No Need to Wait

        "OS X 10.10.2 is OUT, and so is iOS 8.1.3!"  John Carter alerts us, and he follows up with this, "So, for anyone waiting to update to Yosemite, stop waiting!

        And here's his own experience:  "My computer, iPhone, and iPad have been updated. The computer was updated automatically overnight and forced a restart, but that’s because I don’t turn off or sleep my computer and I am accepting automatic updates. 

        "The iPhone and iPad had to be updated manually. I have not had any problems during the first day after the update. But that doesn’t mean that all of the bugs were found and fixed. It does mean that the new OS an iOS are now mature enough to trust - in my opinion."

       And John advises, "If you haven’t updated to Yosemite, simply click on the Yosemite update icon in the App Store and take all the defaults. It will require you to authorize the update with your Apple ID and password. The download can take quite a while, especially with a slow Internet, so make sure that your computer will not go to sleep during the download."

        He concludes with this:   "After the download, just take all the defaults and fill in whatever information it may ask for. After the update to Yosemite, you will need to check for new updates once more and take all that are available. Those updates will be for applications like Pages, Numbers, etc. Take the updates whether or not you will ever be using the application."

iOS 8 Tips

        "Here’s a link to 32 tips for iOS 8 and the iPhone," begins Jim Hamm.  Look here at  http://www.techlook.net/2014/10/01/ios-8-tips  

        "Although these tips are specified for the iPhone, I'd guess many of the tips would work in an iPad running iOS 8."  So, stay tuned for more handy ideas . . . 

iCloud, iCloud Drive, and . . .

        "If you've upgraded to iOS 8 or Yosemite, perhaps, like me, you're trying to understand about -- and the differences between -- iCloud, iCloud Drive, Dropbox, and other 'cloud' storage options," Jim Hamm begins.  And he's got some good stuff to share.  Read on . . . 
        "Here are some articles that may help you understand the differences.To start off, take a read on this article. Then, take a read here on iCloud Drive. And finally, here's yet another article that asks whether now is a good time to use iCloud Drive? A question like this always makes me a bit nervous."  
        And you do picture Jim's grin at this point. So there's more . . . 
        "For me, it's easier to think of iCloud as another external hard drive (a storage repository), except the drive is in the 'cloud.' Then, I think of iCloud Drive as a way to access iCloud from any (almost) app, and to sync them. I do back up to iCloud, but haven't used it except to transfer my files, documents and apps to a new iPhone 6 from an older iPhone. It worked well for that. 
        "But on a daily basis I use Dropbox,  which is cross-platform, and always handy when I need it. So far, I've never actually logged into my iCloud account to see what's in there, or what it looks like. I don't seem to have a need to do so. As to iCloud Drive? Well, in theory I'm using it -- I've initiated it -- but haven't noticed any real results yet from using it. Perhaps with time."  
        So, thinking of his readers, Jim concludes, "Hopefully the above articles will be of some benefit in understanding these storage options."

Take Control of iCloud

        Everybody’s asking, “What is iCloud?”  Well, John Carter to the rescue.  See what he's got to say:  "The people at Take Control have answered this several times, and now they are doing it again with version 3.0 of Take Control of iCloud, which brings us up to date with all the latest features for Yosemite and iOS 8. This PDF or ePUB (you choose) book is available now on their website here at a 30% discount."

More on iCloud Drive

        First, we hear from Jim Hamm.  "If you've upgraded to iOS 8 or Yosemite you're probably aware you've now got iCloud Drive available. If you, like me, may be wondering what this is all about, here and here are two articles from the TidBITS Newsletter you may want to read."
        Jim winds up, for now, saying, "In theory, I use iCloud -- since I've uploaded 'stuff' to it --  but in practice I don't really use it as I find Dropbox (which I use frequently) more convenient. In fact, I've never even checked to see what might actually be in my iCloud account.  Now I've got iCloud Drive to wonder about and figure out how it fits -- if it does -- with iCloud."

How to Get Ready for an iOS8 Upgrade

       Shared via his Zite, Jim Hamm passes along this info:  Cult of Mac has posted how to get ready the right way; whether you're getting a new iPhone or not you'll want to upgrade to iOS 8 to take advantage of its many features.  Look here.  

Six Reasons Why You Should Not Immediately Upgrade

        "Here is something that should be interesting to iPad/iPhone owners. Maybe i will win the PWC Raffle:)."  See here.  David Passell continues, "If you're sticking with an older iPhone or iPad, or working in a business setting, upgrading to iOS 8 may be premature. Here are six good reasons not to upgrade just yet."

iOS 8, Thoroughly Reviewed

       This from Past Prez Art Gorski, "As usual, Ars Technica does a monster review of an Apple operating system. This time, they tackle iOS8, which was released to the public today."
ios-8-thoroughly-reviewed

Health Data Privacy Issues

        "Health data that will soon be stored on iOS 8-powered devices could be a gold mine for ad networks, but Apple has made it off limits for now," so begins the article recommended by David Passell.  He reiterates, "No, developers will not be allowed to sell your health data for targeted advertising.  Read about it here.                                                David adds, "ZDnet includes a 'more' link. This takes you to a lot of other sharing sites and email is at the top.  You are not limited to Facebook, Twitter, and 'inShare' (whatever that is).