Tech Tips & Resources

I’m a Mac fanboy, no doubt about that. I love my Apple gadgets – iMac, MacBook, iPod, iPod Touch. And I’m always eager for a new Apple toy to play with. But I used to worry that one day there would be no Apple toys. In the black days of the 90’s, Apple was not doing well. Everyone knows this. And I feared for the demise of the company.

No more. I’m thrilled with the current success of Apple.

Steve Jobs has just been named the CEO of the decade by Fortune magazine. Seems well deserved. Joining Apple (again) on a permanent basis in January, 2000, Jobs has taken a company that was floundering and turned it around in ways that changed the tech industry. It is hard to believe that just during the past ten years we’ve had OS X, the evolution of the iPod, iTunes and the iTunes Music Store, Apple TV, the iPhone, the Apps store, and the continued development of the iMac and the MacBook. Not to mention all that Steve did with Pixar. So yeah, seems like sort of a big decade for the man.

And his success has been Apple’s success. The iPod and it many variations (shuffle, Touch, etc) has changed the way we do music. The iPhone, combined with the Apps store, has dramatically changed mobile communications. Now the iPhone is closing in on the Blackberry in the smartphone battle for supremacy.

And Apple itself? Products continue to be upgraded and impress the critics. Stock prices continue to rise. And one CNBC report believes Apple could top Microsoft as the largest tech company within the next two years. Possibly. During the past ten years, Apple stock has risen nearly 900 percent while Microsoft’s has dropped 35 percent. Not a bad track record.

But I don’t own Apple stock. And I’m not friends with Steve. I just love my Mac. So I’m happy for Apple’s success and I can’t wait to see what toys they give me next.

I don’t have stock in Apple – perhaps a mistake on my part. But I felt like it needed to be said so you wouldn’t think my good feelings were all about the cash. Nope. But as an Apple user from the days of the Apple SE, I’m always happy to see them being successful and to see their product line improving. And Apple just updated several product lines yesterday with hardware that looks very impressive. However, this article really demonstrates just how successful they have been – even at a time when the economy just sucks. I mean, Apple sales have grown faster than the rest of the PC market in 19 of the last 20 quarters! That’s pretty impressive.

No matter how careful you are, your computer is going to get dirty. And if you share your computer with other users, it just gets dirty even faster. And if you have a laptop that you carry around…well…we already know what those look like after a while. So it is time to do some cleaning.

But how? Too much water can ruin your computer. The wrong cleaning product can damage a monitor. And what about cleaning things besides just the computer such as your iPod, your iPhone, your mouse, etc?

Well here is a very handy set of links to all the official Apple instructions for cleaning your hardware. So find the type of hardware you’ve got and get busy. A little preventative cleaning now can save you a lot of hard work in the future.

We don’t use either of these in our school so I don’t do a lot of posts about them. But I know some of you are lucky enough to have one of your own, so I don’t want to ignore them completely. And this is one time it might be good to prompt you on something.

Apple just released an Update for the iPhone that includes at least eight security fixes. This update will not show up in your computer’s Software Updates nor on Apple’s Downloads site. It is only available through iTunes.

Also, iTunes is currently hosting the 2.1 Software Update for the iPod Touch.

So make a visit to iTunes and download the needed software if you have an iPhone or iPod Touch.

UPDATE: Apple has added the iPhone software update to their website.

A lot of folks found a shiny new iPod under the tree this past Christmas. Congratulations! It is hard to find a better toy than that under the tree.

But now, in order to use your iPod successfully, you need to master iTunes. iTunes is a free download for both Mac and PC, and it is the software you’ll use on your computer to load songs, videos, audiobooks, etc. onto your new iPod.

Learning iTunes is easy. For the most part, you can just explore the software and figure out most things. But to get you started, Apple offers four video tutorials on their web site to get you started. The four tutorials – Download iTunes, Explore the Jukebox, Import Music from CDs, and Create Playlists – can all be found at http://www.apple.com/itunes/tutorials/?sr=hotnews?sr=hotnews.rss.

Just a little lower down on that same page, you’ll see a link for iTunes Tips. Follow that link and you’ll find another twenty-six tips for using iTunes – items ranging from Using iTunes Gift Cards to Sharing Your Playlists to Right-Click Shortcuts.

These tutorials and tips will get you on your way to enjoying iTunes and your brand new iPod.

It is time once again for Apple’s one day sale. Black Friday is the only day that Apple products are discounted by Apple. They have been sending out reminders to subscribers with this logo…

No one knows what will be on sale yet, but Apple Stores and the online store will have products discounted for all 24 hours of Black Friday.

Most iTune lovers are aware of the new partnership between Apple and Starbucks. Well the new partnership begins next week. And to promote this venture, Starbucks is going to give away 50 million iTunes songs.

Here’s how it will work. Starbucks will offer its customers “Songs of the Day” cards that can be redeemed through the end of the year at iTunes for a specifically chosen song. This giveaway will begin next Monday, October 2nd and continue until November 7th. The cards will be available in 10,000 Starbucks across the country.

Starbucks will begin the rollout of iTunes enabled stores in October, but it will be well into next year before this project is complete.

Sometimes you want a good product but you just don’t want to pay the full price. Let’s assume this is true with an iPod. Apple has a great refurbishing program for previously used items that can save you a bit of cash!

When you go to the Apple Store website (go to http://www.apple.com and click on the Store tab at the top of the page), scroll down the page and look for the SALE tag. When you find it, click on it and it will take you to the refurbished items page.

What might you find? Well, today there are numerous iPods listed. For example, a 1GB iPod nano that originally sold for $149 is now only $79. The 2GB iPod nano is $119, marked down from $149. The 4GB iPod nano, originally $249, is now only $149. Even a big 30GB iPod with video capability can be yours for just $179 (originally $299).

When you buy a refurbished product from Apple, the product has been fully repaired (if needed), tested, and cleaned. It comes with full documentation. And even though it has been previously owned, Apple backs it with the full one-year warranty that it had when it was brand new.

If you want to try an iPod without investing a lot of cash…or need an additional iPod around the house….this might be the deal for you.

In an earlier post titled Hooking Up Your Stuff, I shared a couple of links for support that are frequently needed after the holidays because so many of us get new digital cameras or printers or iPods. But those are just two places to go on the Apple web site for how-to support. In preparation for the holidays, here are a few more that you just might need on the afternoon of December 26th.

Mac 101 will help you if you are lucky enough to get a new computer for the holidays! There are tutorials on how to set it up, how to hook it up, how to install that cool new software you got, and other basic information to get you started off right.

iPod 101 will provide that same basic information about your new iPod. What all the buttons are for. How to load music and/or video onto your player. How to use it as a hard drive for photos and files. And what to do if your iPod has a ’sad’ folder.

Lastly, whether you are working with a new iPod or trying to listen to podcasts on your new computer – or just playing with some tunes on your old computer – iTunes Service & Support has a page full of help. There are tabs for Troubleshooting, How-To, Service, and New Users. And each tab will give you an abundance of tips, techniques, and FAQ’s relating to iTunes.

I hope this helps anyone getting a new tech for the holidays have a smooth and satisfying experience.

Did you know that Apple discounts everything they make on the day after Thanksgiving? For just that one day, they kick off the holiday shopping season with discounts across the board on every Apple product.

If you are thinking about purchasing a computer, an iPod, a new keyboard, or any other Apple product for yourself or for a holiday gift, check out 5 Tips For Getting The Best Deal On Apple Purchases from Apple Matters.