Apple & Mac Musings

Yesterday,  Apple  released software updates for almost all of its hardware. Macs running macOS Sierra (10.12) can update to 10.12.6, and security updates were released for Macs running El Capitan (10.11) and Yosemite (10.10). People with iPhones, iPads and iPod Touches running iOS 10 can update to iOS 10.3.3. AppleTVs running tvOS 10 can update to 10.2.2, and Apple Watch owners can update to watchOS 3.2.3. There was also an update to iTunes. While these are relatively minor updates with a few bug fixes and security patches, it's always a good idea to back up your device before applying a system update. Here's how to back up each device category. Macs: If you are using Time Machine, make sure your backup drive is connected and turned on. The Time Machine icon in the menu bar will show the time and date of your last completed backup. If you aren't using Time Machine, follow your usual backup procedure. If you don't have a backup procedure, you need to get one. If y...

Apple updated its entire laptop lineup at WWDC. The company currently sells no fewer than four different laptop models with 12- or 13-inch screens, not including upgrade options for CPU, RAM and storage. The 12-inch MacBook The 13-inch MacBook Air The 13-inch MacBook Pro (2016 with function keys) The 13-inch MacBook Pro (2016 with Touchbar) The only thing they have in common is that they all come with 8 gigabytes of RAM. Each model has its own set of pros and cons. Some are more expensive, some have better performance and some are thinner and lighter. How should you go about deciding which one is right for you if you're looking for a small Mac laptop? There are four key questions to ask yourself. How much do you want to spend (price)? What kind of work will you be using it for (performance)? How long do you plan to keep it before you upgrade to a new laptop (longevity)? How portable does it really need to be (portability)? Here are the basic specs for each model (thes...

Other than surfing the web, the most likely vector for hackers and malware to gain access to your Mac is through your email. Just like visiting a booby-trapped website, clicking on a malicious link or file in your email can result in your Mac getting infected. You should be suspicious of any email that comes with a link or attachment, even if you think you know the sender and were expecting them to send you something. There are some basic steps you can take to keep yourself safe. The same steps can help limit how much junk email, or spam, that reaches your inbox. 1. Always check the sender's address. Most email programs, including Mail on the Mac, don't display the sender's full address by default. You can see the sender's actual address by clicking on the small arrow that appears when you move your pointer over the sender's name. The first line in the pop-up menu will show you the sender's address. While this can be spoofed, most spammers and hackers ...

Just because you're surfing the web on a Mac doesn't mean you can't get infected by malware. Here are five things you can do to limit your vulnerability and make things as hard as possible on the bad guys. 1. Disable Browser Plug-ins Adobe's Flash plug-in for web browsers is one of the most common ways for hackers to attack Macs on the web. You should uninstall Flash if you don't need it. Adobe has instructions here: https://helpx.adobe.com/flash-player/kb/uninstall-flash-player-mac-os.html If you find that you can't get by without Flash, never click on a website notice that your Flash needs to be updated. Hackers have used these notices to get users to install fake Flash updaters containing malware. Instead, use the Flash update option in System Preferences to check for updates. To check if your Flash needs to be updated, click the black apple in the menu bar at the upper left-hand corner of the screen and choose System Preferences. Then click on Flash in...

Yesterday, Apple released updates to iOS (recent iPhones, iPads, and iPod Touches), macOS (recent Macs), tvOS (4th generation AppleTVs), and watchOS (all Apple Watches). There was also an update to iTunes. While these are relatively minor updates with a few bug fixes and security patches, it's always a good idea to back up your device before applying a system update. Here's how to back up each device category. Macs: If you are using Time Machine, make sure your backup drive is connected and turned on. The Time Machine icon in the menu bar will show the time and date of your last completed backup. If you aren't using Time Machine, follow your usual backup procedure. If you don't have a backup procedure, you need to get one. If you don't, you'll regret it sooner or later. iPhone, iPad, and iPod Touch: Either connect your device to iTunes on your computer, or make sure iCloud Backups are turned on in Settings. Both iTunes and Settings will show when your ...

Is the sidebar in each of your Mac's Finder windows the same as it was when you started up your Mac for the first time? If so, you're missing out on a quick and easy way to save time when you're working with files and folders. First, you'll want to clear any items you never use out of the Sidebar. Click on the blue smiley face in the Dock, then click on the Finder menu (next to the black apple at the top left of the screen), and choose Preferences. Click on the Sidebar tab. If you never use features like iCloud Drive or AirDrop, uncheck the box next to the feature's name. If you frequently find yourself accessing an option that's unchecked, check its box and it'll be added to your sidebar. When you're finished, click the red dot to close the Finder Preferences window and save your changes. If you don't like the order items are displayed in the Favorites section of the Sidebar, you can drag any item up or down the list until it's where you...

Do you use Apple's Mail program? Are you in the habit of double-clicking email attachments to open them? Every time you open an email attachment by double-clicking on it in Mail, your Mac saves a copy of the attachment in a hidden folder. If you make changes to an attachment you opened by double-clicking, when you save it, you're saving the file to that hidden folder. The original attachment never gets changed. Here's how to find that hidden folder, clean it out, and potentially save a lot of space on your Mac's startup drive and also save yourself headaches finding the changes you made to that email attachment. The best way to open email attachments is to get out of the habit of double-clicking them. Instead, drag them to your Desktop, then open them. If you don't want to clutter up your Desktop, or if you use Mail in full screen mode, right-click (or hold down the control key and click) on the attachment, then choose Save Attachment… from the pop-up menu. T...

Do auto-playing videos on web pages cause you to constantly mute browser tabs? Are you forced to keep your Mac's volume muted because of them? Here's how to turn off auto-play videos in each of the three most popular Mac browsers. How to Stop Auto-play web videos in Safari:  Quit Safari. Open Terminal (you can find it on your hard drive in Applications/Utilities). Enter the following commands. Each is a single line regardless of how they break on screen. If you aren't comfortable using Terminal, it's usually easier to copy and paste them: defaults write com.apple.Safari "com.apple.Safari.ContentPageGroupIdentifier.WebKit2RequiresUserGestureForMediaPlayback" -bool true defaults write com.apple.Safari WebKitVideoPlaybackRequiresUserGesture -bool true Quit Terminal. Open Safari and test with a website that has auto-playing videos. You can still play videos by clicking on them. To reverse the changes, quit Safari, open Terminal, and enter this comm...

Apple is no longer charging for either the iOS or Mac versions of it's iWork suite, Pages, Numbers and Keynote. Since 2013, Apple has given away copies of the Mac apps to anyone who bought a new Mac, and the iOS versions to anyone who bought a new iPhone or iPad. Everyone else had to buy them. Now you can download them for free, even if you haven't bought a new Mac or iOS device recently. You can download the apps individually from the Mac App Store on your Mac, or the App Store on your iOS device. Anyone with an iCloud account can access web-based versions of the iWork suite at iCloud.com , which is handy if you need to collaborate with someone who doesn't have a Mac or iOS device.

Apple says the Mac Pro isn't dead! The good news is that Apple has admitted the cylindrical design was a mistake (not unlike the Power Mac G4 Cube from the beginning of this century). The bad news is that the redesigned Mac Pro won't be available until sometime next year. For users whose needs are met by an iMac, there are rumors of a Xeon-powered "Pro" iMac coming sooner. Mashable has details on Apple's Mac Pro talk here: http://mashable.com/2017/04/04/apple-reveals-mac-pro-imac-plans/#8ncqZejtePq5