Apple's new iMac proves it's an M1 world, and we just live in it

Apple's new iMac proves it's an M1 world, and we just live in it

If you've been holding off on buying a new iMac, this new version with an M1 chip and 1080p webcam is its biggest makeover since 2012.

One of the longest-standing personal computer designs has fallen. Goodbye, iMac. Hello, iMac. The new version of the smaller iMac (formerly 21.5 inches, now 24 inches) has taken on a whole new look, becoming the first M1-powered Mac in a new design unveiled at Apple's spring event. That alone will be enough to recommend it to some shoppers, especially those who have held off on updating a much older iMac. The new CPU and webcam add the best elements of the still-new M1 MacBooks and the Intel-powered 27-inch iMac. 

This change has been a long time coming. Since 2012, roughly forever in computer design terms, an iMac has been a large screen, gently bowed out on the back, tapering to a sharp edge and perched on a single curved foot. That now-eclipsed Apple iMac look has stood for nine years. It's a testament to the forward-looking design that it still mostly held up year after year, when even the MacBook Air, Apple's other unchanged-for-too-long computer got a major physical redesign in 2018. 

iMac throwback: Apple's candy-colored history, from 1999 to 2021

The newest iMac reminds me so much of one of the oldest iMacs. Yes, the classic candy-colored CRT-sporting G3 model, from 1999, which is still a lauded example of clever, consumer-friendly industrial design. 

With seven color options, it certainly owes a debt to that oh-so-colorful 1999 iMac G3 series. It's also a bit of nostalgia that couldn't come too soon. Times are grim, still. Do our computers have to match our pandemic-affected moods?

Before today, if you wanted a current Mac in color, you had to opt for a MacBook Air or Pro in gray, silver or gold. These were all pretty muted colors, and if your idea of making a bold personal statement was picking space gray over silver, these new iMacs might be too outré for you.

For the rest of us, Apple is more than happy to sell color-matched accessories -- including a few different keyboard configurations -- plus color-accented Magic Mouse and Trackpad options. 

The new keyboard is one of the real stars here. The standard iMac keyboard has been updated with more rounded corners and an emoji key. You can also opt for a color-coordinated keyboard with a built-in number pad, as well as a version with Touch ID built in, making the iMac as easy to log into as a MacBook. 

Before you ask, the answer is no. No, the Touch ID keyboards won't work with your non-M1 Mac (the actual keyboard will, but the fingerprint reader won't). Also no, you can't buy these new versions separately, in any color. At least, not yet. I still recall feeling intense envy at not being able to get the space gray keyboard that originally only came packaged with the now-discontinued iMac Pro. 

Apple's new iMac sports a more colorful look.

But even bigger changes have come to the iMac. Formerly a 21.5-inch machine, it now fits a 24-inch display into roughly the same footprint, thanks to slimmer, more modern bezels. It's not as fancy as the Apple XDR display, or even the screen on the 27-inch iMac, which offers an expensive (but worth it!) nanotexture layer, but Apple says the new 24-inch screen does have an anti-reflective coating of its own. 

Apple is pitching this as a good kitchen or classroom computer or for people who have desks that aren't very deep and need a smaller footprint. The giant foot is now squared off. Previously, it was a trapezoid that widened out as it came toward you, all as part of the literal delicate balancing act of keeping this big, heavy all-in-one desktop from toppling over. It's now lighter and will hopefully be easier to pick up and move around.

The 4.5K 24-inch screen replaces the old Retina version of the 21.5-inch iMac. If you absolutely want a new Intel 21.5-inch iMac, the Intel Core i5 version with a 1,920x1,080-pixel screen is still available, for now, for $1,099 in the US. With the new version starting at $1,299 and a comparable MacBook Air at $999, I can't imagine why anyone would want the older model.

No more USB-A ports, and a repositioned, redesigned hinge. 

Apple

It's an M1 world

Here's the interesting plot twist. In some ways, almost every Mac is basically the same now. The differences between the chips running the MacBook Air, MacBook Pro (13-inch), Mac Mini and 24-inch iMac are minimal, and our previous benchmark testing of the Air, Pro and Mini shows that. The new iPad Pro is joining the M1 club, too, further blurring the line between laptop, tablet and desktop. 

How will the M1 Chip change the iMac? This nice part is, we already pretty much know. Looking back on our testing of the M1 Air, Pro and Mini, they did great even compared to the very recent Intel versions of the same products. 

The biggest thing you need to know about switching to an M1 Mac is that you probably won't even really notice. Key software apps like Adobe's Lightroom, Photoshop, Illustrator and Premiere, are (very) slowly getting M1-native versions. Even those that are not yet in M1-native forms use Rosetta, Apple's x86 emulator. When it comes to editing 4K video, I've already found the M1 combined with native software like DaVinci Resolve to perform better than it did on an Intel Mac. I've had a tiny handful of compatibility issues with M1 Macs since last November, but it mostly works anonymously in the background, as intended. 

The other big advantage of the M1 platform is better power efficiency. The MacBook Air used the M1 switchover to go fully fanless. The new iMac uses it to replace its whole thermal system with two small fans. For laptops, the battery life boost is easy to quantify. On a desktop, that's not going to be a selling point, although quieter fans and lower power consumption might be.

Camera ready 

We used to say the old 21.5-inch iMac was basically a MacBook Air on a stand. That hasn't changed; this is the same CPU after all, with most of the same benefits as other M1 systems. But it also adds one more new feature -- a much-improved camera. 

Looking back at 2020, just as the pandemic was in full swing, Apple released a 27-inch iMac that changed out nearly every internal component, leaving the iconic (if aging) design alone. At the time, I loved it for one reason above all others: Its 1080p webcam, backed by Apple's excellent camera software for exposure control, made me feel like a superman in a Zoom world of mere mortals. 

I looked great, my lighting looked great, my audio was great. The most painful comparison was frankly to Apple's MacBook laptops, still saddled with sad 720p cameras that weren't great even pre-COVID. 

The 2021 24-inch iMac also trades up to a 1080p (aka full HD, aka 1,920x1,080-pixel) camera. Apple says it's actually even newer hardware than the excellent camera in the 27-inch iMac, and further, the M1-optimized camera software can control lighting, color temperature and exposure even better than on the 27-inch Intel version. I haven't seen this new webcam in person yet, so I can't comment, other than to say I've been very happy with the camera in the 2020 27-inch iMac. 

The new 24-inch iMac will be available for preorder starting April 30 and should ship in the second half of May. It starts at $1,299 (£1,249, AU$1,899), with more expensive base models getting more color options, more ports, more storage, an extra GPU core, and an Ethernet port in the power cable.

Even with the M1 chip, I think of this as more of a household or small home office machine, and the move to a larger 24-inch screen makes it feel more universally useful than the old 21.5-inch did. High-end video editing will require more RAM and a dedicated GPU, as found in the 27-inch iMac, which has yet to undergo its Intel-to-M1 transformation. We're expecting to get a new 24-inch iMac shortly to test, and will report back on benchmark results and buying advice.

What's ahead from Apple: 2019-2020

Coming in September

• 2019 iPhones - We're expecting three iPhones in 2019 that are similar to the iPhone XS, XS Max, and XR. We'll get two OLED models (XS and XS Max successors) and one LED model (XR successor), with no significant design changes, though there could be a new frosted glass back and a smaller notch, but rumors are mixed on this last point. The iPhone XS and XS Max successors will feature an improved triple-lens camera while the iPhone XR will use dual-lens cameras and could come in two new colors. We've heard rumors of USB-C, but it ultimately sounds like the 2019 iPhones will stick with Lightning, and we can also expect an A13 chip along with faster LTE and WiFi, bigger batteries, and a new bilateral wireless charging feature that will let the 2019 iPhones wirelessly charge other devices.
  

• Apple Watch Series 5 - Rumors suggest Apple Watch Series 5 will feature a new ceramic casing design, suggesting a return of the Apple Watch Edition. Expanded ECG support for additional countries is also expected in 2019, with the feature likely to be available in Series 4 and new Series 5 models. New health features have also been rumored for years, such as non-invasive blood glucose monitoring. A micro-LED display is a possibility, as are solid state buttons. We don't yet know what to expect from the next Apple Watch, but Apple reliably updates it every September just like the iPhone.
  

• Apple TV+ - Apple TV+ will house Apple's original TV shows and movies, and it's set to launch this fall. No pricing has been announced, but it would make sense for it to launch alongside new iPhones.
  

• New Software - Apple at WWDC introduced iOS 13, iPadOS, tvOS 13, watchOS 6, and macOS Catalina, all of which will launch this fall alongside new iPhones and other new hardware
  

• Apple Arcade - Fall will also see the launch of the Apple Arcade service, which is a new gaming service that will offer access to more than 100 new and premium games for a monthly fee. Cost and exact launch date haven't been announced, but this service also makes sense to launch when new iPhones come out.

Later in 2019

• Mac Pro - Apple is working on a high-end high-throughput modular Mac Pro for its pro user base, which was shown off at WWDC. The new machine features Xeon chips with up to 28 cores, up to 1.5TB RAM, up to 2 Radeon Pro II Duo GPUs (four GPUs total), a new lattice design for thermal regulation, and eight PCIe expansion slots. The new Mac Pro starts at $5,999, and it's launching this fall, perhaps in September according to a leaked date Apple may have leaked.
  

• Apple Pro Display XDR - Apple is planning to release the Apple Pro Display XDR, a professional 32-inch 6K display with a 6016 x 3384 resolution and a $4,999 price tag, which does not include a stand, which is priced at an additional $999.
  

• Apple TV Dongle - Rumors suggest Apple is considering a lower-cost Apple TV dongle similar to the Amazon Fire Stick or Google Chromecast, which would be available at a lower price than the current Apple TV set top boxes. Such a dongle would be able to be plugged into the back of a TV and would be used to promote the company's upcoming streaming TV service.
  

• HomePod - We've heard rumors suggesting Apple is working on a lower-cost HomePod option that would better compete with offerings from Amazon and Google.
  

• High-end Over-Ear Headphones - To round out its audio offerings of the HomePod and AirPod, Apple is reportedly developing Apple-branded over-ear high-end headphones. Sound quality is said to be a major focus, and Apple will include active noise-cancellation. We don't know just when the headphones will launch, but the second half of 2019 is rumored.
  

• iPad Pro - Apple will refresh the iPad Pro lineup with updated processors in 2019, according to reliable Apple analyst Ming Chi Kuo, though no other updates are expected at this time. A more substantial update will be introduced in 2020.
  

• MacBook and MacBook Air - There are no specific rumors about notebook updates, but the MacBook is in need of a refresh since it didn't get a 2018 update, and Apple could also introduce a minor spec update in the MacBook Air, There's been some speculation that the MacBook will be Apple's first ARM-based notebook with a custom chip, but that's not expected till 2020.

Coming in 2020

• 2020 iPhones - Apple's 2020 iPhones will introduce some exciting improvements, based on rumors. 5G wireless chips for much faster cellular speeds are said to be coming, plus Apple is going to add a laser-powered time-of-flight 3D rear camera for significant improvements to AR experiences. We could also get an all OLED lineup, with Apple finally doing away with LCD iPhones.
  

• 2020 iPad Pro - The 3D camera feature coming to the 2020 iPhones might show up in 2020 iPad Pro models first. The camera will let 3D models be captured using the iPad Pro's camera and then edited with Apple Pencil. No major iPad Pro changes are planned for 2019, so we might not get another iPad Pro until 2020.
  

• AR Smart Glasses - Apple is working on augmented reality smart glasses that could come at some point in 2020. The glasses are said to feature a dedicated display, built-in processor, and an "rOS" or reality operating system. Input will be via touch panels, voice activation, and head gestures, and it's said to support applications ranging from mapping to texting.
  

• Mac With Apple-Made Chip - Rumors suggest Apple is planning to transition from Intel chips to its own custom-made Mac chips as early as 2020, so we could see the first Mac with a custom chip at some point during the year. Apple already makes its A-series chips for iPhones and iPads and has added custom T2 chips to a number of Macs.

Beyond 2020

• Apple Car - There have been a lot of twists and turns in the saga of Apple's electric car development, but reliable Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo believes Apple is still planning on a full autonomous vehicle rather than just an autonomous car software offering, with a launch to happen between 2023 and 2025.

Alive Solutions Tech Brief • Fall 2017

Greetings to all Alive Solutions clients: 

Now that the fall is here and everyone is getting back to work…so am I. As a result, I feel this is a good time for an update and a few words of wisdom. 

Things are always changing in the world of technology, and quickly. So lets chat about some security issues, best practices, and new products:

MALWARE

What is Malware? The short answer is: software that is intended to damage or disable computers and computer systems. And while I used to believe that this was of only minor concern to Mac users, evidence to the contrary has resulted in a change of opinion. I am now urging all clients to have malware protection installed. A number of factors have caused this, but mostly it’s due to the increased market share of Apple Computers, tablets and phones. And as the user pool has increased so too has the pool of bad guys targeting malware to Mac users. Our troubles are not nearly as bad as it is for PC users, but it does require some attention and I would advise….action.

Most malware on Mac’s will not cause irreparable harm, but can be a major nuisance. While on-site, I install malware protection from an open source firm called Avast. So far it’s done a fine job, and it’s free. You can take a crack at installing yourself or I’m happy to install during your next scheduled service call. Either way, I feel it’s time to be proactive. 

VPN

What is a VPN: A VPN, or Virtual Private Network, is a service that allows you to connect to the internet via a server run by a VPN provider. All data traveling between your computer, phone or tablet, and this “VPN server” is securely encrypted. As a result of this setup, VPNs: Provide privacy by hiding your internet activity from your ISP (and government), Allow you to evade censorship (by school, work, your ISP, or government), Allow you to “geo-spoof” your location in order to access services unfairly denied to you based on your geographical location (or when you are on holiday), and protect you against hackers when using a public WiFi hotspot and allows peer to peer download in safety.

The internet is getting more and more nosey. There’s considerably more spying going on not just from hackers but service providers like Verizon and AT&T. They want to know your shopping habits so they can target you with services. It’s a type of gorilla marketing that I dislike and so I block these providers by having my internet whereabouts shrouded in a VPN. This service is offered by numerous companies like Avast, Tiger and PIA. The rates vary as does the quality of service. But I’ve found a VPN provides the anonymity I prefer when on the net. Please feel free to contact us if you’d like to investigate this service further. 

OSX High Sierra & iOS 11

Apple’s new operating systems for the Mac, iPhone & iPad are coming this month. Whereas a great deal of the new features are under the hood, here’s some highlights (courtesy of MacWord and Macrumors): 

OSX High Sierra for Mac

https://www.macworld.com/article/3199825/macs/macos-high-sierra-features-specs-pricing-faq.html

For Those Using 32 bit software: 32bit software is going the way of the dinosaur, but if you still have some, and plan to continue using it,  you’ll want to read this: Any version of Microsoft Office released prior to 2016 will not work in the next version of OS X. OS X High Sierra is the version, that among other things will help you prepare for 64bit. The following link explains how to find out which of your apps is 32bit.
For more details:
https://petapixel.com/2017/06/19/photographers-beware-upcoming-macos-transition-issues/

iOS 11 for Tablets and Phones
https://www.macrumors.com/roundup/ios-11/

NEW PRODUCTS

Apple today held its annual September iPhone-centric event, and this year's keynote saw the debut of some of the most impressive devices we've seen from the company in years.

It took Apple two hours to introduce the iPhone X, iPhone 8, iPhone 8 Plus, Apple Watch Series 3 and 4K Apple TV, but MacRumors.com has recapped the entire event in just over five minutes for those of you who would like to get a quick overview of all the announcements. 

See this link: 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=3&v=pL73aricNHo

CHECK UP

I suggest clients arrange a check-up of their computers at least once a year, same as you would for yourself. Computers don’t run by themselves indefinitely.  Systems become corrupt, software outdated, directories fragmented, and backup’s fail. It’s important to make sure things are running smoothly. If you agree, please contact us to arrange a visit. 

Enjoy the fall, 

David Rosenberg
President
Alive Solutions-Apple Consultants

Mac OS 10.12 Sierra is coming!

Happy Fall to all our clients, 

On September 20 Apple will release the next major update to it’s operating system code named Sierra, or OS X 10.12. It is stocked with new features and enhancements. A few worth noting are: 

1. Siri is now available on the Mac and it can do something it can’t on your phone: search your hard drive for files. 

Voice search can be a lot more time-saving than typing out a query or trying to find something yourself.

Siri on the Mac is, in some ways, more limited and, in other ways, more capable than on mobile. For example, Siri can’t control your HomeKit-enabledsmart bulbs like it can on your phone. But you *can* ask it: “Show me the documents I worked on last week,” then “Just the presentations I tagged important.”

Want to summon Siri? It’s not as simple as just saying, “Hey.” You have to either click the menu bar button or hit the fn + spacebar shortcut, every time you need to ask Siri something.

The keyboard shortcut isn’t too cumbersome. But if, say, your hands are dirty from rolling pizza dough and you need to look up a conversion, it’s probably best to just use “Hey Siri” on your phone.

2. From the Siri window, you can drag and drop locations and images into documents, or copy and paste text.

This feature makes including photos or addresses into notes or texts much easier. If you ask, for example, “Find the nearest McDonald’s,” you’ll be able to drag and drop the location card into a note. Web searches come from Bing, so the quality of results may … vary.

3. You can ask Siri questions about your Mac or to adjust system settings.

This is one of my favorite macOS Sierra features. Shortcuts to settings like Bluetooth, brightness, etc. can crowd the menubar. Siri on Mac is your new shortcut to the aforementioned, plus volume, Wi-Fi, sleep, Do Not Disturb, and more.

The assistant can also provide information, like your Mac’s serial number and the amount of storage you have left, so you don’t have to dig through a bunch of menus.

4. You can “pin” Siri results like weather, sports scores, and Wikipedia entries.

Constantly checking in on the latest [insert favorite team here] scores? You can now keep that information close by with the new (+) button that “pins” the card to the top of your Notification center.

Wait, people actually use the Notification Center?

5. The Universal Clipboard lets you copy and paste between your devices.

This feature, which requires both devices to be signed into iCloud and nearby, works with video, photos, images, and text. So, if you’re running to a grocery store, you can select just the ingredients part of a recipe and copy it on your laptop, then paste it into a note on your phone nearby.

It’s only compatible with iOS 10 right now, so I wasn’t able to try it. Would love to test if you could type a long, complicated password on your computer and paste it on your phone to authenticate an app.

6. Mac OS can now automatically optimize your storage, and identify what’s taking up so much space.

When you click Manage…, a new Optimized Storage window will appear. Here, you’ll finally figure out what’s taking up so much damn space on your Mac.

You can opt to “Optimize Storage,” which will store mail attachments in the cloud (instead of locally, on your device) and download them only when you need them. It’ll also automatically remove iTunes movies you’ve watched, and empty the Trash after 30 days.

Another option is to free up space by turning on iCloud Drive, which stores files on your desktop and in the Documents folder, plus photos, in iCloud. As your Mac fills up, it’ll make space for new files by putting older ones in – you guessed it – iCloud.

There are also other features that you don’t have to opt into. If you’ve downloaded the same file in Safari, for example, it’ll delete the duplicate automatically. When you have little storage left, it’ll remove useless files (old logs, website data, etc.).

This new storage management tool is a much-needed feature, but it means investing in Apple products like iCloud, Safari, the Mail app, and the iTunes digital movie store. Use Outlook, Chrome, or Amazon Video? You won’t be able to take advantage of a lot of these features.

If you want to enable iCloud Drive, you’ll most certainly need to upgrade your storage plan to a paid tier which ranges from $1 (50GB) to $10 (1TB) a month.

You should also be aware that you may find yourself in a WiFi-less area without the ability to download that *one* old file you happen to need right this moment.

7. Messages for Mac has been updated with the same new features as iOS.

The new Messages features in iOS 10 (invisible ink (shown here), “liking” texts, big emojis, and rich links) are available in macOS Sierra, too.

Now if someone, er, accidentally sends you a nude while you’re at work, it’ll stay “invisible” until you run your mouse through it. It’s not as satisfying as swiping to reveal it on your phone, but it’ll do. You can see what it’s like to use the new Messages app here.

You can receive invisible ink, handwriting, and digital touch images, but you won’t be able to send them from your computer.

8. Safari now features picture in picture video, which floats on top of all windows.

A big win for multi-taskers! In iTunes or Safari, you can pop out videos into a window that’ll float on top of all apps. You can resize the window, adjust sound, or play/pause from the mini video player.

Right now, it’s available on ESPN and Vimeo, and the Picture in Picture API is open for developers to implement on their own sites. But, for web videos, it’ll only work in Safari (sorry Chrome users).

9. Auto-Unlock uses your Apple Watch to unlock your computer.

If you’re $$$ enough to have an Apple Watch, you can use it to bypass the log in screen after waking up your Mac. Your iCloud account will need two-factor authentication enabled.

Both the watch and Mac need to be connected to a Wi-Fi network, so if your internet is down, this won’t work.

10. iCloud Desktop makes your desktop files accessible on any Mac.

If you’re logged into iCloud, your Mac will automatically save Desktop files online, so you can access them from your iOS device, on the web, or the iCloud for Windows app (which apparently exists??).

If you’re at school and forgot an important file on your home computer, iCloud Desktop might become a real savior. This will probably make migrating to a new computer much easier too.

Again, you’ll most definitely need to upgrade to a paid iCloud tier ($1 to $10 per month, depending on storage capacity).

11. Apple Pay is now available on the web.

In theory, being able to shop online without having to pull out your credit card is amazing. When your devices are signed onto iCloud, you can pay with a card stored in Apple Pay on your mobile device for select merchants.

You will still need to confirm the Apple Pay payment on your iPhone with Touch ID or (if you have one) your Apple Watch. This feature won’t show up everywhere you can pay online, because developers have to implement it onto their websites, so you’ll only see it at a few retailers for now. It’s also exclusive to Safari.

If you have a MacBook (late 2009 and later), iMac (late 2009 and later), MacBook Air (2010 and later), MacBook Pro (2010 and later), Mac mini (2010 and later), or a Mac Pro (2010 and later), your machine is Sierra-compatible.

Final Thoughts.

Almost all members of the Apple Consultants Network recommend a Clean Install, when updating a major release (i.e. 10.11 to 10.12, not decimal releases i.e. 10.11.1 to 10.11.2).

While not terribly difficult, a Clean Install is often time consuming, but we feel important. The process for a Clean Install is to back up the internal drive, erase the internal drive which contains the previous operating system, install the new OS on the internal drive and then restore the users data. This way the user account doesn’t inherit any of the old “crud” often associated with a previous operating system, maximizing speed and operation of your new OS. 

You can find the specifics for doing this yourself on the web, or we at Alive Solutions are happy to perform this service for you. 

Our next tech brief will feature the new iPhone and iPad operating system iOS 10.

Online Scams' Target Apple Customers

As most of you know by now, I'm very conservative in the amount of items I post. There's only two reasons I do this:

1. If I think there's a topic of value to my clients
2. If I think there's a potential threat to your computer or internet security. 

On this occasion, I'm forwarding a story from the BBC regarding the increased risk to Apple users from cyber criminals. I do not send this to freak anyone out. The purpose is to make you informed, so that should you be exposed to a potential scam, an alarm will go off in your head, and hopefully prompt you to verify that the link you're being asked to click, is not a fake.

Please feel free to contact me if you have any further questions. 

David Rosenberg
Alive Solutions

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Cybercriminals are targeting people using Apple products as they are more likely to have disposable income, a security expert has warned.

Blogger Graham Cluley said that while malware was more common on Windows, Apple customers could not "afford to be lackadaisical" about security.

On Monday, he reported a text message scam that tried to trick people into handing over account information.

Apple's support site warns customers not to enter details on spoof sites.

The text message scammers sent out alerts to victims' smartphones, claiming their Apple ID accounts were going to expire. The message encouraged people to visit a fake website where they were asked to enter their account information.

"It tried to grab personal information and credit card details with the aim of committing identity theft," said Mr Cluley.

"They deliberately took advantage of people's trust in the Apple brand to steal information.

"Avoid clicking on links in emails because they might take you somewhere phishy. Instead go to the website directly and log in that way."

The spoof website has since been blocked by web browsers such as Chrome and Firefox.

Apple's support website says customers "should never enter Apple account information on any non-Apple website".

"In general, all account-related activities will take place in the iTunes application directly, not through a web browser," it explains.

On Tuesday, Mr Cluley reported a second scam disguised as an update to Adobe Flash, which encouraged victims to install a new version of the software.

He wrote in his blog: "The best advice for many users may be to ensure that you have configured Adobe Flash Player to automatically update itself.

Apple's Mac OS X operating system does have a safeguard, enabled by default, that prevents people installing software written by unknown developers. However, it appears the attackers were able to circumvent this.

"The fake Flash update attack appears to have used a stolen Apple Developer certificate, suggesting that some third-party Mac developers may be being sloppy about their own security and putting the rest of us at risk as a result," Mr Cluley told the BBC.

"The truth is that criminals will go where the money is.

"Apple products cost more than some of their competitors so it's likely that their customers have more disposable income. That's cash which the bad guys would like to have filling their pockets."

If you think your Mac is safe from Malware, think again...

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I've thought for a long time, up until now, that Mac users were mostly immune from malware, ransomeware and viruses. And while I still believe that we users are far less susceptible from these troubles than Windows computers, Apple's marketshare is increasing year over year, and so too are the interests of hackers.

With that in mind, I'm sending this very informative and positive story from the fine folks at Pebbleit.com. It's purpose is not to make you freak out, as the majority of you will never be targeted, but it might be wise to consider following a few of the suggestions, especially #1.

Many of my clients do not update their software, even though I urge them to. Let this article inspire you to be more proactive about following the suggestion to update software when prompted by the OS. For those wishing to take more aggressive action. I'm always available to advise as to what level of protection will best serve you . 

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For a long time, Mac users have been quietly confident about the fact their machines are less likely to succumb to malware attacks. And so they could be. Traditionally it’s been the more dominant Windows machine that has posed the highest risk. But as Apple has steadily eaten into Windows market share and Macs have become commonplace within the corporate sector, so has their appeal for hackers.

A recent report from Bit9 and Carbon Black revealed that 2015 was the most aggressive year to date for Mac malware. In fact their study found that OS X malware, in particular, was five times more prevalent in 2015 than what it had been in the preceding five years combined! Even though the combined amount for the history of OS X malware is less than what we see for Windows in a single hour, this data certainly points to a growing interest from cybercriminals. The days of overconfidence in the security of Macs are limited, if not gone. It also highlights the need for businesses to ensure their IT departments are utilising the best possible approaches to keep Macs protected.

5 SIMPLE ACTIONS TO PROTECT YOUR MAC

1. KEEP YOUR SOFTWARE UPDATED

Apple is proactive about building security into their software and regularly pushing out updates that are designed to add layers of safety to your machine. To benefit though, you need to ensure you’re keeping your software as up to date as possible. Ignore those update notifications at your peril.

2. INSTALL ANTIVIRUS

Running a good antivirus is the easiest way to protect your Mac from malware. There are several critically acclaimed free choices for home users including Sophos, ClamXAV and Avast. These modern applications are a far cry from their cumbersome predecessors and are now lightweight and unobtrusive.

For business users, although robust protection is built into modern gateway devices (routers) or can be added through subscription, endpoint protection is a belt and braces approach. Sophos offer a cloud version of their antivirus app. It’s installed on each workstation (Mac or PC) and managed from a web interface, removing the need for expensive in-house hardware to manage the antivirus suite.

3. ENABLE OS X FIREWALL

OS X v10.5.1 and later ships with an embedded firewall, but it’s disabled by default. This means you’ll have to manually configure the application to enable it. Once enabled, OS X firewall will block unauthorised applications from communicating with your machine. This can protect you against attempts to control your machine remotely and other nefarious endeavours. Be sure to add your authorised applications in though!

4. DON’T RUN AS ADMIN

Everyone needs an admin password from time to time. But if you’re constantly logged in as user that has the power to make changes to your machine, then so does any virus that infects your account. A better approach is to have an admin account, which you use to install applications or make changes to your system, but log in as a standard user for your general work. If you use this method the damage a virus can do is limited to the privileges of the standard account.

5. TURN ON FILENAME EXTENSION DISPLAY

Viruses sometimes use clever tactics to disguise themselves as innocuous files. For example, a worm installer could masquerade as an image or a word document by simply changing its icon. A quick way to spot, and thwart, these types of attacks is to enable the display of the filename extensions. (To do this navigate to Finder > Preferences, then click Advanced and select “Show all filename extensions.”) Once enabled, if you see a .dmg file with a word doc icon, you can be sure something isn’t right and it would be wise to remove the threatening file.

The rise of malware attacks against Macs is indicative of a burgeoning market share, and with no outlook of a slowdown, it’s best to start taking a proactive approach to Mac security. Follow these simple steps to build robust protection for your Mac users and keep those would-be hackers at bay.

Why Apple Matters (and it's not the products)

I found this response by Apple CEO Tim Cook brave and urgent. I applaud him for doing so. I'm sharing it because it directly affects every one of you who use a smartphone, tablet, or computer. 

David Rosenberg

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February 16, 2016A Message to Our Customers

The United States government has demanded that Apple take an unprecedented step which threatens the security of our customers. We oppose this order, which has implications far beyond the legal case at hand. 

This moment calls for public discussion, and we want our customers and people around the country to understand what is at stake.

Answers to your questions about privacy and security

The Need for Encryption

Smartphones, led by iPhone, have become an essential part of our lives. People use them to store an incredible amount of personal information, from our private conversations to our photos, our music, our notes, our calendars and contacts, our financial information and health data, even where we have been and where we are going.

All that information needs to be protected from hackers and criminals who want to access it, steal it, and use it without our knowledge or permission. Customers expect Apple and other technology companies to do everything in our power to protect their personal information, and at Apple we are deeply committed to safeguarding their data.

Compromising the security of our personal information can ultimately put our personal safety at risk. That is why encryption has become so important to all of us.

For many years, we have used encryption to protect our customers’ personal data because we believe it’s the only way to keep their information safe. We have even put that data out of our own reach, because we believe the contents of your iPhone are none of our business.

The San Bernardino Case

We were shocked and outraged by the deadly act of terrorism in San Bernardino last December. We mourn the loss of life and want justice for all those whose lives were affected. The FBI asked us for help in the days following the attack, and we have worked hard to support the government’s efforts to solve this horrible crime. We have no sympathy for terrorists.

When the FBI has requested data that’s in our possession, we have provided it. Apple complies with valid subpoenas and search warrants, as we have in the San Bernardino case. We have also made Apple engineers available to advise the FBI, and we’ve offered our best ideas on a number of investigative options at their disposal.

We have great respect for the professionals at the FBI, and we believe their intentions are good. Up to this point, we have done everything that is both within our power and within the law to help them. But now the U.S. government has asked us for something we simply do not have, and something we consider too dangerous to create. They have asked us to build a backdoor to the iPhone.

Specifically, the FBI wants us to make a new version of the iPhone operating system, circumventing several important security features, and install it on an iPhone recovered during the investigation. In the wrong hands, this software — which does not exist today — would have the potential to unlock any iPhone in someone’s physical possession.

The FBI may use different words to describe this tool, but make no mistake: Building a version of iOS that bypasses security in this way would undeniably create a backdoor. And while the government may argue that its use would be limited to this case, there is no way to guarantee such control.

The Threat to Data Security

Some would argue that building a backdoor for just one iPhone is a simple, clean-cut solution. But it ignores both the basics of digital security and the significance of what the government is demanding in this case.

In today’s digital world, the “key” to an encrypted system is a piece of information that unlocks the data, and it is only as secure as the protections around it. Once the information is known, or a way to bypass the code is revealed, the encryption can be defeated by anyone with that knowledge.

The government suggests this tool could only be used once, on one phone. But that’s simply not true. Once created, the technique could be used over and over again, on any number of devices. In the physical world, it would be the equivalent of a master key, capable of opening hundreds of millions of locks — from restaurants and banks to stores and homes. No reasonable person would find that acceptable.

The government is asking Apple to hack our own users and undermine decades of security advancements that protect our customers — including tens of millions of American citizens — from sophisticated hackers and cybercriminals. The same engineers who built strong encryption into the iPhone to protect our users would, ironically, be ordered to weaken those protections and make our users less safe.

We can find no precedent for an American company being forced to expose its customers to a greater risk of attack. For years, cryptologists and national security experts have been warning against weakening encryption. Doing so would hurt only the well-meaning and law-abiding citizens who rely on companies like Apple to protect their data. Criminals and bad actors will still encrypt, using tools that are readily available to them.

A Dangerous Precedent

Rather than asking for legislative action through Congress, the FBI is proposing an unprecedented use of the All Writs Act of 1789 to justify an expansion of its authority.

The government would have us remove security features and add new capabilities to the operating system, allowing a passcode to be input electronically. This would make it easier to unlock an iPhone by “brute force,” trying thousands or millions of combinations with the speed of a modern computer.

The implications of the government’s demands are chilling. If the government can use the All Writs Act to make it easier to unlock your iPhone, it would have the power to reach into anyone’s device to capture their data. The government could extend this breach of privacy and demand that Apple build surveillance software to intercept your messages, access your health records or financial data, track your location, or even access your phone’s microphone or camera without your knowledge.

Opposing this order is not something we take lightly. We feel we must speak up in the face of what we see as an overreach by the U.S. government.

We are challenging the FBI’s demands with the deepest respect for American democracy and a love of our country. We believe it would be in the best interest of everyone to step back and consider the implications.

While we believe the FBI’s intentions are good, it would be wrong for the government to force us to build a backdoor into our products. And ultimately, we fear that this demand would undermine the very freedoms and liberty our government is meant to protect.

Tim Cook

“I hate passwords and I hate this computer….”

This is something I hear all too often from clients. The laws of the internet require passwords, but for many, managing these passwords and keeping them organized is painful and frustrating. 

I have witnessed clients keeping their passwords on little slivers of paper, on a napkin, in a book, on stickies, and in their contacts database (I’m one of those), and some are so flummoxed that they continuously have to reset passwords because controlling them is impossible. None of these options solve the overall problem. 

Another issue that I’ve often witnessed is that clients come up with passwords, but they are not sufficiently secure. Or they have one password for everything and it’s not secure. You child’s birthday can be hacked very easily by a professional. So, what to do?

I have spent quite a bit of time researching and demoing the possible solutions to this noxious issue and I think I’ve found a really effective fix. It’s an application called Dashlane. 

Dashlane is not the only password manager out in the ethos, but I believe it is the best solution available now. So, what is Dashlane? Here’s the description directly from it’s creators:

Dashlane is an award-winning service that revolutionizes the online experience by replacing the drudgery of everyday transactional processes with convenient, automated simplicity - in other words, letting you get to the good stuff faster. Express checkout: Buy in seconds anywhere, no typing required. Automatically fill out all checkout fields with one click. Store all the info you need to buy online in one secure, private place. Password manager: Your Dashlane password is the last one you'll ever need. Stop remembering passwords, let the app do that for you. Gauge security of your passwords and easily upgrade them. Only your Dashlane password can unlock your data and only you have it.

Automatic login. Sign in automatically to your favorite sites, without lifting a finger. Manage multiple accounts on the same site easily and quickly. Choose which sites you'd like to get into fast, and which you don't. 

Automatic form-filling: The smartest, most accurate form-filler you've ever seen. Instantly fill out any form with a single click. 

Manage multiple identities, addresses, payment info and more to fill out forms all kinds of forms. 

Secure and encrypted notes: Store your software license numbers, wi-fi passwords, gift list, ideas or anything you'd like. 

Super-safe and private, and accessible wherever you go. Keep your data secure and private: All data is AES-256 encrypted locally on your computer. The only way to access your data is with your master password, which only you have. Not even Dashlane can touch your data. You can remotely deactivate any device you've synced to your account in case of loss or theft. 

Multi-platform and synced to the cloud: Access your data wherever you are. Use it on Macs, PCs, at home, on your favorite browser, and your preferred smart phone and tablet. Dashlane goes everywhere you go, and nowhere else.

When you log in to a secure website, Dashlane offers to capture your credentials. At the time of capture, you can assign the login to a category and give it any name you like. When you revisit the site, Dashlane will fill in the saved credentials. If you've stored multiple logins, just click the impala icon that Dashlane adds to the password entry field for a popup menu of choices.

You can also click the Dashlane toolbar button in your browser for a list of saved websites, organized by category. When you click one, Dashlane will navigate to the site and log in.

So far, this is pretty standard fare for password managers, but Dashlane does more than many of its competitors. It will capture credentials when you're creating a new account, for one thing. With some tools, you have to create the new account and remember the password long enough to log in normally. Dashlane also captures password-change events, i.e. if you change a password, it will give you a prompt to update. 

I did find some oddball logins that Dashlane couldn't capture. But the folks at Dashlane are eager to hear about shortcomings and correct them.

When you're setting up a new account or changing your password, you can click the impala icon in the new password field to quickly generate a strong password. Or, if you want a little more control over the process, you can click the Dashlane button in the browser and select the password generator tab. Here, you can choose the password length and character sets: digits, letters, or symbols. Unlike many password managers, Dashlane doesn't let you separately select uppercase or lowercase letters. There's also an option to create a pronounceable password, like "nossycationu," for easy memorization.

Secure Password Sharing: Dashlane lets you share with other Dashlane users, and it's both simpler and more secure. Just right-click a login, choose share, and enter the recipient's email address. You do need to make sure it's the address associated with that user's Dashlane account. Once the share is accepted, you both have access to the credentials. Changes made by one will affect both. This is critical for couples who share accounts.

If you choose to share with limited rights, the recipient can use it to access the secure site, and can change the password if necessary, nothing more. You can revoke that access later, if it proves problematic. Sharing with full rights lets the recipient share the login with others, and revoke access from others—they can even revoke your own access.

Emergency Contacts: What happens to your passwords if you suddenly keel over? Would your family be in a bind, unable to access important resources like a shared bank account? PasswordBox pioneered the idea of a "digital legacy," a person who would receive your login credentials in the event of your death.

Dashlane's new Emergency Contact feature has the same purpose, and it's actually more flexible. You can list any number of emergency contacts, giving them potential access to all your accounts, or just a specific list. For example, if you store passwords to business-related accounts in Dashlane you could give your boss emergency access to only those accounts.

Each emergency contact must accept your request, and each must install Dashlane. Once that handshake has been accomplished, they're ready for their grim duty.

But what if your emergency contact gets nosy and wants to peek, even though you're alive and kicking? PasswordBox won't release your credentials without a copy of a valid death certificate; the process is not at all automatic. Dashlane's process works differently. For each emergency contact, you specify a waiting period from 24 hours to 60 days. When the contact requests your data, you get a notification, and the clock starts ticking. If you're not dead after all, you can deny the data request (and maybe choose a more trustworthy emergency contact).

I thought at first this feature might be like sharing all your credentials at once, but it's (quite reasonably) more limited than that. The emergency contact can view a list of all your passwords and secure notes (but not any other data) and open one item at a time for a read-only view of the details. There's no wholesale exposure of your data.

Ensuring that important accounts aren't lost in the event of your untimely death is a really, really good feature. I expect to see it in more of the best password managers going forward.

Impressive Password Rating
Most password managers offer a strength rating for the master password, and many also rate individual passwords. Dashlane's Security Dashboard report goes way beyond mere ratings. Its main page offers an overall strength rating for your entire password collection. In addition, it flags a few important weak passwords and displays how much you could improve your rating by updating them.

To really get busy improving your password security, click the link for the detailed analysis. This page lists all your accounts and passwords, flagging any that are weak. It also flags reused passwords, since proper password security requires a different strong password for every site. In addition, if Dashlane has news of a data breach affecting one of your saved sites, it can flag compromised passwords.

Any password not identified as "super safe" has a link next to it that you can click to go to the site and change your password. Some sites require a password format that's inherently unsafe, for example, a password of nothing but digits. You can mark those as checked so they don't affect your overall score.

Cleaning up all your weak passwords can take a while, but it's a task worth doing. Dashlane's Security Report, gives you plenty of help and encouragement.

Automated Password Changer: I can't say it enough; you need to use a different password for every website, and each password should be strong and unguessable. But there's a third piece of password wisdom that's also worth considering. For best security, you should also change your passwords on a regular basis. The problem is, how many people, hearing that, would just give up entirely?

Think about this, though. The whole point of a password manager is that you no longer have to remember individual passwords. That being the case, there's no reason those stored passwords need to stay the same. Dashlane's new Password Changer automates the process of updating your passwords; mission accomplished! 

An operation that updated Dashlane's stored password data without successfully updating the actual website password would be a disaster. For that reason, Dashlane will only auto-change passwords for sites that have been analyzed by the company's researchers. That said, the five dozen sites currently supported cover a lot of ground.

When you launch the Password Changer, it lists all the passwords that it knows how to handle, along with a security rating for each. With the click of a button, you can update a single weak password. With two clicks, you can update the whole collection.

Stop and think a moment before electing to automatically update everything. If you share an account with someone else, without doing the sharing through Dashlane, your update will cut off the other user. If you sometimes log in to a site from a device that doesn't have Dashlane installed, you'll have to manually update your login on that site. (Of course, this is a good argument for getting Dashlane on all your devices, and never sharing passwords except through the program.)

IDs and Personal Data: Most password managers include the option to record personal data for use in automatically filling Web forms. LastPass, RoboForm, and most products that offer this feature let you create one or more identities, each complete with a variety of personal and financial data. When it's time to fill a form, you simply select the desired identity.

Dashlane takes a somewhat different approach. You enter any number of data items in six categories: Name, Email address, Phone number, Address, Company, and Website. When it's time to fill a form, you click the impala icon that Dashlane has added to a field. A menu of saved personal data items associated with that field type appears. Dashlane fills that field with the item you selected, and fills all the rest with the first matching item.

Sometimes the first matching item for a field isn't the one you want. In that case, simply click the field and choose the right item from the menu that appears. Yes, this means you do have to look over Dashlane's work, but it's more flexible than a predefined identity with a fixed number of fields.

Dashlane will also offer to capture data that you've entered manually in a Web form. LastPass and Sticky Password can also do this, but not many others can.

You enter credit cards and other payment types separately. Dashlane creates a card image that uses the credit card issuer's logo, in the color of your choice. When you click in a credit card field, you get a visual representation of the available cards. It's easy to choose the red VISA, blue MasterCard, or gold American Express. I like this feature!

Dashlane will also store various types of identity documents, among them driver's licenses, passports, and social security cards. Here, too, it creates a realistic image of the ID. For example, it matches your state's driver's license format and your country's passport format.

Receipt Tracking: Dashlane supports online shopping by helping you fill the Web forms, but it goes beyond that by capturing the transaction details and saving a virtual receipt. You can refer back to the receipt any time, and add a personal note. For example, if the site promises delivery within eight business days, you might note that information.

But wait, there's more! Dashlane periodically captures screenshots during the transaction. If you wind up in a disagreement with the vendor, these can be extremely useful.

Simple and Powerful: Dashlane does everything you expect from a password manager with ease. Its user interface includes elegant extras, like offering a menu of credit cards that actually look like credit cards. Its ability to track online purchases is unique, and the new emergency contacts feature ensures that your credentials won't be lost if something happens to you. The new Password Changer and Touch ID support make it a truly amazing choice. I'm using Dashlane as my own password manager these days, and still learning all it can do. I urge you to give it a try. 

Needless to say, Alive Solutions is here to help. Just call and make an appointment and we’ll help you get it all set up. 

This link will take you directly to our affiliates page where you can click thru to Dashlane or any of the other solutions we recommend: 

http://www.alivenyc.com/affiliates/

David Rosenberg • Owner/ Consultant • Alive Solutions

A few words about VPN

Many folks have no idea just how nosey a place the internet is, although they’re starting to find out. Basically when you browse the internet, anyone that wants to eavesdrop on your activities can do so with a minimum of hassle. Up until recently, if you wanted your internet travels to be anonymous, you had to hire a consultant to install and configure a Virtual Private Network. 

What is a Virtual Private Network? Here’s the definition according to Webopedia:

Consumers use a private VPN service, also known as a VPN tunnel, to protect their online activity and identity. By using an anonymous VPN service, a user's Internet traffic and data remain encrypted, which prevents eavesdroppers from sniffing Internet activity.  A VPN service is especially useful when accessing public Wi-Fi hotspots because the public wireless services might not be secure. In addition to public Wi-Fi security, a private VPN service also provides consumers with uncensored Internet access and can help prevent data theft and unblock websites. 

Lucky for we consumers, VPN is now extremely easy to set up and inexpensive to use. For months we’ve been looking for a reliable solution for our use and that of our clients. After using Private Internet Access for 60 days we’re happy to give them our full endorsement. The service can be set up by you or your trusted Alive Solutions Consultant, in person or remotely. And it costs under $40 per year. You can get more information by following to our website http://www.alivenyc.com/affiliates/  and click on the Private Internet Access logo. 

While I wish the internet was safe and trustworthy, it is not. And although I don’t have anything to hide whilst I browse, I do take offense at the idea that someone is watching my activities, be it my provider or someone less scrupulous. This is an excellent solution to the problem, and as always we want to share it with you, our clients. 

David

A Few Words About the Apple Watch…OK…A lot of words.

Being an Apple Certified Consultant means many things, one of which is when new stuff comes out, people (clients especially) want to know what I think. 

This Tech Brief is about the very new and exciting Apple Watch. 

What sets this Apple release apart from all others (since 2005) is the fact that it’s an entirely new product. Not since the release of the iPhone has Apple created something entirely new. The iPad does not count as it’s really just a big iPhone without the phone. It’s the same Operating System and configuration. 

At first glance, the Apple Watch is a very, very beautiful device. This I would expect from Apple. But aside from this fact, do we all want one?, Do we need one? Is it part of the classic “must have Apple lust” many of us have come to live with when Apple releases something new?

Well, here’s what I think:

For me, Yes. Naturally because this is what I do. But even dismissing this consideration, the usefulness of the Apple Watch is considerable. Here’s roundup of some of the design and function features which I find exciting:

Apple Pay: For me, this is a game changer. I’ve always been concerned about credit card fraud and security issues. Apple Pay on the Apple Watch allows you to pay with a credit card right from the device in a very easy and convenient manner. And the vendor never sees the card, the number, or your signature. Many merchants are joining up every month, so as time moves along, expect to be able to use Apple Pay just about everywhere. 

Digital Crown: Apple’s crown takes the traditional watch crown as its primary design influence, but the function it serves is quite different. A regular watch crown lets you set the time, date (if you have such a complication) and, in the case of mechanical watches, wind it to build up a reserve of energy to power the movement of the hands. Apple’s Digital Crown allows for a very different kind of input, controlling scrolling primarily, and acting as one of two physical buttons on the Watch when you press down on the top.

Using the Digital Crown is pleasant, and offers a lot of tactile satisfaction, with the proviso that you do have to take some time to get used to it. It’s very responsive, and as such, can feel a bit fiddly at first. I think I was used to having to perform more exaggerated gestures with devices that serve similar functions on the desktop, like the mouse scroll wheel, which meant having to get used to the Digital Crown’s fine-tuned level of heightened motion sensitivity.

Force Touch: Using Force Touch (pressing down more firmly on the watch than is required for basic taps) to expand your control options is another Apple Watch feature that isn’t instantly apparent, but that quickly becomes second nature when using the gadget. The reason it takes time to get used to is that it’s brand new, appearing only on the new 13-inch MBP and 12-inch MacBook in addition to here, and that there aren’t any visual cues to let you know that you should press down to expose more options.

The act of Force Touching whenever I encountered a road block on the Watch, is wonderful as it’s seems to almost always reveal functions. For third-party developers, this is going to be BIG.

Digital Touch: The Digital Touch features of Apple Watch are those unique messaging features you’ve probably heard a lot about, which work exclusively watch-to-watch and which allow you to send your friends sketches, taps and even an approximation of your heart beat. While this feature seems most like a novelty, or digital “kiss” to your significant other, once third party developers get their hands on this, the possibilities could be endless. 

Glances: Besides Notifications, the Apple Watch feature that I use most frequently is without a doubt Glances. You access these by swiping up from your watch face, which then shows you one of up to 12 single screens complete with information from a corresponding companion app on your device. Apple offers a number of stock glances with its system software, including Battery, Weather and a Now Playing screen, but third-party developers can also populate Glances with info from their own apps.

I’m still tweaking my own selection of Glances, but I generally find myself using the Battery and Weather ones most frequently. These just happen to be the pieces of information I find most useful beyond system notifications on my Watch, and since I don’t necessarily like the Battery complication flinging my total remaining power in my face all the time, I much prefer keeping it hidden but still close at hand.

The Calendar Glance is also great for giving you a heads-up on any looming appointments and meetings, and in terms of third-party apps, I

Glances aren’t perfect, however; data refresh often takes time, especially when it’s fetching the info from third-party apps on your iPhone over Bluetooth. But while the Glances implementation something that leaves me hopeful for improvements in future versions of Watch OS and with future hardware, it’s still an essential experience even as-is, and something that I’d have a hard time giving up now that I’m used to it.

Camera Remote: This native app is worth a separate shout-out since it’s such a great feature for those who’ve come to depend on their iPhones as their primary cameras. The Camera Remote app from Apple gives you a real-time preview of your smartphones viewfinder on your wrist, as well as the ability to tap to choose focus/exposure, and to trigger the shutter, or implement a timer followed by a 10-frame burst.

It’s a great feature if you want to do anything other than point and shoot with your camera, and it’s great even just for ‘periscoping,’ or reaching higher heights by extending your arm to get a shot you wouldn’t otherwise be able to capture. I’m still just starting out in terms of testing the full range of what you can accomplish with this and simple accessories like a tabletop iPhone tripod, but it’s definitely a super cool built-in feature.

Performance

The Apple Watch’s performance was something that I honestly wasn’t expecting to find all that impressive, given the consensus from early reviews. And when it comes to third-party apps, there’s definitely work that needs to be done since funneling data from your phone leads to holdups But overall, the performance of the device was a pleasant surprise, perhaps in part because I had low expectations going in.

In short, despite some disappointing waits for data to load in apps like Instagram, Apple Watch’s performance is up to snuff for just about every thing you’ll likely end up using it for most, including activities like checking the time, receiving and triaging notifications, and using the native Glance extensions. Below, you can see how it shapes up broken down across specific features.

Phone: The Apple Watch is many things, but it might be surprising to some to find that it’s a great Dick Tracy watch, in that the speaker phone functions of the wearable are extremely capable. The built-in speaker is clear and loud enough, and the microphone, according to call recipients, is also easy to listen to and understand.

Where the Watch Phone app encounters some issues is in actually being able to field calls consistently, as I had a few examples of trying to accept a call on my wrist but not having the action register. In the end, though, it’s a very handy feature, especially if your phone is in your bag – provided you’re alone or unconcerned with looking a little awkward talking to your wrist on a busy street.

Siri and Dictation: I seem to be one of the lucky ones for whom Siri works almost perfectly in terms of gleaning my intended meaning, and that luck continues on the Apple Watch, once the feature is active. The voice prompt of “Hey Siri” doesn’t work all that consistently, activating the feature about two-thirds of the times I intend it to, but the Digital Crown long-press is always effective, and Siri transcribes my words nearly perfectly once it’s active.

On the iPhone, I don’t often find myself using Siri, but it’s been a more regularly accessed resource on my Apple Watch thus far. Especially in cases where the canned responses set by Apple (and customized by myself) are insufficient for replying to messages, a quick dictated response has proven immensely useful and almost never disappoints. Again, your mileage may vary, but the Siri of Apple Watch may not be the Siri you remember if you haven’t used the virtual assistant in a while.

Display: One of the recurring joys of using the Apple Watch, especially for a gadget fiend like myself, is just taking in the quality of that screen. I’ve looked at just about every Android Wear device on the market, and they honestly don’t even compare – looking at them now is almost like looking at a VGA display after using a Retina iPhone.

Text is so crisp that the size of the font doesn’t bother me at all, though again, it’ll depend on your specific needs here. It’s pretty enough that I always now read out the entire email on my wrist when it’s plain-text formatted. This is one of the areas where having the watch greatly reduces  the need to reach for the phone.

Touch: Touch is very responsive, as you’d expect from the company that changed touch input forever, and in general even though touch targets tend to often be small, I had no problems in terms of missed or mistaken input (including with the tiny number pad you use to input your passcode, where I still expect a miss every time despite myself).

There’s one notable exception to that rule however: Whenever there’s a single-line text link at the top of the screen to return to a previous page, I have trouble getting the Watch to respond to my tap on that consistently. It seems to be limited to that specific instance, so it seems likely that Apple can target it for improvement in future software updates.

On the whole, response and tap accuracy were great, though, and as an added bonus, taptic response when you Force Touch during things like Workouts are great workarounds for making a touchscreen device more usable while engaged in more active use.

Taptic Engine: Speaking of that Taptic Engine, it’s a real game-changer when it comes to wearable tech. Apple’s take on haptic feedback really does merit a different name from what others have offered, because it provides a very different experience. Especially with Prominent Haptic turned on (I did this after a couple of days and have left it on since), you won’t miss any important notifications, or helpful indicators like turn directions when navigating.

The best part about Taptic may be that it seems almost certain to make it out to the rest of Apple’s product lineup eventually (it’s already in the new Force Touch trackpads, after all). Experiencing it on the Apple Watch, it’s hard not to get excited about a future in which Apple’s devices share not only industrial design and software language, but also a signature haptic response, as well.

Activity and Workout: With the Apple Watch pre-launch push, a big part of the story Apple told was around the device’s health-related features. These are found mostly in the Activity and Workout apps on the Watch, where you can track your general physical wellness, and specific activities like runs or bicycle rides respectively.

I’ve always been the kind of exercise guy who goes to the gym and while on the machines lets the heart rate tracking occur there. I’ve not been too interested in checking up while climbing the subway stairs. 

The Apple Watch is much more than this as it’s an effective fitness tool because it tracks your activity whether you tell it to explicitly using the Workout app or not, and therein lies its value. Whatever you may think about its scientific accuracy or suitability for high-performance training, it’s the first activity tracker that stands a good chance of remaining in active use for a long period of time, and that’s what counts for most people.

Battery: The Apple Watch’s battery works as advertised, meaning you’ll be able to use it for a full day, and you’ll have to charge it during the evening or at night – every day. It’s not a dream situation, but it also becomes a habit faster than you might expect.

I was also expecting to have to watch my usage closely to make sure I made it through a day, given how much I anticipated using it, but this has not happened. My standard day’s usage has ended with as much as thirty percent remaining on the watch. 

Bottom Line: The Apple Watch is a unique device that was, for a host of reasons, harder to review for a general audience than just about any of Apple’s other products. Part of it is the personal nature of a computer you wear nearly all the time. That said, during the course of my experience with Apple Watch, I could imagine how it would be hard to go back to life without it. Personally, I don’t continuously have my phone to my ear. I make a point of controlling how often I check my email or notifications, and herein lies the best consideration of whether you MUST have an Apple Watch. If you are the kind of person who spends a great deal of time on your smartphone, this is going to be a big plus for you. Occasional or moderate users will have to take it for a spin. 

The Apple Watch is fairly easy to set up and the best advice I can give is, if you’re curious, go buy one. You have fourteen days to play with it before it becomes yours or can be returned. This will be the litmus test for you. 

As is the case with any new Apple product,  I believe the best is yet to come. Software development has just begun and hardware advances (much like the iPhone) will only add to the user experience. 

David Rosenberg

Owner/ President • Alive Solutions

Apple Consultants