Apple’s macOS High Sierra introduced enough performance enhancements that my dual-core, 2011 MacBook Air felt like it had new life breathed into it. Occasionally, though – and more and more frequently recently – events would cascade such that my CPU would run at full tilt for 5-10 minutes before finally settling in. When that was happening, Activity Monitor and/or iStat Menus would show two system processes chewing up CPU: tailspind and spindump. Thankfully, we now know how to stop that.
Tips
Here's How to Create an Apple ID For Your New Apple Device
You’ll use this ID on any Apple device you have, whether it’s an iPhone or a MacBook.
![Here’s How to Monitor Your iPhone Battery Health from your phone or Mac [UPDATE]](https://www.macobserver.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/iphone-battery-health-apps.webp)
Here's How to Monitor Your iPhone Battery Health from your phone or Mac [UPDATE]
Want to stay on top of your iPhone’s battery health? Here’s how to do that from your phone or Mac.
iPad Set Up Guide: How to Get Started With Your New Device
Setting up an iPad is an easy process, and you’ll be using it in no time.
iPhone Set Up Guide: How to Set up Your New Device
Setting up an iPhone is easy, and all you have to do is follow the on-screen instructions.
tvOS: Use AirPods With Apple TV Much Faster With This Trick
This should also work with other Apple headphones as long as it has a W1 chip.
How to Use "Insert Pattern" in TextEdit to Clean Up Text
The Mac’s built-in TextEdit program has a little-known feature that’ll let you find tabs, paragraph breaks, and the like and replace them in text—or find patterns of them, even. It’s a very powerful way to clean up extraneous characters, so come read this Quick Tip!
iOS: How to Delete Single Digits in iOS Calculator
Correct errors more quickly in the iOS calculator by using this tip.
How To Manage iCloud Mail with Rules and Folders
You can combine a rule and a folder in iCloud Mail to emulate the smart mailboxes on macOS.
iOS: Readjust Contact Photos by Using the Photos App
I’ve had this happen several times when I zoom in on a person’s face in a photo, and later it displays a different area of the image.
![How to Install and Sign into Amazon Prime Video on Apple TV [Update]](https://www.macobserver.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/featured.webp)
How to Install and Sign into Amazon Prime Video on Apple TV [Update]
Amazon Prime Video is available for the Apple TV. Here’s how to install the app and get logged in.
What's the Difference Between RSS Apps and News Apps?
Both news apps and RSS readers are useful tools to stay on top of the news you care about. Which type of app you choose depends on your needs.
iOS 11: How to Use Siri's "Personal DJ" Feature
Got a subscription to Apple Music? Then if you’ve installed iOS 11, you can have Siri create personalized playlists for you using Apple’s so-called Personal DJ feature. We’ve got all the details in today’s Quick Tip!
macOS: How to Export Apple Notes as Plain Text Files
I noticed that in a lot of the files, there is some weird HTML formatting in the text. This is normal though, because images or other attachments don’t get exported.
macOS High Sierra 10.13.1 Update Can Break the Root Password Security Patch, Here's How to Fix it
Updating to macOS High Sierra 10.13.1 after installing Security Update 2017-001 can undo the root password security patch. Here’s how to make sure it’s still in place.
iPhone Crashing with Apple's 12/2 Notification Bug? Fix it with iOS 11.2
Starting December 2nd, there’s a bug that causes some notifications to crash your iPhone. iOS 11.2 is the fix, and we’ll show you how to apply it and avoid these 12/2 crashes.
How To Rip Blu-Ray Movies to Watch on Your Apple TV
Note: In order to start ripping Blu-ray discs, you’ll need an Apple SuperDrive to use with your Mac, or another DVD drive compatible with macOS and Blu-ray.
iPhone X: Using Reachability to Get to Control Center
With Reachability on the iPhone X, accessing Control Center is easier than you think. Come read this Quick Tip and find out how to use this one-handed Accessibility feature to bring everything closer to you!
How to Get 4K/UHD and HDR Content on Netflix with Apple TV 4K
Several technical pieces must be in place before you can enjoy 4K/UHD as well as HDR content with your Apple TV 4K and Netflix. John shows how to do it.
iPhone Privacy for the Paranoid: What You Can Do
Concerned about your privacy on the web? You should be. There is an entire industry that involves tracking people, collecting data about them, and selling it to the highest bidder.
Most Everything to Know About Apple TV 4K
The holidays are upon us, and so John put together (most) everything a buyer might need to know about the Apple TV 4K.
![macOS High Sierra Has a Severe Vulnerability Giving Anyone Root Access – Here’s How to Fix It [Update]](https://www.macobserver.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/macos-high-sierra-system-preferences-users-groups-root.jpg)
macOS High Sierra Has a Severe Vulnerability Giving Anyone Root Access - Here's How to Fix It [Update]
It gives anyone with physical access to your Mac immediate and easy root privileges, meaning access to everything on your Mac. Fortunately, there’s a fix you can do yourself until Apple fixes this mess.
PSA Reminder: You Can Gift Apple Music to the Android Users in Your Life
This seems like a good time to remind everyone you can gift Apple Music to the Android users in your life—here’s how it works.
macOS: Importing Stickies (And Evernote!) into Notes
If you’re using Stickies—or Evernote, for that matter—you should know that there’s a way to import the data into Apple’s Notes program, so if you’d like to move your stuff into that app instead, you can! In today’s Quick Tip, we’ll explore the options for importing and exporting between those applications.