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Released in mid-September, macOS 15 (Sequoia) has the most useful features of any Mac OS version of the last few years. The good news is that it delivers an entire host of useful features (plus some non-essential ones), but on the flip side, it’s only compatible with fairly recent Mac models, making it a non-issue for users with older Macs. If your Mac supports macOS 14 (Sonoma), it will run Sequoia (with the notable exception of pre-2020 MacBook Air laptops).

And, as expected, there are plenty of “cute” additions, bells and whistles, things that nobody ever uses (or cares about – new emojis, I’m talking to you!), but c’est la vie, these have become expected from our friends over in Cupertino. But all the fluff is.  outweighed by the addition of the useful new features. 

The five best new features of macOS Sequoia:

iPhone Mirroring 

This feature (actually a new app included in the OS update) allows you to control your iPhone from your Mac. Which is an extremely useful feature when it comes to troubleshooting your iPhone remotely. In iPhone Mirroring, you can use your Mac input devices (mouse, keyboard, trackpad) to control your iPhone. 

Of course, there are conditions. Not only does the Mac have to be upgraded to Sequoia, but the iPhone also has to be running iOS 18. And the iPhone must be signed in to the same Apple Account as the Mac. I’m finding this a little quirky in my tests, but I’m sure the big brains at Apple will get those bugs straightened out sooner rather than later. Hopefully.

Passwords App

Another new app, Passwords, was also included in the OS update. Gone are the days of messing around with Keychain, a semi-helpful item hidden in the Utilities folders. (Where is the Utilities folder?) Back then, all sorts of encryption keys and other non-useful stuff clogged up Keychain; in Sequoia, Keychain has been expunged. 

Now the user-friendly Passwords app looks to take on rival password managers, namely 1Password, Dashlane, Keeper, and LastPass (which has had its own share of trouble). 

Notes Upgrades

The Notes app has been part of the Mac OS since way-back-when, but with the release of Sequoia, there are some serious upgrades.  These include:

• Collapsable Sections: You can now collapse sections of notes, as long as they’ve been created under a “heading” within the note.

• Highlighting: Now, Notes allows texts in colors other than black. Five colors – pink, purple mint, blue, and orange – have been added. (Henry Ford be damned!)

• Recording and Transcribing: Notes now has a built-in audio recording feature, allowing you to compose (and transcribe) audio notes. This function does not replace Voice Memos, which is still available on the Mac and iPhone. 

Window Title Bar Options

This feature allows you customize what happens when you double click on the title bar of a window. In System Settings > Desktop & Dock, you have the option to fill the screen, zoom, or minimize. Or do nothing, if you have trouble making decisions. 

Calculator Upgrades

Similar to Notes, the calculator has been part of the Mac OS for a couple of light years. Way longer, as a matter of fact. In Sequoia, you know have the option to switch between Basic, Scientific, and Programmer calculators, as well as a whole host of conversions, using the Convert option.

These, and plenty more upgrades are all functions of the Sequoia OS. There are also plans for Apple Intelligence to be integrated into this (and iOS 18), but, for the most part, that is going to be included in an incremental upgrade. Stay tuned.  

Apple is holding its next event (Glowtime) on Monday, September 9^th, at 1 PM EST, which, of course, you can watch either live, or via a replay. If you have an Apple TV streaming media player (using the Apple TV app), you can watch it on there, or on any internet-connected device here. 

There are plenty of podcasts, articles, and other news outlets with full-time tech reporters that will give you the entire rundown on what’s the latest from Cupertino; but here, I’ll distill it down to what’s new and why you would want it. The iPhone 16 will no doubt be the centerpiece of the event. What’s better about the iPhone 16?

• Slightly larger screen size (for the Pro and Max series)
• Ability to run “Apple Intelligence” (more on that later)
• “Action Button” as introduced on the iPhone 15 last year
• Camera upgrade
• More color choices

Other upgrades/new versions expected to be announced:

• Apple Watch (Series 10 & Ultra 3)
• AirPods 4 (should be the entry-level standard, replacing AirPods 2 & 3)

In addition, some new software upgrades are expected:

• iOS 18 (the long-rumored Apple intelligence will have to wait until the iOS 18.1 update*
• watchOS 11
• MacOS 15 Sequoia

There are three other hardware rumors, both legacy products getting upgrades: iPad mini, AirPods Pro, and a long shot, a totally redesigned Mac mini computer, the latter of which interests me the most. Along with the iPhone 16 pro.

*iOS 18 will be backwards compatible with the iPhone 15 – not any previous models

 iCloud – something that continually confuses users. What is it? Is it good? Is it bad? What does it cost? Is it something that I really need? All the questions, all the time!

OK, to put it simply, iCloud is a service. It’s a service that allows you to sync data (and photos) between devices, back up your data (and photos) to the cloud, and more. There is a free version and a paid tier. 

If there is one takeaway you get from all of this – it’s that iCloud is a SERVICE. It’s Apple’s cloud platform, one that built into every modern Apple device. 

In iCloud, you can sync your data* between devices, including:

• Photos
• Files
• Notes
• Passwords
• Contacts
• Calendars
• Mail (if you opt for an @icloud.com account)

* Sync your data means that all the information that is shared between your devices automatically updated on all devices when changed on one of them. Useful for contacts, calendars, notes, and more.

It also allows you to back up your iOS devices (iPad and iPhone) to the cloud.  Helpful in the event your device gets lost or damaged, you can restore your data onto the replacement device and get on with your day. Simply enable iCloud on the new device, and all your data comes flowing in like water. 

The “Find My” feature helps locate misplaced devices and allows you to track family members. 

One thing in the liability column that Apple could easily improve upon; users are only allocated a Scrooge-like 5 GB for free. After that is gobbled up, you have to pay to play. And you should also understand most of these features are also available from competitors in the same space (namely Google, but there are others), but the hook is that all of these are seamless throughout the Apple ecosystem.

Understand that this is only touching on the most important (read: useful) aspects of iCloud. There’s an entire “family sharing” function, iCloud Private Relay (a fancy way of encrypting data), Hide My Email, HomeKit Secure Video, and more – things most users don’t bother with.

Like most other things in life, your email is subject to physical limitations. Sure, it’s hard to imagine that these 1s and 0s take up any space at all, but they sure do. Now also understand that your email provider (which could be Google, Optimum, Apple, or any number of other services) gives you a finite amount of space to store your mail on its server. These numbers vary, from a stingy 5 GB from Apple (iCloud) to a more generous 15 GB from Google (Gmail). Of course, you always have the option to buy more storage. Note that this extra storage is NOT on your computer, but the amount of space allocated to your account on your mail provider’s server.

So why does all this matter? 

It matters, because, if you go “over quota,” your email will no longer be functional. And then you’ll find yourself scrambling to free up some space or buy more storage from your provider. (Note that not all providers – including Optimum – offer this option.) 

So how exactly do email messages take up space?

Generally, email messages are tiny, at least in the big scope of things. However, once attachments are factored in, these can hog up the space you’re dished out. And understand that sent messages, junk email messages, the trash folder in your mail client, and the infamous “Archive” or “All Mail” folders, both evil locations where your email messages from the year one are stored.

So, what do you do when you receive the dreaded “running out of space” message?

First of all, you need to act quickly! If you go over the line, not only will you be unable to send email messages, but you also won’t be able to receive them as well. And far worse, the emails that people send when you’re down won’t be waiting there when things are back on track. 

So, first thing, is to empty your junk folder. And then empty your email’s trash. (Which is different from your computer’s trash.) After that, you can start cleaning out your inbox and sent folders (as well as the Archives folder) and again, emptying your mail client’s trash along the way. Pro tip: If you need to delete blocks of emails at one time, sort by “sender” so you can get rid of all the Groupon and CVS emails you never opened. 

So, here’s (my) definition of “junk mail” – it’s email from senders you didn’t give permission to receive messages from. CVS, J. Crew, Whole Foods? If you’re getting email from these types of senders, they’re NOT junk – even if they annoy you. They’re just legitimate businesses, sending you email that you approved of! Any of those types of email messages have an “unsubscribe” link at the bottom – if you don’t want to hear from them, then unsubscribe!

So, a quick recap: Email that is obviously a scam, OR messages from senders you never gave permission to: Junk mail.

Email from legitimate businesses that you signed up for or have dealt with: Marketing email.

To eliminate FUTURE sends of email from legitimate senders: Use the “unsubscribe” link at the bottom of the email. As far as standard junk mail goes, just grin and bear it, and delete it when it comes in. No use fighting it – it’s like emptying a swimming pool with a teacup.

And as far as political email (and text) goes: Once you donate, it’s like feeding a stray animal – it’ll keep coming back for more. And tell all its friends as well. That’s the peril of giving money to politicians.

OK, I sound like a broken record (as the old folks used to say), BACK UP YOUR DATA!

But why?

For one reason, most of your “stuff” is digitally based these days, so instead of making paper copies like people did in ancient times (pre-1999), it’s all on the computer. And since I’ve been doing this for a few years, and good enough at it so I can still afford to live here without having to drive Uber in the evenings, I can definitely tell you about how important it is to BACK UP YOUR DATA! Because I’ve seen more than a few tears shed from clients about lost data, that’s why. I have a degree in psychology AND one in journalism, so I’m qualified to deal with those issues as well as write about them. So, what’s the best way to back up your data?

Local backup: A local backup is the simplest method to back up your data. It’s simply connecting a hard drive to your computer and using software to make a copy of your data onto the hard drive. The Mac OS has built-in software, Time Machine, which is a “set and forget” type of thing. You configure it once, and as long as the hard drive remains connected to the computer and it doesn’t get filled to capacity, it will back your data up on a regular interval.

A great advantage of using Time Machine is that you are able to recover data from any number of dates – for example, if you deleted a document (or need an earlier version of one), you can navigate back to the date of the backup you want and easily restore it to your computer. One drawback of this Time Machine: Laptop users don’t like having a drive tethered to their computer all the time, so the practice is often abandoned.

Network Attached Storage: Similar to a local backup and one level up is Network Attached Storage (NAS). A NAS device is essentially a hard disk, but rather than being attached directly to your computer, it’s a network drive that allows multiple users to back up data without the nuisance of connecting a hard drive. Back in the day, Apple produced a line of Wi-Fi networking gear (AirPort), one of which had a storage device attached. Sadly, that era is gone, but there are plenty of network attached storage options out there. Most NAS units are compatible with Time Machine, but there is one disadvantage; they can be a pain to properly configure.

Cloud backup services: There are a bunch of services that will automatically back up your computer to the cloud – Carbonite, Backblaze, and Sync.com among others – and they can add a second line of defense to your data. It’s a pay to play deal, you subscribe to the service, install the software, and off you go. Sounds seamless, but Carbonite, the most popular choice here, can be cranky and unpredictable on Macs (don’t know how well it performs on Windows machines), often going into “disabled” mode for no apparent reason. And moving subscriptions between computers is a whole dog and pony show, with the company having to terminate your old account and open a new one. Files seem relatively easy to recover, but if your entire computer needs to be restored, it’s not going to happen quickly. In short, this should NOT be used as your only backup, but as a secondary one.

Other cloud services: Dropbox, iCloud, and Google Drive lead the charge here – consumer-friendly cloud services. Not so much of a backup service as it is a sync and file sharing method. All these services have a free version and a paid tier, and, of course, the paid tier allotting more storage space. I’ve worked in recovering legacy files from Dropbox (paid tier), and it was slight pain, but workable. I see Dropbox and Google Drive being used more in collaboration scenarios, where a group of users need to access the same documents.

And even more: Although I listed iCloud in the section above, I find it to really be a personal thing, for syncing your own data. It’s Apple’s version of Dropbox, although it has many more features than the other cloud services. There are others that fall into this category, generally ones that are application-specific; OneDrive by Microsoft and Creative Cloud Storage by Adobe, although the latter is making some changes to its terms.

Does your crystal ball tell you that a new computer is in your future?

I get asked (all the time!) about when is the best time to buy a new computer – and I usually give the same answer: Think of it like a car, when it’s time to get a new one, you’ll know. Not exactly rocket science, but I like to think I’m pretty good about suggesting when. But it’s the what that requires me to put on my detective hat and start asking questions.

Now besides the cost of the new computer and any related expenses (for a quick refresher, read my blog post from July 2021), there is the small matter of deciding what model/configuration is best for you.

First thing to ask yourself: Laptop or desktop model? That’s a question only you can answer, it’s all a matter of how, where, and when you plan on using your computer. Of course, once you’ve answered that, you have sub-questions to answer. If you decided on a laptop, there are many choices below that: MacBook Pro or MacBook Air? Screen size? What processor? If a desktop model is in your future, then your choices are a bit narrower. It’s pretty much a 24” iMac (sorry, the 27” is no longer produced) or a Mac mini, a computer that you must add a third-party display to in order for it to be functional. (Most users aren’t going to go with a Mac Studio or Mac Pro.)

My best advice here: Ask yourself how you’re going to use the computer. On the go? Laptop. At home? Desktop. Then decide how you’re going to customize it. Gone are the days when you could easily add RAM or a larger hard drive, so plan accordingly. As far as RAM goes, Apple gives a minimum of 8 GB, which is fine for basic tasks (word processing, email, web surfing, etc.), but if you’re doing anything more processor intensive (audio or video editing, graphic arts, etc.), you’ll want to bump that up a level or two. Ditto for the processor, which you can think of as horsepower (to continue with the car analogy), the higher number, the more power.

Finally, and perhaps most importantly, internal storage size (the device formerly known as hard drive capacity) should be gauged before pulling the trigger. Since modern internal storage is now solid state and no longer the old-school spinning disks and all that fun stuff, the capacity offered is usually less than on the computer you purchased a decade ago. Of course, these days, so much media is streaming, so users tend to have less music and fewer movies saved on the computer. But before whipping out your credit card, determine how much data is being stored on your computer. Then buy one with an equal (or larger) storage capacity. Think of it like renting a dumpster – decide what size you think you need, and then end up getting the largest one available anyway. I’ve never met a user who said “wow, I wish I had less space on my computer!”

Not knowing what to expect, I signed up for the free demonstration of the Apple Vision Pro headset, at its SoNo Collection store. First and foremost, understand that I’ve never been a gamer, nor have dealt with any VR (virtual reality) or AR (augmented reality) devices, so I’m entering the arena tabula rasa. One of my children had an Oculus headset for gaming but ended up selling it because of motion sickness.

The Pregame Show

I trekked down to my local Apple store at my designated appointment time. Apple allocated half an hour for the appointment, and for the first ten minutes we discussed how the demonstration was going to proceed. First thing – my head was measured, and those dimensions were communicated to the “back room” so I could get the proper fit. Hunter, my demonstrator, discussed a little about the unit, and from the outset I made it crystal clear that I wasn’t in the market for the Vision Pro, but merely going through the demonstration as part of my professional knowledge.

And Now – The Waltz

Finally, the Vision Pro that was configured for my head specifications was delivered from the back room. At first glance, it looked like a space age pair of ski goggles, only with a thicker band for the back of the head. It was powered by an external battery connected by a cable – a trade-off, because having an internal battery would put more weight on the face, making it more uncomfortable than it has to be. The buttons are on the device itself are the digital crown (similar to the Apple Watch) and the Top Button. The Digital Crown is the one that is used the most – it opens the Home View, allows you to switch between surroundings. (More on that later.) We ran through a few settings in order to align the unit with my eyes, and off we went.

To say I’ve never experienced something like Vision Pro would be putting it mildly. The first screen is the Home View – which is like a floating home screen with familiar Apple icons on it (similar to an iPad) – but you navigate with your eyes, you gesture with your hands, and use your voice to dictate. The first part past the Home View was the surrounding – the immersive environments – yes, pictures, but looking far more realistic than any pictures I’ve ever seen. And in some instances, the pictures were a 180º wrap around.

From there, the demonstration ramped up – showing some scenarios (a woman singing, a child’s birthday party, some sporting events), all which were more and more impressive as the demonstration proceeded. There were animals that approached the screen and even seemed to poke their noses into my space! The only part I found disappointing was a 3D preview of the latest Super Mario movie. I have never liked 3D movies – maybe because I didn’t find the technology very good in the past, or maybe the entire premise of 3D is overrated. Whatever the reason, that part of the demonstration was extremely underwhelming. The coup de grâce was the final segment – before it was shown to me, I was asked by Hunter if this type of thing would be disturbing to me – was a few beautifully-shot scenes, most notably a woman walking a tightrope across a canyon. The camera angle was from the perspective of the tightrope itself, making it a compelling and pretty amazing experience.

When It’s Over

When the 20-minute demonstration concluded – I removed the Vision Pro and my head felt lighter. It was akin to wearing ski goggles or a scuba mask – it wasn’t hugely uncomfortable while you were involved in things, but once you were done, I felt better that it was off my face. Wearing it for more than an hour would seem exhausting to me. And like putting on a wet bathing suit, I didn’t feel the urge to put it back on again. I was asked (not a hard sell, however) if I had changed my mind about buying it. I reiterated my stance – that it was for professional research purposes, and Hunter said in any event, he would email my measurements to me in case I changed my mind.

What’s The Point?

The images I saw were fantastic – 90% of what I saw was stellar – crisp, clear, and in focus. Some parts of it looked more like a diorama – maybe a little too much of the 3D pixie dust was thrown on that part it. The movies and pictures I saw were pretty amazing – yet I didn’t see a lot of business potential for any user of this. Sure, there could be applications for a business use – for example, a room can be “staged,” or an empty lot can be viewed with multiple variations of houses on the property. Or it could be used for people with vision problems, or perhaps, other neurological issues. Those are the two that I came up with right away, I’m sure there’s more that can be done with it.

Final Thoughts

Because the Vision Pro is so pricy, and it seems to fall more into “entertainment” than “business” arena, I see it more of a niche item. I certainly can’t image in a world where people are walking down the street with these things strapped to their heads. And unless I hit the Powerball jackpot, the $3500 price tag pretty much seals the deal that I won’t be picking up one of these anytime soon. Unlike a Porsche, the Vision Pro is out of my price range – it isn’t – but it’s a matter of justifying to myself. If it were a product that would help me earn more money or something that I feel would be worth its while with my time and money, then maybe. But for now, I’ll sit on the sidelines and see where it all goes.

Last month we discussed a bad habit that some people have when it comes to surfing the web. (Don’t remember? Find it here.) I also predicted that this month’s newsletter would have a section on bookmarks, so here we go!

So, what are bookmarks, and why are they good to use?

Similar to a physical bookmark (which marks a place in a book for future reference), a browser bookmark is a place holder for a web page, typically one that you reference often, saving time and the potential peril of mistyping the URL and ending up on a scam site. And the good news is, that no matter what browser you use, whether it’s one of the name brands (Chrome, Safari, Firefox), a member of the JV team (Opera, Brave, Edge), or one on the lunatic fringe (Tor, Epic, Ghostery), you have the ability to create (and edit) bookmarks.

While each program has its own nuances, it’s pretty much the same across the board. In the menu at the top of every browser, there’s a BOOKMARKS pulldown. (Except for the outlier, Microsoft Edge, because Microsoft tends to a contrarian in a lot of areas.) To add a bookmark in your browser, simply pull down on the menu as described above and look for the command to “add bookmark,” “bookmark this tab,” or something similar.

You can also edit your bookmarks – delete some, change the order, create subfolders, etc. In order to get there, pull down on BOOKMARKS and select:

Chrome: Bookmarks Manager
Safari: Edit Bookmarks
Firefox: Manage Bookmarks

(For all other browsers, it’s a similar process.)

Finally, one more organization/efficiency tip:

In all your browsers, you can designate some bookmarks to be “favorites.” Those favorites will reside on the “tab bar” at the top of the browser window. This is handy for your oft-visited bookmarks – Amazon, your bank, Facebook, my blog, etc. Of course, each browser has a slightly different name for that option:

Chrome: Bookmarks Bar
Safari: Tab Bar
Firefox: Bookmarks Toolbar

Of course, you can add, delete, change the order of these favorites as well. This is found under the VIEW menu at the top of the screen. Note that there is an option to hide this, so if your bookmarks don’t show up at the top of your page, pull down VIEW menu and confirm it’s enabled.

🔥 There are ways to sync your bookmarks, through iCloud, Google, Firefox and more.

Is this something you do?

You want to go to one of your oft-visited websites, say Amazon, Facebook, or your bank. So, you launch your browser of choice (according to workawesome.com, and yours truly, it’s most likely Google), and in the search field in the middle of the page, you type in “Amazon.” Then the next page loads, and you click on the top link, and all is good, right?

Not really.

That’s the WRONG way to do that, for a couple of reasons. And the question that begs to be asked; what exactly ARE these reasons?

Well, first of all, for a guy like me who’s into not wasting effort, you’re taking two steps where one will do the trick. Think about it – you have a desired destination on the web, you’re doing a search for the site, and then you’re clicking on the link itself. Not too much trouble in the broad scope of things, but the bad guys know this trick and often float to the top of the search engines with sites that range from opportunistic to downright criminal.

Lesson learned – rather than do a Google search for “Wells Fargo Bank” and then click the top hit, type in “wellsfargo.com” in your search bar at the top. That’ll bring you directly to the page you want. Better yet – make a bookmark out of those oft-visited pages, ensuring you’ll never hit a bogus page by accident.

How to handle the entire bookmark thing? Tune in here next month, same Mac time, same Mac channel!