appleJAC Users Group

OWC Envoy Pro SX: Rugged T3 Power

a review by Tom Piper

Solid state drives (SSDs) have made huge advancements in SSD and Thunderbolt technology over the past 40 years which have produced devices of super-fast speed, small size and very sturdy construction.

OWC Envoy Pro SX is a USB4 and Thunderbolt 3-certified bus-powered small, storage solution. It has incredible speed up to 2847MB/s real-world performance. At 0.6” x 2.8” x 4.5” and 10.4 ounces in size, with a detachable 27” Thunderbolt 3 cable, this unit runs cool and soundless enclosed in a black aluminum case (IP67 rated) that provides great data protection. It is so rugged that my data is protected by military-level drop toughness, plus being dust and water-proof.

As OWC states online, this new unit is: “Super-fast. Super-versatile. Super-portable. And rugged enough to endure the most perilous work and play settings.” This SSD handles all data storage and backup challenges with the following benefits:

• Advanced OWC Aura Pro SSD storage technology with TRIM support works with Thunderbolt 3
• Perfect for audio, video, photography, graphics, gaming, and general data storage and backup uses
• Bus-powered and smaller than most compact smartphones
• Fan-less, heat-dissipating aluminum housing 
• Compatible with macOS and Windows built-in encryption
• LED for at-a-glance confirmation of power and activity status
• 3-Year OWC Limited Warranty

I can now use my 240 gigabyte Envoy Pro SX as a super-fast data-transfer drive for my 16” MacBook Pro, plus a convenient volume for more storage, movies and a variety of other handy uses. I also use it with my 12.9” iPad Pro, and 15” Asus Chromebook. Most importantly, data transfer runs faster than any other storage device that I use.

In real life use, a 5.52 GB folder of 16,369 files copied over in less than 3 minutes! Single files transfer even faster, such as a 1.31 GB movie that copied from my computer in only 4 seconds!!!

Obviously, this device is meant to be used for situations where spinning hard drives would be slow and cumbersome. Whether its large video files being transferred in extreme conditions, music productions being frequently edited, frequent relay of data from one technology to another, or cloning backups for Apple’s latest M1 computers, the Envoy Pro SX is the best choice for raw speed, functionality, convenient-size and durability. This is an incredible tool to support my technology needs.

To learn more about this enclosure, go to https://www.owcdigital.com/products/envoy-pro-sx where it can be purchased for $179 - $479 (240GB - 2.0TB) with a 3-Year OWC Limited Warranty. This is a wonderful solution for storing and transmitting our precious data, video and power from a company with a long and dependable history of quality and effective digital products.

 

Meeting Agenda-September 2021

August 2021 -- Mac Backup and Storage

George Kopp and Jason Piper's meeting presentation:

Download IOS and Mac Backup

 

Meeting Agenda - August, 2021

Meeting Agenda-July 2021

May 2021 appleJAC meeting information

As announced at the May 4 member meeting, this year's Annual appleJAC Picnic will be held "in-person" on June 1, 2021, at 6:00 pm. The location of the picnic will be at the Cole County Park Pavilion, 4301 County Park Rd, behind the Cole County fairgrounds in Jefferson City.

To celebrate our return to in-person meetings, the appleJAC Board of Directors has decided that appleJAC will pay for a catered meal from Lutz Famous BBQ for each attending member.

Each meal will consist of a Sandwich or Salad. Water and cookies for desert will be provided, but feel free to also bring your favorite beverage.

Guests will be charged $12.50 for their meal, and members will be responsible for this fee the night of the picnic. 

Please complete the appropriate Registration Forms before May 15 in order to ensure your orders and attendance. For each member, click the link below, then enter a separate form for guest choices for their meal:

https://forms.gle/maCcGg1aES8dUw5h8

To download Apple Announcements from Jason Piper, click on this link: appleJAC-2021-05-announcements.TAnd, to download the slideshows on "The Future of the Mac" from Jason and George Kopp, click on these links: App Compatibility and Apple M1.

To view the video from tonight's meeting, click on this link: https://youtu.be/sOYGxAW0jpc.

 

OWC Envoy Pro Elektron: Stunning Pocket Power

a review by Tom Piper

Over 40 years ago, solid state drives (SSDs) were implemented in semiconductor memory for early supercomputers. Since then, there have been huge advancements in SSD and Thunderbolt technology which have produced devices of incredible speed, size and sturdiness.

OWC Envoy Pro Elektron is a universal Thunderbolt3-certified bus-powered tiny-sized storage solution. Powered by a OWC Aura SSD advanced storage technology, it has incredible speed up to 1011MB/s real-world performance. At 0.5” x 2” x 3” and 3 ounces in size, with a detachable 27” Thunderbolt 3 cable (plus USB 3.2 Type-A adapter), this unit runs cool and quiet enclosed in a silver aluminum case (IP67 rated) that provides great data protection. It is so rugged that my data is protected by military-level drop toughness, plus being dust and water-proof.

As their website says, since the earliest days of mobile computing, there’s been a frequent user desire: “make it smaller, faster, lighter, and rugged.” This unit does all of this and handles my audio, video, photo, graphics, and gaming tasks in an incredibly small package. Because it is universally compatible, it can access and save files from my older machines, backup personal and business files, and do large format video editing. This powerful drive is built to deliver.

I can now use my one terabyte Envoy Pro Elektron as a super-fast boot and backup drive for my MacBook Air, plus a convenient volume for more storage, movies and a variety of other handy uses. I now use it with all 5 of my Macs, 4 iPad Pros, and a Chromebook. Most importantly, when plugged into my 16” MacBook Pro, data transfer runs faster than any other storage device that I use.

Since the earliest days of mobile computing, there’s been a common user desire mantra: “make it smaller, faster, lighter, and rugged.” Pocket-sized tiny and crushproof, the Envoy Pro Elektron puts massive-sized personal and work files in the palm of my hand while pushing USB-C’s bandwidth to the max (while still backwards compatible with USB-A connections) so I can edit and save wherever, whenever with virtually any of my devices.

In real-world terms, this unit already stores over 700 of my movies, but it could otherwise hold 200,000 photos, or 50,000 songs, or 4.3 million Pages documents, just to name a few examples of its capacity. And transfer speeds are done in minutes, not hours!

Obviously, this device is meant to be used for situations where spinning hard drives would quickly fail. Whether its large video files being transferred in extreme conditions, music productions being frequently edited, frequent relay of data from one technology to another, or cloning backups for Apple’s latest M1 computers, the Envoy Pro Elektron is the best choice for raw speed, functionality, compact-size and durability. This is a marvelous tool to support my technology needs.

To learn more about this enclosure, go to https://eshop.macsales.com/shop/owc-envoy-pro-elektron where it can be purchased for $99 - $369 (240GB - 2.0TB) with a 3-Year OWC Limited Warranty. This is a powerful solution for storing and transmitting our precious data, video and power from a company with a history of quality and effective digital products.

 

Agenda--May 2021

Mac Security

A wonderful blog post that many Apple users will positively love about Mac Security:

https://www.safetydetectives.com/blog/keep-mac-computer-secure/

 

Suggested by Benjamin Brown <BenjaminBrown@onlinefreedomsafety.com>

 

 

April 2021 appleJAC Meeting Information

In order to view George Kopp's presentation, click on: Apple Homekit 2021.

To watch the 67-minute video of this meeting, click on: https://youtu.be/F-x1n4Pslh0.

 

Agenda--April 2021

OWC Envoy Pro FX: Incredible Speed & Versatility

a review by Tom Piper

Over 40 years ago, as an alternative to tape and spinning hard drives, solid state drives (SSDs) were implemented in semiconductor memory for early supercomputers, until an alterable ROM (EAROM) was produced, which operated somewhat like the later NAND flash memory. Now, there have been incredible advancements in SSD and Thunderbolt technology which have produced devices of incredible speed, capacity and durability.

OWC Envoy Pro FX is a universal Thunderbolt-certified bus-powered small-sized storage solution. Powered by a OWC Aura SSD advanced storage technology with TRIM support, it has extreme speed up to 2800mb/s. At 0.8” x 2.6” x 4.3” and 8.3 ounces in size, with a detachable 27” Thunderbolt 3 cable (plus USB 3.2 Type-A adapter), this unit runs cool and quiet enclosed in a charcoal grey aluminum case (IP67 rated) with deep-grooved fins for a highly effective heat sink that provides great data protection. It is so rugged that my data is protected by MIL-STD810G certified military-level drop toughness, plus being dust and water-proof.

As their website says, this unit provides maximum performance from any interface to which I connect, meaning that I can copy a 1.02GB, 2-hour movie, in less than 2 seconds! The Envoy Pro FX can handle all of my audio, video, photo, graphics, and gaming tasks. It can access and save files from an older machine, backup personal files, or do some in-field large format video editing, this powerful drive is built to deliver.

I can now use my Envoy Pro FX as a fast boot backup drive for my M1 Mac mini, plus a convenient volume for more storage, movies and a variety of other handy uses. It can be used with my past (up to 11 years ago), present and future Macs, iPad Pros, and Chromebooks (plus Windows, Linux PCs, and Surface devices my friends have). Most importantly, when plugged into my 16” MacBook Pro, data transfer runs over 300% faster than USB 3.0 drives and over 50% faster than other Thunderbolt 3 units. 

Obviously, this device is meant to be used for situations where spinning hard drives would quickly fail. Whether its large video files being transferred in extreme conditions, music productions being frequently edited, frequent relay of data from one technology to another, or cloning backups for Apple’s latest M1x computers, the Envoy Pro FX is the best choice for raw speed, functionality and durabliity. This is a wonderful tool to support my technology needs.

To learn more about this enclosure, go to macsales.com/owc-envoy-pro-fx where it can be purchased for $199 - $499 (240GB - 2.0TB) with a 3-Year OWC Limited Warranty. This is a powerful solution for storing and transmitting our precious data, video and power from a company with a history of quality and effective digital products.

 

appleJAC 03/02/21 meeting info

The March 2, 2021, 7:00pm CT, monthly meeting of appleJAC User Group about Siri Shortcuts had 16 people in attendance. The 95-minute video of this meeting can be viewed by clicking on https://youtu.be/1bEKPHXpYLg.

PDF slideshow of this meeting, including Youtube links: aJ Shortcuts pres.

Agenda-March 2021

Dan's Tutorials for FREE

from Tom Piper, appleJAC President

Dan's Tutorials Apple Training video sessions are now offered for FREE to Apple user group members until the end of October, 2021. In order to access a video, just click on one of the links below (the contents are described at the end of each link).

• https://www.danstutorials.com/learn-how-to-send-a-group-email-on-the-iphone/
• https://www.danstutorials.com/learn-how-to-translate-a-website-from-one-language-to-another-in-safari-on-the-mac/
• https://www.danstutorials.com/learn-how-to-reply-to-messages-within-a-group-message-on-the-iphone/
• https://www.danstutorials.com/learn-how-to-set-what-happens-when-you-tap-the-back-of-the-iphone-twice-or-three-times-2/
• https://www.danstutorials.com/learn-how-to-go-back-through-an-apps-history-stack-on-the-iphone-2/
• https://www.danstutorials.com/learn-how-the-fundamentals-of-the-mac-have-not-changed-with-macos-big-sur-2/
• https://www.danstutorials.com/learn-how-to-save-an-entire-webpage-as-a-pdf-in-safari-on-the-iphone-2/
• https://www.danstutorials.com/learn-how-to-easily-easily-navigate-between-your-different-home-screens-on-the-iphone-2/
• https://www.danstutorials.com/hpxxxxx-framework-will-damage-your-computer-message-in-macos-mojave-or-catalina/
• https://www.danstutorials.com/learn-how-to-close-all-your-open-tabs-in-safari-on-the-iphone-2/
• https://www.danstutorials.com/learn-how-to-send-a-group-email-on-the-iphone/
• https://www.danstutorials.com/learn-how-to-translate-a-website-from-one-language-to-another-in-safari-on-the-mac/
• Learn how to view the size of your folders within a Finder window on the Mac
• Register for my AMA Webinar being held on Thursday, March 25 at 3pm EST.
• Learn how to favorite your mailboxes for quick access within the Mail app on the Mac
• Stop Apple Watch Timer Alerts with a Press of the Digital Crown
• The Future of Apple Retail
• It’s Time to Consider Upgrading to macOS 11 Big Sur
• Learn a few tips on troubleshooting your bluetooth connects on your Mac.
• Origin of macOS Poof Animation

A screenshot of the lessons above is provided below for a visual reference (don't click on them, the are not active links) . . . 

appleJAC 02/02/21 meeting information

The February 2, 2021, 7:00pm CT, monthly meeting of appleJAC User Group about Dan's Tutorials had 24 people in attendance. The 84-minute video of this meeting can be viewed by clicking on https://youtu.be/kmJh1vR_KoQ.

C/NET's top products from CES: https://www.cnet.com/pictures/the-hottest-products-we-saw-at-ces-2021/11/.

 

Meeting Agenda-February 2021

C/NET's top products from CES: https://www.cnet.com/pictures/the-hottest-products-we-saw-at-ces-2021/11/

appleJAC 01-05-21 meeting iCloud Services

 

The January 5, 2021, monthly meeting of appleJAC User Group about iCloud Services had 31 people in attendance. The 84-minute video of this meeting can be viewed by clicking on: https://youtu.be/_Ypx64VyQPU.

KeyNote slideshows by Jason Piper about Apple announcements and iCloud Drive can be seen by clicking on: AppleJAC-2021-01-announcements and 2021-01-iCloudDrive.

 

Meeting Agenda-January 2021

appleJAC 12-01-20 Annual Meeting information

This was the December 1, 2020, the Annual Business Meeting (and more), including questions and answers with annual reports the election of the following officers for 2021:

• President:    Tom Piper
• Vice-Pres:    George Kopp
• Secretary:   Julie Smith
• Treasurer:   Joe Mertzlufft
• Webmaster: Greg Breuer
• Members-at-Large: Alice Kopp, Mark Snell, Jason Piper, Ann Lane, Peggy Landwehr

A copy of the minutes of the annual meeting may be viewed by clicking on: AppleJAC User Group Annual Business Meeting Minutes.

In addition to sharing 2020 memories and Christmas gift wishes, we also discussed ideas for topics and classes for next year such as shortcuts, voice control and HomeKit.

The 84-minute video of this meeting's proceedings can be viewed by clicking on: https://youtu.be/N01ucxlxfcw.

The President's slideshow of the past year's proceedings can be viewed at: 2020 aJ Year in Review.

The Apple Announcements slideshow prepared by Jason Piper and presented by George Kopp can be viewed at: Apple Announcements.