LAPUG

The second meeting this month will recap WWDC 2020. This year, WWDC will be virtual starting on June 22 and we will have a review of the announcements that evening. This will be all about what's coming in the next versions of macOS, iOS, iPadOS, watchOS and tvOS!

Ben, Pat, Phil (and possibly a few other guests) will review their favorite utilities for macOS.  There are so many things that make things easier on your Mac to do things you normally can't do or things that would take so many more steps. You'll love this meeting!

So, we're all experiencing a new world. We're all at home and depending more and more on our computers and devices for contact with the outside world. What issues and difficulties are you experiencing now that your life at home is revolving more and more around your Mac, iPhone and iPad? How are you communicating with others? How are you shopping? How are you working? ARE you working? How are you entertaining yourself? What projects are you working on? Have you developed new ways of being productive you never thought about?  We'll throw the door open to discuss all these topics and more at our next meeting. Our meeting will be based on the Zoom platform. Zoom is free and works very well for the type of meeting the LAPUG group has.

Remember how we always ask for topic suggestions? LAPUG member Rosalind Jarret suggested the topic for this month's meeting and it's more about personal security and privacy. Specifically, Rosalind asked that we discuss the following: • California's new privacy laws • What are best practices for responding to the pop up notices about privacy and cookies. Should you block cookies? • Should you install an ad blocker and if so which one? • What are best settings for Google Privacy?  For Facebook Privacy? • Differences in privacy practices for laptop vs iPhone These are all fantastic topics and each could probably fill an entire meeting. But, we'll address those as much as we can and we welcome input from other LAPUG members who may have experience with these topics 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.

What's new in the iOS world? Apps! That's what's ALWAYS new! It's been a while since we spent some time going over some new and cool apps. These can vary in categories such as productivity, utilities, finance and numbers, news, entertainment, communication and entertainment...and more! This month, we'll spend some time going over a bunch of newer apps and we'll leave it open for you to talk about any cool app you've come to rely on or use on a regular basis. These kinds of meetings are always super informative! 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.

It's a new year! And with that, traditionally comes CES. The Consumer Electronics Show was in Las Vegas the week of January 6 and there were some very interesting products announced. Some related to Apple products and some not. We'll review some interesting ones.  We'll also talk about some new features in Catalina/iOS 13 in depth including the TV App, Password authentication, Sidecar, Screen Time and Voice Control.   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.

We'll be covering some more features about iOS 13 and Catalina and some more in-depth explanation of some of the newer features of each. 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 Catalina is here. Apple has made good on its promise to release Catalina in the fall (early October to be precise) and it's the first operating system for the Mac to no longer support 32-bit applications. That means that your apps must be updated and you make sure to use Go64 to screen your computer before upgrading. However, once you upgrade, you'll be in for a load of changes and cool new features especially when it comes to security. Our next meeting will be spent going over a lot of those changes and new features so saddle up and made the trip over to Catalina for a wonderful time.   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 new iPhones are here...and, better yet, iOS 13 and iPadOS 13 are here!! We'll go over iOS 13 and iPadOS 13's new features that will blow you away, make things easier to do and provide you with the ability to do things you never could before on an iPhone or iPad.  This will be a great meeting!!   This is our first meeting following the release of Apple’s latest iPhones, the iPhone 11, iPhone 11 Pro and iPhone 11 Pro Max. The iPhone 11 introduces several critical features including a new version of Apple's A series processor, the A13, longer battery life and a new wide angle lens on the Pro models. While the battery life is something anyone who uses a cell phone heavily will immediately understand the benefits of, the new wide angle lens and the increased functionality that comes from the A13 processor provide us plenty to talk about and even see!   ***Toward that end, if you have a new iPhone 11 and would like to share some of the photography or video you have shot that you feel exemplifies what’s different about this model, please send us some samples and we’ll try to work them into the meeting.***   We’ll dig deeper into this, of course, but the basic concept here is that Apple’s ability to depend on the processing power of the A13   Apple’s Night Mode and its controls coupled with the power of the A13 come close to letting the camera shoot in near darkness and produce images that are stunning and pleasing where none were possible before.   And, of course, we'll touch on the release of macOS 10.15, Catalina, but we’ll look more in-depth at Catalina in the November meeting. We will also 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.

Once again, Apple has chosen the morning after our monthly meeting to make new product announcements. So, we won't be able to review the presentation in detail but we can speculate on what will be coming out based on reports in the Apple industry.  So come on by and we'll let you know what YOU will NEED to know about the new software and how it will affect your devices. Note that macOS Catalina (soon to be released) will require all of your apps to be current, 64-bit versions so that might affect you since some of your older applications may not work after the upgrade. Come on by and we'll let you know how to find out in advance so you don't have any surprises after you upgrade.   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.

There were so many great topics to talk about last month from Ben's list that we didn't get a chance to cover all of them. We'll continue with a flood of info based on questions LAPUG members have submitted and we'll also cover some of the latest info going on in the Apple world. Of course, come prepared with new topics you would like us to discuss and we'll fit those in, too! macOS Catalina, iOS 13, iPadOS 13, watch OS 6 and tvOS 13 are just around the corner as we have more info that you'll need to know before upgrading! 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.

Our content this month is drawn from your questions and requests. We will look at:   1. Mail application choices for macOS and iOS 2. Death of Bento, other options 3. Photo organization for iOS 4. Maintenance Tools on macOS Malwarebytes TechTool Intego Net Barrier & Virus Barrier Disk Warrior EtreCheck Little Snitch Apple Disk Utility 5. Digital payment systems (such as Venmo, CashApp, AppleCash, ApplePay and the new Apple credit card) and cryptocurrencies. There are now dozens (perhaps even hundreds) of them, and even the social media companies (such as Facebook) are developing their own. 6. AppleTV and its various apps. (We talk a lot about iOS and OS X apps, but rarely about TV apps. Here’s a list: https://www.imore.com/best-apple-tv-apps 7. Apple’s recently announced tvOS 8. AirPods vs Powerbeat Pros 9. How to choose the right external display for you and your needs   And, of course, we'll leave some time for Q&A.  

Do you know about some of the hidden and less obvious features in macOS?  Some features have been around for years and some are relatively newer but, in both cases, there are some powerful gems that aren't talked about that much that can really help you be more productive on your Mac. This month, we'll expose many of these and teach you how to become more of a Mac expert than you ever thought possible. Make sure to take notes on these as there will be many!   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.

Photography on iOS has completely changed the game in the photo world. The phrase "the best camera is the one you have with you" takes on a completely different meaning when your iPhone's camera is always within arm's reach. Not only will we go over all the ins and outs of using the Camera app, but we'll also review getting images in and out of your iOS devices from other sources (digital cameras, SD cards, web sites, etc.). In addition to all that, we'll also review several other camera applications that go way beyond what Apple provides that allow you tweak your settings (aperture, shutter speed, ISO, filters, etc.) like you would with a more traditional camera.  This will help make your iPhone or iPad a true digital darkroom.

New iPhones and new Apple Watch! We'll have the run down on all the new stuff. And, to make things better for all of us, macOS Mojave, iOS 12, watchOS 5 and tvOS 12 are all out. We'll have devices that are running all of them and we'll demo it all and review all the new features.  This is one of the big events of the year for LAPUG so you won't want to miss it!   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 new MacBook Pros have been released! If you’ve been following the saga involving Intel’s latest processors, Coffee Lake, you’ll know that Apple hasn’t had any mobile products using these CPUs — until now! The cool thing is not only are they faster but Apple has included a quad-core processor (i7) for 13” MacBook Pro models and, for the first time, a six-core processor (i9) for 15” models. Along with these upgrades, Apple has doubled the maximum storage available to 2 TB in the 13” and 4 TB (!) in the 15”.  Of course, you’ll pay for the privilege and an i9 with 4 TB in a 15” model will set you back nearly $7,000!!   We’ll have both 13” and 15” models on had to talk about and demo. We’ll also talk about some Thunderbolt 3 accessories that are very cool. We suspect that many of you still haven’t gotten on the new USB-C bus (pun intended) and there’s a lot to talk about when it comes to understanding the differences between the USB-A, B, C standards as well as the USB 1, 2, 3 and 3.1 standards — not to mention mini USB and micro USB. We’ll clear up all that confusion for you.

This month, we'll review some iOS apps you know are there but you may not use to their fullest -- or at all. We'll review and go in-depth into Wallet, Files, Maps, Messages, News, Podcasts, Voice Memos, Compass, and more. Of course, there are some third-party apps that duplicate many of these features and we'll talk about some of them, too.    Also, you may have heard that Apple has moved several features from macOS Server into the macOS itself for all users to take advantage of. We'll review those features and you'll see what you can enable with just a few clicks to make your home computers and network so much more efficient and secure.   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 Engineers in Cupertino have been busy and Developers are now busy writing and rewriting apps to take advantage of the new features announced in macOS 14 Mojave, iOS 12, watchOS 5 and tvOS 12.   We will discuss what was announced, perhaps take a look at some early beta features just generally roll around in all the new sweet code! Bring your questions and ideas and we’ll discuss.

The days of packing toiletries and clothing and being on your way are gone. Today’s travel brings concerns for security and convenience that never existed before, including the ever-present need for power! How do you prepare, what do you have to bring with you and how can we best advise clients with simple preparations and tools that ease the burden of carrying everything you absolutely need to have with you? A recent discussion with Ben, Pat, Garry and Phil yielded some concrete recommendations and tools that make travel a little more secure and comfortable. Come share yours!   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.

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 current events in the Mac world as well as review some cool Mac & iOS apps and leave some time for Q&A.

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.

We've got a variety of Mac and iOS Apps to talk about this month. These are apps in categories such as Scanning, Screen Sharing, Alarms, Online (Mac & Other) Communities, and Food among others.  We'll also have some in-depth discussion on really taking advantage of online storage like Dropbox, iCloud Drive, SugarSync, etc., to maximize access to your data on devices with modest amounts of local storage (like iOS devices, 128 GB MacBooks, etc). Just because you have a lot of stuff doesn't mean you can't have access to all of it on your device.   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.

40 years!  On April 1, Apple celebrated their 40th anniversary at a great bash on their campus with Beats 1 DJ Zane Lowe broadcasting live from the party. In its 40 years, Apple has created lots of products that have really changed the world and inspired other companies to copy or follow -- Macintosh, iPod, iPhone, iPad. They've also created a few products that haven't done so well -- Apple III, Lisa, Macintosh Portable, Pippin, MacTV, Quadra with DOS Card, hockey puck Mouse, Apple HiFi, G4 Cube. At our next meeting, we'll spend some time reminiscing and we'll have a few old products on hand that will bring back lots of memories.  We'll also have some fun with some of the best Apple Ads over the last few decades. At the latest product announcements, Apple has been saying that iPad Pro is more powerful than over 80% of the PC laptops sold in the last year. They also said they're focusing on having the iPad replace aging PC laptops that are 5 years old and older. If that's true, there better be real-world apps available that can handle the day-to-day needs of most consumers (but maybe not true Power Users).  This month, we'll focus on some of those tools for business that work well with iOS. We'll look at Apple's iWork products, Microsoft Office, Outlook, Outlining, Project Management, PDF Workflows, Cloud integration, file sharing, Scanning, and more.   Since we'll be at the Apple Store, this will also be an opportunity to take a look at the new iPhone SE! 

These are a few of my favorite things...my favorite iOS apps! At almost each meeting, we get asked about an app that does this or an app that does that or whether we know about an app that does something specific. Although Ben, Pat, and Phil do indeed buy and test lots of apps, many LAPUG members do too. So, our next meeting will be your opportunity to share your favorites. Even if they're just silly little games or utilities like an egg timer, come show us your favorites. We're always looking for more things to do with our iPhones and iPads! In addition, we'll talk about issues dealing with security and certificates and how they have been affecting us lately on the Mac App Store. This will be an ongoing issue and we will explain why you might have to occasionally re-download apps from the Store or why you get a message that an application is corrupted. We'll also talk about the recent Transmissions.app ransomware scare and how it may or may not affect 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.

For photos and music, we've got Apple's Photos and iTunes but what about a library for your videos? Over the years, you've probably collected a bunch of videos (maybe even some of Ben's fun videos shown at meetings) and you might not have an organized way to access them. With iPhones, iPads and Apple TV along with other TV accessories like Amazon Fire, Roku and Google Chromcast, wouldn't it be great if you had a single way to access them all no matter where you are and what device you're using? Well, there are a few ways to do that and we'll talk about them including using tools like VLC, Handbrake, AirVideo and Plex.How many messages are in your Inbox? Dozens? Hundreds? Thousands? Getting better organized is always something we're striving for and getting control of email is really important. Reading through all your messages can seem overwhelming but it doesn't have to be that way. We'll spend sometime on organizing email using tools that easily file messages for you before they even hit your Inbox as well as filing messages quickly and easily with just a keystroke. This can change your life!   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 brand new year with a new set of resolutions. Maybe it's time to really learn about some of the cool stuff that's buried in OS X El Capitan or iOS 9. Maybe it's time clean off your desktop and make your Mac a little zipper. Maybe it's time to setup a second, offsite backup (what...you don't have a backup at all?...). Maybe it's time to really take advantage of cloud storage and understand what it is and what it isn't (and no, there isn't one single service called "The Cloud").     We'll spend some time going a lot more in depth with El Capitan and show off lots of new features and little things that can make a huge difference in the way you work. Things in the Finder, Notes, Maps, Safari, Mail, Spotlight and more. We'll also show some of the corresponding and some more unique features in iOS 9. If you really want to make sure your "stuff" is available to you all times, cloud computing may be the way to go. We'll show you how El Capitan and iOS 9 can make your Mac and iPhone/iPad work even closer together than ever before using online services.   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 talked so much about security and passwords and the importance of using a password manager rather than that little black book or the Post-It notes you stick near the computer (you're not really doing any of that, right?). Well, the time has come. This is a MUST ATTEND meeting to finally get your head around using a secure password management application. Khad Young from AgileBits will be leading a discussion on 1Password to show you not only why you would need a password manager but also all the cool things 1Password can do. Bring your friends to the meeting and let's spend some time finally prioritizing your computer security. Really. The new iPad Pro is here and we'll be talking about the pros and cons of the new super-size tablet. Along with the Apple Pencil and Smart Keyboard, the iPad Pro becomes the most versatile and powerful tablet available. Can it replace a notebook for you? Well, come and see... And, now that iOS 9 has been out for a while, we'll spend some time talking about some more subtle and hidden features that haven't been promoted too much by Apple. You'll walk away being able to take better advantage of that supercomputer in your pocket!   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.

Lots of new stuff from Apple this month...we'll be showing and talking about the new Magic Keyboard, Magic Trackpad, new iMacs, and, of course, the new Apple TV. We'll demo the new Apple TV and we'll go over the setup process including the using App Store. If you don't yet have an Apple TV, come see what it's all about. If you have one and are considering upgrading, we'll let you know if it makes sense for you.   (edit: Apple TV setup was not successful at the meeting. That particular device was faulty and later replaced by Apple).We'll also talk about some ways to help stop all those junk and robo calls you might get using a really cool and free service. We've got a few new iOS apps to discuss that you might like. And, we will spend more time digging deeper into some not so obvious and hidden features in iOS 9 and OS X El Capitan. 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.

OS X El Captian is here! For those of you keeping score, this is officially version 10.11 of the venerable Mac OS. It promises to be an exciting (free) successor to Yosemite and most reviewers have noted it's faster, cleaner and more refined.  Rather than going to a whole new name, Apple selected "El Capitan" to reflect that it's a better version of Yosemite. We'll spend our time discussing how to upgrade, whether your Mac is capable of running El Capitan, and what major features this new OS will bring. Also, now that iOS 9 has been out for a while, we'll point out a few new features that escaped us back on launch day. You'll like these!  And, we'll show off some of the new features in iPhone 6S now that we have some on hand!   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 iPhones are here...the new iPhones are here.  Well, if you were to look at them, you wouldn't see anything new -- except for the new Rose Gold color. But, as Apple has said, "the only thing that has changed is everything".  With the new, really cool 3D Touch, a new 12 MP camera, Live Photos, 4K video, the faster A9 processor, and more, the new iPhone 6S is a compelling upgrade. We'll talk about it as well as the new iOS 9 that going to be available September 16. That day will also bring Watch OS 2.0 and we'll talk about how what will be new and different on your wrist. In addition, we'll cover the new iPad Pro (coming in November) and the new Apple TV (coming in October) with more detail on those when we'll have our hands on them.Also, long-time LAPUG member Bruce Gerson is moving away. But since Bruce is quite active on our mailing list and distance doesn't mean anything in the online world, Bruce will still be "there". Bruce will be talking about running the new Windows 10 (which some of us do need) in a virtual machine (in VMware or Parallels) and will provide some tips about some of the best utilities that make using Windows just that less painful.   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.

Practical security changes you can make TONIGHT that will make you safer. Recommendations have changed for how to protect your data and we’ll go over the latest recommendations as well as the latest concerns for Mac and iOS with an emphasis on giving you control and clear ideas of what to do.   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.

Apple Music is here! Apple has made an about-face from over a decade ago when Steve Jobs said that people want to own their music. With Spotify, Pandora and other apps sharing their part of the streaming music market, Apple has now added an all-you-can-eat feature to the iTunes Music Store. We'll spend some time going over how it works and what's different than the competition. We'll also talk about how it compares to Apple's other music service, iTunes Match, and how they can work together. We'll also go over some news including the public beta releases of OS X El Capitan and iOS 9 as well as the release of Microsoft Office 2016 for Office 365 users. And, a whole bunch more...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.

WWDC! The annual Apple Worldwide Developer Conference is the week of June 8 and, luckily for us, we’re meeting the evening of first day. That means we’ll have a wrap up report of the keynote that will have taken place earlier that morning. Traditionally, this is the time of year Apple makes announcments about new versions of OS X, iOS and any new technologies they plan to introduce soon. Perhaps there will be a few hardware announcements, too. There have been a ton of rumors about what’s to come but we’ll only know after the keynote is over. Make sure to come to the meeting so we can let you know about all the exciting things that are in the pipeline.