setup experience — but we bump into another problem: there aren’t enough home-based devices to provide an attractive mesh option.

Using iPhones, iPads, and MacBooks as nodes would be too battery taxing (let alone unreliable, as they’re constantly moving). If we look to Google, a company thriving in this space, the reason its Nest Wi-Fi mesh network has been so successful is because people have widely adopted its smart home products, from the Nest Mini to the Home Max.

Apple simply doesn’t have this advantage.

Maybe if the business had released a HomePod with a screen, things would be different. Instead, the company knows most Apple users don’t have homes brimming with its smart speakers, so that avenue of using them to create a mesh network is currently off the cards.

As it can’t look to this for differentiation, Apple would need to search elsewhere — and this is where other technical limitations arise.

header image the homepod with a screen

BEHOLD, A HOMEPOD WITH A SCREEN! (We pay this artist a lot of money).

For all intents and purposes, the Cupertino firm shuttered its division responsible for routers all the way back in 2016. This means there’s a cavernous knowledge gap in the company and, although I believe Apple has the resources to bridge it, it’d take an extensive amount of time and money to not just catch up, but actually outstrip organizations whose entire business is networking.

Again, this is possible, but here’s where we encounter our second reason why Apple won’t release a new router any time soon: reputation.

A key element in Apple enticing so many people into its ecosystem is due to the strong positive feelings its devices endear. For example, how many times have you heard people say they use the company’s products because “they just work?”

This is by design.

Anyone who has ever used a defective or poorly designed piece of tech knows just how much daily rage you direct towards it. Currently, Apple has fine control over the way the majority of its devices work.

If there’s a bug with an iPhone, it can be fixed via an over-the-air software update. If there’s a flaw on a MacBook, you can take it into an Apple Store. These problems have a clear workflow.

The same isn’t true of a wireless network.

Consider the last two years of the pandemic. How many times did your home Wi-Fi network drop out or frustrate you? The variance in people’s homes and where they place routers has a huge impact on how well they perform.

Think of Wi-Fi like a printer. Although the technology has improved in leaps and bounds, the nature of their operation inevitably leads to mistakes.

So, if Apple re-enters the world of routers, it risks suffering reputation damage over something it can’t control. And, if people start losing faith in Apple, they stop buying so many of its devices. That means less money. And we all know how Apple feels about money.

These two issues (the amount of investment and potential reputational damage) will, in my mind, keep Apple from re-entering the router market any time soon. This doesn’t mean it won’t happen, but I’d expect the company to first invest in its smart home offerings before branching out into networking again.

Which is a shame. I still miss my AirPort Express — and I’m holding out hope that, one day, we see its like again.

Lotus’ Eletre 600hp SUV can ‘breathe’ and put on a light show

Lotus’ Eletre 600hp SUV can ‘breathe’ and put on a light show

Youtube    أبريل 02, 2022   

 

As you can see above, the EV isn’t beautiful in a conventional way. Its design language is rather aggressive with a cab-forward stance, long wheelbase, and short overhangs. Its front also looks like an angry reptile of sorts. Still, there’s a distinctive elegance somewhere in there.

Lotus Eletre

Image: Lotus

Hypercar vibe

Lotus boasts that Eletre shares the same DNA with its Evija electric hypercar. And while it can’t really compare with the Evija, this new EV does come across as a high-performance SUV worthy of the Lotus badge.

Built on a dedicated electric architecture platform, the Eletre comes with two electric motors enabling four-wheel drive. There will be three versions available — the least powerful delivering 600 horsepower.

Lotus Eletre

Image: Lotus

Lotus claims it will sprint to 62mph in under three seconds and top out at 260km/h.

Powered by a 100kW battery, the Electre’s good for an impressive 600km (373 miles) range on a single charge.

“Breathing” air

To enable this performance the design team has focused on reducing weight and improving aerodynamics.

The body panels are all made from aluminum, while the black components are finished in carbon fiber.

Lotus Eletre

Image: Lotus

But the most notable characteristic is Eletre’s “breathing” function.

Much like the Evija, the vents in the Eletre’s hood, lower grille, front fenders, D-pillar, and outer edges of the taillights serve as channels where air can pass through.

Lotus calls this “porosity.” The benefit? Reducing air resistance and, in turn, improving efficiency and range.

Most notably, the front grille comprises interconnected triangular panels, which stay closed when the car is at rest or when it needs to reduce aerodynamic drag. They automatically open to scoop air to the radiator to cool the electric motors, battery pack, or front brakes when needed.

Lotus Eletre

The Eletre’s front grille. Image: Lotus

Light up

The Eletre’s lights are my favorite part of the car.

The most impressive feature is what the company calls the “peacock moment.”

When the driver unlocks the vehicle, its exterior lights run through a short animated sequence, the front grille opens and “breathes,” and the illuminated flush door handles get deployed.

It’s a pure show-off move, but who doesn’t enjoy a little drama?

In the rear, the full-width ribbon light strip can change between four colors. To give you an idea, it’s red while the car is on the move, and when it’s green, it displays the battery status.

Lotus Eletre

Three different colors of the taillights. Image: Lotus (Edited)

Plus, there’s another color-changing light strip below the instrument panels inside the car. It alerts occupants to incoming phone calls, changes in cabin temperature, or battery charge status.

Autonomous potential

Interestingly, the Eletre comes with deployable LiDAR sensors, emerging from the top of the windscreen, the top of the rear glass, and the front wheel arches.

That way, the vehicle is future-proofed for advances in autonomous driving tech. Lotus says that extra autonomous functions can be added through OTA updates — as and when it’s allowed.

Lotus Eletre

Eletre’s LiDAR sensor on top of the rear glass. Image: Lotus

For now, LiDAR’s being put to good use, enabling ADAS functions like adaptive cruise control, lane-keeping assist, and automated emergency braking.

Similarly, the side mirrors have been replaced by Electric Reverse Mirror Displays (ERMDs), housing three separate cameras — one for the rear-view mirror, one to create a 360-degree view of the SUV, and a third that’s part of the EV’s intelligent driving technologies.

Lotus Eletre

The integrated cameras on the side mirrors. Image: Lotus

Interior

Moving inward, the Eletre will come in both four- and five-seat layouts, situated below a fixed panoramic sunroof.

Its interior looks spacious and features a minimalistic design — just with a dash of luxury.

Lotus Eletre

Image: Lotus

In the front, the instrument cluster has been reduced to a slim strip for key vehicle and journey information. Information can also be projected onto the windscreen via an AR heads-up display, so the driver doesn’t have to take their gaze off the road.

Both the front and the rear occupants can access OLED infotainment touchscreens, measuring 15 inches and 9 inches, respectively.

Lotus Eletre

Image: Lotus

All in all, we know quite a lot about the Eletre to be blown away. But… there’s one thing we don’t know: the price. For reference, the Evija comes costs a hefty $2 million.

I’m pretty sure that the Eletre won’t come with such a price tag, but according to Car and Driver, its price is expected to be close to Tesla’s Model X. This indicates a starting point of about $120,000 when the EV reaches the US in 2024.

But as the car will be produced in China by Lotus’ parent company Geely, manufacturing costs should be cheaper, which could — hopefully — bring down consumer pricing as well.

In the future, your electric car will power your house

In the future, your electric car will power your house

Youtube    أبريل 02, 2022   

 

As manufacturers introduce new models of electric vehicles, demand for them is growing steadily. New EV sales in the U.S. roughly doubled in 2021 and could double again in 2022, from 600,000 to 1.2 million. Auto industry leaders expect that EVs could account for at least half of all new U.S. car sales by the end of the decade.

EVs appeal to different customers in different ways. Many buyers want to help protect the environment; others want to save money on gasoline or try out the latest, coolest technology.

In areas like California and Texas that have suffered large weather-related power failures in recent years, consumers are starting to consider EVs in a new way: as a potential electricity source when the lights go out. Ford has made backup power a selling point of its electric F-150 Lightning pickup truck, which is due to arrive in showrooms sometime in the spring of 2022. The company says the truck can fully power an average house for three days on a single charge.So far, though, only a few vehicles can charge a house in this way, and it requires special equipment. Vehicle-to-home charging, or V2H, also poses challenges for utilities. Here are some of the key issues involved in bringing V2H to the mainstream.

The ABCs of vehicle-to-home charging

The biggest factors involved in using an EV to power a home are the size of the vehicles’s battery and whether it is set up for “bidirectional charging.” Vehicles with this capacity can use electricity to charge their batteries and can send electricity from a charged battery to a house.

There are two ways to judge how “big” a battery is. The first is the total amount of electric fuel stored in the battery. This is the most widely publicized number from EV manufacturers, because it determines how far the car can drive.

Batteries for electric sedans like the Tesla Model S or the Nissan Leaf might be able to store 80 to 100 kilowatt-hours of electric fuel. For reference, 1 kilowatt-hour is enough energy to power a typical refrigerator for five hours.

A typical U.S. home uses around 30 kilowatt-hours per day, depending on its size and which appliances people use. This means that a typical EV battery can store enough electric fuel to supply the total energy needs of a typical home for a couple of days.

Chart: The Conversation, CC BY-ND  Source: Oak Ridge National Laboratory  Get the data  Download image

The other way to assess the capacity of an EV battery is its maximum power output in backup power mode. This represents the largest amount of electric fuel that could be delivered to the grid or a house at any given moment. An EV operating in backup mode will typically have a lower maximum power output than when in driving mode. The backup power capacity is important, because it indicates how many appliances an EV battery could power at once.

This figure is not as widely publicized for all EVs, in part because vehicle-to-home charging hasn’t yet been widely deployed. Ford has advertised that its electric F-150 would have a maximum V2H power output of 2.4 kilowatts, potentially upgradable to 9.6 kilowatts – about the same as a single higher-end Tesla Powerwall home energy storage unit.

On the low end, 2.4 kilowatts is enough power to run eight to 10 refrigerators at the same time and could run much of a typical household continuously for a few days – or much more if the electricity is used sparingly. On the high end, a power level of 9.6 kilowatts could run more appliances or higher-powered ones, but that level of usage would drain the battery faster.

A person lies on the floor of a large meeting room, covered with fleece blankets

People shelter at a church warming center in Houston on Feb. 16, 2021, during a record cold wave that caused widespread power outages in Texas. AP Photo/David J. Phillip

Storing power when it’s cheaper

To draw home power from their cars, EV owners need a bidirectional charger and an electric vehicle that is compatible with V2H. Bidirectional chargers are already commercially available, though some can add several thousand dollars to the price of the car.

A limited number of EVs on the market now are compatible with V2H, including the Ford Lightning, Nissan Leaf and Mitsubishi Outlander. General Motors and Pacific Gas & Electric plan to test V2H charging in California in mid-2022 using multiple GM electric vehicles.

Some homeowners might hope to use their vehicle for what utility planners call “peak shaving” – drawing household power from their EV during the day instead of relying on the grid, thus reducing their electricity purchases during peak demand hours. To do this, they might need to install special metering equipment that can control both the discharging of the vehicle battery and the flow of power from the grid to the home.

Peak shaving makes the most sense in areas where utilities have time-of-use electric pricing, which makes power from the grid much more expensive during the day than at night. A peak-shaving household would use cheap electricity at night to charge the EV battery and then store that electricity to use during the day, avoiding high electricity prices.

Utilities and the future of V2H

While V2H capabilities exist now, it will likely be a little while before they see widespread adoption. The market for V2H-compatible electric vehicles will need to grow, and the costs of V2H chargers and other equipment will need to come down. As with Tesla’s Powerwall, the biggest market for V2H will probably be homeowners who want backup power for when the grid fails but don’t want to invest in a special generator just for that purpose.

Enabling homeowners to use their vehicles as backup when the power goes down would reduce the social impacts of large-scale blackouts. It also would give utilities more time to restore service – especially when there is substantial damage to power poles and wires, as occurred during Hurricane Ida in Louisiana in August 2021.

Power companies will still have to spend money building and maintaining the grid to provide reliable service. In some areas, those grid maintenance costs are passed on to customers through peak demand charges, meaning that people without V2H – who will be more likely to have lower incomes – may well bear a greater share of those costs than those with V2H, who will avoid purchasing peak power from the grid. This is especially true if lots of EV owners use rooftop solar panels to charge their car batteries and use those vehicles for peak shaving.

Still, even with V2H, electric vehicles are a huge potential market for electric utilities. Bidirectional charging is also an integral part of a broader vision for a next-generation electric grid in which millions of EVs are constantly taking power from the grid and giving it back – a key element of an electrified future. First, though, energy planners will need to understand how their customers use V2H and how it may affect their strategies for keeping the grid reliable.

WhatsApp’s new features will make voice messages suck less

WhatsApp’s new features will make voice messages suck less

Youtube    أبريل 02, 2022   

 

Here’s how it works. Currently, WhatsApp pauses a voice note if you switch to another chat. That’s annoying because you might want to quickly reply to someone while listening to a 10-minute long voice note.

Thankfully, the first feature I mentioned solves that issue. You’ll see a bar atop the app showing what voice note is playing, and you can always quickly press the x sign to close it.

The second feature that’s coming up solves another major problem. For the longest time, WhatsApp played a voice message from the beginning if you moved to another chat or closed the app.

So when you returned to the chat, you had to manually scrub to the part where you had left. I have been extremely annoyed by this limitation.

Now, the app remembers the marker automatically, so it’s like resuming a song or a podcast playback.

WhatsApp’s rolling out some other features like the preview draft before sending, pause voice, recording, and waveform visualization.The company has already rolled out a playback speed feature to devices, and you can read our guide on how to use it.

With this, WhatsApp has finally caught up with Telegram which already allowed voice notes to be played out of the chat. Plus, it makes composing voice messages a better experience. Now, it should finally focus on launching this rumored poll feature for groups.

Your car is a computer on wheels — and its code can be hacked

Your car is a computer on wheels — and its code can be hacked

Youtube    أبريل 02, 2022   

 

We aren’t joking when we talk about cars as big fat data generating computer centers on wheels. If you go on Glassdoor, there’s even an interview question, “How many lines of code does a Tesla have?”

I’m not entirely sure, but even a decade ago, premium cars contained 100 microprocessor-based electronic control units (ECUs), which collectively executed over 100 million lines of code. Then there’s telematics, driver-assist software, and infotainment system, to name but a few other components that require code.

The Subaru Solterra EV

Your car’s infotainment system is just one way that the security of your car can be attacked. Image: Subaru

What I do know is that as cars’ digital and autonomous capabilities increase, the integrity of that code will matter even more — especially its security. 

Ask Edward Snowden anything live during his talk!

Join us front row at TNW Conference 2022

Every car comes with many components, and each of these might have a different codebase, which, if poorly tested or secured, is vulnerable to bugs, errors, or malicious code. But what if we could secure cars before they leave the factory floor?

I recently spoke to Matt Wyckhouse, founder and CEO of Finite State, to find out how the heck automakers secure all that code.  He also owns a Tesla so he’s personally invested in car security. 

It’s common to build security into the entire development lifecycle. However, Finite State pushes security “as far to the right as possible.” This ensures that the code of the final build is secure, to ensure nothing changes between testing and the car going to its customers.

What are some of the most common security flaws? 

Poorly written code is vulnerable to security risks or malicious activity. Those millions of lines of code within a car’s microprocessors all have their own origin. For example, embedded system firmware, including the firmware used in connected vehicles, is composed of 80-95% third-party and open-source components. 

And, once you start using software from other parties who may not share your security vigilance, the risk increases. Some common examples:

Log4J vulnerability

An example of the recent Log4j vulnerability — a zero-day vulnerability in the Apache Log4j Java-based logging library. 

The main developer might have pulled in the Log4j software as part of their development practice. Or it might be wrapped in a third, fourth, or fifth party component built in Java that lands in the final software. 

This jeopardizes the security of any auto server using the library. The data is collected and stored in different places over time. This increases the risk of impact on the vehicle software. 

Tesla Model S second place for best-selling used EV in the US

Why hack one Tesla when you can hack 25? Image: Tesla

In January, cybersecurity researcher David Columbo gained remote entry to over 25 Teslas due to a security flaw discovered in third-party software used by Tesla drivers.

It didn’t enable him to ‘drive’ the cars. But he could lock and unlock windows and doors, disable the cars’ security systems, honk the horns, and turn the cars’ radios on and off.

The security problem of hardcoded credentials

Another example is hardcoded credentials. This is where plain text passwords and secret data are placed in source code. It provides a backdoor for product testing and debugging. 

Left in the final code, an attacker can read and modify configuration files and change user access. If the same password is in use as a default across multiple devices, then you have an even bigger problem. 

In 2019, hardcoded credentials left in the MyCar mobile app made it possible for attackers to access consumer data and gain unauthorized physical access to a target’s vehicle.

So, how do you secure software against vulnerabilities and attacks?

Finite State’s work starts at the testing phase, focusing on the final binary copy and builds. They work backwards, automating the reverse engineering of code, disassembling, decompiling, and testing for weaknesses and vulnerabilities. They then share these with the client’s security team.

Wyckhouse explained that end testing enables them to see how a software artifact has changed over time:

And if there’s an unintended change that’s not traceable back to an action by the dev team, that’s a reason to investigate further.

When we think of cybersecurity and mobility really, we’re only just beginning. But according to Wyckhouse, automakers are continually investing in security, not only to comply with industry standards but also to gain reputational and competitive advantages over rivals who repeatedly suffer from security breaches. 

Still, not a week goes by without yet another report of an attack or a vulnerability found by white-hat researchers. And as car automation increases, the risks only get greater.

How to change the default text formatting on Google Docs — and with it, your life

How to change the default text formatting on Google Docs — and with it, your life

Youtube    أبريل 02, 2022   

I use Google Docs constantly. Seven days a week, 12 hours a day, your boy is thriving in that word processor, hopping from document to document like the metaverse’s dullest Spiderman.

And here’s where I encounter the problem: whenever I open a new Google Doc, it’s formatted in a way I find neither pleasing, useful, or acceptable. You probably know the set up: Arial, a font size of 11, and a 1.15 line spacing. The words unsophisticated and crude barely come close to how this affronts me.

Yet, foolishly, I accepted this state of affairs for years.

Yeah, it was a hassle to manually change the default formatting each time I opened a new document, but it wasn’t quite enough of one for me to, you know, actually do anything about it. But then the day came when I’d had enough. I could no longer live that way — like an animal, a fool in a jingly bell hat, a vile little trollman living under a dilapidated bridge.

And since I changed Google Docs’ default formatting? Bliss. And I’d like to offer you a weighty slice of this wonderful feeling.

How to change the default formatting on Google Docs

It’s a simple process. First thing you need to do is write something with the formatting you want.

It can be a paragraph, a sentence, a couple of words, whatever, really. Just write it and make sure it’s formatted how you’d like. Choose your ideal font, text size, and line spacing in the menu bar.

Next up, select that text.

Then you want to go to the Format menu at the top of the screen (it should be just under your document’s title). From there, click on Paragraph styles and navigate to Normal text.

One you’re there, click Update ‘Normal text’ to match.

change default formatting on Google Docs step one

It’s getting close. Real close.

We’re almost done people, just one more thing.

Go back to the Format menu. Then, navigate to Paragraph styles and through to Options.

Here, you should see something that says “Save as my default styles.”

Click it. CLICK IT SO DAMN HARD.

change default formatting on Google Docs step two

HERE WE GO!

Now all that’s left to do is open a new Google Doc to see if it worked. And it did, right? And I bet you’re feeling pretty magnificent about life right now.

What’s that? The default Google Docs formatting I went for? Easy: Helvetica Neue, size 12, 1.5 line spacing.

The choice of kings — and overgrown manchildren who have too much time on their grubby hands.