Kibbles & Bytes Blog

Apple news, tech tips, and more…

KB Dog

  • Dads & Grads Specials

    **Get your pencils ready and start that shopping list!** In addition to our Mac and iPad specials, we’ll also have big savings on must-have accessories to set up your Dad or Grad in style! __Valid May 19-June 30 while supplies last.__

    Office for Mac, Home/Student edition, 1 user **$99.99**

    Grab a great deal on Seagate hard drives! 1TB for **$69.99** or a 2TB for **$119.99!**

    Buy a Beats Pill and get a **free Beats Dude!**

  • Weekly Apple News Recap | 05.16.14

    *Beats Acquisition Update*
    The highly rumored (and somewhat substantiated) Beats By Dre buy by Apple (enough homophones for you?) hasn’t yet been totally finalized, but seems to be moving forward.

    “*Read more…*”:http://www.macrumors.com/2014/05/14/apple-beats-deal-finalization/

    *Mac OS 10.9 Updates Galore*
    Apple released some updates to Mavericks yesterday, including 10.9.3, iTunes 11.2 and Digital Camera RAW compatibility updates. The Mavericks update improved stability and security, and is recommended for all users. VPN connections are improved, as well as 4K support on Mac Pro. You may also now sync contacts and calendars between a Mac and iOS device using USB.

    If you’re running Mavericks, open the App Store and check for updates!

  • _Dear Friends,_

    Well, I tried to get to the ASMC meeting in Austin this week, but I had one of the worst travel experiences ever. It started out in Burlington, where my plane was delayed for four hours because of [lack of] “pilot rest.” I guess having a rested pilot is better than one asleep at the wheel, so I got on the plane and settled in to read and listen to music.

    A couple of hours later, we landed and I assumed I would de-plane in Chicago and continue on my way. When I looked out the window, though, I discovered we were not at O’Hare, and had been diverted to Madison, WI. We stayed on the tarmac for about three hours until they let us into the Madison terminal, and another couple hours there before O’Hare recovered from a fire in a radar tower and we took off for Chicago.

    I was then booked on a flight to Austin, but it kept getting delayed. I was in the airport for about six hours, and finally, at about midnight, they canceled it and was told they could get me to Austin late the following day. Well, that would mean that I’d miss 95% of the meetings I was going to attend, so I decided to head back to Vermont. No flights were scheduled to head that way, but at about 1am, they found a way to get me home the following day. I needed to find a room, but since O’Hare was full of others with delays, they were booked. Overall, I ended up spending about 48 hours in planes and waiting in airports, ultimately, got nowhere.

    So, I am here in the Green Mountains where Spring is definitely happening (finally) with the leaves starting to come out, daffodils blooming, and the apple trees getting ready to bud. We are launching our Dads & Grads promos on Monday, which Kali and Stephanie will cover later. We have some great values coming up for dad or to get your high school grad ready for college.

    My Kibbles & Bytes special this week is in honor of my doomed trip to Austin — I spent a lot of time reading on my iPad mini and listening to music with my Beats headphones. This week, I want to offer the 16GB Wi-Fi iPad mini from 2012 (brand new) with a 1-Year Apple warranty in White or Space Gray bundled with a Hammerhead mini Capo protective case and the Beats Solo Headphones Drenched in Black for only $459!

    “*Purchase this bundle here!*”:http://www.smalldog.com/wag900001416

  • June 12: Customer Appreciation Night

    Mark your calendars **Thursday, June 12th from 5:30-7:30** — it’s Customer Appreciation Night at our South Burlington retail location! With **Dads and Grads** promos, refreshments, giveaways, demos, and special **one night only** deals, you won’t want to miss out!

    We’ll be raffling prizes throughout the evening, and of course, we will have plenty of staff on-hand to help you with your shopping list. We’re looking forward to seeing all of you on this special evening, because without you, our loyal customers, we would not be your local one-stop shop for everything Apple.

    We’ll keep you posted with details in June’s Best in Showroom, and if you haven’t already, become a fan on Facebook so that you can get up-to-the-minute store news there!

    “*Small Dog HQ Facebook page*”:https://www.facebook.com/hellosmalldog
    “*S. Burlington Store Facebook page*”:https://www.facebook.com/smalldogsbtv
    “*Rutland Store Facebook page*”:https://www.facebook.com/smalldogrld
    “*Key West Store Facebook page*”:https://www.facebook.com/smalldogkw

  • Memorial Day

    *Sidewalk Sale Memorial Day Weekend!*

    Looking for some great deals on Mac accessories? From **Saturday, May 24th-Monday, May 26th,** we’re holding our inaugural sidewalk sale over Memorial Day weekend!

    We’ll have all kinds of items on sale with deep discounts ranging from products that are discontinued to items returned by customers because they simply didn’t suit their needs. Think our “*Famous Garage Sale,*”:http://www.smalldog.com/garagesale except *not* online and in person at our S. Burlington store on Dorset Street!

    If you need a new iPad or iPhone case and want a good bargain (and don’t mind if the packaging __may__ be a little beat up), this is the sale for you! Stop into “**South Burlington**”:http://www.smalldog.com/burlington/ over Memorial Day weekend, and grab yours.

    __Note: We’ll have shortened hours on Memorial Day (5/29) and will be open 9am-5pm.__

  • Celebrate Those Dads & Grads!

    This is an exciting time of year; for many of us, it means that grass is finally turning green and flowers are blooming everywhere you look. And for our readers farther south, this time of year brings a little bit of peace and quiet to your days as many of the snow birds have gone home (at least until the next round of dreary cold weather makes its inevitable return)!

    But no matter where you are reading this, Spring means more than just a change of scenery. It’s the beginning of some very big leaps in life and for many, it’s graduation season — and we want to celebrate it big! We wanted to send a special issue to you to preview what we’ve got going on for the Dads, Grads (and Moms) in your lives!

    **From May 19th to June 30th,** we’re celebrating with savings on everything from Macs and iPads to the accessories that make the package complete. Not sure exactly what your high school grad needs for school in the fall? No problem! Our retail staff can help you find the computer that’s the right fit — everything from software to often-forgotten necessities like backup drives.

    This year we are offering **$100 off any Mac purchase with AppleCare,** and a free Hammerhead sleeve. We have **Canon printers** ??(MX522 and MG5420 models)?? **for $50** when purchased with the computer bundle (in total, **save up to $180 on a Mac bundle**). We are also offering **$30 off all iPads** — and you’ll save even more if you buy a case (up to **$75 off**). Plus, we’re offering 0% financing for qualified buyers with no minimum purchase!

    Wishing everyone a healthy and safe graduation season!

    Emily Dolloff
    “emily@smalldog.com”:mailto:emily@smalldog.com
    Director of Retail and Service Operations

  • New Product | LaCie d2 USB Thunderbolt Hard Drives

    Get lightning-fast transfer speeds on Mac and PC thanks to the USB 3.0 and Thunderbolt ports. They allow you to back up and transfer __mountains of data__ in a fraction of the time. With a redesigned cooling system, its solid aluminum casing provides 60% more surface area than flat designs, diverting and dissipating heat more efficiently.

    *Enjoy free shipping on both 5TB and 6TB drives for the next week!*

  • New Product | LaCie Little Big Disk

    The world’s fastest portable storage! The Little Big Disk has 1,375MB/s speeds for 4K video editing, dual Thunderbolt 2 ports for daisy chaining and is compact in size for field-based creative workflows!

    *Enjoy free shipping for the next week!*

  • VPN Troubles

    My latest adventure in the world of Apple products was to set up a VPN (Virtual Private Network) to my server at home. After many hours of frustration and brain-tormenting anger, I was unsuccessful.

    I have Comcast internet and a dynamic IP address, but before you say, “that’s why,” I know that my IP is changed once a month, so I should have the ability to VPN for thirty days before I have to update the settings on my server. I have poked all the holes in my firewall and even turned it off, and have still been unsuccessful. Locally, I have no problem connecting via VPN with the correct settings, but when I’m not on my home network, it is impossible for me to connect for some reason.

    Why would I want to VPN to my home network when “Back to My Mac” works almost just as well? Primarily, it’s for the experience and learning I get from managing my own personal server. I have successfully set it up for local file and media sharing, but so far, that’s all I have been able to get it to do successfully.

    My setup at home is as follows: My modem connects to a Belkin router which splits off to my server and two Time Capsules I have configured for NAS drive access. Both of my Time Capsules are on the older side, and their routing function seems to be failing, unfortunately, so I’m relying on the Belkin to be my primary DHCP server.

    I use a 13-inch MacBook Pro late 2011 as my server — not a Mac mini or Pro as I don’t have a need for a web server yet. I mainly want to learn. I don’t have the server set up for DHCP because it only has the one ethernet port and no firewall software, but the same computing power as the base Mac mini. I’m running OS X Server 3.1.1 on Mavericks 10.9.2, updated the firmware on every device, and I’ve still had no luck.

    All the ports I have found that relate to VPN are TCP 1723, UDP 500, UDP 4500 and UDP 1701. All of these ports are open on my setup and my server is set to my public IP address. This ??should?? have the incoming VPN signal on any of the above-mentioned ports forwarded directly from the router as it’s the outward-facing networking device.

    I know my hardware is capable of doing what I want it to, however, there has to be something I’m missing…possibly a different port that the VPN signal is actually coming in on? I’m trying to connect from my Late-2011, 15-inch MacBook Pro, running OS X 10.9.2, which is my everyday machine that goes everywhere with me.

    Whenever I try to connect all I get is something to the effect of, “the server is not responding/doesn’t exist” (I’m paraphrasing), and it instructs me to try to connect again or contact my administrator. Well, this administrator is stumped.

    If any of you out there may know something that I don’t, or have been in a similar situation, shoot me an “*email*”:mailto:kyles@smalldog.com and let me know how you got past it! Many thanks in advance!

  • Blurry Text on the Macbook Pro with Retina Display

    With more than 5 million pixels packed into a 15.4-inch display, the MacBook Pro with Retina display has raised the bar for its competitors, making everything on the screen more vibrant and sharper than ever. Everything should look better on 2880 x 1800 pixels, but here’s where we face a problem: *third-party apps now look worse on the new MacBook Pro* than they did when viewed on the previous models.

    What does this mean? Third party apps (anything not pre-installed by Apple and/or designed for Apple) that you probably use on a regular basis now exhibit blurry text and low-quality graphics. This includes, but isn’t limited to, Google Chrome and Mozilla Firefox.

    *Firefox* developers are working on temporary fixes to cater to MacBook Pro Retina users. This will require patience until they release a software update.

    *Google* Chrome has been a bit more active as they’ve released Chrome Canary that is better equipped to display at the MacBook Pro Retina’s resolution. This isn’t a complete fix though, so users that prefer to simply use Google Chrome will also have to wait for an update.

    *Microsoft Office* has also stepped up their game by releasing an update (14.2.4) that will “*resolve this issue.*”:http://blog.officeformac.com/retina-display-support-is-here-for-office-for-mac-2011

    For native apps (anything pre-installed by Apple and/or designed for Apple) such as iPhoto, GarageBand, Final Cut Pro X, there are already updates in place. However, you may be seeing less than satisfactory quality in iWork, which is Apple’s version of Microsoft Office. If you are, it’s simply because Keynote, Pages, and Numbers are still set in low resolution.

    To resolve this, here’s what you’ll need to do:

    * Go to the *Application* folder
    * Look for *Keynote*, *Pages*, and/or *Numbers*
    * Right click or tap “command+i” > *Get Info*
    * Deselect “*Open in low resolution*”

  • Space is a Premium

    Lately, I have been dealing with our data backup solution in South Burlington. Our old RAID system was giving us some trouble and needed to be replaced. Our beloved IT department gave us a Drobo S model RAID to replace it.

    Our old RAID was a Sans Digital eight bay hardware RAID that gave us nothing but issues (and had been replaced three times). The main difference between the Sans Digital and the Drobo is the Drobo is only a five bay RAID, reducing the overall storage amount by 4TBs (or 1024GB).

    I have been spending a good amount of time trying to move data from one RAID to another and because of the space difference, we had to start using compression to make it all fit. While this transfer was happening, we had to use a temporary solution for our backup services — enter stage left the LaCie 2Big dual bay RAID. It’s a hardy device indeed, as it’s tasked with keeping up with the demand of the busiest Small Dog location in the company. However, it also began getting full during the transition from the Sans Digital RAID to the Drobo S.

    Since I needed to transfer the data from the LaCie 2Big over to the Drobo which doesn’t have enough space for all of it, this is where compression helps — big time. After some extensive research and IT input, we decided to move everything into individual sparse images per repair and then compress the images. Not a bad idea, but time consuming (especially when you need to compress individual pieces of data); nevertheless, it must be done.

    My method for compression? Until recently, I used OS X UI and compressed the file(s) to create a .ZIP file. Our IT recommended using bzip2 instead, which is also built into OS X. After doing a little reading, it looked promising, but the process doesn’t do directories, so the manual backups needed to be packaged into sparse images. Once those backups are bzip2, the process to compress those sparse images is more complete and faster than the UI compressor.

    All-in-all, it’s a several step process that should make our backups relatively easy to maintain, once I’m done with the long transferring and compressing portion. Something that is 300GB in size can take a day or two to compress, especially if the computer you’re using is having to do other tasks. For example, at the time of writing this article, I have both the Drobo and the LaCie 2Big connected to our service Mac mini by USB 3.0. This Mac mini is also serving the Drobo up for sharing across our internal service network so we can back up to it. While it’s sharing and processing new data that is being saved to it, it’s also compressing and moving data which is taxing the CPU to almost max out, so I can only do a few compressions or transfers at a time.

    In short, this is an area of IT that I haven’t explored much at all. I continue to look for new techniques and tools to help speed up this process of data maintenance, but some things just require time and due diligence. I will say that this process would go much quicker on a new Mac Pro with Thunderbolt. The processors would be able to keep up with the demand for resources for compressions and file sharing that I would have nearly the amount of slowdown that I have been experiencing on this little Mac mini.

    What tools have you the readers found for a task like this? I’m interested in hearing from the community. “*Send me your responses!*”:mailto:kyles@smalldog.com