by Terry McAdams | Feb 2, 2023 | Mac, Upgrade
When upgrading to a new version of macOS, we err on the side of caution, at least in our recommendations. (We’ve been using macOS 13 Ventura for some time now and often install beta releases on secondary machines for testing purposes.) Upgrading is easy, but if you...
by Terry McAdams | Jan 26, 2023 | Photos, privacy, Tip
Photos has long provided a hidden album you could use to hold images you wanted to keep a little more private. Until this year, however, it was security through obscurity: anyone who knew to reveal the album in Settings > Photos on an iPhone or iPad or by choosing...
by Terry McAdams | Jan 24, 2023 | How-To, Mac, productivity
Apple makes it easy to move data between Macs. You can send files via AirDrop, attach them to an email message, put them in a Messages conversation, turn on and connect via File Sharing, or use a file-sharing service like iCloud Drive, Dropbox, or Google Drive as an...
by Terry McAdams | Jan 19, 2023 | Contacts, Mac, Safari, Tip, troubleshooting
We heard from a client that AutoFill in Safari suddenly stopped entering her name and address in Web forms when she chose Edit > AutoFill Form or pressed Command-Shift-A, forcing her to enter her contact information manually, like an animal. (And yes, the “Using...
by Terry McAdams | Jan 18, 2023 | HomePod, Mac mini, MacBook Pro, News
With a handful of press releases buttressed by a 19-minute video, Apple pulled back the curtains on its new M2 Pro and M2 Max chips and announced updated Mac mini and MacBook Pro models that rely on the new chips. There are no significant design or feature changes...
by Terry McAdams | Jan 17, 2023 | iCloud, privacy, Security
In early December, Apple made a surprise announcement: Advanced Data Protection for iCloud. It’s not as though iCloud’s standard data protection is problematic, but it hinges on one architectural decision that makes some iCloud data theoretically vulnerable: Apple...
by Terry McAdams | Jan 12, 2023 | Mac, Tip, troubleshooting
We aren’t quite ready to recommend that everyone upgrade to macOS 13 Ventura, but if you use Microsoft Office with macOS 10.15 Catalina, you should start planning for an upgrade. Microsoft has announced that current versions of its productivity suite—Office for Mac...
by Terry McAdams | Jan 10, 2023 | 1Password, News, password manager, passwords, privacy, Security
Password management company LastPass has announced that it suffered a security breach in which attackers stole both encrypted customer account data (which is bad) and customer vaults containing encrypted usernames and passwords (which is much, much worse). On the...
by Terry McAdams | Jan 5, 2023 | password manager, passwords, privacy, Tip
Whatever consumer electronics product you can name, there’s probably a “smart” version that you configure via an app or Internet-connected interface once you’ve connected it to your Wi-Fi network. For ease of setup and to keep costs down, many such devices come...
by Terry McAdams | Jan 3, 2023 | iCloud, News, Photos, Security
Every year at its Worldwide Developer Conference in June, Apple previews planned features in the upcoming versions of macOS, iOS, iPadOS, watchOS, and tvOS. However, not all of those features are necessarily ready for the initial releases of those operating systems....
by Terry McAdams | Dec 29, 2022 | Contacts, iPad, iPhone, productivity, Tip
Deleting contacts on the iPhone and iPad used to be a pain, especially if you wanted to trash multiple contacts. You had to open the contact, tap Edit, scroll to the bottom, and tap Delete Contact. Although you still can’t swipe left on a contact in a list, as you do...
by Terry McAdams | Dec 27, 2022 | Emergency SOS, How-To, iPhone
In mid-November, Apple launched its new Emergency SOS via satellite feature for the iPhone 14 lineup. If you have an iPhone 14 and find yourself in an emergency situation in the US or Canada without cellular or Wi-Fi service, you can still contact emergency services....
by Terry McAdams | Dec 22, 2022 | iPad, iPhone, Siri, Tip, troubleshooting
22Although iOS and iPadOS are extremely stable, there are times when rebooting your iPhone or iPad can eliminate odd or problematic behavior, and there’s no harm in trying it. In the past, you’ve had to remember which buttons to press or select Settings > General...
by Terry McAdams | Dec 20, 2022 | 1Password, password manager, privacy, Security
Happy New Year! For many of us, starting a new year means reflecting on fresh habits we’d like to adopt. Although we certainly support any resolutions you may have made to get enough sleep, eat better, reduce social media usage, and exercise more, could we suggest a...
by Terry McAdams | Dec 15, 2022 | iPad, iPhone, Tip, Video
If you find yourself at a family gathering with bored children over the holidays, allow us to recommend an activity that can keep kids engaged. Figure out something the kids can do that involves motion—knocking down a tower of blocks, rolling a ball or toy car down...
