Mac

Just like so many other things you can do on your Mac, Apple has given us more than one way to control the system volume. They also gave us a couple cool tricks for controlling exactly how you adjust the audio level. Want to learn how? Watch our Video Quick Tip to learn more.

Hackers have found a way to use some basic JavaScript code to trick unsuspecting Mac users into paying US$300 for surfing the Web. The threat tricks users into thinking they have been viewing or distributing pornographic content by hijacking Safari and displaying a warning that appears to come from the FBI. The scam doesn't rely…

In this two-part article, I want to talk to you about – perhaps even introduce you to – a pair of significant, yet poorly understood and far less utilized tools found in the iWork suite of apps for the Mac. These two tools are called the Mask Tool and the Instant Alpha Tool. They are…

So, did you know you could trace a downloaded document back to the source?  There may be times when you download a file and later would like to go back to the source. That happened to me recently when I filled out forms on-line and then needed to get back to the exact same spot…

The PocketPro Padfolio case from Digital Treasurers holds either a MacBook Air or a 13-inch MacBook Pro in a padded, zippered pocket. The case fastens with a secure strap closure and is made from koskin (artificial leather). It is black with red lining and red stitching. There is a full size pocket on the front…

This is too fun: Amazon Japan sells a trash can (Google translation) that looks a lot like Apple's brand spankin' new Mac Pro. Some may find that fitting since there was a barrage of “it looks like a trash can” comments when Apple announced the device on Monday. As the story goes, this trash can,…

You've probably seen Apple's new Mac Pro. It's gorgeous. It's sexy. It's powerful, too, according to some people who have been working the device in recent weeks. In an Apple video called “Painting the Future,” the lead developer of 3D rendering tool MARI and an artist at Pixar both talked the Mac Pro and how…

When I first saw the new Mac Pro, introduced by Phil Schiller at the WWDC Keynote, I had a vague feeling that I'd seen that design element before. The cylindrical tower of power. I couldn't quite put my finger on it, but my brain was nagging me. What was it? At first, I thought of…

[Update: Apple announced the real deal on Monday morning, and it turns out the image below wasn't it. Actually, the real Mac Pro does have dual GPUs and Thunderbolt 2, so that part was correct, but the form factor was off and then some. See our full coverage and John Martellaro's analysis for more information.…

In this column I will try and answer questions from two readers who took the time to seek advice. One asks about the Dock and the other about passwords. Dock Tip First letter – In my universe the Dock goes on the bottom of my screen.  I’m sorry, but that is just the way it…

Apple released iMovie 9.0.9 for Mac on Tuesday. The update improves support for importing projects from iMovie for iOS. It also includes a bug fix and unspecified stability improvements. Apple's patch notes in full: What's New in Version 9.0.9 Addresses issues where iMovie does not recognize video cameras connected to your Mac Improves compatibility with…

In this column I offer three basic Mac tips that may make your computing life more fun, more efficient, and possibly lower your blood pressure. Short Cut To Online Thesauruses I can’t spell worth a darn. Never have been good at it and never will be. I like to blame it on brain damage I…

During Apple's Q2 2013 earnings report, Apple CEO Tim Cook said that despite a slight decline in Mac sales by about two percent, the company is still very committed to innovation and investment in the Macintosh. Shannon Cross of Cross Research asked Mr. Cook about the Mac and the PC market. This was in light…

For years the best option for us Mac-using TiVo owners to get content off of our TiVos and on to our iDevices was iTiVo. But iTiVo, built largely in AppleScript Studio, has always had a buggy user interface, and with Mountain Lion it originally required some Terminal fu to get it to work at all.…

I love the Preview app on the Mac. It's enormously useful, and It's just about on everyone's machine. It's unobtrusive, simple, yet powerful. I've praised its virtues before here on TMO… see How to Get the Most from Preview in OS X: Annotating. I'm not finished with Preview, as I plan to explore more features…

Over the decades, personal computers have made enormous gains in speeds. But in the short term, not much has happened. On the other hand, the maintenance burdens on customers just kept increasing. That's why customers have moved briskly to the tablet. In a sense, the PC industry failed its original vision, and customers moved on.…

The Post-PC era, the era of iPads and other tablets, suggests that it is time to re-evaluate the archaic computer interface developed by Xerox and Apple 30 years ago. However, before we get too excited, there are lots of questions to ask and answer. The interface we use on our PCs and Macs is generally…

Some time ago, I went over how to add media files to iTunes automatically. What I didn't mention, though, is that iPhoto has pretty much the same special folder. I'm such a stinker. Anyhow, if you accumulate lots of pictures, this can be a handy feature. Just put everything you want to keep into that…

Companies that claim they make the very best product of its kind but then waffle on selling low volume, premium, awe inspiring, likely very expensive high end products will implicitly lose credibility. That seems to be the discussion around the Mac Pro lately. Will Apple's next Mac Pro light the world on fire? Or just…

While Java remains an important tool for the Enterprise, its fate on the personal computer for home users is all but sealed. Preamble There was a time, when Macs were competing tooth and nail against PCs when software developers, enammored by the Mac but aware of the business prospects in the PC world, wanted an…

You can run Java apps in two ways. The first is to run Java applets inside your Web browser with a plug-in. The second is to run native Java apps on your Mac. With the grave security concerns about Java these days, you may be thinking about how to remove or disable both of those…

Microsoft Office users on OS X may not get the new Office 2013 that was released for Windows Tuesday, but the Redmond-based company has at least released an update with important bug fixes for the existing retail and subscription users of the Office for Mac 2011 productivity suite. The update, version 14.3 (a.k.a. “Service Pack…

Parallels unveiled its new Parallels Management plug-in for Microsoft System Center Configuration Manager on Tuesday. The plug-in lets Microsoft-based IT departments manage the Macs and Parallels virtual machines on their networks without investing in additional hardware. Parallels Management adds Mac management to Microsoft's SCCM Parallels Management can auto-discover all of the Macs on a network,…