Posts By: Gary Rosenzweig

A new video compression setting available in macOS High Sierra will help you save file space while not compromising on video quality. The High Efficiency Video Coding setting, also known as H.265, can save up to 50% in file size. However, since this is a new type of video compression, those files cannot be played in older versions of macOS or iOS.

If you are new to using Macs, then you may not know how useful tabs can be as an alternative to using multiple windows. You can use tabs in Safari, the Finder, and even inside of apps for document windows. It is easy to combine all windows into a single window with tabs, and also move tabs around and switch between them.

In addition to using the well-known keyboard shortcuts, you can also take a screenshot from the Preview app. Choose File, Take Screenshot and then choose the whole screen, a window or a selection. The advantage to using this instead of the shortcuts is that it opens as a new Preview document that you can then mark up and save or share as you wish, instead of creating a new file on the Desktop or using the clipboard.

Preferences in the Safari browser in High Sierra will remember important settings on a per-site basis. You can stop videos from autoplaying, set zoom levels, enable plug-ins, and turn on Reader view for a website and it will remember those settings for the next time you visit the same site. It is easy to review and manage these settings.

A new feature in High Sierra is the ability to see flight tracking info in Spotlight. A small feature, to be sure, but useful to some.

iOS 11 has a new method for doing multitasking on the iPad. You can now have a floating window as well as two apps sharing the screen. The floating window can be easily moved and temporarily hidden. In all multitasking modes both apps are active. You can also exit and return to screens that are showing multiple apps.

The new Files app improves on the old iCloud Drive app in many ways. You can now access files in third-party systems like Dropbox and Google Drive. You can preview PDF, text, image, sound and video files. You can move, rename, duplicate and delete files. You can create new folders and organize your iCloud Drive files. Like Preview on the Mac, you can mark up PDF and image files. You can also look inside ZIP archives and even extract files. You can share files with iCloud Drive to collaborate or simply let others see your files.

iOS 11 adds new ways to interact with the on-screen virtual keyboard. On the iPhone Plus models, you can move the keyboard to the left or right side to make it easier for you to type with one hand. On the iPad, you can swipe down with your finger on keys to access other characters without needing to switch to another keyboard layout.

An experiment. I look at the latest questions in Apple Discussion and give you the off-the-top-of-my-head ideas and solutions. So, covering a variety of topics including: wireless charing through iPhone cases, iTunes 12.7 app redirect problems, Numbers SUMIF, how to get iOS app updates unstuck, etc. (I apologize for the audio as I didn't realize I was recording using the wrong mic).

Even before the September 12 announcement, bloggers and TV commentators were proclaiming a $1,000 iPhone as “too expensive.” Viewpoints were expressed, complaints were noted, and jokes were made.

A basic technique on the Mac is to drag and drop an object. You can use this to move files, but you can also use it to open files, import objects into documents, move objects around inside documents, move objects from one app to another, and perform otherwise difficult-to-implement actions. Watch some examples of how to use drag and drop on the Mac.

The Control Center looks and works differently in iOS 11 on both the iPhone and iPad. You can now customize the controls, adding in buttons with interesting new functions. Many controls will perform an immediate action when you tap them, but offer more options if you tap and hold.

If you wish to disconnect from a Wi-Fi network without turning off Wi-Fi altogether, or switching to another network, just hold the Option key down and click the Wi-Fi symbol in the menu bar. The “Disconnect” option will appear under the name of the network you are currently using, along with other useful information.

Yesterday Apple announced new iPhones, a new Apple TV and a new Apple Watch. Here are 23 details and other announcements that you may have missed. Some of these were not even mentioned during the event, but simply posted to the website and through updates later in the day.

Just me talking about what I think of the iPhone X and why I'll be buying one. Let me know what you think about it!

Apple held its first special announcement event at the new Steve Job Theater on the new Apple campus, announcing new iPhones, Apple TV and Apple Watch. The new iPhone 8 and 8 Plus replaces the 7 models with a glass back, better specifications and wireless charging. The new iPhone X will come out later and will have a new type of screen and even better specifications. A new Apple TV offers 4K video, and the Series 3 Watch connects directly to wireless networks.

Join me at https://twitter.com/rosenz where I will be tweeting live as we watch the Apple event today (10am pacific, 1pm eastern). Hope to provide good commentary and analysis. You can watch the live video from Apple here: https://www.apple.com/apple-events/september-2017/

Here is the archive of my tweets:

If you create a pie chart in Mac Numbers you will get a slice for each row, even if that row is very small. You can use a series of techniques to create a second table and set all of the smaller values to 0, moving the sum of those values to a new row. Then you can create a pie chart from that second table that shows these small values grouped together.

Another fall Apple event is almost upon us, but this time the experts aren’t too sure what we will hear. It is probable that the only new hardware at this event will be new iPhones. There may be an update to the Apple Watch as well. But don’t expect to hear anything about new Macs. Apple announced and released many new Mac models this year already, including the iMac Pro which should be coming at the end of the year.

Siri can be a useful tool for performing tasks on your Mac without needing to type or navigate through apps. You can ask Siri to launch apps, change preferences, do math, check email, play music, search for files and photos and many other computing tasks. You can also ask Siri to look up information online.