Monthly Mini-Bytes - June 2025

 

I Was Hacked! Well, not really, but it was the most convincing piece of phishing that I had ever run it to. Usually, I just review the contents of my Junk folder to update myself on the latest techniques all the scumbags use to try to separate me from my data, credentials, and ultimately my money. Lo and behold I received an email to myself from myself. And what was more interesting is that it came from my iCloud account. Apple forces us all to lock down our iCloud accounts tighter than Fort Knox, so this was interesting. The email went on with the usual threats if I didn't pay $1783.29 in bitcoin to some obscure wallet. I of course checked my sent folder and there was no copy of this email, so it was unlikely sent from my account. Then I looked over the message headers and found that the originating email was from a Russian domain. Yes, it was just spoofing, but it was a decent attempt, and if I weren't adept at this garbage, then I probably would have freaked out. But the good news is that it's easy to spot these sorts of things. Here is how to do it. Is it in Junk? In the case of the email mentioned above, my Junk folder caught it, so it was appropriately categorized. This should be clue number one if you get one of these... and you will. Check Your Sent Messages If the supposed message looks to be from you, check your sent messages. If you don't see it in there, then that is a good sign. If you do, then your email account is compromised and you need to change your password and take the other necessary steps to secure it. View Message Headers When an email moves through the internet it is stamped with all types of information. You can view this info in Apple Mail on the Mac by choosing the message, then go up to the View drop-down and select Message -> All Headers. It may look like the stuff from Algebra 3, but here you can see where the message originated from, if it was tagged as suspicious, and all types of detail about how it made its way to your inbox. The bottom line is if you get one of these spoofing emails, do not panic and start by following the steps above. Most of the time it is simple phishing, but if the bad guys did get into your email, at least you followed the process to confirm that fact and locked it down.

Be Wary of Bogus Results with Amazon Searches

No one can argue that Amazon has revolutionized home delivery. And despite repeatedly crashing in to our neighborhood's entry gate, their drivers can deliver anything from printers, to inks, to adapters, and other accessories in sometimes just a few hours. But be very careful of the search field. It could leave you with cheap products that could damage your printer, computer, or iPhone. Even if you type in an Amazon search field the exact item or part number, oftentimes you will get a different part, or a knock-off that probably doesn't even work. If you click Buy Now without doing a bit of research you may be just wasting your money and your time. So what to do? Go to the manufacturer's website first and find what you need. If you would like to see if Amazon could offer a better price or faster shipping make sure the search result matches what you see on the manufacturer's website. It's the best insurance to avoid bogus copies or something that may hurt your devices.

Issues with iCloud Private Relay

Apple's iCloud Private Relay is a great VPN-like option that you can use to boost your privacy when going online. But lately we have noticed some laggy speeds when using the service. It pushes data through a server at Apple, and if it gets overloaded or just tired cuz it's been busy, then things could get a little pokey. The good news is that it's easy to toggle on or off for 24 hours or permanently if you would like. On the Mac go to System Settings -> [Your Name] -> iCloud -> Private Relay. On your iPad or iPhone got to Settings -> [Your Name] -> iCloud -> Private Relay.

The Micro-Byte - June 2025

 

WWDC 2025: Should You Wait to Upgrade?

The 2025 Apple World Wide Developers Conference has come and gone. Every year there is a lot of anticipation about new products, enhancements, and upcoming hardware changes that have many of us waiting until the Fall to purchase new Macs or devices. Last year the headline was Apple Intelligence that has yet to be fully released, and in this year's conference they just hung a new "Coming Soon" sign on it, promising more to come later this year. Well, we have heard that before. So, what did they announce? There were a whole host of minor enhancements, tweaks, and the rename of all of their operating systems, but for the most part there was no ground-breaking app or that one new thing that would make us wait until the Fall to purchase a new device.  I don't think the lack of a big announcement is a bad thing for Apple. They need to finish Apple Intelligence and have it work as promised. In fact, with AI being the biggest thing across all tech in 2025 it should be their main focus. So, taking a year to just tweak and tinker with the base operating systems is probably a good move so they can concentrate on the big stuff and not get left behind. Bottom line: If you were waiting to get a new iPhone, iPad, or Mac in anticipation of a big reveal in the Fall, it looks like that isn't going to happen. According to what was presented at WWDC the full line of Apple products should meet the needs of most every user. If you want a brief rundown on what was announced from Liquid Glass to macOS Tahoe 26, MacRumors has an article by item breakdown: https://www.macrumors.com/2025/06/09/everything-apple-announced-wwdc-2025/

Monthly Mini-Bytes - May 2025

 

Do You Know Where Your Data Is? The Cloud. It's probably tech's biggest and best marketing gimmick. It soothes you with the assurance that your data is safe and stored away in some secure location just waiting for you to access it from any of your devices. But the truth is by being in the "Cloud" your stuff can be just about anywhere from a data center in Mesa to a converted cargo ship sailing in the Indian Ocean connected to the internet by dozens of Starlink modules. "The Cloud" gives tech companies a lot of wiggle room, and that's not good when you need to know where your data is and to keep control of it. So, just like anything it means more work for you to track where your data is, how to access it, and back it up so you don't lose it. The good news is that it's not that difficult, but takes effort. Here are a few tips to get you started: Take an Inventory of Your Accounts We all have at least one DropBox account, but know that if you have a Gmail address you also have Google Drive. If you use Office... or Microsoft 365, you may have files on OneDrive. How these files are kept depends on each setting at each service. The best thing is to login to each via your web browser and see what data is stored. Maybe you don't want it anymore. Or maybe you want to download it so that it gets backed up to Time Machine, which I hope you all are using. You may even want to delete or close those accounts. The most important thing here is to take an active inventory of what you have stored other places then your computer and figure out if you want to continue storing the data in the cloud, saving locally, or deleting. Check Out Your Email Accounts Email is no longer just email. It is contacts, calendars, and sometimes notes, too. You can be syncing contacts to an old work email, or your calendar to a Gmail you don't recall the password to. The process is the same as above: login to the accounts via your web browser and see what is up there. Then you can take action to export contacts, move calendars, or save notes offline. Don't Forget About Photos Apple Photos is the default for saving pictures, but you also may have content on Google Photos, DropBox, or even Adobe's cloud servers. Just open your web browser and login to see if there is any content up there. Downloading into your Apple Photos is a way to preserve them in your ecosystem. Once you have a handle on where your data lives and how to access it, creating a plan goes a long way to ensure that you don't fall into the void that is the "Cloud" and keep access to the stuff that is most important to you.

Apple Intelligence is Watching You

Apple Intelligence is still in beta, but do you know that it is still logging your activity even if you have it turned off? Yes, and it's not cool. If you use any of the tools, it may record confidential information and send it to Apple. It will, of course, be anonymized, but if you are not comfortable with this and you have Apple Intelligence turned off, here is how to disable the report.  This is only for Macs or iPads with an Apple Silicon chip or the iPhone 15 Pro or one of the 16s. Older stuff does not get access to Apple Intelligence, so no worries there. On your Mac go to System Settings -> Privacy & Security -> Apple Intelligence Report and turn it to Off. On the iPhone or iPad go to Settings -> Privacy & Security -> Apple Intelligence Report and turn it to Off.

Hide My Email

Have you ever ordered something online like a pair of socks only to have a bajillion marketing emails follow from various websites only a few days later? I know that I have, but Apple has a solution with Hide My Email. It is part of iCloud where you can create an email alias that links with your current iCloud email. This email allows you to keep your main address private, and can help with shutting out spam and unwanted noise. If you use Safari, you should see the option to create a Hide My Email when signing up for a new service or creating an account at a website.  To learn more about Hide My Email, visit: https://support.apple.com/en-us/105078

The Micro-Bytes - May 2025

 

Apple to Raise iPhone Prices

According to the Wall Street Journal, Tim Cook is considering making iPhones even more expensive. And this has little to do with the tariffs. Supposedly all the new features are raising manufacturing costs and it's time to pass those along to the Apple faithful. But isn't the iPhone expensive enough? An iPhone 16 Pro can easily reach $1500 with AppleCare+ and accessories. That is a lot of money when even comparing the costs to full-powered Mac computers that can be had for hundreds less. So what to do? The one silver lining is that Apple offers an array of different iPhones and every single one is powerful, capable, and can run all those apps that most of us use every day. They will work with iCloud. They will work with your email. They will support a calendar full of those Zoom meetings you love. Every iPhone is good, so there is no reason to spend huge stacks of cash on a phone with capabilities you don't need.  When it comes down to the differences between the iPhone 16e, for example, and the iPhone 16 Pro, the biggest difference is the camera. The cameras on the iPhone 16 Pro are excellent for the photography enthusiast, but the iPhone 16e is great, too. In fact if you look at a comparison of the camera output over the past several years you will be surprised on just how small the differences in quality are even from an iPhone 12 or earlier. Yes there will be feature differences like the Dynamic Island versus The Notch, or the camera button, and even the design of the case, but a cheaper iPhone is not a cheap iPhone.  Bottom line: Just get as much iPhone as you need. There is no reason to pay for more that you won't notice or won't use. It puts you back in control so you won't be forced by Apple to pony up all those extra dollars for the expensive-to-develop features that won't make a difference to your user experience. To read more about this, check out CNET: https://www.cnet.com/tech/mobile/tariffs-or-no-apple-may-raise-iphone-prices-this-year/

Monthly Mini-Bytes - April 2025

 

Regular, Pro, Max or Ultra? Which Chip is Right for You? So you decided on a new Mac, and if you have a machine that still has an Intel processor, then that is a good decision. But the array of choices out there is daunting. There's the M3 Ultra, M4 Pro, M4, M3, and every other variant in between. Choosing wrong can cost you money and productivity. The good news is that it's a lot easier than you think! Let's break it down... Typical Use If you use your Mac for basic functions like mail, surfing the internet, using Apple Photos, or even good old Word, Excel, and Powerpoint, then the standard M-series chip is more than enough to meet your needs. Whether you choose a Mac with a basic M3 or M4 processor it will be able to handle the daily grind of use for many years to come. More Demanding Apps If you use Adobe Photoshop or Lightroom then the Pro level chips would be the ones to consider. The M3 or M4 Pro can even handle video editing, but if you are looking at running intensive effects apps, then you may want to level up. If you are using Final Cut Pro, then this is the minimum processor. Video Editing and Graphic Design The Max series is the workhorse of the Apple chips. It is the one to get if you do intensive video editing with apps like Premier Pro and After Effects. It's also the one we recommend for design in Adobe Illustrator, AutoCAD, or SketchUp. 3D Modeling, Game Design, AI Generative Processes The M-Series Ultra chips are two Max chips fused together. They are immensely powerful and can handle demanding 3D Modeling, AI Generative Work, 3D Graphics, and just about anything that runs on a Mac today. They are expensive, but if your workflow demands an Ultra then it's always best to have the right tool for the job. No matter what M-Series you choose, they all are much more powerful and capable than the Intel Macs of just a few years ago.

iPhone Battery Replacement: Is it Worth It?

Let's just all agree that the iPhone has been stuck in a rut. It hasn't changed very much since the iPhone X, and if you have a 12 or a 13 you may be wondering if it would be worth it to replace your weak battery, or just jump in on a new iPhone. Both Wendy and I have had batteries replaced by Apple with our older phones, and it was a flawless and relatively inexpensive experience. It generally costs less than $100 and sets the phone up for several more years of use.  We only recommend getting your iPhone battery replaced with Apple. To learn about the process and to figure our what it would cost, visit: https://support.apple.com/iphone/repair/battery-replacement

The Heat is Coming! Protect Your iPhone

With Spring in full swing, the temperatures are climbing, and keeping your iPhone from overheating should be on your mind. Did you know that the iPhone is only rated to 95 degrees? That's it, and that's the low temperature for us in Phoenix in the summer... at least it seems that way. Check out this FAQ from Apple about what to do if your iPhone gets too hot: https://support.apple.com/en-us/118431

The Micro-Byte - April 2025

 

A.I. Voice Spoofing is Here

As if we didn't have enough to worry about with all the SPAM, phishing, spoofing, stuffing, cracking, hacking, and all the rest of the nefarious techniques that the bad guys have dreamed up to steal our money, identity, and sanity. Now we have to worry about A.I. Voice Spoofing. This new technique is especially scary as it only takes a short voice sample to build a model. With A.I. Voice Spoofing, the scammers build a model that sounds just like the voice of your son, daughter, aunt, uncle, boss, or co-worker. This A.I. bot calls you in a panic asking most often for money or a version of help that will send you down a rabbit hole that will compromise your data and security. The voice can interact with you just like a real person. It is a massive concern right now, but just like with the scams over text and email, there are ways you can protect yourself. Call the Person Back When you get a call from one of these A.I. Bots, they will try to scare you to react. The easiest thing to do is call the person back on their personal number. This is a number that you know and have used before for this individual. Do not call back the number this bot gives you. It's the simplest way to verify that you are talking with the actual person. Ask a Personal Question We've all seen this one in the movies. Ask this bot a question only the other person would know the answer to. It's not 100% since the bot may have scraped some info from social media, but at least it is another way to confirm that you are speaking with a real person. Have a Code Word This is easiest for family, but have a code word that is used to authenticate who the person is. You can ask for the code word very quickly even in a panicked phone call to verify identity. Ask a Question You can also ask a question expecting a wrong answer, like, "Is Erica okay?" For the person on the other line, supposedly, they don't know an Erica, so if you get a "Yes" you know it's a faker. The good news in all of this is that these A.I. Voice Spoofers are new. Building the models takes some time, so right now targets are very specific and high profile. But over the next few years it will be easier to pull a scam like this together. Still, being aware right now, and developing a plan to handle them is a good idea for all of us.

Monthly Mini-Bytes - March 2025

 

The M4 Chips are Out! Do You Need to Upgrade? The new slate of Apple Silicon chips is super confusing. With an M1 iMac you may be thinking that with the M4s out you need a new machine since you're falling behind, but that is not the case. Maybe you spent a ton of money on an M1 Ultra Mac Studio and you are thinking an M4 Max may be better. The truth is not so simple, but let's see if we can make it so. All M-Series chips no matter what series or type are vastly superior to any of the old Intel machines. Even the humble M1 is immensely powerful and more than capable to handle what you initially purchased it to do. Any of them will handle Apple Intelligence if and when it is released. It can edit hi-res photos and even handle 8K video editing. So what about the Pro, Max, and Ultra variants? It's all about the cores. More processing cores mean a faster and more capable chip. The Max has more than the Pro, and the Ultra is basically two Max chips fused together. That means an M1 Ultra is faster and more capable than an M2 Max, and the new M4 Max is pokier than the M3 Ultra. Trying to explain this makes me sound like a crazy person. So how do we distill it down to something that is actionable and can save us all time and money. Well, look at it like this: If you have any M Series powered Mac computer there is no reason to upgrade unless you want a new machine, need more storage, physically broke the thing, or started using software that needs a bit more power. That being said, if you have an Intel-powered Mac you absolutely want to consider upgrading. Apple desperately wants to leave those machines in the rear view. The newer systems like macOS Sequoia are optimized for Apple Silicon. With the vast array of options, if you do think of replacing that old Intel, it's important to look at what you will need. There is no reason to overbuy since the new chips are so powerful, but storage and the proper number of "cores" in your use case are extremely important. And since everything is now integrated on the chip itself, don't forget the AppleCare+.

Apple Intelligence Delayed Until 2026

And with that, the never-ending beta will continue... Yes, you read that right. Apple has promised and missed a major benchmark with the release of Apple Intelligence. Siri's advanced contextual awareness that is the hallmark of Apple Intelligence is not ready and won't be ready until sometime in 2026. Sure, there are a bunch of AI-ish feature that are live (in beta) like rewrite and photo cleanup, but Advanced Siri is promised to be that all knowing AI assistant that the future, and Tim, promised. So, we are just going to have to wait and just be satisfied by creating our own emojis.  To learn more, visit: https://www.geeky-gadgets.com/what-went-wrong-with-apple-intelligence/

iCloud Private Relay

Trying to protect our privacy and data is probably the most important thing on the minds of many of us these days. It's particularly important when surfing the web. VPNs are a great solution, but Apple has built-in its own VPN-ish solution within iCloud called Private Relay. The feature effectively hides your location and browsing activity when using Safari. It does not work with Chrome or Firefox, so if you want to take advantage of this feature you will need to use Safari. To turn it on, go to System Settings -> [Your Name] Apple Account -> iCloud. Scroll to iCloud+ Features to find it and turn it on. To learn more about Private Relay visit: https://support.apple.com/en-us/102602