by Terry McAdams | Sep 21, 2020 | Mac, Tip
We wanted to make sure that those of you who work on a Mac laptop with an external display know that you can close your laptop’s screen and keep working. Apple calls this closed-clamshell or closed-display mode. Of course, it requires that you connect an external...
by Terry McAdams | Sep 18, 2020 | iPhone, Tip, troubleshooting
We’ve been hearing reports of an uptick in the scam phone calls that claim to be from Apple. If you answer, an automated message tells you that your iCloud account has been breached and asks you to call a provided 1-866 number. Do not do this! Apple will never call...
by Terry McAdams | Sep 17, 2020 | iPad, iPad Air
In its “Time Flies” special event on September 15th, Apple cleared the decks of some secondary releases to make room for the anticipated unveiling of the iPhone 12 in a few weeks. Secondary though these products may be compared to the iPhone, the new Apple Watch...
by Terry McAdams | Sep 16, 2020 | How-To, Mac, productivity, Spotlight
Most Mac users probably think of searching on the Mac in relation to finding files on their drives. That may be the most common use of Apple’s Spotlight search technology, but over the years, Apple has continually enhanced Spotlight’s capabilities, turning it into a...
by Terry McAdams | Sep 11, 2020 | Mac, Tip, Touch Bar, Touch ID, troubleshooting
It’s extremely uncommon for a Mac to freeze or crash these days, but it can happen. What should you do if your Mac locks up and becomes completely unresponsive to the mouse and keyboard? The trick is to press and hold the power button until the Mac turns off. Wait 5...
by Terry McAdams | Sep 10, 2020 | How-To, iOS, productivity
You know how to use the Camera app on your iPhone or iPad to take a video, but did you know that you can also record a video of what happens on the screen of your device? That’s useful if you’re trying to explain the steps of some technical process to a friend or show...
by Terry McAdams | Sep 9, 2020 | iPad, iPhone, Mac
Apple’s prices for Lightning, USB-C, and Thunderbolt 3 cables often seem high—$19 for a USB-C to Lightning cable or $29 if you want a 2-meter version? However, when it comes to cables, you often get what you pay for, so it’s smart to pay a little extra to get...
by Terry McAdams | Sep 8, 2020 | iPhone, Messages, productivity, Tip
If you’re flying, driving, or biking to visit an iPhone-using friend or family member, you can reduce anxiety related to arrival time or pickup plans (and perhaps provide amusement) by sharing your location temporarily so they can watch your progress. The easiest way...
by Terry McAdams | Sep 4, 2020 | Mac, privacy, troubleshooting
Over the last few releases of macOS, Apple has been beefing up the Mac’s privacy controls so they more closely resemble what the company has done in iOS. You’ve undoubtedly noticed that when you first launch a new app on your iPhone or iPad, it often prompts for...
by Terry McAdams | Sep 3, 2020 | Apple Pay, How-To, iPhone, productivity, Wallet
Have you wondered what you can do with the Wallet app on your iPhone? Although it started out life called Passbook, Apple soon realized that the only sensible name was Wallet. That’s because it stores digital versions of roughly the same sort of things you might put...
by Terry McAdams | Sep 2, 2020 | iPad, Mac
In a normal year, most kids would be back in school by now. But the COVID-19 pandemic has caused many schools to offer online instruction, and many families are now settling into a remote back-to-school arrangement. We’ve provided some advice on working from home in...
by Terry McAdams | Sep 1, 2020 | AirPods, Control Center, iOS, Tip
An ever-increasing number of people have hearing loss due to exposure to loud noise and age. If you’re in that group, but don’t yet need hearing aids, try using your AirPods to help you hear better in certain situations. iOS’s Live Listen feature uses your iPhone’s...
by Terry McAdams | Aug 31, 2020 | Email, productivity
Apple has put a lot of effort into Mail, providing lots of features you can employ to get through your email more quickly. But one of the most effective ways to improve your email productivity has nothing to do with an app. Instead, train yourself to write better...
by Terry McAdams | Aug 28, 2020 | Mac, System Preferences, Tip
On the Mac, scroll bars are essential for both orienting yourself and navigating within a Web page or document window. But they may not appear unless you hover the pointer over the right spot or start scrolling with a gesture on a trackpad or a turn of a mouse scroll...
by Terry McAdams | Aug 28, 2020 | Ethernet, Mac, productivity
If you’ve filled up your external hard drives or become frustrated by their limitations, it’s time to look into a network-attached storage (NAS) device. What’s a NAS? It’s an intelligent storage device that can accept one or more hard drives or SSDs and connects to...
