February 2020 - Monthly Mini-Bytes

Is it time for a Password Audit? A few weeks ago there were a flurry of reports of Ring cameras being hacked. Panic ensued. Tech talking heads immediately piled on Ring and other similar service providers as evil, unsecure, and heartless capitalists who could care less about their customers. They said that children were in peril, privacy was over, and small flightless birds were soon to rise up and become our overlords. It was classic fake news... except for the birds, of course. The truth of the matter is it was the customers who failed to configure their devices with secure passwords on a secure infrastructure. Hackers look for soft targets. Having no password or not changing the default password (the one that came with the device) is like putting a bird feeder on the ground and not expecting squirrels to plunder the seed. It's not the device's fault. It's not the fault of the company that built the device. It is totally the fault of the end-user (consumer) who chose not to take their security seriously. Passwords are a pain. They are hard to remember. They cause confusion and lost productivity. Well, until a better system is developed, we are stuck with them, so it's best to learn how to co-exist and maybe even love your passwords. (Okay, maybe not.) Here are the rules for good passwords: At least 10 characters. 12 is better. 14 or more is awesome. Use a mix of numbers, letters (capitals, too), and symbols if allowed. Don't use the same password for everything. It's like having no password at all. Do not make the passwords similar to others. Once one is compromised, the rest will fall quickly. Write down your passwords, or save them somewhere. No one remembers their passwords. It is okay to use fowl language when talking about the subject of passwords with others. If you use iCloud Keychain and save passwords in Safari, you can "audit" the state of your passwords by going into Safari, choosing Preferences from the Safari drop-down menu, and selecting the Passwords menu tab. It will ask you for your computer password. Here you can see what you have saved. Accounts with passwords that are reused or easily guessed will show a symbol on the right. Happy auditing!

How To Clean Your Stuff There's a lot of advice on the news about staying healthy, and although it's not possible to encase oneself in hand sanitizer, there are things that you can do with your computer and devices to keep them clean. There was a study several years ago that a computer keyboard has more bacteria on it than a public restroom toilet seat. Seriously... ick! Fortunately Apple has created a page on how to safely clean everything from a keyboard, to an iPhone, and even the Apple Watch. You can check it out here: https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT204172

Old Speakers, the End of Music, and You I think there is a subset of Americans who love their Sonos Systems more than their children. The wireless speaker system has made it easy to play all types of music around the house. The systems are expensive, and with that type of investment you can understand the anger when Sonos announced in January that it was ending support for older speaker models. Of course, since then the CEO backtracked, but it still brings up an excellent point on devices and longevity, especially when it comes to music. It used to be that purchasing a good stereo system meant that it could last a lifetime. Older speakers from 40 years ago arguably sound as good as anything today, and who would turn away the opportunity to own a tubed amplifier -- technology from the 30s! But now that $3,000 invested in a digital music system does not have the longevity. At some point it will not be supported. As file systems change it will have a difficult time playing music that you want to hear. And it will break. Then, good luck trying to find someone to fix it. Digital products are expendable, and once they go through their lifecycle, then the only thing that can be done with those systems is, well, recycle. Sonos backed off for now, but they will have to end support for older systems at some point. This is also true for any smart or connected device imaginable including doorbells, alarms, refrigerators, home automation systems, or even those fancy connected lightbulbs. It's food for thought.

January 2020 - Monthly Mini-Bytes

The Truth About Business Email Today we will be talking about email for business. For consumers we like iCloud or Gmail for mail, but we can go into that later, but a lot of the same reasons we like those two for home users, we like Google's G-Suite or Microsoft's Office 365 Exchange for business. In 2020 email has become a minefield of spammers, scammers, spoofers, and otherwise bad folks trying to impersonate your employees, fool customers, or get back-door access to your systems. It takes a large organization like Google and Microsoft to dedicate the resources both in staffing and technology to build a firewall of protection around business email. It's not to say that they are 100% secure -- no system is, but by having the manpower focused on gray-listing and blacklisting domains, it helps give business owners one more layer of protection. Smaller ISPs cannot compete, which is why you see such organizations as Go Daddy reselling Microsoft Office 365 Exchange. We usually recommend purchasing Office 365 Exchange directly from Microsoft, as some ISPs will resell older or their own server-based versions of Exchange that we do not recommend in 2020. Again, no mail system is even close to 100% secure. You and your company need a good, solid set of policies around passwords, access, and account criteria in addition to a robust email system. Even then, it still takes a savvy and well-trained staff to further your business' protection. One other thing to note: These two products offer a lot more than email. From calendars, to notes, to apps, to cloud storage -- both offer full business suites. To learn more about: Google G-Suite for Business: https://gsuite.google.com/solutions/ Microsoft Office 365 Exchange: https://products.office.com/en-us/exchange/exchange-online

You Have to Pay to Play There is a cost with trying to save money when it comes to technology. You pay for quality and reliability. You pay for security and longevity. And the cost stays the same whether you wait to upgrade or delay it down the road. Nowadays with all the security concerns it is important to keep as up-to-date as possible to make sure that you are taking advantage of the best security. Do we recommend refurbished Macs, iPhones, etc? No. Absolutely never. Macs and other Apple devices retain their value as long as they can run a current system. For a Mac you may save one or two-hundred dollars, but you never know if it is actually "refurbished" and you may just be buying someone else's problems. A well-configured Mac purchased new with Apple Care covers you for three years and can hopefully last well beyond that. What about subscriptions for Adobe or Office? Pay them. That's the way that tech is going. It's frustrating, but with your subscription you have 24/7 support (in most cases) and the apps will always be up-to-date. If you don't like the subscription model that these companies are implementing, you could always buy their stock and show up to the annual meetings to complain. It won't help, but you may get some tasty snacks. What if my iPhone/iPad cannot run a current system? Get a new one. For mobile devices it's important to always be on the current system. If you can't run it, replace it. iPhones have a lifecycle of about 2 years. That's what the industry says. You may get longer, but if it won't run the current iOS, then replace it. A little money spent over a consistent period is better than a lot spent all at once with massive updates to software and systems. Staying current and up-to-date, at the end of the day, is the cost-effective solution to level the technology costs.

Big Changes to Cox Email and Others For many of the reasons stated in our article above about business email, ISPs like Cox are pulling back their offerings. As of August 2019 you are no longer permitted to add additional email accounts. We have also learned that Cox is limiting new customer's emails to one. https://www.cox.com/residential/support/cox-email.html And Cox is not the only internet provider to start pulling back on email. Now is the time to think about moving your primary email address to a different service. We have found iCloud and Gmail to be two attractive options. Remember that moving to a new primary email means changing all logins that use the old @cox.net email address.

December 2019 - Monthly Mini-Bytes

The 16-Inch MacBook Pro: Why it's the Best Value Last month Apple announced it's much improved 16-inch MacBook Pro. It is a major improvement over the previous generation 13 and 15-inch MacBook Pros. The keyboard has been fixed and the problematic butterfly design replaced by a scissor-style mechanism that has many of us sighing in relief. The butterfly keyboard of the old MacBooks (13 Pro. 15 Pro, and Air) has been a controversial design with problems of sticky keys and an unusual feel. In fact, Apple has an open Keyboard Service Program for these laptops, meaning you can purchase a new 13-inch MacBook Pro or a MacBook Air with a soft recall right out of the box. You can learn more about this program here: https://support.apple.com/keyboard-service-program-for-mac-notebooks That's not fun, but Apple is set to refresh the 13-inch MacBook Pro in such a way as the 16-inch version, bumping it up to 14 inches and blessing it with the new and improved keyboard. This means that if you want a smaller form factor, it may be prudent to wait until the smaller 14-inch MacBook Pro is announced. We would. The second thing that makes the 16-inch MacBook Pro so good is the fact that Apple has enough real estate in the new laptop to provide adequate cooling so the processors can run at their proper output, without being throttled. This is a big deal as if you purchase an 8-Core i9 processor, you want it to run like an 8-Core i9 processor. The last thing is cost. Yes, talking about a $2,400 computer as a "good deal" is a first world issue, but hear me out. The entry 16-Inch MacBook Pro at $2,400 can be less expensive than a 13-inch that has been "beefed-up." And at that price you get a 6-Core processor, 16 GB of RAM, a 512 GB Solid State Drive, and a real AMD Radeon Pro video card. So what are we saying? If you need a new MacBook Pro right now, consider the 16-inch model. If it's just too big, then wait if you can for the refreshed 14-inch that will be hot on its heels. As for the Air, it will probably get its day with the new keyboard hopefully just as soon.

The AirPod Apocalypse This Holiday Season it's going to be easier to get an officially licensed Baby Yoda plushie than Apple's AirPods, apparently. According to multiple news outlets Apple has sold out of AirPods at it's retail stores, but if you do an internet search other outlets may have them available. Yet, whether they ship over the next week it is hard to say. Still, if you are looking at picking up the regular AirPods or AirPods Pro, you may want to get shopping! For more info, check out this CNBC article: https://www.cnbc.com/2019/12/17/apples-airpods-pro-are-sold-out-online-ahead-of-the-holidays.html

Secure Your Mac Before Your Next Party This time of year it's so great to have friends and family come by your home to celebrate the season. But celebrating doesn't mean opening up your Mac to nosy neighbors, know-it-all relatives, or grandkids that will load up the computer with more malware than a library PC. Make sure before your next party or get-together that you take a couple of steps to make sure your Mac is all cozied up and secure: Log Out or Shut Down - Logging out of your account by going up to the Apple in the upper left and choosing "Log Out..." is a good way to lock down your Mac. In order to get back in you'll have to enter your computer password, but that's what's keeping it safe. Shutting it down works, too. It's your choice. iMac or Mini - Hide the Keyboard and Mouse. This is an easy one. With no input there will be no access. MacBook Pro, Air, or just MacBook - Lock your computer in a drawer or put is somewhere secure.

November 2019 - Monthly Mini-Bytes

macOS 10.15 Catalina and You macOS Catalina has been patched a few times, but we are still recommending holding off. Catalina is a major change to the Mac operating system as it is now focused on 64-bit programs, meaning your older apps will no longer work. If you have been seeing those "your app needs to be optimized" messages, then those are the ones that will not function in the new system. Take close inventory of your software before upgrading. We have been on Catalina for a while now, and there is a lot to like about the new system, especially under the hood. The ".1" release fixed a lot of issues, but if you haven't upgraded yet, then waiting for the next ".2" patch may be the way to go. To learn all about the new features of macOS Catalina visit: https://www.apple.com/macos/catalina/

The 16-inch MacBook Pro is here! 16 is the new 15! Apple released an all new 16-inch MacBook Pro with an improved keyboard and cooling capability, all in a package that is about the size of the old 15-inch model. The design foreshadows the upcoming refresh of the 13-inch MacBook Pros to, you guessed it, 14 inches. To learn more about the new MacBook Pro, visit: https://www.apple.com/macbook-pro-16/

New AirPods Pro The big news about the AirPods Pro is noise cancelling! If you liked your old AirPods, the new model also has a new fit that is supposedly much more secure. To learn more, visit: https://www.apple.com/shop/product/MWP22/airpods-pro

October 2019 - Monthly Mini-Bytes

macOS 10.15 Catalina - Should you update? macOS Catalina has been released so should you upgrade? No. Not right now. We'd recommend waiting. This is a major release of the Mac operating system and is compatible with machines from 2012 forward. But, it is a new release and our normal recommendation is to wait a few weeks until upgrading. Once a new system is out in the wild issues will crop up and waiting gives Apple time to patch up any bugs that appear. Also, Catalina does not support many older applications. If you have been getting by with an ancient version of Office or Creative Suite, it is almost assured that they will not work in the new system. Be very careful about your critical applications and their compatibility with macOS Catalina. You don't want to be stuck outputting hundreds or thousands of dollars on unplanned upgrades. The good news is that our initial impressions of Catalina are excellent. From what we have seen, there is a noticeable speed improvement over Mojave. But our advice to wait and check your applications still stands. It's better to be stable and working than cutting edge. To learn all about the new features of macOS Catalina visit: https://www.apple.com/macos/catalina/

Your iPhone Decision Matrix The new iPhones are out, so the big question is which one to get? First off, as we have always suggested when purchasing a mobile device get the latest-and-greatest... period. With that being said Apple has introduced three versions of its flagship iPhone 11. To make this easy, if you want the biggest screen, then the iPhone 11 Pro Max is the way to go. It is the biggest. But for most the smaller screen sizes work fine, which means it's a choice between the iPhone 11 or 11 Pro. The good news is that it comes down to photography. If you are really in to photography then the three camera system on the iPhone 11 Pro with its software enhancements make it the iPhone for photographers and videographers. For the rest of us, the iPhone 11 is a great deal. It has the same processor and internal bits of the Pros, but comes in at a much more palatable price. So in summary: Need the biggest screen: iPhone 11 Pro Max Heavy in to photography and videos: iPhone 11 Pro Just need a really good phone: iPhone 11 To learn more about the iPhone line click here: https://www.apple.com/iphone/

Slow Mac with Old Hard Drive? If you have a Mac from 2015 or newer that has the old style SATA hard drive, you know how much they have slowed down in recent years. The only way to fix the issue is to get a new machine with a solid state drive, but there is an unsupported yet workable option that we have seen used out in the field. Macs give you the ability to run the system from external hard drives. This is not the best option, but it is possible to purchase an external solid state drive, migrate to it, and then run the Mac from it. Does it work? Sure. Is it the best idea in the world? Not really. It's a bit like towing a new engine behind your car and using that to drive. Hmmm.... bad analogy, but that's all I have. The thing is that in order to take advantage of the speed and efficiencies of new systems like macOS Catalina, you need the hardware to be able to handle them. A solid state drive is critical to this.

August 2019 - Monthly Mini-Bytes

Check Your Apple Subscriptions If you are wondering why you have a recurring charge from Apple for Ninja Barbie, then you may want to check your subscriptions. Apple makes it so easy to subscribe to all types of things, but many of us forget and it's helpful to know where to go to unsubscribe and save your pennies. To see the step-by-step instructions visit: https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT202039

Summer Brings Baked Apples Winter is coming, but not yet. It's still hot outside and your Apple products don't like the heat anymore than the rest of us. There are operating and non-operating standards for how much temperature your Mac or device can handle. Did you know that on a hot day in Phoenix, using the iPhone outside can exceed its specifications? You bet. To learn about the limits, check out these links to Apple: Macs: https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT201640 iPhones, iPads, etc.: https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT201678 Apple Watch: https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT204508

Apple: The more you spend the more you save? Yes. Money money money. Gather up the Benjamins and let's head to the Apple Store! Yeah, it may seem like that when getting ready to purchase a new Apple product. My last iPhone cost me close to $1500, which is a bit insane. Granted, it's a great phone -- a lot more than just a phone, incredibly reliable, and probably the best mostest fastest iPhone ever (plus), but that still is a lot of money. The time has come for many to update Macs, iPads, and iPhones. With macOS Catalina coming out next month, older Macs will feel slow, or not run the system altogether. The updates for the mobile devices will be the same story. So we thought it be best to give our points on how to get the "Best Bang for Your Buck" when purchasing from Apple. It's not an inverted yield curve, but the first thing to keep in mind is the more expensive Apple models tend to be a better value -- this is the "more you spend the more you save" but not really kinda point. Entry level Macs are built to a price and can even be just as slow as your older eight year old machine. Investing in more RAM and a Solid State Drive costs a lot more, but will give the computer longevity. Higher end processors (i9 vs basic i3) will be able to stretch their legs for years to come and make the machine more usable throughout its lifetime. For iPads and iPhones, the same is true. We always recommend purchasing the latest model that has the most up to date processor. Thankfully, Apple has models like the iPhone XR, which has all the same internals as the higher end phones, but at a more palatable price. Let's hope they keep doing things like this. And to go into the iPads: We normally suggest the iPad Pros due to their power, which of course helps with their longevity. Users tend to keep iPads for many years, so you want to get the top end so the device will stay viable. One well-purchased iPad Pro could keep you from buying two lesser models in the same lifecycle. I'm just sayin'... What about refurbished models, you ask? Run for the hills. Apple products hold their value. The amount you would save on a refurbished device may seem like a good deal, but at the end of the day you have just shelled out your hard earned-cash for the potential of owning someone else's problems. And you don't want that.

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