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Tag: iMac

July 9, 2017

Two Devices Your New iMac Needs Now

If you’ve just purchased a new Mac, and you think you’re done… you’re not. Your computer needs some friends to play with!

So you just bought yourself a shiny new Mac to replace your old Apple machine. Congrats. Now for the bad news… You’re probably not done adding to your shopping cart. You’ve got a couple more important decisions to make…

Apple Refresh
I’ve just upgraded to a 2017 iMac and thought that as a veteran Mac owner I knew all of the ropes. Guess what? I don’t. If you’re like me and like to hold onto your Apple products for as many years as possible (versus always having the latest and greatest) you may not be entirely up to speed on current needs and best practices to properly get your new Mac up and running.

Here are a couple of items I had to consider after unboxing my new pride and joy:

New External Drive for Time Machine Back Up
Cost: $199.95

Eliminate the Weak Link
You might be wondering… “What about Barrett’s old backup drive? Can’t he use that with his new iMac?”

Well, sure I can. But the idea of a years-old drive working to back up all of your files worried me more than a little byte…
(Bad joke)

I say buy yourself a brand new backup drive, and get a good one.
I’m a big fan of G-Technology drives. They’re not the cheapest game in town, but the extra bucks are well spent when it comes to preserving your digital life.

I could have gone with either USB 3.0 or Thunderbolt 3 drives (similar pricing) but figured on reserving my two iMac Thunderbolt 3 ports for faster needs than Time Machine backups.

You’ll Always Need More Storage
Now, you must be thinking, “Wait a minute! Why get a 6TB drive to back up a 3TB machine?!”

Good question.

The answer is if you’re like me… eternally generating lots of photos and videos and plan to move into the 4K video landscape… you’re going to need plenty of storage.

Yes, a Time Machine drive can do double duty and simply store files along with Time Machine backups.

I recommend always buying a bigger drive than you think you’ll need. Trust me.
It was only another thirty bucks for an extra 2TB.
(Isn’t that crazy cheap?)

External DVD/CD Drive
Cost: $79

How Old is Too Old?
Thinking about whether I need one of these gives away how ancient my old iMac is.
(If you’ve read this far, I hope you’re a friendly tech geek or a Luddite who’s turned over a new leaf. Either way, I’m hoping you’re not going to judge me when I admit my old iMac is from mid 2010.
(Be gentle.)

Can you believe it’s seven years old! And it’s still ticking. Yes, it’s slower and glitchier, but it’s doing okay. Still, sometimes you’ve just got to call it, before the circuits just don’t fire up anymore. So when Apple announced the 2017 iMac refresh, I knew my number had come up… before my iMac’s did. I think by all reasonable considerations it was time to do the upgrade.
(Agree?)

At Home with Discs
So my iMac slid out of its packaging looking lean and mean and without a slot for discs. Actually, Apple eliminated native optical drives in iMacs a long time ago.

Your choice is to buy an Apple USB SuperDrive to plug in or utilize “DVD or CD Sharing” from another Mac.
Apple explains how to do that here.

I appreciate the work-around option, but remember that CD transfer project you started but never finished? Yeah, I’ve got one of those too. I’m not quite ready to entirely eliminate discs from my life yet.
(Maybe I’ll be disc-free in time for my next iMac upgrade!)

  • Apple’s USB SuperDrive is only $79.
    Considering how much we’ve already spent on our new Mac, I think we can give ourselves permission to take this step.
    (However backwards-thinking it may seem)

And yes, there are cheaper third-party optical drives on the market, but if you’re buying a Mac, there’s probably a part of you that doesn’t want to immediately turn it into a ‘Franken-computer’ with some no-name drive attached to it.

I give you permission to keep it all-Apple.

Click.

Sticker Shock?
Spending an extra $280 to activate your new iMac is not insignificant. On the other hand, there are always add-on devices to any all-in-one solution. The iMac is no different.

The only choice here is whether to spend a little more on better quality.
When it comes to maintaining your digital harmony over the long term, that’s always money well spent!

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March 26, 2017

How to Quickly Delete Multiple Photos from Your iPhone

If your iPhone is running out of space, one way to find more room is to delete photos. But that can take a lot of time if you haven’t been regularly doing it. Here are tips to help you speed through this digital chore.

You really don’t need all of those photos in your iPhone’s ‘Camera Roll.’  Especially if you always download them to your computer or up to the cloud where they ‘officially’ live and are safely backed up. But manually deleting one photo at a time using the Photos app on your iPhone is a losing battle when you’ve built up thousands of photos.

And eventually, you start to run out of space on your iPhone, and then it becomes a real problem.
(Sound familiar?)

There needs to be a faster way to thin out your photos in bulk.
Well, of course there is…

Time for some digital spring cleaning!

Bulk Delete Pics on your iPhone
First, go to ‘Camera Roll’ in Photos…

  • You’ll see the ‘Select’ icon in the top right corner that allows you to tap and highlight multiple photos at the same time. Tap that.
  • Then, tap the trash icon on the bottom right.
  • Finally, touch the delete tab that pops up and you’re done!

But for me, that simple process still feels somewhat limited when you’re trying to move through so many photos. Plus, I’d prefer a larger canvas to work with than the surface of an iPhone.

Ideally, I’d like to be able to manage this process on my iMac so I can see more photos all at once.

Well, guess what?
You can do exactly that using the ‘Preview’ app on your Mac.

Bulk Delete those iPhone Photos Using Your Mac
First, you connect your iPhone to you iMac or MacBook….

  • Then, open up Preview.
  • Select ‘Import from’ your iPhone’s name.
  • Then click on the photos to delete.
  • And finally, click on the little red delete circle icon on the bottom left.

BAM!

So the truth is both methods are extremely similar. Again, the big difference is you’re working on a larger screen, which makes me much happier.

And if Preview isn’t right for you, the ‘Image Capture’ app on your Mac pretty much duplicates the same process as Preview.

Simple Isn’t Always Easy
To be perfectly transparent, this topic squarely falls right under the
“How Did I Not Know That?” category.

Apple designers have done perfectly fine in setting this up for us.

But sometimes the obvious solution that’s staring right in your face requires a little more thinking on your part.
(Chalk it up to your brain power focusing on more universally pressing issues.)

I must admit… not so long ago, it wasn’t so ‘obvious’ to me either.
Or I’ve never taken the time to want to delete multiple photos from my iPhone.
(I’m not sure which one I should admit to!)

And the fact that you’re still reading this suggests that you also might need a little ‘refresher’ too.

I won’t tell anyone… as long as you don’t!

#ThingsYouShouldKnow

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August 16, 2015

The Best UPS for Your iMac

"Uninterruptable Power Supply Interrupted." My APC UPS failed its own self-diagnostic… and my iMac began operating without a net. A power net, that is… Time to buy a replacement!

“Uninterruptable Power Supply Interrupted.” My APC UPS failed its own self-diagnostic… and my iMac began operating without a net. A power net, that is… Time to buy a replacement!

A moment of Tech Zen is often a fleeting one… Last week, my Home Zen was shattered by a piercing series of beeps coming from under my desk.

It was my lowly UPS unit… I mean to say my uninterruptable power supply… You know… that big, heavy battery backup box that my iMac plugs into for protection against a power outage.

Computers hate unstable power or the sudden loss of power mid sente

(…just kidding)

Time to Replace My Uninterruptable Power Supply
But seriously, unless you have complete faith in both your electrical grid and Mother Nature, you should expect the occasional brown out or total black out. Providing stable, emergency power for a few minutes, a UPS battery system can really save your computer heartache.

But any battery only lasts for so long, even if you’re not using it. My five-year-old APC UPS (XS 1200) decided it was no longer fit for duty while I was enjoying my morning cup of Joe.

It performed a self-diagnostic and apparently failed the test. That activated a red light in the front and the irritating 30 seconds of its beeping red alert.

Yes, the APC had my attention…

#33
So I jumped onto Amazon to see how much the replacement battery would be.
I tracked down the right model, which was named ‘Battery Cartridge #33.’

#33 was selling for over eighty bucks!

That’s already half the cost of a band new UPS, but many of you would probably still say, “Click” and be done with it.

Not me…
I decided I didn’t want to mess around with tech that’s already a few generations old.
(You know how I get when it comes to reliable power.)

So I began my search for a new UPS.

APC Vs. CyberPower
APC appears to still be the dominant manufacturer of consumer UPS units today, but after a little online research, I found lots of folks talking about how much they liked their CyberPower UPS systems.

So for no rock-solid reason, I decided to go with ‘the other guy.’
(And now all the APC marketing folks are throwing their hands up in disgust with my fickle positioning.)

True Sine Wave Vs. Modified Square Wave
If you’re still reading this paragraph, I congratulate you for your insatiable search for knowledge… or you have my condolences for being such a massive geek…

Either way, you should know, the ‘Sine Wave’ conversation is apparently a controversy in certain tech circles. And it could point to a huge risk in the health of your computer when running off the ‘wrong UPS unit.’

It would be best if you found an electrical engineer to explain,
(Because I barely understand it)
…But here are the basics…

It has to do with the quality of electricity a UPS generates.

Most consumer UPS systems don’t give you a ‘true’ or ‘pure’ sine wave electrical current. They give you something called a simulated sine wave… or a modified square wave… or a stepped-approximation sine wave.
(My body is starting to shudder uncontrollably just trying to type all these words.)

And yes, simulated sine wave UPS systems cost less than the ‘pure’ ones.
(Think of it like organic juice vs. a GMO liquid.)

And that’s fine for lots of computers. Apparently, they can handle the cheaper juice.

However, certain computers use ‘Active Power Factor Correction’ power supplies (Active PFC). And those units are designed to work with true sine wave current.

Active PFC power supplies don’t like the cheap stuff.

Some say those computers audibly buzz as they struggle with the wrong kind of power.
(And that can’t be good.)

Others insist an Active PFC computer won’t run off of a simulated sine wave at all.

But there’s another camp that says not to worry…
Unless you’re planning on running your computer for extended periods on a simulated sine wave UPS, (like with a home media server) there’s no problem. For those few minutes it takes to power down your computer, you’ll be just fine.

So which side should you believe?

Looking for a Sign for the Right Sine
Well, the next question I had was whether my iMac has an Active PFC power supply…

It does.
(gulp)

So I decided to head down to my local Apple Store and speak to the Apple Geniuses. Surely they would have a point of view…

First off, there were no UPS units on sale anywhere in the Apple Store.
(That would have been an easy clue.)

Then, I found an available Apple Genius and posed the question…
A perplexed look slowly spread across his face as if I had asked him about Windows 10.

Can the Apple Genius Save my Sanity?
He did not respond to the words, ‘Active PFC.’ He didn’t chuckle when I mentioned ‘sine wave.’ However, he did act like I might have just teleported over from a different timeline.

Finally, he acknowledged that he didn’t know what I was talking about, but he warned me that some UPS manufacturers have been known to use bad batteries that can expand. So I should be careful…

I looked around for someone to recognize the irony of that comment.
(By the way, my old MacBook Pro’s replacement battery is still behaving and hasn’t grossly expanded like my first one did.)

Am I the only nerd in the universe who wants to buy the proper battery back-up solution for his computer?!
(This shouldn’t be so difficult…)

Pure Sine Wave Creation isn’t Actually that Costly
My original web research suggested that pure sine wave UPS systems cost ‘significantly’ more. But when I came home and sat back down to check out the CyberPower models, the Pure Sinewave Series wasn’t that expensive. Only about $35 more…

Really?

I’d say throwing away thirty-five bucks is worth the peace of mind that I’m feeding my iMac ‘quality’ backup power!

From there, this annoying tech rabbit hole began to quickly disappear…

Choosing my CyberPower
I zeroed in on-

  • CyberPower PFC Sinewave Series CP1350PFCLCD
    1350VA/810W Pure Sine Wave UPS
    $189.95 on Amazon

It’s slightly beefier than my old APC UPS, and it sports 5 battery back-up plugs and 5 surge protection plugs without the back-up power.
(Yes, UPS units are great for surge protection too.)

Depending on how much power you need, there are less expensive choices-

And there are also a couple more models in between these two.

But remember… Reduced power is going to give you less time to maintain and shut down your computer equipment during a blackout…

How Much Power Do You Need?
Of course, the next question is how much juice do you really need…?

I admit that even with a few extra external hard drives and my iMac, I’m supersizing it with the 1350VA/810W model, but you never know what kind of hungry tech might come home in the next five years…
(Plus UPS batteries do lose capacity over time.)

Click.
(I actually did the deal with B&H with the free ‘expedited’ shipping…which is usually next day for me!)

A Smart UPS
I unboxed the UPS, slid it under by desk, plugged it in, and tethered my iMac to it. All done?

Not quite…

When you plug in the included USB cable to your iMac, the CyberPower’s status is automatically recognized by the computer. You can find it in your Energy Saver’s settings in the System Preferences icon on your bottom menu bar.

Without installing any extra software whatsoever, you can schedule when your Mac should sleep or power down while running off of the CyberPower unit.

And if you want, you can choose to show the UPS’s battery status in your top menu bar.

Sweet!

Suddenly this UPS had become more than a soon-to-be forgotten troglodyte battery gathering dust by my feet. Now, it had become an integrated member of my desk’s tech team.

Drum Roll Please
So it was time to do a test. I unplugged my new UPS… and as soon as I di

.

.

(…kidding again)

iMac UPS Alerrt

 

 

 

 

 

 

Everything was fine.

  • My iMac warned me that it was running on battery back up.
  • The remaining battery time popped up on the UPS’s front LED panel.
  • And the battery percentage indicator on my iMac’s top menu gave me oodles of confidence that my digital companion was in good hands with its new CyberPower friend.

CyberPower in Action

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Sound of Silence
I plugged my CyberPower UPS back in, sat in my chair, and took a deep breath…

  • I looked around
  • Listened for any unusual sounds
  • I cleared my mind…

Tech Zen restored.

…And then my printer ran out of ink.

D’oh!

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