Apple User Group May 31, 2018 - 82nd Presentation

Apple User Group
      May 31, 2018
    82nd Presentation*

                         *Since Jan 2010

Next Meeting
 Thursday 1:00pm
  June 28, 2018

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Old Presentation Setup!
                          Bluetooth Audio
                              Adapter
    HDMI

                                   1/8” Audio

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New Presentation Setup!
                          HDMI Audio
                           Extractor

Room PA      1/8” Audio                  HDMI
 system

                                  HDMI

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Resizing Mac Windows

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Resizing Mac Windows
• Drag title bar - moves window around screen
• Drag edge or corner - moves that corner or edge
• Option drag edge or corner - moves all corners or opposite
    edges simultaneously
•   Double click edge or corner - takes that specific corner or
    edge to side of screen
• Option double click edge or corner     - takes all corners or
    opposite edges to side of screen

                                 7

Apple News!

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Apple News
• New versions of macOS, iOS, watchOS, and tvOS were released
    March 29 - Keep your devices up to date
•   Apple has announced that the new Mac Pro will not arrive until
    2019 (not to be confused with the iMac Pro)
•   If you’re running macOS 10.13.4 and launch 32-bit apps you may
    see a warning telling you they need to be updated
•   Apple has dropped the price of its USB-C to Lightning cable to $19
    from $25
• In the last calendar quarter of 2017, Apple grabbed 86% of
    smartphone profits globally, iPhone X alone seizes 35%
                                   9

Apple News
• Before Apple’s last quarterly earnings report, there were a series of
 reports that Apple's iPhone X was a "disappointing," "overpriced"
 product with "weak" sales. So what did Apple report?
 • Best March quarter ever with $61.1B in revenue, 52.2M iPhone sales
 • The iPhone X was Apple's most popular iPhone every week in the
   quarter across a 14 percent growth in iPhone sales
•The iMac is now 20 years old (first introduced on May 6, 1998)
• I discovered that your Apple Watch will send you balloons on your
 birthday!
                                   10

Apple News
•   Apple launched iTunes for Windows via the Microsoft Store in
    April
• Apple announced it will no longer produce the Airport line of
    products (Express, Extreme, Time Capsule)
•   Apple’s WWDC (World Wide Developers Conference) will be
    held June 4-8
 • I’ll go over all the news next month
 • Probably a good idea to delay any Apple purchases until after
     June 4th
                                 11

Alexa News!

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Alexa News
• In the last presentation, I reviewed how Google Assistant added
 a cool broadcast feature so you could use the devices as an
 intercom
• I’m very happy that Alexa has now added the same feature
 • Initiate broadcasts by saying “Alexa, tell everyone…” or “Alexa,
   broadcast…”, or “Alexa, Announce…”
 • Alexa will ask for your message…
 • Then, Alexa will play a bell, an appropriate sound effect,
   followed by your message in your voice
                                 14

Alexa Broadcast Messages
   Feature                               Say                             Sound Effect
   Wake up             "It's time to wake up", "Rise and shine"          Rooster Crows
  Quiet Time              "Quiet Down", "Everyone be quiet"                  Shhhh
 Late/Let's Go                  "We're late", "Let's go"                  Feet running
   Bedtime                "It's time for bed", "Time to sleep"           Twinkle Twinkle
  Goodnight              "Goodnight everyone", "Sleep tight"                  Yawn
     Meal         "Breakfast/Lunch/Dinner's ready", "It's time to eat"     Dinner bell
Congratulations             "Congratulations," "Way to go"                   Cheers
  Media time        "Let's watch TV", "The movie is about to start"        Show tune
   Love you                           "Love you"                           Playful kiss
   Custom                         Anything you want                           Bell

                                          15

Alexa News
• Alexa is surprisingly politically correct!!
 • For example: I asked Alexa to play doo wop music!
 • She responded by saying “Playing doo  music…”
• Alexa has added two additional items you can add to routines
 • You can now set the volume
 • You can add music from all the normal sources and select which
   device you want it to play from

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Alexa News
• You can create an “Alexa enabled” group for devices in a room
    by adding an Echo device
•   You can then enter the room and say to that Echo device “Turn
    on the lights”, and it will turn on the lights in that room
• Go to another Alexa enabled room and it will turn on the lights
    in that room
•   When this was first introduced, it would only work with smart
    bulbs
• What’s new is that you can now designate a smart plug as a light
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Alexa News
• Alexa now can remember things for you
 • Alexa, remember that John’s birthday is May 1st
 • Alexa, when is John’s birthday?
• Alexa can remember some context now:
 • Alexa, What’s the weather?
 • How about this weekend?
                                21

Alexa News
•Amazon introduced FreeTime on Alexa
• The free version brings parental controls and family-focused
 features to Echo, Echo Dot, or Echo Plus. Simply add FreeTime to
 an Echo device in settings
• “FreeTime Unlimited” adds content subscription service for kids,
 and brings a wide selection of kid-friendly programs, premium skills,
 Audible books, etc… for $2.99 per month for Prime members
• “Echo Dot Kids Edition” ($79.99) combines an Echo Dot, 1 year of
 FreeTime Unlimited, a kid-friendly case, and a 2-year worry-free
 guarantee                      22

Alexa News
• You can now create your own Alexa Skills using Amazon
    Blueprints
•   Go to blueprints.amazon.com to find over 20 different templates
    that you can customize
• Select a template and then customize it as you wish
• There are templates for games, instructions for houseguests,
    babysitters, Q&A, stories you can create, …
•   All very easy to create and use
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iOS 11.3

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iOS 11.3
• There is a new iPhone Battery Health feature available in
    settings>battery>battery health
•   Here you can see Maximum Capacity which is how your batter
    compares to when it was new (Ex: 95%)
• This includes the ability to recommend if a battery needs to be
    replaced.
•   You also can see if your battery is at peak performance
    capability and if not, you can choose enable the phone to slow
    up to avoid crashes
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IOS 11.3
• Four new Animoji come with iOS 11.3 that you can use with an
    iPhone X
    • Dragon, Skull, Lion, Bear
•   With iOS 11.3, Apple introduced ‘Health Records’
    • With this feature, you can request medical records from
     participating institutions, and view all of the information directly
     from the Health app on your iPhone
    • Information shared can include things such as allergies,
     medication, conditions, lab results, and more
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iOS 11.3
•Business Chat was introduced in iOS 11.3
 • You can send messages to your favorite
     businesses from the Messages app, including
     Apple, Home Depot, Lowe’s, Newegg, Wells
     Fargo, and more…
 •   Only you can contact the company, so you
     won’t have to worry about useless spam

               33

IOS 11.3
•   Privacy: When an Apple feature asks to use your personal
    information, an icon now appears along with a link to detailed
    information explaining how your data will be used and protected
•   The News app now includes a “Top Videos” section curated by
    News editors
•   App Store changes:
    • Upgrade information now includes app version and file size
    • Adds ability to sort customer reviews on product pages by
     Most Helpful, Most Favorable, Most Critical, or Most Recent
                                  34

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IOS 11.3 Safari
•   Helps protect privacy by only AutoFilling usernames and
    passwords after selecting them in a web form field
•   Includes warnings in the Smart Search Field when interacting
    with password or credit card forms on non-encrypted web
    pages
•   Articles shared to Mail from Safari are now formatted using
    Reader mode by default when Reader is available
•   Folders in Favorites now show icons for the bookmarks
    contained within
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watchOS 4.3
•   With watchOS 4.3, the Apple Watch can now access the music
    library on their iPhone, as well as control music playback on a
    HomePod
•   watchOS 4.3 now supports Nightstand mode when the Apple
    Watch is charging in portrait orientation in addition to
    landscape mode
•   It also has a new charging animation when the device is first
    placed on a charger

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Nightstand Mode

Normal: Landscape        New: Portrait

                    41

IOS 11.4
•iOS 11.4 was just released this Tuesday:
 • Support   for AirPlay 2
   • Multi-room   audio
   • Ability to run two  HomePods   in Stereo
 • Calendar   support  on  the HomePod
 • Messages   in iCloud
• New  tvOS,   HomePod,    and watchOS  software
                                42

iWorks Image Gallery
•   With the latest release, all the iWorks programs gained the ability
    to add an image gallery
• Go to media and select “image Gallery”
• Then you use the “+” to add photos, or just drag photos to the
    left hand side bar
•   Caption Options: No captions, a caption for all photos, or a
    caption for each photo
• When you display the image gallery, you can go thru multiple
    images on the same slide or page
                                   43

Example Showing New 44Mac Background Images

Quick Tips

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Sharing Screen Shots
• I often want to share a screen shot from an iOS device
 • However,   I  only  want  to save part of the screenshot and…
 • I don’t want   to  save the  screenshot  to Photos when   I’m done
• Here’s how    to do  this:
 • Take  a screenshot    by  simultaneously  depressing the home
   button and the sleep/wake (or on/off) button
 • Tap on the small version of the screen that appears on the
   bottom left hand corner
                                  47

Sharing Screen Shots
•   Drag on the borders to select only the parts of the shot that you
    want to share
• Hit the share button and select how you want to share it (mail,
    message, print, …
• When you finish sharing, tap “done” at the top right hand corner of
    the screen
•   Then you get the option to:
    • Save to Photos or…
    • Delete Screenshot
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Informed Delivery

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Informed Delivery
•   The Post Office has a free service called Informed Delivery which
    allows you to digitally preview your snail mail in email
•   You can view greyscale images of the exterior, address side of
    incoming letter-sized mail (not the inside contents) via email or
    an online dashboard
•   It also supposedly allows you to track and manage package
    deliveries
• There is also an “Informed Delivery” app
• Sign up at informeddelivery.usps.com
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Mac

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iPhone

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Eero Mesh Network

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Why Upgrade?
•   I had been using two Airport Extremes
 • One (basement) connected  to my Comcast   Modem
 • One (entertainment center) connected via ethernet cable in
     bridge mode
• This worked very good in most rooms in my house, except my
    Florida room and my deck where I got spotty coverage
•   To fix the spotty coverage, I have been looking at the new
    consumer mesh networks

                                  57

Why Upgrade?
•   Virtually all the networking companies are producing mesh
    products for the consumer (Luma, Google WiFi, Linksys Velop,
    Eero, Netgear Orbi, xFinity xFi Pods, etc…)
•   I feel that the mesh products are now mature enough that there
    was little risk in converting
• Since Apple announced they will not be producing any more
    Airport Devices, I decide to upgrade now vs. waiting until I had
    an issue with one of my Airports and had to switch over

                                   58

What is a Mesh Network
•   Most home networks historically were built using a single router
• Your signal is strongest when you’re near your router and gets
    weaker with distance
• A mesh network consists of multiple routers communicating with
    each other, working as a team, to extend your coverage
•   A mesh network has a greater range and is much faster and
    stronger than a normal WiFi network
• If needed, the range of your mesh network can be easily
    extended simply by adding additional nodes
                                  59

What is a Mesh Network
•   Each node in a mesh network is a device that not only sends and
    receives data but determines the best path by which to send it
• The nodes can then automatically reconfigure themselves to find
    the most optimal path to the Internet
•   This technology has been used in enterprise networks for years,
    it has required complicated setups, extensive hardwiring, and the
    help of professional installers
•   The new consumer devices eliminates these problems completely

                                   60

Eero Installation
•Installation was very easy
• You download  the Eero app from the app  store
• You need either an iOS or Android device  - You can’t set up
 Eeros with a web browser
• When you open the Eero app for the first time, you are asked
 about your home, so the app can make suggestions on where to
 place your Eeros
• You then create an Eero account with just a phone number and
 email address
                                61

Eero Installation
•   Unplug your modem, remove your old router(s)
• Connect your Eero to your modem using the included Ethernet
    cable and plug in the power cord
• The Eero app will immediately begin to look for your Eero
• The gateway Eero's LED will begin to flash blue and then turn
    solid once found
•   Once your eero has been detected, you will select a name for
    your eero, usually it’s location

                                 62

Eero Installation
• You then choose your network name (SSID) and network password
• Tip: If you’re replacing an existing router simply reuse your current
    SSID and password. This way, you won’t have to reconnect all
    devices that were previously on the network
•   Once this is done you’ll get a message that your network has been
    created
•   Once you’ve set up your gateway Eero, the Eero app will walk you
    through steps to set up additional Eeros
• Overall, it was very easy and fast to switch out
                                   63

Eero vs. Beacons
• Eero sells two devices that work with their system: Eeros and
    Beacons
•   Eeros are more powerful, lie flat on a surface, have a power cable,
    and two ethernet ports
• Beacons plug into a wall socket and have a built in nightlight
    (which can be turned off if desired)
•   You do need at least one Eero to hook into your modem

                                    64

Eero vs. Beacons
• Other than that you can combine Eeros and Beacons as you wish
• I decided to get all Eeros since I wanted to use a hardwired port
 upstairs and I wanted the flexibility to hook up a network switch
 to the devices
• For example, everything in my entertainment system is hardwired
• I could have used a Beacon for my third device, but I went with
 the Eero instead for future flexibility

                                  65

Eero App
•   You use the Eero app (via iPhone or iPad) to monitor or control
    your network and devices
• You can monitor the status of your Eero’s and devices
• It will automatically speed test your network once/day or you
     can manually check it
•    You can create a guest network for visitors
• You can create IP reservations  if needed
• You can add another  Eero  in the
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                                     future if the need arises

Eero App
• You can create user profiles and associate devices to the profile
• This allows you to control access to the network manually or by
    creating a schedule.
•   For example, you can shut off access to the internet for kids after
    bedtime
• The app is very user friendly and in general then entire system is
    very Apple like (good looking, and easy to use)

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Eero Specs
•For geeks only:
 • 700  MHz quad-core   processor, 512MB  RAM, 4GB  flash storage
 • IEEE 802.11a/b/g/n/ac
 • Tri-band WiFi radios, broadcasting on 2.4GHz, 5.2GHz,  and
   5.8GHz wireless radios (Beacons are dual band)
 • 2x2 MU-MIMO, beamforming
 • Dual auto-sensing Gigabit ports for WAN and/or LAN
   connectivity
                                70

Eero Prices
•   Home WiFi:
    • 1 Eero and 1 Beacon: $299
    • 1 Eero and 2 Beacons: $399
• Pro WiFi:
 •  3 Eeros: $499
• Individually: (if you need to expand your system)
 •  Eero: $199
 • Beacon: $149                    71

iTunes Tips

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iTunes Artwork
•   Since I got my HomePod, I’ve been spending a significant amount
    of time getting my iTunes library up to speed
• While ripping CD’s, I found many albums with artwork on the
    Mac, were not showing the artwork on my iOS devices
•   After fiddling around (thrashing) for a while, I found a way to fix
    this
• I’ll also show you how to get artwork for Albums where iTunes
    couldn’t find the artwork

                                    73

iTunes Artwork
•   Here’s how to correct artwork visible on the Mac, but missing on
    your iOS devices
 • Select the Album on the Mac
 • Hold down the command key and press “I”
 • Go to the “Artwork” tab and select the artwork
 • Then do a Command X which cuts the picture
 • Immediately do a Command V and paste the picture back in
• In every case, shortly after, the artwork was then visible on iOS
                                  74

Command I
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Command X
Command V

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iTunes
• When you are ripping a CD that doesn’t exist in the iTunes library, it
    will not be able to find the appropriate artwork
•   I found going to Google and doing a search (images) for the artist and
    album name found the album art about 95% of the time
•   Then in iTunes, select the album, do command I, go to artwork tab and
    just drag the album art to the blank space where the artwork should
    go
• This works and the artwork shows up on the Mac and iOS
• For the remaining 5%, I just scanned the CD and dragged the image
    with the same process
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Question
•   Could you talk a bit about HEIF and HEVC?

                                81

HEIF/HEVC
• iOS 11 and macOS High Sierra included support for a new industry
    standard graphic and video media formats (in lieu of JPEG and H.264)
    •   HEIF (High Efficiency Image File Format) for photos (Apple uses
        HEIC as the file extension for this format)
    •   HEVC (High Efficiency Video Coding), also known as H.265, for
        videos
•   Devices that can capture these formats are: iPhone 7s or later, iPad
    Pro models and the iPad 6
•   Other devices running iOS 11 or macOS High Sierra can view, edit, or
    duplicate HEIF and HEVC media
                                       82

HEIF
• Here’s the advantage of HEIF files:
 • Around  half the size of JPEG  for the  same  quality
 • Can store multiple  photos  in  one file (ideal for Live Photos and
     bursts)
 • Supports transparency like PNG files
 • Can store image edits, such as cropping and rotating so you can
     undo them
 •   Support 16-bit color vs JPEG’s 8-bit
                                  83

HEIF
•   These formats have been adapted by Apple. Google had announced
    they will adapt them. Microsoft does not currently support them.
• Since this format is not currently universally supported, Apple will
    automatically convert it to JPG at times
• When you share HEIF or HEVC media using AirDrop, Messages,
    Photo Stream, or email, it's converted automatically to the
    compatible formats: JPEG or H.264
• If you drag a photo/video from the Photos window to the desktop
    it’s also converted
                                   84

HEIF/HEVC
•   However, if you import HEIF or HEVC media from an iOS device
    via USB (to Photos, or Image Capture), the media will not be
    converted
•   You can change this import behavior in iOS 11
 • Go  to Settings > Photos
 • In the "Transfer to  Mac or  PC" section
  •  “Keep  Originals”  prevent the media from being converted
  •  “Automatic”   will convert the formats
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HEIF/HEVC
•You can also not use these formats at all, if you wish
 • In iOS 11, go to Settings  > Camera
 • Tap  Formats (only available on devices that can capture HEIF or
   HEVC)
  • Tap “Most Compatible” to use JPEG/H.264 formats
  • Tap “High Efficiency” to use HEIF and HEVC formats

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Next Month

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Questions

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Thank You!

             *Presentation produced on an iMAC using Apple’s
                Keynote software and presented on an iPad
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