Apple Newsletters

So, Apple had a big event this week. What do you need to know? Apple Watch Apple Watch will be available for pre-order, and store display, on April 10, and will ship on April 24. It will be available in a plethora of colors, materials, and watch bands (and we have to imagine there will… Read more

As of January 1, you can no longer throw away a computer, keyboard, cable box, fax machine, or MP3 player – by law, all these items must be recycled. 

Here are some options for how to recycle your electronics:

 4th Bin
 If you want someone to come and pick up your items from your home or office and… Read more

Here’s our list of the top 10 cool tech gifts for this holiday season. They range from stocking-stuffer size (and price), to things that are definitely a splurge. Reminder: Chanukkah starts on December 16th this year; Xmas is on December 25th as always.   1. Portable battery pack, for charging up your electronics on the… Read more

First off, a few of you have been asking us if it’s cool to go ahead and upgrade to iOS 8 at this point. The answer is yes. It certainly has a few issues here and there, but nothing major. Have fun. We very strongly recommend that you ensure you have an iCloud or iTunes… Read more

It’s a big week — the iPhone 6 starts shipping (and appears in stores, not that you’ll be able to buy one) on Friday the 19th, and we’ll have lots to say about that soon. And today, Apple releases iOS 8, the new operating system for iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch. However, we recommend you… Read more

Here’s our quick take on what Apple had to say on Tuesday: iPhone iPhone 6! And 6 Plus! They’re here, or will be, anyway, on September 19. Pre-order is September 12, so set your alarm clocks. We think you’re gonna want one. The new iPhones are very thin, with nice rounded edges, and bigger screens… Read more

Password Security We know we harp on this every single month, so we’ll just say it quickly: it is time to get serious about password security. It is just no longer safe to try to memorize the passwords of all your web sites, or to use a single password for all of them. You need… Read more

Well, yesterday was the keynote speech at Apple’s World Wide Developer’s Conference — an event I used to enjoy attending when I worked at Apple — and while they announced no new hardware products, as some were hoping, they still said a bunch of interesting things. Here’s a summary of what they are:   OS… Read more

The news has stories regularly about password databases at big companies getting hacked, and malware such as Heartbleed is going to become more common. If you use the same password for multiple websites, or if you use a basic password (like your dog’s name) as your email password, then you’re at risk. So how can… Read more

A bug, nicknamed “Heartbleed,” was recently discovered in a widely used method of protecting communications between your computer and your online services.  Most of the big online services have now fixed the vulnerability. So now it’s essential that you change your passwords now if you use any of the following:  Google Apps Gmail CrashPlan Yahoo… Read more

Heads up: A security flaw was discovered on Macs, iPhones, and iPads. It affects secure communications between your computer and web sites. While there’s little cause to panic, it turns out that it’s theoretically possible for someone to listen on those secure communications without you being warned about it, though not without a fair bit… Read more

Now up in the iPhone app store: Our IvanExpert app that makes it easy to contact us for Mac, iPhone, or iPad support.  Simply launch the app and click on the “call us” button or the “email us” button. No need to search for our phone number or email address. Click on the “more” tab… Read more

Our New Year’s resolution is to make sure our clients’ data is backed up. Are you fully backed up? Are you sure? We’ve just gone through a heartbreaking situation with one of our favorite clients. He thought he was backed up, but his backups hadn’t been running. And, sadly, his Mac malfunctioned, jeopardizing his critical business… Read more

FaceTime and iMessage are both really cool, and really confusing. Here’s a quick rundown as to how to put them to work for you. FaceTime is Apple’s video call technology included with recent versions of OS X for Macs, and iOS for  mobile devices. You see the person you’re talking to, and they see you…. Read more

Chanukah comes early this year (November 27)! And Christmas comes, well, December 25th… These are the coolest tech products we’ve seen this year, in a few different categories. So whether you’re looking for a small stocking stuffer or a truly special gift, we’ve got some ideas for you. Some of these are available only online,… Read more

Boom! Apple announced a ton of things on Tuesday. Here’s what they are and what we think of them. OS X 10.9 “Mavericks” Mavericks, the newest version of the Mac operating system, was released, and…it’s free, and all future versions of OS X will be too. Didn’t see that coming. Any machine that is capable… Read more

In case you have hadn’t heard, Apple held an event this week, and announced…wait for it…wait for it…new iPhones! And a couple of other things. We’ll keep it short and sweet. Here’s what you need to know: First off, there is no more iPhone 5. (If you have one, it’s now extremely rare and collectible!)… Read more

This month we asked some of our Experts to tell us their favorite Mac, iPhone, and iPad tips. We hope at least one or two of them will increase your productivity and overall happiness! How many unread messages do I have? If you want to have an icon in your menu bar showing you how… Read more

Those of you who have worked with us here at IvanExpert know that we have a philosophy behind what we do. We believe that computers should be fun, empowering, and easy to use. Macs should work for you, not the other way around. It’s one of the reasons why, when we come to help you,… Read more

Apple CEO Tim Cook took the stage at Apple’s Worldwide Developer Conference, and announced a whole bunch of new stuff. Here’s what you need to know.   New MacBook Air Faster and longer battery life although it looks the same on the outside. Available today.   New Mac Pro Primarily for power users (video editors,… Read more

Mother’s Day is on Sunday, May 12. If you’re tired of sending another boring card or flowers, here are some ideas for tech presents for Mom, even if she’s not a tech geek herself. Give the gift of computer training and support We know how hard it can be to give tech support to a… Read more

Here are my 10 favorite tips and tricks on doing things more quickly with your iPhone. 1. iPhone user guide: Did you know there’s a basic iPhone user guide, available anytime you’re on the internet? Go to Safari, then click the book in the lower right which takes you to bookmarks. One item on that… Read more

Are you adequately entertained? We thought not. That’s why we’re here to provide you with an update as to what’s out there in the world of home entertainment, so you can fill every moment with digital content on every screen you have, large or small. We’re focusing on products that are easy to use and relatively… Read more

Hello friends! Welcome to 2013. To kick off the new year, we thought we’d answer the question we hear all the time: What is iCloud, anyway? iCloud is a free service from Apple, available to users of Macs (with at least OS X 10.7 Lion), and PC’s (with at least Windows Vista), and iPhones, iPads,… Read more

Perhaps to steer media attention away from the iOS 6 Maps debacle, Apple introduced a bunch of cool new stuff this week. Here’s what’s on offer: iPad with Retina display No, seriously, this is what Apple is calling their 4th generation iPad, which replaces the 3rd generation “new iPad” whose main feature was the high-resolution… Read more

In case you have been traveling in the Himalayas in the last month, you may have heard that Apple introduced a new product. It’s the long-awaited iPhone 5. There are 3 questions we’ve been fielding here at IvanExpert World Headquarters, and they are: Should I get one? Which one should I get? How do I… Read more

Apple just released a new version of their Mac operating system, as you are probably aware. So, what’s it all about? How to upgrade OS X 10.8, a.k.a. Mountain Lion, is a $20 upgrade to either Snow Leopard (10.6) or Lion (10.7), purchasable via download from the Mac App Store directly on your computer. It… Read more

Yesterday, at Apple’s World Wide Developer Conference, Apple CEO Tim Cook introduced a whole great big pile of new Apple stuff. Here are the top 8 new products and services. 1) All-new MacBook Pro: The “MacBook Pro with Retina Display” (no, really, that’s what they call it) is an all-new 15″ design. It’s faster, sleeker,… Read more

Apple has made a bunch of noise about iCloud, its new free online service for users of Macs, iPhones, iPads, and Windows PC’s. Here’s what we think is useful in iCloud, and what we think is not so great. What’s Cool about iCloud Free to users of Mac, iPhone, iPad, or iPod Touch. Works with… Read more

Well, the sad day finally came, as we knew it would, where there’s been a major malware (or, as more commonly and inaccurately called, virus) outbreak on Macs. It’s called Flashback, and you don’t want it. Here’s what you need to do: Go to your Apple menu (we suggest right now), choose Software Update, wait… Read more