Apple Guide Podcast

HHello and welcome to this week’s episode of the Apple Guide Talks Podcast. I’m your host Ralph Shepherd joined by my co-host, Eli Piper. Join us this week as we take a look at Apple’s new AirPods Max and reflect on Flash as it gets closer to its end of life. Also, Eli touches on a few new and cool apps from Google.

https://youtu.be/LEV9sGXDhTk

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AirPods Max

AirPods Max is Apple’s latest and greatest headphone offering starting at $550. For more on the AirPods Max check out the playlist here:

Airpods Max Playlist from Apple Guide

New Google Apps

Google has two new features they rolled out recently.First is Google Hum to search. This is basically Shazam but it also works when you hum the tune of a song.Learn more:

9to5Google: Hum to Search can recognize over half a million songs as Google explains how it works

Second, is Google’s Look to Speak and Android exclusive accessibility app. Users can control their phone using gestures with their eyes.Learn more:

Lifehacker: Use Google’s ‘Look to speak’ App to Talk With your eyes

https://youtu.be/c3oNaq2Cugs

Reflecting on Flash Player.

In the 2000s, Adobe’s Flash player was used to power most of the multimedia and interactive content on the web. After years of evolution, other technologies have risen up and overtaken Flash. To learn more check out this article I wrote back in October on Flash’s demise. I have since updated it with the latest updates.

Reflecting on Flash from Apple Guide

Smart home technology is on the rise. You can control your lights, thermostat, garage door, alarm system, door locks, vacuums, and even your microwave all from your mobile device or even the power of your voice. But is it worth it?

https://youtu.be/xBX4YVqNe3g

To explain the state of smart devices I'm going to use LED smart lights as an example. They’re perfect since they are cheap, coming in around $14-$100 which makes them an attainable entry point for people wanting to get into smart tech.

Our first problem appears during the setup process. EVERY smart tech brand has their own app to control their smart accessories. This means once you invest in one system you're stuck with it unless you want a different app for each device.

Now that you have the appropriate app for your smart device you have to set it up, a process that is different for every smart device. Some devices pair using a bar code while others rely on Bluetooth or WIFI.

With the device set up and connected to your home WIFI, more issues are introduced. For instance, how is your WIFI coverage? Do you have a strong connection across your home or is your device on the edge of connection and will constantly be falling off? Then lastly can your home WIFI network support a fleet of bulbs spread across the house, and if so how will it penalize the rest of your network-connected devices like your iPhone or TV. Now some companies have found a way around using WIFI by introducing hubs, an example being the Philips Hue Hub. With a hub, you connect all of your bulbs to the hub then, connect the hub to your internet lessening the number of individual devices connected to your home internet. However, this workaround will increase the initial investment needed to get started since you, of course, have to pay for the hub.

Up next you have to give that bulb a name. Think of that lamp, you know the one, it’s right by the couch, it has a white cover, and fancy design, you know the one I'm talking about. What is the name of that lamp? “Lamp by the couch”? No that's not going to work because there is another lamp on the other side of the couch. This is an issue that you may never have thought of before. If you had to individually identify each lightbulb in your house what would name them? Now you could of course pair the two lamps together and say “Turn on the lamps by the couch”. But, you still need to give each light a distinct and unique name, and you can't reuse names while at the same time you need to remember which one is which for when you want to control them.

Now your bulb is connected and ready to do your bidding. How do you plan on controlling the bulb? You can of course use the app on your phone and maybe even your smartwatch if you have one. But you don't want to pull out your phone, find the app, then find the device you want to control. Instead, the simplest way to control all of your smart devices is by using a voice assistant like Google Assistant, Alexa, or Siri. When picking out your smart device you need to choose one that works with your preferred voice assistance. If you have any Google products look for smart devices with Google Assistant support, if you're invested in Amazon's Echo devices look for Amazon Alexa support, then lastly if you're in the Apple ecosystem look for Homekit support. Ultimately, it's up to the device manufacture on which voice assistance to support, if any at all. You may be thinking: "Cool as soon as I added the bulb to the proprietary app it's also added to my voice assistant!" WRONG! In most cases, you have to manually link the account you created in your smart device's app to your voice assistant's app which is another step and in some cases is not as seamless as advertised.

Hello and welcome to the Apple Guide Talks podcast! I'm your host Ralph Shepherd with my co-host Eli Piper. Join us today as we discuss if Apple should re-enter the advertising market and I got the iPhone 12 and Eli has some questions.

https://youtu.be/IwUSEHJxK0o

Apple Advertising

When the App Store first launched Apple also launched iAd, their own advertisement service to rival Google's AdMob. It also a way for Apple to also standardize ads in apps on the iPhone. Throughout 2016 Apple slowly brought the service to a close. However, iAd still runs in the background of Apple News and in App Store search results.

https://youtu.be/q7WVt63S49s

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=32wOPLCtj9E

https://youtu.be/pJSqDPIAN9M

Today Apple has multiple services like Apple Music, Apple TV+, Apple Arcade, Apple News, and possibly a search engine. Is there room for Apple to bring back iAd and make a free ad-supported tier for their services and provide it to developers to include in their apps?

Wikipedia: iad

TechCrunch: The downfall of the walled garden: here's why iAd failed

Apple insider: After abandoning iad revenue, Apple Ince can reintroducew an ad-free internet

Notes

2010-16: iAdToday: App Store Search, Apple News Ads

* Used in all of Apple’s services (free versions of tv, arcade, fitness), Apple’s search engine?* Security and privacy compared to Google* For developers to promote their apps where people can download the app from the ad* Use App Store preview video* Creates a common template* Easy for developers to implement* Advertisers know where their ads are going* 70% to developers* Cross-platform advertising

iPhone 12 Q&A

iGot an iPhone 12 and Eli has some questions for me! For more on my opinions of the iPhone 12:

https://youtu.be/elz7rbJI-k4

Post: A conversation about the iPhone While Unboxing the iPhone 12

That's our show! Thank you so much for listening. If you enjoyed this podcast be sure to subscribe and click the thumbs up button if your watching on YouTube. For more on the topics discussed today check our website AppleGuideWeb.com and stay up to date with the latest posts on our Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram pages @AppleGuideWeb.

So, I did it, I purchased the new iPhone 12. In today's video, I share why I went with the iPhone 12 and which accessories I got all while unboxing the new setup and talking about the state of the current iPhone lineup.

https://youtu.be/elz7rbJI-k4

Links:

* iPhone 12* Insignia - 10 W Qi Certified Wireless Charging Phone Stand for Android/iPhone - Black* Insignia - Hard-Shell Phone Case with Bumper for iPhone® 12 and iPhone® 12 Pro - Clear* ZAGG - InvisibleShield® Glass+ Screen Protector for Apple iPhone 12 and 12 Pro

Soon, Apple will be releasing macOS Big Sur (macOS 11), and with it comes the biggest facelift to macOS since the release of macOS 10 (Cheetah, MacOS X) in 2001. Love it or hate it, macOS will start borrowing the design language iOS, including iOS' boxy icon style. However, icons are one of the few things in macOS you do have the power to customize.

https://youtu.be/2a4QCMv7E2M

In macOS, you can change the icon of any app, file, or folder to further personalize your computer. In short, it's as easy as copying and pasting.

Start by finding the picture you want to use as the new icon and open it in Preview, macOS's default photo viewer. Use the keyboard shortcut Cmd + A to select the picture and Cmd + C to copy the picture. Now navigate to the app, file, or folder that you want to change its icon and select it. On your keyboard type Cmd + I to open the Get Info window. Get Info will tell you all sorts of information about the selected file, but what we want to focus on is the icon. If you click the icon in the top left of the Get Info window you will see a blue outline appear around it. Now that the icon is selected, use the keyboard shortcut Cmd + V to paste the picture. And that's how you change an icon on macOS.

If you don't like how it turned out you may want to make some adjustments all of which you can do in Preview. One thing you can try is cropping the image to focus more on the subject. To crop, use the keyboard shortcut Cmd + A to select the image. Then use the blue dots around the image to select the parts you want to keep. Once you have made your selection use the keyboard shortcut Cmd + K to crop the image. Under the Tools tab, there are many other properties you can play such as color adjustments, size, and annotating. Play around with it and design your icon exactly how you want it. Then repeat the steps for changing your icon.

Since the early days of macOS 10, you have been able to customize your icons however you like, and now it's time to get creative.

Free Icons:

* Icons8.com* The Noun Option* Flaticon.com* Iconfinder.com: Free* Nucleoapp.com * IconArchive.com

Help:

* Apple Support: Create custom icons for files or folders on Mac* 9to5mac: How to change Mac app icons* Business Insider: How to change the icon for any program or file on your Mac, and remove it later if you need to* HowToGeek: How to Change App, File, and Folder Icons on a Mac* Lifewire: Personalize Your Mac by Changing Desktop Icons

Hello and welcome to the second episode of the Apple Guide Talks podcast. I’m your host Ralph Shepherd joined by my co-host, Eli Piper. This week we talk about Apple Silicon, in particular the M1, along with updates to the MacBook Air, 13" MacBook Pro, and Mac Mini.

https://youtu.be/SOGAqAh79Wg

M1 and New Macs

On Tuesday, November 10, 2020, Apple finally announced its first set of Macs featuring their own, made in-house, processors. S0 what does this mean for you?

First, we're not quite sure what the M1 is and what it means. During the event, we were giving a bunch of vague graphs and comparisons. So there is no confirmation on its real-life performance. However, that doesn't mean we can't speculate and hope for the best.

As for new Macs, there is the MacBook Air, 13" MacBook Pro, and Mac Mini. All of these Macs keep the same exact design and feature two USB-4 port (which is a combo of USB-3 and Thunderbolt 3). The highlight of these new Macs is the M1 chip. But, don't make the mistake of buying an Intel edition of the 13" MacBook Pro or Mac Mini.

Honestly, just hold off getting a new Mac until at least early 2021. Hopefully, long-term reviews of the M1 should be out giving us an idea of the M1 performance and app compatibility.

Apple M1

Apple M1 Newsroom

Cnet M1 coverage

9to5 Mac M1 Coverage

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tbFixmOdBy0

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ljApzn9YWmk

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=umoEDgl_xBo

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b6g6rDDt9x8

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w_G3sFCfC7M

No More Free Google Storage

For years Google has handed out free storage ignoring the 15GB they originally give you. You used to be able to backup your whole photo library to Google Photos no questions asked. Google Docs, Slides, Sheets and other such Google services used to ignor the 15GB of free Google Drive storage. All of this is about to change. Effective June 1, 2021 Google will be inforcing the 15GB of free cloud storage. This means after that date you will only have 15GB to upload your photos and docs, however evry thing uploaded before that June 1st dosn't count.

Business Insider: Google is killing unlimited free storage for Photos, Docs, and Drive — but Pixel owners get an exemption

9to5 Google: Google Photos ending unlimited free backup next year, cites 'growing demand for storage'

In the early days, the only way to pick up a new iPhone is getting the iPhone. Today, with the release of the iPhone 12, you have four new options in addition to three previous options. That's a total of seven new iPhones fresh off the assembly line. This brings us to the question: What is the best way to pay for them and how can you get that price cheaper?

https://youtu.be/REIlmhzbUVo

How to Pay

Let's start off with the two payment options.

Buy Now

The most obvious being, just pay off your new phone. If you have the money pay in full and get it out of the way.

Lease

If paying in full is not an option for you, you can also lease your phone by making interest free monthly payments over the course of two years. You can do this through either Apple or your phone carrier.

Upgrade Options

Now that you have an idea of a payment method it's time to find the right device for you that fits your budget.

A New Phone

With the release of the iPhone 12, four new iPhones have been added to the current iPhone product line. Your current choices are:

* iPhone SE (2nd Generation): $399* iPhone XR: $499* iPhone 11: $599* iPhone 12 Mini: $699* iPhone 12: $799* iPhone 12 Pro: $999* iPhone 12 Pro Max: $1099

All of these iPhones are fantastic options and you really can't go wrong with any of them. Just find the one that best fits your needs and budget. Now I'm not going to go in-depth into each phone's features and differences and which one you should get. Instead, check out this post of reviews from other YouTubers.

Apple.com: iPhone

Trade-In

If you looking to get a little bit subtracted from the price of your new iPhone, try trading in your old one. Currently, you can trade in anything from an iPhone SE 1st Gen for $30 all the way up to $500 for an iPhone 11 Pro Max. Just remember these prices are only estimates. The real value will be based on the quality of the phone. Is the phone in good condition? Is the screen broken? Are their side scuffs? None the less, it's a great option if you have no other use for your old phone.

Apple Trade IN

iPhone Upgrade Program

If you have the money and always want the newest iPhone consider the iPhone Upgrade Program from Apple. Essentially you lease your phone for 12 months. After the 12 months, you have the option to trade in your current phone and pick up a new one, 12 months later you repeat that cycle. If you choose not to upgrade after 12 months you can continue to make payments for up to 24 months. After that the iPhone is yours.

Unlike just leasing the phone, Apple Care is included in the monthly price giving you discounted repairs. For instance,

Hello and welcome to the second episode of the Apple Guide Talks podcast. I'm your host Ralph Shepherd joined by my co-host, Eli Piper. This week we cover a designer who made $100,000 off of selling an iOS icon pack for customizing your home screen. Then, we move onto the iPad Air and figure out who it's for and which iPad you should get. Then we end with should you upgrade your TV?

https://youtu.be/y3m68Ra_i4A

Making $100,000 By Selling Icons

Traf, a graphic designer, developed an icon pack to aid the customization options that came with the release of iOS 14. To jump into this craze he sold his icon pack for $28 each. It may sound a little expensive, but people bought into it. He made 100,000 off of selling his designs to users. What helped push it into the spotlight was a shout out from an MKBHD, in a video that has now been seen by over 6 million people.

* Traf's Twitter* Traf's Icon Pack

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cH66LWWluVE&t=0s

iPad Air & The Whole iPad Line

In September Apple released an updated iPad Air and iPad 8th gen which joined the iPad Pro that was last updated in early 2020. Now the question is which of the three options is right for you?

Apple iPad

Get a New TV

It's shopping and console season. This month you have the release of a new Xbox, Playstation, and new graphics cards from Nvidia and new graphis and processors and CPUs from AMD. This month the gaming is going to the next level. All of these consoles and gaming PCs will support 4K HDR in 120Htz TV. Do you have one? If you don't have a modern TV you may be leaving a lot of performance on the table.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dBAveEUyr8A

And that's our show! Stick to AppleGuideWeb.com for more content like this. Be sure to follow @AppleGuideWeb on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram for the latest updates. Lastly, subscribe to AppleGuideWeb on YouTube.

Thank you so much for listening!

The dock can be found at the very bottom of your iMac or MacBook. This is the place where you can get quick access to apps, minimized windows, and folder. So, here's a guide to customizing your dock to best fit your workflow.

https://youtu.be/e5Rde4KvsAc

Dock Basics

Let's start with the basics. Click on any app on the dock to open it. While it's in the process of opening you will see it bounding. Once opened, it will sit still and you will see a little dot under it indicating it's open. Opening a folder from the Dock will not open that folder in a new Finder window. Instead, you can directly navigate through that folder and its subfolders to find the file you're looking for. Clicking on that file will open with its default application. If you prefer to navigate through a Finder window you can click the "Open in Finder" button. Remember, folders and apps on the dock are only a link to their respective files saved somewhere on your computer.

Customizing the dock is super easy. Drag apps anywhere to the left of the recent apps and drag folders anywhere to the right of the recent apps. Apps and folders are split by a group of three recently used applications. You can rearrange apps and folders by clicking and them dragging around their respective sides of the dock reorganizing them to your preferred order. To remove an app or folder just drag it up and let go.

More Options

When you right-click an app on the dock you will get a little menu. Clicking "Quit" will close every window and completely close that app. After the app is closed "Quit" will replace by "Open" in the right-click menu and the dot showing the app as open will also disappear. "Show All Windows" will give you a preview of all of that app's windows that are currently open. Opening the "Options" submenu lets you remove the app from the dock and choose to have that app open at login. I don't recommend setting apps to open at login because it may slow down the login process. Then, "Show in Finder" will tell you where the app is really launching from. Above that are app-specific options. Another note in regards to apps on the Dock, to open a file in an application found on the Dock, drag and drop that file over the app you want to open in.

Right-clicking a folder will give you a different list of options. In the "Options" submenu you can remove the folder from the dock ("Remove from Dock") and show the location of the folder in Finder ("Show in Finder"). You can also choose how the folder will open on the Dock. Your options are fan, grid, list, or automatic which is also the default. Up next you can choose how the folder is displayed on the dock. Your two options are a folder or stack. The folder option will display the icon of that folder while stack will stack the icons of the first few files in that folder. Lastly, you can choose how to sort the files in the folder, whether by name, date added, date modified, date created, or file type ("Kind").

Preferences

Now let look at some more advanced customization options for the dock. If you open System Preferences then go to the Dock preference pane you get more ways to personalize your dock. First, you can increase and decrease the size of the Dock. To see what you're hovering over you can enable magnification and choose how far the app your hovering over will pop out. Up next you can choose the Dock's position on your screen, you can move it from the default bottom to either the left or right. You can choose the minimization animation by changing the "minimize windows using" setting to either genie or scale.

Hello and welcome to the first episode of the Apple Guide Talks Podcast where we cover a wide range of tech and simplify it for the average consumer. I'm your host Ralph Shepherd and with my co-host Eli Piper. Join us today's as we discuss Linus from Linus Tech Tips getting a Mac Mini, How Strong are the iPhone 12 Magnets, and Theaters are dead. Then stay tuned till the end for a sneak peek into this week's Apple Guide post!

https://youtu.be/9QA4sG5cC2U

Apple Silicon is Coming

At Apple's World Wide Developers Conference (WWDC) they announced its Macs would be moving away from using Intel processors as the brain of the machine. Instead, they will transition into creating their own processors like they do in all of their other product lines.

In preparation for the transition, Apple shipped Mac Minis to qualifying developers to optimize their apps for the upcoming computers.

On This Topic

* Why is this so important?* How good are these Mac Minis?* Why do these Mac Minis not matter?

Sources

* Apple Developer: Universal app Quick Start Program* Wikipedia: Developer Transition Kit (2020)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bp6fdC3XCgA

How strong are iPhone 12 magnets?

Magsafe has given a new life with the new iPhone 12. In addition to wireless charging, Magsafe opens the door for accessories. Which then brings the question: How strong are the magnets?

* Forbs: First Apple iPhone 13 Leaks Reveal Smaller Notch, ProMotion Display, Touch ID* Mac Rumors Forum: MagSafe leaves marks on Silicon 12 Pro case after only one day of use.* Apple Support: How to use your MagSafe Charger with iPhone 12 models* Kickstarter: Mobile by Peak Design: Make your phone a better tool.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6-inZ7xLOvQ

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X1b3C2081-Q

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dECBxeUYgDc

Theaters are Dead

During the covid-19 pandemic movie theaters have undoubtedly struggled. But, is there any hope for a comeback? Can modern TVs and sound systems replace the traditional theater?

* Center for the Digital Future: Has the coronavirus killed movie theaters?

This Week on Apple Guide

Getting the most out of the Dock on macOS!