Lapug

This month, we’ll review the latest updates from Apple’s recent Education event including the new iPad as well as the interesting software Apple is working on for classroom and student management. Along with that, new versions of iWork have been release with Education in mind and we’ll go over some of those new features, too.   iOS 11.3 and macOS 10.13.4 have been released with a few new features and we’ll spend some time reviewing those, too.   And, of course, we'll go over some other current events in the macOS world as well as review some cool Mac & iOS apps and leave some time for Q&A.

The HomePod is finally a reality. Apple's smart speaker is more than just a speaker. It recognizes the environment where it's placed (near a wall, in an open area, in a room with another HomePod, etc.) and it adjusts the sound it produces based on its surroundings. The addition of Siri and the ability for it to be a hub for Apple's HomeKit makes the HomePod even smarter. We’ll have one on hand to demo!   And, of course, we'll go over some other current events in the OS X world as well as review some cool Mac & iOS apps and leave some time for Q&A.

All about iCloud and Apple ID

Recent Apple news plus: iOS has so many millions of apps available in the App Store and you're probably using a few. But, there are so many that you may not know about. This month we'll go over some of the best apps you're not using or that you haven't even heard of. This may turn out to be one of the best meetings of the year!    

The new iPhone X is here...and it's so cool!  We'll have a few on hand to demo and we'll discuss how this new model has been redesigned. No home button -- no problem. No Touch ID -- no problem. Full-screen graphics! And more!  We'll also talk about advances in iOS 11 along with new features to come in iOS 11.2 (currently in beta testing).   And, of course, we'll go over some other current events in the macOS world as well as review some cool Mac & iOS apps and leave some time for Q&A.

iOS 11 and macOS High Sierra have been released! This month, we will spend out time going in-depth with both operating systems and we'll review some hidden features that haven't been talked about very much. This is going to be one of the big meetings of the year!

Once again, Apple has scheduled an announcement for the morning following our meeting. But, this time around, we have a pretty good idea of what's coming. We'll spend our meeting talking about new hardware and software and provide a little preview of iOS 11 and tell you what you're going to be in for. This will be great! And, of course, we'll go over some other current events in the OS X world as well as review some cool Mac & iOS apps and leave some time for Q&A.

We’ll talk over the latest news in the Apple world for Mac and iOS, as well as the following topics:   1. Need a new router? Are Apple’s products End Of Life? How do I know what to buy?   2. Where can I ACTUALLY put folders? Can I put them in the Applications folder?   3. How to determine which album a photo is in and which photos are not in any albums in Photos.   4. Parental Controls for iOS devices and device management.   5. Help for the elderly using the Mac and iOS.   6. Getting power when there is no power coming through the grid. Batteries, generators and solar power.   7. Preparing a device for sale. How to know all your data is gone and it’s no longer associated with you or any of your accounts.   8. Need a new MBP? Should it be the current version or a generation ago to get old style USB ports?   9. Translations in general, and Ancient Greek in particular.

What's on your iPhone / iPad?  There are so many apps avaialble and we all love to discover new ones from each other. Let's spend some time at at our next meeting going over any must-have and newer applications you've discovered. We've got some new favorites to show you and we'll leave the connection to the projector open for you to show off the ones you can't live without. Even if you've just got one favorite application -- for work, productivity, a hobby, or even a game -- we'd all love to know what floats your boat. This is what the LAPUG is all about!   And, of course, we'll go over some other current events in the OS X world as well as review some cool Mac & iOS apps and leave some time for Q&A.

As expected, Apple's Worldwide Developer Conference (WWDC) brought not only announcements of new macOS, iOS, tvOS and watchOS, we also got new some new hardware announcements. Some are for immediate availability and some for for later this year. We'll have a complete rundown of all the announcements and we'll also discuss some other features and products Apple didn't include in the keynote.  If you've been waiting for a new computer, this is the meeting to attend so you'll get your questions answered about what's new and how you can migrate.   And, of course, we'll go over some other current events in the OS X world as well as review some cool Mac & iOS apps and leave some time for Q&A.

We've had a slew updates recently for macOS, iOS, tvOS and watchOS. We'll spend some time talking about not only some of the cool new features in macOS and iOS, but we'll also cover the significant new Apple File System (APFS) that snuck in right under your nose in iOS 10.3. This is a precursor of things to come in macOS and you should know what it is and how it will affect your Mac. We'll also talk about the end of 32-bit apps in iOS and how you can identify which older apps will no longer work in the next version of the operating system on your iPhone and iPad. Apple also released some iPad updates recently and they've hinted about new hardware to come. We'll tackle that, too! We'll also spend some time focusing on the Extensions architecture in macOS and how you really take advantage of some hidden features that can really make things easier for you.   And, of course, we'll go over some other current events in the OS X world as well as review some cool Mac & iOS apps and leave some time for Q&A.

A little early spring cleaning and some amuse-bouche! What are we talking about here? This month, we'll cover some really important techniques for cleaning out your Mac of old crud, how to restore some of the zip it used to have and how to maintain it better. There are a lot of quick and simple things you can do to free up space and get your Mac's speed back after having used it for so long. In addition, we'll be talking about a ton of smaller apps (hence the "amuse-bouche reference) that are mainly one-trick ponies that make a huge difference in what your computer can do and what you can do with your computer. You don't want to miss this meeting!   And, of course, we'll go over some other current events in the OS X world as well as review some cool Mac & iOS apps and leave some time for Q&A.

Allison Sheridan, from the NosillaCast podcast, will be at our meeting to present a few great tidbits when it comes to managing and editing photos on your Mac. Adobe Photoshop is the big 800 pound gorilla but it's probably overkill (and way too expensive) for most normal folks. There are other alternatives out there and Affinity Photo is one of the great ones. Allison will present how you can use AffinityPhoto as it's a powerful and capable application for not only most Mac users but for professionals as well. It costs about 5 months of Adobe Creative Cloud's Photoshop making it very affordable. Affinity Photo has great integration with other Mac app using App Extensions found in newer versions of macOS and Allison is going to give us great insights on using this program. This is going to be a great meeting!   And, of course, we'll go over some other current events in the OS X world as well as review some cool Mac & iOS apps and leave some time for Q&A.

Happy New Year! CES will have just wrapped up the before our meeting and we'll cover some interesting product announcements that might interest Apple users and portable computing enthusiasts.  The Apple Airpods are starting to trickle in and we'll have some on head to demo and show you how they work.  We've talked about Siri on macOS and iOS in the past and we've dabbled a bit with dictation. This month, we'll spend a lot more time talking about the uses of dictation along with many commands you can speak to make your "typing" much faster. Once you get into it, it's so easy to get through lots of email quickly.   And, of course, we'll go over some other current events in the OS X world as well as review some cool Mac & iOS apps and leave some time for Q&A.

The new MacBooks are here, the new MacBooks are here!  Well, some of us have received the new MacBook Pro with TouchBar and we'll spend some time talking about it. For those of you that want to know what having a TouchBar is like, we'lll also talk about a utility that will simulate that for you on your existing Mac. We're going to continue our discussion on some of our favorite utilities for both macOS and iOS and of course, since it's the holiday season, we'll spend the rest of our time socializing and enjoying some pizza and drinks. Feel free to bring a little snack for the group -- holiday cookies and goodies are always welcome.   And, of course, we'll go over some other current events in the OS X world as well as review some cool Mac & iOS apps and leave some time for Q&A.

Utilitiy City! This month, we'll spend some time talking about some of our favorite utilties that make life eaiser on macOS. Of course, there are a few popular ones like 1Password and TextExpander but there are so many more very powerful utilities that aren't as well known. We'll show you what you've been missing that will save you lots of time while you work. If you've got a favorite utility you like, feel free to tell us about it. Also, the new MacBook Pro notebooks have been announced and we'll review the features and let you know how all the changes to the ports will impact you. What peripherals do you have that will continue to work and what won't? What adapters will you need? Where to get these adapters, and more. We'll also spend more time going over iOS 10 & macOS Sierra's new features as there still so many to discover.   And, of course, we'll go over some other current events in the macOS world as well as review some cool Mac & iOS apps and leave some time for Q&A.

macOS Sierra is here. Apple has been working hard at releasing a new operating system and there's lots to learn and lots to like. First off, it's now called macOS Sierra (Apple has dropped the "OS X" moniker). Since there are some Macs that can run El Capitan but now can't run Sierra due to some changes in the OS, we'll go over all the system requirements and we'll spend out time talking about all the new, really cool features. Not only will we review the major features that Apple demonstrated at their recent announcement but we'll also go over a lot of lesser known and hidden features as well as changes in the new OS. Also, since iOS 10 has been out for a while, we've had a chance to dig a bit deeper and we've found some more little nuggets and features that you will enjoy. This month's meeting is going to be packed with info so if you've just upgraded to Sierra and iOS 10 or you're still thinking about it, we'll discuss a bunch of new things you need to know.   And, of course, we'll go over some other cur

Become that power user you've always wanted to be! You know how to flex your Apple muscle when using certain apps...but what about the app you use the most...the Finder?  Getting around the Finder and taking advantage of the many power user features will be some of the focus of our next meeting. Many long time Mac users still do things the same way even though Apple has given us some tools to make things quicker and easier. We'll go over lots of shortcuts and review some features you're not using. We've also got some great apps and web sites to show off!

-- Some more info about what we know about macOS Sierra and iOS 10. -- With iOS 10 allowing users to remove built-in apps from their iPhones & iPads, it might be a good time to start looking at alternative apps that can replace or enhance what Apple's built-in apps (like Mail, Safari, Notes, Weather, Stocks, etc.) do.   -- We'll review some tips and tricks about managing photos on your iPhone/iPad once you've imported them (but didn't delete them) from your iPhone. -- We'll review new features with iBooks that allow you to sync your entire Books library -- even with PDFs and eBooks not from Apple -- with all your devices. -- With more occurrences of malware fooling Mac users, we'll talk some more about how to be more aware of these scams and how to get rid of them from your computer.   And, of course, we'll go over some other current events in the OS X world as well as review some cool Mac & iOS apps and leave some time for Q&A.

The Apple Worldwide Developer's Conference (WWDC) kicks off on the morning of our June meeting. That means that the Keynote announcements made that morning will be fresh in our minds and we'll be excited to talk about them. New OS for Mac and iOS? Absolutely! New laptops and desktops? Maybe.... and maybe even more... We will spend our time analyzing and distilling those announcements and we'll spend our time talking about what it all means to Mac users like us.  And, of course, we'll go over some other current events in the OS X world as well as review some cool Mac & iOS apps and leave some time for Q&A.