July 2019 - Monthly Mini-Bytes

Do you need a Cloud Backup for your Mac? Every Mac should have a Time Machine Backup. It is the first line of defense against crashes and lost data. You can restore your Mac right back to where it was from the Time Machine Backup or even setup a new Mac with it, too. It is one of the best pieces of insurance that you can have. But, you may also be a candidate for a cloud backup. This is not iCloud. iCloud does not back up your Mac. It does, although, back up your iPhones and iPads if you enable this feature, and you should. The Mac has too much data on it, which is why Time Machine is the backup software created for the computer. It is a local backup, meaning it is local to your computer -- it's in the same space. The problem arises that if something happens to the Mac like it is stolen, it is likely that the "local" nearby backup would also be swiped, too. Having an offsite or cloud backup is a way to safely store your data away from your Mac. If you answer "Yes" to any of the below, then you probably would appreciate having a cloud backup: Do you use your Mac for business? Do you have critical information on your Mac that you don't ever want to lose? Are you a video editor or professional photographer? Do you own a server? If you are in the market for a cloud backup there are several options out there. Just make sure that the cloud backup service was designed for Mac computers and not ported over from a Windows solution. Windows machines have a totally different file structure than Macs and having the wrong solution could jumble your data, and make restores incredibly difficult if not impossible in some cases. We have used CrashPlan for Small Business before, but this is exclusive to small business and you need to have a strong technology aptitude to use their service. We have had experience with BackBlaze and have heard good things about iDrive. But whatever you choose, remember that once everything is set up, you still need to monitor the process to ensure that the backups are being completed. The good news is that most services will send you alerts if there is a problem with your backup.

Apple TV Device vs. Apple TV App Oh boy.... here goes. The Apple TV is not only a device, it is now an app. But an Apple TV is not necessarily the Apple TV. And you may purchase a new TV that has the Apple TV built in, but it is not the Apple TV device, but just the Apple TV App. So, it's really not the full Apple experience, just a tiny taste wrapped in another company's interface and well... Confused? It's understandable. The Apple TV (4K & HD) is a streaming media device that you can attach to any TV that will give you access to services like Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Prime Video, and others. It also runs the Apple TV App, which consolidates all of your viewing into one place... except it doesn't work with Netflix or some other streaming services. Regardless, the Apple TV device will give you the full Apple integrated experience, so we recommend the Apple TV (device) over any other streaming media player. The Apple TV App will be available on a bunch of different third-party devices and TVs as Apple wishes to push its new Apple TV + (plus) streaming service. That means there will be three Apple TVs? We hope that clears everything up. There will be a test later. If you take anything away from this is to remember that if you want the Apple integration, go for the Apple TV device, and don't worry about them naming everything Apple TV. Actually, I think the new iPhone will be called Apple TV Phone Max X or something... [sigh] To learn more about the many Apple TVs: Apple TV (device):https://www.apple.com/apple-tv-4k/ Apple TV (app): https://www.apple.com/apple-tv-app/ Apple TV+ (streaming service): https://www.apple.com/apple-tv-plus/

Neato! Unlock Your Mac with the Apple Watch If you have an Apple Watch using watchOS 3 (or better) and a Mid-2013 or newer Mac using macOS Sierra or later you can actually use your watch to unlock your Mac! It takes some setup, but if you go to the Apple help article linked below, it will give you all the instructions that you need to get started. How to unlock your Mac with your Apple Watch: https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT206995