How to Take a Free Apple Product Workshop | PCMag

This interesting article on PCMag tells how to take a free Apple product workshop. Some of you may like to take advantage of these classes.

Frank Croft

https://www.pcmag.com/how-to/how-to-take-a-free-apple-product-workshop

Comment from John R Carter Sr.

The lessons are designed for people new to Apple products. Still, many members might get something out of them. The Macmost videos (YouTube) or the Lynda.com videos (free at the library) would also work.







Do You Have a PayPal Account?

If you have a PayPal account, it’s time to look at how purchases you make with PayPal get processed. Do you have a bank checking account or a credit card linked to your PayPal account? With a link like that, your bank or credit card is immediately debited for purchases you make with your PayPal account. It’s also easy to transfer monies between your bank and PayPal.

PayPal is now being targeted by scammers by making fraudulent charges on your account and making it look like an official charge to an actual service or company. Case in point, I received an email saying that Symantec charged my PayPal account for a $669 subscription that was set up for annual renewal. None of the links in the email were dummy links. They all went to an official Symantec website. The language in the email was perfect in every way. Only the email address of the sender was suspicious as it it didn’t go back to anything like a Symantec website or customer support email. When I checked the PayPal account, nothing showed up as an activity like that. So the first thing I did was to cancel the links in my PayPal account to the bank and I notified both PayPal and Symantec of the potential scam/phishing attack.

John R Carter Sr



Google's FloC

If you use Google's Chrome Browser, be careful or you might soon find yourself 'FloCed'!. .What is this, you might ask? Well, read the three articles below, and you shall be enlightened:

https://www.ghacks.net/2021/04/14/vivaldi-says-no-to-googles-floc-as-well/

https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2021/03/googles-floc-terrible-idea

https://www.ghacks.net/2021/04/13/brave-reveals-why-it-is-disabling-googles-floc-in-the-browser/

I used the Chrome Browser for years, and liked it. But in recent months I've been using two other browsers: Brave and Vivaldi -- neither of which will use Google's FloC technology. Now, I realize Google relies on advertising for income and to support the company, but many consider their present technology for doing so to be intrusive. So, Google is adopting a new technology called 'FloC'. Is it better? For who -- you and I, or Google?

Jim Hamm

Are .txt Files Safe?

Just as a matter of info, a vulnerability was found in text files for macOS, per the following article from Kaspersky. The vulnerability has been patched by Apple. I like and use Mac's Text Editor a lot, and found the article interesting and good info to know.

Jim Hamm

https://www.kaspersky.com/blog/is-txt-file-safe/39256/

Comment from John Carter Sr.

Another thing to be cautious about now is any .txt file found online or in email. Just because Apple patched this hack doesn’t mean that there won’t be other ways to attack a Mac with a .txt file. I don’t know if Sophos or other Anti-virus apps are bothering to check plain text files for malicious HTML code.

There was a time when just opening an image resulted in an attack. That seems to have been fixed.


ProtonMail

I've used Gmail for many years, and have been pleased with its trouble-free service and storage capacity. But one concern that has always lurked in the back of my mind is their access to my emails. I don't send anything by Gmail that I would be concerned about someone at Google reading, but I have read that Google keeps a copy of all receipts. Whether this is true or not, I don't know, but don't like this idea. Here is a quote from an article I just read: "Google also scans all the receipts you receive in Gmail and stores the data for years, even if your purchases are not from Google."

I just read -- in the above-referenced article -- about the advantages of using another free email service: ProtonMail. If you have an interest in reading the article, you may read it here. Here's another quote from the article that might get your attention: "Much of Gmail’s popularity stems from the fact that it costs no money to use. It is, however, a prime example of the old adage that “if you’re not paying for a service, then you are the service.” Google’s entire business model is to invade its users’ privacy in order to profit from targeted ads." If this is true, how does ProtonMail provide a "free" service, the question comes to mind? They do offer upgraded plans for a fee, so maybe this is where they make enough money to continue providing a 'free' email service.

So, I'm going to mull this around in my mind a bit before making a move from Gmail. It is a good article, though. Just passing this thought along for your consideration and cogitation.

Jim Hamm

T-Mobile Home Internet

If you already have a decent internet service, this post may not be of much interest. But, if the T-Mobile signal is strong in your home area, here is an article that may be of interest -- home internet with download speeds up to 100 Mbps. You can check to see how good T-Mobile is in your area by filling out a brief form on the website. At $60/month, the price seems reasonable --especially if your present internet service isn't so good.

Jim Hamm

An Apple Energy Commitment

I came across the following blurb, and kudos to Apple for this commitment.

Jim Hamm

Apple announced that they are installing a state-of-the-art solar farm with a huge battery storage system utilizing Tesla batteries. This will provide power to the equivalent of 7000 homes and is part of Apple's commitment to renewable energy. Bravo!

Fastest Browser?

Everyone probably has a favorite browser, and right now mine is Vivaldi. I just like it. Here is an article testing the speed of various browsers, and Vivaldi came in #4. Edge came in #1. I've found the difference in speed of the various browsers to be not of great significance to me. But if speed is important to you, this article may be of interest.

Jim Hamm

Computer Cables

The various kinds of cables connecting to a Mac or PC can be confusing, as this article by Brian Livingston of the "Windows Secrets" Newsletter discusses. This might be an interesting topic for a computer club meeting.

Jim Hamm

It used to be that you could run any old USB cable between just about any two USB ports, and the devices on each end would simply work. But that hasn't been true for a long, long time.

As more and more manufacturers wanted to bring different devices with different needs to market, the standard USB-A cable was lost in the shuffle. Instead, we got a gaggle of novel USB connectors named Mini-A, Mini-B, Micro-A, Micro-B, Apple's similar-but-different Lightning, and more.

The latest connector — USB-C, finalized in 2014 by the USB Implementers Forum (USB-IF) — was supposed to bring these multiple shapes and sizes to an end. The sexy USB-C connector was the bell that got all the PC nerds salivating. USB-C was the first reversible USB connector: there was no "top" or "bottom" side for users to grapple with.

So-called ‘standard’ USB-C cables are a mess whose time is over

Unfortunately, USB-C cables are anything but identical. End users are expected to know the following differences (and more) among the cables:

  • Charging is supported by some USB-C cables, while others support only data.

  • Some USB-C cables can deliver 100 watts of power, while others deliver only 60 watts.

  • DisplayPort monitors are supported by some USB-C cables, but not others.

  • Some USB-C cables have data throughput ratings of 40Gbps, while others are rated for only 20Gpbs, 10Gbps, or even just 5Gbps. (These four speeds correspond with specs that, in reverse chronological order, are called USB4, USB 3.2 Gen 2x2, USB 3.2 Gen 2, and USB 3.2 Gen 1. Confusing, eh? Tripp-Lite has more details.)

Cheap USB-C cables gave the spec a bad name. In 2015 and 2016, Google engineer Benson Leung repeatedly posted tests showing that some laptops couldn't be charged by certain cables, contrary to what their makers claimed. One cable was so badly designed that it instantly fried a Chromebook Pixel laptop's two USB-C ports, the machine's embedded controller, and two USB power-delivery analyzers. That was enough to render each device useless, as described in an ArsTechnica article.

Even Apple was forced to recall, in early 2016, some USB-C charging cables it had shipped with MacBooks. The cables failed to actually charge the laptops, according to a Guardian article.

Faced with these public-relations disasters, USB-IF launched a new "power delivery compliance plan" in June 2016, as described in an EDN analysis. But the writing was on the wall for this kind of cable anarchy. The next stop on this train would be Thunderbolt.

Thunderbolt cables will eventually eliminate all USB cables

Thunderbolt is a data-transfer and power-delivery spec that has been shepherded into existence by Intel since Thunderbolt 1 appeared in the 2011 MacBook Pro. That version, and Thunderbolt 2 in the 2013 MacBook Pro, used a Mini DisplayPort connector. Both versions 1 and 2 were proprietary to Intel and required manufacturers to pay for a license

NL-2021-03-08-livingston-thunderbolt4.png

Thunderbolt 3 (TB3) laptops began shipping in late 2015 from Acer, Asus, HP, Dell, Lenovo, Sony, and others. Finally, in May 2017, Intel said it would make Thunderbolt 3 royalty-free. This allowed USB-IF to accept the spec in March 2019 and incorporate it into the latest version of its own standard, which is now called USB4. (There is no space between the letters and the numeral.)

Intel retained compliance rights over Thunderbolt and now attempts to ensure strict device certification for Thunderbolt 4 (TB4), the current spec. (Thunderbolt 4 cables have a symbol and the numeral "4" on the end, as shown in the photo above.) Among other things, devices with TB4 ports have the following requirements:

  • A maximum data-transfer rate of no less than 40Gbps, the same as Thunderbolt 3 ports. (All speeds in this article are theoretical, not actual.)

  • The ability to support two 4K monitors at 60Hz, which can be daisy-chained, or one 8K monitor at 60Hz (TB3 required support for only one 4K monitor).

  • Direct Memory Access protection, to prevent physical Thunderspy attacks that TB3 was susceptible to (this was patched in Windows 10 version 1803 in 2019 and macOS Sierra 10.12.3 in 2017).

  • At least one computer port must support charging (TB4 can deliver up to 100 watts).

  • Support for PCI Express (PCI-e), a common computer data bus, to connect to high-speed devices such as solid-state drives and video-capture devices.

Figure 1, straight from Apple's website, shows the back of a Mac Mini labeled with two "Thunderbolt/USB 4" ports. Apple can't call them "Thunderbolt 4" ports because neither port supports two 4K monitors, as required for compliance.

NL-2021-03-08-livingston-fig-1.png

Figure 1. Apple labels its current Mac Mini (shown above) and MacBook Pro 13 computers as "Thunderbolt/USB 4" ports, not "Thunderbolt 4" ports. Source: Apple Mac Mini and MacBook Pro 13 Web pages

Here’s the shocker: TB3 is better than TB4 for some things

USB-IF finalized USB4 in 2019. USB4, which is a specification, should not be confused with USB-C, which is a hardware connector. USB4 is called "Thunderbolt 4 Light" by industry wags because USB4 is a "loose" standard by comparison. For instance, all Thunderbolt 4 ports must support a 40Gbps data-transfer rate. But a manufacturer can call a device "USB4" if its data-transfer rate is as low as 20Gbps. (USB4 also allows three other protocols: USB 3.2 Gen 2 supports 10Gbps, USB 3.2 Gen 2x2 supports 20Gbps, and USB 3.2 Gen 1 supports only 5Gbps.)

To make matters worse, USB4 computer ports aren't required to work with TB3 or TB4 peripherals. Support is optional. Therefore, a "certified USB4 computer" may or may not work with TB3 or TB4 monitors, docking stations, and hubs.

Buying devices that have TB3- or TB4-certified ports gives you the best shot of having a system that will keep up with greater and greater bandwidth requirements in the years to come.

IMPORTANT: TB3 is faster than TB4 at certain tasks. As mentioned above, the main reason for this is the way each spec implements its PCI Express data bus:

  • Both Thunderbolt 3 and Thunderbolt 4 support data transfers up to 40Gbps.

  • TB4 supports one PCI-e lane, allowing 700 megabytes per second.

  • The older TB3 supports four PCI-e lanes, allowing four times the bandwidth: 2,800 megabytes per second.

  • TB4 devices have fewer PCI-e lanes as a trade-off. The designers of TB4 specified only one lane of PCI-e so that TB4 devices could support as many as three directly connected devices. TB3 supports only one such device.

The speed of PCI-e makes a difference to you only if you use a Thunderbolt cable to connect a solid-state drive or other high-speed external device to a computer. However, it's likely that few manufacturers will build TB4 into such bandwidth-hungry devices. That's because USB Gen 3.2 and USB4 ports and cables can provide similar data-transfer rates at a lower hardware cost.

Sonnet Technologies, an Irvine, California, company, manufactures Thunderbolt 3 and 4 peripherals, such as the forthcoming Echo 11 Thunderbolt 4 Dock (see Figure 2). The "Echo" trademark is unrelated to the "smart speaker" of the same name that Amazon sells. Meanwhile, the "11" in the name refers to the number of ports the dock has, not the version number of the device.

"There will be no Thunderbolt 4 peripherals, except for docks and hubs, because a Thunderbolt 4 peripheral could use only one lane of PCI-e," Sonnet CEO Robert Farnsworth said in a telephone interview.

That doesn't mean either spec is obsolete, Farnsworth explains: "Thunderbolt 3 and Thunderbolt 4 each can do something that the other cannot, so we expect a long life for both."

NL-2021-03-08-livingston-fig-2.png


Figure 2. The Sonnet Technologies Echo 11 Thunderbolt 4 Dock supports 11 ports, including Thunderbolt 4, USB 3.2 Gen 2, and other interfaces. Source: Sonnet Technologies product page

So what's an end user who just wants a fast, reliable system to do? Like everything else, there are complex rules to remember:

  • TB3 and TB4 cables are interchangeable. "You can mix Thunderbolt 3 and Thunderbolt 4 cables and peripherals in any order and they work," Farnsworth explains.

  • There are different lengths of Thunderbolt cables. The standards are:
    — A "passive" TB cable can be only 0.8m (2.6 ft.) for 40Gbps transfers.
    — A "passive" TB cable that's between 1m and 2m supports only 20Gbps.
    — A TB cable with an "active" chipset can be 2m in length and still support 40Gbps.
    — Fiber-optic 40Gbps, TB cables are available in 5m, 10m, and 15m lengths.

  • TB3 and TB4 ports are both fast enough for almost anything you might connect. Devices such as monitors, keyboards, mice, and printers won't outrun a TB3 or TB4 port.

  • Only truly high-speed devices — such as external graphics processing units, SSDs, and the like — need maximum bandwidth. If you buy one of these devices to connect to your computer, you'll probably find that the products on the market use some flavor of USB 3.2, USB4, or TB3.

What type of Thunderbolt port do you really have in your computer?

The final factoid you need to know is what kind of Thunderbolt ports you have in your laptop or other computing device. Just to make you crazy, Thunderbolt ports on PCs are indicated by small lightning-bolt icons, but the version (3, 4, etc.) is not always printed alongside that logo.

The basic rules for Windows PCs and Macs are:

  • Most Windows PCs that were sold in 2016 or later have one or more USB-C ports that will support TB3, TB4, USB 3, and USB4 devices.

  • All Apple computers that were sold in 2016 or later (except MacBook) have USB-C ports that will support TB3 and, when upgraded to Big Sur, will also support TB4 and USB4 devices.

You can determine the support level of a Windows PC using a simple PowerShell command. Sonnet Technologies explains this in a convenient two-page PDF. The document provides the command, as well as listing versions of Thunderbolt support for specific PCs and Macs. You can download the PDF for free.

Intel hosts a search engine at its Thunderbolt site for certified TB3 and TB4 devices, but the hits are surprisingly sparse. The search tool claims that only three laptops have been TB4-certified, for example, although more than that are compliant.

Thunderbolt 4 cables are replacing our rat's nest of old USB-A and USB-C cables, in the same way that USB thumb drives once wiped out floppy disks. Until the transition is complete, however, we need to ask a lot of questions of any provider who claims to be offering full Thunderbolt compliance.

TakeControl Books Latest Issue

If you have purchased one of Apple’s new Macs with an M1 (Apple silicon) chip—or are considering doing so in the near future—our latest book will help you transition from your old Mac, take advantage of new features, and deal with a variety of limitations and surprises. Take Control of Your M-Series Mac by Glenn Fleishman tells you everything you need to know about this new type of Mac, and this compact (84-page) book is just $8.99.

Although M1 Macs mostly look and act like their Intel predecessors, they are significantly different when it comes to startup modes (including recovery mode), security, battery life, and bootable duplicates. You can run many iOS/iPadOS apps on your M1 Mac, and Apple’s Rosetta 2 technology lets you run most older Mac apps too. But Boot Camp is gone, and virtualization software has significant limits. The book walks you through all this and more, including a section with technical details of the new architecture, for those who are interested. And, since we know that the M1 chip is just the first in a series (with support for more powerful Macs coming soon), Glenn is planning to update the book to cover new Macs and new chips as they appear.

• Buy Take Control of Your M-Series Mac for just $8.99

or
• Learn more about this book

I’d also like to mention that Glenn has updated his book Take Control of Securing Your Mac. Version 1.1 adds more than 10 pages of details about security aspects of M-series Macs, plus additional information on passwords, FileVault, encrypting bootable duplicates, System Integrity Protection (SIP), and more.

Warm regards,

Joe Kissell
Publisher, Take Control Books