Fall has returned and as we move into October there seems to be an unsettled feeling in the air. Of course this is the lingering effects of last year's fire. It is a good time to find our quiet place and just breathe and know we are safe. Also if you are really struggling, reach out to friends, family, or local support groups - this is a good resource.
As a community, we are rebuilding and supporting each other. Our beautiful county is still here. I also know I am praying that our cooler weather continues!! This is a beautiful poem about rebirthing after the fires from Sonoma County's Poet Laureate - Maya Khlosa.
We have been blessed to help several clients begin to rebuild their computing life - please reach out if you have questions or need help.
APPLE NEWS
New iPhones
WOW! On September 12th Apple announced their new iPhones - XS, XS Max, and XR OR 10S, 10S Max, and 10R.
While many are/were disappointed that Apple didn't upgrade iPads, they did do an interesting upgrade to the iPhones. They created the largest (referring to screen size) basic consumer level (i.e. under $1000) iPhone to date. The iPhone XR comes in at a whopping 6.1" (diagonal) display. This compares to the iPhone 8 at 4.7" (diagonal). Both of these basic phones are smaller than the iPhone Plus or Max which are jokingly referred to as "phablets" - a combination of iPhone and tablet. The features and differences of all the current iPhones is easiest to read from Apple's own web page here.
The cameras are what separates several iPhone models and as of this writing, there are not a lot of reviews comparing the iPhone XS to the iPhone X (last year's pricey model), although from what our wonderful tech John says - "not enough difference to make me upgrade!"All three new iPhone models no longer have a home button. Instead, they rely on facial recognition to unlock your iPhone (no more fingerprints!) Yes, you can still choose to enter a passcode manually.
Both the iPhone XS and XS Max are shipping now. The XR is scheduled to ship in October. We will of course keep you updated with info on more reviews, etc.
New iOS and MacOS
Apple also gave us release dates for iOS 12 (released on September 17th) and MacOS Mojave 10.14 (released on September 24th). I sent an e-blast out about both of these updates on September 17th - IF you missed it and want to understand our perspective and recommendations on not upgrading to either of these OS's you can read it here. Both of these new software releases from Apple provide some nice tweaks to the system and we will cover more on those later when we are ready to recommend the upgrades.
IMPORTANT CHANGE TO APPLE PHOTOS
Apple Photos is no longer providing print services. Apple discontinued all their print services and IF you have existing projects in Photos or iPhoto you will be getting pop-ups about this change. Apple now wants us to use plug-ins for Photos (no iPhoto support) to order from 3rd party companies. I am currently working with two highly recommended options and will keep you posted on the results. One downside I am noticing is that ordering individual prints doesn't seem to be an option. NOTE: you must be running High Sierra and the current version of Photos to use these plug-ins.
TECH TIPS
iOS
Did you know your iPhone has a flashlight?? AND that you can adjust the brightness of that flashlight right from your iPhone lock screen?
iPhones with a Home button
Press the Home button once and swipe up directly from the Home button to bring up the control center. The flashlight icon will be visible - touch on it. (Note: you might have different icons other than the flashlight one.) Use the slider bar to increase or decrease the brightness of the flashlight.
iPhones with Face ID (iPhone X and all newly released iPhones)
Press the sleep/wake button at the upper right of your iPhone then touch the flashlight icon at the lower left of the screen. Use the slider bar to increase or decrease the brightness of the flashlight.
Mac OS Sierra and High Sierra
When you are searching for something in Safari, it can sometimes be frustrating or hard to get back to the original search results. Apple has now given the current versions of Safari the ability to easily get back to them.
Open Safari and search for something. Click on a link and follow it for a few pages, i.e. click on links in the results so you end up on a page other than your search results.
From the Apple Menu bar at the top of your screen, choose History > Search Results SnapBack - this returns you to your original search results - hurray!
