AppleCare+ For Mac
In most situations, I tend to recommend that you buy Apple’s extended hardware warranty, called AppleCare. Apple enhanced AppleCare in 2017 so I think it’s an even more compelling option.
Read moreHardware
Information about the physical gadgets you use.
Regain Access To Your Airport or Time Capsule
Have you forgotten or misplaced your Airport or Time Capsule passwords? If so, you should consider using the Soft Reset feature that Apple builds into Airports and Time Capsules. You could also review my previous Tech Tip about retrieving your Airport password from your Keychain which could save you from having to perform a Soft Reset. I should … Read more
Display or Record Your iPad or iPhone On Your Mac
Do you need to make your iPad or iPhone’s screen show up on your Mac’s screen? If so, here are some options for you to consider: QuickTime AirSquirrels’ Reflector
Read moreConfigure Your iPhone To Delete Text Messages After 1 Year
To prevent your iPhone from accumulating gigabytes of text messages, I recommend that you configure it to delete messages after 1 year. Text messages are typically quite small so they won’t consume much space, but the photos and videos that are attached can gobble up space. If you’d like to save some of these attachments … Read more
Equip Your Next Mac With Enough Storage Space
If you’re going to be buying a Mac soon, please make sure you equip it with enough storage space. Here is how you can figure out how much storage space you currently use on your Mac and some guidance on selecting how much storage you might need in the years ahead.
Read moreSecurely Erase Your Mac’s Solid State Hard Drive
Do you want to either sell or retire a Mac that has a solid state hard drive (aka flash storage)? If so, it is prudent to securely erase the hard drive beforehand. Here are instructions on how to do this. This procedure will make all of your personal data inaccessible. There are two stages of this process. In phase … Read more
Consider Buying A Refurbished Mac, iPhone or iPad
Are you in the market for buying a Mac, iPhone or iPad? Would you like to get the best deal possible? If so, here are some suggestions on how to do some comparison shopping and some encouragement to consider buying a refurbished product.
Read moreCommon Ways To Eject A Disk From A Mac
Here’s a list of common ways to eject a disk from a Mac. This disk could be a CD, a DVD, a USB flash drive or an external hard drive. Some Apple keyboards have an eject key. It is commonly located in the upper right corner of the keyboard. Press the eject key to eject … Read more
Keep A Spare USB Mouse and USB Keyboard Handy
I recommend that everybody keep a USB mouse and USB keyboard handy. Whether you use a Bluetooth keyboard and mouse or ones connected by USB cables, I think you should keep a spare keyboard and mouse and this spare set should have USB cables. I recommend this for a couple of reasons. The primary reason is … Read more
ScanSnap S500M Replacing Roller and Assembly Pads
Does your Fujitsu ScanSnap document scanner have problems feeding documents? I love my ScanSnap and have used it nearly every day for many years. It finally had problems reliably grabbing pages and feeding them. The pages’ leading edge would get stuck and I’d have to fuss a bit to get the paper to feed properly. Earlier … Read more
How To Deal With Loud Fan Noises On Your Mac
Do the fans on your Mac make a lot of noise? In a sense, this is not a bad thing, but it it is worth investigating to try to figure out what is going on. Typically, the fans in your Mac are running all the time. They are just running at relatively slow speeds so they … Read more
Printer Recommendations
Would you like some guidance on selecting a new printer? Clients often ask me to recommend a good printer or tell them which printer they should buy. These requests are actually surprisingly difficult for two reasons. First, there are numerous printer manufacturers and each company makes a range of printer models which are often updated yearly so it … Read more
When To Consider Restoring An iPad Or iPhone
Some iPhone or iPad problems are only resolved by restoring your iPhone or iPad to factory settings. Apple’s support article details how to restore an iPhone, iPad or iPod Touch. Restoring a device is definitively one of the last techniques I invoke when troubleshooting iPhone or iPad problems. I have only invoked it when more traditional … Read more
Gain Access To A Locked iPhone Or iPad Using Recovery Mode
Do you have an iPhone or iPad that you cannot access? Is it locked by a passcode that you have forgotten? If so, you will need to use Recovery Mode to regain access to this device. Apple’s support article describes how to use Recovery Mode. Here are some important caveats:
Read moreIs It Okay To Use A MacBook Pro’s Power Adapter With A MacBook Air?
Have you ever wondered if you could use the power adapter that came with another model of Mac laptop with your Mac laptop? In most cases, the answer is yes, but there are a few details to be aware of. Apple’s Support article on the subject states the following. “You can use a compatible higher … Read more
Apple Will Service Macs, iPhones and iPads For 5 Years
Did you know that Apple only services Macs, iPhones, iPad and iPod for 5 years? Apple uses the term vintage to describe products that have been discontinued for more than 5 years. An Apple support article states that “Vintage products are those that have not been manufactured for more than five years and less than seven years … Read more
How To Hard Reset An iPhone Or iPad
Did your iPhone or iPad freeze and stop responding? If so, perform a hard reset. This procedure will fix many small issues. If your device continues to freeze then you may need to take more extensive measures, like performing a factory reset or taking it to the Genius Bar at an Apple Store. Here are instructions … Read more
Use Your iPhone 6 With One Hand Using Reachability
Do you own an iPhone 6, 6S, 6 Plus or a 6S Plus? If so, use Reachability to make it easier to use the phone with only one hand. The iPhone 6 (or 6S) and iPhone 6 Plus (or 6S Plus) come with 4.7″ and 5.5″ screens, respectively. Apple added a feature named Reachability to make … Read more
Quickly Access Your iPhone Camera
Will you be taking photos with your iPhone or iPad this holiday season? If so, here is the fastest way to access your device’s camera. Press the Home button on the face of the iPhone. Do you see the camera icon in the lower right corner? Press on this icon and simultaneously slide your finger … Read more
Enable Find My iPhone
If you own an iPhone make sure your Find My iPhone feature is enabled. Find My iPhone is one of the services offered by Apple’s iCloud service. The Find My iPhone feature helps you locate your iPhone, lock it and potentially erase it. Best of all, Find My iPhone is a theft deterrent since this feature … Read more