Some Mac Mail users have discovered that Mail app misbehaves after updating to OS X 10.10.4 (and some with OS X 10.11 El Capitan) particularly with Exchange and Gmail accounts, but it can happen with other email provider services as well. Typically the problem manifests in one of a few ways; eMail logins suddenly stall or fail, Mail app fails to check for new email, Mail app fails to send emails, or Mail app just doesn’t do anything at all and will basically hang on launch as a never-ending server connection is attempted but fails to establish.

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We’ve shared some tips to take great pictures of fireworks with iPhone before, but fireworks are obviously in motion, so perhaps the best way to capture a firework show is with some great video. Fortunately, the iPhone and iPad have a wonderful video recording camera built right in, and with a few tricks, you’ll be able to capture stunning video of a firework reports, explosions, or even the entire show, using nothing but the iPhone and it’s built-in feature set.

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Force Touch (or 3D Touch) is an impressive haptic feedback technology that is rolling out through updated Apple hardware, with all of the newest model Mac laptops having a Force Touch trackpad included. The basic click functionality of Force Touch is often not even noticed by MacBook users, but one thing that is frequently discovered is Force Click, which is the secondary firm press that happens once a user has initially clicked on the trackpad but then presses a little harder. That second firm press Force Click functionality performs a variety of functions on the Mac, ranging from data detector lookups like dictionary and thesaurus, to Quick Look, to scrubbing video, it’s multi-use and what exactly it does varies throughout different aspects of OS X and its applications.

Most Mac users like Force Click and it can be very useful once you master it, but if you’ve found the Force Click secondary firmer press to be a nuisance with the data detector lookups popping up when you weren’t necessarily expecting it, you can disable that feature completely.
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The Apple Watch notification system is often at it’s best when allowed notifications are somewhat limited to what’s really important. Nonetheless, even if you’ve narrowed down the notifications allowed on the Watch, the notifications can still add up.

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Some users who are trying to install OS X Yosemite 10.10.4 or iTunes 12.2 have discovered the Mac App Store will freeze, with an endless spinning wait cursor and the updates never showing up. Investigating further reveals that a process called ‘softwareupdated’ simultaneously goes haywire and consumes 99% CPU for an indeterminate amount of time if left unattended. If you encounter either of these issues when trying to install the aforementioned updates, there are several possible resolutions to this, but you’ll have to temporarily circumvent the App Store in either case.

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Mac users on OS X Mavericks 10.9.5 and OS X Mountain Lion 10.8.5 will find two important software updates available to them, labeled as Security Update 2015-005 and Mac EFI Security Update 2015-001. The updates include patches and fixes to significant potential security issues and are therefore recommended for all Mac users running Mavericks and Mountain Lion to install. For Macs running Yosemite, the OS X Yosemite 10.10.4 update includes the same set of security fixes, and a separate update is not required.

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iTunes 12.2 is available to download for Mac OS X and Windows users. The update predominately focuses on the inclusion of the Apple Music service and the Beats 1 Radio station, and arrives separately from the freshly released OS X Yosemite 10.10.4 update and iOS 8.4.

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Jailbreak fans who updated to iOS 8.4 may be excited to learn that TaiG has released an updated version of their jailbreaking app to work with the latest version of iOS for compatible iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch.

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Apple has released OS X Yosemite 10.10.4 for Mac users, the update offers significant bug fixes and improvements to Mac OS X and is recommended for all users running OS X Yosemite to install.

One of the most notable bug fixes with OS X 10.10.4 is the removal of the ‘discoveryd’ networking process in favor of a return to ‘mDNSResponder’, which aims to improve the the performance, reliability, and stability of networking components in OS X for Wi-Fi and local networking. Additionally, OS X 10.10.4 includes updates and bug fixes for Photos app and iCloud Photo Library, and several other smaller changes as well. The complete release notes for OS X 10.10.4 are included below.

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Apple has released iOS 8.4 for compatible iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch devices. The version most prominently features the inclusion of a redesigned Music app with the Apple Music service, a streaming music and radio feature with a separate monthly fee. iOS 8.4 also includes a few minor bug fixes and improvements to iBooks and the operating system itself, complete release notes for iOS 8.4 are repeated below.

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The Apple Watch allows apps to be installed onto the device, but unlike the iPhone, iPad, or Mac, there isn’t really an App Store specific to Apple Watch with the traditional ‘get’ and ‘buy’ download buttons. Instead, installing apps onto Apple Watch is handled through the paired iPhone, which makes sense given that most Apple Watch apps rely on data and connectivity through the paired device.

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The modern versions of Mac Mail app support an easy to use image and PDF annotation feature called MarkUp. MarkUp allows users to quickly perform annotation tasks like drawing on an image, adding a note, or even adding a signature, it’s essentially the Preview apps editing tools suite but available instantly in Mail for Mac OS X, meaning you won’t have to leave the app and re-save a document to use it.

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This weeks featured Mac office setup is the triple-display workstation of a Software Development Manager Craig H.

Let’s dive right in to learn more about the hardware and apps put to use:
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Apple has started production of the next generation iPhone models which are to be equipped with Force Touch screen features, according to a new report from Bloomberg. Force Touch is able to detect differences in the amount of pressure placed on the display, offering different interactions as a result.

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Updating an Apple Watch to a new version of watchOS is very easy, but if you’ve never done it before you may find it to be different from other Apple devices like updating iOS and Mac OS. The primary difference is that updating WatchOS is not done on the Apple Watch itself, instead, it’s started on the iPhone that the Apple Watch is paired with. Beyond that, it’s incredibly simple and you should find it familiar.

Like all other hardware, maintaining updated system software is recommended to maintain new features, optimal performance, and stability, so let’s learn how to download and install updates to Apple Watch.

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Apple has added two new videos to their “Shot on iPhone 6” marketing campaign, both featuring movies which utilize the slow motion capture ability of the iPhone camera.

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Many people and professions rely on week numbers to plan events and schedule their time, particularly on a longer term yearly basis. By default, the iOS Calendar app does not show week numbers, but a simple settings change can make it so week numbers appear in the Calendar app of iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch.

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Kernel extensions, called kext for short, are modules of code that are loaded directly into the kernel space of Mac OS X, able to run at a low-level to perform a variety of tasks. Most kexts are part of the core Mac OS X system software, typically hardware device drivers, but some third party apps will install a kext as well.

Sometimes, advanced Mac users and systems administrators may need to manually load or unload a kernel extension. Because kernel extensions are often critical components of MacOS, this is only appropriate for users who have a specific reason to be modifying whether a kext is loaded or unloaded into the MacOS X kernel space. Inappropriate modification of kext behavior can render Mac hardware useless or inaccessible, and can also prevent Mac OS X from functioning at all, so do not attempt to change any kernel extension without a compelling reason and understanding of what it’s usage is.

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