March 28, 2008 by AC.

I get a lot of calls about iPod service and I finally have a reliable referral:

iPod Repair - Find replacement parts and equipment for your iPod: http://www.restoredoctors.com

Posted in Apple/Mac | 1 Comment »

August 7, 2007 by AC.

Hidden amid the iPhone hysteria this summer, Apple has launched all new versions of the popular iMac desktop computer line.  These sleek all-in-one machines have gotten even thinner and much more powerful.  With a 2.8 GHz Intel Dual-Core processor available, along with built-in wireless and up to a 1 TB (yes, that is a terabyte drive) hard drive these systems do not skimp on performance or features.

They are great systems for people who lack space thanks to the handy monitor as CPU case and they are an absolute pleasure to look at.  Not only is the design stunning, the screen resolution is fantastic.  I have worked on a few of the older iMac models and they are speedy, fun systems to use. 

For more information please see:

http://www.apple.com/imac/ 

http://blogs.pcworld.com/techlog/archives/005103.html

Posted in New Products, Apple/Mac | No Comments »

July 23, 2007 by AC.

I recently helped set up a new Mac for a customer - a positively gorgeous 24-inch screen iMac.  The customer is not new to computers but definitely was new to Apple systems and the Mac OS.  I have worked with both and I am comfortable in either operating system, but I respect that the change can be difficult for most people.  Once the customer got into using the suite of software Apple provides, and got comfortable with the interface he was pretty excited.  As I said, this is a gorgeous system.  The color, clarity and picture quality is unlike anything out there and Apple give a lot of bang for your buck - both with system power and included (useful) applications provided.

In following up with the customer I came across a few sites that may help new Mac users get more out of the Mac OS:

http://www.apple.com/pro/tips/

http://www.macosxhints.com/

http://help.cnet.com/9606-12576_39-0.html?kw=mac

Posted in Apple/Mac | 1 Comment »

July 11, 2007 by AC.

I recently starting using the new generation iPod Shuffle and found an interesting difference between this second generation model and the original shuffle.  In the original shuffle you could easily select a playlist or playlists to sync with the device, or fill the device automatically.  The new generation model has a similar feature but it is more disguised.  On first glance I thought I could only manually add songs to the device, but you can tweak the autofill feature to grab a specific playlist.  With that feature you can deselect the random fill feature which is checked by default, essentially allowing you to sync a specific playlist with the device.  Just a quick tip if you are looking to manually control the music going to your iPod.

Posted in Apple/Mac | 1 Comment »

June 8, 2007 by AC.

The question recently came up about transferring itunes music files between machines so I thought I would comment and offer some resources online.  I am a big fan of the iPod and have a good deal of music from my own collection and from online purchases.  I have used multiple machines to save & play the music, so the transfer issue was never a problem for me but the question came up recently on a service call and also from some friends.

This pertains to iTunes software but may have some benefit for other music players.  It is also written for Windows users but I do have some links to Mac iTunes users below as well.  iTunes generally saves music in a folder within “My Documents” and the “My Music” folder in a new folder it creates, “iTunes”.  You can check or change the folder used by clicking on “Edit” and then “Preferences” from inside the iTunes software.  From there navigate to the “Advanced” tab and you will find the folder information in the box at the top.  You can change or reset the folder location with the buttons to the right of the location box.

The easiest way to copy and/or move music between machines is to copy the iTunes folder (or the entire My Music folder) and paste that folder to a new location.  Because many people are accumulating large amounts of music files, a direct connection between the computers (shared drive) or an external drive (back, etc.) may be necessary.  If you have a big collection it is doubtful all your music will fit on a disc, flash drive or CD.

Once the music is moved to a suitable device, let’s use an external drive for an example, move that drive to the other computer and copy & paste the data you saved (My Music or iTunes folder from Computer 1) to the My Music folder within Computer 2.  The process does not end there.  From within iTunes, (it needs to be on both machines) you must now locate the music by clicking “File” and then “Add Folder to Library”.  Locate the folder you just copied and iTunes will do the rest to import the songs into your music library.

If you have purchased some of your music from Apple or have secure music you will be prompted to enter your iTunes username & password.  You can register multiple machines per the Apple User Agreement.

For more information please see the following pages from Apple:

For Windows Machines - http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=93366

For Mac Machines - http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=93063

The question also comes up about getting music off an iPod device - back onto a computer.  Generally this is a one-way path - music from your PC can be added to an iPod, but music from an iPod cannot be copied back to your computer.  There are third-party software solutions and hacks out there to reverse the process but unless you lost your music on your PC and the iPod is the only backup of the music I do not advise going this route.

Thanks for reading!

Posted in Apple/Mac | 1 Comment »

March 22, 2007 by AC.

Apple has released a new version of the popular iTunes software for both Windows and Mac systems, version 7.1.1.  The new version addresses some compatibility issues and minor bugs.  The big news is this version gets ready for a new Apple TV service due to arrive later this month.  This was the first update for me that utilized the Apple Updater feature and did not push me to the Apple website for the download. 

You can check your iTunes version by opening iTunes, clicking on “Help” and then clicking “About iTunes”.  You should see a version number beginning “7.1.1″.  It is highly recommended to keep programs up-to-date.  If you do not have the current version, with your computer connected to the internet, click “Help” and then “Check for Updates” or visit: http://www.apple.com/itunes/download/.

Apple TV is a set-top box for your television that allows you to transfer video (movie, TV, etc.) downloads from iTunes for viewing on a television.  Think of it as an iPod for your television.  It also supports music playback through the television and photo slideshows.  Cost is $299.00 for the hardware.  There is no cost to transfer your videos, pictures, music, etc. and the device supports wireless connections for data transfer.  For more information on the Apple TV hardware & service see: http://www.apple.com/appletv/.

Thanks for reading!

Posted in New Products, Apple/Mac | 1 Comment »