MacMost Now 910: 9 Common Mac Myths and Misconceptions
Comments: 49 Responses to “MacMost Now 910: 9 Common Mac Myths and Misconceptions”
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Love this style of video - very informative!
I still find it crazy how many people still believe some myths such as turning computers off all of the time :)
I have heard that leaving the power plugged in after the battery is fully charged is not a good idea and may over charge the battery, shortening its life. I was told that to maximize battery life it needs to fully charge and then fully discharged to get the most cycles.
Not true at all. That's one of the myths I talk about in the video. There's no reason to not leave your MacBook plugged in.
And as for fully discharging the battery to maximize the lifecycle. While it is try that you might be able to eek out 1 or 2% more from the battery by doing this, that doesn't not make it worth the time and effort it takes to micro-manage your battery. Use your MacBook -- don't let it use you!
The latest wisdom I've read is that you should completely discharge it as you describe maybe just once or twice a year, but the rest of the time, it's best to keep the battery "topped off".
1) Some applications use RAM and don't discharge it. Only quitting the program resolves this.
2) My MagicMouse practically drinks batteries. Shutting it off prolongs life.
3) Dropping any laptop is not a good idea.
4) You could have written this out and people could have read it in under 2 minutes, not listening to you drone on and on for 8:44!
1 -- Apps shouldn't. Not in 2013. If you have an app that does, perhaps contact the developer to let them know.
2 -- Sorry to hear that. Have to A/B tested?
3 -- OK.
4 -- I do video tutorials. That's why this is a video. Sorry you think I "drone on." I didn't mean for this to be an inconvenience for you. Perhaps you would enjoy a web site that has written materials more than one that uses video.
Oh, and if I had written it out, then not one of my 30,000+ YouTube and iTunes subscribers would have seen it.
The reply is correct. IMHO the last paragraph is not necessary. It sounds a little bit scornful and, you don't need that sort of advertising.
Best regards,
Brilliant reply to a idiot! Keep up the video tutorials, I've learnt so much from them. Thanks.
Great response to all. If you don't like, then don't watch. Keep up the great work Gary. I learn something with every newsletter and video I watch. Oh! and by the way you don't drone on.
+1
For point #3, the video did not suggest otherwise; his point is that damage caused from spinning hard drives is not an issue when the unit is dropped, as before. For point #4, your thought is worth considering in this regard, IMHO; much is communicated non-verbally by hearing someone speak--one of the reasons we still have face-to-face classrooms--but having written text would certainly be useful for many, especially when you are in a hurry.
Gary, there is one in every thousand, which means you have at least 30 of them among your subscribers..! pay no attention...you do a great job and i like many love your stuff. keep up the good work..!
Sorry Don108,
I have learned tons from Gary's videos. Don't ever stop Gary!
Thanks for all you do Gary!
I find that there can be useful information is in the 'droning', things maybe not specifically linked to the topic, but good to know nevertheless, and you can never have enough information, imo.
oops, sorry about leaving in the "is", I meant to drop it out.
Those who can -- do. Those who can't -- criticize.
Keep up the great work Gary. I love your clips, so don't let the haters change your style.
Great video - ignore the peanuts who really have no life - yeah you Don108 why bother?
Gary
Your advises and guidance via your videos provide real insight into many issues - I applaud you , your style and the topics covered.
Keep up the excellent work !!!!!
As a Mac Newbie I appreciate everything you have to say Gary. Love the video style. Especially love when you show the mac screen and show where and what to click on. Seeing is better than just the written or spoken word. Keep it up.
Your videos are great, interesting and always full of very USEFUL info. Thank you Gary and please don't stop!
Once again, much thanks for the video.
I have a question on this matter, but related to iMacs, I was told by an Apple technician that if one leaves the iMacs running for too many nights and days (eg during downloading) it can cause a burn in or 'moire' on the screen. Is this true? FYI, I have had this problem before, but I'm not sure if it's because of this, or because of a manufacturing defect.
Thanks in advance.
It is possible, but easily avoided. You should have Display Sleep set to something reasonable instead of "Never" in the Energy Saver settings in System Preferences. It will be by default. So if you are downloading something overnight, the screen will shut off, but not the Mac. I'm not sure about today's advanced LCD screens having this burn effect (it was an issue for old CRT monitors in the 80s and 90s) but it will certainly save some energy to use Display Sleep.
Thanks again for your quick reply, Gary. I'll have to check on the Display Sleep later - I don't think I've set it to "Never" though. FYI, the burn-in is noticeable when one switches on the Background to White. With a multi-coloured background, eg with a picture, most of the time the burnin is not noticeable. Unless it's unfortunate for me to end up with a manufacturing defective iMac.
Gary;
Good work ! IMO - the information was presented quickly and pleasantly - and
I learned from it.
Thanks,
Jim H.
I always find tips in your videos...and I'm not a new user....and love the video format too...Im one of those that may be working on other things while listening, and probably wouldn't spend the time reading. Keep up the good work
Being fortunate to live in range of 3 Apple stores and to have a One to One subscription, I have had many sessions with Geniuses/trainers. At least 3x in 2013, I have been told by Apple personnel 2 things: exhaust Macbook/MBPro battery monthly and never carry around the laptop while it's powered up. Indeed, my white Macbook's hard drive died in 2012, and carrying it powered up was cited as a contributing factor. Could so many Geniuses and store personnel really be so out of date?
Sounds like it. Maybe you had an older MacBook, or there was some particular problem with yours? Or maybe they were just being over-cautious.
Thanks for this information! I was particularly interested in learning about leaving apps running... coming from a Windows background this could easily be a misconception as I often shut down apps to save memory usage. But paying attention to Activity Monitor the Mac does a great job managing memory no longer in use with these Apps. So I'll try to leave these apps running going forward. ;)
PS: Ignore the "Don108"s of the world... comments have given him far too much air time.
At last I can prove to my husband that having more than one (usually loads) of apps open is ok on my Mac.
He is still a pc lover....I do try and convert, but what is a girl do?
Gary: Another outstanding, helpful video. I must have believed at least half of those before today. Thanks.
jac mills
I leave my batteries in when they are fully charged,because when they are charged they are cut off. The same goes for the Energy Preference when I am finished on the computer I set the bottom one to zero,and the top one for 2 mins,but the computer is still working downloading whatever.
This video is good for a beginner,and someone who is never too old to learn. I am 65 years old,and still learning.
Gary has hit these myths on the head.
Great video!!! I use many of yours for a Seniornet Mac group...they love them, but all say "You talk too fast!!!" Sorry, but I think they're right! We usually play each video more than once so folk can try to catch what they missed first time through...
See: http://macmost.com/about
Much thanks. Being from MS most of the world is speaking at a cadence hard for me to absorb. I'm glad you are you. Dr. Seuss would be pleased as well.
I'm okay with playing the videos more than once and devour the transcripts.
Thank you heaps Gary - I love receiving your emails and vids. I am learning so much. I get annoyed when ignorant readers criticise you. Heck you are providing all this amazing information for FREE!
PS. I'm a lot older than Mr. Anthony Cotton!
My Mac Pro wakes up every hour in sleep mode. What could be causing this?
Hard to say. Often the culprit is either something running on the Mac (an app), something on the network that attempts to access the Mac (another computer or device you own), or a wireless or USB device you have connected. You'll have to investigate with some detective work to narrow it down and figure it out.
I found out that Sophos anti-virus wakes up my MAC every hour.
so pleasing that this has so many comments of thanks and encouragement and defense for you, more than any I've read. You have saved the life of my computer many times, vbg. Keep on keeping on!
Love the sound of Gary's voice, but please try to slow down just a little bit LOL.
Keep up the video tutorials! Having used windows based pc's for years, I found the transition to Mac tricky at first, but your blog is so useful. Whenever I am unsure how to do something, I can usually find a link to it here and I tend to recommend it to friends who are also changing over. Please ignore any small minded types!
Good video, like most of them.
The only thing is, if I do not quit my apps, I have almost no RAM at all to work with. I am using late 2011 Imac 2.66 Intel Core 2 duo with 8GB RAM.
Apple spinning beach ball is a nightmare, appearing to often. Very slow imac. Checking emails, surfing is almost ok, but not perfect, but everything beyond this.. frustration.
So for me to quit an app or tho restart the machine is sometimes necessary.
I suppose, I have got to check my addons and apps - lots of them
Your Mac running slow, and the spinning wheel, doesn't mean you are running out of memory. More likely you are low on disk space (no virtual memory) or an app is hogging the processor. You can use Activity Monitor to figure that out if you know how. Or, the process of elimination. But it could be an app that you don't even know is running -- a background process of something you installed.
Thank You for your this quick respond :D. I will check it.
I don't know what I would do without you. I'm always looking and following your advice and so far, I have kept my computer running beautifully. Your instructions are easy to follow, if I don't understand them, I would write and tell you. You are the best thing that ever happened to my Apple and any good computer users. Keep up the good work,,,WE LOVE YA...... HOORAY FOR US AND YOU.
Gary
Add my admiration to the now very long list of those who really appreciate your videos. I hardly read anything anymore - if a picture is worth 1,000 words, then a video is worth a million. Especially yours!
I get the "Your Mac OS X startup disk has no more space available for application memory" message and have to restart to get it to go away. Does this go against what you are saying about closing apps down?
Great tutorials Gary! Keep 'em coming!
No. Disk space and memory are two different things. If you are getting that message, that means you are running low on hard drive space and should work to clear some space as soon as you can.
70GB available - time for a spring clean! Thanks for the tip Gary.