Learn Via Video, etc.

        Helpful PMUG leader John Carter scores big with this link, www.macmost.com/  and you'll want to take a look at this website.  Turns out they have more than 900 FREE video tutorials on how to use your Mac, iPad, iPhone and other Apple Technology.  
        And here's some very welcome news: They never sell, rent or share your email address.  Read details at Policies. 
       No, we're not listing all 900 of their video tutorials.  But look at some of these other helpful categories.  

Here's another list of pages you'll want to check out. 

And this concludes the August PMUG meeting handout that's not getting handed out tomorrow, August 16; it's just posted here for your convenience.  Thanks again to John Carter who keeps an eye out for useful info for us.  

by Elaine Hardt. 

Miracles of Music, Via iPods

        Apple Hot News today links to a documentary about Alzheimer’s patients who have been revitalized through music.  Social worker, Dan Cohen brings iPods loaded with personalized playlists to elderly Alzheimer’s and dementia patients across the U.S.  The movie “Alive Inside” -- which opens this weekend in New York --  documents a 94 year-old patient’s amazing response. See the 2 minute trailer. 

http://recode.net/2014/07/19/alive-inside-film-documents-power-of-music-to-restore-memory-ipods-included/ 

Unsure of the Next Step?

        Are you distracted?  Unsure of the next step with your Mac, or iPod, iPad, etc.?  What do "experts" tell us about making decisions, learning and doing?  John Carter forwards this link.  that could encourage and challenge you.  

12 Days of FREE Gifts

         Got an iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch?  Don't miss this deal; it's FREE.  You can just see Jim Hamm grinning as he announces this, "For 12 days, starting December 26, Apple will provide a free download -- songs, apps, etc -- for 24 hours. There is an app for this so you don't miss a freebie. Take a look  here." 

Unveiling the iPod, 12 Years Ago

        "Twelve years ago Apple, and Steve Jobs, introduced the iPod, which was, and is, a remarkable device. Here is a video of that occasion, in case you didn't see it then. Steve was the consummate salesperson," Jim Hamm comments.  

No, Your Data Isn't Secure in the Cloud

          John Carter wants to share his viewpoint on security in the Cloud.  "You do understand that it's the government that is insisting on an open book for all personal information, yet they also insist on not telling us anything they don't want us to know about - like what really happened at Roswell and other places.

        "I really don't care how deep the government is looking into my personal affairs. In fact, I want them to be able to pry into the private life of any citizen planning on running for a public office at every level of government from our local supervisor and councilman to the President. 

        "The ONLY way to have access to my passwords across all devices without using the cloud is to carry a thumb drive —and it won't connect to my iPhone, iPod, or iPad. That makes no sense. 

        "So, using iCloud or Dropbox to store my passwords is my only sure way of being able to access them when I need them from any device. And with 128 bit encryption, that is secure enough to prevent Joe the Plumber (and even my high-tech buddies) from getting at them. I'm safe from the hackers, and that's all that really concerns me.

        "Now, if one of those hackers works for the government and is nefarious enough to steal encrypted data for personal gain, I can't stop that. No one can. It would take an act of Congress to prevent even the government from accessing encrypted files, and then only foreign governments would be able to access my personal files. Right back where I started from."  

        And thanks to John for adding to this discussion.  

How to Update to iOS 6

        John Carter gives directions, "iOS 6.1.2 update is available. How should you proceed? This notice is going out to a large group of people, and you may get this notice more than once. If you do not own an iOS device, you may disregard this notice.

        "First, how often do you perform a backup of your iOS device (iPod Touch, iPad, iPhone)? Did you know that you can backup your iOS device either by connecting it directly to your computer, or by Wi-Fi if you have the option set in iTunes to do a sync with the device over Wi-Fi? For the iPhone and iPod Touch, you can also set an option to automatically sync the device when the device is connected to the computer (this option is not available for the iPad)."

        Here's John's next suggestion, "Backing up an iOS device can be done to either a Cloud storage or to your computer using iTunes. Most devices can exceed the free 5GB storage of any Cloud storage, so it's probably best to backup to your computer."

        And, now for a caution, "Also, before doing a backup or an update, do an update of iTunes, sync your device, and then perform a backup followed by the update. You should also then perform another backup after the update is complete. The before update is necessary in case something goes wrong with the update process and you need to restore and start over again.

        "When you connect your iOS device to your computer, iTunes may automatically start up. If it doesn't, you'll have to manually start iTunes. When iTunes starts, you may get a notice that an update for the device is available. If you haven't done a device backup since the last time you made any changes to the content of the device, you should cancel the update, perform a sync, then perform a backup, and then do the update followed by another backup".

        Pay attention to John's warning, "If you find that when doing an update using iTunes that the downloaded file is corrupt (the update is approximately 1GB, and a file this large may not be properly handled), rather than perform the update using iTunes, try the update from the device itself (Settings -> General -> Software Update). One setting in 'Disk Utility' may be the culprit of a corrupt download. That setting is 'Verify Checksums' (open Disk Utility -> Preferences and uncheck that option). 

        "Even with this option unchecked, the large file might still be corrupt. Another possible cause of a corrupt download is some firewall setting in the Internet modem (unproven). If that happens, then it is really necessary to perform the update from the device itself. To do that, disconnect the device from the computer, power-cycle the device, and then go into Settings -> General -> Software Update. You may even find that the download goes much faster when updating from the device."

        Now, a call for patience!  John says, "In all, it may take several minutes to do all these steps, so your patience is necessary.

        "Following this procedure will ensure that your device will be updated properly and your content will not be lost."

        And, in closing John reviews it: 

1. Update iTunes.
2. Sync your device to iTunes.
3. Backup your device.
4. Perform the update either from iTunes or from the device.
5. Backup your device again.      (Got it? Thanks to John Carter!) 

New to View

        "Here is a free offer for ClipBuddy for the Mac. I've not tried it, but since it's free I will give it a try. Note that it's normally priced at $29.95. This offer expires on October 31st," writes Jim Hamm.  Earlier today he'd emailed with mention of a new iPhone - iPod Touch -  iPad app called MyRadar Pro which he saw someone use to monitor the severity of the storms in the Memphis area. See it here.  Jim will tell us more later . . . 

What's the Latest?

        Rumors, facts, photos, buyer's guide, blogs and forums — all that and more about Mac, iPhone, iPod, iPad at macrumors.com Kyle Smith reminds us.  From his vantage point as tech/sales at MacMedia in Peoria I'd asked him what's the latest, so I'd have something to report at PMUG on Saturday.  Apple has issued invitations for Media Event on October 23.  There's always more happening at Apple!

Mac Buyer's Guide

        Do you know when to buy a Mac, iPod, or iPhone?  Here's help from Prez Art Gorski.  He leads off with, "Don't you just hate it when you buy an Apple product and then they release a new, better version right after?  The MacBuyer's Guide keeps track of Apple hardware updates and is a great guide to when you should buy a new Apple product."
         So we look here and find info with recommendations such as "Don't buy: updates soon"  — "Buy only if you need it: approaching the end of a cycle" — or "Buy now!  Product just updated."  You also notice the links to their categories of blogs and forums.  Take a look, you may want to bookmark this.

Apple's Six Best Decisions

        "Here's an interesting article and observation by Ted Landau of Apple's six best decisions — and why they make Apple the company it is today."  Jim Hamm goes on to elaborate,  "My only quibble with Ted is that the iPad should be included in the list. But he goes in detail explaining why he left this device out of his nominees. Possibly many of us — well, me, anyway — tend to think of Apple as a Mac, or computer, company. Not so much anymore. Here is a quote from the article: 'Apple’s success depended upon moving away from its focus on the Mac.' Hence, the dropping of 'computer' from the company name a while back."

Free Up Storage Space on iOS Device

        Six tips on how to free up storage space on your iPad, iPhone, iPod are described at this site,  sent to us by Jim Hamm.  He includes this suggestion, "Another tip is to frequently close open apps, as they all consume memory as they run in the background. If, say, your iPad seems slower, I bet that available memory is about gone and this slows down the iPad. Many of us -- me included -- often forget to close apps after we open them, on an iPad or iPhone.
        "Double tap the Home Button to view all the running apps along the bottom of the screen. Yes, they're all running and consuming memory. Close them and your device should run quicker."

Help for that Snazzy Present You Got

        Got a nice, new computer or --- ? Here's the help you need.  Jim Hamm writes, "For a new user of a Mac or 'iDevice' here are two sites that might be helpful."  One,  two.

Tomorrow's BIG Shopping Event

Tomorrow, Friday, November 25 is the "one-day Apple shopping event."  They tell us we'll discover "amazing iPad, iPod, and Mac gifts."  Take a look now for great ideas.  

Looking at iOS

If you're a PMUG member or friend with Mac computers there's always more to learn.  Yes?  Now, with exciting new Apple devices, iPad, iPod, iPhone there's a lot of new information just out from this week's WWDC (Worldwide Developers Conference).  Jim Hamm passes on a tip on enabling automatic downloads on your mobile device (which needs to be on iOS 4.3.3).

Will iOS 5 Affect Mac Computer Sales?

        Jim Hamm considers how iOS 5 will affect notebook sales. "Here’s a video with a summary of iOS 5. Lots of new features for mobile devices. The most important, in my opinion, is now the iPad, iPhone and iPod no longer need to have a computer to connect to. They can be free-standing devices. A nice step. On the flip side, possibly this might have a deleterious effect on notebook sales. On the other hand, though, I don’t think I’d just want to have only a mobile device and not have my Mac. I think each has its strong points. Time will tell how this all shakes out."
        Here's a thought-provoking article from Jim that speculates about the future of Mac.

Photography and the iPad

"Here’s a neat article in Digital Photography School that talks about using an iPad to improve your photography skills," John Carter informs us.  "I don’t have an iPad or an iPod Touch. I’m not sure if I’ll ever own an iPad, but I’m getting pretty darn close to dipping into my savings for a 4th Generation 32GB iPod Touch. My Classic 80GB iPod is proving too cumbersome to use."

MobileMe Update

        Art Gorski brings the following to our attention, "MobileMe has been updated with a completely new web-based Mail interface, a Find My iPhone app for iPhones, and some other new features.
        "The most interesting to me is server-side Mail Rules. Now you can define rules on MobileMe instead of in Mail on your Mac and they will also work with your iPhone, iPad, and iPod Touch."

Apple & iPhone Updates

Keeping up with the latest?  Jim Hamm forwards to us these links about features for iPhone 3G and iPhone 4. Here's the Apple sneak preview.  MobileCrunch says there have been 50 million iPhones sold so far, and their article discusses multi-tasking, iAd, a huge Mail update, and a "bunch of other stuff."  The third link takes you to a one hour video of a presentation of OS 4 done mostly by Steve Jobs.

Jim summarizes the video, "It is impressive, and really gives you a better understanding of what this new OS does. After you see this, stop and think a minute. All this comes from a phone. Remember, something we use to just make phone calls on.  Love it or hate it, the iPhone is really one amazing device."

For today's article (dated 4-12-10) that covers the latest from Apple on iPad, iPhone, iPod Touch,  iAds, and more see Barron's "Apple Throws a Potent iPunch."