Monthly Mini-Bytes - November 2024

 

The M4 Macs Are Here: Do You Need One? After stuffing the latest M4 chip in the new iPad Pros, we had to wait a bit before Apple got around to updating the rest of its lineup with the new processor. The M4 is the latest and greatest, and as with the other M-Series Processors, allows interested users to run Apple Intelligence. But do you need one? If you still have a Mac running an Intel processor, sooner or later you will have to upgrade. The new processors from Apple are faster, more power efficient, and have enough gusto to run all the A.I. you can handle. We are on the 4th iteration of Apple Silicon, so if you are looking for more speed and compatibility with more advanced features, then yes, I think you should strongly consider one of the new M4 Macs. If you have an earlier machine with the M1 processor, the only reason to consider upgrading is if you want one, or are now using software that requires a Pro, Max, or Ultra variant. The venerable old M1 is still miles faster than the Intels and are still up to the tasks at hand including compatibility with Apple Intelligence. If you have any of the Ms in Pro, Max, or Ultra then there's no compelling reason to get the M4 unless you need more RAM, more storage, or extra ports for expandability. A well configured M1 Max or Ultra will still be able to handle all the Adobe, 3D tasks, and 8K video editing that you can throw at it. To learn more about the new M4 Macs, check out the links below: MacBook Pro: https://www.apple.com/macbook-pro/ iMac: https://www.apple.com/imac/ mini: https://www.apple.com/mac-mini/

Traveling with Your Mac? Turn On These Two Settings The holidays once again have crashed upon the calendar and most of us will be moving about the country, or other relative near dimensions, with our precious Mac laptops. Keeping them safe means preparation, and here are two settings that you should enable to that end. Turn on FileVault FileVault encrypts your hard drive, meaning that if someone did steal or otherwise get a hold of your laptop, they would not be able to get at your data without your computer password. Yes, your data would sit behind your password, encrypted and safe from anyone without 2 million dollars and a super computer. To turn on FileVault go to System Settings -> Privacy & Security. Scroll down to FileVault and turn it on. We do recommend that you select the iCloud recovery option, but if you want the encryption key instead, write it down. Enable FindMy Mac In the event that your Mac laptop would get lost or stolen, the FindMy feature gives you the option of not only locating it, but also locking or even remotely erasing the computer. FindMy binds the device to your iCloud, and it will forever be associated with your account unless you release it by signing out. To turn it on go to System Settings -> [Your Name] -> iCloud. In Sequoia you will need to choose the "See All" option to reveal the setting.

The Apple Vision Pro is Finished

You know, it used to be that if you wanted to launch a new product and have it be successful you would look for a hungry market, fill the needs of those users, and then do it at a competitive price. It's Business 101 after all. Well, Apple did none of this with the Vision Pro. The VR market is and has been weak. Meta has been banging its head on the wall trying to light up and expand the user base to no avail. But here came Apple with the Vision Pro. It's priced 7 times -- [YES!!!] -- 7 times higher than Meta Quest 3, which is the most popular VR headset out now. It doesn't have any killer app, nor a stated use case from Apple, and since it only starts at $3499, after AppleCare, a case, and some more storage it is more like $4200. That's what a high-end Mac Pro costs! Well, it's done. Apple is all but ending production, which will see this halo product not even last a year. It's not good, and hopefully they will focus their energies on making it so the Apple Watch updates take less than six hours. C'mon Apple! To read more, check out this article from the New York Post: https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/technology/apple-s-vision-pro-flop-company-scales-back-production-of-3500-vr-headset-amid-lackluster-sales-customer-complaints/ar-AA1tXX7R