by Marilyn | Oct 17, 2018 | customization, Finder, Mac, productivity, Tip
When you double-click a document, macOS uses the document’s file extension to figure out which app should open the file. So, by default, a PDF file called laser-squid.pdf opens in Preview because the Finder knows that everything with a .pdf extension should open in...
by Marilyn | Oct 17, 2018 | AirPlay, AirPort Express, HomePod, Tip
Apple may have discontinued its AirPort Wi-Fi base stations, but in a surprise parting gift, the company has released a firmware update to the AirPort Express that gives it AirPlay 2 capabilities like multi-room audio. If you have an AirPort Express connected to...
by Marilyn | Oct 17, 2018 | customization, iPhone, productivity, Tip
Unless you can palm a basketball, you may not be able to use an iPhone single-handed. But sometimes one hand is all you can spare. If you find yourself in such a situation, give Reachability a try. On a Touch ID–based iPhone, tap (don’t press) the Home button twice to...
by Marilyn | Oct 17, 2018 | customization, Dock, Mac, productivity, Tip
By default, Apple locates the Dock at the bottom of the Mac’s screen. If that location interferes with you seeing as much of your document windows as you’d like, you can set it to appear only when you move the pointer to the bottom edge of the screen. But there’s a...
by Marilyn | Oct 17, 2018 | image editing, Mac, Photos, productivity, Tip
Photos on the Mac provides so many editing tools that it’s easy to lose track of how an edited image compares to the original. You can always use the Revert to Original command and then undo it, but that’s fussy. Instead, Photos provides a Show Original button in the...
by Marilyn | Oct 17, 2018 | iOS, Safari, Tip, Troubleshooting, Web site
Some Web sites have separate desktop and mobile versions, each theoretically providing the best browsing experience for its platform. Unfortunately, mobile Web sites sometimes leave out necessary features or hide content. That’s especially annoying if you’re browsing...
by Marilyn | Oct 17, 2018 | iOS, Mac, productivity, Reminders, Tip
Productivity experts recommend offloading things you have to remember to a task-management app like Apple’s Reminders, which syncs your to-dos among your Mac, iPhone, iPad, and Apple Watch. That’s particularly helpful for tasks you want to be reminded of in a few...
by Marilyn | Oct 17, 2018 | Mac, productivity, shortcut, System Preferences, Tip
The System Preferences app on the Mac contains about 30 icons, each leading to additional settings panes. Rather than opening System Preferences, scanning the collection of icons, and clicking the one you want, you can jump directly to the desired pane. Just click and...
by Marilyn | Oct 17, 2018 | Desktop, Finder, Mac, Mission Control, productivity, Tip
If your Mac is anything like ours, you end up with lots of apps open, each with one or more windows that obscure the Desktop. For those people who like to save in-progress documents to the Desktop and keep current project folders there, all those windows get in the...
by Marilyn | Oct 17, 2018 | CarPlay, iOS, iOS 12, iPhone, productivity, Tip
Before iOS 12, Apple Maps was the only mapping app you could run on the dashboard in a CarPlay-equipped automobile. But Maps doesn’t always work well, and some people prefer directions from Google Maps or the Google-owned Waze. Once you upgrade your iPhone to iOS 12...
by Marilyn | Oct 17, 2018 | customization, Mojave, Safari, Tip
Do you end up with so many tabs in Safari that it becomes impossible to read the truncated tab titles? There’s no shame in that, and Safari 12—which comes with macOS 10.14 Mojave and is a free update for 10.12 Sierra and 10.13 High Sierra—now offers an option to add...
by Marilyn | Oct 17, 2018 | Control Center, iOS 12, iPad, Tip
Although most of what’s new in iOS 12 are new features, one change for change’s sake may throw you. In iOS 11 on an iPad, you would bring up Control Center by swiping up from the bottom of the screen, just like on all iPhones other than the iPhone X. With iOS 12,...
by Marilyn | Oct 17, 2018 | ASMC Archive, Dock, Mac, Mojave, productivity
The Mac’s Dock gives you quick access to frequently used apps, documents, and folders, and makes it easy to switch to a running app. In macOS 10.14 Mojave, the Dock has another feature: a list of apps you’ve used recently that aren’t on your default Dock. Icons for...
by Marilyn | Oct 17, 2018 | customization, Desktop, Force Touch Trackpad, Mac, Mission Control, Photos, productivity, Safari, Solution, trackpad
A trackpad is not a mouse. In some ways, that’s obvious—you swipe your fingers on it, rather than dragging it around. Less obvious, however, are the many gestures that make using a trackpad on your Mac faster and more fun. These gestures aren’t limited to laptop...
by Marilyn | Oct 8, 2018 | Apple Pros, APros Archive, Article, customization, Dark mode, Desktop, Mac, Mail, Maps, Mojave
The feature Apple is promoting most heavily with macOS 10.14 Mojave is Dark mode, which the company advertises as “a dramatic new look that helps you focus on your work… as toolbars and menus recede into the background.” Let’s look at what Apple has done with Dark...
