Kibbles & Bytes Blog

Those of us in the technology world are often known for buying gadgets just because they are new and exciting, but just as many prefer to not buy more than they have to. Many like keeping things simple, and don’t want more complexity than necessary, staying on the cutting edge in not the most important aspect to the technology they use.

There can be something exciting about technology no one wants anymore, much of my technology comes from those who wanted faster more effective hardware. I find it a personal challenge to see how I can overcome “slower” technology and make it work for me just as well as any of the computers or devices that come in new boxes. Sometimes, it just takes creative thinking and maybe a few extra add ons to get more from that vintage hardware.

Not saying that the pros can’t appreciate tech that pushes the bottlenecks of throughput and multitasking ever further, just trying to point out that with everyone wanting the latest and greatest technology, there is a ton of what’s often considered “useless” old hardware ripe for the pickings by those who don’t mind dealing with glitchy, slow, unreliable tools that we can manage to hobble along with and squeeze every last ounce of usefulness out of.

Trouble with that lifestyle of course is that the standards and expected system requirements for today’s constantly evolving and diverse software world, wireless communication layers, new power and data connector types and adapter specifications, it’s hard to keep using anything even less than 10 years old without being severely limited in functionality.

Apple is nice enough to consider their machines still useful and within repairability range more than 5 years for many of is models of iPhone, iPad, iPod and Mac. That is honestly pushing it though when so much changes so fast. USB-C is a great herald of the coming age of universal connections and it’s amazing how backwards compatible it still is. Eventually, it’s going to keep evolving and eventually lose compatibility for those legacy devices so many of us still use.

As your devices start to age, consider your options. Many users want to keep hardware going as long as you can, but perhaps are not aware of the best means to do that. I always urge users to keep up with free OS updates on both their computers and iPads provided their hardware can handle the updates. Computers specifically remain current and functional significantly longer when software is kept up to date. It’s not uncommon for users to get another 2-3 years beyond a machine’s average lifespan (typically 4-5 years) with this one simple step. As most computers no longer allow for a hard drive or memory upgrades after the time of purchase, this is your best option. With iOS devices, the philosophy is very similar but with some caution. Generally speaking, installing iOS updates as they come out works very well for about 3 years. With iOS devices, it’s been my experience that the devices do not run well beyond this time period. Not is all lost, however, you can still get some more time out of your iPad just keeping it at its peak version of iOS. The iPad might be sluggish, but it will still provide basic usage and functionality and are often great units to be passed onto younger kids or novice users.

There is no crystal ball to know really how long you will get out of your device. But if you are a user who likes to hold onto items until it’s last breath, rest assured, you are not alone!

Apple has broadened it horizons in the past 20 years bringing the world much more than just personal computers. Apple now has a plethora of different devices suited for different levels of interaction for all manner of uses and users. Over time Apple has been developing a complete ecosystem of devices that all work together to create a truly unique computing experience unlike any other offered by a single technology company.

Every setting can be enhanced by Apple’s ecosystem of devices. From driving in our cars using Apple’s CarPlay to access maps and our favorite music, to working out at the gym and tracking our workouts with the Apple Watch, and then backing up and securing all the content and settings of our devices with Apple’s Airport Time-capsule.

When Apple is designing a product, they pay close attention to the capabilities of that product and how that product could be used along side their other great products. This attention to detail births innovation as it has uncovered use areas for technology that have not yet been visited or realized before.

It may be hard to justify the initial setup cost of composing your own complete ecosystem of Apple products as a lot of the same computing tasks can be accomplished on any one of Apple’s devices running watchOS, iOS, tvOS or MacOS. However, Apple’s different line of devices and operating systems are all designed with varying degrees of interaction in mind. All Apple’s devices seem to shine at performing a few unique tasks that are best suited for those devices. For example, the iPod touch is a great music player, the iPod can also stream movies, however, that said, the Apple TV makes for a much better viewing experience over the iPod’s small 4-inch screen.

Apple will continue to bring the world great new computing experiences and their current line of products is a great base for the innovation of future devices that will continue to push the boundaries of personal computing.

When dealing with a terminal input when trying to accomplish anything, you can use a plethora of terminal commands. But most of the time you will only use the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the full potential of the command. Lucky for Unix based file systems, like the one we use everyday when you fire up your Mac, have a built-in manual for every command and the syntax of how it is used.

Example:
For this example we will use the man command on the ifconfig command

man ifconfig

and your result will look something like this-

IFCONFIG BSD System Manager’s Manual IFCONFIG

and/or configure network interface parameters.

Now as you can see from the results, the man command gives helpful info and descriptions for any command in the Unix library. It isn’t a lot, but it’s a good place to start!

Hello, Tech Tails Readers!

How about that steady sunshine over the weekend? It was certainly a great few days for some outdoor adventuring and leisurely lounging in the elements. With the snow near my house officially gone for the season (knocking on wood, of course), I was able to get out and do some exploring along the river with some friends. Now, it’s been said before, but I feel compelled to reiterate- Apple is killing it with its mobile phone camera capabilities. One of my amigos recently purchased the iPhone X and was excited to test-drive the camera in a picturesque, environmental setting. And it doesn’t disappoint. Beyond the bokeh effect and Portrait mode, I was blown away by the sheer number of vibrant colors the camera was able to capture. Apple really outdid themselves with the TrueDepth camera system all around. I cannot wait to see what they roll out with next.

And speaking of…

The countdown to the WWDC begins! Beginning June 4th and wrapping on June 8th, the World Wide Developers Conference is sure to be a summer highlight for us Mac folk. This time of year is always interesting with the influx of juicy rumors and “leaks” regarding big reveals from Apple at this yearly event. My favorite moments of last years event were the macOS High Sierra reveal and iMac Pro unveiling, and I’m getting antsy at the prospect of even bigger and better things to come out over the course of the next year. We here in service and repair have been speculating about the title of the next macOS release and taking bets on if Apple is going to continue with the California mountain-range scheme or perhaps drop something totally new and unexpected. Me, personally, I would like see the Newton make a comeback. They could call it iNewt or something clever. Let’s talk, Tim. I got a million of these.

Keep on keepin’ on, Tech Tails readers,
Connor “the Newton was just too ahead of its time” McGinnis
connormcginnis@smalldog.com