http://www.themacmama.com/index.htmlHot News!enen2016-01-27T11:27:24-08:00 hourly 1 2000-01-01T12:00+00:00 Tue, 17 Nov 2015 10:46:20 -0800Blog2016-01-27T11:27:24-08:00http://www.themacmama.com/blog/files/84248740dd67d58c3c862bd4d66b68ba-6.html#unique-entry-id-6http://www.themacmama.com/blog/files/84248740dd67d58c3c862bd4d66b68ba-6.html#unique-entry-id-6Many of you have heard me say as soon as I walk in the door, "Are you backing up?"

Of course, I know right away when there is a pause, that the answer is probably, "No".

I can't stress enough the importance of having a good backup strategy to protect your precious photos, music, documents. Here is a good article by Christopher Phin about a simple backup strategy…

THE COMPLETE, EASY GUIDE TO BACKING UP YOUR MAC]]>Blog2016-01-20T13:07:33-08:00http://www.themacmama.com/blog/files/653646f7af7f3edbf56b4fd278686f3f-5.html#unique-entry-id-5http://www.themacmama.com/blog/files/653646f7af7f3edbf56b4fd278686f3f-5.html#unique-entry-id-5Apple announced today:

"CUPERTINO, California — January 20, 2016 — Apple® today announced a new addition and a major update to its family of music-making apps for iOS that make it easy for people to tap into their musical potential and create incredible music no matter where they are. An all-new app called Music Memos lets musicians and songwriters quickly capture, organize and develop their musical ideas right on their iPhone®. And a major update to GarageBand® for iOS introduces multiple new features, including Live Loops, a fun way for anyone to make music like a DJ using only their iPhone or iPad®."

I have been using Voice Memos to record rehearsal, and ideas, but this is a high quality (so far) app. You can even press little icons for bass and drums to add a beat. It picks up your key and rhythm, and does a pretty decent job. Read more here:

Apple Press Release Music Memos]]>Blog2016-01-06T08:53:00-08:00http://www.themacmama.com/blog/files/5526706b25f0feb19085e33a58f19903-4.html#unique-entry-id-4http://www.themacmama.com/blog/files/5526706b25f0feb19085e33a58f19903-4.html#unique-entry-id-4Appleinsider.com has a page of the lowest prices for macs. This site also gives some combo deals. Check it out:

Current Mac Lowest Prices ]]>Blog2015-12-31T07:41:42-08:00http://www.themacmama.com/blog/files/f6fb22eab26faed214b46fcf009c734e-3.html#unique-entry-id-3http://www.themacmama.com/blog/files/f6fb22eab26faed214b46fcf009c734e-3.html#unique-entry-id-3MacRumors, Starting on January 8, 2016, AT&T plans to introduce a "pricing simplification effort" that will see the end of device subsidies and two-year contracts. According to an internal training document shared by Engadget, new and existing AT&T customers will only be able to purchase a smartphone at full price or with an AT&T Next payment plan going forward. Since T Mobile moved away from 2 year contracts in 2013, there has been a general shift away from subsidized smart phone purchases by cell service providers. Verizon eliminated subsidized smart phone purchases for new customers, although at this time, existing customers can still purchase 2 year contracts, with subsidized phone.]]>Blog2015-12-17T08:47:06-08:00http://www.themacmama.com/blog/files/b38aec69955cffc4affe81407cfec4a8-2.html#unique-entry-id-2http://www.themacmama.com/blog/files/b38aec69955cffc4affe81407cfec4a8-2.html#unique-entry-id-2As with Yosemite, if you have an earlier copy of Microsoft office 2011, you can expect some problems and instability. I think it's a good idea to upgrade to Office 2016, either in individual perpetual license form (sold as a download), or the subscription to Office 365.]]>Blog2015-11-23T14:11:31-08:00http://www.themacmama.com/blog/files/f52d90b5b7953176c1623f192f64442b-1.html#unique-entry-id-1http://www.themacmama.com/blog/files/f52d90b5b7953176c1623f192f64442b-1.html#unique-entry-id-1The busiest shopping day of the year is the Friday after Thanksgiving. But these days, these sales come earlier, sometimes right after Halloween, and stay often well past the holiday weekend. Here are some of the deals.
Best Buy is already offering $50 off of Apple watches and up to $150 discount on some Mac laptop models, and up to $200 on iMacs. Target will be offering iPhone 6S and 6S Plus 16 GB models for $50 off, starting Thursday night to Saturday. They are also giving away gift cards for purchasing iPads and other Apple products. It looks like Walmart will also be offering $100 discount on any new iPhone along with $100 gift card towards future purchases. Even Staples will be selling the 64 GB Wi-Fi only iPad Air 2 for $449, which is $150 off the normal price.
Although I purchase a lot of things from the Apple store, most of the time I buy my laptops from B&H Photo . B&H has some great deals right now, and most of the time shipping is free. Of course since B&H is in New York City, there is no sales tax for California residents. Right now, for example, they have a 15.4 inch MacBook Pro with retina display, mid 2014 model with 16 gigs of RAM, 512 GB flash storage, for $1879. That’s a $320 dollar discount off the regular price. This is not a Black Friday sale, this offer actually ends on November 26. I think the best deal on MacBook pros from B&H photo, is the 13 inch MacBook air, 8GB RAM, and 512 GB flash storage from early 2014, listed at a $650 discount for $1299. Sometimes the best deal is to get last year’s model, which is still covered by the one year warranty (and of course you can purchase AppleCare which extends the warranty to three years). One thing that seems to be in the rumor mill, is that iPads will have a lot of discounts this season, often in the form of gift cards, and bigger discounts for previous models.
Other reputable online retailers that have deals are MacMall and Adorama . There are also deals to be had on accessories like printers, cases, external hard drives. One of my favorite online shops for RAM, hard drives, etc. Is Other World Computing (www.macsales.com). According to macrumors.com, OWC will offer specials Wednesday, November 25 to Friday, December 4. Deals will include SSDs from $39, free Thunderbolt cables with select docks, and more.
This is not to say that Apple itself will not have some Black Friday deals. But historically they have been often undercut by as much as 20% by other authorized resellers. And when you are shopping in the frenzy, it’s very important to read the fine print. How big is the hard drive? How much RAM is installed? Is it the current model or is it last year’s?
You don’t have to fight traffic to get some great Apple products, you can do it right from your computer at home. That is after you have had a wonderful Thanksgiving meal with your family and friends, and your devices where they belong, away from the table!

SOME MORE LINKS:

Apple Insider gives some of the latest deals available…

Click me


As does Cult of Mac…

Click me next


And MacRumors…

Then me]]>Blog2015-11-17T10:47:04-08:00http://www.themacmama.com/blog/files/ff9940653a33c904e5c489290e1b5794-0.html#unique-entry-id-0http://www.themacmama.com/blog/files/ff9940653a33c904e5c489290e1b5794-0.html#unique-entry-id-0
1. Mail crashing
2. Passwords removed from Mail upon upgrade
3. Big problems with Microsoft Office 2016 that seem to have been fixed with both a Microsoft and an Apple update.
4. 1Password continues to have autofill trouble, and password creation trouble.

Of course, there are certain things that only work well in El Capitan, including the new Magic Trackpad, Keyboard and Mouse 2.

So we should all just sit tight, and wait for the turbulence to die down.

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