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Me and My Apple Toys by Ron McElfresh

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Me and My Apple Toys by Ron McElfresh

Archives for March 2017

Power To The People

From the Anker portable charger for MacBook, iPhone, iPad.

The Barbarians At Apple’s Gate

Thursday, March 30, 2017
Apple gets criticized because the iOS empire is a closed off, walled garden ecosystem of app curation and finely tuned hardware. Well, maybe so, maybe not. But Apple does something that renders the argument moot. Apple allows competition within the iOS App Store. Google, Microsoft, Amazon; they all have... Read More »
Wednesday, March 29, 2017

The iPad’s Problem, Explained

Kate MacKenzie's perspective makes sense one why iPad sales have been going down.First on my list of the obvious is product life cycle. No one knows what the iPad’s life cycle is; after all, it’s a relatively new product. But it’s likely much closer to the life cycle of a Mac than an iPhone.... Read More »

Why Whales Jump

Thanks to our locale in the middle of the ocean, I've seen this up close. Whales that jump out of the water. With apologies to Seinfeld, they're real and they're spectacular. Lauren Phillips:These whales have been spotted breaching-or exposing large portions of their bodies above the water-year-round,... Read More »

Goodbye, Privacy

John Eggerton:In a victory for ISPs, advertisers and tech companies that had opposed the new FCC's broadband privacy rules, the House voted primarily along party lines 215 to 205 Tuesday to repeal those rules, with only the President's signature needed to make it official. More than a dozen Republicans... Read More »

A Few Words On Mac Keyboards

Tuesday, March 28, 2017
I've done it again. Yet another keyboard for my Mac has come and gone and I'm back with Apple's standard wireless keyboard. I believe in the nothing improves without change mantra, so I'm willing to try different accessories and options to improve productivity, efficiency, and anything other issue that... Read More »
Monday, March 27, 2017

How And Why To Hide Yourself Online

David Farrington has a few reasons why it makes sense to hide yourself online.If ever there was a reason to consider privacy and security beyond the basics of username and password it’s because even Apple is getting hacked. Those outlaws in Turkey may or may not have a few hundred million iCloud... Read More »

Not Fake News

Fake news has a specific definition, so let me call what CNet does contrived news; analysis and perspective contrived as news. Today's headlines:Samsung Galaxy S8 need to blow up the industry The cheapest iPhone has the most value The G6 is here, but should you wait for Galaxy S8? Why... Read More »

Deaths Of Despair

Alessandra Malito:The mortality rate for white Americans with no more than a high school diploma was about 30% lower than the rate of black Americans in 1999 — but in 2015, it was 30% higher... There was no particular state hit hardest by the mortality rate, and both men and women were equally... Read More »

Brand Marketing: Apple vs. Amazon

Thursday, March 23, 2017
In big business the brand is everything. Companies can coast for a few decades on a brand name. Sears is a good example. Two of the most valuable brands are Apple, often listed at #1, and Amazon, the online retailer.I shop at both and the experience could not be more different.Our home is blessed... Read More »

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Be A Network Traffic Cop

Monitor Internet, Wi-Fi, and home or office network performance from the Mac's Menubar with PeakHour, this week's sponsor. Keep ISPs honest and track Internet usage in real time. PeakHour sets up fast, works with UPnP and SNMP routers.

Wednesday, March 22, 2017

“Honestly, I Got Nothing”

Wil Gomez isn't happy about Apple's recent announcements, and penned Cook's imaginary answer when asked "What's in the product pipeline?"Honestly, I got nothing. I mean, we’ve been busy with the new headquarters building, and Intel won’t give us any faster CPUs, and Jonny Ive just doesn’t like... Read More »

Avoid Mental Traps

Entrepreneur and author Tony Robbins on success and avoiding three mental traps: What we really have to do is get ourselves to follow through, and the reason why most people don't follow through is because their psychology is messed up. How do you change your psychology? I don't mean be positive, I... Read More »

8 Best U.S. Cities To Visit This Spring

What? Yet another list from Marie Claire? This one has a few surprises and the inevitable Spoiler Alert.Washington, D.C. - cherry blossoms San Diego, CA - beaches? Really? Seattle, WA - I got nothing Charleston, SC - magnolias, old houses Hilton Head, SC - too much Carolina New Orleans,... Read More »

Coming Soon To iPhone: 100 Times Faster Wi-Fi

Tuesday, March 21, 2017
Coming soon? It all depends on what you mean by soon. There are times when the future seems to get here faster than our ability to adapt. And other times the future's arrival is excruciatingly slow. I've been on the public internet since the early 1990s and the pace of change mirrors my statement above.... Read More »
Monday, March 20, 2017

Apple Is All About Hardware

Kate MacKenzie says services and software don't matter. Apple is a hardware company. But what about that rapidly growing Services group?Yep, Services is one of Apple’s bright spots in an otherwise gloomy perspective. Or, so the story goes. Here’s the point that seems to be missed by those who... Read More »

Top Gear Gone Wrong

Nicholas Paschal on a Top Gear stunt gone wrong. On video.Chris Harris said he could slide a Alfa Romeo Giulia anywhere on a previous episode of Top Gear.He did. But crashed.Chris didn’t let a broken windshield stop him from accomplishing the challenge, though. It took at least three more... Read More »