While Jeff Butts doesn’t use his mid-2010 Mac Mini as often as his other Mac, it’s definitely worth noting that the elderly computer performs so well with the newer version of the operating system.
Jeff Butts
Jeff Butts is a seasoned tech aficionado with deep roots in the Apple ecosystem. Starting his journey in the early 1980s by experimenting with hardware, Jeff has always been driven by a desire to get the most out of technological devices. His expertise has led him to prominent roles in the industry, including a nearly three-year stint as a Reporter at AppAdvice and an impressive seven-year tenure as a Writer/Editor for Byrnes Publishing, LLC. More recently, Jeff lent his technical insights to HotHardware, Inc. as a Tech Editor. With his extensive experience and unwavering commitment to providing valuable content, Jeff continues to be a trusted voice for readers keen on Apple products and innovations.
Articles by Jeff Butts
How to Take a Screenshot on iPhone X
The new key combination to take a screenshot on iPhone X should be fairly intuitive for most.
How to Reboot Your iPhone X
Perhaps Apple doesn’t think we’ll ever need to reboot the device, but Jeff Butts has uncovered a couple of ways to do it anyways.
Compiling sudo and nano, XikiHub with Craig Muth - Terminal Tinkering 6
Join Jeff Butts once again, and he’ll show you how to compile sudo and nano in FreeBSD, plus introduce you to XikiHub, a new Terminal/command line product taking shape at Kickstarter.
The iPhone Shutter Button: Where It Should Go
When Steve Jobs said, “You’re holding it wrong,” he wasn’t referring to taking pictures; still, the saying probably holds true for that use, too.
How to Use Emergency SOS on the iPhone
This is a great new feature, stymied by conflicting and confusing instructions for use that, strangely enough, vary depending on which model of iPhone you have.
macOS: Using "Grep" to Find Matching Lines
If you’ve never heard of the “grep” Terminal command, then you have to come check out today’s Quick Tip. Using this is a simple way to find lines in a text file that match a pattern you specify, which can make separating and cleaning up data a breeze!
Benchmarks, not Google Searches, Tell Whether Apple Is Slowing Down Your iPhone
Despite the spike in Google searches for “iPhone slow,” Futuremark decided to tally up results from its own database of benchmark data for various models of the iPhone.
watchOS 4: How to See Favorites Instead of Recent Apps in the Dock
If you’ve found that your Apple Watch’s Dock (the list of apps accessed by pressing the side button) has switched away from your favorites to the stuff you opened recently, never fear! We’re going to tell you how to change this behavior back and reclaim your favorite apps list.
Create a Surround Sound System in macOS With Speakers You Already Own
Through the magic of Audio MIDI Setup, you too can have your own custom surround sound system in macOS, using speakers you’ve already got laying around.
Set Up Third-Party Drivers and Unsigned Apps in macOS, Plus Ports in FreeBSD - Terminal Tinkering 5
It’s time for another episode of Terminal Tinkering, and this week Jeff Butts takes you on a tour of the dark and mysterious roads of third-party drivers for Hackintosh, unsigned apps for macOS, and the Ports Collection in FreeBSD.
iOS 11: Using the New Messages Effects
Under iOS 11, you’ve got some new effects to play around with in Messages, so now you can annoy…er, we mean impress your friends even more! We’ve got the scoop on how to find and use these new toys.
A Robotic Lawn Mower to Save Your Pennies For
Jeff Butts loves all sorts of home automation gadgets, so it’s little surprise he’s interested in these yard machines.
macOS High Sierra Disk Utility: A Video Walkthrough
Jeff Butts shows us a real “gotcha,” the fact that Disk Utility hides full volume trees by default, plus how to reformat an APFS container and volume to a macOS Extended partition.
Your Mac's EFI Might Be Outdated
It’s not just an Apple problem, but it definitely bears some investigation and consideration.
Understanding the watchOS 4 Control Center
Too many buttons, you might say, but each one in the watchOS 4 Control Center serves a very important purpose.
The Skylink ATOMS Garage Door Opener, a Few Minutes of vi, and a Tour of Clover Configurator - Terminal Tinkering 4
Learn about a cool smart garage door opener, the essentials of the vi editor, and how to use Clover Configurator on your Hackintosh.
Getting Rid of the 'Now Playing' Screen on watchOS 4
It’s annoying, its settings are hidden, but stopping “Now Playing” from taking over your Apple Watch is actually pretty easy, once you know where to look.
His Opposition to Net Neutrality Might Put FCC Chairman Ajit Pai Out of a Job
Frankly, I hope Senator Cantwell’s efforts are successful, because the freedom and openness of the internet largely depends upon net neutrality.
How to Use iOS 11 Screen Recording
Despite what you might have heard, you can even record voice-overs of your screen; you just have to know where to look, and Jeff Butts shows that to you.
Moment Selfie Drone: Amazing 4K Aerial Photography
A new drone has recently launched its Indiegogo campaign, and I managed to get my hands on one. I’ll have a full review of it later. Simply put, this is one of the coolest selfie drones I’ve found. The Moment Selfie Drone truly is a terrific 4K aerial photographer. You heard right — this drone records 4K video. It offers automatic takeoff and landing, and automatic hovering at a specific altitude. You control the Moment with your smartphone. The drone even has a GPS receiver embedded within it. That means if you set it up right, you can enjoy one-touch return to home and land. The app is quite easy to use, and the video it captures is amazing. The follow-me feature works well, and the drone is powerful enough to handle a bit of wind. Check out the video I recorded with Moment (and then edited with Enlight Videoleap).
Time Machine and APFS: What You Need to Know
To make a long story short, everything should work fine for most users, with just a few “gotchas” to be aware of.
Movie Rentals in iTunes Have Changed for the Better
You don’t need to stay up all night to finish watching your movie rental anymore, unless you’re really into that sort of thing.
Thanks to Misuse, Apps Can't View MAC Addresses on iOS 11
Quite a few network administrators are probably hopping mad about this, since it means they can’t manage their networks as effectively from their iOS devices as they could before.
