Apple plans to phase in these new systems over the next 2 years, and currently have three M1 models in stores. They are the 2020 ‌‌MacBook Air‌‌, 13-inch MacBook Pro, and ‌‌Mac mini‌‌, replacing the low-end machines in those lineups. The ‌M1 ‌‌MacBook Air‌‌ is now the only ‌‌MacBook Air‌‌ that Apple sells, but there are still Intel ‌‌Mac mini‌‌ and MacBook Pro models in the Apple store. Expect to find retailers selling older Intel based MacBooks at significant discounts over the holiday season, and into next year.

If you are shopping for a desktop system, ARM iMacs are not available yet, and the newest iMac, announced in August, is Intel based. So, no worries - if you need a new iMac just look for the specs that suit your needs. Apple's development cycle is very long, and you should expect to get a good 8-10 years out of your new iMac.

Except for a few very high end systems, Apple computers are not upgradable after purchase. Gone are the days when you could add memory, swap out a smaller hard drive for a larger one, or upgrade a spinning drive to a solid state drive. What this means is you need to buy for the future, not just for now. New systems come with a minimum of 256GB of storage and 8GB of RAM, but it's best to look at what your current system is using and work up from there. If you have a large photo library, plan to do intensive photo or video editing, or just expect that your processing or storage needs will grow in time, it's best to buy more rather than less.

You might have to buy an adapter to connect legacy devices. Apple has standardized on the Thunderbolt 3 connector, a single, small port that can do everything from power the laptop to run a monitor. However, very few older products connect to Thunderbolt 3 without an adapter. You will probably want to buy a multifunction adapter, with some full sized USB ports, an HDMI port, and a variety of additional ports to expand your connectivity options.

You may have to buy new software as well. Apple systems come with a full suite of applications, for word processing, spreadsheets, photo editing, etc. However, if you prefer to use third party applications, it's important to know that starting with MacOS Catalina, Apple computers no longer run 32 bit software. The most common 32 bit apps I see that need to be replaced are Microsoft Office 2011 and non-subscription Adobe photo editing software, but there are many other applications that are no longer compatible in their older versions.

As always, if you'd like more assistance choosing a system, or you need help migrating from your old system to your new, please give me a call.

Upgraded webcam - in the early days of the pandemic, webcams became practically impossible to find. Fortunately, the market has responded and you can now find them again. If your remote worker has been stuck with an old, low resolution webcam, it's time to upgrade with a Logitech HD webcam.

External microphone - integrated microphones and speakers on laptops and webcams can have very poor sound quality. If you can't hear and be heard, what is the point of the call? If your Zoomer is complaining about poor sound quality, this Jabra Speak 410 works as a multidirectional speaker and microphone, producing clear, crisp sound in both directions.

An adjustable laptop stand - People would rather look down at someone's eyes than up at someone's nose. If your Zoomer is using a stack of books to elevate their laptop, an adjustable stand might be just what is needed. Check out this well reviewed one by Soundance, to help your Zoomer find the perfect angle.

Improved lighting - Backlighting is harsh, and can make a videoconferencer disappear. Very few rooms in the average home were lighted with videoconferencing in mind. An inexpensive ring light, such as this one by Emart, can focus the right kind of lighting at your Zoomer's face.

Happy Zooming to all!

On November 10, 2020 Officer Kane spoke with a female reporting party who stated she was scammed out of $8,000 by a person who claimed to be from a technical support company.  She had received a renewal notice from US Tech Support regarding antivirus protection and contacted them to cancel the service.  When she contacted them she was advised there were several steps necessary to complete the process.  The male party advised her because she had never used the service they would credit her $100 and that she needed to open an account where the funds could be deposited.  She opened an account and provided the male party with the account information.  A transfer of $10,000 had occurred and the male party told the reporting party that she had made a mistake . . . which resulted in excess funds being transferred and she could repay the funds by obtaining $500 gift cards from Best Buy and . . . then buy more from Stop and Shop, Target and CVS.  The male party advised her to tell the store employees she was purchasing these gift cards as Christmas presents for family members so they wouldn’t decline the purchases.  The additional gift card purchases were declined by her bank.  She offered to withdraw cash to repay the company at which point the male party stated they would accept $6,000 in a transfer and he provided information for a bank account in Thailand.  He advised her to tell the bank that she was planning a trip to Thailand and the payment was for a travel agency.  After the wire transfer was completed she checked the account she opened and found the deposit had not cleared.  

If you find yourself starting down the path of one of these scams - STOP. No legitimate company will rush you into sending them money. If you have any concerns at all, hang up the phone and call someone you trust for a reality check. If you get an email or a pop up on your computer that you find concerning, don't hesitate to call me, or forward the email to me, and ask for my opinion.

For more information, visit scamspotter.org for clear descriptions of different scams and how to spot them.