Devices compatible with Apple’s fall updates 2024
Apple Changes the name of your Apple ID Again
Apple ID. The single sign-on information used with all Apple products and services. Over the years, as Apple was implementing their Internet strategy, the poor Apple ID started off with many other names.
When I first got my Apple account, it was called a iTools. Over the years, the services evolved and change names to .Mac in September 2002, to MobileMe in June 2008, and finally to Apple ID in 2011. Hidden in a few lines of a press release, Apple announces that beginning with the operating systems coming in the fall of 2024 your Apple ID changes again. Now, Apple ID will be referred to as your Apple account. If you want to read more about this evolution, check this on Wikipedia.
In retrospect, Apple account probably makes more sense than all these other names that it’s been called over the years. Hopefully Apple account will become common in all the terminology that people use when they talk about logging into an apple device. But I still deal with clients, that when we have to look up their password in their password book, we have to look for .Mac, MobileMe, Apple ID, and now Apple account.
In an Apple Newsroom Press Release about features in the new releases, in the last paragraph, , Apple says,
With the releases of iOS 18, iPadOS 18, macOS Sequoia, and watchOS 11, Apple ID is renamed to Apple Account for a consistent sign-in experience across Apple services and devices, and relies on a user’s existing credentials.
So, beginning in September with the release of the new operating systems, we will begin referring to it as your Apple account.
Introducing Apple Intelligence
The next big step for Apple is here. Apple Intelligence is personal intelligence built into your iPhone, iPad, and Mac to help you write, express yourself, and get things done effortlessly.1 All while setting a brand-new standard for privacy in AI.
At WWDC24, Apple introduced Apple Intelligence, the personal intelligence system for iPhone, iPad, and Mac that combines the power of generative models with personal context to deliver intelligence that’s incredibly useful and relevant. Apple Intelligence is deeply integrated into iOS 18, iPadOS 18, and macOS Sequoia. It harnesses the power of Apple silicon to understand and create language and images, take action across apps, and draw from personal context to simplify and accelerate everyday tasks. With Private Cloud Compute, Apple sets a new standard for privacy in AI, with the ability to flex and scale computational capacity between on-device processing and larger, server-based models that run on dedicated Apple silicon servers.
Apple Intelligence unlocks new ways for users to enhance their writing and communicate more effectively. With brand-new systemwide Writing Tools built into iOS 18, iPadOS 18, and macOS Sequoia, users can rewrite, proofread, and summarize text nearly everywhere they write, including Mail, Notes, Pages, and third-party apps.
Whether tidying up class notes, ensuring a blog post reads just right, or making sure an email is perfectly crafted, Writing Tools help users feel more confident in their writing. With Rewrite, Apple Intelligence allows users to choose from different versions of what they have written, adjusting the tone to suit the audience and task at hand. From finessing a cover letter, to adding humor and creativity to a party invitation, Rewrite helps deliver the right words to meet the occasion. Proofread checks grammar, word choice, and sentence structure while also suggesting edits — along with explanations of the edits — that users can review or quickly accept. With Summarize, users can select text and have it recapped in the form of a digestible paragraph, bulleted key points, a table, or a list. For more on this, see Apple’s Press Release.
So, why does this all matter?
Apple intelligence is the first step in Apple’s process of implementing artificial intelligence in all of its operating systems. But unlike many other developers or development platforms, Apple decided to implement artificial intelligence as a means of completing tasks that users want to do this makes artificial intelligence much more, understandable to users rather than just implementing something that is supposed to answer all your questions and do everything for you. Apple’s implementation of this will allow users to have the control over whether the intelligence, comes from your laptop or your phone or the intelligence comes from the cloud in a large language model such as chat GPT. I think this is the beginning of an exciting transition for operating systems on Apple devices. We’ll see this all come to fruition in the fall with the operating system implementations coming this year..
Microsoft defines new PC reference platform
Microsoft recently introduced the world to a new category of Windows PCs designed for AI, Copilot+ PCs.
Copilot+ PCs are the fastest, most intelligent Windows PCs ever built. With powerful new silicon capable of an incredible 40+ TOPS (trillion operations per second), all–day battery life and access to the most advanced AI models, Copilot+ PCs will enable you to do things you can’t on any other PC. Easily find and rememberwhat you have seen in your PC with Recall, generate and refine AI images in near real-time directly on the device using Cocreator, and bridge language barriers with Live Captions, translating audio from 40+ languages into English.
These experiences come to life on a set of thin, light and beautiful devices from Microsoft Surface and our OEM partners Acer, ASUS, Dell, HP, Lenovo and Samsung, with pre-orders beginning today and availability starting on June 18. Starting at $999, Copilot+ PCs offer incredible value.
This first wave of Copilot+ PCs is just the beginning. Over the past year, we have seen an incredible pace of innovation of AI in the cloud with Copilot allowing us to do things that we never dreamed possible. Now, we begin a new chapter with AI innovation on the device. We have completely reimagined the entirety of the PC – from silicon to the operating system, the application layer to the cloud – with AI at the center, marking the most significant change to the Windows platform in decades.
The fastest, most secure Windows PCs ever built
Microsoft introduced an all-new system architecture to bring the power of the CPU, GPU, and now a new high performance Neural Processing Unit (NPU) together. Connected to and enhanced by the large language models (LLMs) running in our Azure Cloud in concert with small language models (SLMs), Copilot+ PCs can now achieve a level of performance never seen before. They are up to 20x more powerful and up to 100x as efficient for running AI workloads and deliver industry-leading AI acceleration. They outperform Apple’s MacBook Air 15” by up to 58% in sustained multithreaded performance, all while delivering all-day battery life. With incredible efficiency, Copilot+ PCs can deliver up to 22 hours of local video playback or 15 hours of web browsing on a single charge. That is up to 20% more battery in local video playback than the MacBook Air 15”.
Windows now has the best implementation of apps on the fastest chip, starting with Qualcomm. We now offer more native Arm64 experiences than ever before, including our fastest implementation of Microsoft 365 apps like Teams, PowerPoint, Outlook, Word, Excel, OneDrive and OneNote. Chrome, Spotify, Zoom, WhatsApp, Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Lightroom, Blender, Affinity Suite, DaVinci Resolve and many more now run natively on Arm to give you great performance with additional apps, like Slack, releasing later this year. In fact, 87% of the total app minutes people spend in apps today have native Arm versions. With a powerful new emulator, Prism, your apps run great, whether native or emulated.
Every Copilot+ PC comes secured out of the box. The Microsoft Pluton Security processor will be enabled by default on all Copilot+ PCs and we have introduced a number of new features, updates and defaults to Windows 11 that make it easy for users to stay secure. And, we’ve built in personalized privacy controls to help you protect what’s important to you. You can read more about how we are making Windows more secure
So, why are these new PC’s so interesting to me?
Microsoft is doing exactly what Apple did when they introduced the new M1 chip. They’re moving the machines over to an architecture that is much faster, and much more suitable for artificial intelligence. They even reference the MacBook Air in their documents describing the performance of these machines. New copilot plus PCs change the architectural discussion. As long as application developers follow along, and create applications that will all run natively in the arm architecture, these machines are going to be real rivals to Apples M1 processors.
It’s a little too early to be able to recommend these new computers for everyone. But for people who are using Microsoft applications like Microsoft Office, getting email, and surfing the web, these are a great option for you to get a machine that is more future proof than a lot of PCs on the market .
Apple has added a new Support site landing page
I’ve been told recently that Apple has added a new support site landing page. This is a location where you can look up information about your machine, find the manual, and get software updates for your Apple device. 
2024 Eclipse Video
This is a compilation video created by Jack Dodson and myself of the 2024 Eclipse. Jack and I travled to Bloomington IN and filmed the eclipse at the Trinity Reformed Church. It was a spectatular event that can never be reproduced on video but we created this to show some of the better video and photos we took.
Electronic Recycling Events
Spring 2024 Computer Recommendations
At least once a year I like to give my opinion on what type of a computer someone should be looking for if they’re in the market to purchase a new machine. Many times, there are so many computers on the marketplace that it’s hard to make a decision based upon the functionality you’ll need to use. Basically I break these into two categories, a minimum performance machine and a high-performance machine. If you are a high-performance user, you already know that. If you’re not sure, a minimum performance device is probably where you need to be working.
Often times in the big box stores you find machines that have some of the specifications but not all of them. Big box machines are typically built, particularly on the PC side, with a price in mind. Often times, the machine has specifications that don’t meet current use specs. This also shows up on many Internet sites. Be sure to look into the specifications you’re selecting for the machine that you’re looking to purchase.
In my opinion, brands do matter. Seeing many machines with problems, I can say that Macintosh computers are generally the most trouble free and will maintain good performance for a longer period.
But some people need Windows for specific applications. When it comes to Windows computers, my experience says that I would look for these brands (in order):
- Dell
- HP
- Lenovo
All three of these vendors maintain good support websites and make updating hardware drivers easier. That doesn’t mean much when the machine is new but as it ages, it means everything.
Windows Systems
Laptop, Minimum Performance
Memory: 16 GB
Processor: Intel Core i5 (with at least 4 cores)
Storage: 256 GB SSD minimum
Graphics: Integrated graphics
Networking: wireless
Operating System: Windows 11
Laptop, Higher Performance
Memory: 32-64 GB
Processor: Intel Core i7 or i9
Storage: 512 GB SSD minimum
Graphics: Integrated graphics or dedicated if available
Networking: wireless
Operating System: Windows 11
Foe Macintosh Systems, a MacBook Air is the correct machine for entry to mid stream users today. For more professional uses and MacBook Pro is great. If you want a desktop the new M3 iMac is great and either the Mac mini or Mac Studio on the higher end make great sense. Avoid the Mac Pro desktop. It’s price vs performance is low for nearly all users.
Macintosh Systems
Laptop, Minimum Performance
Memory: 8 GB
Processor: Apple M2 or M3
Storage: 256 GB SSD minimum
Graphics: Integrated graphics
Networking: wireless
Operating System: MacOS 14
Laptop, Higher Performance
Memory: 16-32 GB
Processor: Intel Core M2 Pro, M2 Max, or M3 series
Storage: 512 GB SSD minimum
Graphics: Integrated graphics or dedicated if available
Networking: wireless
Operating System: MacOS 14
10 MacOS lesser known features
I thought I did this year by giving you my top 10 list of lesser known MacOS features. These features are all in the latest release of MacOS. Enjoy.
1. **Quick Look for Files:** Press the spacebar on a file to use Quick Look, allowing you to preview its contents without opening an application.
2. **Batch Renaming Files:** Select multiple files and right-click to choose “Rename X items” for batch renaming.
3. **Markup in Preview:** Open an image or PDF in Preview, click the toolbox icon, and use the Markup tools for annotations and edits.
4. **Hot Corners:** Set up hot corners in System Preferences to trigger actions when you move the cursor to a corner of your screen.
5. **Time Machine Local Snapshots:** If your Time Machine backup drive isn’t connected, your Mac may create local snapshots for backups.
6. **Built-in Dictionary:** Hover over a word and press Command + Control + D to get a quick definition using the built-in dictionary.
7. **Preview Fonts in Finder:** In Finder, select a font file and press the spacebar to preview the font before opening it.
8. **Audio Equalizer:** Adjust audio settings using the built-in equalizer. Go to System Preferences > Sound > Sound Effects and choose an equalizer preset.
9. **Multiple Desktops:** Use Mission Control (F3 or swipe up with three fingers) to create and manage multiple desktops for better organization.
10. **Screen Recording with QuickTime:** Open QuickTime, go to File > New Screen Recording to capture your screen or create tutorials.
10 iOS lesser known features
I thought I did this year by giving you my top 10 list of lesser known iOS features. These features are all in the latest release of iOS for your phone and mostly for your iPad too. Enjoy.
1. **Magnifier Shortcut:** Triple-press the side or home button to enable the Magnifier tool, turning your iPhone into a magnifying glass.
2. **Custom Vibrations:** Create custom vibration patterns for specific contacts. Go to Settings > Sounds & Haptics > Ringtone > Vibration > Create New Vibration.
3. **Shake to Undo Typing:** Shake your iPhone to undo typing. A pop-up will appear, allowing you to undo or redo your last typing action.
4. **Hidden Level in Compass App:** Open the Compass app and swipe left to reveal a hidden bubble level useful for checking if a surface is flat.
5. **Offline Siri:** Siri can still perform certain tasks offline. Enable this in Settings > Siri & Search > Allow Siri When Locked.
6. **Hide Photos in the Photos App:** Select photos, tap the share icon, and choose “Hide” to move them to a hidden album.
7. **Text Replacement Shortcuts:** Create shortcuts for frequently used phrases in Settings > General > Keyboard > Text Replacement.
8. **Back Tap Shortcuts:** In Settings > Accessibility > Touch > Back Tap, you can assign actions to double-tap or triple-tap on the back of your iPhone.
9. **Live Listen for AirPods:** Use your iPhone as a microphone with Live Listen. Enable it in Settings > Control Center > Customize Controls, and then tap the hearing icon.
10. **Bedtime Mode in Clock App:** Set up Bedtime in the Clock app to create a sleep schedule and receive notifications when it’s time to wind down for the night.