Alternative AirPlay Receivers, iMac Upgrades, Troubleshooting in Console, and AirPods controls are just the first four things your two favorite geeks discuss today. Then it’s on to solving the issue of stale Contacts on your iPhone, MailDrop woes, and the Preppers approach to backups. All this and more in this week’s Mac Geek Gab podcast. You’re guaranteed to learn at least four new things.
5 Less Expensive Wireless Alternatives to AirPods
Last week Dr. Mac said he thought AirPods were too expensive… For those looking for decent-sounding, comfortable wireless headsets to use primarily with a single Apple device—an iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, or Mac—he says he knows many models that will serve your needs and cost you less than AirPods.
Don't Count on AirPods in iPhone 8 Box
Apple may bundle AirPods with this fall’s iPhone 8, according to an analyst report from JPMorgan. As great as that would be, at least for some iPhone fans, it’s not going to happen.
Follow The Dots...to Mac Geek Gab 656
Cool Stuff Found and Quick Tips in the same episode? You bet! John F. Braun and Dave Hamilton aim to deliver for you each and every week. And since the goal is to learn at least four new things each week, some options might include keeping your Mac awaken only when you like, managing Siri’s holidays when set for a foreign voice, yet another replacement for DeskConnect, and a segment one listener calls “follow the dots.” You’ll just have to listen to see what that is all about. Press play and enjoy, folks!
Apple Watch, AirPods, Beats Sales Hit Fortune 500 Level
Apple Watch sales, along with AirPods and Beats headphones have hit Fortune 500 level, which means they’re bringing in over US$5 billion to Apple’s “other products” category. Company CEO Tim Cook shared that detail during the company’s second fiscal quarter earnings report on Tuesday.
Is Your Wi-Fi Security Worth Its Salt? – Mac Geek Gab 655
Splitting the check, making your EarPods or AirPods fit better, and pen-based note-taking are just the Cool Stuff Found segment. Then your two favorite geeks talk you through fixing Wi-Fi connection issues on both your iPhone and your Mac, and also help you choose the right speed plan from your ISP. That’s not all, though, and you’ll hear much more when you press play (just do it!).
8 Ways to See the Charge Level of Your AirPods
If you’ve got a pair of Apple’s bluetooth headphones, dubbed “AirPods,” then it’s good to know that there are tons of ways to check their battery levels. Considering that the AirPods don’t have a physical indicator of how much charge they’ve got, that’s a good thing! In today’s Quick Tip, Melissa Holt’s gonna go over a number of methods for finding out how much more listenin’ you can do.
Air Vinyl Lets You Decorate Your AirPod Case
Check out Air Vinyl Design‘s self titled product, Air Vinyl. They’re simple vinyl decorations for your plain white AirPods case. Sure, a lot of people would never sully their pristine Apple design, but a lot of people love to decorate their Apple devices. Since the AirPods case is something you need to use all the time, I can definitely see folks wanting to personalize them. Especially if you want a way to quickly identify your case from everyone else’s. Air Vinyls are made of vinyl, and they’re designed to be removable. There are currently eight designs, as shown, but the designer told me he has ones coming for San Francisco, New York City, and Chicago, and when I suggested Cupertino, he thought it a splendid idea. They’re being sold in sets: Los Angeles, CA; Music Mixer; and Rorschach Drops, as grouped below. Each set is $5.99.
iOS 10.3: Using "Find My AirPods"
This Quick Tip is about the new “Find My AirPods” feature that’s available now with iOS 10.3. If you’ve lost one of those tiny white headphones somewhere in your house, this’ll help you locate it, and Melissa Holt’s gonna tell you how!
Airpod Skins Add a Splash of Colorful Protection to Apple AirPods
Check out Airpod Skins, which the company described to me as “minimal color protectors for apple AirPods.” I’m sure there are folks who would be interested in helping to protect the finish of their AirPods, but I thought they simply look great. They’re a simple wrap available in a dozen colors, with some of those colors involving a fade from top to bottom. They’re priced at A$8.25 and are available now. Each order includes two sets, too.
Black AirPods Exist Thanks To BlackPods
A company called BlackPods is offering custom painted AirPods, but as the name suggests they only offer them in black. Matte black, to be specific. You can buy a pair directly from the company, or send in your own pair and pay to have them coated using a custom process.
iOS 10.3 for iPhone and iPad Adds Find My AirPods Feature
If you’re worried about losing your fancy new AirPods, Apple has your back—or your ear. iOS 10.3, which was released as a beta to developers on Tuesday, includes a newFind My AirPods feature to help you track down your wayward wireless earpods.
Speeding Up a Sluggish Mac and Cool Stuff Found – Mac Geek Gab 641
Cool Stuff Found today contains lots of things you suggested after listening to recent shows, including tools to help your Mac sleep, help you manage your keyboard shortcuts and macros, privately sync your notes, auto-file your Mail, and free backup storage! Then its on to sharing your tips and answering your questions. Want to learn how to factory reset your AirPods, enable band-steering on your router, or have Siri search Google instead of Bing? Let’s go!
How to Factory Reset Apple AirPods, May Help with Battery and Pairing Issues
Have you been having issues with your AirPods battery indicator or pairing issues? Some users have reported that doing a factory reset helps with both. Bryan Chaffin walks us through how to do it.
Apple's 'Practically Magic' Commercials Take Dancing Stroll with AirPods
Apple has new spots out with the tagline “practically magic.” The spots focus on a young dancer taking a Stroll through a city scape using AirPods to enjoy “Down” by Marian Hill. There are four spots in the series, the longer one below and three short ones. Two of the short ones focus on Siri and Pairing, while the third one is called Notes, and uses AirPods to represent notes on a staff. Stroll takes a whimsical look at the power of music by showing the dancer defy gravity. I think the imagery is compelling and the message simple and straightforward. Check it out.
Apple's Underappreciated Technical Evolution
Apple periodically comes out with The Next Big Thing. Along the way, however, the company makes incremental changes that also make our lives better. How those many advancements accumulate to positively affect our lives depends on how often we upgrade. Meanwhile, the punctuation of big product events keeps us coming back for more. It’s all in a delicate balance, perceived in our flow of time.
AirPods Production in Overtime to Cut Shipping Delays
It may be easier to get ahold of AirPods soon because Inventec, the company manufacturing them for Apple, is expanding its production. That’s good news for impatient consumers who are currently waiting upwards of six weeks for theirs to arrive.
AirPods: Useful Siri Commands and Other Tips
Apple’s new AirPods are a solid innovation in Bluetooth headphones. Naturally, we’ve found some great tips to help you get more out of them.
AirPod Alerts for Your Local Apple Store
When AirPods went on sale for preorder on December 13, Apple quickly became backordered. Customers found that delivery estimate for their order were up to 4-6 weeks out. Apple Stores have been receiving shipments of AirPods every day or so. Other stores like BestBuy and Target are also getting regular shipments. If you haven’t ordered AirPods yet, and don’t want to have to check with each store, you can use this handy website to get AirPod Alerts. You enter your email address and the physical address of your local Apple Store. Then, you’ll be notified whenever your store gets a new shipment of AirPods.
Christmas Morning with Your Two Favorite Geeks – Mac Geek Gab 637
Everyone got AirPods except you? No worries, Dave and John have you covered with some AirPods alternatives. Otherwise it’s listener questions dominate the show, as usual, with topics ranging from where to store your iTunes Media, network topology, replacements for Dropbox’s missing Public folder and much more. Download today and enjoy!
