September 2017
Everything New!
It's complete: We had new Macs and iPads in June and now we have new iPhones, a new Apple Watch and a new Apple TV to complete the hardware upgrades for Apple. Then throw in new operating systems for each device to seal the deal. I will touch on a little bit of everything and what I like best so keep reading.....

iPhone 8 and X

  • iPhone 8: Everyone thought this would be the iPhone 7s but Apple surprised us all with an 8. This new iPhone is fast with a new processor and is in the same form factor as the iPhone 7. It is also water resistant like the 7 and will survive a toilet dive. Gone are the days of a 16GB phone, the 8 starts at 64GB which is a huge improvement! What's new with this phone is wireless charging called Qi (Chi) and is an industry standard. No more plugging your phone into and electrical outlet to charge it. Just lay it and your other devices down on the charging plate and it charges. True Tone on this new phone is a new technology that makes pictures crisper and brighter and is easier on your eyes for reading. The iPhone 8 starts at $699 and the larger 8 Plus starts at $799 and it is available now.
  • iPhone X: It was so weird that Apple introduced two new iPhones at the same time making the iPhone 8 obsolete within ten minutes, or did they? The X (pronounced ten) has a different form factor and only comes in one size... big! It has everything the iPhone 8 has but has added a Super Retina display and Face ID and removed the Home Button. No more finger print sensor, just your face will do.This iPhones starting price is $999 and is available for pre-order at the end of October.
  • iPhone 7, 6 and SE: The iPhone 7 is still here for $549.That's a great deal for a great phone. The 6 is still available for those of you who have to have a headphone jack as it has been removed from the 7 and above. The iPhone 6 starts at $499. The iPhone SE is around for those of you who just want a little something that is great and for a great price at $349. It's a tiny but mighty phone.

Which one would I buy?: I will get the 8 Plus as soon as my contract is up in March. I don't want the X because it is the first one of that size, with the home button removed and Face ID, so I will wait until they get the bugs out. The 8 has had time to progress from the 6 so the bugs are gone. It has enough of the new stuff without being overly new plus it's not $1,000! The true tone display in an 8 plus size should be fantastic for reading and I read on my phone all the time. So Apple didn't make a mistake releasing both phones at the same time? I think not.

Apple TV and Apple Watch:

  • 4K Apple TV: The 4K Apple TV has been introduced for those of you who have a new 4K television and a provider that broadcasts in 4K. You also must have a super fast and adequate Internet connection, so if you live in the country, that leaves you out. The starting price is $179
  • Apple Watch Series 3: The new Apple Watch Series 3 with GPS and Cellular is truly a Dick Tracy watch in that it has a tiny cell Simm inside so you can leave your iPhone behind. But there is a price for that as you will need to purchase a contract for the watch with your cell phone company. The watch starts at $399.

Which one would I buy?: None of the above. Apple has great stuff but they forget about the other half of the Country that has inadequate Internet speeds. If you live in town, you have great speeds and service. Get out in the Country a little and you go down to old cell towers and satellite. Both of which will not work with this new technology. I have a first generation Apple watch and it's great! I will wait until they incorporate a Oxygen sensor into the watch. My Apple TV 4th generation is awesome and works with everything. Who needs 4K!
New Operating Systems

Apple has four operating systems. Mac OS is for your Mac, iOS is for your iPhone and iPad. Watch OS is for your Apple watch and TV OS is for your Apple TV. I will talk about the two most common, Mac OS and iOS

  • Mac OS: The new version of Mac OS is called High Sierra, Version 11. It will work on older iMacs as old as a 2009 model and the 2011 model for Mac laptops. It will even give new life to your old Mac and make it run faster. Most of what High Sierra gives you is under the hood so if you're running Sierra already, you won't notice much. The bad thing is that if you are using Microsoft Office, it will no longer work. So hold off on upgrading if you use Word, Excel or PowerPoint. To find out if your Apps are going to work if you upgrade, go to roaringapps.com and it will tell you. Make sure you do this before your upgrade and always have a backup first.
  • iOS: iOS version 11 is here and I'm liking it. What I have noticed on my iPhone is that everything is much bigger and easier to see. They must have listened to us old people with old eyes. The App store is better and more organized and Messages is more incorporated with the App Store. Siri now does language translations so make sure you start using Siri if you haven't already. Just hold down the home button and she is there. Ignore her and she will give you some hints. Keep doing this and you have a digital assistant for life! iCloud Drive has changed to Files and that is where you will find all your files to share with all your devices. The iPad gets everything the iPhone does in this upgrade plus more! The new Dock on the iPad holds the Apps you use without you doing a thing. Swipe up to see the Dock on any Page to quickly change Apps. Swipe up further and you will see the Control Center and can quickly get to another App. It's a whole new way of doing things. I especially love the new Control Center because it is customizable in Settings > Control Center > Customize Controls. I'm always turning on Low Power Mode and now I can do it right from the Control Center. If you have an iPad Pro and an Apple Pencil you can do even more cool stuff. What I like is that we now have a new QuickType Keyboard. Just flick down on a key to select more keys without having to grab another keyboard. I really like this upgrade. I think it's the best one yet! To read all about the new stuff you get in iOS ll, Click here: iOS ll. Make sure you have a backup in iCloud before you do anything!
Equifax Hack: I am sure you heard about the hack of the credit reporting agency Equifax. Millions of us were hacked by the bad guys stealing our social security numbers, names, birth date, drivers license, past jobs and residences, basically... you. So now they can buy a house in your name and with your credit and you wouldn't even know it! The only thing you can do to protect yourself is to freeze your credit. To learn more about freezing your credit, go to the Federal Trade Commission and find out how: Federal Trade Commission
SWMAUG Meeting
The next SW Michigan Apple Users Group meeting will be Tuesday, October 2nd at 6:00pm at the South Haven Library. I will be talking about the new iPhones and the Equifax Hack. You won't want to miss it.

Did you notice that the name has changed? We do so much more than just Macs and our name should reflect that, so now it does.
Annual Christmas Party!
Every year we have a Christmas party the first Tuesday in December instead of a meeting. We start a 5:00 instead of 6:00 and everyone brings a dish to pass and a white elephant gift to exchange. It has always been great fun. I hope you can join us this year. We have two more meetings left before we take a break until March. It's suppose to be a bad winter so get out of here if you can.
Health Update
Cold and Flu season is here and I am so scared! Cystic Fibrosis patients usually die from someones little cold. I almost died two years ago from one. I am still trying to help you when I can so if you call me to make an appointment make sure you are healthy and if you get sick before I am scheduled to come, please reschedule. My lungs are at 35% and I don't have very far to go to zero. As winter progresses, I will not be traveling and you can come here or I will have to do a remote control session. Thank you for understanding.
Jodi Spangler | Lakeshore Mac | 269-214-2356 | jodi_spangler@lakeshoremac.coml | www.lakeshoremac.com