Whether you’re new to the iPad or a longtime user, here are some great tips to help you get the most out of the device. A few of these are intended for using on the new iPad, but most of them will be relevant to all iPad models of all ages.
Many years ago before Mac OS X, the Mac OS Finder was much more simple. There was no toolbar, no sidebar, no drop shadows, and each folder opened in it’s own window showing you only the icons in that Folder. That was basically the default desktop experience from Mac OS 1.0 through Mac OS 9, and you can bring much of that traditional simplified Finder styling to OS X with a few minor adjustments:
The default passcode for iPad and iPhone uses a fairly simple four digit numerical password, these are certainly better to use than nothing, but they can be somewhat easy to guess because statistically many people use common passwords or some variation of a simple theme, like a repetition, countdown, or birth year. An easy way to add more security to an iOS device is to disable simple passcodes and utilize the full keyboard, allowing you to type out complete passwords of varying complexity, instead of the simple numerical passcodes that are initially used.
Here is how to further secure an iOS device by using the strong passcode option:
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If you have an older Mac that feels slow and sluggish from time to time, follow these simple tips to regain some long lost speed.
We’re going to keep it simple with real tips that will speed up a Mac that are not overly complex or complicated. Nothing here is too technical or time consuming either, these are just simple tricks that should help your old Mac performance a bit. Ranging from a few basic Finder tweaks to some general maintenance and usability tips, your Mac should be feeling quicker in day-to-day tasks in no time. Let’s get to it!
Need to find or reveal hidden App Store purchases so that you can access and download them again in iOS or ipadOS to your iPhone or iPad?
It’s easy to find and unhide app purchases directly on an iOS / iPadOS device, though the exact technique will depend on what version of iOS or iPadOS you have on the device itself.
To get started, grab the iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch, and then do the following in accordance with the version of iOS / iPadOS you are using:
In an extreme situation, say a Mac is lost or stolen, you can remotely wipe the Mac of all its data and contents with the help of iCloud. Remotely wiping a Mac goes a step further though and not only removes all data from the computer, but locks it down so that it’s unusable without a set passcode, plus displays a message you provide. This is excellent anti-theft protection, and even if you never end up using it, it’s good to know how to do.
Requirements:
If you meet the requirements, here is how to use the remote wipe feature.
The Mac will be wiped clear of personal data and become essentially useless until the passcode has been entered. This rates up there with some of the best anti-theft software available, and considering that iCloud and Find My Mac is completely free to use, there is no reason to not have this setup in case of emergency.
It should be noted this is not a reasonable approach to simply formatting a Mac hard drive, which is best done locally with the Disk Utility application.
For more remote control fun, remember that you can sleep a Mac remotely through email or SSH too. It’s less dramatic, but perhaps more practical on a day to day basis.
If you’re trying to install or download a handful of iOS apps, sometimes an app or even your entire home screen is filled with app icons labeled “Waiting…”. Even worse, sometimes those apps stuck on “Waiting” can be without any of the progress bars moving, with a failure to complete downloading or installing.
Don’t sweat it, if your iPhone or iPad apps are renamed as “Waiting” and they are stuck in that status, you can fix this fairly easily with the two methods detailed below.
This Mac setup comes to us from Barry L, a high school computer science teacher in South Carolina. The Apple gear is used to teach AP Computer Science, Computer Programming, and Computer Science Research, and the classroom is gradually converting to Macs from a bunch of Dells running Windows XP, which will then be used to teach a class on iOS development this Fall. How awesome is that?
The hardware shown is split between the teachers personal gear and the schools, here’s what is on display:
What you can’t see behind the desk is the the remainder of the classrooms gear, which are the aforementioned Dell workstations, a 21″ iMac (2011), two Mac Minis (2011), MacBook Pro (2010), MacBook Pro (2009), and two more iPod touch.
I don’t know about anyone else, but I think it’s pretty great that iOS development, let alone computer science, is being taught in a high school. The only computer class at my high school was a generic “keyboarding” course which focused on how to type (ooh!) and use MS Office (ahh!), talk about boring.
Enjoy reading our Mac setup posts? Want yours featured? Send in pictures of your Apple & Mac setups to osxdailycom@gmail.com and include some brief hardware details and what it’s used for.
Apple has released OS X Mountain Lion Developer Preview 2. The new build is 12A154q, available to registered Mac developers via a redemption code exclusively through the Mac App Store. Presumably, the focus of Developer Preview 2 is bug fixes, and no new features are yet known.
OS X Mountain Lion will be released to the public this summer, and includes a AirPlay Mirroring, iMessages for Mac, Notification Center, Game Center, further iCloud integration, and a variety of other changes and refinements to Mac OS X. If you’re not a developer, you can get a lot of the Mountain Lion features in OS X Lion right now by combing third party tools and apps.
The new iPad 3 is barely getting into peoples hands but has already been jailbroken by renowned hacker @MuscleNerd (BTW, you can follow us on Twitter too). At this point, it’s more a proof of concept and MuscleNerd cautions it’s “Just a first step, still lots of work to do!”
There is no estimate on when the iPad 3 jailbreak will be publicly available, though typically things move quick from discovery to release. Because the iPad 3 shares a similar processor to the iPhone 4S and iPad 2, it’s quite likely those two devices will become jailbroken along the way. Assuming things go well, it’s possible some variation of an iOS 5.1 jailbreak for A5 devices will become available within a week or two.
Currently, iOS 5.1 is jailbreakable as tethered for older hardware only. Stay tuned for more.
You can create ISO images from any source disk or data by using the command line in Mac OS X. This isn’t too different than burning them through Terminal, and you can use either the hdiutil tool or dd command.
While the command line is generally reserved for advanced users, using it to create ISO’s isn’t too complicated and will save you the hassle of having to download any third party apps. If you’re new to the Terminal, remember that dragging & dropping files into the Terminal window will print their full path, making it easy to point to source files and preventing any navigation through the command line.
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Is Personal Hotspot suddenly missing from iPhone after you installed an iOS update? We’ve heard from a few readers in our comments and through emails that after updating iOS their Personal Hotspot disappeared on the iPhone.
The reason for this happening is unclear, but thankfully the fix to bring back Personal Hotspot is usually extremely easy.
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So you just upgraded to a new iPad, and you want to move all of your apps, pictures, settings, and data from an old iPad to the new iPad, right? Doing this is easy, you can go the post-PC route with iCloud (recommended), or the old fashioned way with iTunes, we’ll show you both.
Using iCloud is by far the easiest method, but you’ll obviously need to have iCloud set up and configured for this to work. This is the post-PC method, you won’t need to use a computer at all.
From the Old iPad
Your work on the old iPad is finished, now pick up the brand new iPad and turn it on.
From the New iPad
How long the transfer takes depends on how much stuff you keep on the iPad and how fast your internet connection is. Just let the process complete and don’t interrupt it or lose the wifi connection.
You can also migrate an old iPad to a new iPad with the help of iTunes. This is the old fashioned way since it requires hooking up the iPads to a computer, but it works just fine if you don’t have iCloud or you aren’t on a fast internet connection. These instructions are the same for Mac OS X or Windows.
With the Old iPad
With the New iPad
Restoring from iTunes may actually be quicker than restoring from iCloud, depending on the size of your backups and the speed of the internet connection. Even so, migrating with iCloud is the easiest and thus what is most recommended.
Note: If you already set up the new iPad, you can easily return to the original set up and configuration screen required for the transfer by tapping from Settings > General > Reset > Erase All Content and Settings, this will reset any iOS device to factory defaults. This erases everything on the iPad, so only do this if you are certain.
Walmart was listed in our “where to buy a new iPad” post as a good place to get the third gen iPad, but today they sent out an email to several sites stating they will actually start selling the hotly anticipated device tonight at 12:01AM local time. This means if you want to beat the morning lines at Apple Stores and don’t want to wait a few weeks for a delivery, spending your evening at Walmart may be the best bet.
We confirmed the sale by calling around to a handful of Walmarts in various western states and all but a few stores confirmed the midnight offering, though they either didn’t know or wouldn’t specify which models were to be available other than “black and white” colors. We were told stocks ranging from 15 to 25 units on hand, though many stores were mum on details and some said they weren’t allowed to say.
Here’s the original email quote from Walmart, courtesy of MacRumors:
If you want to be the first person amongst your friends and colleagues to have the new iPad, you will need to head to your local Walmart. Starting at 12:01 a.m. local time on March 16, a limited supply of the new iPad will be available at your local 24-hour Walmart. Other retailers’ doors don’t open until 8 a.m. local time, so you can get to work on time and beat the rush by coming to Walmart.
You can find a local 24 hour Walmart using their store locator, though it may be worth calling ahead to confirm the sale is on and that units are in stock. Good luck!
Is Safari no longer remembering logins and passwords? Is Mail.app asking for a password every time you launch the app and try to check or send mail, despite the fact that you’ve entered login credentials over and over? When a Mac app no longer remembers password and login data, it’s often the result of corrupted keychain files. This is easy to fix in three easy steps with Keychain Access first aid.
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Gamers rejoice! Diablo 3, the highly anticipated action role-playing game, will be released on May 15 for both Mac and PC. Blizzard Entertainment has had the game in development seemingly forever (2001!), but it appears the long wait has been worth it. Gameplay is a mixture of dungeon crawling and hack-and-slash with RPG elements, there are five different character classes each with their own skillset, and there’s also a multiplayer PvP mode.
The expectations for Diablo 3 are quite high, but looking at gameplay videos and screen shots don’t disappoint with it’s gorgeous graphics and action packed style. This could easily wind up being the best major game release for the Mac platform this year, and gamers of all types should be anxiously awaiting it’s release.
Blizzard has a great record of releasing games simultaneously for both Mac OS X and Windows platforms, making it one of a few larger game companies to prioritize the Mac as an initial release platform.
Diablo 3 will cost $59.99 and can be pre-ordered and even pre-downloaded directly from Blizzard via BattleNet.
Early reviews of the new third generation iPad are starting to appear and they’re all pretty much glowing. Whether you’re still trying to figure out which model to get and where to buy one or you just want to pass the time until the FedEx truck arrives this Friday, take a peak at a handful of reviews below.
Let’s be clear: the new iPad is in a class by itself, just as its predecessor was. As the latest product in a lineage of devices that defined this category, the iPad continues to stand head and shoulders above the competition. With the addition of the Retina display, LTE, more memory, and a more powerful CPU, Apple has absolutely held onto the iPad’s market position as the dominant player and product to beat.
…The new iPad is the most functional, usable, and beautiful tablet that any company has ever produced.
TechCrunch loves it:
If you’re at all interested in LTE in an Apple product, obviously, get a new iPad. If you read a lot on your iPad, get the new iPad. If you take a lot of photos and videos (yeah you, the joker in the front row of the concert with your iPad in the air), get the new iPad. If you play a lot of games on the iPad, get the new iPad.
If you don’t yet have an iPad, get the new iPad.
Telegraph loves the screen and proclaims it the best tablet on the market:
If you have been holding off getting a tablet then this is the one to go for. In my view, it’s the best that money can buy. Existing iPad owners who are thinking of upgrading should take a look at this new device. You’ll see the difference very, very clearly indeed.
The retina display is amazing, everything in the UI feels faster, and the price points remain the same. What’s not to love? It’s that simple.
New York Times provides the most critical review, though it’s still overall positive:
The new iPad doesn’t introduce anything that we haven’t seen before, either in the iPhone or in rival tablets. There’s no Steve Jobs “one more thing” moment here; Apple just took its white-hot iPad and added the latest screen, battery and cellular technologies.
MacWorld suggests users of the iPad 2 will be fine without upgrading, as long as they don’t see the new Retina screen:
The new iPad is just that: The iPad, updated for a new year and millions of new iPad users. It’s not smaller or lighter, but it’s got a remarkable screen, a much better rear camera, and support for cellular networking that can run at Wi-Fi speeds. It’s the iPad that millions of people have embraced, only one year better.
Users of the iPad 2 shouldn’t fret: Their iPad investment is certainly good for another year. But they might not want to look too closely at the new iPad’s screen. Once you get a load of that Retina display, it’s hard to go back to anything else.
Ever been away from your Mac and wished you could put it to sleep remotely? Maybe you accidentally left a Mac on at home or at work, or maybe you just left a Mac running so a download could complete. You don’t have to leave it running while you’re gone though, here are two different ways you can remotely sleep a Mac.
We’ll cover two methods to remotely put a Mac to sleep from anywhere. The first method uses SSH and thus requires Terminal access, and the other uses just email which allows you to sleep a Mac with an iPhone or iPad just by sending a message from a verified email address.
