AuntTUAW
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Dear Aunt TUAW: Why don't my searches work in Safari anymore?
Dear Aunt TUAW, Safari search is broken as anything. I use Safari, what, once a month, and it can't even work right? I have a page that has at least 20 times my search phrase. And it can't find it. I do CMD + F and then I type my term and then return. It's all keyboard. Help. Your nephew, M. Dear M, Take a close look at the Safari search field. Do you see the little drop-down triangle to the right of the magnifying glass. Try clicking that and changing your search from "Starts With" to "Contains". Hugs and snuggles, Auntie T.
Dear Uncle TUAW: What's the best way to blog while backpacking?
Dear Uncle TUAW: Over the next two years my husband and I plan to hike El Camino de Santiago in Spain. I'd love to keep family and friends up to date on our trek by blogging on the trip, but since we want to keep our backpacks at less than 14 lbs. total weight, I'm not sure I want to carry an iPad and I know for sure that a laptop is going to be too heavy. Since weight and space are issues, what would you blog from if you were in my hiking boots? Your loving niece, Susan Dear Susan, I'm glad to hear that you're going to be out walking. Too many of you young whippersnappers spend all of your time on your keisters in front of those fancy HDTVs instead of getting good, clean exercise in the great outdoors. Your Aunt and I used to do a lot of hiking. Remind me to tell you about our experiences in Bhutan in 1958... Anyway, my first choice for lightweight blogging would be to grab an iPad mini and one of those newfangled keyboard cases, but if you're really trying to keep things light, why not just use that iPhone of yours as a small tablet? With that phone, you can not only grab great photos, but use them in your blog. While you're hiking, you can even talk to that Siri lady and she'll take down your notes like my old secretary Mabel used to do back at the munitions plant. Without the backtalk, of course. And the bad breath. But that's another story... When you get to wherever you're setting up camp for the night, you can while away the hours cleaning up her dictation. Yes, I had to clean up Mabel's dictation, too. Frankly, I'd take along a lightweight keyboard of some sort if I were you. Since you won't want to worry about charging batteries on a keyboard, one that's powered by the sun might be handy. Speaking of charging batteries, you can also take one of these crank-powered things with you on your hike to give your hands something to do. Charge up the battery pack by hand-cranking it, then use it to charge your iPhone while you're trying to sleep at night with all of those other pilgrims snoring around you. No need to look for a power outlet or carry along those pesky international power adapters. That's all I'll say about hardware, which referred to nuts and bolts in my earlier days, but what about blogging software? If you don't have a travel blog already, MapQuest's Travel Blog app is free and includes free hosting of your text and photos. Got one of those WordPress blogs? Their free app isn't too bad, either. You can be really smart and take all of your pictures with the iPhone so you don't have to carry a separate camera with all of its weight and bulk, and they'll go right into your blog. I'm rather fond of that Tumblr service for travel blogging myself, although please don't tell your Aunt about my "Tumblr After Dark" adventures in Amsterdam last year... Stay safe; watch out for blisters; and have a good trip! Hugs and kisses, Uncle TUAW
Dear Aunt TUAW: Buy an iPad mini now or wait?
Dear Aunt TUAW, Would you suggest this generation of the iPad mini is worth getting, or waiting for the next-generation, which may have Retina display is a better option? Your loving niece, Stephanie S Dear Stephanie, The best time to buy hardware is when you need it. If you can use the mini now, and feel it's a good value, then go ahead and pick it up. The secret is to make a buy/don't buy decision on the current offerings, not necessarily the iPad minis that may or may not be announced in the future. In the past few years, Apple has refreshed its iPad line around March/April. Auntie has no indication that they'll do so again this year -- especially after adding new hardware this Autumn -- or that they will not. It's likely that Retina displays will continue to appear across Apple's line, but the current budget-priced iPad mini has not received one. That the iPad 2 continues as a strong seller in the tablet arena shows that people want an iPad more than they want a Retina display. Several of Auntie's friends here at the Weblog own minis, and love the portable form factor combined with the iPad experience. Auntie is waiting for the first set of refurbished iPad minis, which she expects to see somewhere around April. Far from purchasing at the peak, Auntie often waits for better deals on slightly outdated hardware for the best buying value. If you want Retina, you can always consider purchasing a refurb third-generation full-sized iPad, starting at about $380. You will, however, sacrifice the mini's portability. Got advice for Stephanie? Add your thoughts to the comments. Hugs, Auntie T.
iTunes 11 for old fogies: goin' back to the way it was
So you just downloaded and installed iTunes 11. Now you're scratching your head and going, um...where did my iTunes go? This is the post for you. Here are a few things for you to do to get back to your normal iTunes setup before you branch out and explore new features. Do this: 1. Click Songs. 2. Click View > Show Sidebar (Command-Option-S) 3. Click View > Show Status Bar (Command-/) Presto. You're now ready to kick back with a fresh glass of prune juice and start using iTunes the way that's friendly and familiar.
Dear Aunt TUAW: I made the switch. What do I do with my old system?
Dear Aunt TUAW, I did it. I made the switch. Mountain Lion and those hot Retina display MacBook Pros finally brought me to the Mac Side. So, what do I do with my old Windows system? It runs Win 7, is reasonably functional, and in need of a task. What do you suggest? Your loving (new) nephew, Colin Dear Colin, Auntie is sure there are many fine uses for your old system. There are always flowers to press, doors to hold open...but she thinks media servers and public web installations are two of the best. Whether you're running XBMC in the living room (plays back nearly everything you throw at it, letting you watch a wide range of video files) or Firefox in the Kitchen (great for news, weather, and recipes), old computers provide the perfect solution for always-on items that need to perform with minimal intervention. There's also the SETI project, which uses distributed computing to help analyze radio telescope data. Or you could go wild and install Linux, to see how the other other half lives. Your system is emotionally end-of-lifed anyway, now that you own your new MacBook. By trying out these projects, you ensure that when the PC does conk out and you're tired of performing fixes, you'll feel more as if you got your full worth out of it. If you're not in the mood for an in-home install, you could just sell your system on Ebay. Make sure to wipe your drive, and ship any OEM Windows disks that came with your computer. Auntie is, admittedly, not a Windows expert, so she's going to turn the question over to her nieces and nephews. What solutions can you recommend for Colin's old PC? Hugs, Auntie T.
Dear Aunt TUAW: Help! I bought my dad an iPad!
Dear Aunt TUAW, I wish I had never given my Dad that iPad. When he and my Mom were going on a driving trip, I asked if he wanted 3G service. He says "Sure", so I set it up. Now he's complaining about shelling out $30 a month to AT&T, so I'm telling him to cancel the service. Except he doesn't know what his password is and I think he's putting in the wrong email address (HE ONLY HAS TWO). And he doesn't read my emails explaining all this. I thought about installing 1Password, but my dad would forget that the application is on the iPad (or his Mac for that matter). Is there a way to do LogMeIn sessions to an iPad (controlling the iPad)? Without jailbreaking? Auntie needs to write an app: "Control Dad's/Mom's iPad." Help! Your loving nephew, Peter Dear Peter, In this world, there are things you can control (what's for dinner, what to watch on Netflix, what to wear for that hot date) and things you cannot (your dad, your cat, and your dad's iPad). This is, as you have probably already guessed, a human and not a technological problem. If you can, try calling instead of emailing. You might want to plan a trip out to visit your Dad (and fix up his iPad in person) or surrender to the knowledge that even if you call, the chances are slim that he will follow your directions or listen to your advice. There are things in life that cannot be fixed with technology. Unfortunately, Apple does not (yet) offer any remote administration tools for iPad. Their configuration tools for on-site administration provide a way to mass-configure large groups of iPads and iPhones, but there's no Apple Remote Desktop-like tool available for iOS devices. One of the members of Auntie's bridge club suggested using a combination of Skype, Reflector, mirroring and screen sharing to walk him through the problem, but if dear old Dad is having issues getting other things working, it's unlikely that he'd be able to get this setup without assistance. Your options might expand with jailbreaking and VNC, but it sounds like you've ruled that out completely. Do Auntie's other nieces and nephews have advice for Peter? Jump into the comments and share your thoughts. Hugs, Auntie T.
Dear Aunt TUAW: Help me customize notifications
Dear Aunt TUAW, I have several Mail accounts. One for work, one personal, and one that gets a lot of junk. I like all of them to come into my Mail app, but I don't need a notification in Mountain Lion every time a piece of junk mail comes through. Is there a way to only enable notifications for certain accounts? Your loving nephew, Billy Dear Billy, Sadly, there isn't a way Auntie knows of to do this with OS X Mountain Lion tools, but why not consider using Growl instead? Growl is the spiritual grandfather to Notification Center. Auntie pinged Uncle Chris from the Growl Project to see what he recommended for you. He pointed Auntie this page, which offers a handy walk through plus an AppleScript that you can customize to your needs. Auntie asked him about Notification Center integration. He replied that the upcoming Growl 2 will be able to forward custom updates to Notification Center instead of using Growl's display. Thanks, Uncle Chris! Auntie brainstormed up with a new motto for the Growl project in appreciation: "Growl: Drinking Notification Center's milkshake since OS X 10.8." Hugs! Auntie T.
Dear Aunt TUAW: Will my brand new refurb Mac come with Mountain Lion?
Dear Favourite Aunt TUAW, I'm using British spelling in honor of the Olympics. I know that I haven't called lately but I've been very busy waiting for my new Refurb Mac mini. It's going to replace my trusty but aging 2007 edition. I've fetched my Firewire cord and have the step by step method of transferring data, etc... and then it struck me - will the new Mini come already equipped with Mountain Lion? How will that affect the migration? I can't sleep as I fret about this, so please offer your expert advice. Thanks... Your 16th favorite nephew, Mark Dear Mark, Auntie's pretty sure that "Aunt" is spelled identically on both sides of the Atlantic, although she should point out that you (and all of her nieces and nephews) have always been her favourite. (See what she did there?) Auntie gave Apple a call and confirmed that refurb minis qualify for the Up to Date program. You'll be able to upgrade for free. What's more an Apple rep confirmed that the migration assistant will work between OS versions, so you'll be able to move your data from the original Lion install to your new mini -- whether you've already upgraded it or not. Cheers, pip pip, and Tally-Ho (two can play at that game), Auntie T. P.S. Uncle Rich is now squirming. Not just because of Auntie's take on the entire British Empire, but also because he's not a huge fan of Migration Assistant's reliability. He writes, "Migration Assistant [redacted] impressively on my iMac. I extracted my MBP HDD and put it in a USB caddy. Told Migration Assistant to use it as the source and let it do its thing. Rebooted; system seemed good. Disconnected the USB drive... and it stopped booting. Something I had on the old OS X install was cross-connected to the USB HDD, and wouldn't start without it! Never did figure out what it was. In the end I did a clean install of Lion, then told Migration Assistant to move only my home directory and not any of the other settings or apps. I had carried my OS X install forward from Leopard onwards, so it was high time for a clean out anyway." #next_pages_container { width: 5px; hight: 5px; position: absolute; top: -100px; left: -100px; z-index: 2147483647 !important; }
Dear Aunt TUAW: Disappointed over AirPlay Mirroring hardware cutoff
Dear Aunt TUAW, With the new launch of Mountain Lion and its new features, I have somehow started looking at my old mid-2009 MacBook Pro with disdain. One of the features I looked forward to was AirPlay Mirroring which unfortunately my older model can't support due to hardware limitations. [This is causing no small amount of consternation among Mountain Lion upgraders, many of whom expected the feature to work universally. –Ed.] So my question now is, do I really need a new laptop? My hands are itching to get one. Maybe my question should be, what should be the cycle for upgrading laptops (but this is probably more personal). Would appreciate your help and guidance. Thanks. Your loving nephew, Dare Dear Dare, It's never the wrong time for a nice new Mac, if you can afford it. If not, AirParrot is just ten bucks and gives you the same kind of AirPlay mirroring, albeit with more burden on the Mac's CPU and some quality tradeoffs. In return for your $10, AirParrot offers two killer features that Mountain Lion does not. First, you can limit mirroring to a single window. Second, you can use it with an HDTV/Apple TV combo to extend your desktop! Why just mirror to your HDTV when you can use it as an extra monitor? As for Auntie's laptop upgrade cycle, it goes like this: she only buys hardware when she absolutely utterly cannot avoid doing so. It looks like a new Mac mini is in her future, although she hopes to hold off for a 2012 refresh. If not, she's buying a refurb 2011 mini and upgrading it to within an inch of its life. It will fit in perfectly with Auntie's lace doilies and Precious Moments figurines. Hugs, Auntie T. #next_pages_container { width: 5px; hight: 5px; position: absolute; top: -100px; left: -100px; z-index: 2147483647 !important; }
Dear Aunt TUAW: Help me find Mountain Lion posts
Dear Aunt TUAW, Hello, can you provide me with a link to access all the Mountain Lion 101 articles instead of having to bookmark each individually? Your loving nephew, Graig Dear Graig, This is probably something that should be in TUAW's site operations manual. (We don't actually have an operations manual, but we do have a guide to the site's current design.) Every story on TUAW has tags. You can find them and click them in the Tags section at the bottom of each post. Any story tag can become a link, just like this: http://tuaw.com/tag/mountainlion101 Some of the tags you'll be interested in include Our excellent "getting started" 101 series; General coverage and how-to tips; Preparing your computer for the upgrade; and News reporting Auntie hopes you'll have lots of fun reading these posts. We've all put in lots of hours writing them up, and she's sure you'll find something there to engage, inspire, and amuse. Hugs, Auntie T. #next_pages_container { width: 5px; hight: 5px; position: absolute; top: -100px; left: -100px; z-index: 2147483647 !important; }
Dear Aunt TUAW: My Lion-only MacBook just died. Help! (Updated)
Dear Aunt TUAW, The hard drive in my late 2006 black MacBook died this week. I purchased a new hard drive for it, used my OS X 10.6 install CD and then updated. I then went to the Mac App Store and found I can no longer download Lion, even with trying to hold the Option key down. What can I do other then buy the US$69 USB key? Your loving nephew, Todd Dear Todd, Update: The Lion installer has made a re-appearance in the Purchases tab, so it may be worth trying to download it one more time. Auntie gathers you didn't make a USB install drive from your original installer, yes? As for Apple's USB installer, Auntie's afraid that's no longer available. It must have been removed from shelves when Lion disappeared from the Mac App Store. Pity. She thinks you should head on over to an Apple Store Genius Bar and throw yourself and your MacBook on their mercy. You shouldn't have to pay $69 for a copy of the installer software that you already paid for. Since you did already pay, if you have any friends with copies of the installer, you're probably on reasonable moral grounds to re-install that way as well. Not near an Apple store? You can also try calling Apple Support, although that's generally better to do if you have Apple Care. Mind you this is Auntie's own opinion. And Auntie has a lot of opinions. Like Teen Wolf. It should be on every night, and go for 52 weeks of the year. All Teen Wolf, all the time. And Werthers should sponsor "Dear Aunt TUAW", providing the TUAW staffers with free candies and back massages. See? These opinions are not entirely based in any reality, so check with Apple about your options. In any case, Auntie wishes you an easy upgrade and a quick return to Lion health. Hugs, Auntie T. #next_pages_container { width: 5px; hight: 5px; position: absolute; top: -100px; left: -100px; z-index: 2147483647 !important; }
Dear Aunt TUAW: Let me help people fix their notes on Mountain Lion
Dear Aunt TUAW, I am writing you because I think you may want to publish this on your column, as a tip to your trillions of readers. On Leopard, Apple included Notes within Mail, an app I use exclusively. I wrote many notes on Mail, including to-do reminders and background notes. Enter Mountain Lion. Mail upgraded and took a dump on my notes. *pffft* They were gone, kaput, with no way to access them. Fortunately, I discovered that their folder was not erased. Navigate to ~/Library/Mail/V2/Mailboxes and locate Notes.mbox folder inside. Open this, and all its subfolders, and look for numerical files with the extension emlx. These are your notes. When you double-click, Mail opens them, allowing you to copy the notes to the new Notes.app. I hope my experience will help others! Please spread the word. Your loving nephew, Magno Dear Magno, Auntie hopes your how-to offers a handy solution for her other nieces and nephews. Be aware that the notes may be buried under subfolders in the Notes.mbox folder. Of course, if your notes were syncing to iCloud then they'd have been backed up and safe, which is a pleasant thought. In principle, your notes should migrate over when you upgrade from Lion to Mountain Lion, but this is helpful if for some reason they don't. You may also be interested in checking the three-pane view in Notes (click the three-pane control at the bottom, to the right of the plus button) as that will display your different Notes accounts on the left hand side. Hugs, Auntie T. #next_pages_container { width: 5px; hight: 5px; position: absolute; top: -100px; left: -100px; z-index: 2147483647 !important; }
Dear Aunt TUAW: Help me get my iPhoto library under control
Dear Aunt TUAW, Do you have any good ideas for cleaning out a 165GB iPhoto library and getting it down to a manageable size? Your loving nephew, Mike Dear Mike, Back in the days of film, each shot had a real cost. People realized, "If I snap this, it will cost $ for film and $ for printing" because you couldn't pick and choose shots on the roll at most photo processors. Then video happened. And digital cameras. And people got out of control. When you had 12 shots on a roll, you treated each one like a precious gem. You took maybe one or two photos per event, and then you put it in a photo album, maybe framed it. Now people don't enjoy their pictures because they have too many. When you record your entire life, where are the moments that matter? Even more, when you spend your life with an iPhone in front of your face, what kind of connection can you have with other people? People watch entire *live* concerts through their phone. You might have seen this during the Olympics opening ceremonies, too. Who's actually experiencing that event? The person or the iPhone? It's a thin line to ride: record this incredible experience or pay attention and be part of it. Professionals might need to be shooting all the time; amateurs (from the French, "lover of") are supposed to be enjoying what's going on around them. Yes, you can go all Alien with a camera strapped to your chest or a GoPro -- set it, forget it, and pay attention to what's going on, but even though you can now look around and enjoy the event, a vast monster of digital backlog is waiting to drown your computer. Utilities and approaches to deal with it may be current or abandonware or possibly somewhat ill-advised, but no software is going to tackle the core problem -- not even if you switch to the more library-flexible Aperture or Lightroom. How do you trim your iPhoto library (or libraries) to a manageable size? Discipline. Even if you're not OK starting from scratch, you still have to be willing to ruthlessly throw away memories. Allow yourself to curate your experience and pick just a moment or two. Select shots that have people's faces in them, or that show life in action, and then toss the rest. Just let them go, like the flow of time passing through your fingers. (And don't forget to empty iPhoto's in-app Trash.) You can open up iPhoto holding down Option and Command for some minor cleanup tools (including a thumbnail cache cleanout that's recommended by our commenters), and if you find that you have to split off a chunk of your library and file it away on discs, iPhoto Library Manager can help, but beware of bit rot -- pick your favorites, spend a little money and get them printed in a real album that can sit on a real, physical shelf. The secret of the iPhoto library is this: smaller is better. Too many moments mean that you won't enjoy any of them. Hugs, Auntie T.
Dear Aunt TUAW: Which iPad should I buy?
Dear Aunt TUAW, I decided to sell my iPad 1 and pick up an iPad 2 or 3. not sure which one yet. I will see what the [next iPhone] launch brings. Also, in your opinion will the iPad 2 be supported longer than the iPad 1 was? Just trying to decide what to buy next. Your loving nephew, Blake Dear Blake, The move from iPad 1 to iPad 2 was revolutionary; from iPad 2 to "new iPad" more evolutionary. Auntie's pretty sure that some new tablet hotness will appear next Spring, but she's uncertain whether Uncle John is right about an upcoming miniPad this Autumn-- he's been sounding the drums loudly, when he isn't sneaking cookies from the pantry. It's hard to make buying decisions mid-year, when you're out of phase from the normal delivery time, but Auntie (as always) has an opinion. She recommends buying a new or refurb iPad 2. (The refurb models are $130 off, and give you 3G and GPS for the same price as new WiFi models.) iPad 2 models currently start at $399 and Auntie thinks they'll retain a good part of that value come this Spring, when you can do the eBay-mambo-trade, and swap up to the newer new iPad, i.e. what the marketplace will call the iPad 4. The "new iPad" a.k.a. iPad 3 (see what Auntie did there?) is a great device, and Auntie thinks it's dripping with tech hotness, but we're already almost 5 months into its life cycle. If you have the money, sure, go ahead and buy. The Retina display is brilliant -- or it is when you can see it through your drool tracks -- and who doesn't love Siri? But most of us are counting our pennies these days and Auntie thinks the 2 is currently a better buy. Will the iPad 2 be supported longer than the iPad 1? Given that the 3GS, which the iPad could beat into a jelly, is still supported, well, Auntie cannot say. Do not listen to the wind, and do not depend on Apple to support your babies longer than it must. Hugs, Auntie T.
Dear Aunt TUAW: Should I buy lots of iPad 1 apps now?
Dear Aunt TUAW, As an iPad 1 owner, would now be the best time to make sure I load up on apps -- as the iPad 1 won't be supported in iOS 6? I assume that my purchases will be in the cloud for a bit but what happens when a new version is released? Will I still be able to download the version that runs on my iPad, or am I out of luck? Your loving nephew, Blake Dear Blake, Every time Auntie passes by her neglected iPad 1, it looks at her with sad eyes. It knows its days in the sun are limited. Should you buy iPad 1 apps now? Yes. Heck yes. Heck yes with a big bag of liniment and Werthers on top. Your tablet isn't eligible for iOS 6, so if you plan to accessorize -- do it now. Buy all the iOS 5.x apps you can foresee using, and get ready for the mass upgrade. iOS users are great adopters. Heck, if memory serves Auntie right, more people were illegally using iOS 6 beta releases than had installed the latest legal version of Android. (Auntie loves this statistic, so please correct her gently if it is fabricated.) Back-supporting old iOS firmware versions can be a huge chore for iOS developers. The cost-benefit fallout for a few outlier users paints a bleak picture. So expect more and more of your favorite apps to move into "only supports iOS 6 and later" territory. (And expect your app upgrade bubbles to gain larger and larger numbers over time -- Auntie wishes Apple would add a "don't bug me for upgrades after iOS " option.) Will you be able to re-download the iPad 1 version after developers release new ones? No. Will you be out of luck? Yes. Can you back up the existing versions of the applications? Yes, they're living in your [home]/Music/iTunes/Mobile Applications folder; you can copy the essential ones elsewhere in case you upgrade one by accident. Buy now, upgrade now, or just make the move to new hardware. If you can swing it, Auntie recommends hardware. There are some terrific deals on refurbished iPad 2s out there, and the new iPad, which Auntie calls the 3 (so there), is just spiffy. Hugs, Auntie T. #next_pages_container { width: 5px; hight: 5px; position: absolute; top: -100px; left: -100px; z-index: 2147483647 !important; }
Dear Aunt TUAW: Help me fix my file associations
Dear Aunt TUAW, Good lord, why does Spotify want to open .m4v files? And how do I make it stop that? Your loving nephew, Nehi Dear Nehi, Eh? What was that? Auntie was just giving the kids some Werthers in exchange for them agreeing to play quietly outside the house. Spotify? Good heavens! *fans self* What is this world coming to? Spotify must have upped and changed a file association. Easy to fix, though. Select any .m4v file in Finder, then choose File > Get Info (Command-I). When the Info window opens, locate the "Open with:" section. Select another application, like VLC or QuickTime Player, and then click Change All... This tells OS X to use that application to open all m4v movies. Hugs, Auntie T.
Dear Aunt TUAW: Help me store my photos
Dear Aunt TUAW, I have a MacBook Air with only 120 GB of storage. My iPhoto Library is over 40 GB. I don't need all the the photos on my Mac but don't want to lose them or the events that they have been sorted into. Is there a way to keep my iPhoto library stored on iCloud and only download the albums that I need? Your loving nephew, Matt Dear Matt, After doing a little looking around and consulting with Uncle TJ, Auntie has decided to recommend Flickr Pro, perhaps with a second service that backs up your Flickr account. Flickr Pro costs about $2/month and gives you unlimited uploads and storage, ad-free sharing, and a few other nice benefits. Uncle TJ points out, "As much as I don't have confidence in Yahoo's management of Flickr long-term, there are enough people who have pictures there that the ecosystem is rich enough for a lot of 3rd party support systems." Although you could probably use another service like Dropbox or Google Drive, Flickr offers specific photo management tools and doesn't cache your data locally the way Dropbox does. Auntie acknowledges this isn't exactly the answer you were asking for. Of course, with Auntie, when it is ever? She answers the questions readers should have asked, not the ones they actually do. With that in mind, she and Uncle TJ recommend Flickr Export for iPhoto, which does a whole lot more of managing how iPhoto syncs to Flickr, than iPhoto might do with its built-in functionality. Basically, this is the solution that Auntie would use if she had to manage pictures on an MBA without a secondary computer. Hugs, Auntie T.
Dear Aunt TUAW: Could the new MagSafe 2 work with iPhones?
Dear Aunt TUAW, With the MagSafe 2 power adapter, how does this compare to the 'redesigned iPhone 5 connector' size? Could it be a catch-all adapter? Your loving nephew, Christopher M. Dear Christopher, Auntie finds it highly unlikely that the $60 45-95 Watt MagSafe 2 chargers will replace the 5W iPhone charger or the 10W iPad charger any time soon. Hugs, Auntie T, with an assist from Uncle Rich
Dear Aunt TUAW: Help me watch and work at the same time
Dear Aunt TUAW, Ever since I upgraded to OS X Lion, I've been unable to use dual monitors if I have an application running in full screen on my iMac's display. I would love to be able to fire a movie up on the second display, make it full screen and still make use of my iMac, rather than turning it into a 21.5" television that can do so much more... Any ways to accomplish this? Your loving nephew, Josh, aka Single-Display in Columbus Dear Josh, Lion's inability to properly handle full screen apps across multiple displays is truly an irritating feature, although it's one that Mountain Lion will apparently address. Instead, she recommends using QuickTime's "Fit to Screen" (Command-3) for that television watching instead of "Enter Full Screen" (Control-Command-F). Yes, this leaves your desktop wallpaper visible. So if you are really concerned about these things, hop into System Preferences and set your desktop to a solid black (System Preferences > Desktop & Screen Saver > Desktop > Apple > Solid Colors > Black). Auntie has found one exception to the full screen dilemma: Aperture. According to Uncle Rich, Aperture will use the second monitor when the primary one is in full screen mode. It doesn't do it by default but you can turn it on after entering full screen. This is probably because Aperture's full screen mode predates Lion, though; Aperture has always worked this way. Want to let Apple know how you feel about dual-full-screen issues? Drop them a note at their bug reporting site. Hugs, Auntie T.
Dear Aunt TUAW: Why can't I get a Retina display on an Air?
Dear Aunt TUAW, I'm in love with the new MacBook Pro Retina but it's way too expensive for my wallet. Why can't I just get a Retina display on an affordable MacBook Air instead? Your loving nephew, Jim J. Dear Jim, Although a lot of consumers would benefit from a consumer Retina display, it's not that simple both for economic and technology reasons. The Retina display provides one of Apple's key selling points for its top-of-the-line models: the iPhone 4S, the new iPad, and the new MacBook Pro. Although the new iPad is a "consumer" machine, it represents the high end of its iOS family. Adding the Retina to a budget Air would degrade the desirability of the new feature, allowing more people to "buy down". That's something Apple would prefer to avoid when the Retina display is so new to its laptop product line. The laptop display is also much bigger. The iPad's 2048-by-1536 display uses just 60% of the pixels of the MacBook's 2880-by-1800 display. There's a price differential right there. Also, as Uncle Rich points out, a smartphone-class GPU is not in the same league as a mobile-computing one, so the hardware to support the larger display is more costly. The iPad uses a fabulous battery but isn't tasked as much as a laptop battery. Its 42.5 Watt hour battery delivers almost twice the battery life as the MacBook Pro does. Adding the 15" Retina display to the MacBook Pro and keeping the battery use-life the same bumped up the 78 Watt hour MBP battery to 95 Watt hours, an 18% increase. Again, the higher battery needs must be taken into the cost equation. If you add the price of the display, even a smaller Air-sized one, the enhanced GPU requirements, and the upgraded battery to the consumer MacBook Air, the costs would start to creep up -- perhaps not to Pro levels, but up. Will we see a Retina Air? Auntie thinks, "yes". Will we see one very soon? Probably not. Hugs, Auntie T.
