Apple | The Tech Guy

Apple could make your Macs inoperative, sparking right to repair debate

Episode 1529

According to a story that broke this week, software in the new macOS will render your Macs inoperative if you have your computer repaired by a third party. Leo says that iFixit says that it's premature statement. Apple claims it's a security procedure to protect the secure enclave and other proprietary hardware. While the software does exist, Apple hasn't deployed it just yet. But Leo says that it's still problematic, as it goes to whether or not you have the right to repair your computers, or if you even own it.

How can I merge multiple contacts databases?

Episode 1523

Dale from Santa Monica, CA

Dale has an Apple and Outlook contact list. He'd like to merge them. How can he? Rich says that the iPhone doesn't do a good job where the contacts are located. But the Mac contact app does. So Rich says to sync all the contacts to his Mac. Add them in his contacts app, and then sync it. Then, Rich recommends using Google contacts as his main contact manager. He can add his Google account in there by clicking the plus sign.

Apple Announces iPhone Xs, Xs Max, XR

Episode 1523

This week Apple announced the iPhone Xs, Xs Max, and Xr. Rich says it sounds like a drink you buy at the gas station. Why Apple dropped the "Plus" moniker is beyond Rich, because Plus and Max are really the same thing, except the new iPhone Xs Max has an edge to edge screen, rather than any sort of bezel.

Find out more at apple.com.

How can I save money buying a new MacBook Pro?

Episode 1522

Scott from Whitby Island, WA

Scott would like to update his MacBook Pro, but he can't afford a high priced Mac. What are his options to save some money? Leo says that the MacBook Air is the least expensive at $999, but it hasn't been updated in years, and it has the lowest quality screen Apple sells. So Leo would recommend going to the Apple Store and see if he can live with it. His other choice would be the MacBook "escape," a 13" model without the Touch Bar. It wasn't updated from the most recent update, but it's very portable. The new MacBook Pros are only about $500 more than the escape.

Should I update to iOS 11?

Episode 1522

Bob from New Jersey

Bob wants to know if it's safe to upgrade to iOS 11. Leo says it is, and not only that, but iOS 12 will be released next week along with macOS Mojave. Leo adds that iOS 11 was a really bad update, and even though there's been several fixes and updates to improve it, there's still a lot of shortcomings with it.

Why doesn't my Apple HDMI iPhone adapter work?

Episode 1518

Jack from Riverside, CA

Jack bought the HDMI adapter for his iPhone to watch video on the TV and it doesn't work! What can he do? Leo says that he gets this complaint a lot and there may be an update in iOS that broke the connection. It could be copy protection. But you'd think that if Apple sells the item, they wouldn't break it with an update. Apple says to be sure the TV is set to the right HDMI selection. It should work automatically.

Can I upgrade my iMac?

Episode 1511

Carlin from Redondo Beach, CA

Carlin has an iMac that's about 6 years old and it's getting slower and slower. She brought it into a technician, who said it was too old to get parts for it. Leo says that's not really accurate. It's always best to take the iMac into the Apple Store when it needs repair or upgrading, and it can be upgraded.

Apple Becomes First Trillion Dollar Company

Episode 1511

This week, Apple's stock rose to the point where Apple became the first company on Wall Street worth a trillion dollars. Leo says while that makes for a great headline, it's really a dubious barometer, because Apple has all the money it's gotten from stock. Any further rising and lowering of the stock is beneficial for those who buy and sell it. But what the value does indicate, is that when Apple offers stock to talent as a perk, it's worth far more to them. And engineers are thinking about that. Still, Apple is the first to do it, so it's historic.

Make the MacBook Pro Touch Bar More Useful

The Touch Bar that replaced the row of function keys on Apple's MacBook Pros as of late has been very controversial. Many users find it annoying to not have hardware keys for volume, brightness, and playback controls that have been on MacBooks up until 2016, and the Touch Bar isn't utilized well in many applications aside from Apple software like Final Cut X or Logic. Apple just updated its MacBook Pros for 2018, however, and they now support 32GB of RAM, 4TB of SSD storage, and Intel's Core i9 processors.

Has Apple stopped making computers with function keys?

Episode 1509

Manny from Mt. Carmel, PA

Manny has a 2013 MacBook Pro but he needs to upgrade and he's annoyed that Apple has removed the function keys in favor of the Touch Bar. Leo says that there is a 2017 MacBook Pro model that comes with the last batch of function keys. But this year, they aren't making them anymore. So it looks like the time for function keys is now over. Leo says that the speed of the i9 has made it worth it, though. The keyboard has also been improved thanks to a silicone dampener. The Touch Bar isn't really a bad idea, but hardly any apps support it.