Mac User Guide

❤ Tips and tricks to fix Bluetooth connection issues on Mac

Galaxy Expert March 20, 2021 Apple, Apple 5G, Apple Mac, Apple MacBook, Apple User Guide, Culture, Featured, Lifestyle, Mac User Guide, News, Repair Service, Review, Top Stories, World Apple Mac, Apple Macbook, Apple Repair, Apple Repair Costs, Apple Screen Replacement Costs, Apple Sydney CBD Repairs, Bluetooth, Bluetooth connection, Bluetooth connection issues, Bluetooth connection issues on Mac, Bluetooth connection on Mac, Bluetooth on Mac

We rely on Bluetooth for more and more devices, and while the wireless standard is very convenient, it can be really frustrating when our peripherals don’t work consistently. Read along for five tips and tricks to fix Mac Bluetooth issues, including resetting your Bluetooth module and ways to remove interference.

Bluetooth issues aren’t anything new, but there has been a recent wave of more Bluetooth problems with the first Apple Silicon M1 Macs and macOS Big Sur. Notably, Bluetooth reliability should have been improved for Mac users with macOS 11.2.

But whether you’ve got a new M1 Mac or are having trouble with Bluetooth on an Intel one, we’ll cover multiple approaches to fix Mac Bluetooth issues.

How to fix Mac Bluetooth issues

Software update, power cycle, unpair

You’ve probably tried these steps, but if not, start here:

Check if macOS is up to date ( > About This Mac > Software Update…)
Make sure your Bluetooth device is charged
Turn off your Bluetooth device and back on again, you can do the same with Bluetooth on your Mac (click the Bluetooth icon in the menu bar – top right of your Mac’s screen)
You can also unpair a Bluetooth device and re-pair to see if there’s an improvement (Bluetooth in the menu bar > Bluetooth preferences > hover over a device > click the “x” icon > choose “Remove”)
Reboot your Mac

Remove interference

Apple notes in a support document that if you’re seeing intermittent Bluetooth issues, it’s good to check for interference. Tips include:

Bring your Mac and Bluetooth devices closer together
Remove other devices like phones, cameras, power cables, etc. that might be on your desk or nearby
Move some WiFi devices to 5GHz since Bluetooth and WiFi both use 2.4GHz
Move USB/Thunderbolt hubs further away from your Mac and Bluetooth devices (and don’t place them on top of your Mac)
Turn off USB devices that aren’t in use
Finally, don’t have materials between your Mac and Bluetooth devices like metal, concrete

Reset your Mac’s Bluetooth module

If you’re still having trouble with Bluetooth issues, you can reset your Mac’s Bluetooth Module:

While holding option + shift on your keyboard, click the Bluetooth icon in the menu bar
Click “Reset the Bluetooth module”
On the confirmation prompt, choose “OK”
Your Bluetooth devices will disconnect for a moment as the module resets and should automatically reconnect

Here’s how this looks:

Remove all devices + reset Bluetooth module

If that didn’t work, you can remove all of your Bluetooth devices and then reset the module (keep in mind you’ll need to re-pair all of your Bluetooth devices after this):

Hold option + shift on your keyboard and click the Bluetooth icon again
This time, choose “Remove all devices” > click OK
Do option + shift on Bluetooth in the menu bar again > click “Reset the Bluetooth module”
Re-pair your Bluetooth device(s)

Have a dongle?

This isn’t always an ideal solution depending on your setup, but if your Bluetooth device came with a USB dongle for a direct connection, that often eliminates any Bluetooth issues you’re seeing.

The most common devices to come with USB dongles are third-party mouse and keyboards.

❤ NASA’s Mars Perseverance rover is powered by an iMac G3 processor

Galaxy Expert March 4, 2021 Apple, Apple 5G, Apple Mac, Culture, Featured, Lifestyle, Mac User Guide, NASA, News, Review, ROG, Top Stories, World Apple, Apple iMac, Apple iMac Repair, Apple iMac Repair Costs, Apple Repair, Apple Repair Costs, Apple Screen Replacement Costs, Apple Sydney CBD Repairs, iMac, iMac G3, iMac G3 processor, Mars, Mars Perseverance rover, NASA, Perseverance rover

How far do you think a 90s-era Mac can go? Actually, it can go to Mars. NASA’s rover Perseverance, which reached the Red Planet on February 18, is powered by the PowerPC 750 processor, the same chip that is inside the iconic 1998 iMac G3.

According to New Scientist (via Gizmodo), the Mars Perseverance rover uses the RISC CPUs that Apple went all in on before switching to Intel. The iMac G3 was colorful (you could see through it), and it ultimately saved Apple from bankruptcy.

The PowerPC 750 was a single-core 233MHz processor with 6 million transistors, which is now considered slow, but it was the first to incorporate dynamic branch prediction and is still used in modern processors.

Given that the Perseverance launch was in July 2020, you could be wondering why it’s using such an old processor. What it comes down to is reliability.

There’s also a pretty big difference between the iMac G3 CPU and the one inside the rover. This PowerPC 750 chip can withstand 200,000 to 1,000,000 Rads and temperatures between -55 and 125 degrees Celsius.

Given that Mars doesn’t have the same type of atmosphere as Earth, one flash of sunlight could damage the rover before its adventure can even begin.

“A charged particle that’s racing through the galaxy can pass through a device and wreak havoc,” James LaRosa at BAE Systems told NewScientist. “It can literally knock electrons loose; it can cause electronic noise and signal spikes within the circuit.”

Apple used PowerPC chips on Mac until 2005, then switched to Intel. Nowadays, Apple is making a new transition to its own Apple Silicon processors, starting with the M1 chip on MacBook Air, MacBook Pro, and Mac Mini.

❤ Apple launches 2021 Platform Security guide with iOS 14, macOS Big Sur, Apple Silicon deep dive

Galaxy Expert February 20, 2021 Apple, Apple 5G, Apple iOs, Apple MacOS, Apple User Guide, iOS, iOS 14, iPhone User Guide, Mac User Guide, Repair Service, Review, Smartphones Apple, Apple 2021 Platform Security, Apple 2021 Platform Security guide, Apple iOs 14, Apple iOs14, Apple launches 2021 Platform Security guide, Apple Mac, Apple MacOS, Apple macOS Big Sur, Apple Repair, Apple Repair Costs, Apple Screen Replacement Costs, Apple Silicon, Apple Silicon deep dive, Apple Sydney CBD Repairs, iOs 14, iOs14

Apple has published its 2021 update to its Platform Security guide today along with refreshing the Apple Platform Security landing page. The latest guide goes in-depth on the new and updated security features that have arrived with iOS 14, macOS 11 Big Sur, Apple Silicon Macs, watchOS 7, and more. Apple has also launched an all-new Security Certifications and Compliance Center website and guide.

Apple has long held that secure software necessitates the foundation of security built into hardware. With the shift to using its own custom Apple Silicon in its first three M1 Macs starting last fall, the company has been able to realize that goal across its entire lineup of devices.

2021 Apple Platform Security guide

Device security is a never-ending mission and the latest Apple Platform Security guide details all the effort and changes Apple has implemented over the last year – highlighted by the guide growing 39 pages with this edition to a total of 196.

This documentation provides details about how security technology and features are implemented within Apple platforms. It also helps organizations combine Apple platform security technology and features with their own policies and procedures to meet their specific security needs.

While there a number of security updates that apply to existing/older devices, Apple Silicon has been notable with the M1 Macs allowing Apple to step up security to new levels when it comes to Data Protection via a rebuilt FileVault, System integrity, password protection, and more.

Another notable change in the last year has been the advanced BlastDoor security for iMessage (not specifically mentioned in the new security guide). While it was just recently discovered as present in iOS 14, we’ve learned Apple has built it into macOS Big Sur as well. It’s a totally under the hood change that users won’t notice, but it’s the biggest security improvement to iMessage since the service got end-to-end encryption.

Check out all the new topics added to the Apple Platform Security guide this year:

Memory safe iBoot implementation
Boot process for a Mac with Apple silicon
Boot modes for a Mac with Apple silicon
Startup Disk security policy control for a Mac with Apple silicon
LocalPolicy signing-key creation and management
Contents of a LocalPolicy file for a Mac with Apple silicon
Signed system volume security in macOS
Apple Security Research Device
Password Monitoring
IPv6 security
Car keys security in iOS

And here are all the security topics that have been updated:

Secure Enclave
Hardware microphone disconnect
recoveryOS and diagnostics environments for an Intel-based Mac
Direct memory access protections for Mac computers
Kernel extensions in macOS
System Integrity Protection
System security for watchOS
Managing FileVault in macOS
App access to saved passwords
Password security recommendations
Apple Cash security in iOS, iPadOS, and watchOS
Secure Business Chat using the Messages app
Wi-Fi privacy
Activation Lock security
Apple Configurator 2 security

You can find the full, updated Apple Platform Security guide on Apple’s website. Back in December, Apple also updated its Privacy website as it launched App Store Privacy labels.

Apple Security Certifications and Compliance Center

Along with the updated Apple Platform Security guide, Apple has an all-new Security Certifications and Compliance Center. It’s a robust resource covering Apple hardware, software, and services and also features a 50-page, in-depth guide.

❤ LastPass will restrict free users to only one type of device starting next month

Galaxy Expert February 18, 2021 Android, Android OS, Android User Guide, Apple, Apple 5G, Apple iOs, Apple Mac, Apple Watch User Guide, Featured, iOS, iPad User Guide, iPhone User Guide, Lifestyle, Mac User Guide, News, Repair Service, Review, Smartphones, Top Stories, windows, World Android, iOS, LastPass, LastPass Free user Restriction, LastPass Free user Restrictions, LastPass Free users, LastPass Free users Restriction, LastPass Free users Restrictions, Mac, Restrictions, Windows

One of the most attractive features of the popular password manager LastPass is that, if you choose to, you can use it pretty effectively without paying a dime. That comes to an end in March, as LastPass has just announced that its free tier will be restricted to only one device type starting next month.

LastPass works across nearly every platform, from Android to iOS to Windows to Mac, and that’s what makes it useful. For the most part, the services we use today are available on multiple platforms, so being able to use the service on both your mobile phone and your desktop/laptop computer is crucial to most users.

Starting on March 16, 2021, LastPass will start restricting its free service to only one device type, meaning those who sign up will be required to pick between accessing the service on their computer or their smartphone. The latter also includes LastPass access on tablets (iPads) and smartwatches. You’ll pick an “active device type” to decide on where you’ll use the service. For current free users, the first device type you log in to after March 16 will set your active type. You’ll have three chances to pick between device types before the choice is locked in. After that, you’ll need to sign up for LastPass Premium to access the service on two different platforms.

As a Free user, your first login on or after March 16 will set your active device type. You’ll have three opportunities to switch your active device type to explore what’s right for you. Please note, that all of your devices sync automatically, so you’ll never lose access to anything stored in your vault or be locked out of your account, regardless of whether you use computer or mobile devices to access LastPass.

Further, LastPass will also restrict some support options starting on May 17. Email support, most notably, will be restricted only to Premium customers and those with a LastPass family account. Free users will then be limited only to the LastPass Support Center for self-help resources.

Changes to LastPass Free

You’re spending more time online than ever before. Work. School. Connecting with family and friends. Each week, millions of LastPass users add millions of new passwords, notes, files, payment cards and more to their encrypted vault. We love being a part of the security routines of more than 20 million users across the world. As our community of users continues to grow, we need to adapt our offerings to keep up with the constantly evolving digital world. With that, we have some changes to our LastPass Free offering.

Here’s What’s Changing

We’re making changes to how Free users access LastPass across device types. LastPass offers access across two device types – computers (including all browsers running on desktops and laptops) or mobile devices (including mobile phones, smart watches, and tablets). Starting March 16th, 2021, LastPass Free will only include access on unlimited devices of one type.

To further clarify what we mean by active device type, we’ve included two examples below:

Sarah is a Free user with Computers as her active device type. She can use LastPass on her laptop, desktop and her dad’s laptop (anyone’s computer!), but she can’t use LastPass on her phone, tablet, or smart watch unless she upgrades to LastPass Premium, which has unlimited device type access.

Steve is a Free user with Mobile Devices as his active device type. He can use LastPass on his iPhone, Android work phone, tablet, and smart watch, but he can’t use LastPass on his desktop or laptop unless he upgrades to LastPass Premium, which has unlimited device type access.

As a Free user, your first login on or after March 16th will set your active device type. You’ll have three opportunities to switch your active device type to explore what’s right for you. Please note, that all of your devices sync automatically, so you’ll never lose access to anything stored in your vault or be locked out of your account, regardless of whether you use computer or mobile devices to access LastPass. Learn more about device types in our Support Center.

In addition to this change, as of May 17th, 2021, email support will only be available for Premium and Families customers. LastPass Free users will always have access to our Support Center which has a robust library of self-help resources available 24/7 plus access to our LastPass Community, which is actively monitored by LastPass specialists. Free users will continue to receive email support for technical issues until May 16th to assist through the transition of selecting an active device type. Learn more about our customer support offerings in our Support Center.

If you’d like unlimited device type access and email support, you can upgrade from Free to LastPass Premium for a limited time, for $2.25 per month (billed annually). *

LastPass Premium at a Glance

LastPass Premium is your single and secure one-stop shop to your digital life. It includes dark web monitoring, emergency access, unlimited device type access, a security score dashboard, dedicated personal support, advanced multi-factor authentication and more. At only $3 per month (billed annually), LastPass Premium enables you to not only store your passwords but also protect your digital life, which is more important than ever in this new era of working from anywhere. As a current Free user, you can upgrade to Premium now for an exclusive, limited time discount and receive Premium for $2.25 per month (billed annually). *

Next Steps for Free Users

We understand how much you rely on LastPass in your daily life, so we wanted to let you know well in advance and give you resources to make this adjustment easier. Here’s what you need to know:

You do not need to take any direct action at this time, however if you’d like to continue using LastPass on both your desktop and mobile devices, upgrade to Premium now at the discounted price of $2.25 per month (billed annually). *
Starting March 16th, if you do not upgrade to Premium, the first device you log in on will become your active device type.

For more information about these changes, please review these additional resources:

Multiple Device Types Support Article

Customer Care Support Article

Whether you continue using LastPass Free on one device type, or across all your devices types with LastPass Premium, we’re committed to offering you a best-in-class password management experience. We sincerely thank you for continuing to be part of our LastPass community.

*Additional Terms and Conditions: Advertised price valid for new users on their first year of LastPass Premium. Price not valid for renewals or existing customers and cannot be used for other LastPass plans, products or services.

❤ Mac: How to set custom Safari backgrounds

Galaxy Expert November 28, 2020 Apple, Apple 5G, Apple Mac, Apple User Guide, Featured, Lifestyle, Mac User Guide, News, Repair Service, Review, Top Stories, World Apple Mac, Apple Macbook, Apple Repair, Apple Repair Costs, Apple Safari, Apple Screen Replacement Costs, Apple Sydney CBD Repairs, custom Safari backgrounds, Safari

macOS Big Sur comes with some major changes and Safari 14 includes a number of enhancements. One of the simple but nice aesthetic changes is the option to set your own image for Apple’s browser. Read on for how to set custom Safari backgrounds.

Safari 14 comes with macOS Big Sur (released for Catalina too) and brings a lot of great features like 4K support for YouTube, Apple’s new translation integration, performance improvements, and a new start page. The start page is where you can set a custom Safari background.

Let’s look at two ways to do this…

How to set custom Safari backgrounds with macOS Big Sur

The fastest option if you already have the image you want to use is to drag and drop it on the Safari start page
Alternatively, you can right-click on the start page in a blank area and click “Choose Background…”
- Now you can search Finder to select an image
If you want to clear you custom Safari background, right-click on the start page background and choose “Clear Background”

Here’s how the process looks:

Drag and drop an image to set a custom Safari background

And here’s the right-click option to set custom Safari backgrounds:

❤ Introducing the next generation of Mac

Galaxy Expert November 24, 2020 Apple, Apple 5G, Apple Mac, Apple MacBook, Apple MacOS, Featured, Lifestyle, Mac User Guide, Macbook Pro, News, Repair Service, Review, Top Stories, World Apple, Apple Mac, Apple Macbook, Apple Repair, Apple Repair Costs, Apple Screen Replacement Costs, Apple Sydney CBD Repairs, Mac, MacBook, next generation of Apple Mac, next generation of Apple MacBook, next generation of Mac, next generation of MacBook

The new MacBook Air, 13-inch MacBook Pro, and Mac mini are now powered by M1, Apple’s revolutionary chip.

A new MacBook Air, 13-inch MacBook Pro, and Mac mini powered by M1, Apple’s breakthrough chip for the Mac

Cupertino, California — On a momentous day for the Mac, Apple introduced a new MacBook Air, 13-inch MacBook Pro, and Mac mini powered by the revolutionary M1, the first in a family of chips designed by Apple specifically for the Mac. By far the most powerful chip Apple has ever made, M1 transforms the Mac experience. With its industry-leading performance per watt, together with macOS Big Sur, M1 delivers up to 3.5x faster CPU, up to 6x faster GPU, up to 15x faster machine learning (ML) capabilities, and battery life up to 2x longer than before. And with M1 and Big Sur, users get access to the biggest collection of apps ever for Mac. With amazing performance and remarkable new features, the new lineup of M1-powered Macs are an incredible value, and all are available to order today.

“The introduction of three new Macs featuring Apple’s breakthrough M1 chip represents a bold change that was years in the making, and marks a truly historic day for the Mac and for Apple,” said Tim Cook, Apple’s CEO. “M1 is by far the most powerful chip we’ve ever created, and combined with Big Sur, delivers mind-blowing performance, extraordinary battery life, and access to more software and apps than ever before. We can’t wait for our customers to experience this new generation of Mac, and we have no doubt it will help them continue to change the world.”

With M1, the Mac delivers unprecedented levels of performance, extraordinary battery life, and access to more software than ever.

MacBook Air: A Thin and Light Powerhouse

MacBook Air is Apple’s most popular Mac and the world’s best-selling 13-inch notebook. With the M1 chip, MacBook Air speeds through everything from editing family photos to exporting videos for the web. The powerful 8-core CPU performs up to 3.5x faster than the previous generation. With up to an 8-core GPU, graphics are up to 5x faster, the biggest leap ever for MacBook Air, so immersive, graphics-intensive games run at significantly higher frame rates. ML workloads are up to 9x faster, so apps that use ML-based features like face recognition or object detection can do so in a fraction of the time. The M1 chip’s storage controller and latest flash technology deliver up to 2x faster SSD performance, so previewing massive images or importing large files is faster than ever. And in MacBook Air, M1 is faster than the chips in 98 percent of PC laptops sold in the past year.

With the industry-leading power efficiency of M1, MacBook Air also delivers this performance in a fanless design, which means no matter what users are doing, it remains completely silent. And the new MacBook Air features extraordinary battery life, with up to 15 hours of wireless web browsing and up to 18 hours of video playback — the longest battery life ever on a MacBook Air.

MacBook Air with M1 is an absolute powerhouse of performance and thin-and-light portability.

When compared to the previous generation, the M1-powered MacBook Air can:

Export a project for the web with iMovie up to 3x faster.
Integrate 3D effects into video in Final Cut Pro up to 5x faster.
For the first time, play back and edit multiple streams of full-quality, 4K ProRes video in Final Cut Pro without dropping a frame.
Export photos from Lightroom up to twice as fast.
Use ML-based features like Smart Conform in Final Cut Pro to intelligently frame a clip up to 4.3x faster.
Watch more movies and TV shows with up to 18 hours of battery life, the longest ever on MacBook Air.
Extend FaceTime and other video calls for up to twice as long on a single charge.

With M1, MacBook Air users can fly through projects in iMovie, exporting projects up to 3x faster.

With up to 18 hours of battery life, MacBook Air users can watch even more of their favorite movies and TV shows on a single charge.

On the new MacBook Air, FaceTime and video calls can go up to twice as long.

Other new features in MacBook Air include Apple’s latest image signal processor (ISP) in the M1 chip, which improves camera image quality with better noise reduction, greater dynamic range, and improved auto white balance and ML-enhanced face detection so users look their best during video calls. Support for P3 wide color results in an even more vibrant, true-to-life Retina display. The Secure Enclave in M1, combined with Big Sur, delivers best-in-class security with features like Touch ID, which makes it easy to unlock MacBook Air and make secure online purchases using Apple Pay with the touch of a finger. And Wi-Fi 6 delivers faster wireless performance, while two Thunderbolt ports with USB 4 support allow for connectivity to a wide range of peripherals.

With its sleek wedge-shaped design, stunning Retina display, Magic Keyboard, and astonishing level of performance thanks to M1, the new MacBook Air once again redefines what a thin and light notebook can do. And it is still just $999, and $899 for education.

Support for P3 wide color makes the Retina display on MacBook Air even more vibrant and true to life.

13-inch MacBook Pro: Even More Powerful and Even More Pro

The 13-inch MacBook Pro is Apple’s most popular pro notebook. Students use it to power through college, and pros use it to channel their creativity. With the M1 chip and Big Sur, the 13-inch MacBook Pro becomes even more powerful and even more pro. The 8-core CPU, when paired with the MacBook Pro’s active cooling system, is up to 2.8x faster than the previous generation, delivering game-changing performance when compiling code, transcoding video, editing high-resolution photos, and more. The 8-core GPU is up to 5x faster, allowing users to enjoy super smooth graphics performance whether they are designing a graphics-intensive game or a new product. And with M1, the 13-inch MacBook Pro is up to 3x faster than the best-selling Windows laptop in its class. ML is up to 11x faster, and for on-device ML tasks that use the Neural Engine, the new 13-inch MacBook Pro is now the world’s fastest compact pro notebook. With up to 17 hours of wireless web browsing and up to a staggering 20 hours of video playback, MacBook Pro delivers up to twice the battery life of the previous generation and the longest battery life ever on a Mac.

The 13-inch MacBook Pro with M1 delivers game-changing performance and the longest battery life ever on a Mac.

When compared to the previous generation, the M1-powered 13-inch MacBook Pro can:

Build code in Xcode up to 2.8x faster.
Render a complex 3D title in Final Cut Pro up to 5.9x faster.
Fluidly design intricate game scenes in Unity Editor up to 3.5x faster.
Perform ML tasks in Create ML up to 11x faster.
Separate out beats, instrumentals, and vocal tracks from a recording in real time in djay Pro AI, thanks to the amazing performance of the Neural Engine.
Play back full-quality, 8K ProRes video in DaVinci Resolve without dropping a single frame.
Compile four times as much code on a single charge, thanks to the game-changing performance per watt of the M1 chip.

With M1, the 13-inch MacBook Pro is up to 2.8x faster so users can compile code with incredible ease.

With the amazing performance of the M1 chip’s Neural Engine, users can perform machine learning tasks up to 11x faster than before.

The 13-inch MacBook Pro can play back full-quality, 8K ProRes video without dropping a single frame.

Other new features in the new 13-inch MacBook Pro include studio-quality mics for super clear recordings and calls, and Apple’s latest camera ISP in the M1 chip enables sharper images and more detail in shadows and highlights on video calls. The new MacBook Pro also delivers best-in-class security with the Secure Enclave in M1 and Touch ID. And it features two Thunderbolt ports with USB 4 support to connect to more peripherals than ever, including Apple’s Pro Display XDR in full 6K resolution.

With its amazing performance and unbelievable battery life, combined with its gorgeous Retina display, Magic Keyboard, and 3-pound compact design, the new 13-inch MacBook Pro is the ultimate expression of what the M1 chip can do. And it is available for the same starting price of just $1,299, and $1,199 for education.

The new 13-inch MacBook Pro is the ultimate expression of what the M1 chip can do.

Mac mini: Staggering Performance and an Ultracompact Design

Mac mini is Apple’s most versatile computer, and now with M1, it packs a staggering amount of performance and incredible new features in such a compact design. M1 brings an 8-core CPU with up to 3x faster performance than the previous generation, dramatically accelerating demanding workloads, from compiling a million lines of code to building enormous multitrack music projects. An 8-core GPU delivers up to a massive 6x increase in graphics performance, allowing Mac mini to tackle performance-intensive tasks like complex 3D rendering with ease. ML workloads also take a quantum leap forward with up to 15x faster performance over the previous generation. And when compared to the best-selling Windows desktop in its price range, the Mac mini is just one-tenth the size, yet delivers up to 5x faster performance.

The new Mac mini packs a staggering amount of performance into its ultracompact design.

When compared to the previous generation, the M1-powered Mac mini can:

Compile code in Xcode up to 3x faster.
Play a graphics-intensive game like “Shadow of the Tomb Raider” with up to 4x higher frame rates.
Render a complex timeline in Final Cut Pro up to 6x faster.
Take music production to new levels by using up to 3x as many real-time plug-ins in Logic Pro.
Magically increase the resolution of a photo in Pixelmator Pro up to 15x faster.
Utilize ML frameworks like TensorFlow or Create ML, now accelerated by the M1 chip.

With 3x faster performance, Mac mini dramatically accelerates demanding workflows like compiling code in Xcode.

With M1, graphics-intensive gaming on Mac mini is better than ever with up to 4x higher frame rates.

The new Mac mini takes music production to new levels, enabling up to 3x as many real-time plug-ins in Logic Pro.

Mac mini also features an advanced thermal design to sustain its breakthrough performance while staying cool and quiet, support for up to two displays including Apple’s Pro Display XDR in full 6K resolution, and Wi-Fi 6 for faster wireless performance and the Secure Enclave in M1 for best-in-class security.

With M1 and Big Sur, Mac mini represents a massive shift in what an ultrasmall desktop can do. Far more versatile and far more capable than ever, Mac mini is now available for just $699, $100 less than the previous-generation quad-core model.

macOS Big Sur

All new Macs come with Big Sur, the latest version of the world’s most advanced desktop operating system. Big Sur introduces a beautiful redesign that is entirely new yet instantly familiar, and powerful updates to apps including Safari, Messages, and Maps. Big Sur is engineered, down to its core, to take full advantage of all the capability and power of M1, delivering a massive boost in performance, astonishing battery life, and even stronger security protections. With M1, things users do every day feel noticeably faster and smoother. Just like iPhone and iPad, the Mac now instantly wakes from sleep. Browsing with Safari — which is already the world’s fastest browser — is now up to 1.5x speedier at running JavaScript and nearly 2x more responsive.⁶

With Big Sur and M1, Mac users can run a greater range of apps than ever before. All of Apple’s Mac software is now Universal and runs natively for M1 systems. Existing Mac apps that have not been updated to Universal will run seamlessly with Apple’s Rosetta 2 technology. And iPhone and iPad apps can now run directly on the Mac. Additionally, the foundations of Big Sur are optimized to unlock the power of M1, including developer technologies from Metal for graphics to Core ML for machine learning.

macOS Big Sur is engineered to take full advantage of the M1 chip in the new Mac lineup.

Pricing and Availability

The new MacBook Air, 13-inch MacBook Pro, and Mac mini with M1 are available to order today on apple.com and in the Apple Store app. They will begin arriving to customers and will be in select Apple Store locations and Apple Authorized Resellers starting next week. The new MacBook Air starts at $999 (US), and $899 (US) for education; the new 13-inch MacBook Pro starts at $1,299 (US), and $1,199 (US) for education; and the new Mac mini starts at $699 (US), and $679 (US) for education.
Customers are able to find the same great shopping and support services at apple.com/shop, in the Apple Store app, and at Apple Store locations. Customers can get shopping help from Apple Specialists, choose monthly financing options, trade in eligible devices, and get Support services and no-contact delivery or Apple Store pickup options. Customers are encouraged to check apple.com/retail for more information on the health and safety measures in place, and the services available, at their local store.
Additional technical specifications, configure-to-order options, and accessories are available online at apple.com/mac.

❤ Apple launches Apple Books for Authors website as guided resource to publication and more for Mac and Windows

Galaxy Expert May 9, 2020 Apple, Apple Mac, Apple MacBook, Apple MacOS, Featured, Lifestyle, Mac User Guide, News, Top Stories, windows, World Apple Book, Apple Book for Mac, Apple Book for Window, Apple Books, Apple Books for Mac, Apple Books for Window, Apple Repair, Apple Repair Costs, Apple Screen Replacement Costs, Apple Sydney CBD Repairs, Authors website

Apple has released a neat new rich resource today to help writers publish their content on its Apple Books platform. The new website walks through writing, publishing, marketing, and looking at analytics with Apple Books and since it’s web-based works with both Mac and Windows.

The new Apple Books for Authors website is live now. Here’s how Apple describes it:

Apple Books for Authors guides you through every step of your journey as an author, from structuring your story to packaging your digital book and selling it on our store. Even established authors will find valuable resources on how to grow sales and track performance.

The comprehensive guide walks authors through using Pages and iBooks Author apps as well as other popular options like Microsoft Word and Scrivener for the writing process. But there’s much more than that as Apple takes writers through preparing, publishing, audiobooks, marketing, and sales and reporting.

Apple also highlights some benefits to publishing with Apple Books compared to Amazon’s Kindle Direct Publishing like consistent royalty rate at all price points, no delivery fees, no limits on free book offerings, and no third-party ads.

Check out Apple Books for Authors on Mac or Windows at the new website here for all the details.

❤ PDFelement 7: The Best PDF Editor for Mac Gets Even Better

Galaxy Expert April 30, 2020 Apple, Apple Mac, Apple MacOS, Featured, Lifestyle, Mac User Guide, News, Repair Service, Review, Top Stories, World Apple, Apple Mac, Best PDF Editor, Best PDF Editor for Mac, Mac, PDF Editor, PDF Editor for Mac, PDFelement, PDFelement 7

In the past, we’ve told Apple World Today readers about PDFelement, a powerful tool for creating, editing and annotating PDF documents. The app is developed and supported by Wondershare, which has recently released PDFelement 7, the latest generation of this popular software. Download a copy today to see why PDFelement is the most popular PDF editor on the Mac App Store.

The free trial evaluation copy of PDFelement adds a watermark, but otherwise functions identically to the paid version.

Why PDFelement?

The fact that PDFelement is the best-selling PDF editor in the world is one reason why you should consider this app for your PDF needs, but there are more reasons than that. It’s also less expensive than its competitors, with volume licensing and educational discounts available. The app is easy to install and set up — using the power of the Mac App Store — in minutes.

Activation of the Pro features of PDFelement 7 is done through registration and a simple in-app purchase. Flexible licensing with either perpetual license ownership or yearly plan leasing is available.

What’s New In PDFelement 7

PDFelement 7 builds on the power and success of PDFelement 6, and now is even easier to use with an all-new user interface. Securing, modifying and sharing documents is now much more simple to accomplish.

Launch PDFelement 7 for Mac and you’ll see a clean interface with a list of your most recent documents. All those documents are one click away from editing, annotating, and sharing.

During testing of PDFelement 7 for this article, we found the page menu display (see image above) to greatly speed up the process of reordering pages in a PDF file. The pages of a document are presented in a grid format, and the user can then drag and drop images to reorder them or rotate them to change orientation.

Behind the clean, intuitive user interface of PDFelement 7 is a set of features that is ready for any size business, whether a one-person operation or large enterprise. Adding or changing headings and footers, editing text, and other document modifications are done much faster than in the previous version. Customized annotations and Bates numbering are now part of the new PDFelement.

Now that we’ve looked at the new features of PDFelement 7, let’s take a look at what it can do for you.

PDF Creation

For many people, it all starts with creating new PDF files for distribution to customers, readers or friends. You can actually create new PDFs from a scanner. Take an existing paper form, scan it, and then perform optical character recognition (OCR – a feature of PDFelement Pro) to either generate editable text or make a searchable text image.

Want to archive old documents by scanning them into PDF files? PDFelement can save PDF files in the PDF/A format that is designed especially for archiving and long-term preservation of electronic documents. It does this by embedding all of the information required to display the document in its original form into the PDF file.

Whether you’re using PDFelement on Mac or Windows, you get the same functionalities and experience, making it easy to support users in cross-platform environments. It also supports ten separate languages — English, French, German, Spanish, Russian, Portuguese, Italian, Japanese, Dutch and Chinese. This feature alone makes PDFelement indispensable in global enterprises.

PDF Editing

PDFelement 7 for Mac makes editing PDF documents simple. Whether the text inside a PDF requires editing, or it’s the images, pages, links, backgrounds, watermarks, headers or footers that need a fix, PDFelement has the tools you need to make a PDF perfect.

For text, PDFelement has both paragraph and single-line editing modes, with font type, size and style being easily adjustable. Images are just as easy to edit. Need to add, copy and paste an image? Consider it done! How about extracting an image from an existing PDF to be used in another document? It’s easy with PDFelement. Cropping and rotating images takes no time and effort at all.

PDF Annotation And Sharing

When you’re working on a group project, PDF annotation tools are a must. PDFelement’s toolset gives editors the ability to add fills, highlight text, draw on images and text, create and use stamps, and leave comments for future reference or rework.

Sharing sensitive PDF content can expose data to others and create privacy issues. That’s why PDFelement has the ability to lock down PDF content with passwords and permissions. Your documents can be shared immediately to Dropbox or Google Drive, or sent to others through email and messaging.

Should you need to pull data from PDF forms into a spreadsheet for analysis, PDFelement is there to turn a slow manual process into a speedy and automated batch process.

Try PDFelement 7 For Mac Today

Remember, PDFelement 7 for Mac is free to try. Just download a copy from the Mac App Store, and within minutes you’ll be trying out the world’s most popular PDF editor.

Wondershare also makes PDFelement versions for iPhone and iPad, the perfect mobile companion to the Mac version. You’ll be able to create, edit, annotate and share PDFs from anywhere.

❤ MacOS bug in Image Capture

Galaxy Expert April 29, 2020 Apple, Apple Mac, Apple MacBook, Apple MacOS, Featured, Lifestyle, Mac User Guide, News, Repair Service, Review, Top Stories, World Apple, Apple Mac, Apple Macbook, Bug on MacOS, Mac, MacBook, MacOS, MacOs Bug, MacOS bug in Image Capture

The Image Capture app comes pre-installed with every Mac, allowing users to easily import photos and videos from other devices.

How Apple is filling your hard drive with empty data.

Apples Image Capture.app is a very nice and simple tool to transfer photos from attached cameras to your Mac without the need to use heavy and slow launching apps like Apples “Fotos.app”.

Most unfortunately, in every single release since Mac OS X 10.10, Apple has added a lot of very embarrassing bugs to Image Capture.

Some of them got quickly fixed after we told Apple about them, but at the same time, Apple was very busy adding new bugs.

By pure chance, we have discovered a very disturbing bug recently that is able to quickly fill your macOS volumes with empty data.

Here is what happens.

If you connect an iPhone or iPad to your Mac, and use Image Capture to transfer the photos you took with the device to the Mac, you have the option to convert the HEIC photos taken by iOS to more standard JPG files. This requires you to uncheck the “Keep Originals” option in the settings for that iOS device, as shown here.

More specifically, the issue only affects users who import photos from an iPhone or iPad using Image Capture. Let’s say you want to manually transfer photos from your iPhone to a Mac via USB, and your photos are saved with the High Efficiency option (which is basically the HEIF format).

By unchecking the “Keep originals” option, macOS converts all HEIF image files to JPG automatically as you might expect.

The problem discovered by the NeoFinder team is that the Mac adds 1.5MB of empty data to each converted photo, making the imported files larger for no reason. By looking inside these photos through a Hex-Editor, you can find a section full of zeroes, which results in unnecessarily larger files.

With that said, if you import 1,000 images from your iPhone or iPad to your Mac using the Image Capture app, the bug will take up an additional 1.5GB of storage — which can be a lot for someone who owns a MacBook with 128GB of storage.

Apples Image Capture will then happily convert the HEIF files to JPG format for you, when they are copied to your Mac.

But what is also does is to add 1.5 MB of totally empty data to every single photo file it creates!

We found that massive bug by pure chance when working on further improving the metadata editing capabilities in NeoFinder, using a so-called Hex-Editor “Hex Fiend“.

Here is how the end of every single JPG file created by Apples buggy Image Capture.app looks like:

Apple has already been notified about the problem, but we don’t know when the company plans to release a macOS update to fix that bug. Until then, users can try the latest beta version of the Graphic Converter app, which removes the unwanted empty data from the JPG files. Of course, this is a colossal waste of space, especially considering that Apple is seriously still selling new Macs with a ridiculously tiny 128 GB internal SSD. Such a small disk is quickly filled with totally wasted empty data.

With just 1000 photos, for example, this bug eats 1.5 GB off your precious and very expensive SSD disk space.

We have notified Apple of this new bug that was already present in macOS 10.14.6, and maybe they will fix it this time without adding yet additional new bugs in the process.

❤ New iPad Pro gets privacy feature from Apple’s MacBooks

Galaxy Expert April 10, 2020 Apple, Apple iPad, Apple Mac, Apple MacBook, Featured, iPad User Guide, Lifestyle, Mac User Guide, News, Repair Service, Review, Top Stories, World Apple, Apple iPad, Apple iPad Pro, Apple Mac, Apple Macbook, iPad, ipad pro, iPad Pro gets privacy feature, iPad Pro gets privacy feature from Apple MacBooks, Mac, MacBook, privacy, privacy feature

Apple quietly added a new privacy feature to the latest iPad Pro, borrowing a MacBook security feature to help prevent eavesdropping on its 2020 tablets. With the launch of the 2018 MacBook range and the introduction of the Apple T2 security chip, closing the lid of the notebooks automatically disconnects the hardware microphones.

That way, in addition to the webcam obviously being covered, it means extra reassurance that apps and services aren’t secretly listening in through the microphones. Turns out, Apple has decided to so the same thing for its most expensive tablets, too.

An updated version of the Apple Platform Security document details the change. “iPad models beginning in 2020 also feature the hardware microphone disconnect,” it explains. “When an MFI compliant case (including those sold by Apple) is attached to the iPad and closed, the microphone is disconnected in hardware, preventing microphone audio data being made available to any software—even with root or kernel privileges in iPadOS or in case the firmware is compromised.”

As the document makes clear, you’ll need a specific type of case in order for this to work: one with MFI certification. That obviously means Apple’s own cases, like the Smart Keyboard Folio currently available and, come May, the new Magic Keyboard for iPad. However there are plenty of third-party cases that are also MFI compliant.

Logitech, for instance, has several keyboard cases that work with the iPad Pro if you want easier text entry than the iPadOS on-screen keyboard. Alternately, if you don’t need the physical keyboard – and the thickness that brings – there are cases from Otterbox, for example, that will lock and unlock the iPad Pro when closed and opened. They’ll also trigger the new hardware microphone disconnect in the process.

Digital eavesdropping has been long been a concern, but attention has ramped up in recent weeks as more people rely on devices like iPads to work from home. Video calling apps like Zoom have found themselves suddenly popular outside of their traditional enterprise audience, but that surge in users has also helped highlight security shortcomings. While Apple does have its approvals process to try to ensure software which makes it to the App Store isn’t also quietly tapping into hardware it shouldn’t, hardware disconnect for the microphone on the iPad Pro is another step for those particularly concerned about privacy.

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