MacMost: Archives

The Shortcuts app from Apple allows you to create your own Siri Shortcuts from building blocks. A large gallery of sample shortcuts is a good place to start to learn about using shortcuts. When you select a shortcut from the gallery, you customize it while adding it to your active shortcuts. You can then trigger it with Siri or pressing a widget button.

The simplest way to take advantage of the new Siri Shortcuts feature in iOS 12 is to just use one of the suggestions in the Settings app. You can look through a list of recent activity and quickly create a shortcut from that, assigning a Siri trigger phrase to use the shortcut over and over again.

In addition to the release of iOS 12 today, Apple also updated their three office-like apps with a few new features. The update includes compatibility with new macOS Mojave and iOS 12 features, such as Continuity Camera and Dark Mode. (more...)

Take a look at the top new features of iOS 12, available today for iPhone and iPad. You can now customize Siri, adding your own commands that trigger actions. You can use filters and graphics in FaceTime. You can create your own Memoji on newer iPhones and even use them in live FaceTime conversations. Screen Time lets you keep track of your use. Notifications and Do Not Disturb get more controls. There are also redesigned apps and more.

A meme is a humorous image, caption, idea or action that spreads on online. Memes have been around since the beginning of the Internet and are usually just harmless fun.

The big news items yesterday were the three new iPhones and the Apple Watch Series 4. But in addition to those, we also learned released dates for iOS 12 (September 17) and macOS Mojave (September 24). The absence of any mention of new Mac and iPad models seems to make it almost certain that Apple will have another event in coming weeks to announce more fall products. (more...)

If you a Mac with a trackpad, are you aware of all of the different gestures you can use to make life easier? You can use Smart Zoom to zoom in an out on an element on a web page. You can rotate images. You can also bring in the Notifications Center sidebar and activate Mission Control. Try learning a new trackpad gesture to get the most from your Mac.

Apple announced a new line of iPhones today, building on last year's iPhone X. The new iPhone XS is the successor to the iPhone X, and a new iPhone XS Max is a larger-screen version. A new iPhone XR is a LCD-screen budget model. In addition, Apple announced a new Apple Watch Series 4 with a slight redesign and new features. Release dates for iOS 12 and macOS Mojave were set for later this month.

You can copy and paste text on an iPhone or iPad just like you can on a computer. However, instead of a mouse or trackpad to select text and keyboard commands to copy and paste, you need to use touchscreen gestures to select and special on-screen commands to copy and paste. It takes some practice to be able to copy and paste as easily as you can on a computer.

As Wednesday’s Apple event approaches, the analysts are all guessing what Apple may unveil. As usual, a lot of predictions are vague and confusing, such as suggesting USB-C support for iPhones, which could just mean USB-C cables, and not the demise of the lightning port. (more...)

If you wish to have some of the photos on your Mac available in iCloud, but not others, a typical solution is to use two Photos libraries. But a more useful solution for some is to link some photos as referenced photos, keeping them separate from your Photos library while including them as linked photos. These items will not be synced to iCloud and will not be stored in your Mac's Photos library either. You can bring these photos into the library later on using the Consolidate command.

While each piece of unwanted software that tries to get on your Mac is slightly different, there are some general steps you can take to check for and remove malware. The LaunchAgents and LaunchDaemons folders are usual locations to check. You should also look for unwanted browser extensions and do an audit of the files in your Applications folder.

Some are reporting this week that Apple will release two new versions of the iPhone X, an “Xs” model and an “Xs Max” model. While the first will be a minor update to the existing iPhone X, the Max could have a larger screen and battery.

The use of “Max” in the name instead of a “plus” will be a change for Apple, and it seems very un-Apple-like. Rumors also include another iPhone model with a mid-sized LCD screen that could replace the iPhone 8 series. The announcement will come on the morning of September 12 during a special event at Apple headquarters.

You can create up to 3 extra email addresses in your iCloud account that you can use to mask your real email address. These extra addresses will direct email to your regular iCloud account, but the sender doesn't know what your real email address is. These are handy for creating one-time use accounts or using a different email address for certain types of services like online games, shopping or newsletters.

Quick Look gives you the ability to view the contents of files without needing to open them up in an app. You can easily view a single photo or document by pressing the spacebar. You can also page through PDF files or view groups of photos. If you open up the Quick Look window you can continue to select different files with the cursor or arrow keys and the window will reflect whatever is selected.

A quick and easy way to create a video slideshow with your photos is to use the built-in Slideshow function in the Photos app. You can just select some photos, stick with the defaults, and get a video to upload to YouTube or Facebook in less than a minute. Or, you can customize the theme, individual photos, text and more to create something a little more specific.

When creating word processing documents you can insert page breaks and section breaks. It is helpful to think of both types of breaks as actual characters in your text, and you can see them as such when you show invisible characters. Page breaks are simply ways to force the text to start on the next page. Section breaks are more complex, giving you control over properties of the pages within the sections and also allowing you to re-arrange pages in your document.

Media invites have been sent out for an Apple event at 10 a.m. on September 12. Apple is expected to at least announce new iPhones at this event. (more...)

An Internet Troll is someone who posts online with the intent of starting a distracting argument. Trolls can be found all over the Internet in forums, message boards, comments sections and any other place where people discuss anything. The term comes from both the fantasy creature and the fishing technique. There are effective ways to deal with trolls whether you are a member of a community or the moderator of a discussion. Patent Trolls are another type of technology trouble-maker.

It seems there is no doubt now that Apple is seriously thinking about making some sort of wearable AR device. Reuters reports that they just bought Colorado company Akonia Holographics. (more...)