If you have not heard already, I am retiring Feb 1, 2024.  I sent the details out in an email to all my clients of the past 5 years on October 27, 2023.  If you want a copy of this email, contact me at gary@inhometechservices.com.

You can tell that fall is arriving with the cooler days, crisp nights and earlier sunsets. You can also tell because Apple releases their new operating systems for all devices every fall. You can set your watch to it.

Here are the summaries for each OS/device. All are available today, except macOS Sonoma, which is available September 26th.

Today Apple had their traditional fall Watch and iPhone announcement.  You can almost set your watch to it every year!  Here are the highlights:

You may have received an email from Apple today stating that My Photo Stream is shutting down as of today.

I have had lots of inquiries as to what this means.  Well, My Photos Stream is the original method of getting photos

Next week, March 9th, is National Slam the Scam Day.  It seems a good time to talk about scams.

I have had so many clients fall for scams lately.  It has been shocking to me!  Collectively my clients have given literally thousands of dollars to scammers recently. They have also had to close bank accounts, credit cards and more.

It has been a few weeks now, have you upgraded your phone to iOS 16, yet? If not, do so! Settings > General > Software Update. If you only see an update to iOS 15, scroll down a bit to find iOS 16.

What’s new? Lots, but you have to look for it.

Just like clockwork, Apple had their fall announcement just after Labor Day this year. This is when Apple announces new iPhones, Apple Watches and other personal devices for the next year.

iPhone 14 is here!

Apple’s annual World Wide Developer’s Conference (WWDC) 2022 happened yesterday. This is a conference put on by Apple for non-Apple software developers around the world that write apps for Apple products. Its purpose is to inform them of the new operating systems’ features that will be released this coming fall so that they can prepare or adapt their apps for the coming systems.

Why should you care? Because Apple describes what changes to expect in the operating systems in our iPhones, iPads, Watches, AppleTVs and Macs this fall. It is a peek into our future! This blog describes the highlights of WWDC and is a fraction of the new specs/content coming.

Today you should check your computer systems’ backups. Backing up your computing devices is THE MOST IMPORTANT thing you should do with them. Nothing is more important.

If the devices die, get stolen, drop in the lake, get any liquid spilled on them (except iPhones which are waterproof) you will be thankful you have a backup. Yes, bummer you have to go get a new device, but at least all of your apps, settings, passwords, pictures, documents, music, and on and on are saved in a safe place.

Here is how to check your backups:

Last Tuesday, Apple announced its spring products as it often does about this time of year. Here is a quick rundown of what they announced:

TL;DR: No new 27” iMac is coming and current ones are discontinued! New iPhone SE and iPad Air (ho-hum), a new Mac mini on steroids (pricey), and a new Mac display (also pricey, but nice).

My blog is not specific to Apple products, although there is plenty of evidence to suggest otherwise. It is titled “Tech Blog” so it can encompass the entirety of tech. One new and important technology is the most fundamental shift in the automotive industry in over 100 years: electric cars (or electric vehicles or EVs).

Most major car manufacturers have recently announced or introduced their first EVs. Many have announced their intention to go all-electric across their entire product line in the future. Some newer manufacturers have ONLY ever produced EVs (Tesla, Rivian, Fisker, Lucid and more).

So it looks like EVs can or will be in your future. If you don’t know much about the technology, this blog is intended to give you the very basics.

Yes, it is here already, how did that happen? I have a few ideas for you to consider as you plan your gift-giving this year. Yes, they are tech-focused, but did you expect anything else from me?

Let’s start with lower-priced items and build to higher-priced items.

Every 4 to 5 years Apple redesigns their laptop models. The last MacBook Pro redesign was in 2016 and its replacements were announced this week! The last MacBook Air redesign was in 2018, so it won’t see one for another couple of years. The small 21.5” iMac was replaced earlier this year with a new 24” model. The 27” iMac is due for a redesign next year.

I have had a couple of requests for theses and have done them now for several months and I think they are fantastic and so do my clients!

These consist of discounted monthly 30 minute or 1 hour remote sessions with me where you decide what we do. It can be technical training on virtually any software, configuring your Mac, iPhone or iPad…

Today is the day we begin to receive our new toys for those of us who pre-ordered the new mobile devices from Apple last week!

This time of year I am inundated with calls about how to transfer stuff from an old phone to a new phone. I am glad to help, but it is so simple to do and I really cannot do it remotely.

As such, I thought I would go through the steps of how to set up your new iPhone or iPad. In addition, I will discuss getting accessories for your new device. Finally, I will provide some tips about how to properly erase your old device for trading in, selling or recycling.

Announced in June, the new OSs for your iPhone, iPad and Apple Watch are now available! Of course, upgrade by going to Settings > General > Software Update. These OSs are well tested and it is safe to upgrade today. This blog will provide some practical tips on configuring and using the new features. I will focus on the iPhone, but the iPad has many of these same features, configured in the same way.

Note that some of the features announced in June are not yet released to iOS 15, but will be later in the fall (SharePlay, Digital Legacy, Keys & IDs in Wallet and Universal Control).

Here are the major new features and how to configure and use them:

Like clockwork, Apple held its September event unveiling its newest mobile devices. If you would like to watch it, here is the link. It is about 1:15 long:

https://www.apple.com/apple-events/september-2021/

Here are the highlights and my thoughts:

If you are reading this on an email that was sent to you, this is for you!

I have had an email subscription service for my blogs for years. That is the service that is automatically sending you this blog via email. The service I have been using was called Feedburner and it was a free service from Google. Well, they have closed the service down to new subscribers. It will still work for a time, but it is time for us to move on.

Apple’s annual World Wide Developer’s Conference (WWDC) 2021 happened yesterday. This is a conference put on by Apple for the non-Apple software developers around the world that write apps for Apple products. Its purpose is to inform them of the new operating systems that will be released this coming fall so that they can prepare or adapt their apps for the coming systems.

Why should you care? Because Apple describes to us what changes to expect in the operating systems in our iPhones, iPads, Watches, AppleTVs and Macs this fall. It is a peek into our future!

It has really been a year since I wrote a blog and so many of you have told me lately that you miss it! I had no idea. So, I am back blogging! Thanks for the encouragement.

Update on my business: I have actually been busier in the last year than before the pandemic! Yes, it is hard to believe, but once I figured out the process of remote support, I am able to help more people in a day than I ever could with in-home support. Before the pandemic, so much of my day was spent driving and sitting in traffic. I can’t help anyone while driving, so it really was an expensive waste of my time.