With over $800 in prizes on the table (court?!) you’ll want to make sure you get your bracket set — our “*March Mayhem*”:http://www.smalldog.com/marchmayhem/ contest is in full effect and you have *two chances to win.*

# Enter in-store on any of our demo machines (in any store) and you’ll have a chance to win a *$400 Small Dog Gift Card!*
# Enter online at “*Smalldog.com/marchmayhem*”:http://www.smalldog.com/marchmayhem and you’ll have a chance to win a pair of Beats Studio Wireless headphones in Red — a $379 value.

Need more info? Even if you’re not a basketball fanatic or don’t care about NCAA or March Madness, entering is a piece of cake. Just go to “*Smalldog.com/marchmayhem*”:http://www.smalldog.com/marchmayhem/ at home or in-store, enter your final four selections for the NCAA final brackets, and then pick the winners of those last three games.

Increase your chances and sign up both ways — we will be giving away one grand prize winner in our retail stores and one via our website. See page for more information!

Earlier this week, Apple sent out an email announcing the reintroduction of the iPad with Retina display (4th Gen). (“*See the press release here.*”:http://www.apple.com/pr/library/2014/03/18Apple-Updates-Most-Affordable-9-7-inch-iPad-with-Retina-display-Improved-Cameras-Enhanced-Performance-Now-Available-Starting-at-399.html) As you may remember, when the iPad Air was announced, the iPad 4 was taken off the market.

Well, it’s back baby! The iPad featuring the Retina display will replace the iPad 2 and will provide a great upgrade in power, performance, and value. The iPad with Retina display (4th Gen) features the Lightning connector, meaning that this replacement spells the end of 30-pin Dock Connector usage on any iPad or iPhone model. (Note that the iPod classic still features the 30-pin connection.)

The iPad with Retina display is *$100 less* than the iPad Air, coming in at *$399* — a great value. We’re even offering free shipping for the next week, just for you! See our special below.

P.S. If your current accessories support the USB-to-dock connector, there may be no need to replace them completely. Apple makes a Lightning-to-30-pin Adaptor, “*found here.*”:http://www.smalldog.com/product/81561/apple-lightning-to-30-pin-adapter/at_kb

With the reintroduction of the iPad w/Retina display, we’re putting the Hammerhead Folio for iPad 4 on special!

When you purchase the Folio, we’ll throw in a *free Cleaning Cloth and Pen Stylus.* *Save $20!* for the next week!

Customers ask us regularly to recommend anti-virus software for their Mac. Many of these are converts from the PC world and are accustomed to needing it. There are several reasons why it’s largely unnecessary.

Since OS X 10.6.8 Apple has included anti-malware that is built into the OS. There was a lighter version in 10.4 and 10.5 called File Quarantine that confirmed with the user that files and applications downloaded from the Internet were intentional and approved. In 10.6.8 File Quarantine was enhanced to include actually checking downloaded files against a list of known malware and malware types/signatures. Again, this is built in.

Apple has also established that many anti-virus programs interfere with Apple updates which is part of their argument for advising against them.

The last two large reasons are the main difference between PCs and Macs and are probably the most important. The Mac OS uses compartmentalization, or ‘sand-boxing.’ This means that applications are limited and isolated to the resources they need to access. This is very different from Windows operating systems where this isolation doesn’t exist and malware can attack system and other resources, although as of Windows 7 this is improving.

Lastly, the argument most commonly given is that Macs have a smaller footprint in the market and are less appealing to hackers who must invest great resources in the development robust malware and viruses. This is diminishing somewhat as Macs become more popular, but it’s still true.

Apple still tows the line that anti-virus software for modern Macs is unnecessary. I was a PC tech for fifteen years and dealt with at least one virus for a customer a week. In the year I’ve been working on Macs, I haven’t seen a single one.

So, rest assured that your Mac is safe and installing anti-virus software has the risk of doing more harm than good.

Samsung’s 420 Series monitors are ideal for plugging into your MacBook Air or MacBook Pro to create a mobile desktop solution. Adjust your monitor to meet your preference and working style for less strain and a more pleasant experience.

*Enjoy free shipping for the next week!*

_Dear Friends,_

The brackets are set and March Madness is underway. To the chagrin of all the Miami Heat fans down here, the Celtics beat the Heat for the 2nd time this year on Tuesday. I filled out my brackets and have my favorite underdog, Gonzaga, going all the way! Who knows, maybe I’ll win that billion bucks that Warren Buffet and Yahoo have put up for their bracket contest.

Of course, on the other end of the scale is our own sorta bracket contest. It is worth signing up online or in the stores because you might win something! (Well, at least the odds are a whole lot greater.) Fill out your final four teams and the subsequent winners of those games in any of our stores, and you could win a $400 Small Dog gift card! Get all of the details at “*Smalldog.com/marchmayhem.*”:http://www.smalldog.com/marchmayhem

We have brought the “*Sonos*”:http://www.sonos.com line of audio equipment to our stores and I will be setting up the house down here in Key West as a demo of the gear. This is a great complement to some of the other home automation products we are testing out. Sonos makes some fantastic speaker systems that integrate with your Mac, iPhone, iPad, etc. to give you great sound in any room.

One of the great features of Sonos is that it allows each speaker to play its own music from any of the Sonos music sources. For example, if you want Spotify on in the bedroom, but someone else wants to listen to a podcast in the office, it’s no problem. Or, create a house filled with sound by controlling them all at once with the same source. This is great for families and parties, and Sonos has a great setup for TVs and home theatre.

I have been trying to identify the trees, plants, and shrubs in my yard down here, but haven’t found a great app for that yet. We have a customer who runs a nursery here, so we are going to take clippings up to see if he can help. Has anyone seen a good app that identifies plants? Taylor suggested that I use Google and showed me how you can take a picture in Google search and it will try to identify objects. That is pretty cool, but it does not work well with plants, apparently. However, it’s a great idea for an app that could be used to identify plants, pests or other objects.

It is still cold in Vermont and I keep hearing of more ice and snow, so this week’s special is the Chill special! I am putting together two great portable music products by Chill Pill Audio. First up: Chill Pill mobile speakers in black for the ultimate in compact, big sound. We will also send you a Chill Box in your choice of color for Bluetooth wireless sound and conference call capability. To complete the deal, we will send you two Chill Pill 12-watt dual USB chargers so all your devices can be fully charged up for that next camping trip or journey to the beach.

This is a *$170 value* and for Kibbles & Bytes readers it is yours for *only $99!* “*Get the Chill deal here!*”:http://www.smalldog.com/wag900001323