Kibbles & Bytes Blog

We spend a lot of time talking about how important it is to back up your computer, but we do not spend a lot of time talking about how important it is to back up your iPhone or to check and see what is actually backing up on your iPhone. For many users, the iPhone has become their primary resource for communication and organization, myself included.

There are two primary methods of backing up your iOS device. You can back up to iTunes or you can choose to use the iCloud. By default, Apple almost seems to prefer and suggest that iCloud back up be your primary and preferred option for backing up your iPhone. iCloud backup for most users is probably the most convenient method because it happens without your having to do much of anything once it’s set up. To set up, make sure your phone is connected to WiFi, then click on settings then general followed by iCloud and lastly Backup. From here all that you need to do is ensure that iCloud Backup is turned on, but there are a few hidden catches to be aware of.

Just turning on iCloud Backup is not enough to ensure that you are in fact backing up your important information. You must also go into settings and then iCloud and toggle on what you want to sync and back up via iCloud including your pictures. If you do not go in and manually toggle over all the options you would like to back up, like photos, contacts, calendars etc then you can risk discovering that you are not backing up all that you thought you were backing up. Another key and often overlooked factor when it comes to iCloud backups is storage space. By default all users get 5GB of free storage space. 5GB is plenty of storage in most cases for calendars, contacts, and notes. However, if you plan to also back up your photos you will find that you will quickly run out of space. Luckily it’s very easy to get additional storage. You can upgrade to 50GB of storage for just $.99 a month.

One downside of using the iCloud for photo backup is that it’s not always clear what photos are backing up to the cloud, many users assume that all of their photos are backing up when in fact on some or perhaps no photos at all are going to the cloud! The best way to ensure your photos are backing up in the cloud is to actually log into your iCloud account. If your photos are correctly backing up to the cloud you will see the photos icon in your iCloud account. The first time you go to open up your photos it will take a few minutes for the library to set up and sync, but after that your photos should all load instantly. You can also check the rest of your information and data as well. Anything you have toggled on to back up to the cloud on your phone should also appear in your account. I always suggest browsing through from time to time just to make sure that things are working as they should.

If the idea of a cloud-based backup seems a little intimidating, backing up through iTunes is another option and the method that I prefer. To back up to iTunes all you need to do is plug your phone into your computer and open iTunes. Everything will automatically back up except your photos. You will need to back up your photos in the Photos application directly, and is one downside to the iTunes backup. Another downside to the iTunes back up is that it’s not always clear exactly what backed up as the backups are hidden within iTunes.

No backup method for your phone is perfect and they both have their flaws. It’s easy to assume everything is backed up. My recommendation is to to use both iCloud and iTunes for maximum protection of your data and to check on what’s backing up from time to time. It’s important to keep in mind that no matter how diligent you might be with your backups, it’s still possible to miss information, especially photos. Apple support documentation also warns against this, but as long as you monitor your backup methods you should have little worry about.

You’ve seen the term in Mac names—iMac with 5K Retina display, MacBook Pro with Retina display, MacBook with 12-inch Retina display and so on. But what is a Retina display, and why should you care? The short answer is Retina displays are high-resolution screens on which graphics are extra sharp and text is super crisp.

First off, a little background. The LCD screens used in Apple’s displays use a grid of “pixels”—the smallest possible dot whose color can be controlled—to create all the text and graphics you see. The first Mac needed 72 pixels in each direction to draw a 1-inch square, giving it a pixel density of 72 pixels-per-inch (ppi). Thanks to manufacturing advances in screen technology since 1984, the iPhone 6s Plus screen can fit a stunning 401 pixels into each inch. As pixel density goes up, the pixels get smaller. With a 72 ppi screen, it’s easy to see each individual pixel in a character, and the higher the pixel density, the harder it becomes to pick out separate pixels.

When Steve Jobs unveiled the iPhone 4 in 2010, he said that for a screen that’s held 10 to 12 inches from the eye—about the distance at which many people hold their iPhones—the human eye can’t resolve individual pixels if it’s about 300 ppi. At longer distances, it becomes harder to discern small details, so most people won’t be able to pick out pixels on a screen viewed at arm’s length, such as an iMac display, if it’s about 220 ppi.

A “Retina display,” then, is any screen whose pixel density is high enough that someone with 20-20 vision cannot see individual pixels at the standard viewing distance used for that device.

For the Mac, the necessary pixel density for a Retina display is about 220 ppi. Larger iPads have a pixel density of 264 ppi, and the iPad mini checks in at 326 ppi. From the iPhone 4 through the iPhone 6s, pixel density stayed at 326 ppi, but the iPhone 6s Plus upped it to 401 ppi. The tiny Apple Watch screen is about 330 ppi.

Practically speaking, a Retina display looks better than a non-Retina display. Put a 27-inch iMac with 5K Retina display (218 ppi) next to a non-Retina 27-inch Thunderbolt display (109 ppi), and the difference will be noticeable, particularly with text. If you suffer from eyestrain, reading on a Retina display will likely be easier and less tiring, since the words will be clear and crisp, without any of the fuzziness on the edges that you see on lesser displays.

Happily, there are few decisions to make when it comes to Retina displays. All recent models of the iPad, iPhone, iPod touch, and Apple Watch have Retina displays, so you’re good there. In the Mac world, however, not all MacBook models have switched, and Apple still sells some non-Retina iMacs and the non-Retina Thunderbolt Display. Plus, not all Macs can drive an external display that would be equivalent to a Retina display, even if Apple were to update the Thunderbolt Display to Retina. So if you’re buying a Mac now and there’s a choice between a Retina and a non-Retina option, be sure to compare them in person before deciding. My guess is that soon all Apple displays will be Retina Displays.

One last thing. It’s important to realize “Retina display” is an Apple trademark. So you won’t see any other manufacturers talking about their products as having Retina displays.

Dear Friends,

I have an arctic kiwi plant in my garden here. I get grape-sized sweet tasting kiwis every 5 years or so but the plant itself is huge. I have welded together an arbor of sorts from re-bar to support the vines of the kiwi and each year it reaches out to try to strangle the apple trees that are close by. Before we left for on our lobster-fest this past weekend, the kiwi was just getting leaves but by the time we returned the familiar giant green blob was in full greenery.

The rest of the Green Mountains are alive with a thousand shades of green, too. The black flies have calmed down a bit so I guess the frogs, bats and birds are eating well. Rob and his team had a successful “technology pavilion” at the Vermont Business and Industry Expo. There was a lot of interest in the products from some of our partners like Otterbox, Seagate/Lacie, Belkin, Sonos, Spyder Digital and Heckler Design. I spent an afternoon there meeting up with some old friends and quite a few politicians that were wandering the aisles.

With Apple’s WWDC only 10 days away, the rumor mills are running full time. I am sure there will be some get new advances in both Mac OS and iOS and who knows what surprises Apple will have in store for us. I know I will be catching the keynote via the “Apple Events” app on my AppleTV.

This week’s Kibbles & Bytes Exclusive features the iPad Air 2 with 64GB of storage in either silver or space gray for $50 off! This unit features Wi-Fi connectivity and normally sells for $499.99 but this week, exclusively for Kibbles & Bytes readers you can buy this new iPad Air 2 for only $449.99.