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_Dear Friends,_
It has been unseasonably cool this past week and it is a bit disconcerting to see my breath in the morning as I get into my car. I don’t like turning on the heat in the house in June so it was sweaters and warm beverages. This weekend sounds like it will be warmer. Nevertheless, I was sitting on the deck last night and was pleased to see a ruby-throated hummingbird trying to get some nectar out of the still-closed peonies.
Apple’s annual World Wide Developers Conference, which has been sold out for months, starts on Monday with the keynote presentation. This will be streamed live and the best way to view the presentation will be on your Apple TV. We can expect a peek at Apple’s plans for the next few years especially as it relates to software. We will see the next iteration of Mac OS X and the iOS and no doubt some surprises, too! The excitement starts at 1 PM EDT.
This week’s Kibbles & Bytes exclusive features the LaCie Fuel. This is a wireless battery-powered mobile HD with wifi and USB 3.0. The LaCie Fuel comes in 1TB and 2TB versions and both are available this week to Kibbles readers for $20 off and free shipping. The 1TB unit is $159.99 and the 2TB unit is $209.99 and shipped free. “*Click here to add it to your cart.*”:http://www.smalldog.com/wag900001865
The LaCie Fuel allows you to expand the storage on your iPad wirelessly without cables or internet. Load up the first 5 seasons of Game of Thrones and watch wirelessly on your iPad! Not only that but it creates its own wifi network for up to 5 devices to access. You can stream Thrones to 3 devices simultaneously! With a 10-hour battery life, this could be just the solution for that remote camping or road trip. “*Click here to check out the video on YouTube.*”:http://youtu.be/Xh8_gS8zfs4
Why AppleCare?
If you are like me, you usually react negatively to the hard push for extended warranties on that washing machine, car or TV. In most of these cases the value is simply not there. AppleCare is different. With AppleCare for your Mac, as an example, your 1-year Apple warranty is extended to 3 years. Not only that but the 90 days of free access to Apple’s award-winning telephone technical support is extended to that same three years.
The hardware coverage not only covers your Mac but also other Apple peripherals purchased at the same time, such as AirPort base stations, Apple USB SuperDrive, or Apple Display. Your technical support covers not only the Mac but the OS X operating system, questions about iLife and iWork, or connecting to printers and AirPort networks.
Take it from me, just about any out-of-warranty repair to your Mac will cost more than the cost of AppleCare. Now, if you “*add SafeWare to AppleCare you can also cover accidental damage, as well.*”:http://www.smalldog.com/product/85003/safeware-mac-warranty-w-applecare-3yr
AppleCare is called AppleCare+ for most of the other Apple products such as iPad, iPhone and Apple Watch. In these cases, AppleCare extends the 1-year Apple Warranty to 2 years and tech support from 90 days to 2 years. But AppleCare+ also adds accidental damage coverage which makes it an even more valuable purchase for your mobile devices. Drop it in the ocean and fish it out with a net and Apple will be able to get it repaired or replaced up to two times for a small service fee ($49 in the case of the iPad).
We definitely recommend AppleCare or AppleCare+ for all of your devices. It can make the difference between tears and cheers!
I am heading over the lake to Lake George for the annual Americade rally. It is always fun to ride over to see all the motorcycles and weird bikers like me but it is really the ride over through the Green Mountains over Lake Champlain on the Shoreham ferry and then through the Adirondacks to Lake George that is the highlight of the annual trip.
Thank you so much for reading this issue of Kibbles & Bytes!
Your Kibbles & Bytes Team,
_Don, Dean, Bronson & Mike_
Upcoming Garage Sale: Starts Friday, June 5th!
We wanted to let you know that we have been busy in our warehouses getting ready for our Famous Semi-Annual Garage Sale! At least once a year, we clean out our inventory and offer some crazy deals on the goodies we find.
“*Click here to read more about the Garage Sale.*”:http://www.smalldog.com/garagesale
This year we’re going deep and will be offering lots of interesting finds. We’ll give some hints in next week’s Kibbles and Bytes, so stay tuned. Kibbles readers are always the first to know!
*WHEN:* Friday, 6/5, beginning at 6 PM EDT.
*WHERE:* “*http://www.smalldog.com/garagesale*”:http://www.smalldog.com/garagesale
Embrace the AM/FM Cassette
I recently had a conversation with our product manager Will about tapes. Specifically audio cassettes. Remember those things? We happen to carry the little adapters that fit into car stereo cassette players so you can use an AUX jack to connect your iPhone or other music player to your old stereo. Will was flabbergasted that anyone was still buying them. “Who still has these stereos? Who uses cassettes anymore?” he asked. I told him that I did! I recently purchased a “classic” car and was very insistent that it come with the factory stereo and not one of those cheap aftermarket stereos that grace the DIN slots of so many older cars.
Unconvinced, I tried to explain to him that people were actually still releasing new music on audio cassettes. They can be hard to find, but a lot of really small or quirky labels still do it (to satisfy their old-car-having fans maybe?). For me, it’s all about the nostalgia factor. When I’m driving around in my car, I want to actually feel like I’m sitting in 1991, tape deck and all. Nothing hurts my car sensibilities more than seeing a nice classic Porsche with an ugly out-of-place aftermarket stereo slapped into the dash.
That said, I do get it. I understand that people nowadays have an iPhone, iPad, iPod, or something that they’re using to play all their music. Surely they want to use that device while in their car, but what do you do if you don’t have a car new enough to have Bluetooth or a built-in AUX jack? As far as I know, there are only three options:
* First, you can replace the stereo. On most older cars with a standard DIN head unit, this isn’t that difficult, and a basic aftermarket stereo with an AUX jack can be found for under $100.
* Second, if your car isn’t old enough to have a cassette player, but not new enough to have an AUX jack, your only option will be to use an FM transmitter. These work well sometimes, and not so well other times. It really depends on the car and how the radio antenna is built and positioned. A friend in high school had a 1995 Dodge Neon and his FM transmitter worked pretty much flawlessly. Another friend had a 2003 Subaru Outback and could almost never get the FM transmitter to work.
* Finally, if you have a car with a cassette player, you can get one of those AUX-cassette adapters. There’s no radio transmission, so there’s no interference to fight.
You can always choose to be like me though, and embrace the retro-ness of the cassette player. Don’t try to hide it. Take pride in your pre-Clinton era car. Where do you get new releases on tape? I recently ordered King Tuff’s (a Brattleboro, VT native!) second full length album on cassette from “*www.insound.com!*”:http://www.insound.com