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Social Networking Presentation
Join us this Tuesday, March 12 at 7 PM as Brittany Palmer of MacAtoZ LLC provides a free overview of social networks like Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr and more. This presentation for the Salem Macintosh Users Group (SMUG) will take place at Comfort Suites on Hawthorne Avenue in Salem, Oregon. Visitors are welcome, and if you decide to join, the group’s dues are only $25 per year per family—a real bargain. We will hope to see you there!
Mac Security Threats: Stuff Apple has pitched
It’s been awhile since Apple shipped its Macintosh computers with Adobe Flash or Java installed. In the last few weeks we’ve been reminded of why: Both technologies are prone to security vulnerabilities. Indeed, these most recent bits of malware code could allow a hacker to take over your Mac. (Or, to be fair, your Windows PC. Because Flash and Java are cross-platform, Windows is just as susceptible. iOS devices—iPhone, iPad, iPad Touch—are immune.)
If you run Adobe Flash, you should make certain that your system is running the latest version (as of this writing, that’s 11.6.602.167. Your Mac needs to be running Mac OS X 10.6 or later to use the latest version of Adobe Flash. Users of earlier Mac OS X operating systems should disable Flash entirely or upgrade their OS.
With Java, you will want to download any Java-related security updates you find in Apple’s Software Updates. We recommend that you also disable Java in your web browser unless it’s essential to something you’re doing online. (In Safari, go to Preferences > Security and uncheck the “Enable Java” box. Note that Javascript is a different technology and should remain enabled.)
As always, if you have security-related concerns or questions, please contact MacAtoZ to schedule a remote support session or an in-person consultation.
Macworld 2013
We will be away from the office from January 28 through February 4 while we attend Macworld in San Francisco. Learning opportunities such as Macworld help us stay abreast of current Apple technology and technology trends which in tern allows us to serve you better. MSS members requiring remote support should continue to call if you need assistance, but please understand that our ability to get back to you in a timely fashion is slightly compromised. Calls from non-MSS clients will be returned when we get back on February 5.
SMUG Presentation on January 8
Our president, Ty Davison, will be giving a presentation entitled, “The Hardware Renaissance,” for the Salem Macintosh Users Group on January 8 at 7 PM. The presentation
In this presentation, we’ll talk about various hardware products that connect to iPhone, iPad, and Mac.
New MacAtoZ Online Store
We’ve updated our online store to bring you a variety of great products—typically at below retail price. Please check out our new online store at www.MacA2Z.com.
Apple Special Event
Notes from the October 23, 2012 Apple Special Event:
– 275,000 distinct iPad apps
– Mac #1 Desktop in the US
– Mac #1 Laptop in the US
– New 13″ MacBook Pro with Retina display starting at $1699
– New Mac mini
– New iMac — That is one incredibly thin machine! 5mm edge. Starting at $1299
– iPad: 100 million sold
– New version of iBooks Author, huge news for the education textbook market
– New iPad! A6X chip, double CPU and graphics performance. 10 hour battery life. FaceTime HD 720p front camera. LTE including Sprint as a carrier. 2x faster Wi-Fi. Lightning connector. Lightening to USB, HDMI, VGA. Retina display.
– iPad mini, 7.2mm, .68 lbs, black or white color, screen size = 7.9″ diag, 1024 x 768, Dual core A5 chip, FaceTime HD, 5MP iSight camera, LTE wireless, faster Wi-Fi, Lightning connector, 10 hour battery life. $329 starting.
A few notes on the new Macs
First, the new MacBook Pro 15″ with the Retina display looks stunning. The price is high compared to the rest of the lineup, starting at $2200, but that’s not far off historical pricing. I remember buying a G3/500 Pismo PowerBook for about $3000 a decade or so ago.
The other laptop updates look good, with either price reductions or the same pricing along with new technology. No Retina display, though….
Notable: The MacBook Pro 17″ has been dropped from the line-up. If a 17″ is a favorite of yours, best to look for a close-out deal on the now previous model.
The Mac Pros saw a very slight upgrade with NO Thunderbolt addition. That’s really almost inconceivable since the rest of the Mac line has it. I strongly suspect this means that my next desktop Mac will be an iMac.
The full stream of Apple’s WWDC 2012 Keynote is here:
https://events.apple.com.edgesuite.net/126pihbedvcoihbefvbhjkbvsefbg/event/index.html
We help people with Apple technology.
