Mission: Impossible -| Tom Cruise | The Biggest Stunt in Cinema History
* Indicates author is a member of MAGIC
Meeting information
Date
21 February 2023
Time
4:00 - 5:30
Presentations:
• Meeting Intro with Harry
• "Passwords" with Robert Elphick
• Q & A with the "A" Team based on questions emailed prior to meeting
Location:
by ZOOM on-line
MAGIC Minutes for January, 2024
by Wendy Shimada, MAGIC*
MAGIC General and Annual Business Meeting (via Zoom)
January 17, 2024
The meeting was called to order at 4:04 pm by President Harry Anderson, with 22 participants attending within a few moments. Everyone was reminded that, along with being a regular monthly meeting, it was also the Annual Business Meeting of MAGIC.
The 2024 board was introduced: Vice President Ron Sharp, Treasurer Gary McIntyre, along with Board Members at large, Robert Elphick, Madelyn van der Hoogt, Sam Aaron and Secretary, Wendy Shimada.
Harry, Robert and Sam each provided accolades to Penny Holland, who has just left the board after many active years of service. Penny has always been a "go-to" person for help/advice and information for many people and she will be missed. We are looking for a new member to volunteer for a two-year board term; members are encouraged to nominate someone or self-nominate via email to help fill out the board. Board member responsibilities are to attend four or five online board meetings per year and provide input. At the last board meeting, the educational monthly topics were planned for the first two quarters of 2024.
Treasurer Gary McIntyre reported that MAGIC’s year-end statement shows a balance of $9645.39. We lost Rob Reinecke, a longtime member who passed away in 2023 and his family bequeathed a significant legacy gift of $500 to MAGIC.
This coming week our annual audit will be performed, as required by our non-profit status. Gary has prepared all the necessary documents, as he has for the past 10 years. Harry thanked Gary for his stellar service and reminded members that due to our meetings taking place via Zoom, we’re not charging monthly dues anymore so legacy gifts are really appreciated, as are mentoring contributions or any contributions.
It was noted that MAGIC met monthly in 2023 from January through November on zoom with monthly presentations and "Q&A" sessions. President Harry Anderson asked all MAGIC members that this Annual Meeting is a good opportunity for members to offer suggestions or comments. Gary pointed out that our "two experts, Ron and Robert "are to be commended for their efforts within the MAGIC organization; in particular, Robert makes the website a useful resource, and Ron keeps the monthly newsletter interesting and helpful. Ron gave an open invitation to members to suggest new ideas for articles for the newsletter. Member Jill Bodine thanked the board for its service and said the newsletters were always very interesting and it was nice to be able to ask questions at meetings without feeling that the questions were unimportant.
Harry reminded everyone to take advantage of the MAGIC Website, where all previous MAGIC newsletters and recorded zoom presentations can be accessed, along with the recorded monthly "Q&A" sessions. Use the search bar to search a subject matter from newsletters. Harry closed the General and Annual Meeting at 4:21 pm then invited Ron Sharp to begin his presentation on "Managing Photos on your iPhone".
After the very helpful presentation, "Q&A" followed, with several members asking questions. The presentation and the "Q&A "will be available shortly on the MAGIC website to review, if you missed anything. The meeting was concluded at 5:13pm.
If you have questions you would like answered at our February 2024 meeting, please send them in advance to our MAGIC email.
MAGIC Musings
Greetings, MAGIC Members. I hope you enjoy a wonderful Valentine’s Day with someone you love. I look forward to seeing many of you at our February meeting on Wednesday February 21 at 4 p.m. via Zoom. This month, Robert Elphick will make a presentation on passwords — a topic that always draws a lot of interest. We will also take your questions. Remember that you may submit your questions in advance via email, but our experts will also take questions from anyone attending the meeting. Feel free to email questions to magicmug@whidbey.net or have them ready to ask on the meeting day. Either way is now just fine.
Here is the schedule of presentations at our meetings through June:
March 20
Using dictation by Gary McIntyre
April 17
Using Finder and Launch Pad by Ron Sharp
May 15
Q&A session with our experts
June 19
Making short videos in iMovie with Robert Elphick
See you on Feb. 21 at 4 p.m.
2024 Board of directors
There is a vacancy for a Director-at-Large ... any one interested in applying should contact us at the MAGIC email.
Note: This Software Update section of the newsletter lists the most relevant Apple updates. Not all updates are listed for all products. Additionally, I'll add other pertinent updates on occasion.
Apple updates iOS, iPadOS, macOS and watchOS with bug fix (iOS 17.3.1)
by David Snow, cultofmac
Apple made an unexpected software update available Thursday with a bug fix across devices, releasing macOS Sonoma 14.3.1, iOS 17.3.1, iPadOS 17.3.1 and watchOS 10.3.1 for users to install.
The fix relates to text that automatically duplicates or overlaps in various apps, like Safari, Mail and Messages.
Users have experienced problems with text duplicating or overlapping in various places for some time, according to various sources — and on Macs, iPhones, iPads and Apple Watches, apparently.
On each device, the incremental update says the same thing about what it’s fixing: "Text may unexpectedly duplicate or overlap while typing."
The small fix comes a few weeks after recent releases like iOS 17.3 and macOS 14.3, significant updates following recent major software releases for devices.
How to update your OS:
Make sure your device is connected to Wi-Fi. On your device, go to Settings > General > Software Updates > and click Update Now or Update Tonight. You can update Apple Watch from your iPhone using the Watch app.
iOS 17.3 is out now with Stolen Device Protection and Collaborative Playlists
by Jason Cross, macworld
As expected, Apple began beta testing iOS 17.3 the day after iOS 17.2 was released. This update will bring collaborative playlists to Apple Music (removed in a late beta of iOS 17.2) and enables AirPlay in supporting hotels.
Perhaps the most interesting update in IOS 17.3 is a previously unannounced feature called Stolen Device Protection. When enabled, the feature will make it harder to perform certain actions, including changing your Apple ID password, passcode, or viewing your other passwords, when away from a familiar place. With just your iPhone passcode (which could be obtained simply by watching a user enter it), a thief can change the Apple ID password and wipe your iPhone, but Stolen Device Protection adds the layer of Face ID or Touch ID when away from your home, work, or other trusted location.
iOS 17.3 Release Notes
Apple’s official release notes for iOS 17.3 are as follows:
Stolen Device Protection
Stolen Device Protection increases security of iPhone and Apple ID by requiring Face ID or Touch ID with no passcode fallback to perform certain actions
Security Delay requires Face ID or Touch ID, an hour wait, and then an additional successful biometric authentication before sensitive operations like changing device passcode or Apple ID password can be performed
Lock Screen
New Unity wallpaper honors Black history and culture in celebration of Black History Month
Music
Collaborate on playlists allows you to invite friends to join your playlist and everyone can add, reorder, and remove songs
Emoji reactions can be added to any track in a collaborative playlist
This update also includes the following improvements:
AirPlay hotel support lets you stream content directly to the TV in your room in select hotels
AppleCare & Warranty in Settings shows your coverage for all devices signed in with your Apple ID
Crash detection optimizations (all iPhone 14 and iPhone 15 models)
Some features may not be available for all regions or on all Apple devices. For information on the security content of Apple software updates, please visit this website: < target="_blank" href="https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT201222">https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT201222
How to install iOS 17.3
You will probably be prompted to install iOS 17.3 at some point, but that can take days or even weeks. If you want to update right away, follow these steps:
Open Settings.
Tap General.
Tap Software Update.
You’ll see the update appear, tap Download and Install (or Install Now if your iPhone has already downloaded it).
You’ll need to enter your passcode and your iPhone will restart after the installation downloads and installs.
watchOS 10.3 update is safe; doesn’t delete Apple Watch Blood Oxygen app
by Ed Hardy, cultofmac
Seeing is believing: This Apple Watch Series 7 running watchOS 10.3 has a fully functional Blood Oxygen app.
Photo: D. Griffin Jones/Cult of Mac
Some Apple Watch owners might be hesitant about installing the just-released watchOS 10.3 update over concerns that it’ll remove the controversial Blood Oxygen application. But there’s no reason for concern — it does not.
We tested multiple devices to be extra sure.
Apple Watch Blood Oxygen app is/isn’t available
Why the concern? Apple is locked in a patent-infringement battle with Irvine, Calif.-based Masimo Corp. And Apple’s losing — multiple U.S. courts agree that the Apple Watch’s light-based pulse oximeters violate a patent held by the medical-device company.
As a result, Apple is banned from importing and selling the wearable in the United States. The company’s workaround is to disable the Blood Oxygen app on new Apple Watch units sold in this country.
Fortunately, Apple isn’t killing the software on previously sold smartwatches. Even so, it’s not clear how Apple is going to handle disabling the app going forward. There are concerns that Apple also will be blocked from distributing watchOS updates that contain the software.
watchOS 10.3 is safe to install
So far, the Apple versus Masimo case doesn’t affect new versions of the Apple Watch system software.
Cult of Mac installed watchOS 10.3 on an Apple Watch Series 6 and an Apple Watch Series 7, and the Blood Oxygen application continues to function on both.
Still, users of the wearable who use the pulse oximeter should continue to be wary of future system software updates. At least until they’ve been tested.
Ready to upgrade? watchOS 10.3 includes a new Unity Bloom watch face as well as bug fixes.
The update can be installed directly onto an Apple Watch, as long as the wearable is connected to Wi-Fi. From the Settings app, just navigate to General > Software Update. Or you can install it from an iPhone by opening the Apple Watch app and going to My Watch > General > Software Update.
Google admits Chrome Incognito mode does almost nothing
by Ed Hardy, cultofmac
The description of Chrome’s Incognito mode will soon be changed to make it clear that Google tracks people who use the web browser. It also will warn users that websites can gather data about them as well.
This means the only people blocked from knowing your browsing history when using Incognito mode are family/friends who use the same computer.
Chrome Incognito mode is almost useless
At heart, Google is not a software developer. Its business is advertising - it creates apps only to allow it to gather information about users and sell them targeted advertising.
And users can’t escape Google’s tracking simply by switching to Chrome’s Incognito mode. The company is paying $5 billion to resolve a class-action lawsuit accusing Google of deceiving customers about how private the browser mode is.
Probably so there’s not another such suit, Google is changing the Incognito mode description, making it clear that it does virtually nothing to protect user privacy.
Developers can use Chrome Canary to get a preview of features coming to the browser. And according to MSPowerUser, opening Incognito mode in this version now shows a disclaimer stating:
"You’ve gone Incognito
"Others who use this device won’t see your activity, so you can browse more privately. This won’t change how data is collected by websites you visit and the services they use, including Google."
The text in bold above is a new addition.
So you can use Incognito mode to hide from your boyfriend that you’re checking out dating sites. Or to keep your wife from knowing you’ve been on those sites (you know what we mean). But Google will know.
Tips for more private browsing
Chrome is very popular, even with Mac users who can use Safari instead. (Privacy is just one of the reasons Apple fans should use Safari instead of Chrome.) But if there are certain websites you want to go to that you’d prefer didn’t get added to the profile Google has filled with your private information, switch to Safari Private Browsing. Apple doesn’t use Safari to track users.
Even better, use DuckDuckGo when you want to go off the grid. This privacy-focused search engine and browser won’t save your searches or try to track you in any way. Its whole reason for existing is to protect your privacy on the internet.
Apple still plans to put a car on the road, but the release date for the Apple car is sometime in 2028, according to a new report.
Designers had to slam the brakes on hopes for full self-driving capabilities. The electric vehicle allegedly will offer some driver-assistance capabilities but these will fall far short of full autonomy. Still, with the downgraded feature set, the product has a better chance of hitting its deadline than before.
Dreams of self-driving Apple car get stalled by the roadside
Numerous leaks indicate that Apple’s Project Titan to develop a self-driving vehicle has been going since 2014 — about 10 years now. But it hasn’t been a smooth trip, and the Apple car’s debut remains far away. Over the years, there have been many management changes and at least one round of layoffs.
At one point, the goal was a completely autonomous vehicle with no steering wheel or brake pedal. But no company has been able to introduce a vehicle with what’s called Level 5 autonomy.
Apple has given up trying — at least for the initial version. "The car will use what is known as a Level 2+ system," reports Bloomberg on Tuesday. That means the vehicle is intelligent enough to keep in a lane and adapt its speed to other cars, but that’s it. It’s helping the driver, not replacing them.
If that sounds familiar, it’s essentially what a Tesla offers now. And that’s supposedly not a coincidence.
"The latest plan for the car is seen internally as a Tesla ‘me-too product’ — one that doesn’t break significant new ground — but the company hopes to make the car stand out with a sleek design, safety systems and unique user interface," wrote Bloomberg‘s Mark Gurman.
A four-year wait
There have been very optimistic predictions of an Apple car debut in the past — at one point, it was hoped the product would be out in 2023. But downshifting the self-driving capability is a win for those who’d like to see an Apple-branded EV at some point in the foreseeable future. Even if the wait is until 2028, as Bloomberg‘s sources indicate.
The goal of making a vehicle with Level 5 autonomy depended on someone developing technology that doesn’t currently exist and has proved very difficult to create. Apple now intends to make a car that’s possible with existing tech.
Another advantage of reducing the feature set is lowering the cost. Not that the product is going to be cheap - the goal is supposedly to keep the price below $100,000.
Macs are quite happy to stay on all the time, in fact, some ask whether they should shut down their Mac every night or not, but there are occasions when you might need to power it off to clear memory, address errors, rescue a machine that’s locked up, or simply put it away for a couple of weeks while you’re on holiday. There are several ways to power down a Mac, depending on the situation. Here’s our quick guide on how to shut down a MacBook or Mac.
The Apple Macintosh was first released 40 years ago: These people are still using the ageing computers
by Chris Baraniuk, BBC
The 40-year-old original Apple Macintosh is a museum piece but a few enthusiastic fans still own and use the devices (Credit: Alamy)
On 24 January 1984, the Apple Macintosh 128K personal computer was unveiled to the world, but 40 years later it still has a loyal following of fans - and users.
David Blatner still has practically every Macintosh computer he ever bought. But one in particular stands out - the first. He remembers the neat way the screen was laid out; the glossy manual; the cassette tape tutorials explaining how to use the machine. It was everything he felt a computer should be.
He had seen early iterations of personal computers as a young child. He used to ride his bicycle to Xerox's Palo Alto Research Center in California where his stepfather worked in the 1970s. There, Blatner got to try early personal computers such as the Alto, which had a graphical interface and a mouse.
"A computer that would work for a single person - that was, in itself, mind-boggling," remembers Blatner, who is now president of CreativePro Network, an online resource for creative professionals.
But it would take another decade before he got one of his own - with the arrival of the Apple Macintosh.
On 24 January 1984, a man called Steve Jobs got up on a stage and heaved a beige box out of a carrying case, shoved a floppy disc into it, and stood back. As the theme from Chariots of Fire played, the word "Macintosh" swept across the tiny computer's screen and a series of monochromatic images flashed up. The captivated audience - of Apple shareholders - went wild.
By today's standards, the tiny screen, boxy form and rudimentary graphics of the original Macintosh look ludicrous. The device was not even the first personal computer. But it was, arguably, the first to change the world. And Steve Jobs’ flashy launch day presentation, at the Flint Center in Cupertino, California, became a template for his many later appearances introducing subsequent Apple hardware - including the iMac and iPhone.
Today, the Mac 128K - so called because it came with 128kb of Random Access Memory, or RAM - is a museum piece. Apple stopped producing the computers in October 1985 and discontinued software support for them in 1998. But a handful of diehard fans still use their Mac 128K computers today - although not without frustrations. The machines are extremely limited due to their small amount of memory. If you want to check out the 128K's specifications, Apple actually lists them on its website.
Even with its diminutive memory, no modem or ability to connect to the internet, and rudimentary graphics, there is a community of avid fans who delight in poring over this seemingly ancient hardware. David Greelish, a computer historian in Florida who is releasing a documentary about the 128Ks predecessor the Apple Lisa this month, notes the ingenuity of the 128K's original circuit board. "It's got everything: ROM, RAM, processor and all the input-output," he says. "Everything there in a beautiful little integrated square board. For 1984, it was amazing."
Steve Jobs wanted the Macintosh to be an affordable personal computer that could be used by anyone (Credit: Getty Images)
The original Macintosh can still sell for as much as a modern computer. And for collectors they are a piece of computing history, with the signatures of the team who built it moulded into the plastic of the rear casing.
Some Mac 128K owners, however, use the devices to play quirky games like Frogger or Lode Runner on their treasured machines. All in black and white. The first Macintosh with a colour screen, the Macintosh II, only arrived in 1987.
The Centre for Computing History in Cambridge, England, is one of many collections that feature a functioning 128K. "It’s 40 years old and it’s still going," says Lisa McGerty, chief executive, who remembers the introduction of Macintosh computers as a "massive" improvement for people in the printing and publishing business. Apple's graphical printer, the ImageWriter, was released shortly before the 128K.
McGerty’s colleague Adrian Page-Mitchell, collections officer, says it’s not always easy to keep these decrepit Macintoshes functioning. An earlier 128K that had been on display for a long time at the Centre for Computing History eventually failed and "couldn't be fixed", he says.
Sometimes Macs show their age in strange ways. Steven Matarazzo, a YouTuber and computer collector, says that one of the machine’s capacitors can sometimes degrade over time, meaning that the 128K's screen won’t work properly - it'll appear slightly squished.
Last year, he published a YouTube video about an apparent prototype version of the 128K that turned up. It wasn't working so its owner asked Matarazzo if he could take a look at it. Before long, Matarazzo had the device functioning again. He studied every inch of this early Mac in detail, enthusing about tiny differences between it and the version that made it to market - such as the little Apple logos imprinted on the rubber feet of the prototype. Those weren’t there in the final design. It’s a bit like archaeology for gadgets, he explains.
"You try and put this together - what was the process here, how early was this, how late was this?" he says. "That is, especially to me, what is really cool."
The Apple II and the Apple Lisa, which predated the 128K, were also intended as intuitive, highly capable devices. But each had their own flaws or limitations - the Apple II did not come with a graphical user interface or mouse and the Lisa was much less affordable compared to the 128K, for instance.
Funnily enough, the era of individualised computing heralded by the original Macintosh is, in one sense, coming to an end
By the time the 128K launched, Blatner was finishing high school and looking for a computer to take to college - something as capable as those machines he'd seen at Xerox years before. His parents took him shopping and they soon found a 128K on display at a shop in downtown Palo Alto.
"It had menus, it had folders, it had a graphical user interface, it had a mouse - it was everything I thought a computer ought to be," he recalls, adding that he still has the receipt. The device cost his parents $2,495 and, at college, Blatner was soon showing it off to his fellow students. They used to queue up behind him in his dorm for a chance to try the computer out. "I have a file cabinet with all these crazy things we were printing out at college," he says. "People just loved it."
Among the things that made Macintosh different was its presentation. It wasn't just a personal computer, it was a computer with personality. Susan Kare, a graphic designer, came up with cartoon-like icons that practically anyone could understand, and she also contributed to the Macintosh’s collection of digital fonts.
The Macintosh 128K is still has a special place in the hearts of early Apple employees who worked at the company as it was being developed. Steve Wozniak is in the center.(Credit: Getty Images)
But so much about the Mac and the splash that it made was fuelled by marketing and hype. Jason Scott, a filmmaker and historian of technology who works at the digital archive non-profit Internet Archive, remembers seeing the original TV ad for the Mac 128K as a teenager.
The bizarre short film was directed by Ridley Scott and depicted a dystopian future inspired by the novel 1984. What would save us all from that dark future? The Mac 128K, of course.
"That commercial began playing and it seemed like it was completely from Mars," recalls Scott. "Something was going on but I didn't quite understand it."
Not long after, when Scott tried a Macintosh for the first time, he was enraptured. It was, he says, like looking through a telescope to another world.
And yet the Mac was not as big a success as some expected. "It didn’t sell to businesspeople like Steve thought it would," remembers Andy Cunningham, who worked on the marketing campaign for the device. "It’s ultimately why Steve got fired from Apple." Jobs left in 1985 but returned to the company in the late 1990s.
It took until 1988 before Apple had sold enough Macintosh devices, including various subsequent iterations of the original Macintosh, to finally eclipse sales of the Apple II, which had come out way back in 1977.
But Macs did appeal to many, especially young people and those working in creative roles.
Cunningham and her colleague Jane Anderson helped to pump up hype over the original Macintosh by offering individual journalists six hours each with people at Apple, including Jobs, and giving them multiple demonstrations of the machine to ensure that they understood what they were writing about. "I watched them all play with this computer and their eyes just glistened," says Cunningham.
It would be wrong to suggest that the Mac 128K was a perfect computer. As mentioned, it had severe limitations and was hardly a commercial hit at first. But it left an indelible mark. The rise of personal computing was undoubtedly a watershed moment. The ridiculously oversized, cabinet-like computers that you could only plug into via a clunky terminal now seemed hopelessly antiquated. Now we had portable, cheerful, accessible machines that almost anyone could use.
Funnily enough, the era of individualised computing heralded by the original Macintosh is, in one sense, coming to an end. In the 21st Century, we are becoming ever more dependent on server farms, cloud processing, big data, and networked systems. Other people’s computers are increasingly indispensable for running our own.
"We are now on the other side," reflects Blatner, who has kept almost every Macintosh he ever bought. "We did need this 40-year period of enabling people, of empowering people."
You can quickly tag photos on your iPhone with the names of your friends, family members and pets so you can easily find pictures of them later on. The Photos app will detect pictures of people automatically — you just need to give them a name.
If you want to fine-tune the results, I’ll show you how to do that. And now in iOS 17, you can even tag pets (cats and dogs) in your photos.
How to tag photos on iPhone with faces and pet names
In the Photos app, tap the Albums tab and open the People album. You should see some faces in there already — your iPhone works in the background to identify faces, even if it doesn’t know their names.
Entering a name for a person
Review and confirm additional photos
Tap the ⋯ menu in the top-right corner and select Review Photos to make sure the app identified images correctly. Tap to uncheck images that are of someone else.
At the bottom, tap Review More Photos. It’ll scan your photo library for extra pictures that might be the person you have open, where it just needs you to confirm.
Tap Done to finish.
Naming and identifying pictures of a cat in Photos
Tap on a person or pet and enter a name
Tap on a person, then tap Add Name at the top. Match it to someone in your contacts if possible.
When it comes to pets, the system officially supports only dogs and cats, according to Apple Support. However, I found some success in tagging raccoons as well. No such love for birds, fish, hamsters or lizards.
Merge two people
If one of your friends changed appearance, or if you have pictures of someone from when they were a baby all the way into adulthood, someone might appear in your People & Pets album twice.
To merge them into one, just tap and hold on a face and drag it into another one. You’ll see a confirmation dialog, "Is this the same person?" Tap Merge Photos to merge them or Cancel if it was a mistake.Tapping the tiny face icon to name a picture
Manually tag photos with faces.
Manually tag photos with faces
On the iPhone, if you’re looking at a picture, swipe up to show more information. You’ll see picture metadata — where it was taken, which lens, what time, etc. — but you’ll also see a small row of faces along the bottom of the picture.
Tap on one of these faces to make sure the app correctly identified the people in the photo. In several cases, Photos thought a friend of mine in a particular set of pictures was a brand-new person. Tap Add Name, enter the person’s name, and they’ll be merged with the rest of the photos.
Photos only shows a new person in the People & Pets area if there are a lot of pictures of them spread out over time. If there’s only one or two pictures of a face the app can’t identify, you need to root them out if you want the album to be fully accurate.
Tagging photos is a lot easier on Mac than on iPhone. In the menu bar, click View > Show Face Names. You’ll see faces circled with their name written underneath, so you can quickly and easily identify if a picture is correctly tagged.
How to use smarter search
Once you’ve tagged all the faces of people you know, you can take advantage of Photos’ smart search feature. You can combine criteria like dates, times, people, locations and even the contents of the picture. Like "scout, indy, christmas tree" for holiday photo shoots with my dogs (Scout and Indy), or "griffin, italy" to find vacation pictures.
How and why to use iPhone Stolen Device Protection
by Ed Hardy, cultofmac
iPhone Stolen Device Protection offers increased safety for your accounts and financial information if someone steals your handset and its passcode.
Here’s how to activate the security feature that just debuted in iOS 17.3, and — more importantly — why you should do it now.
Stolen Device Protection: How to activate
You don’t have to take my word that this new feature is a valuable enhancement. Tony Anscombe, chief security evangelist for global cybersecurity leader ESET, told Cult of Mac:
"Stolen Device Protection makes it harder for unauthorised access or alteration of sensitive settings making iPhones less appealing to criminals. This enhanced protection serves as a long-awaited deterrent, increasing the difficulty for thieves targeting such devices.
"While it’s impossible to completely prevent theft as perpetrators continually find new workarounds and exploits, this feature adds a significant hurdle. Organised crime groups, often involved in handling stolen phones, may now need to work that much harder to bypass it."
The new feature in iOS 17.3 is intended to counter a specific type of crime: muggers who steal someone’s iPhone and then demand the passcode to unlock it. That gives the criminal access to all the personal information stored on the device.
Advantages of iPhone Stolen Device Protection
With iPhone Stolen Device Protection activated, changing the Apple ID passcode requires Face ID/Touch ID and an hour-long wait. It can’t be changed quickly.
What that means is if a mugger steals your iPhone and forces you to give them the passcode, you have an hour to get to another computer, go to icloud.com and lock the device so it can’t be accessed even with the passcode.
To keep that restriction from being burdensome, SDP is only in effect when the iPhone is away from your home or workplace.
And iPhone Stolen Device Protection does more to stymie criminals. It requires Face ID to access saved passwords. The same goes for erasing the device, accessing saved credit card info in Safari, applying for an Apple Card and more.
More security never hurt
Look for Stolen Device Protection in the Face ID & Passcode section of the Settings apps.
iPhone Stolen Device Protection is optional and must be activated by you. If you don’t, it’s off. But if you want to upgrade the security on your handset, here’s what to do.
The first step in taking advantage of the new security feature is installing iOS 17.3. Apple released this to the public on January 22, so head to Settings -> General -> Software Update to get the latest version.
ext, go to Settings -> Face ID & Passcode. You’ll be required to enter your passcode to access this section.
Scroll down until you get to Stolen Device Protection. It’ll be off, so tap Turn On Protection.
And there, you’re done. You get all the benefits described above.
A thief trying to deactivate iPhone Stolen Device Protection has to wait an hour.
If you decide to reactivate the feature at some later date, go through these same steps but tap Turn Off Protection. You’ll have to pass Face ID and wait an hour to make the change. If cancelling SDP was quick and easy, the person who stole your iPhone could simply turn it off.
For more details on the security feature, read the Apple support document "About Stolen Device Protection for iPhone."
It’s worth repeating: New iPads, M3 MacBook Air coming in March
by Roman Loyola, macworld
The last time Apple did any sort of update to the iPad lineup was in October of 2022 (and the iPad Air was last updated in March 2022). So, we’ve been in an iPad update drought for over a year, but this March could bring some iPad (and MacBook Air) fortune.
In the latest edition of his Power On newsletter, Bloomberg’s Mark Burman reports that Apple has gone into "deep" production with the next generation of iPads and the MacBook Air to prepare for a late March release. Among the announcements this spring are likely to be a refresh to the current 10.9-inch iPad Air, a new larger iPad Air, and a revamp of the iPad Pros.
Gurman’s new report is basically a repeat of a report he made back in December, though this report appears to be more certain about a March timeframe. The last time Apple held a March event was in 2022, where the M1 Ultra, Mac Studio, and Studio Display debuted, and the iPhone SE and iPad Air received updates.
In early December, analyst Ross Young posted that 12.9-inch display panels for a larger iPad Air had started shipping. Both iPad Airs are expected to feature an M2 chip. Meanwhile, the iPad Pro is expected to feature new OLED displays, a new M3 chip, an updated design, and a revamped Magic Keyboard.
Last Friday, MacRumors reported that the iOS 17.4 beta that was recently released includes code that refers to the Face ID setup in landscape more, which could mean that the front-facing camera will be on the long edge like the 10th-gen iPad. However, it’s unclear if this applies to just the iPad Pro, just the iPad Air, or both. Early last week, CAD renders seemed to indicate that the camera on the iPad Air will remain on the short edge.
As for the MacBook Air, the only expected change is that Apple will upgrade the chip from the M2 to the M3. Apple released the M3 series back in November with the iMac and MacBook Pro, so this upgrade is expected, it was just a matter of when it would happen. Apple will still offer 13- and 15-inch models with no other design or specification charges.
How to use long-overdue improvements to the Files app in iPadOS 17
by Ed Hardy, cultofmac
Managing files on iPad has finally got a lot easier with new tools added to the Files app in iPadOS 17. It’s especially good for working with external drives, including basic capabilities like seeing see how much space remains on a thumb drive. And iPhone users can access them, too.
Here’s how to access all the new features in Apple’s Files app.
Managing files on iPad with Files app in iPadOS 17
iPads have been able to access the contents of external drives through the Files application since iPadOS 13. Documents can be opened, moved, deleted, etc., but the app still lacks some basic tools for working with drives. That changed with iPadOS 17.
Obviously, the first step in taking advantage of the improvements is plugging a drive into the USB-C port on the iPad. (Those with a tablet that uses Lightning will need an adapter.) Open the Files application to access the drive’s contents by tapping on its name in the left sidebar.
But all that’s been possible for years. Bring on the new features coming in iPadOS 17.
Tap and hold on the icon for an external drive in the Files app on iPad to get new admin options.
Image: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac
To see the new features in iPadOS 17, just tap and hold on the name of the external drive in the left column. Right-click or long-click the drive name if you’re using a mouse or trackpad. This opens a pop-up window with the additions in iPadOS 17 (see above).
It’s now possible to Rename an external drive. Simply choose that option from the window.
Also, iPadOS 17 can Erase an external drive, which earlier versions couldn’t do.
iPadOS 17 shows users how much space is left on an external drive.
Image: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac
Perhaps most importantly, you can find out how much space is still available on the drive. Tap/click on Get Info in the first pop-up to open a second pop-up window that shows the total capacity of the drive, as well as how much has been used and the amount still available.
Not all the standard fields shown in the Info window get populated. None of the date fields ever do.
Just so there’s no confusion, these new options aren’t available for cloud-storage drives that also appear in the left column of the Files application. You can’t, for example, use the pop-up to see how much open space remains on iCloud Drive.
I emphasize iPadOS but the same updates to the Files application are available in iOS 17.
Significant improvements
The changes for working with thumb drives and SSDs are long overdue. They should have been implemented when iPadOS 13 added support for accessing the contents of external drives.
Still, iPadOS 17 fills in some irritating gaps in the Files application’s feature list. There’s still room for improvement, of course.
Even now, much of the file system remains off-limits for users, but there are questions about how many iPad users actually want that. As it is, we can work with, move around and delete documents without being able to muck up the tablet by moving or deleting system files.
These are just a few of the changes in iPadOS 17, which is available for all recent iPad models, as well as ones going back years.
We first published this article in June 2023. We updated it after the release of iPadOS 17.
How to move photos to iCloud to save space on an iPhone
by Ed Hardy, cultofmac
Running out of storage on your iPhone? Here's how to use iCloud to free up space on your iPhone.
icloudphotosfromiphone
TABLE OF CONTENTS
How to save photos to iCloud
How to move photos from an iPhone to iCloud
How to save space on iPhone using iCloud Photos Library
Can I delete photos on my iPhone if they’re on iCloud?
How can I back up my iPhone photos and videos?
Storage space on an iPhone is definitely at a premium, what with the quality and size of photos and videos increasing all the time and our photo libraries now stretching back years. If you use iCloud though, then there’s an easy way to reduce the amount of space your images are taking up on your iPhone without having to remove them from your device.
In this article, we explain how to reduce the amount of storage taken up by photos on your iPhone by moving them to iCloud and help you avoid some of the pitfalls that come from not fully understanding what iCloud offers.
A number of MAGIC users are having a problem syncing their iPhones to a Mac when using a cable. This problem is occuring all over and there are a number of complaints on the internet about it. When you Sync your iPhone all is well intill it gets to Step 3 - then it stalls and nothing happens.
"iPhone Sync failing at Step 3"
Solutions
When the Sync stalls at Step 3, disconnect the cable from the iPhone, wait two seconds, plug the cable back into the iPhone, and rerun the Sync - it will work this time!
Go to Activity Monitor, find MDCrashReportTool and force quit it. The sync should now work (this one from the internet.)
If neither of these work, please contact us at the MAGIC email .
Set up your Apple Watch
from Apple
Learn how to use your iPhone to set up your new Apple Watch.
What you need
To set up and use a new Apple Watch, you need iPhone XS or later with iOS 17. Learn how to identify your iPhone model and how to update your iPhone to the latest version of iOS.
Apple is removing the Apple Watch’s blood-oxygen functionality
by David Price, macworld
Update 01/18/24: The appeals court has denied Apple’s motion (PDF) for a continuing stay on the sales ban, which means that the ban is back in effect beginning January 18 at 5 pm. ET. To continue selling the watch, Apple has removed the blood-oxygen sensor’s functionality while the case works its way through the courts.
Following the dramatic news in December that its flagship Apple Watch Series 9 and Ultra 2 smartwatches were being banned from sale, Apple has been hustling ever since to get them back on the market and keep them there. The problem is that the ITC has ruled that blood-oxygen sensors in the devices infringe patents owned by another company named Masimo.
The initial ban lasted only a few days, with an appeals court granting Apple’s request for a temporary stay, but the future remains uncertain. The company wants the ban to be paused for the entire appeals process, which could last a year or more and comfortably take us through to the launch of the next generation of Apple Watches, but the ITC for one finds Apple’s arguments for this course of action "weak and unconvincing" and success is by no means assured.
Last month it began work on a software workaround for the offending smartwatches, saying this would resolve the patent dispute to all parties’ satisfaction, and this week it emerged that US Customs has given its approval. We’ve also learned more about the workaround itself, and it turns out the changes are far more drastic than previously suspected. Rather than tweaking or even redesigning the process by which the watches measure blood oxygen, the software update removes the feature entirely. Obviously, Apple isn’t going to physically remove the sensor from the device, but it’s disabled for this purpose at least by a software inhibition. This was revealed by Masimo (as reported by Bloomberg), with whom the customs agency shared its findings.
"Apple’s claim that its redesigned watch does not contain pulse oximetry is a positive step toward accountability," the company commented. "It is especially important that one of the world’s largest and most powerful companies respects the intellectual property rights of smaller companies and complies with ITC orders when it is caught infringing."
Fear not, the firmware update does not apply to any watch shipped before January 18. If you have a Series 9 or any older Apple Watch with a blood-oxygen sensor, it will work as it should. To check whether your watch has the sensor enabled, head to the General tab in the Settings app, then About and Model, and tap to see the Part Number. Watches that have the blood oxygen sensor disabled have part numbers that end with the letters LW/A while working models end with LL/A.
10 things I learned after my first Vision Pro experience
by Michael Simon, macworld
Welcome to our weekly Apple Breakfast column, which includes all the Apple news you missed last week in a handy bite-sized roundup. We call it Apple Breakfast because we think it goes great with a Monday morning cup of coffee or tea, but it’s cool if you want to give it a read during lunch or dinner hours too.
A Vision of the future
I didn’t buy an Apple Vision Pro, but after trying out a demo at the Apple Store, I nearly did. Apple has got a lot right with its first headset and it’s easy to see a future where we’re all wearing Vision Pros instead of carrying iPhones, iPads, and Macs. Here are 10 things I learned about Apple’s next big thing:
Apple's new VR headset may make you want to start thinking more about how the content you capture today will be viewed in tomorrow’s world
by Jon Devo, digitalcameraworld
Apple’s Vision Pro headset could revolutionize the way people look at photos and videos.
The Vision Pro promises to bring fresh innovations to the way we consume images and video - which means photographers have new skills to learn (Image credit: Apple)
The world’s global tech superpowers are intent on corralling mankind into a virtual world - and the latest attempt comes from arguably the biggest hitter, Apple. At the company’s 2023 Worldwide Developers Conference, Apple CEO Tim Cook used his "one more thing" moment to reveal the Apple Vision Pro mixed-reality headset and its all-new operating system; visionOS. Yesterday, Apple announced at CES 2024 that the headset will go on sale from next month So what is it, and why is it a big deal?
This isn’t just any old virtual-reality headset: Apple claims it ushers in the "era of Spatial Computing". In non-Apple speak, it’s a device that combines virtual and augmented reality into a product that could transform the way we interact with content, as well as how we create it.
Apple has gone all out to create a platform that currently has no direct comparison. Despite not being see-through, you can still see the real world while wearing the Apple Vision Pro headset, thanks to its complex sensor arrays. On the outside, a pair of high-res cameras transmits over one billion pixels per second to displays inside, allowing you to see out. Inside the device are two 4K OLED displays, roughly the size of an SD card each. The unit is packed with cameras, LED lights and infrared sensors to track your eye movement, your hands and the surrounding environment.
With over 500 patents associated with it, the Apple Vision Pro headset deploys many innovative approaches. For one, it can pass through an animation of your eyes to its outer OLED display in real time. Activated while ‘looking’ at the outside world, this is produced using 3D data scanned from your face. It animates your eyes using a camera sensor array that’s focused on their movement within the device. It looks creepy, but it’s an innovative solution to the disconnect typically associated with headsets. There are two spatial audio speakers beside the wearer’s ears. These are designed to provide detailed sound corresponding to where the audio is coming from, reacting as you turn your head to pay attention to the source.
The device is controlled using the movement of your eyes and hands, and predictive modeling makes it seem almost telepathic. As a demonstration of this kit’s potential, it’s impressive. But what impact could it have on the way we consume content?
As well as leisure uses such as gaming, the Vision Pro will transform digital work tasks like image-editing (Image credit: Apple)
When Apple sneezes, the world of tech catches a fever, so this could be the shot in the arm that VR needs. We’ve been speculating for decades about when a sci-fi level of mixed reality would arrive; Apple wielding its mass-market appeal over a niche domain has the potential to deliver it.
Apple’s Vision Pro, as a spatial computer (attached to a keyboard and mouse), would remove the need for computer monitors while editing your pictures and videos, placing a high-resolution display that wraps around you in all directions, anywhere you can set up a desk. It could make working on the go and working collaboratively seamless, as others can step into the edit with you in a way that they can’t when watching a shared screen via a typical online meeting platform.
While there are still some drawbacks with this first-generation device, including a two-hour battery life and tethered-only power, the Apple Vision Pro will likely spark a rush of software makers and content producers seeking ways to use immersive camera technology even more. This means more focus on 360° and high-res video, as well as spatial audio. If you’ve only ever had a passing interest in 360° camera tech, perhaps now is the time to start familiarizing yourself with its potential. You may also want to start thinking more about how the content you capture today will be viewed in tomorrow’s world, after the Apple Vision Pro releases next year.
Life is short. Make sure you spend plenty of time arguing with strangers.
Q..How do you send a message in code?
A..Write in cursive
The older I get, the more I resemble computers. We both start out with lots of memory and drive and then we become outdated, crash unexpectedly, and eventually have to have our parts replaced.
Malware Examples
by Ron Sharp and Robert Elphick, MAGIC *
Scam to look like GeekSquad - DO NOT CLICK!
Scam email to appear from Fidelity Investment. Delete. Do no click on the link or call the number. Check the email address - not from Fidelity.
SPAM email - the FROM address is not Fidelety
Blatant SCAM on my iPhone
SCAM - not from Malwarebytes
SCAM - not from peacok
SCAM - These are kinda scary but totally false
SCAM - This not from Whidbey Telecome DO NOT CLICK
SCAM - on my iPhone DO NOT CLICK
Internet Crime
Any one bothered by internet criminal activity should report it to the Federal Bureau of Investigation Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) at this web page. This includes phishing, malware, spoofing, any demand for money.
Settings for iPhone & iPad for better battery performance *
I know you are used to getting security advice regularly, like "Do the updates", and "Make these changes". Well here are a few settings to check, but these ones will help improve battery performance. I often go two days without having to charge my phone. Of course, if you do marathon phone conversations then you most likely charge your phone more frequently.
Here is a list of things to check for battery performance. Some settings may show different than I describe if you are on a different operating system, and may be a bit different between iPhone and iPad.
1 If you use Beta versions of iOS or iPad OS then exit those versions and turn off Beta Updates. Settings>General> Software Updates.
2 Set "Automatically AirPlay" to Never. Settings>General>AirPlay & Handoff.
3 Turn "Bringing Devices Together" off. Settings> General>AirDrop>Bringing Devices Together. This is for sharing contact information with an iPhone that is close to you. I’m guessing most of use don’t share contact information this way. We usually email or text information to share. Changing this will save the phone from constantly looking for a local iPhone to share with. AirDropping info will still be available.
4 Use Wi-Fi when possible. When you are at home, make sure your phone and iPad connect to your Wi-Fi rather than using your cell service. Settings>Wi-Fi. Your network should show up. Tap to join. You’ll have to type the password for your network if you have not set this up before.
5 Cellular options. 5G is a newer and faster data option than LTE (4G). However, not a lot of areas offer a good 5G service yet. If you find your service is switching to LTE often then you can set it to "LTE only", to save battery. Your options are: 5G Auto, or 5G on, or LTE. Go to Settings>Cellular>Cellular Data Options>Voice & Data.
6 Check Location Services Settings. In Privacy & Security, click on Locations Services, then set locations services for each app. Most of them I have set to "While Using" so my location is only shared while using an app. That way apps aren’t sharing data in the background.
7 Turn TV "Live Activities" off. Settings>TV>Live Activities. I never use the TV app on my phone. I don’t know who does. If you do, you may want the Live Activities options. I can’t tell you what the benefits are of that option. Maybe you can tell me!
8 App Privacy Report. I wrote about this feature in the January Newsletter. Here’s what I suggest: If you’re interested to see what apps are sharing your information, and how often, then turn this App Privacy Report on. Check it all out and be prepared to be surprised at how much is shared or sent to other websites. Now, what you can do is delete the most offensive apps, particularly ones that you don’t use. Clear the data and check it again later if you’re inclined to. Then I recommend turning the App Report off. It’s a service that is constantly keeping track of this data and if you seldom use it, you'll save battery by turning it off. (I also recommend using Apple apps rather than other choices. For instance using Apple Maps versus Goggle maps. While Apple apps may share data most connections are within Apples own domain. Google shares data to many other sites. And using Private Browsing will also help to limit the number of websites that share data to other sites.)
Settings>Privacy & Security>App Privacy Report.
9 And finally, Analytics & Improvements. I turn all those settings off. If you want to help Apple improve some of their services you can turn some options on. I figure thousands of people are already sharing. Maybe millions. Think how many people have those settings turned on and they don’t even realize it. And, for a bit of a conspiracy theory, I figure if Apple is really hard up for data they’ll collect it without asking us. Settings>Privacy & Security>Analytics & Improvements
Also, as Mac news articles always tell us, battery performance is occasionally affected after major updates until all the changes have been made. Then battery performance will return to normal, usually within a day or two.
I read about gadgets designed to work with Apple products along with all other Mac news. I generally don’t include them in the newsletter. If I did I’m afraid the newsletter would become a huge advertising journal. But I do like to point out a product, or group of products, that I judge to be convenient, to let you know what’s available.
So here are 3 in 1 device charges for Apple products. There are many available. I don’t use any of these but they seem like handy chargers when you use more than one Apple product.
Mission: Impossible -| Tom Cruise | The Biggest Stunt in Cinema History
MAGIC, the Macintosh Appreciation Group of Island County, serves people who use Macintosh computers, software and peripherals. Our goal is to share information and get answers to questions to make us more productive with our use of technology. Our monthly meetings give us a chance to discuss computer problems and share ideas with other Mac users, feature speakers on specific topics, and to keep apprised of Apple news.
