Weekly Word: Password

Okay, I imagine that you already have a pretty good idea of what a password is, right? That secret code that you type in to login to a website? But, do you know how to come up with a really great password? Well, you should. You likely have a lot of important information out there on the internet, and having a good password can keep your reputation, your finances, your job, etc. safe.

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iPad: Did Apple revolutionize us again?

Long time readers of my blogs might remember in 2007 how elated I was to be sitting at Moscone, watching Steve Jobs just 20 yards away from me introduce the iPhone, a product that in my mind was no doubt going to be a slam dunk. I said at the time, “I don’t care if this thing is $1000, I’m going to have it on day one.”

Today was not like that.

Today was more like 2001, the day the first iPod was introduced. Like many others, I thought, “what, an MP3 player?” And like many of the less-than-crazed-Apple-fans, I didn’t get one the day they shipped. In fact, I didn’t have my first iPod till months later. But once I had one, got to experience it with all of the design nuance and interface touch that Apple is so well known and (at least by me) appreciated for… well, even then, I had no idea that it would take 70% of the market and completely up-end the music industry, but I knew I liked the product and would never have another MP3 player.

That’s how iPad is going to be for a lot of people.

Its appeal is not immediately obvious. I’ve talked to a few people who said something to the effect of “So what? It’s a big iPod Touch.” And they are right – when you get right down to it, that is indefensible. There’s no USB, no optical drive, no Ethernet. It runs the iPhone OS, not the full fledged Mac OS X that runs on a Mac. So that means no third party apps running in the background, and the only place you’ll get said third party apps is from iTunes.

That said, it’s set apart from iPod Touch because of the size and its 1GHz processor. That point is understated: you ever read a book or watch a movie on a Touch or iPhone? I have; it’s…difficult. Heck, even writing this article on my iPhone is slower than had I been at my desk. iPad won’t have these problems based solely on it’s size and speed.

It won’t compete with iPhone because you can’t make calls with iPad, and it has no camera.

Apple never made an eBook reader like the Sony product or the Amazon Kindle but I have to believe it destroys both of those. (Unless the unique screen of the Kindle appeals to you, and I could see why it might.) And with iTunes selling books to go with iPad – this thing could be a hit all on it’s own just doing to books what it did to music. Imagine every kid in school having one these instead of textbooks.

But how does it compare to a MacBook, which is what I think the disappointed groups were hoping for? I think the addition of iWork apps to the platform (on top of the other productivity apps like QuickOffice) in addition to the ability to use a Bluetooth keyboard (or the iPad dock with keyboard that essentially makes it a little workstation) mean that this could substitute for a computer for office work. Apple took the Netbook concept and made something in that same vein but without using a slow, awkward mini laptop. Yet at less weight and a smaller form factor than MacBook Air, iPad is certainly a road warrior’s dream.

Back when iPhone 3GS was released I postulated that a fast capable mobile device with the addition of 7mbps 3G cellular data would marginalize a desktop or laptop computer. iPad is the next logical progression of that theory.

The only question is, can it do everything a typical business person would need it to do? I’m very much looking forward to finding that answer when I get one this summer.

This Week’s Word(s): Print Options

Someone recently asked me how to only print one page of a document which is several pages long. While this is something which is very intuitive to me and the rest of the Best Macs staff, if you have not been using a computer very long and very frequently, it might not be so simple. This is just another example of why I write the weekly word. If you already have knowledge about how to change your printer settings, there is no need to read this, but if it’s not so clear for you, keep reading!

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This Week’s Word: PDF

Several weeks back, I gave you some general information on file formats. This week, I’ll be discussing one specific file format, PDF. PDF stands for Portable Document Format. PDFs are a very common type of file format because they are compatible with both Macs and PCs. This file format was originally produced by Adobe. Because of this, one of the most popular applications for viewing PDFs is Adobe Reader. This is a free application for several different operating systems, including Mac OS X. However, there are also many other applications which can read PDFs. The default application on a Mac to view PDFs is Preview.

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Wacom’s Worst Nightmare.

If you have ever considered yourself good at drawring and have a computer, chances are the thought of owning a tablet has crossed your mind. This article shows that Apple’s new MacBook Pro line effectively does away with the need for a Bamboo or Wacom tablet. With this nifty little piece of software you can turn your trackpad into a pen tablet.

In this article it shows off this new technology which debuted at CES in Las Vegas this week.

This Week’s Word: iSight

The weekly word is back. I hope everyone had a great holiday season. This week’s word is iSight. iSight is the camera which comes built in to most of Apple’s computer models as well as Apple’s Cinema displays. The iSight camera is built in to the MacBook Pro, MacBook, MacBook Air and iMac. The only model which does not include it is the Mac Mini, which is obviously lacking a display to begin with. This camera can be used to take pictures, participate in a video chat or record a video.

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Brian on the Advisory Council of the Apple Consultants Network

This week it was announced that I would be joining a small group of accomplished Mac consultants to serve as the Advisory Council for the Apple Consultants Network.

As you know, BestMacs has been a long-standing member of the ACN. For almost all of our 10 years, we have proudly displayed its logo next to ours. Membership is my direct link to Apple and also provides opportunities for discussion with my peers across the country.

But when I sat down to tell you all about this great honor and privilege, it made me think about what my ACN membership does for you. Sure, big deal to me, but what do you get out of it? Indirectly, you benefit from BestMacs being smarter as a result of program benefits. But I’m thinking more of direct benefits to you; in other words: what does BestMacs’ membership in the ACN allow us to do for you that we could not do for you otherwise?

The biggest that comes to mind is my working relationship with the Business Teams at the Apple Retail Stores in KC and Leawood. That’s no small thing, but I feel like there’s so much more opportunity for win-win-win for BestMacs, for Apple, and most importantly for you.

And that’s what I intend to push this year by committing the time to the Advisory Council: sniffing out those win-win-win ideas and helping make them a reality, not just for you and I but for all ACNs and their customers.

Ultimately, it means better quality of work for you, healthier business for BestMacs, and a stronger presence for Apple in the B2B and in-home markets.

(Needless to say, I’m excited to be a part of it.)

Apple Media Conference!

Steve Jobs

It’s official, as many of you may or may not know the media conference that Apple has been planning has been confirmed for Wednesday January 27th. At this conference many sources say that Apple will reportedly release a major new product into their family of existing products. There has been a lot of speculation as to what this “major new product” will be, however, most members of the online media believe that it is without a doubt an Apple Tablet in some form or another.

While there may or may not be a tablet computer released, this event should still bring excitement to those who are half as nerdy as I am about new gadgets. Tablet or not I am certainly excited for the possibility of Apple demonstrating some of the new features of a new Operating System for the iPhone.

Regardless of what is or is not released, mark your calendars for the 27th and get ready for another Apple media day.

So Long 2009

Today is the last day of 2009.  All week I’ve been working on BestMacs housekeeping, as well as new “products” and internal processes.

I moved to Lawrence in late October 1999 and started BestMacs shortly thereafter, so 2010 represents our tenth year in business.  But right now, I’d like to take a moment to reflect on what has been, in many ways, a tough 2009.

The recession hit all of us pretty hard.  Those of us involved in the Mac market have been blessed by a number of good decisions on Apple’s part that at the very least kept us from losing ground.  For BestMacs, I had to face my own tough decisions including “reinventing” the business so that we can be sustainable in the long term.

I’m happy to say that the decision and subsequent actions, while some imperfect, were the right ones.  Many of you, our loyal customers, have told me that you’ve seen the improvements in our service from both the technical work to the big strides in customer service.  With the help of our friends and partners, BestMacs is growing, but unlike years past it’s a controlled growth that I measure carefully to ensure that our values and commitments are not in jeopardy.  The team and I meet weekly to ensure that we are on track in training and workflow.  Overall, I’m very pleased with our progress and hope that you are too.

None of this would be possible without you.  So while we say goodbye to ‘09, I want to take one more moment this year to express my sincere appretiation for your patronage and loyalty, and to thank you for being my customer.

I realize that you have choices when it comes to choosing Mac support.  Yet, you have been loyal to me and my team and I’m grateful for it.  To that end, I’m going to do my best in the coming year(s) to continue to earn your loyalty by providing the absolute best services I can.

I can hardly wait to show you what we have on tap for 2010, but until then, I look forward to serving you and wish you and your family health, happiness, and good fortune.

This Week’s Word: Find

This week’s word is “find”. Let’s say that you have a HUGE document, a 25 page PDF, and you remember that there was a great quote from Steve Jobs that you really want to use in your article, but you just finished reading the article and you have no idea where in those 25 pages that the quote was. This sounds problematic, huh? Do you really want to re-read that whole article for one short little quote? Didn’t think so. Try using “find.”
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