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Apple

  • November 15, 2019
    Apple

    iPad Apps On MacOS Not A Big Hit So Far

    Apple at WWDC several months back announced that iPad apps can now run on macOS. While this was a great announcement sometimes thing do not go as planned and iPad apps On MacOS are off to a slow start. iPad apps on macOS is something users have been waiting for since Google announce that Android apps would run on Chromebooks so naturally, Apple would want this kind of technology on their platform. As so many things in technology things get off to a bumpy start. Apple to start with has struggled with their only being about 20 apps so far being offered by developers. While Apples apps are all being ported over to big-name players like Netflix and Facebook have been slow to adopt the change. When you look at the MacOS App Store To start with none of the iPad apps on macOS are great apps or groundbreaking apps that everyone would want to use. The only one I even see that I would use would be Twitter, maybe Post-it, Sudoku, and Solitaire. I would like to point out that all of these apps except for Twitter and Post-it you need to pay to get on macOS. When Apple originally pointed out this new technology they said users would be able to port their apps to macOS that does not seem to be the case as you will need to pay or in many cases rebuy the app which I can’t imagine anyone did out of the 20 offered. For most or all of the iPad apps on macOS apps just no one cares about and to top it off most of the apps offered have a web version so why would you need the app on the desktop. I think part of the issue is at WWDC Apple...
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  • September 19, 2019
    Apple

    iOS Problems: 9 Common Issues with iOS 12 (And How to Fix Them)

    Even Apple products can go wrong. Are you suffering from iOS problems that you can’t solve? We look at how to fix the most common problems with iOS 12. 1 out of every 2 people that have a smartphone has an iPhone. That level of market penetration is insane given that there are literally hundreds of brands of phones on the market that people can choose from. Despite the fact that iPhone users have different models of the popular smartphone brand (X, XS, 8, etc.), in most cases, all modern iPhones (and iPads) are running iOS 12. Therein lies a collective problem. While iOS 12 is the most robust operating system that Apple has ever rolled out, it’s also imperfect. Actually, we’ll take it a step further and say that iOS 12 is downright buggy. To help you push past issues that you may be experiencing, here are some common iOS problems and fixes. Battery Drain One of the most commonly cited iOS problems that users run into when updating to any new iOS version is battery issues. This problem tends to present itself in the way of batteries draining faster than they were previously. There are a few possible causes for this. For starters, your phone may just be old and its battery might be straining under the amount of horsepower that it takes for iOS 12 to run. There’s not much you can do about that beyond upgrading your phone. A more likely reason for your battery woes is that your battery is adjusting to your OS. To help move it along, close out all background applications and let your battery completely drain. Then, charge it to full. Cellular Connectivity Smartphones do so much today that some of us have forgotten what their core function actually is… To call...
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  • July 31, 2019
    Apple

    Apple Revenues Up Despite Slowing iPhone Sales

    Apple announced their fiscal 2019 third quarter and Apple posted quarterly revenue of $53.8 billion, an increase of 1 percent from the year-ago quarter despite iPhone revenue, the company’s largest single product falling below 50% of the company’s overall revenue. This is the first time since 2012 that the iPhone represented under half of Apple’s revenue. Apple stated that iPhone revenue came in at $25.99 billion for the quarter and that its services revenue was at $11.46 billion for the quarter. Apple credits growth in wearables and strong performance with the iPad for helping to make up the difference from the slowing sales of the iPhone. Apple’s wearables saw a big boost, likely thanks to Apple’s second-generation AirPods which released during the quarter. Apple has been updating their Macs and iPads more frequently than in the past. They have raised the prices on them as well recently. Revenues from Mac sales was $5.82 billion, and iPads were $5.023 billion, up from $4.634 billion last year at this time. This could again be from raising prices and updating devices more frequently to help persuade new buyers. Tim Cook said in the press release “This was our biggest June quarter ever — driven by all-time record revenue from Services, accelerating growth from Wearables, strong performance from iPad and Mac and significant improvement in iPhone trends,” going on to say “These results are promising across all our geographic segments, and we’re confident about what’s ahead. The balance of calendar 2019 will be an exciting period, with major launches on all of our platforms, new services, and several new products.” Apple will be fine going into the next few quarters. They are rumored has a new 16-inch MacBook Pro in the works. They have the Apple credit card releasing very soon plus both Apple...
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  • July 8, 2019
    Apple

    Apple Needs Windows and Android to Grow The Apple TV Service

    At WWDC Apple released some number and the numbers they released got me thinking a little bit about Apples move to not bring Apple Music, Apple Podcasts, Apple TV to Windows. To start with Apple announced they have 900 million iPhone users and 1.4 billion active iOS devices. Apple went on to say later in their keynote that they have 100 million users on MacOS. What these two numbers mean to me is that Apple only has 100 million users using both an iPhone and MacOS. That means that the other 800 million active iPhone users are using either no computer, ChromeOS, Linux or Windows. Microsoft has over 1.5 billion Windows computers, so my guess is a lot of those iPhone users are run Windows. This makes me wonder why out of this huge userbase that Apple has on Windows would they not move over at least something like the Apple TV app to Windows. I understand that audio content like Apples almost 60 million Apple music customers and podcast listers may not be something Apple is worried about since most of us do listen to music on our phones. Plus, Microsoft has been pushing Spotify really hard and actually built in an ad for Spotify into Microsoft Groove on Windows 10. So, I understand why the Apples Music app and Podcast App might not be a priority for Apple moving forward. But I think not bringing over Apple TV to Windows is a huge mistake by Apple. Apple TV will not be web-based like Netflix or Hulu you will need to use an app to access the content so potentially Apple is saying you can only watch Apple TV on our devices. This move going forward could really hurt the growth of the Apple TV service that Apple has...
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  • June 12, 2019
    Apple

    The Microsoft Store Adds A New iCloud App for Windows 10

    Microsoft announced today that Apple’s iCloud app is now available in the Microsoft Store for Windows 10. Apple put a lot of focus on iCloud at their WWDC conference, so it is not surprising that Apple would launch its new iCloud app for Windows 10 this week. Back in April of 2018, Apple launched iTunes in the Microsoft Store which looks to be the final version of iTunes. iCloud is home to iCloud Drive, iCloud Photos, Mail, Contacts, Calendar, Reminders and Safari Bookmarks which sync to Apple iPhones, iPads and Macs. Microsoft announced on their blog “The new iCloud for Windows app introduces a new iCloud Drive experience for Windows 10 users powered by the same Windows technology that also powers OneDrive’s Files On-Demand feature, enabling users to be more productive offline on mobile devices and quickly share files on iOS.” iCloud added some additional features to their client Access your iCloud Drive files right from File Explorer, without using up space on your PC Choose the files and folders you want to keep on your PC Safely store all your files in iCloud Drive and access them from your iOS device, Mac and on iCloud.com Share any file right from File Explorer and easily collaborate with others – edits will be synced across your devices iCloud for Windows is now available to download as an app in the Microsoft Store worldwide.
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  • June 12, 2019
    Apple

    What I Read on Apple News+

    Many of my readers have reached out to me and asked me what I read on Apple News+ so I started looking over what I read and it’s interesting to see how diverse my interests are as a reader and a writer. Popular Mechanics This is a magazine I have been a subscriber of since I was a kid and while I feel bad canceling my subscription there is no need for me to subscribe to both popular mechanics and Apple News+ since its part of my subscription. This magazine has really survived the test of time with how the world changes from cars, computers, internet, cell phones, and gadgets. This is one publication that has proven they can change with the times. Wired Wired is one magazine that I have subscribed to for what feels like forever since I got into computers and the internet. I remember I started reading this when Bill Gates was on the cover in the late 90s. They are one of the true tech magazines of the time. Esquire I always liked reading esquire ever since I was a teenager their tips on men’s fashion, grooming and entertainment have always been great to read and now their tech section is very well done. They are one of the longest running magazines of all time and while the writing has shifted a bit over the years, they still put out a great publication. Linux Format This is one magazine I have started reading religiously. I have been a Linux Journal subscriber for close to a decade but since I have started with Apple News+ I stopped my subscription to Linux Journal to save a little money since I am paying for Apple News+. I am a big Linux guy and this is a great publication...
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  • June 10, 2019
    Apple

    Google Needed the Pixel 3a to Compete With Apple

    There is much speculation as to why Google put out the Pixel 3a but here are the most noticeable reasons that I picked up on as to why Google released the Pixel 3a. Apple Success Apple has had major success in the sales area of the iPhone XR. There is no hiding the fact that while the iPhone XS is a great phone it’s very expensive and Apple needed something in that sweet spot price point that they have had so much success with over the years. Google just like Apple went up with the price of the Pixel 3 to $999 for a base model and there is no phone by Google in that sweet spot of 400-700 dollars. The Pixel 3a and Pixel 3a XL put them in that sweet spot to be competitive with Apples XR series. Pixel 3 Quality Issues The Pixel 3a is much cheaper than the Pixel 3 but unlike the Pixel 3, the Pixel 3a comes with 4 gigs of ram and not 3 like the first gen Pixel 3 this gives users incentive to trade in their phones and upgrade to a cheaper phone with fewer issues and more ram. Google Fi Google is desperately trying to get people onto Google Fi offering 50 percent off sales on the flagship Pixel 3 phone from $1000 to $500 dollars. The Pixel 3a will allow them to offer deals on Google Fi using a cheaper phone and offering better deals to get on Google Fi. Leftover Hardware No one has said this but I think part of the reason Google is doing Pixel 3a is they had extra hardware from the Pixel 2 launch. The Pixel 3a has very close to the same hardware specs as the Pixel 2 and I wonder if this...
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