February 2017 ApplePower Meeting

The next ApplePower meeting is scheduled for Saturday, February 25, 2017, at our usual meeting place, Lehigh Valley Active Life, 1633 West Elm St., Allentown, from 10 a.m. to noon.

Meetings are free and open to all interested persons. RSVP via email to applepower@ptd.net or phone 610-967-2020. Come visit.

Here's the proposed agenda (times are approximate):

10 a.m. - Sign in and socialize, plus a Q and A session. (Here's your chance to mingle with other Apple enthusiasts and to ask and/or answer questions.)
10:15 a.m. - Announcements and commentary.
10:30 a.m. - Computer Horror Story (true story of an non-pro DIY computer repairman)
10:45 a.m. - Awesome Freebies on your Computer, Smart Phone, or Tablet
Noon- Raffle. (Free raffle tickets to all in attendance. Your chances of winning are insanely better than your chances of winning the lottery. Bring a friend and receive an extra raffle ticket.)

Find my Apple

Yes, indeed, Apple has lost its way. Time for Apple to look to its beginnings when it was so beloved because of its software—not for how big, small, light, thin, beautiful, colorful its hardware was. Time for Apple to forget about integrating its software for its multiple devices at the cost of its software's excellence. Apple should now be looking to improve its software that will rival those of companies like Adobe and Microsoft. At one time, Apple's Pages, Numbers, and Keynote programs appeared to be headed that way but lurched backward when it dumbed them down for the sake of integration.  An iMac is not an iPhone, a MacBook Pro is not an iPad, etc., etc. Individuate; don't integrate. And what about Safari? Time for a more sophisticated, bug-free, crash-proof browser.

Oh, Apple, how you have strayed!

ApplePower Meeting – April 23, 2016

The next ApplePower meeting is scheduled for Saturday, April 23, 2016, at our usual meeting place, Lehigh Valley Active Life, 1633 Elm St., Allentown, from 10 a.m. to noon.

Here's the proposed agenda. (Times are approximate.)

10 a.m. - Sign in and socialize, plus a Q and A session. (Here's your chance to mingle with other Apple enthusiasts and to ask and/or answer questions.)

10:15 a.m. - Announcements and commentary.

10:30 a.m. - "Kindle Reader–iBooks Shootout"  between sharpshooter Dr. David Webb, forensics anthropologist and gunslinger Shirley Hershey, ApplePower Prez. David will show off the marvels of his Kindle Fire (a $49 tablet) and try to convince all spectators that the Kindle e-reader is better than Apple's iBooks. Shirley, a diehard Apple fanatic, will try to prove that David is wrong, wrong, WRONG. All present will referee the battle.

Noon: Raffle. (Free raffle tickets to all in attendance. Your chances of winning are insanely better than your chances of winning the lottery. Bring a friend and receive an extra raffle ticket.)

Meetings are free and open to all interested persons. Reservations are not required. Come visit. 

Meeting Cancellation

I'm sure it's no surprise to any of you that the ApplePower meeting for this coming Saturday, January 23, is cancelled because of the big snow… lots and lots of snow.

At this time, we are planning to re-schedule our monthly meeting for Saturday, January 30, starting at 10 a.m. at Lehigh Valley Active Center, Room 104, 1633 Elm Street, Allentown, PA, depending, of course, on weather and driving conditions.

Here's hoping that we won't be snowed in for too long and that we don't suffer any power outages. Note that, if you need a flashlight, just tap on Flashlight in your iPhone's Control Center. (To get to the Control Center, swipe up from the bottom of your iPhone.) 

Try to keep your Apple devices fully charged so that you can keep in touch with the outside world or otherwise keep occupied. Last time there was a prolonged power outage in my home, I managed to keep my iPhone, iMac, and MacBook Pro charged by getting into my car with them and running my car's engine while charging my devices from the car charger. A side benefit was that, while I was waiting for them to charge, I turned on the radio and listened to local and national news or music on my favorite radio stations.

If you're a PPL customer, in case of a power-related emergency, including downed power lines, immediately call 1-800-DIAL-PPL (1-800-342-5775). Press 1 for “Power Problem" when prompted. Also, you can get lots of info about power outages in the Lehigh Valley by logging in to PPL's Outage Center at Outage Center. Here is where you can view an online map of power outages in your area and sign up to receive status alerts or report a power outage in your home or neighborhood via phone, email, or text. 

We look forward to seeing you on January 30. Meanwhile, stay safe and keep warm. 

…and a happy, healthy, peaceful new year!

December Workshop Rescheduled

Sorry but the ApplePower workshop that was scheduled for December 12, 2015, is cancelled owing to an unexpected circumstance. If all is well, the workshop will be held on Saturday, January 23, 2016. Same place, same time.

Free Workshop

ApplePower Meetings

Thanksgiving is only one week away. Consequentially, we have decided to cancel ApplePower's November meeting so as not to interfere with post-Thanksgiving activities.

Also, we have decided to meet two weeks earlier in December—Saturday, December 12, 2015—because this year Christmas comes only one day before the day we would normally meet that month. Thankfully, we will be back on schedule for our January meeting which, unless it snows or some other unexpected hindrance befalls us, will take place on January 23, 2016.

Meetings start at 10 a.m. at Lehigh Valley Active Life, 1633 Elm Street, Allentown. 

All interested persons are welcome to attend without obligation.

Giving the finger to email

One of the least publicized features of  iOS 9 is, for me, one of the most welcome. It’s the ability to trash all my email with one tap.

Instead of deleting each unwanted email message one by one, all I have to do now, after reading only the email that interests me, is tap on the Edit button at the top of the page where my emails are listed. Then I tap on “Trash all” at the bottom. Voila! All the emails are whisked to the Trash.

For a guided tour of more features of iOS 9, come to the ApplePower meeting on Saturday, October 24, 2015, starting at 10 a.m. at Lehigh Valley Active Life, 1633 Elm Street, Allentown. All interested persons are welcome to attend. Email applepower@ptd.net for more details.

September 26 Meeting

This coming Saturday, September 26, the ApplePower meeting will be hosted by a surprise guest, known as the Anonymous CyberCrimeBuster, aka the Pesty Ad xTerminator. Learn how this crafty invisible man eludes hackers, identity highjackers, and other malware miscreants. 

The meeting starts at 10 a.m. at our usual meeting place, Lehigh Valley Active Life, 1633 Elm Street, Allentown PA. Besides the featured presentation, we will present a select assortment of little-known tips that will enhance enjoyment and productivity of your iPads, iPhones, and iPods. In addition, if there's enough  time, we'll take a look at the new operating system, iOS 9, for iPads, iPhones,  and iPods.

ApplePower meetings are free and open to all interested persons. Light refreshments will be available but bring your own beverage.

August meeting cancelled

Time for us to take a summer vacation while it's still summer and so there will be no ApplePower meeting this month of August.

Our next meeting will be Saturday, September 26, starting at 10 a.m. at our usual meeting place, Lehigh Valley Active Live, 1633 Elm Street, Allentown PA. Remember, all meetings are free and open to the general public. Hope to see you then.

Meanwhile, enjoy these final fleeting days of summer sun and fun.

July ApplePower Meeting

Our next ApplePower meeting will be held Saturday, July 25, 2015, starting at 10 a.m. in Room 102 of Lehigh Valley Active Life, 1633 Elm Street, Allentown. 

You surely won't want to miss it if you want to be in on some truly amazing and little-known iPad, iPhone, and iPod tips. Included among them is one that I shared with a tech and his supervisor at Apple headquarters that they never knew about before and for which they thanked me over and over. It's so great that, except for the two Apple employees, you will be the only other folks to whom I will divulge  this hidden incredibly useful tip. And, to make it an even more special reward for your attendance, I won't breathe  a word of it to anyone else who does not attend the meeting. There! Is that incentive enough for you to show your face?

Of course, we'll have our usual light snacks and our raffle with free tickets for all. Call 484-547-6583 or email applepower@ptd.net if you want more information. 

Nix on Apple Watch

“Which Apple Watch are you going to get?” Lately, that’s the question most folks I know ask me, assuming that I’m such an ardent Apple fan I will surely get one.

Well, I doubt very much that I will ever again purchase any wrist watch, even one as fashionable and innovative as those designed by Apple.

I might consider an Apple watch, however, if, instead of wearing it on my wrist, I could dangle it from a necklace around my neck, somewhat like the “watch on a chain” displayed on this page. (NOTE: The illustration is not of a real watch or even a prototype of one. It’s merely two different images that I screenshot and pieced together.) Of course, I would expect Jony Ive to design a much more elegant chain for the watch than the “mockup” you see on this page.

Years ago, I had a watch on a chain and I loved it. I wore it almost every day. Finally, after several years and many new battery implants, it stopped working. I never found a

replacement for it that I liked, although I kept looking. Meanwhile, I needed to have something portable to tell me what time it was. And so I reverted to wearing wrist watches.

I abhorred them.

Invariably, the watch crystals broke because they kept colliding with other objects. Moreover, not all of them were waterproof and so I had to remember to take them off when I washed my hands or rinsed dishes. Sometimes, I forgot and their insides died by drowning. Occasionally, I forgot to put them on again and, consequently, I left a few of them in public washrooms. (BTW, did you know that AppleWatches aren’t waterproof—only water-resistant.) Some I lost because I hadn’t secured them on my wrist properly and they fell off.

And, then, along came the iPhone. Who needs a timepiece if you have an iPhone? From what I have heard or read, there is little that an AppleWatch can do or that I want it to do that my iPhone already does.

No, you won’t see me with an expensive AppleWatch wrapped around my wrist, especially when, every year or sooner, Apple will launch a new model that will be even more stylish, more innovative, and still very pricey. Just let me hang onto my iPhone. 

At least, that’s what I’m thinking…for now.

ApplePower Meeting – Saturday, April 25, 2015

Our next ApplePower meeting is scheduled for this coming Saturday, April 25, 2015, at 10 a.m. at Lehigh Valley Active Life, 1633 Elm Street, Allentown PA. Come early to cadge a good parking space in LVAL's parking lot because there's always a lot going on at LVAL and this coming Saturday is no exception with a Regional bridge tournament happening at the same time as our meeting. Of course, we'll have our usual raffle and our usual supply of delicious mini muffins but bring your own beverage.

Highlight of the meeting will be an exposé of hidden secrets of Apple's Contacts app. It's not just a place to store phone numbers and addresses of your  contacts. Oh, noooo! I'm frequently astounded by how many Apple enthusiasts are unaware of how useful Contacts can be. 

For example, did you know that, with Contacts,  you can actually receive telephone calls on your Mac, get maps, and print out labels, lists, a telephone directory, and, even, pre-addressed envelopes that include your return address. There are a lot more surprises hidden within Contacts. Come to the meeting and discover how this program can make your computing experience more productive and enjoyable. 

What's more, this program is not just for Mac, iPad, iPhone, and iPod but can also be useful for PC users.

ApplePower Meeting – February 28, 2015

The next ApplePower meeting is scheduled for this coming Saturday, February 28, 2015, at our usual meeting place, Lehigh Valley Active Life, 1633 Elm St., Allentown, at 10 a.m. to noon. It’s at the corner of Elm and West Streets between S. 16th and S. 17th Streets. Parking is at the back off West Street. Scroll down for a map to Lehigh Valley Active Life.

Here's the proposed agenda. (Times are approximate.)

10 a.m. - Sign in and socialize plus a Q and A session. (Here's your chance to mingle with other Apple enthusiasts and to ask and/or answer questions about all things Apple.)

10:15 a.m. - Another great video starring Steve Jobs (Most of you loved the one we viewed last month; you may like this one even more.)

10:45 a.m. - A quick look comparing TurboTax to H&R Block's Tax program (Yes, that dreaded time, April 15, will soon be here. Let your favorite tax preparation software help lessen your pain.)

11:00 a,m. - Noon - "Your iPad/iPhone, Your Way" presentation. (Per member request, this is the first in a series of planned tutorials on how to use your iPad or iPhone.)

Noon: Raffle. (Valuable prizes; free raffle tickets to all in attendance. Your chances of winning are insanely better than your chances of winning the lottery.)

Meetings are free and open to all interested persons. Reservations are not required. Come visit. Bring a friend.

Apple in the driver's seat

Apple’s gonna go into the car business. True or false? According to the media, it’s true. Apple, they say, is secretly working on production of an electric car which it plans to launch in the year 2020.

But Apple is already actively involved in the auto industry with CarPlay. Never heard of CarPlay? Well, you’re not the only one. At various times recently, I tried to get info about CarPlay from three or four different so-called techies and their “superiors” at Apple, as well as “John” and “Jessica” in Apple’s Corporate Office, and several employes at Whitehall’s Apple Retail Store. None of them had ever heard of CarPlay either. Very strange, especially since Apple has an entire page on its website devoted to Apple CarPlay. Here’s the URL for the web page: http://www.apple.com/ios/carplay/

Why do I care? Because I have Apple CarPlay. It’s installed in the new car that I purchased a few months ago. And I have some questions about how to use it, like, for example, how does CarPlay differ from my car’s navigation system and can I charge my iPhone from the USB port in my car and use CarPlay at the same time. So far, no one at Apple has been able to give me any answers. Hmmm.

Which anti-virus program do you need?

The answer is none. Is there really a need for an antivirus program if you're using an Apple computer? For those who do use anti-virus programs of any sort, how many viruses has your program of choice detected? As for me, I don't use any anti-virus program. There aren't any programs currently that will detect or protect against a virus until after it becomes known. Then, companies, including Apple, scurry to build up defenses—ex post facto. So far Apple has been able to do that very effectively and earlier than other companies. And it's free and painless. After all, who knows and cares more about its system and its integrity than Apple? Just be sure to keep your system software up to date. For an excellent commentary on reasons not to install an anti-virus program on your Apple computer, you may want to check out Gary Rosenzweig's excellent video podcast on the matter at <http://macmost.com/do-macs-need-antivirus.html>

My vote for the most effective anti-virus program is an up-to-date Mac OS X. That's all, folks! 

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Don't ask me

Yesterday one of my neighbors asked me, "Which tablet should I buy for my 10-year-old grandson?"

I get asked questions like that a lot and, invariably, I answer, "I don't know."

Of course, my inclination is to reply, "Get an iPad mini" because that's what I chose and thoroughly enjoy using. Why not an iPad Air or iPad Retina? My choice was based on three factors: bias, size, and weight.

Admittedly, I favor Apple products over those manufactured by other companies and I haven't even used others. Therefore, I cannot presume that one brand is better than any other. So much for bias… actually, blind bias.

As for size, I wanted something that could accompany me wherever I choose to go. Dimensions of my iPad mini are 7.87 x 5.3 x .28 inches, small enough to slip in and out of my handbag easily.

The weight of the iPad mini was also a determining factor for me. Initially, I purchased an iPad Retina but, when I found the additional ounces made it burdensome to hold for more than a few minutes, I exchanged it for the iPad mini.

The one thing I don't like about my iPad mini is how much it cost. Ah, well…

When a dot is not

What do you call this little mark between the parentheses (.) ?

Of course, if it appears at the end of a sentence like this one, you say it's a period. but, depending upon its use, you should call it something else. 

For example, when used in software version numbers, that little mark is pronounced point: Mac OS  X 10.6.8 is “ten point six.point.eight” and iOS 7.1 is “seven point one.” (Also, the "X" in Mac OS X is pronounced "ten" not "X.")

In URLs such as http://www.applepower4u.blogspot.com/ and in email addresses such as applepower@tptd.net, it’s pronounced dot.

End of speech lesson.

Meeting Site Entrance & Parking Lot

Generally, our user group meets the fourth Saturday of the month at 10 a.m. at Lehigh Valley Active Life (formerly Lehigh Valley Senior Center, 1633 Elm Street, Allentown PA 18103.

Here's a photo of the Lehigh County Active Life back entrance and parking lot on West Street.