The MacNN Podcast, episode 61: Dalek Management Hierarchy Theory

This week on The MacNN Podcast episode 61, Mike and Charles briefly discuss how we've structured the leadership of this site modeled on the Dalek hierarchy, and in the tradition of the Daleks, the news is mostly bad -- and that's even before we get to the latest FBI/DOJ shenanigans, this week adding the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court to the cast of this drama, sadly on the side of authoritarianism over liberty. The parade of really not-thought-through attempts to modernize privacy laws in the era of digital encryption continues.

You've still got time: Mothers' Day gift suggestions from MacNN staff

Some moms are tech moms; some moms are intimidated by the TV remote. It doesn't make us love them any less, but it can make them difficult to gift-shop for. Still, despite every mother and every woman being different, when it comes to the Mother's Day Tech Gift Challenge, we say "challenge accepted." These are the gifts we guarantee that every mother will love. That would be guarantee in slightly less than a legal and refund kind of way, but still, confidence is high.

IDC: Global tablet market shrunk in March; iPad Pro proves popular

New data from IDC shows that the global market for tablets declined in the first quarter of 2016, although Apple remains the dominant vendor, with its iPad line holding onto a 25.9 percent market share. Apple's iPad sale declined from 18.65 percent year-over-year, for a total of 10.25 million sales, although this was slightly worse than the overall contraction in the tablet market of 14.7 percent. One bright spot for Apple, however, is that the "detachable" tablet market is gaining in popularity, with the company's iPad Pro line already more popular than the Microsoft Surface line.

Hands On: Oittm 4-port Apple Watch Stand

We love Apple products, obviously, but there's no denying that they can eat up a lot of our outlet space, which is at a premium these days. Between our iPhone, our iPad, and now our Apple Watch, we're starting to run out of places to charge things. Fortunately, the Oittm 4-port Apple Watch Stand is here to solve that problem, combining a USB charging station with an Apple Watch stand.

Logitech ships Logi Base charging dock with Smart Connector support

The iPad Pro line of Apple tablets now has a dock that takes advantage of the range's Smart Connector, courtesy of Logitech. The Logi Base is a stand for both the 12.9-inch and 9.7-inch versions of the iPad Pro, one that takes advantage of the Smart Connector's power transfer capabilities by using it to charge the iPad Pro's battery, giving users an alternative to the usual method of attaching a cable to the iPad Pro's Lightning connector.

iPad survives two weeks in elements

Apple's most confusing product: Lightning to USB 3 Camera Adapter

If you don't know what an Apple product does, then the odds are that you don't need it -- and if you're curious, then you can certainly just ask in an Apple Store. Maybe you can debate whether you need a MacBook or an iPad Pro, but you know what they each are, and you can try them both out in a shop with someone from Apple genuinely helping instead of just trying to sell you something. Except for the Apple Lightning to USB 3 Camera Adapter.

This Week in Apple History: April 16 through 22

We're spending this 40th anniversary year of Apple's going through the company's rollercoaster history in one-week slices. Yet this time, let us blur that a little bit, and start with an event that isn't one you can pin to a certain hour -- but instead is a brooding problem that took place over all of April, 1985. For one thing, it's to do with the ousting of Steve Jobs from the company he co-created, and in history's telescoping of details, the usual story you hear is that CEO John Sculley fired him. It's actually not that unreasonable a summary, as he might as well have done, but strictly speaking no, he didn't -- and it didn't happen in one big board meeting.