appleJAC Users Group

President's Corner-March 2019

President's News- March 2019

 

Get more out of Siri on all your Apple devices!

by Joe Kissell,Publisher, Take Control Books Dear MUG member,

In our customer survey last summer, when we asked which Apple software products people would most like to read about, Siri got the most votes. In keeping with our theme of giving you what you’ve asked for, I’m delighted to announce our latest book, Take Control of Siri by former Macworld editor Scholle McFarland! This book is the definitive guide to Apple’s voice-controlled digital assistant across all platforms—iOS, Mac, Apple Watch, Apple TV, and even HomePod. If you own any Apple device with Siri support, this book will tell you everything you need to know about being more productive, saving time and effort, and having fun with Siri. And you may be surprised at how powerful Siri has become since its early days!

 

This book is a terrific resource. I’ve been using Siri pretty much since day one—I even gave presentations on it at Macworld/iWorld back in 2012 and 2013—but I learned quite a bit I didn’t know from this book. (I also relearned some things I’d forgotten!) As a result, I’ve started using Siri in ways that have helped me reduce my overall stress level. So whether you’re an old hand at Siri like me, or someone who has never tried it, you’ll find loads of useful advice, tips, and tricks. Here’s just a tiny sampling of what’s in this 138-page book:

● The numerous ways to activate Siri (by touch or by voice) ● How to personalize Siri by telling it about yourself, your contacts, and more ● How to use Siri with AirPods, wired earbuds, or third-party headphones—or in your car ● How to ask Siri about sports, math and conversions, time, food, movies, people, stocks, the weather, jokes, and random facts (including follow-up questions) ● How to control music (on any device, with or without an Apple Music subscription) ● Techniques for using Siri to get directions, set reminders and appointments, send messages and email, and take notes ● Ways to use Siri to search for files on your Mac ● What Siri can and can't do for you on an Apple TV or HomePod ● How to make and use Siri Shortcuts on an iOS device or Apple Watch ● Everything you need to know about your privacy where Siri is involved

In addition, Scholle has made a series of videos to go with the book, showing you exactly what happens as you use Siri. (Two are ready right now, and eight more will be available in the coming days.) You’ll get to see and hear how to make the most of Siri (as well as its sense of humor). If you’d like to get to know Siri better, you can:

Buy the book now for $10.49 with the 30% MUG discount   Get more information about what’s in the book

As always, you can download a free sample of the book from our website.

One more thing. This week we also shipped a minor update to Glenn Fleishman’s popular book Take Control of Your Apple ID, which now goes into more detail about two-factor authentication and addresses issues faced by Apple developers with more Apple IDs than devices to set up authentication codes on. If you have any questions or confusion about how your Apple ID works or how to solve problems with it, I hope you’ll check out this updated book.

P.S. If you’d like to explore our catalog with dozens of titles that help you take control of technology, you can click one of the thumbnails below. (That’s also the easiest way to add multiple books to your shopping cart at once.)

CES 2019: appleJAC Presentations

by Tom Piper

On February 5, 2019, I provided a variety of information to attendees at our monthly appleJAC meeting as a followup to my January 7-12, 2019, trip to the Consumer Electronic Show (CES) in Las Vegas, NV. If you missed this gathering, or would like to see the videos captured of the meeting, just click on the following links:

• First half (before break): https://www.facebook.com/appleJAC.org/videos/351315942375633/
• Second half (after break): https://www.facebook.com/appleJAC.org/videos/2220203394919858/

All of the 331 pictures and 19 videos depicted during my slideshow presentation (before the break), can be viewed (with sound on the videos) by clicking on this link: https://www.icloud.com/sharedalbum/#B0aGIcgc2GIe2I3.

In addition, most of the gadgets brought back from CES were shown during the second half of the meeting, as well as predictions of what has yet to come. The PDF slideshow illustrating these items can be downloaded and viewed by clicking here: Gadgets to Show.

To learn about other perspectives and views of CES 2019 by various news sources, I also provided these links:

• macrumors.com/roundup/ces-2019
• cnet.com/pictures/all-the-cool-new-gadgets
• iphonelife.com/best-ces-2019-award-winners
• iphonelife.com/best-new-ios-gadgets-you-can-buy

If you liked what you saw here, consider attending CES 2020 in Las Vegas next January 7-10, 2020.

 

CES 2019: an Overview

posted by Tom Piper, created by Andy Marken The Computer Electronic Show (CES) isn't just a trade show, it's an annual gathering, that is so well orchestrated and run that it just keeps getting bigger and more important to every business, industry. From the OMG (impressive!) to the OMG (seriously?) it's an event where firms make their best stuff look even bigger, better and days can be filled with excellent educational, informational sessions. Sure it's all about the technologies and products that will change the way people work and live. The new stuff this year (2019) was impressive, but for the seasoned CES attendee it's a chance to reconnect with folks and develop new relationships.

Content Insider #608 – The Biz You Simply Can't See All the "Great, Not–So–Great Stuff" at CES "Men suffer more from imagining too little than too much." – P.T. Barnum, "The Greatest Showman," Chernin Entertainment, 2017 Sometimes we think we've been attending CES since before we were born. O.K., that's an exaggeration. But we can't remember when the holidays – Chanukah, Christmas, Kwanzaa, whatever – weren't sidelined to make good products/services look great and great ones look stupendous for the world's biggest consumer technology unveiling event. Many of the exhibitors spent all their Kickstarter, GoFundMe cash or maxed out their credit cards to show off their "exciting" breakthrough, innovation leaps. This year's "forces of tomorrow" were 5G, autonomous vehicles, AI, AR/VR, robots, content everywhere, smart everything filled every square foot of the venues, including a couple of bathroom stalls. Yes, another exaggeration; but logistics and information overload were insane: 4,500 plus exhibitors 250 conference sessions 1,100 speakers 1,200 plus startups from 50 plus countries 180,000 plus attendees What CES has proven is that every company is a technology company. And it's a great place to be seen, have your message heard. Even folks from Proctor & Gamble (P&G) had a strong presence as did John Deere and Bell Helicopter. Food Force – John Deere (l) showed off one of its massive farm systems at CES while Breadbot introduced its automated breadmaking system that will probably appear in local grocery stores, ensuring you get really fresh bread but probably not farm fresh. CES has become such an influential/influencer magnet that organizations like TU Automotive's Consumer Telemetrics Show (auto stuff), MESA (Media & Entertainment Services Alliance) and dozens of others embedded a mini–show in the event. Smart companies "leaked" their news before CES, so people could determine what sessions/companies they just had catch. Not so smart folks embargoed their "news" until the first day of the show when thousands of break–through announcements also hit the wires and social media. Early Peak – Events like ShowStoppers give members of the media the chance to quickly see new products before the show floors open and can determine which booths they need to visit during the week. Since it is literally and physically impossible to see everything; CES Unveiled, ShowStoppers and two days of press conferences gave media folks a head start on the regular attendees with a buffet of news. Bigger/badder TV sets, self–driving transportation, 5G, voice–activated and smart things/places, AI and a lot of stuff you didn't even know you needed –– or wanted – were on display in the miles of exhibit area (2.9M sq. ft), hidden away in a hospitality suite or both. While Detroit and Paris vie for top automotive show honors, Las Vegas in January is the time where every vehicle manufacturer – car, motorcycle, scooter, tractor, etc. –– focuses on making people think about the wonders that await them over the next few years. China's Byton showed why they hired some of the best engineers, designers, thinkers/futurists they could find in the auto/tech industry by unveiling the new K–Byte and M–Byte. They'll hit showrooms in China in mid–year. Its UI (user interface) and interior cabin are…elegant. Infotainment – Auto and truck firms are exploring a wide range of solutions to appeal to consumers for tomorrow's transportation such as Byton's (l) door–to–door touch screen or Harmon's rich entertainment solutions. Samsung's Harman showed that they thought about people enjoyment in the vehicle no matter where they sit with practical and great–looking information and entertainment. But at CES, it's always about showing how technically progressive the vehicle firm is and Audi is eyebrow deep in designing for the future with technology for passenger and trucking vehicles. They're already testing autonomous vehicles around the globe and were the first to say they will assume complete legal responsibility for the technology they put on the road. Future Rides – Mitsubishi (l) showed off their sleek concept car at CES while Hyundai showed its unique elevator, which can probably take you almost anywhere in comfort. Sure, we expect to see a lot of sleek/sexy vehicles from Mercedes, Audi and BMW at the show, but Mitsubishi was a pleasant surprise, even though the show car will probably never be seen on the road. Hyundai came out of left field with a real off–road vehicle called Elevator. Videos showed how you could enjoy the great outdoors in all kinds of weather, even heavy snow. The major takeaway from CES is that the vehicle industry is putting a lot of time, money and effort into how people are going to get around tomorrow. They really want you to enjoy more time in your car or truck – lounge chairs, wrap–around movie/TV screens, AR/VR enjoyment on the go, voice control and vehicle–to–vehicle (V2V) and vehicle–to–everything (V2X) communication. At CES 2025, they will probably be showing third–generation shipping units. Content Viewing CES has its roots in home entertainment and even though folks are increasingly walking around with entertainment screens in their hands, the companies still like to show off their big, beautiful TV screens. There were a lot of new and impressive sets out of China but again, Samsung and LG got all of the initial attention. Your Wall – Samsung showed CES attendees that they can not only build The Wall, but it will be beautiful. It was pretty hard for Samsung not to get noticed because they actually got The Wall built – 219–in, OTT connection, micro LED screen with 2,000 nits brightness – and it blends with its surroundings. They had others all hyping 8K, which is really good; but since you're only getting 4K from Netflix, Hulu and a few others, it begs the question. Flexible – To capture eyeballs as soon as people entered the main hallway at CES, LG installed an impressive display of its flexible screens and drawing attention to its booth where their new rollable TV screen was spotlighted. LG highlighted its newest flexible screens with a hallway demo, then showed off their 65–inch TV that rolls into a box when you aren't watching something. Since the home entertainment manufacturers now have a decent installed base of 4K sets, 98M plus units in 2018; it's time to start hyping an even more beautiful screen, so they announced the formation of an 8K standards and education alliance. Filmmakers have been shooting in 8K for some time now but backing the content down to 4K and even HD, so it can be shown/streamed. Not sure our kids will really appreciate the improvements on their smartphones, but it will give us something to look forward to next year. And while there was buzz everywhere about how good life/everything is going to be with 5G, folks will have to wait until the end of the year to be first in line to own a 5G handset. Since almost everyone who wants one has a smartphone, expanding the market is becoming increasingly difficult and expensive. So, the question is what do you show that makes people fork over a thousand bucks for a new phone to text with and post selfies on social media? Yes, there were some tokens shown like the 5G hotspot devices shown by Netgear and Samsung; but other than that…soon. But there were still plenty of phones shown with multiple high–resolution cameras and curved screen improvements. Call Me – At CES, Huawei rolled out its Mate 10 Pro (l) featuring three cameras and plenty of storage capacity, while Royole drew a lot of attention with its Pai foldable tablet/smartphone. Huawei's Mate 20 Pro featured a large three-camera system and very nice 6.30–inch curved OLED display. Going head–to–head with Qualcomm's Snapdragon processor, their eight–core Kirin 980 processor–based device also featured 6GB of RAM and 4200 mAh battery. But the neatest unit shown was perhaps the Royale Flexpai that's presently available in China and may be available in other parts of the world late this year. The foldable smartphone unfolds to become a 7.8–in tablet display, so it really can become another 2–in–1 device. It may sound a little dumb; but like yesteryear's phablets, there will be more, and they will find their place as kids get older and their eyes yearn for a bigger, better viewing screen. Personal Attention Just to reinforce that technology is really, really important in our lives, CTA's boss, Gary Shapiro, noted that 511 companies exhibited in the show's digital health category. While the global birthrate keeps dropping, according to the World Bank, https://tinyurl.com/y7rxnsqx, it doesn't mean people aren't trying. Family Time – For people who want to manage everything, Ava (l) introduced its fertility band and app at the show. Then, to watch the new little one, Butterfly iQ introduced a handheld ultrasound unit you can connect to your iPhone to follow the baby's progress. We can only guess that because people don't want to waste their time doing things that don't produce a positive result, there were a number of AI–enabled fertility/ovulation solutions that measured everything including resting pulse rate, skin temperature, breathing rate and other important parameters. Some promoted better sensor performance, a vibrating alarm and with the premium version a consultation with a fertility coach. Once phase one of the project was completed, parents could move along to something like the Owlet Band that wraps around Mom's belly to monitor/track important things like the young one's heart rate, kicks. Or the Butterfly IQ ultrasound handheld scanner lets the couple follow the little tyke's progress or maybe check Dad's heart health when he finds out they're having twins. Wearables have come a long way from the basic workout band to smartphones, health trackers and remote patient monitoring devices. According to Jupiter Research, the category is on course to be a $20B plus market by 2023, while a new category, assistive "hearables" or "connected" hearing aids will be $40B by 2022. Staying Healthy – Whether you wanted a simple fitness band, a smartwatch to keep track of your exercise progress or a solution to handle it all including monitoring key functions like your ECG and BPM; there were plenty of options available to see and compare. How many will be back on the show floor in 2020 is anyone's guess. There was a 25 percent increase in the number of health tech folks at the show––all eager to appeal to the 74M boomers as well as millennials wanting to live a better life and use self–care gadgets. Many looked like regular analog or digital watches that could monitor the heart and other health conditions with some enabling remote patient monitoring capabilities once they have FDA and CE clearance. And inevitably, there were the tech–enabled clothes and undergarments to protect you from the ever–encroaching world. The open question/concern is how will the data be used and shared. Even though sales of computers have been sliding (again, folks who want ‘em, got ‘em and we've extended our replacement cycles) Dell, HP, Lenovo, Asus and Huawei rolled out some very sleek, light and powerful new ultralights as well as a number of gamer delights. It Still Computes – Thinner, lighter and faster than ever; computers still got attention at CES like the Acer Predator Triton 900 (l), HP Spectre 2–in–1 laptops and Alienware Area 51M as well as a whole lot more for the working/gaming folks. CES has become such a major gathering place for business and industry, IBM even unveiled its new quantum computer. It drew the attention of every engineer at the show and obviously, more than a few gamers could only imagine the possibilities. Palmtop – The Planet Computers Cosmo (l) was unveiled at CES next to the ghost of Summer CES past, the Atari portfolio palmtop system. The unit that caught my eye was the Planet Cosmo that has an Android OS. Not that it was an outstanding piece of computing gear, but it really looked a lot like the Atari Portfolio, a palmtop we helped the company introduce back in '89. Portfolio was a PC–compatible unit that sold for $300. We dusted off one of the devices we still have, dropped in some AA batteries and yes, it still works! Robots of every shape and size wandered the booths this year. Some friendly, some utilitarian, some just to follow you around through the store and carry your purchases for you. The latter was "cute," but we couldn't figure out how you got him/her to the store to help you with the heavy lifting. Not real sure if Walmart is going to have a herd of them waiting for you when you enter the store to tag along just in case you found something you just had to have. Folks love their pets, which is why they come up with every trick in the book to have them on the plane with them or while wandering the store with the LG Clio shopping cart following them. In fact, according to the APPA (American Pet Products Association), they spent over $72B last year and will be a $202B plus business by 2025. Pampered Pets – It seems people will do anything for their pets including privacy for certain functions (Lavviebot – l) and The Little Cat exercise machine (c) or for those who want a comfort pet without all the mess, trouble a Qoobo pet. While we have Rocky, a 46–year–old African Grey, we didn't see a thing on the floor he would be interested in. He might have liked to watch the updated Sony Aibo robot pup chase balls around the floor and pick up things; but at $3K, we passed. But there were a lot of new privacy bathrooms for dogs/cats, exercise equipment for the pets, menu planners and delivery services. And, if you wanted a pet but were allergic, there was the AI–enabled grey fat cat pillow, complete with wagging tail. As big as it was on the show floor, the smart home market was peanuts compared to the pet market – a measly $53.5B according to Statista by 2022. There was something for every corner of your home, a lot of them AI enabled and a growing number you could talk to. Sure beats talking to yourself! Home Sweet Home – You name it, there was a smart something for your home including toilets you could talk to courtesy of Kohler (l), package delivery security boxes from Parcel Guard or help in getting your clothes folded just right after the wash from Foldimate. New beds that "read" if you had a rough day and adjust accordingly, toilets that would respond to your commands except for the final task that was left for you, faucets and appliances that did your bidding and kept track of your eating and more. If your home wasn't smarter than you by the time you finished your shopping at CES, you just weren't trying hard enough. Lunchtime – Impossible Foods unveiled their second–generation Impossible Burger that looks and tastes just like real meat (we're told). But in our opinion, the best tech that was shown at CES this year was the Impossible Foods burger. Since we haven't eaten meat for 25–30 years, we'll take their word for it that it has the flavor, aroma and beefiness you'd get from meat. All we know is that people said it was delicious. Finally, something we could really sink our teeth into at CES and something that proved CTA's Gary Shapiro's opening remarks for the show were right, "Consumer technology is everywhere, touches everything today." Unfortunately, the show was overshadowed this year by the U.S. government shutdown which prevented a lot of government speakers from attending the show to see how technologies will change the landscape and exchange ideas/information with the global attendees. The shutdown also created havoc for everyone at the show as we headed home because of the TSA blue flu. Next year, CTA may enlist IBM's Project Debater to help smooth the path for exhibitors and attendees. Project Debater uses a combination of machine and deep learning to capture the best arguments and true facts on a subject and helps people arrive at a solution quickly, easily, painlessly. As with all the new AI–labeled stuff though, we need to keep in mind what IBM's chief Ginni Rommety cautioned during her keynote, "Like all powerful tools, we've got to usher them in safely into society." But Shapiro and his team believe P.T. Barnum when he said, "Nothing draws a crowd quite like a crowd." # # #

Andy Marken Marken Communications www.markencom.com 1428 Bellingham Way Sunnyvale, CA 94087 USA O: (408) 986-0100 C: (408) 390-0002 Andy@MarkenCom.com

Stellar Data Recovery: Mac Pro Info Recapture Software

a review by Tom Piper

Failure of any digital data volume can be catastrophic, with loss of time, effort and money. Its not a matter of "IF", but rather 'WHEN"! Backups are essential, but they can fail; so to address this issue, I've previously written reviews about data recovery in November 2011 (cd-dvd-recovery), December 2013 (photo-recovery), July 2015 (mac-data-recovery), and February 2018 (mac-data-recovery-pro). Now, its time to review another great product that universally recovers data from most any digital volume.

Stellar Professional Data Recovery for Mac is a utility which, in the words of their website, "is an advanced software to recover data from all Mac devices — iMac, MacBook Air, MacBook Pro, Mac Pro. The DIY Mac data recovery software gets back your precious documents, emails, photos, videos, etc. from the comfort of your workplace.

• World’s easiest Mac data recovery software for tough data loss situations
• Recovers data from any Mac storage device and supports macOS Mojave
• Recovers data from severely corrupt, unmounted, and encrypted volumes
• Recovers unlimited types of files by using the file signature
• Real-time drive monitoring and disk cloning for secure data recovery” 

Are you facing data loss crisis and unable to recover your lost data? You have found the right solution! Specifically, on the Macintosh computer, if my lost data is not yet written over, this software will scan my storage device and locate recognizable file structures that can be fully restored. All popular photo, video, and audio files are supported natively (more formats can be easily added to the list). This utility includes a feature called Can't Find Volume which recovers lost data from severely damaged or corrupt hard drives or volumes, as well as a deleted BootCamp Partition. In case a drive is heavily corrupted, the Deep Scan feature will take more time, but scans the drive sector-by-sector to recover all the data. 

Although the Mac Data Recovery software works only on Mac computers, it can access and recover data from many storage device formats including APFS, HFS, HFS+, FAT, ex-FAT, or NTFS file systems. If the data is encrypted, simply enter the drive’s password to access the recovery options for that drive. The usual method is to use the Recover Everything, but if I already know which file type I need to recover, I can select documents, emails, video, audio files, or photos to make the recovery process faster, which I can then preview files before saving. Another feature I really like, if I've thrown something away, is the ability to still recover that file, even if I've emptied the Trash folder.

As I have often preached, we know that the most reliable protection against data loss is data backup where Time Machine is considered the most popular method for my computer. But, a Time Machine backup drive can also get corrupted at any given time. As an added benefit, this software supports Time Machine-designated drives and restores data from them. After opening the program, I can either Recover Data or Monitor Drive:

  

Fortunately, the Mac Data Recovery software’s graphical user interface is simple and easy to navigate for me, or virtually any user. Choosing what types of files to look for is simple and straight-forward because all are shown immediately upon opening the utility (a click on any will turn on/off). A click on Next shows all connected volumes, any of which can be selected with another click, then tapping on the Scan button starts the process automatically. A visual progress report provides immediate feedback of percentage scanned, status, size of files found, time elapsed, and time left. My scan of a 750GB SSD volume was done in less than 4 minutes, the result showing all recoverable folders and files (a checkbox next to each allows me to decide which ones to recover).

When needed, I can even customize how the scan results are displayed. Beyond that, I can also prevent data loss before it happens by using Create Image which compresses all the data on my hard drive into a ".dmg" file. This image file can then be opened later to restore these files and folders. As can be seen from my brief recap of features, this is a powerful program which is a valuable new addition to my toolbox of important utilities. If data protection is equally essential to you, this tool can be greatly beneficial to you too.

Stellar Professional Data Recovery for Mac can be purchased for the discounted price of $79.99 from stellarinfo.com/data-recovery-mac.php (a free trial download is available to preview recovered files before buying). This is one of the best programs of its kind on the market today, well worth the investment.

 

Thunderbolt 3 Dock: OWC’s Emperor of Connectivity

a review by Tom Piper

As the demand for USB-C (and Thunderbolt 3) connectivity increases, first through the introduction of the MacBook 12" laptop, followed by the wonderful MacBook Pro Touch Bar and other great Apple computers, the response has been extensive from many different companies. I've waited for the emergence of a powerhouse unit, and my patience has again been rewarded by this newest dock.

Now with 14 ports that many of us need, OWC's new Thunderbolt 3 Dock has brought amazing and dependable connectivity to my 15” MacBook Pro with Touch Bar through an included 20" Thunderbolt 3 cable which delivers 85W of power to my laptop plus a second port for up to 5 chained Thunderbolt devices, all at the fastest speeds possible. Compared to the previous Thunderbolt 3 dock (reviewed 05/08/17, thunderbolt-3-dock) and Thunderbolt 2 dock (reviewed 01/31/17, usb-c-docking-solution, and 06/10/15, thunderbolt-2-dock) this is another major step forward for our latest computer workhorses.

This Thunderbolt 3 Dock delivers even more connectivity which can drive two 4K displays or one 5K display, connect and charge up to five USB-A 3.1 (or lower) devices, plus another USB-C Gen 2 port, and enjoy pristine audio, use wired networks, and read micro and full-sized SD cards, all at twice the speed of Thunderbolt 2 through a single cable. Its a nice size at 1" x 3.5" x 9.1", and only about 1.2 lbs. In addition to the Ethernet green power and amber activity lights on the bottom, there is also a power light on the bottom which are hard to see (except in the dark), but this is not a concern.

With its phenomenal USB-C bandwidth (up to 10Gb/s), this Thunderbolt 3 Dock is the foundation of my computing setup with Gigabit Ethernet network connection (I could also increase that by 10X by using OWC’s Thunderbolt 3 10G Ethernet adapter). With the ability to drive the latest generation 5K displays, two ultra HD 4K displays, or a combination of 4K, HD and other displays with the mini DisplayPort port and additional Thunderbolt 3 port, the viewing possibilities are amazing. The mini DisplayPort port allows for the use of HDMI or VGA dongles for a variety of displays. I can also plug in my headphones and mic into the front output/input jack for even more versatility (see below).

Setup out of the box was quick and simple, although I did learn that devices should initially be connected to the dock before plugging in its power (part of the recognition phase), and the Thunderbolt port for the computer is now clearly marked. My 15" MacBook Pro Touch Bar laptop was easily connected and powered (the half-meter USB-C cable seems too short, particularly if I had wanted to plug into the other side of my computer, but a longer, powered Thunderbolt cable would be more expensive). Yet, my numerous Thunderbolt and USB 3.1 external hard drives connect immediately when my laptop starts up, as does the 1TB Envoy drive, and the 128GB Transcend JetDrive SD, which is comfortable in the SD slot. There is no need for a power switch, because everything comes to life when my laptop starts up or wakes up.

In my daily work, I have a highly-specialized workflow which need a variety of devices, including 12.9” iPad Pros and USB-3 hard drives. The OWC Thunderbolt 3 Dock also supports my S/PDIF digital audio speakers, as well as an SD card reader and hybrid analog stereo audio headphone/microphone jack. This unit is quiet, unobtrusive, and reliably meeting almost all of my accessory needs; it is truly a powerhouse of connections!

OWC provides a superior level of support and warranty coverage to their customers. Even when not used, they understand the peace of mind afforded by their two-year warranty period. As I have seen with their other products, OWC connectivity solutions are engineered to demanding quality standards in order to deliver the most reliable, highest performance available on the market. I am so pleased with the excellent functionality and reliability of this dock, which is continually in use.

The OWC Thunderbolt 3 dock is available at eshop.macsales.com/shop/docks/owc-thunderbolt-3-dock for only $299.00. This is the best Thunderbolt dock yet produced by Other World Computing. It faithfully upholds the OWC tradition of fine products at very competitive pricing. This unit has happily joined my family of OWC devices that are high quality and very reliable. This is a great company with products which I highly recommend, particularly at very reasonable prices! 

 

President's Corner-February 2019

From the desk of the President...

Giveaways!

• iPad Holder - George
• Stylus - Jane
• PopSocket - Ron
• Bags - Greg, Todd, Judy, Rita, Alice, Joe, Barb, Bruce, Julie, Sue

 

President’s Corner-January 2019

January Winners:

• Bill - Apple Bag
• Mel - Apple Notebook
• Todd - RokForm Case
• Jane - $25 Apple Gift Card

 

President's Corner-December 2018

2019 appleJAC Officers

• President: Jason P.
• Vice-President: George K.
• Secretary: Tom P.
• Treasurer: Peggy L.
• Webmaster: Greg B.
• Members At Large: Joe M., Jim S., Julie S., Sue S., Alice K., Ann L.

December 2018 Giveaways

• $25 Gift Card - Judy M.
• Apple Branded Water Bottle - Ron H.
• Apple Branded Notebook - Jim S.
• Apple Branded Bag - Peggy L.
• Apple Lapel Pin - Greg B. / Jane S.

 

 

MUG Discount: Master Photos in Mojave and iOS 12 with "Take Control of Photos"

By Joe Kissell, Publisher, Take Control Books

Dear MUG member:
 
Jason Snell has been writing about Apple and the Mac since 1994. He was formerly the lead editor of Macworld, and now runs the Six Colors site and hosts a bunch of podcasts. In other words, he’s pretty much a celebrity in the Mac community, and we couldn’t be more delighted that he has applied his considerable expertise to a new book that explores Apple’s Photos app in Mojave and iOS 12. Take Control of Photos updates and expands on Jason’s earlier book, Photos: A Take Control Crash Course. At 156 pages, the new book is more than twice as long as its predecessor, and it tells you everything you need to know about using Photos.

Photos, of course, replaces both iPhoto and Aperture, and if you’re still using one of those older apps, this book will help you migrate to Photos effectively. But even if you’ve already been using Photos for years, you may not have tapped into all of its powerful features for organizing, editing, and sharing photos and videos. Jason takes you in depth with this thoroughly illustrated guide. He also highlights changes in Photos under iOS 12, including searching for multiple items at once, a For You tab, and an updated Import tab; plus changes in Mojave, including new keyboard shortcuts and the removal of built-in features for making printed materials like calendars and books (and alternative means of obtaining them)
 
This book tells you how to:

• Migrate your library from iPhoto or Aperture (Apple’s discontinued professional photography app) into Photos
• Import photos from devices or memory cards
• Use multiple Photos libraries
• Navigate the Photos interface, including the sidebar and icons
• View, edit, or disable Live Photos
• Organize your library by using enhanced search features, adding metadata, building albums, and creating smart albums
• Edit your photos using quick fixes like cropping, applying filters, and fixing red-eye and rotation problems
• Use advanced editing techniques within Photos and edit using external apps like Photoshop
• Manage your photo collection using the Memories and People features, and get summary views
• Sync and share your photos with iCloud
• View your photos on an Apple TV
• Share your photos via social media, export them out of Photos, or turn them into slideshows
• Create printed objects (such as books and calendars) from your photos using third-party services

…and much more. You can:

• Buy the book now for just $10.49 with the 30% MUG discount
• Get more information about what’s in the book

This is an excellent, detailed book that will help anyone who uses Photos, and I recommend it to you!

One more thing… I’ve also updated Take Control of Apple Mail, my complete guide to Apple’s built-in email app, for Mojave and iOS 12. If you use Mail, I’m sure you’ll find it helpful!

With warm wishes for a happy Thanksgiving

 

 

 

 

 

 

Presentation-November 2018

Interested in the gadgets presented by our Officers at the November meeting?

Check out this copy of the presentation for direct links to any of the products shown!

Download November 2018 Presentation

President's Corner - November 2018

• Bonnie - Pelican Case
• George - Apple-branded Water Bottle
• Todd - Apple-branded Notebook
• Larry - Apple-branded Bag

 

October 2018 Presentations

Mark Snell's presentation

View this photo

 

Jason Piper's presentation

Download MacOS_10.14_Mojave

 

George Kopp's presentation

Download Apple Watch OS 5

Macstock 2018 . . . the BEST yet!

by Tom Piper

Macstock 2018 on July 21-22, 2018, was the fourth annual gathering of Apple faithful in McHenry, IL (near Woodstock, an hour northwest of Chicago). It had the best attendance with people from California to New York to England.

There is much that I could say, but the information is all available at https://macstockconferenceandexpo.com where you can see the schedule, the speakers, news items and much much more, including the great film "Love Notes to Newton".

If you would like to see pictures and videos that I captured while there, just go to https://www.icloud.com/sharedalbum/#B0a5aDWbra3ldw. It was so good, that many people stayed the evening afterward to continue our friendly gathering (see below).

Letha and I are going back again next year (July 27-28, 2019), and you are welcome to join us.

 

President's Corner-October 2018

October Give-A-Way Winners:

• Photoshop Elements Book- Jim
• CES Water Bottle - Greg
• Smartphone Ring Carrier - Larry
• T-Shirt - Julie
• Hat - Keith

 

George Kopp Presentation--September 2018

Download IOS and Mac Backup

President’s Corner-September 2018

September 2018 Give-A-Ways

• Margie - $15 Apple Gift Card
• Barb - Apple Notebook
• Bonnie - Apple Lapel Pin
• Anika - T-Shirt
• Mel - Cinch bag 

  

Envoy Pro EX: Awesome Speed

a review by Tom Piper

The quest for faster and more reliable digital storage is a continual challenge as new computers and processors become more powerful and robust. Other World Computing (OWC) has proven to be a leader in meeting this challenge.

The OWC Envoy Pro EX is a bus-powered portable solid-state drive with 1.0TB of storage and Thunderbolt 3 connection in a solid aluminum case. It is a fast and durable unit with an integrated Thunderbolt 3 cable making it a perfect travel companion. It is the ideal solution for on-location photo editing or simply taking your photo, video, and music libraries with you; and it can do everything from daily tasks such as storing family photos, videos, and documents to professional audio or photography importing.

From a techie standpoint, this drive offers Thunderbolt 3 which provides 40Gbs bandwidth, 8x more than USB 3.1 (Gen 1), and is paired with an M.2 (NVMe) SSD to provide transfer speeds up to 1800MB/s. The Envoy Pro EX is the perfect storage companion for your Thunderbolt 3 equipped Mac (or Windows) computer by blending the latest technologies with multiple model and capacity options, to push the envelope on performance while maintaining affordability.

Envoy Pro EX is built tough to withstand the bumps, jolts and drops life may put it through. With no moving parts and MIL-STD810G drop test compliance, it's ready to handle being tossed around in a backpack or accidentally knocked off the table. Meticulously engineered to run cool and silent, it also looks great in matte black (with a handy felt pouch).

This unit looks great and performs wonderfully when connected to my 15" MacBook Pro TouchBar laptop. Upon arrival, it was already formatted MS-DOS (FAT32), but comes with OWC Drive Guide (an necessary step) which features easy setup and reformatting for my Mac (or custom partitioning too). There was also additional OWC software including InTech SpeedTools and Prosoft Data Backup (also Windows utilities). As an extra bonus, shareware was also included for Fun & Games, Productivity & Organization, Audio & Video, Internet & Utilities, System Enhancements and Other Goodies . . . over 25 complete software packages (and many more for Windows). 

You can learn more about the Envoy Pro EX at macsales.com/envoy and purchase 1.0TB version for only $499.99 (also available in 250GB, 500GB, and 2.0TB for $249.99, $349.99, or $1,094.99). This unit has happily joined my family of OWC devices that are high quality and very reliable. This is a great company with products which I highly recommend, particularly at very reasonable prices!

 

Apple Tech on KWOS Open Air 08-04-18

Apple Technology of past, present and future was discussed on Open Air Saturday, hosted by Hal Dulle, with guests Peggy Landwehr, George Kopp, and Tom Piper.

To listen to this 26 minute segment on your computer, just click on OpenAirSat KWOS 080418

 

 
 

President's Corner-August 2018

President's Corner-August 2018