MacMost: Archives

Glass of Beer.
Google Glass.
Both have the potential to make other people more interesting.

Learn about the Undo and Redo functions for Macs and iOS. The Undo function is available in almost every app and situation on the Mac, and many on iOS too. However, what the Undo function does depends on the type of app and the last action you took. Many apps allow you to undo multiple steps and redo them as well.

Learn how to tell which apps are using the most space on your iPhone, iPad or iPod Touch. You can use the Settings app to list all of your apps by the amount of storage space they are using. You can delete apps, clear their storage areas and sometimes manage the files they keep. With other apps you will need to use the app itself to manage its files.

The Recent Places list appears in save dialog boxes across all of your applications. You can use it to quickly save documents to the same folder, even if you are using a variety of apps for the same project.

Apple’s quarterly financial report was a pleasant surprise for investors as the numbers beat many forecasts. Apple reported $43.6 billion in revenue for the quarter. The iPad and iPhone continue to lead, while Mac sales dropped. But Mac sales may have merely echoed lower sales in the overall PC market, and were also hurt by low supply.
Apple also announced plans to buy back more of its stock and also increase the quarterly dividend to shareholders.
Following the financial report, Apple announced the dates for its next Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC). It will take place from June 10 to 14 at the Moscone Center in San Francisco. Tickets go on sale today for the event with will feature more than 100 technical sessions and will likely include developer-related announcements such as new versions of iOS or OS X.

“I heard it from a friend who heard it from their son who heard it in gym class.”
“Yes, I see. Guess it is time to change our position on Apple stock.”

Google Drive spreadsheets is a good alternative to using desktop apps like Excel and Numbers. It is a fairly sophisticated number crunching program that has all of the major features seen in those others. All you need is to use your web browser and a free Google account.

Scroll Bars in Lion and Mountain Lion will appear and disappear depending on your actions. You can set them to always be present, or to change based on your input device. With two fingers on your trackpad, you can scroll easily. You can also use the arrow keys on your keyboard to scroll.

Learn about some of the actions in Automator that control the Calendar and Mail app. Build a workflow that will search your events, summarize them as text, and convert that text to an audio file. Then Mail can send it as an email message.

There was a series of minor software updates this week including Safari and Apple’s two photo management tools. Safari 6.0.4 adds a feature where you can enable Java only for certain specific web sites. This addresses a problem where users want to protect themselves from future Java security exploits, but need to use Java on some trusted web sites.
You can access this new setting after using Software Update to get Safari 6.0.4. Then you go to Safari, Preferences, Security and look next to the Enable Java checkbox for a new button that lists the web sites you have accessed that require Java.
The update to iPhoto adds the ability to delete individual images from a Photo Stream by simply dragging it to the iPhoto trash. You can also import images into a Photo Stream with drag-and-drop. Aperture 3.4.4 included a few bug fixes.

“He thought it would be safer if he had a rear view mirror when backing up his Mac.”

Learn how to properly eject an external hard drive or USB flash drive. You can also remount an ejected drive without needing to unplug the drive and plug it back in using Disk Utility.

Today's Google Maps app provides the basic functionality of the old Google Maps app. But you have to add this free app yourself as it no longer comes pre-installed on iOS. You can use both Apple Maps and Google Maps on your device, and it is worth having it as an alternative.

Many of the posts you may see in your Facebook news feed are scams or pieces of misinformation. Learn to be skeptical when you read information passed on from others. Verify information before passing it on yourself. Often, posts are simply ploys to gain popularity on Facebook.

Rumors continue to fill a series of slow news weeks in the Apple world. There is more talk that the next iPhone model will out in July and will be called the 5s, following the practice of an “s” model coming out in between new version numbers: 3G, 3Gs, 4, 4s, 5. There is also speculation that the new phone will be available in two screen sizes, though other sources see this as doubtful. Also rumored for the summer is a 5th generation iPad.
On the Mac side, there is a mention on one rumor site of a new Mac Pro coming later this month. It has been years since the Mac Pro has seen a significant update. The current model isn’t even available in parts of Europe because its outdated design doesn’t meet regulatory standards.

“Just sign here and your divorce will be final.”
“If only getting out of my mobile phone contract was this easy.”

Learn how to put your videos on your iPhone, iPad or iPod touch. You would typically use iTunes to transfer the videos from your Mac or PC to your device. But sometimes you have to go through a conversion process first as iOS can only play back certain types of video.

Safari 6 has some great tools for developers, including the Safari Snippet Editor. This tool allows you to write HTML code and see the results instantly. You can include tags as well as styles and scripts. It could be useful for those learning HTML or JavaScript, and for those starting a new HTML project.

If you are posting to Apple's discussion forums, or are simply asking for service or help, it is important to be able to convey critical information about your Mac. Learn how to find the correct name for your Mac, the amount of memory and storage space you have available, and the version of OS X you are using. Also, if you are discussing an app, it is important to mention the version of the app you are using.

A quiet news week was punctuated with rumors proclaiming to map out the rest of Apple’s 2013. The most bizarre rumor sounded more like an April Fool’s Day joke: an Apple TV display controlled by pointing, requiring the user to wear a special ring around his or her finger. The same rumor claims the TV will come with an iPad-like second screen to allow mobile viewing throughout the house.
More reasonable rumors included a July launch of an iPhone 5s model and the release of iOS 7. The new version of iOS may include significant interface updates according to a source. Also surfacing again this week was talk of an Apple streaming radio service, perhaps launching this summer.