And Now, The End is Near……

Posted on by

Beginning this week users of that venerable old operating system Windows 7, willl begin seeing prompts such as this at random intervals. Microsoft has been clear that the day of Windows 7 has passed and its time to begin to plan for the end.

As I work with users of Windows 7, I have certainly heard it all.  “I just like Windows 7”; “I don’t want to learn anything new”; “I heard Windows 10 had lots of bugs”; “I don’t want to change”, the list of excuses in endless.  But the time for excuses is gone.

What does the end of support mean to you

Ending support means Microsoft will no longer provide updates or security patches for Windows 7. So, as time passes, Windows 7 will likely become the main target of hackers.  More and more malware will be targeted at Windows 7.  If you are a user of Windows 7 at home, it likely may not mean much to you.  If a hacker destroys your operating system you may only lose your music library and all your pictures of your kids.  That’s not a problem because you have a good backup, right??  But if you are a business user, the elimination of security patches is critical.  You may end up exposing your customers data to hackers, cause a network wide infection, or have your computer crash at the wrong time.

There was a point in time when Microsoft made Windows 10 available for free to Windows 7 users but that time has past and Microsoft has shown no direction to give it away for free again. Your options are clear:

  1. Update to Windows 10 on each machine for a cost of between $139 and $199 depending on the version you need.  And don’t forget the labor cost to install it.
  2. Replace your computer with a new Windows 10 machine (or maybe a Mac)
  3. Take the risk that you won’t have any problems

The choice is yours…. Well maybe.  If you work with data that must be kept secure such as HIPPA information or SEC data, you may not have any choice at all.  Regardless, does it really make sense to update a machine that is a minimum of 5 years old when new replacement office machines may cost between $500 and $700 dollars?

So plan now and beat the rush. January 14, 2020 is the date and the clock is ticking.  It’s time to face the final curtain for Windows 7.  It was a long run but all good things come to an end.

 

 

Bottom Line: Don’t Update Flash Player

Posted on by

OK folks, it’s worth saying again, there are no dancing kitties or laughing dogs worth the risk of accepting an update to flash player. This specific post is going to cover updating your Mac flash player, but the same goes for flash player on the PC.  The only way to ensure that you don’t get caught from a scam flash player installer is to not update flash player.  

Analysts say that the the number one way that computers, particularly Macs get infected with malware is through flash player updates.  It usually happens like this. 

You’re surfing the web, perhaps looking for entertainment or searching for a product you want to purchase at a great price. All of a sudden you get a prompt that pops up telling you that your flash player is outdated and needs to be updated. This prompt looks completely legitimate. It looks just like the prompts from Adobe that you seen in the past.  But what you don’t realize is that it is truly a phishing scam it’s designed to look like a standard update.  If you click update, guess what? You’ve just infected your Mac with malware. Very likely you won’t even notice for a while because these type of infections typically download what’s called a “stub“.  This small program will run in the background and download other malware on to your machine. Perhaps it will change your homepage in your browser, maybe it’ll change your search engine to a search engine that looks just like Google but isn’t.  Maybe you’ll begin seeing pop-ups every once in a while. These are all signs that one click has infected your computer. 

This process is very similar on a PC. But typically, malware installed on a PC is much more advanced and can often search your computer for personal data and send it off to some website in the sky.

The answer is simple. Eliminate flash from your life. Resist the idea of installing, or updating flash on your machine. It just isn’t worth it. The risk of being infected from some of these flash player update prompts is much greater than any value you get from a little flash video.  You see the truth is, developer is no longer develop legitimate applications in flash. It’s old technology, it’s far from secure, and there are much better tools to develop anything current. 

But, there are millions of existing flash developed apps still out there on the web. Many of these are games that were developed 15 years ago when it was the only technology that would allow you to move things around on the screen easily. Even more might be ad platforms that allow people to use a JPEG and a link to purchase placements on legitimate websites. Whatever they are, the ability for you being able to see these is nowhere near worth the risk of problems installing flash player updates can cause.  

If you ever see prompts similar to this, ignore them. Move on.  There is plenty of content on the web for you to be able to see that doesn’t require flash player.

Often times, I finish a discussion such as this by describing the correct way to update your flash player. But I’ve recently seen so many of these infections on peoples Macs That I just can no longer recommend using flash at all. I’m sure you can search the web and find the correct way to do flash updates but my recommendation to you is to forget about flash, and forget about those puppies and kitties that often times lure us into clicking on things that hurt us.

360° Photography

Posted on by

One of the new photo types available with some cameras is 360° photography. The photograph below is a 360° photo taken with a Insta360 One X camera. Photos like this give you the ability to have a perspective of the scene from any direction regardless of the way you were pointing. The camera itself has two lenses each with a 180° field of view. Each lens takes a photo and the two photos are stitched together. As part of the stitching process the software removes the camera from the photo. It’s actually quite interesting to see the results.

Click on the image below and move your mouse around to see the full scene.

The 2019 State of the Chromebook and ChromeOS

Posted on by
Dell Inspiron Chromebook 14 – an aluminum cased machine that meets all my requirements

A Chromebook is a laptop of a different sort. Instead of Windows 10 or macOS, Chromebooks run Google’s Chrome OS. These machines are designed to be used primarily while connected to the Internet, with most applications and documents living in the cloud.

I was fortunate enough to see and play with one of the very first Chromebooks. A buddy of mine somehow manage to get himself on Googles beta test list and Google send him one of the first original Chromebooks.  While a very interesting piece of hardware, it was so limited in function that I somewhat had written Chromebooks off as a ‘browser in a can’ device that only ran the rather new Chrome browser.  Boy how things have changed.

In those early days, Chrome OS was in it’s infancy.  There was little support for attached hardware, printing was difficult to setup, and unless you could find a web based application to perform all your tasks, you were left feeling that a Chromebook could not work as your primary device.  But that was 2011!  Today, a Chromebook is a much different experience.

So what has changed.  First off, Chrome OS has been improved to allow a more user-friendly and robust experience.  Gone are the days that setting up printing required Using Google remote print.  Most network attached printers these days are recognized and easily setup in Chrome OS.  Chrome also recognizes hardware additions like USB drives, keyboards, mice, and cameras.

Also gone are the needs for web applications to be available to make a Chromebook work for you.  All Chromebooks released since late 2017 can also run Android apps. Some Chromebooks can run Linux apps.  In fact, if you are an android phone user, you will feel quite at home using many of the same applications you use on a phone.  And iOS users need to remember that while you don’t get that integration from being in an all Apple ecosystem, most applications you use in iOS are also available for Android and guess what, they look and feel nearly the same as iOS.

Benefits of a Chromebook

Why might you want to consider a Chromebook?

  • Lightweight OS – A Chromebook requires many less resources to perform well that a Windows machine or a Mac.  
  • Long battery life – 12 hours is an average life for a Chromebook.  Some get 14 hours.  You can get close to that in a Mac but a Windows machine can’t come close
  • Optimized for Google apps – If you are a Google user and particularly if you have your life in Google its a great fit.  Everything works seamlessly and syncs with the google cloud.  If you lose or break the Chromebook, you just log back in with your google account and everything downloads and sets itself back up.
  • Fast boot times – MacOS machines with an SSD boot very fast but Chromebooks are truly instant.  Lift the lid and you’re ready to go.
  • Browser-based simplicity – Because you do most things in the chrome browser, everything happens quickly and simply.  IF you can surf the web you can be productive in ChromeOS.
  • Extremely thin and light – Chromebooks can be light, thin and cheep.  Like most things, these machines are not the best user experiences but there are Chromebooks available today that are just as high quality as a Mac or high end windows machine.  Plus they cost about half the cost of these machines.

Not for Everyone

  • Limited Storage – Some Chromebooks have very limited storage.  All are SSD but with some as low as 16GB, that could be a problem.  You can get more but the price does go up
  • Cloud based data storage – Google provides cloud storage in Google Docs for two years with the Chromebook purchase and extending that storage is inexpensive.  So storage is not really an issue.  Remember you have to get your files in Google Drive to make good use of this storage.
  • Cheeper machines can be slow – You can get a wicked fast Chromebook but you can also get a dog.  Be sure to look at my spec recommendations to see what you need to look for.
  • Internet based – Keep in ming that while Chromebooks can work off-line, making full use of a Chromebook requires a Wi-Fi connection. If you commonly work without am internet connection, be sure what you do will work while you are off-line.
  • Microsoft Office is available but… – With the availability of android apps, Microsoft office is available  in ChromeOS. To take full advantage, you will need a Microsoft 365 subscription for licensing, but if you use office, that’s a small price to pay.  But also don’t forget the Google Applications like Docs, Sheets, and Slides that can do the same thing for you.
  • Video Editing is limited but doable – There are certainly some good online video editing services like WeVideo that you can use on a Chromebook. However, Chromebooks do not support professional video editing programs like iMovie, FinalCut Pro or Adobe Premier.  If these are a requirement in your workflow, you may not be happy here.
  • Some Professional software is not available… yet – If your a Photoshop user, you probably dont need to consider Chromebooks.  It isn’t available and many would not be fast enough for it if it was.  But there are plenty of other image editors that can perform many of those tasks.  So consider if Photoshop is a requirement or a prestiege statement for you.  
  • If your a hard core gamer, this may not be for you.  You can play thousands of games on a Chromebook but not the high performance shoot em up games may young people require.  Perhaps that’s why these are such a good fit for schools…

Who does a Chromebook fit?  

These machines are a natural for school systems.  By March 2018, Chromebooks made up 60% of computers purchased by schools in the USA.  Why is this trend continuing to grow?  Because of the absolute manageability of ChromeOS.  

But in my experience, many computer users would do fine with a Chromebook.  If you are a web browse who uses email, writes some documents and has some spreadsheets, uses phone apps for most things these days, and is willing to learn a little different way to work, a Chromebook is perfect for you.

If you are one of the many computer users that just can’t seem to keep your machine from getting Viruses and Spyware, ChromeOS is a much better and controlled environment to be in.  Viruses don’t exist and Chrome malware is easily dealt with.

What should I look for?

Like most computer purchases, the cheapest one is not the best one.  While a Chromebook can work with many fewer resources, some hardware leads to a much better user experience.  Here is what I would look for if you want to go the Chromebook route.

  • Processor – Chromebooks can run on a much lighter processor than a Windows or Mac machine. I would still look for an Intel processor of sometype but anything in the M3, or Core i3 line should be plenty good
  • Ram – 4GB ram is fine, 8GB is great.  Don’t consider one with just 2GB
  • Built in Storage – I think 32GB is a minimum.  You can push all your files to Google Drive but there is some need for application preferences and local files.  64GB is better
  • Display resolution – Many… most Chromebook have a display resolution of  1366 x 768 but I think a Full HD or FHD display will be much nicer in the long term.  Look for a 1920 x 1080 display.  More resolution is alway better . Actual screen size is a personal preference.
  • Touch screen display – since you will be using some Android applications designed for touch, a touch screen display is a nice addition.
  • Wireless – Be sure the wireless is 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac.  The AC part allows support for the latest standard wireless.
  • Other items to future proof your purchase – A USB 3.1 port is a must.  USB C is much better. A Card Reader of the microSD variety allow you to add storage if needed.  

If these specs sound daunting, it is because Chromebooks go from very inexpensive to much more expensive.  So the specs can run the gauntlet.  Do your homework up front and find a machine that fits what you want to do.  Plan to be in the $375 to $599 price range to meet all these specification requirements I describe.

Conclusion

With the advent of built-in android support in today’s Chromebooks, a Chromebook could be a good fit for your next laptop. Do your research upfront and make the decision that you’re going to move most of your files to the cloud before you even start. If you do this, and orient yourself into the Google ecosystem, the move to a Chromebook will be seamless and efficient.

Like any computer purchase, consider all your options but don’t overlook a Chromebook in that consideration. It might just be the best choice you’ve ever made.

Mac Recommendations for 2019

Posted on by

Often times people ask me which Mac would I recommend for them to purchase.  Everyone has different needs and wants so it is hard to create a written post that defines which machine would be the best to purchase.  Apple is changing machine configurations a few times a year so anything I would write here would likely be superseded within a few months anyway.  So what can I put in writing that would be universal to anyone looking for a new Mac?

In the last few weeks I have had the opportunity to setup a few new machines for people.  I have setup a new MacBook Air and a couple of iMacs.  From these experiences, here is the recommendation I will be sticking with for 2019.

Never ever purchase a Mac with a Spinning Drive Again

In 2019, I vow to make this single recommendation to anyone that asks me “Which Mac should I Purchase?”.  By a Mac with a Solid State Disk Drive (SSD)!  

Some of you might ask why this is so important. Why is an SSD so much better?  There are no moving parts to an SSD. Rather, information is stored in microchips. Conversely, a hard disk drive uses a mechanical arm with a read/write head to move around and read information from the right location on a storage platter. This difference is what makes SSD so much faster.

In recent years, beginning with Apple’s Sierra operation system (10.12), Apple has been optimizing there operating system for faster solid state drives.  In fact, in this years release of Mojave (10.14), Macs with spinning disks are terribly slow.  Very noticeably slower than a machine with a SSD.  If you check the activity monitor you can see that the disk is continuously thrashing as it reads and writes and a spinning disk just can’t keep up.

Many of you may be under the mistaken impression that all Macs have Solid State Drives.  That’s not exactly the case.  If you are in the market for a laptop, you are pretty much golden.  All the MacBooks, MacBook Air’s, and MacBook Pros that are current model machines are now outfitted with a solid state disk.  I can definitely argue that some of these machines are better choices than others depending on a persons individual needs but all of these pass George’s Disk Test.  They have SSD’s installed by default.

If you are looking for a desktop, the MacPro, and now the new Mac mini are all outfitted with the solid state disk too.  But many people are looking for an iMac and that’s where thing become a problem.  iMacs are still sold with spinning disks in the default configuration.  In fact, the lower cost iMacs not only ship with a spinning disk, they ship with a 5400 rpm disk.  We could talk about what the difference in rpm speed is but suffice it to say, these disks were shipping in Macs 15 years ago.  That is how old 5400 rpm drives are.  These disks are way past prime and brand new 3 ghz iMacs equipped with these disks are miserable to use, difficult to update, and overall a poor Mac experience.  There is nothing worse than dropping over a grand on a new Mac only to find it is no faster than your 8 year old machine.

In some configurations, Apple ships a Fusion drive in new iMacs.  A Fusion Drive is two separate drives ‘fused’ together. It contains a Serial ATA drive (that’s a regular hard drive with a spinning plate inside) and a solid-state drive.

MacOS places the more frequently accessed files on the flash storage part of the drive so that they are always quick to obtain, while less frequently used data is stored on the hard drive.

The benefit of this solution is that you get the best of both worlds. Faster operation thanks to the fact that the data you use most regularly is accessed quickly from the Flash part of the Fusion Drive, and a lots of storage space for keeping all your files, photos, movies and more backed up.  While this is much better than a standard spinning drive only configuration, it is still not as fast as a solid state drive for all your storage.  If this is all you can afford, it is acceptable but a better solution might be to get the SSD only in the Mac and add a low cost external drive to expand your storage.

So if you are purchasing a new iMac, stay away from spinning drive machines,  Spend performance you want in a new computer by selecting a machine with a SSD built in.  You will be much happier with your new machine.

So what will I tell people who tell me the SSD machines are just too expensive?  If you can’t swing the extra cost for a machine that performs the way a Mac should…. perhaps you need to be looking at a new PC instead of a Mac.  They are certainly less expensive.



Whats New in MacOS 10.14 – Mojave

Posted on by

Like each update to MacOS, there are hundreds of new features.  Here is a list of the ones I find particularly useful.

Dark Mode

One of the major changes in Mac OS Mojave is the addition of the dark mode. Personally, I find a dark mode to be beautifully stunning. It lets the colors within applications pop and provides a completely new experience in using your Mac. You can turn this on in the system preferences general panel. 

Photos from iPhone

Blink and you might miss it, but Mail hasn’t only gained a button that lets you place emojis in your message, but it gets another that lets you place an image. Click this, and you can choose to use an existing image or directly scan/capture a new one from your iPhone.  This feature is also available from the desktop by Control-clicking on the desktop and selecting Import from iPhone.  For this to work, you iPhone needs to be unlocked and on the same wifi network as your Mac.

Favicons

A favicon is small icon associated with a particular website, usually displayed before the URL in a web browser. Until this release, Safari did not provide support for these cute icons but with this release you can turn favicons. Within safari, go to preferences, tabs, and turned on Show website icons in tabs.

Dynamic Desktop

In system and preferences, desktop and screensavers, a new screen view exists for the desktop. It’s called dynamic desktops and Apple provides one related to the safari motif. The desktop picture on your screen changes over today as the sun would change in the Mojave Desert. A very nice look.

 

Stacks are a great addition to MacOS.  This lets you store files of the same kind such as PDF, JPG, etc in a single icon on the desktop rather than cluttering your desktop with many files.  To turn it on, Control-click on the desktop and select Use Stacks.  In the same location you can set what type of stacks it creates.  I find the Kind method to be the best for me.

Recent apps in the Dock

You’ll like this iPad feature. Icons for the three most recently used apps that you don’t already keep in your Dock will be made visible between the Settings and Downloads icons. This is enabled in System Preferences>Dock using the Show recent applications checkbox.

Automatically keep your Mac updated

Apple has moved Software Updates to its own dedicated pane in System Preferences. Open it, and you can ask your Mac to automatically check for and install software updates. You can also require it to automatically install app updates and security updates for you.

Tighter permissions

Apple has taken a step toward convincing Mac users not to cover their iSight cameras with tape when not in use by introducing new Security System Preferences that will tell you when apps request access to your Camera or microphone. Another security enhancement (available in Notifications) lets you decide if you want to always show notification previews for an app or if you want these to be made visible only when your Mac is unlocked. That’s useful if you work in a public place.

New Screenshot Tool

You have always been able to use Command-Shift-3 to capture the full screen or Command-Shift-4 to capture a section of the screen.  In MacOS Mojave you can now use Command-Shift-5 to bring up a new screen shot tool.  With it you can capture the entire screen, a portion of the screen, or a selected window.  But this tool gives you the ability to capture a video of the screen or a portion of the screen.  There are options to select where to save the file and to set a timer delay for the capture to happen.  

New Mac App Store

Apple first debuted the Mac App Store in 2011 but has given it very little love since then. With macOS Mojave, it is giving the App Store a complete redesign similar to the one it debuted with iOS 11 last year. Apart from the new design, there’s a new Discover tab which would be updated on a weekly basis by editors over at Apple to help you discover new apps.

Gallery View in Finder

The Finder gets a new Gallery View in macOS Mojave which makes it easier to skim through your photos and videos. It also has metadata support which is displayed in the Preview pane so you can quickly see important details of a photo.

With this release, apple has begun the process of making iOS applications work on the Mac.  Apple debutes 4 iOS apps in MacOS Mojave.

Apple News App

macOS finally gets a dedicated Apple News app with a new design. There’s also a sidebar in the app for easy and quick navigation.

Home App

There’s a new Home app in macOS as well that will allow macOS Mojave users to control their HomeKit-enabled accessories easily.

Voice Memo

Another iOS app that is going to be available in macOS Mojave is Voice Memo. Using the app, one can quickly and easily record personal notes, meetings, and more. Voice Memos are also synced across all your devices using iCloud.

Stocks

Finally, the Stocks app is also going coming to macOS Mojave with a brand new interface, personalized watchlist, and interactive charts.  This app is basically the same as the iPad version of the Stocks application.

 

 

Here is a feature you can put in the Not quite there yet file….

Group FaceTime

Apple is debuting Group FaceTime with iOS 12 and the feature is also a part of macOS Mojave. With Group FaceTime, you can make a group video call comprising of up to 32 people. Even better, you can use Animoji, Memoji, stickers, and more while on a FaceTime call now.

This will be added soon in a MacOS update, likely at the same time it gets added too iOS.

I am sure there are quite a few more interesting things in Mojave but those are a few I find most useful.

iPhone X: Return to the first home screen

Posted on by

Many of us have been using iPhones for a long time. We all know if you’re on a home screen that is not the first page you can simply double tap the home button to return to the first page of your home screens. Unfortunately, without a home button, the iPhone X doesn’t work that way.

I I have always wondered if Apple provided a shortcut on the iPhone X to do that and so I looked it up. It’s amazing I haven’t run across this simple trick before.

On the iPhone X To move from any application back to the home screen all you have to do is quickly swipe up from the bottom of the screen. But if you’re already on one of your home screens, and you again swipe up from the bottom of the screen quickly, it takes you right back to that first page of your home screen just like double tapping the button did in the past.

I probably should’ve looked at trick up sooner.

Look folks, it’s just a scam!

Posted on by

I have heard from a number of people this week that they have gotten calls, mostly on landline phone numbers, from someone reporting to be Apple  telling them that their computer was infected and their accounts with Apple were being discontinued. We’ve seen this happen before and like times before this is just a scam.

The interesting thing this time is those people with caller ID say, this time the Number calling is a local area code. Scammers these days are making it harder and harder to screen your calls.

Let me make a pretty bold statement. Apple, Microsoft, and Google will not call you on your phone to tell you you have a computer problem. They just don’t do that! Anytime you get a call to tell you there’s something wrong with your computer it is someone trying to scam money from you. You can count on this. Ignore those phone calls, Hang up the phone, or cuss the collar out if that makes you feel better but do not allow anyone to connect to your computer remotely unless you know who you’re talking to.

Likewise, if a screen pops up on your computer while your web browsing and tells you your machine is infected and you need to call a phone number, it is a scam. Again, someone is trying to get you to call them and allow them to infect your computer. Sometimes these pop-up screens are hard to get rid of, and often times require you to force quit your browser, but they are not real.

Even secure devices like iPads, iPhones, or chromebooks, are susceptible to this same type scam. These people are using a webpage pop up, many times coming from an ad on that webpage, to make you believe there’s a problem when there really isn’t.

All of these efforts, are called social engineering. Computers have become so secure that it’s very difficult for a nefarious person to get access to your computer on their own. It is much easier to do something that convinces you to infect your self. That’s what they’re trying to do. Don’t let them be successful.

If you are troubleshooting a problem, and you call Apple  or Dell for assistance, sometimes they will ask to connect your computer to look at what’s going on. The big difference here is you initiated the call to Them. It was at your choice and not as a result of some pop up message on your screen or a phone call coming into your home. In this case, it’s likely all right to allow them to connect but if you’re not sure you are much better off consulting with someone who can assist you locally rather than taking the risk.

And so it goes…

Which iPad is for me?

Posted on by

In the past couple weeks I’ve probably had four or five different folks asked me which iPad they should get. Apple provides a number of choices in iPads but a major part of the decision is based upon the size of the screen. The first thing I usually tell people to consider is the screen size. 

Originally, the iPad was a 9.7 inch device.  Apple has continued that size in its major consumer market device the six generation iPad. For most people that size is perfect. It’s larger than a phone but not so large that it’s hard to carry around with you.  But if 9.7 is not for you, Apple has other choices. 

The iPad mini with a 7.9 inch display is still available. I often caution people but the iPad mini has not been updated in quite a while so it’s performance is not the best. It also only comes in a 128 GB configuration. There are plenty of uses for devices that size, particularly in Home control. This iPad can be popular with women who want to be able to carry their iPad in their purse. 

If you’re interested in a larger screen size, you need to look to the iPad Pro models. iPad pros are available in 10.5 inch displays and in 12.9 inch displays. One interesting thing is that the 10.5 inch model is really not much larger than the 9.7 inch six generation. So size for carrying really doesn’t make much difference there. The largest iPad Pro is a mammoth. The display is it as large as many computer displays so an iPad of that size is sometimes a little hard to carry around.

Once you get an idea of what size screen you’re interested in the next thing to look at is the features of the device. Memory is one of the major things that differentiates cost in many of the iPads. A minimal amount of memory is 32 GB and that’s what Apple provides and it’s entry-level devices. The next step these days tends to be 128 GB and typically adds about $100 to the cost.  You can’t even get 256 GB in an iPad Pro if you have the need. For most people, 32 GB is plenty.  If you are a content creator or take a lot of pictures with your iPad, you probably should consider a larger size. But basically when looking at Apple’s lineup, the entry-level devices in each model typically provide a enough memory for the average user.

In addition to screen size differences, the iPad Pro models also provide extra functionality. They have the ability to add apples keyboard, which by the way doesn’t require batteries or Bluetooth pairing.  Until recently, the ability use an Apple Pencil with the iPad was one of the features the pro had that you could not get in a standard iPad. But Apple recently introduced it six generation that has Apple Pencil support so that’s really not a consideration any longer.

The iPad Pro models also have better displays. The displays are not just higher resolution. They also definitely have better color tone and less reflectivity. An iPad Pro Is significantly more expensive than the six generation iPad. While there are people who need this additional functionality and can make great use the device,  the average user is probably not in that category.

There also performance differences between the iPad Pro and six generation model but in my opinion these are pretty minor. Functionality within the operating system is just about the same between the two devices. Both of these devices are very fast. Unless you’re looking for the absolute top-of-the-line performance, I don’t think that performance differences make much of a difference in your choice.

For more information about the differences between these iPads, check out Apple‘s website to see a feature by feature comparison.

I typically use a 10.5” iPad Pro. With the advent of the six generation iPad the differentiation between the iPad Pro in the iPad is much less, at least for now. That being said, my recommendation is that most people seriously consider an entry-level six generation iPad for $329. 

The new six generation iPad is a great blend between performance, size, and functionality. Fortunately for all of us, because Apple is trying to get this device used in the education market, Apple has priced it at a reasonable cost.

But Apple never stops.  You can count on Apple revising the iPad Pro soon to better differentiate it from the sixth generation model.

If you’re really not sure about the differences between the devices, head out to a Best Buy where you can see them both side-by-side. But now that you know a little bit more about the differences, don’t let the Best Buy salesman upsell you to an iPad Pro if you really don’t need it.

Adapters for the Thunderbolt 3 (USB-C) or USB-C port on your Mac

Posted on by

If the cable from your external display, hard drive, camera, or other device doesn’t connect to the Thunderbolt 3 (USB-C) or USB-C port on your iMac Pro, iMac, MacBook Pro, or MacBook, you might need an adapter.

Apple has a tech support article describing many of the connected types you may want to use.  While this article is not completely comprehensive everything available, it’s a great place to start.

Posted in Mac