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Apple’s AirPods are a relatively new addition to the Apple market.
They are sleek and wireless, making them a fancy accessory for those who hate being attached to their phones and other devices via cables.
For those lucky enough to have a pair, or those who have only just received them, here’s a quick guide on how to connect, charge and customise settings.
1 – Press the Home button to unlock your iPhone screen.
2 – Open the AirPods case — with your AirPods inside — and hold it next to your iPhone.
3 – A setup animation appears on your iPhone.
4 – Tap Connect, then tap Done.
Note: If you ever need to pair them with a different device, put the pods back in the case, open the lid, and then hold the setup button on the back of the case until you see the status light flash white.
These should play audio from your Apple Watch or iPhone automatically. However, if you need to change your audio output manually, do this:
On your iOS device:
1 – Open Control Center by swiping up from the bottom edge of the screen.
2 – Swipe from right to left to control audio.
3 – Tap the button that looks like a triangle with three circles, then choose the device you want from the list.
To recharge, all you have to do is put them back in the charging case. The case comes with a built-in battery, giving you up to 24 hours of total listening time. To charge the case, simply connect it to the Lightning cable that came with it and plug that into a USB port.
Note: Charging for approx. 15 minutes in the case gets you about three hours of music time.
From this screen, you can choose to turn off Automatic Ear Detection. There’s also an option to change the mic pickup from the left to right side or have it adjust automatically.
Along with Siri support, the new AirPods have a bunch of little features that can be turned off in the AirPods app on your iPhone. You can change the double-tap setting so it either activates Siri or pauses/plays music.
To customise your AirPods settings follow these steps:
1 – Open the AirPods case.
2 – Go to Settings >> Bluetooth on your iOS device.
3 – Tap the “i” button next to the AirPods in the list of devices.
PayPal has made it super easy to send money to friends with the use of Siri.
Now all you have to do is use voice commands to tell Siri how much money to send, and who to send it to.
The only catch is you need to have the PayPal app set up on your phone, and give Siri access to it.
For those of us who live in that wonderful world where Siri understands our every word, here’s how to set up your new financial controller:
1. Make sure the PayPal app on your iPhone has been updated to version 6.7
2. Press and hold the Home button to bring up Siri.
3. Tell Siri, “Send $50 to [insert friend’s name].”
4. Tap Yes so Siri can access your PayPal data.
5. Select the email or phone number of the person you want to send money to.
6. Hit Send when the confirmation screen pops up.
You don’t have to worry about having your bank account drained either. You do have to unlock your phone with your PIN or Touch ID in order to use this feature.
With the functionality available in over 30 countries thus far, you can use it wherever your travels take you.
So now take comfort to pay with Siri. No doubt there will be constant improvements to its security, making your purchases more secure.
Apple now has a few different options when it comes to the new 13-inch MacBook Pros.
There are machines have the option of function keys, or the Touch Bar, and are available for purchase worldwide.
It was discovered that the cheapest 13-inch MacBook Pro model (the one with function keys) is a bit different to its Touch Bar siblings.
Whilst there is the obvious presence of function keys, the internals are a little different as well.
For instance, the Touch Bar model has two fans instead of one, whilst the function key model has nicer speakers. This is because the speakers are fixed in place with vibration dampening keys, and not just glued down.
Not only that, but the speakers are located underneath the speaker grilles on the machine, whereas the speakers on the Touch Bar model sit alongside its battery towards the front of the case.
Another big difference is that the Touch Bar SSD storage drives are soldered to the logic board. This means that upgrading your storage is basically impossible. In contrast, the function key model’s SSD can be removed.
If you are wanting to purchase a machine that you can use for many, many years down the track, it is advised to upgrade the storage during the purchasing process.
This does mean that your machine may take a little longer to arrive at your door, but you will have the storage you desire.
If you’re still unsure, please don’t hesitate to contact us. We will be more than happy to assist.
There have been a few occasions where we have had a panicked client ring and frantically explain that the server has gone down over the Christmas break.
Whilst we do have a skeleton crew addressing concerns, it is always a good idea to make sure that you have a backup system in place.
Backups do mean that if anything terrible happens, and we have to try and restore data, luckily we have some already pre-prepared that we can fall back on.
If you don’t have a backup of any of your data, there is always a possibility you may never see your precious data again.
If you are unsure as to how to set up a backup routine, you can check out some of our previous articles:
– Hard Drive Health Check
– Backup for the Silly Season
– Backup, Backup, Backup
If you would like to get one of our technicians to give you a hand assessing your systems and organising a backup rotation for you, please don’t hesitate to ring.
For peace of mind, don’t delay. Ensure that you are prepared and ready to have a backup over Christmas.
As of Friday morning (28.10.16) Apple has released a new model of 13” and 15″ MacBook Pros.
The major overhaul of the machines are long overdue according to some and sport some big differences.
One of these differences is that it now introduces a Touch Bar to the machine. This Multi-Touch enabled strip replaces the function keys, allowing the user instant access to the tools they want. It changes automatically based on what you happen to be doing at the time, allowing you faster access to the features you want within the currently open application.
It contains system controls such as volume and screen brightness, interactive ways to adjust or browse through your photos and other content, and intelligent typing features (just like what’s available on the iPhone).
Touch ID is also available for the first time ever on an Apple computer, enabling instant access to logins and fast secure purchases via Apple Pay (only with eligible cards on participating websites).
The display on the Mac Book Pro has also been improved. It features a brighter LED backlighting and an increased contrast ratio. This means that you will have deeper blacks and bright whites. It is also the first machine to support wide colour. Meaning, you will experience more vibrant greens and reds. The larger pixel aperture and variable refresh rate makes it a more power efficient machine than the previous generations of Macbook Pro.
Other changes include:
– The speakers have been moved to the side of the TrackPad and have been redesigned to pack more of a punch and provide as much as twice the dynamic range, and up to 58% more volume.
– The keyboard has new keys. These rely on the ‘butterfly’ mechanism and provide a greater responsiveness and comfort.
– The TrackPad has been made significantly larger to give your fingers more room to move and click.
– The machine comes with 4 universal Thunderbolt 3 (USB-C) ports. A single port integrates data transfer, charging and video output in a single connector, and delivers twice the bandwidth of Thunderbolt 2. Existing devices are easily connected via an adapter, and with Thunderbolt 3 being reversible, there’s no wrong way to plug in the adapters.
The new MacBook Pros come in both 13-inch and 15-inch sizes and are available in Space Grey or Silver.
Machines are also available for order as of today, but due to the machines being new, will need to be built and then shipped. This means that there will likely be a 3-4 week wait for your new goodies to arrive to your door.
