Monthly Mini-Bytes - August 2025

 

The Increasing Cost of Streaming Apple just raised the monthly price of its AppleTV+ streaming service by 30% from $9.99 to $12.99. Considering it launched at $4.99 back in 2019, this latest increase is a trend that we are seeing across many streaming services. The top Netflix plan is a whopping $24.99 a month before taxes. If you add up all the other streamers it's quite apparent that cord-cutting is becoming just as expensive as cable and satellite services. But there is no reason to pay for each and every streamer every single month. Here is a strategy that you can employ to save some money. Verify Your Subscriptions The first thing is to determine what services for which you have subscriptions. The easiest way to do this is on your iPhone by going to Settings -> [Your Name] ->Subscriptions. Here you can see any active subscription that you have under your AppleID. No, it won't show you Netflix or other services that don't fall under what you can link to your AppleID, but it will at least give you an idea on what you are paying for each and every month to Apple. Implement Periodization The easiest way to save money with cord-cutting is to only subscribe to the services that you are actually using at any given time. If a show comes out on Paramount+ that you like, subscribe to it and watch things from their catalog. After the run of the show, you can cancel your subscription. It's not a big deal as you can just sign up again at any time. I'm not a big fan of Disney+, but I wanted to see Season 2 of Andor. So, I subscribed, watched the run of the show, and then cancelled my subscription. And no, we didn't finish Season 3 of The Mandalorian. Take Advantage of Family Sharing If you have family sharing enabled, your family members can share any active streaming subscription under your AppleID. This is a great way to cancel duplicate accounts to save a little cash.

New iPhone 17 Will Be Here Soon!

It's that time of year again when Apple will refresh the iPhone X (again) with a new chip, even bigger cameras, and new colors that you can obscure with the obligatory case. Yes, I am a little pessimistic. I, along with many in the tech universe, have been disappointed with Apple's lack of innovation over the past several years, and the current leaks about the updated iPhones don't sound all that exciting. Still, from a privacy, security, and usability perspective the iPhone has no equal. And although my eyes may wander to the Galaxy Fold and new Google Pixel, I know that I need something secure and reliable, and that is something that Apple does far better than anyone else. With the iPhone, security is simple to manage, it works across all my devices, and it is protected by Apple's stringent practices in accepting apps that can run on the platform. And if it is time for you to get a new iPhone, we recommend waiting until after the launch of the 17. It's not that you want to pay for the flagship model, but the current crop of phones will be discounted -- some heavily.  Which one to get? Well, we will wait and see. Stay tuned and we promise to cover the phones in an upcoming newsletter.

PayPal Scams Aplenty

Not a day has gone by over the past month where I haven't received one of those PayPal scam emails that claim I just bought an iPhone, a boat, a car, or three Bitcoin. They are annoying and not even convincing in the way that they are laid out, but do bring up something that we all need to be aware of -- old PayPal accounts. Just about all of us have had at least one or more PayPal accounts over the years, and with the rise of Venmo maybe you set up a new account and abandoned an old one. Well, these old PayPal accounts are a vulnerability. They contain financial information that you don't want to fall into the wrong hands. If you have an old PayPal account that you no longer need, then here is what to do: Log into the account -- recover or reset the password if needed Reset the password... if you didn't already do it along with Step 1 Remove any saved Credit Cards or Bank Accounts Delete the Account Remember that you may have set up accounts under old emails -- even ones that you no longer use. So, a little detective work may be needed. Still, it is time well spent to secure your information.

The Micro-Byte - August 2025

 

Passkeys: Are They Worth Using?

In the world of usernames, passwords, multi-factor authentication, biometrics, and all the rest that makes up the bitter stew of account logins comes the new kid on the block: Passkeys. Passkeys have been sold as the solution to the complexities of usernames and passwords, but I am here to tell you right now that they do none of that, but only add to the confusion and mess of it all. What are Passkeys? In the olden days, or before Passkeys... or right now, actually... websites, apps, and the like required a username and password combination for access. This combo was kept at the company that runs the website/app, and if and when their database was breached, both were stolen. The hackers then had full access to those accounts, since they had the two pieces to get in. With Passkeys there is a Public Key and a Private Key. The Public Key is held at the website/app and the Private Key is held by you. The Private Key is secured by biometrics (FaceID or TouchID) or your device/computer password. It is incredibly complex and near impossible to recreate. The Public Key has no information in it that could be used to re-create your Private Key. This means that if the Public Key is hacked, it's worthless. But Passwords are Still Here It sounds good, secure, and a whole lot easier than passwords, and in a world where Passkeys replaced passwords, that would be true, but they do not. You still need a username/password to create any account, and this combo is just as vulnerable as before. Passkeys do not resolve you of good password management. They are just another way to log in, and this adds complexity, which is always bad. Plus, many Passkeys still require you to go through multi-factor authentication. Should You Use Passkeys? Since Passkeys do not replace the old username/password combo, it just adds something else for you to manage. We have also seen where a broken Passkey can lock a user out of an account, even though they still have the old password way of logging in. Implementation has been poor. If you want to play around with Passkeys, use them in non-critical accounts and create the key in the Apple Passwords app. At the end of the day, Passkeys do more to protect the tech companies than they do to add much for the consumer at this point. If they are able to deploy Passkeys in the future to replace usernames and passwords, then they would be worth it. But right now it is all just additional noise in the increasingly cluttered world of technology.

Monthly Mini-Bytes - July 2025

 

How Powerful of a Computer Do You Need? If you are brave enough to walk un-escorted into an Apple Store these days, one thing that you will quickly realize is that Macs are very expensive. Sure, you can pick up a base Mac mini for around $600 and a MacBook Air for around $1K, but with iMacs, Studios, and some Mac Pros that can top out at over $12,000, it's so easy to overspend. Well, the dirty little secret is that Apple made their Silicon chips so powerful that even that lowly $600 Mac mini can do things a $5000 top-of-the-line Intel-powered iMac Pro could only dream of just a few years ago. And for the typical home or small business user, the base Macs are sometimes all that you need. If you are looking at video editing, 3D modeling, AI generative tasking, or transdimensional multiplicative divergence, then you do need to look at the higher end Macs. But if all that you do is email, photos, surfing the internet, Word, Excel, Quickbooks Online, and those types of things, then save yourself some money. The base M4 Macs with 16GB of RAM (Unified Memory) will serve the majority of Mac users very well, and be able to do so for years to come. The only thing to be wary of is storage. The base Macs only come with a scant 256GB of storage. Make sure you have enough space to fit in all of your data. These days we usually recommend 1TB of storage, although light users can be fine with 512GB. If you do opt for the Mac mini, you don't necessarily need to purchase the $1500 Apple Display. A basic 4K monitor can be had for around $300. Offerings from LG, Samsung, and Dell won't have the high end features, but can work depending on your needs. Bottom line is that you don't need to pay the Apple Tax to get into a new Mac and enjoy the power of the M-Series chips.

My iPhone is Too Big!

Yes, big phones are here and they are getting bigger. Why? Don't know, and as an aficionado of diminutive design, I too am frustrated by the increasing girth of the iPhones. The 17 line up is supposed to grow in size and the iPhone mini is long gone, unfortunately. And it's not just Apple -- from Samsung to Google, phones are increasing in size with every generation. So what can you do to try and live with these larger phones? Consider the Case Cases add thickness, weight, and bulk to already large phones. Think about what you need for protection. A thinner case can be an option, and there is always the choice to go caseless. This is of course risky if you are not careful, but I have gone without a case with my iPhone 15 Pro for almost two years. And yes, I do have AppleCare+. Leverage Your Apple Watch If you have an Apple Watch it can allow you to forgo keeping the phone close at hand. Battery life isn't the best and trying to answer a call on your watch in the middle of Whole Foods can be awkward. Still, the Apple Watch was designed so that you could leave your bulky phone behind, or in your purse, or backpack. Wait for the iPhone Foldable? Tim Cook's Apple loves to show up late to the party, and it seems that finally they will be developing a foldable iPhone. This will allow your big iPhone to fold in half. If you look at the Samsung Z-Flip, it's the best of both worlds -- a full-sized phone that folds into a pocketable size.

Reminder: Apple Has a Password App

With the likes of CNN, the Wall Street Journal, the AZ Republic, and Extreme Fishing Weekly pumping out articles that amount to ads for third-party password managers, just remember that Apple has one built into it's iCloud ecosystem. The Passwords app exists on your iPhone, iPad, and Mac. It allows you to save passwords and use them seamlessly across devices. You can share passwords, create password groups, and even get the app to create unique passwords for each and every login. It is extremely good and doesn't cost any money, since you already have it. To learn more about Passwords visit: https://support.apple.com/en-us/120758

The Micro-Byte: July 2025

 

macOS 26 Tahoe: Can Your Mac Run It?

macOS 26 Tahoe is on the horizon and as expected a whole host of old Intel machines will not support the new operating system. Anything newer than 2020 should run it without issue, but it's important to know that only two 2019 models will be able to handle Tahoe: the 2019 16-Inch MacBook Pro and the 2019 Mac Pro Desktop, also known as the cheese grater.  Apple is being very aggressive about pushing off the old Intel machines. At this rate with macOS 27 we wouldn't be surprised if only Apple Silicon Macs will be supported. Here is the official list of Macs that will support macOS 26 Tahoe: MacBook Air with Apple silicon (2020 and later) MacBook Pro with Apple silicon (2020 and later) MacBook Pro (16‑inch, 2019) MacBook Pro (13‑inch, 2020, Four Thunderbolt 3 ports) iMac (2020 and later) Mac mini (2020 and later) Mac Studio (2022 and later) Mac Pro (2019 and later) To learn more about macOS Tahoe visit Apple here: https://www.apple.com/os/macos/

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