Kibbles & Bytes Blog

  • The Latest Updates from Apple

    Have you heard about Apples latest update to their computers? Apple recently updated the 15-inch MacBook Pro with Retina display and the 27-inch iMac with Retina 5K display. The 15-inch MacBook Pro now features the Force Touch trackpad, faster flash storage, and a longer battery life. The computer also allows for better graphics performance, customers can now choose a configuration with AMD Radeon R9 M370X graphics. The updates to the 27-inch iMac with Retina 5K display features a new 3.3GHz quad-core Intel Core i5 processor with Turbo Boost speeds up to 3.7GHz, AMD Radeon graphics, and a 1TH hard drive.


    The updated 15-inch MacBook Pro is ideal for enthusiasts and professionals looking for fast performance in a compact and light design. The computers aluminum unibody and solid state hard drive help make the computer both more durable and more reliable, thus making it even better for everyday use and travel. The long lasting battery also allows for hours and hours of use away from an outlet, thus making things even more convenient. For more details regarding both an overview of the machine and an overview of the specs, “Click Here.”:http://www.smalldog.com/product/86945/macbook-pro-15in-retina-2-2ghz-i7-16gb-256gb-iris-force-touch-trackpad


    The updated 27-inch iMac with Retina 5K display is ideal for anyone who is looking for the absolute best experience for both viewing and editing photos and videos. This machine is also ideal for anyone using graphics-intensive apps, browsing the web, and so much more. For more details regarding both an overview of the machine and an overview of the specs, “Click Here.”:http://www.smalldog.com/product/86951/imac-27in-retina-5k-3-3ghz-i5-8gb-1tb-m290

  • _Dear Friends,_

    The crab apple tree outside my house that we planted at my Mom’s memorial is in full bloom as are the apple trees and the lilacs. It is a very colorful display. As Grace and I head over the Kancamagus Highway on our way to Maine for the traditional first long motorcycle ride of the season, I am sure we will see a lot of spring blooms of all colors. I am really looking forward to the ride.  

    Small Dog Electronics will be closed on Monday for Memorial Day except for our South Burlington store, whose hours on the holiday will be from 10 AM to 5 PM. We will resume normal operations on Tuesday May 26th. All of the shipping companies we use will also be closed for the holiday, so expect packages to take an extra day to arrive. We will reopen as usual on Tuesday and, of course, our website and online ordering will be available 24 hours a day.

    “*How important it is for us to recognize and celebrate our heroes and she-roes!*”
    -Maya Angelou

    Memorial Day is celebrated to honor those who have made the ultimate sacrifice in defense of our freedom. While the parades and celebrations are tributes to the brave men and women who have fought to protect us from tyranny, a lasting and real commitment to peace is the highest honor we can pay to soldiers. In these dangerous times, it is more important than ever to honor those who are on duty right now sacrificing so that we can enjoy a free society. We may not all agree with the policies that have put our sons and daughters in harm’s way, but honoring their service, sacrifice, and commitment is the duty of all citizens.

    Apple lowered the price on the 5K Retina 27-inch iMac, introduced changes to the 15-inch MacBook Pro and finally released an Lightning Port dock. With WWDC coming up soon, I am sure there will be more new products coming soon! I am thrilled that my Apple Watch arrived today, a full month before the projected ship date. I’ll give you my first impressions next week!

    This week’s Kibbles & Bytes special is the “*16GB iPod touch in Space Gray or White Silver bundled with a set of Beats by Dr. Dre Solo 2 Wireless on-ear Headphones.*”:http://www.smalldog.com/wag900001850 What an awesome gift for dad or grad! This is the latest iPod touch combined with the latest and greatest in wireless headphones from Beats. Regularly this bundle is $499 but exclusively for Kibbles & Bytes readers we are taking $25 off and giving you free shipping-$474.98.

  • Hopefully the weather will cooperate so Grace and I can get on the bikes for some riding. We did get out one afternoon when I discovered my Indian’s registration had lapsed and rode over to the DMV. Going to see the grands this weekend, too!

    Thank you for reading this issue of Kibbles & Bytes!

    Your Kibbles & Bytes Team,

    _Don, Dean, Mike & Bronson_

  • KB EXCLUSIVE | MacBook Air with AppleCare and Safeware

    Want an ultra-portable computer that can go everywhere you do? Look no further than the MacBook Air. Of course when you take a computer everywhere, the chance that you or someone else will spill something in it or you will drop it increases…

    Worry no more! This bundle includes the AppleCare and Safeware protection plans, which covers your machine for three full years. Please click on the special to see all of the details.

    Save $50!

  • Tech Talk in South Burlington

    ‘Tis the season for Dads and Grads! That being the case, we have rolled out some awesome specials to treat both the recent grad in your life along with the Dad in your life. We will be celebrating both graduation season and Father’s Day with specials on all new Macs that are purchased with AppleCare, Beats by Dr. Dre Solo2 Headphones, LaCie Fuel Mobile Storage, and much more. *However, these new deals will not become official until Monday, May 18th.* Nevertheless now is still a good time to buy as we wrap up the final days of our Moms and Grads specials.

    “*Click here for more information about our current bundles.*”:http://www.smalldog.com/specials

    Not only will we be running specials on everything just mentioned, but we will also be rolling out some new gadgets and services. First off, we will soon be selling Automatic, an award-winning car adapter that can help you save hundreds, if not thousands, of dollars. We will also be introducing Safeware, an optional accidental insurance plan that you can add to any new Mac. This is yet another cost saving service that we offer. Safeware will protect your computer against drops, and liquid damage…the two most common enemies for computers.

    Click the bold link to learn more about “*Automatic*”:http://www.smalldog.com/product/86916/automatic-connected-car-adapter and “*Safeware.*”:http://www.smalldog.com/product/85003/safeware-mac-warranty-w-applecare-3yr

  • "My Mac is Slow!"…Five Things to Try to Speed it Up

    One of the most common technical support questions we get is that the customer’s Mac seems to be running very slow. Slow performance can be caused by any number of things but here are a few places to look.

    *1) My Hard Drive is Full*

    Many times this it the culprit. Your drive stores your files but is also used as “virtual memory” by your Mac and also stores invisible and temporary files. Our recommendation is to always leave at least 10% of your hard drive’s capacity available. Your Mac will slow down as the operating system searches for open sectors of that drive and puts data in small increments on the available sections. Leaving 10% free will address this issue.

    *2) Permission Conflicts*

    Your files in OS X have a set of permissions, which determine which users or applications have access to them. Sometimes, for one reason or another, these permissions are wrong and that can slow your system down. To repair permissions you use *Disk Utility* which is located in the Utilities folder in your Applications folder. Select your drive and push the “Repair Permissions” button.

    *3) Bad Preferences*

    If you find that it is one particular application that slows your Mac down when you launch it, it very well be that application has a corrupt preference file. Preference files are re-created if you delete them and are located in the Library. What I do is to find the preference file of the slow application and move it to the desktop and then relaunch the application to force it to make a new preference file. Once things seem to be running at full speed again you can trash the preference file that you moved to your desktop.

    *4) Have You Left Your App Running?*

    If you neglect to quit out of applications that you only use occasionally and leave a bunch of them running in the background, this can obviously slow your Mac way down. Each application uses memory and CPU resources and some may actually “leak” memory which means that they longer they run, the more memory they use.

    This also could be the case if you have too many startup items or a very crowded widget page, which are just small applications that take up resources.

    *5) Not Enough RAM*

    If your Mac is one of the diminishing number where you can add more RAM, this could be a solution, too. You can see if you are RAM-starved by checking the Activity Monitor and clicking on the Memory tab.

  • I Got an Apple Watch!

    I got an Apple Watch!!!

    I tore open the packaging (and there was a lot of it!) and strapped on the watch, went to my iPhone Apple Watch app, and followed the directions. In about a minute (or less), I was in business!

    The set up was easy and quick. It downloaded my iPhone to my watch really fast. I was amazed. I just started playing with it and found it incredibly easy to use. Touch the screen and you get the time, move your wrist and the watch turns off. Move your wrist again and the watch turns on.

    I am in the learning curve right now and right now I’m actually stuck trying to get my watch to go to its home screen. But I know I will figure it out soon and be on my way. I have been able to read email, send texts by just talking into the watch, been notified that I need to “stand up”, looked at my weather (here and far away), and set up exercise notifications.

    By the way, I just asked SIRI to help me get to my home screen and she told me! I hope she is not too jealous of my new friend.

  • _Dear Friends,_

    It is so good to be back in the Green Mountains again. The big apple tree outside of my window here at headquarters is in full bloom and green is bursting out all over. The long trip up I-95 went smoothly with the three dogs being great travelers. Just before we were too tired to go on each night, we would use the Infiniti Personal Assistant function in my car to ask them to find us a dog-friendly motel. It was so convenient, they would find one, make the reservation for us and send the directions to the car’s GPS.

    It seems like every time I go to California, I catch a cold on the long flights and this was no exception. The ASMC meetings were great but I think I’ll wear a mask next time! Apple brought the Apple Watch team over to the vendor fair one evening and I got to try on a few watches but Grace beat me to the punch and her Apple Watch just came by UPS so I twisted her wrist a bit and got her to write up a first impressions piece for this issue.

    I attended the Vermont Businesses for Social Responsibility 25th Annual spring conference this week. It was a great reminder of why Vermont is such an awesome place to do business. We heard from big businesses like Ben & Jerry’s and smaller businesses like the Alchemist, the brewers of Heady Topper, also over in Waterbury, VT. They sell all the Heady Topper they can make within a 20-mile radius of the brewery and it is always sold out. I admit that I smuggled a couple of cases down to Key West in the fall. It was a great networking event!

    One of the most common repairs that we see at our stores is spill damage. You know, that can of Coke or glass of wine that somehow ends up in your MacBook Pro. We are happy to announce that we have expanded our offering of Safeware protection for your new or factory-refurbished Mac purchase. This $99 add-on to AppleCare gives you 3 years of accidental damage coverage for your Mac. There is a $250 deductible for each damage claim which is *far* less than the tab you will see to replace a screen or a main logic board! It requires the purchase of AppleCare and is a great add-on!

    This week’s Kibbles & Bytes exclusive features the Apple Certified Refurbished 13-inch MacBook Air with a 1.3 GHz i5 processor, 4GB of RAM and 256GB of SSD storage. This week we are bundling it with AppleCare protection, which extends Apple’s 1-year hardware warranty to 3 years and their free 90 days of tech support also to 3 years. We are adding in Safeware so you will be covered for accidental damage (subject to the deductible) for 3 years as well. Kibbles & Bytes readers will save $50 on this bundle this week at only $1189.99!

    “*See this great deal here!*”:http://www.smalldog.com/wag900001837

  • Sign Up Today!

    “*Register for the event by clicking here. Enter your first and last name as well as your email address!*”:https://www.eventbrite.com/e/top-10-tips-tools-for-making-mobile-movies-tickets-16902800732

  • *Michael Scott Duplessis*

    Mike is a five-year veteran of Small Dog Electronics and has worked in phone and web sales, marketing, wholesale, and business solutions. His current position is as a Macintosh consultant, which means that on any given day he is driving all over Vermont providing tech support, troubleshooting, teaching lessons and classes, and much more. Mike’s certifications include: Mac Integration Basics, Apple Certified Technical Coordinator, and Apple Certified Support Professional.

  • *Ross Ransom*

    Ross Ransom is the Programming and Education Coordinator at RETN. Ross helps people make videos and share them with their community by teaching workshops and programming RETN’s television channel. If Ross isn’t working on helping people access the mountain that community media built in Vermont, you’ll find him climbing one.