A Useful ODwire.org feature for Mac Users who are technophobes...

[Paul Farkas]

Do you keep your Apple products clean or loaded with "crap".

MacMentors sent a New year's suggestion...

January 17, 2024

Here’s your MacMentor quick tip for January.

As you set goals for 2024, make sure you include in that list, getting and keeping your Mac (and all Apple devices) tuned up and ready to roll. Let’s schedule time to clean out the CRAP that is keeping your Mac from running efficiently.

Call/Text or email to ensure your Mac computing year gets off to a terrific start that will make 2024 the best year you and your Mac can have.

Happy Computing,

The MacMentor Team

 

[Paul Farkas]

Mac Users Attention!

From Mac mente 3/9/24...

​ iOS 17.4, iPadOS 17.4 and macOS 14.4 are available and ready for primetime! ​

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​ ​ macOS 14.4 is here...and if you haven't upgraded your Mac yet, I highly recommend you do so. Same is true for your iPhone and iPad, with iOS 17.4​

​ There are only a few new features, security enhancements and bug fixes in these updates, however as always I highly recommend you keep you Mac, iPhone/iPad up to date for security and safety reasons. For macOS 14.4 I've highlighted one of the new features below, it's hardly earth shattering, but hey not all updates are: New Emoji characters (mushrooms, phoenix, lime, and shaking heads are now available) along with transcripts for the Podcast App (similar to viewing lyrics for a song, or the transcription of a voicemail). An option to show only icons for websites on your Safari Favorite bar Along with Security enhancements and bug fixes. If for some reason your Mac is set to automatic updates, but hasn't done the update yet, please upgrade manually. If you do run into issues having upgraded your machine, let me hear about them, I can report them to Apple or better yet try and re-create the issues, or help you resolve them . #Apple #Mac #Tech #macOSSonoma #NewRelease #UpgradeYourLife​

​ ​ If you have questions, concerns or just want to chat about your Mac, iPhone or iPad, please call or text us @ 847.902.6681 or email geoff@themacmentor.com, at your convenience. We look forward to hearing from you soon!​

​ ​ TheMacMentor.com​

​ ​ email us today​

 

[Paul Farkas]

AAAARGH!! A crowded Inbox!

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​ ​ April 17, 2024 Are you frazzled and feel like your inbox owns you? Do you find yourself buried under mountains of new emails every hour, every day? Not knowing what to do, your inbox grows and grows, then your Mac becomes slow and your angry and frustrated because your Mac is supposed to be fast and you find yourself desperately needing help to sort through it all? Well, take a breath and know you're not alone. So many people struggle with the overwhelming task of organizing their inbox, whether due to lack of time, not knowing where to start, or not realizing the detrimental effect it’s having on your Mac. Fear not, The MacMentor is here to help. Consider us your inbox specialists. How would you like to declutter and streamline your email experience today? We understand that your time is precious, and sorting through countless messages can be, and is a daunting task. That's why we're here to provide you with the support and guidance to “Own your inbox”. With years of knowledge and strategies along with our personalized, patient approach, we'll work with you to implement a personal and efficient email management strategy that works for you. Whether it be setting up new mailboxes and filters to prioritizing messages and eliminating spam, we'll help you “Own your inbox”, so it no longer owns you. Don't let email overload hold you back any longer. Call, text (847.902.6681) or email, using the button below to setup your “Own my inbox”, session(s) today. Happy Computing, Until next time, happy computing, Geoff Chief Mentor The MacMentor​

 

[Paul Farkas]

July Greeting from MacMentor...

July 1, 2024 It's hard to believe it's already July, but it's never to soon to get your kid(s), or yourself a new device. Now is a great opportunity to get a new Mac (Air or Pro), or a new iPad (Air or Pro). As always, I'll happily chat with you to ensure you get the device that best suits your needs, not only for today, but for the future. What I like to call "future proofing". Don't wait until August comes and the device you seek is hard to acquire, call today and we can make sure you or your child is ready to go when school starts. We look forward to speaking with you and seeing you soon! Happy Computing, Until next time, happy computing, Geoff Chief Mentor The MacMentor​

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Schedule your next Mac/iPad discussion Today!​

 

[Paul Farkas]

A heads up from MacMentor...

​ ​ ​ If you are paying for Evernote Subscription, why you should stop!​

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​ ​ Friday August 30, 2024​ Twelve years ago when I started The MacMentor, I was looking for tools not only to help myself in my business, but also to help my clients make better use of their devices. Evernote stuck out as simply the best note taking app for ALL your devices. With a subscription price starting around $35/year, it was priced for everyone. Like most subscriptions, Evernote raised their prices, after a few years, which given the new feature to the application, made sense. However this past month, an email came out from the makers of Evernote that subscription prices were going from $63.99/yr to $113.99/yr! Now, again I understand and can appreciate raising prices a little at a time, however, nearly doubling your subscription in a year has led me to suggest leaving Evernote and moving to a different platform. My recommendation is to use the Notes App that comes with your Apple devices. It may not have ALL the functionality of Evernote, but it has most of the functionality, and Apple continually improves it, with many more improvements coming next month with the release of iOS 18, and if you have purchased additional iCloud storage (who hasn't at this point), there's no extra fee for Notes, it's included in your iCloud. So, if you use Evernote and would like to understand how to export your notes to use in the Notes app, please reach out and I am happy to provide assistance. I look forward to hearing from you and seeing you soon!​

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​ ​ Email us with questions​

 

[Paul Farkas]

MacMentor updates...

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​ Apple has released all new operating systems for your devices, be extra careful when upgrading your new iPad Pro!!​

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​ ​ macOS 15 and iOS 18 are ready for download and use. If you have a new iPad Pro be VERY careful when upgrading. There is an upgrade to iOS 17.7 that will brick your iPad Pro and make it unusable, you need to bypass it and go straight to iOS 18!​

​ As I mentioned, there are many new features and functionalities in both operating systems which I will address in emails in the coming weeks. You don't have to upgrade your systems immediately if you don't want to, but the software is solid and ready to use. Like always, on your Mac, open system settings, click general, then click software update and you'll have macOS 15 option waiting for you. The upgrade will take 15-30 minutes depending on your wifi speed. On your iPhone/iPad go to settings > General > Software update. You'll see an update for iOS 17.7, skip it scroll down and go directly to iOS 18. It is ready for prime time. #Apple #Mac #Tech #macOSSonoma #NewRelease #UpgradeYourLife​

​ ​ If you have questions, concerns or just want to chat about your Mac, iPhone or iPad, please call or text us @ 847.902.6681 or email geoff@themacmentor.com, at your convenience. We look forward to hearing from you soon!​

 

[Paul Farkas]

Additional updates....

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​ ​ ​ ​ ​ Happy Halloween 2024 Apple had an exciting week! Releasing new Macs, along with new iOS and macOS updates. If you own an M series Mac, make sure to update to macOS 15.1. If you own a new iPad Air or iPad Pro, make sure you update to iPadOS 18.1. If you own an iPhone 15 Pro, or new iPhone 16 or 16 Pro, make sure you update to iOS 18.1, all of which will put you on the brink of getting Apple's new AI experience!! I say put you on the brink, because there are some terrific new Apple AI features in these updates, but Apple is rolling out all it AI features slowly. As always, The MacMentor is here to guide you through the numerous new features, for which I will be sending more emails than usual in the coming weeks. For now, those of you with the machines I noted above, please make sure to update/upgrade your operating systems. In the Mac, open System Settings, go to General, then Software update. On the iPads and iPhones, open Settings, then go to General, Software update. It is my goal to make sure you feel confident with these new features. So please don't hesitate to reach out and schedule a session or two. For the rest of you, I would also recommend updating to the new operating systems, you simply will not have access to Apple's new AI functionality. More to come soon! Until next time, happy computing, Geoff Chief Mentor The MacMentor​