Why You Should Use a Password Manager
If you want to secure your online accounts, a password manager is the best way to do this. Using a password manager offers the following advantages:
Read moreAuthor: Tim Hannon
Prepare for macOS, iOS, and iPadOS OS 27 by Updating to 26.6
Apple released macOS 26.6 Tahoe, iOS 26.6, and iPadOS 26.6 with a huge number of fixes for security vulnerabilities. However, the release notes for each also include an unusual comment along the lines of “optimizes the Spotlight index in preparation for macOS 27.” At WWDC, Apple promised a rearchitected Spotlight search engine that would be […]
Read moreThe Need To Be Proactive
If you know that a snow storm is approaching your home, do you prepare? Perhaps you stock up on some extra food, test your flashlight or your generator. Do you need to prepare? No, but you’ve likely learned that it’s better to prepare than to pay the price of running low on milk, bread, batteries, … Read more
Two Good Options for Free Email Accounts
If you’re considering setting up a new email account and want a free one, here are my recommendations for Mac users. Get either an iCloud email account, from Apple, or a Proton Mail account from Proton, a Swiss company. Not all free email accounts are the same. As you consider your options please keep in … Read more
Never Miss a Meeting Again with In Your Face
If you are often late to or miss meetings because Apple’s notifications are too easy to ignore, we recommend trying the In Your Face app. Available for the Mac, Windows, iPhone, iPad, and Apple Watch, In Your Face displays unmissable full-screen alerts and plays audible alarms for calendar events and timed reminders. Unlike standard notifications […]
Read moreDrag Documents to Apps in the macOS App Switcher
You undoubtedly know about pressing Command-Tab to bring up the macOS App Switcher and mousing to the app you want to switch to. Keyboard jockeys probably even know to keep holding Command down while pressing Tab or right-arrow to cycle to the right (press Shift-Tab, the grave accent/tilde key, or left-arrow to cycle to the […]
Read moreTry Swipe Typing with QuickPath on the iPhone
If you’ve had trouble moving from hunt-and-peck typing on the iPhone to the double-thumb typing approach many people prefer, consider QuickPath, better known as swipe typing. QuickPath isn’t new, but many people have never tried it seriously. With swipe typing, you put your finger down on the first letter of the desired word—say “giraffe”—and then […]
Read moreControl Center Is Improved—and Highly Customizable—in macOS 26 Tahoe
Control Center debuted on the iPhone over a decade ago in iOS 7 and made its way to the Mac in 2020 with macOS 11 Big Sur. However, through macOS 15 Sequoia, Mac users who wanted to tweak Control Center for their needs were limited to turning specific controls on or off. With macOS 26 […]
Read moreUnderstanding AI Today: No Longer Just a Chatbot
When ChatGPT launched in late 2022, using it was simple: you typed a prompt, and it generated text in response. That text came from a statistical model trained on data available at the time. If you asked ChatGPT about anything that had happened more recently, it either couldn’t help or would confidently make stuff up. […]
Read moreHow to Share Sensitive Information Securely over the Internet
At some point, most of our communications shifted from analog to digital: letters and phone calls became emails, texts, and video calls. With analog methods, we could generally assume that our private communications would remain private. Few people were going to steam open a letter or wiretap a phone line. The Internet changed that—digital communications, […]
Read moreShare Your Location Temporarily While Traveling
The next time you’re flying, driving, or biking to visit an iPhone-using friend or relative, try sharing your location temporarily so they can check in on your progress without constant “where are you now?” texts. In iOS 17 and later, open a Messages conversation with that person, tap the ⊕ button to the left of […]
Read moreApple Raises Prices on Macs and iPads, but not iPhones or Apple Watches… Yet
There’s no way to put a positive spin on this: Apple has raised prices across most of its product lineup, with increases averaging 20% on Macs, iPads, HomePods, the Apple TV, and even the Vision Pro. The iPhone and Apple Watch remain unaffected… for now. The price hikes took effect on June 25. In a […]
Read moreWhen Should You Upgrade Your Apple Devices?
The simple answer to “When should you upgrade?” is when your device no longer does what you need, or when you want something new. But that’s not helpful if you’re trying to make an informed decision—is there a sweet spot when it makes more sense to upgrade rather than squeeze another year out of your […]
Read moreUse Fake Contacts to Improve Dictation Accuracy
Apple’s Dictation feature is a great way to avoid slow typing on the iPhone and iPad, and it can be welcome on the Mac as well. But it struggles with proper nouns—it guesses wildly at unfamiliar names and often fails to capitalize common words that are part of a name (so you get “New York […]
Read moreNot Sure If You’re Presentable for a Video Call? Try Hand Mirror
Since the pandemic, video calls have become a fact of life for many of us, so much so that it’s now possible to sit down for a meeting without thinking about whether you’ve changed out of your pajamas or brushed your hair. (No judgment; we’ve all done it.) To ensure that you’re presentable before you […]
Read moreHow AI Vulnerability Detection Changes Software Security
The latest generation of AI models has fundamentally changed how quickly security vulnerabilities can be found in software, for both defenders and attackers. Understanding what’s happening helps explain why we keep emphasizing the importance of keeping your devices updated. In April 2026, AI company Anthropic announced Mythos Preview, an AI model with unprecedented capabilities for […]
Read moreUse Your AirPods as a Camera Remote
Have you ever wanted to activate the shutter button for your iPhone’s camera—for either a still photo or a video—when you’re not holding it? Selfie sticks often come with Bluetooth buttons that can do that, and starting in iOS 26, you also can use your AirPods 4 or AirPods Pro as a camera remote. While […]
Read moreChoosing the Best Mac for a College-Bound Student in 2026
If you have a college-bound student, it’s time to think about whether they need a new Mac. Perhaps their current computer is showing its age, or it was a high school loaner, or it would be better handed down to a younger sibling. Whatever the reason, navigating Apple’s current Mac lineup can feel overwhelming, especially […]
Read more10 Reasons to Upgrade to Apple’s Version 27 Operating Systems This Fall
Apple’s Worldwide Developer Conference keynote—the final public appearance for outgoing CEO Tim Cook—was different this year. Although it was still a tour of the changes we’ll see in version 27 of Apple’s operating systems, the company broke it into three parts. The first focused on interface refinements, performance improvements, and feature tweaks that smooth rough […]
Read moreWhy I Recommend Replacing Devices Before They Stop Working
I recommend replacing your Mac, iPhone or iPad on a proactive schedule, rather than waiting for your device to break or fail in some other manner. Here’s why. The core issue is not performance — it’s security support. When Apple ends operating system updates for a device, that device stops receiving patches for newly discovered … Read more