Tip, Tricks and Articles for iPad, iPhone, Mac
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So many Mac users that we meet at iTandCoffee have never done a backup of their Mac.  This puts them at serious risk of losing everything - irreplaceable photos and files - if something happens to their Mac.

The upgrade to a new version of MacOS is perfect time to perform such a backup - but make sure you do this backup before you upgrade.  You should also ensure you have a backup before you install any update - just in case something goes awry.

The upgrade and update processes should generally go smoothly, but problems can occur.  If you have a backup, you can always recover from such a disaster.

How do you back up your Mac?

iTandCoffee has recorded a set of tutorials about how to perform such a backup.  
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These tutorials are available in the comprehensive set of online tutorials in the 'Getting to Know your Mac' series.

Premium members of The iTandCoffee Club have access to ALL these recently released videos, providing a great way to learn about the wonderful features of the Mac.  Other club members can use a discount coupon code to receive 20% off the standard price.  (Visit the club home page for to get your coupon code.)

For this week only, we are making part of this set of videos available to all iTandCoffee Club members - the video of How to Back Up your Mac.

If you have not yet joined the iTandCoffee Club, and would like access to all sorts of tips and tutorials like this, find out more about The Club here »
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Those of you who watch this blog or read the iTandCoffee Newsletter will know that there have been several articles recently about the upgrade to iOS, iOS 11.

What hasn't had much coverage is the upgrade of Macs to the latest version of the Mac operating system, MacOS Sierra (10.13)

I must say that I held off on downloading and installing MacOS High Sierra for several weeks, because I am so reliant on my Mac for my work. I wanted to wait for the early 'glitches' to be ironed out.

I finally installed High Sierra a couple of weeks ago, and can report that I have not had any issues so far with it.

For most people who install High Sierra, the changes will be barely noticeable.  A few areas where you may notice differences are

• Photos: Significant changes have been applied to the Photos app, mainly in the arrangement of the 'library' and 'albums', and providing great new editing features.
• Safari: This app is now much faster, allows you to stop autoplaying of videos, limits advertising across websites (so that you don't see those annoying ads popping up everywhere based on searches you have done).
• Notes: The updates you will have seen in iOS 11 are available on your Mac - formatted tables, and the ability to 'pin' a note to the top so that you can get to it quickly.

Here's an article from Macworld that provides more detail about what High Sierra delivers.

• macOS High Sierra: Everything you need to know about Apple’s latest Mac operating system

On Wednesday this week, Apple released the awaited update to fix the recently reported KRACK Wi-Fi security flaw (see New Wi-Fi flaw leaves nearly every internet-connected device vulnerable).

Here is the Macworld article with details of the content of MacOS 10.13.1.

• Apple releases macOS 10.13.1 High Sierra update

Is it time to upgrade to High Sierra?

For anyone who has a Mac that is capable of being updated to MacOS High Sierra, it is a good idea to install this latest upgrade, especially so that you 'plug' the major Wi-Fi security flaw.

Of course, this upgrade is only available for certain Macs - here's the list:

• MacBook Pro – 2010 or later models
• MacBook – Late 2009 or later models
• MacBook Air – 2010 or later models
• iMac – Late 2009 or later models
• Mac Mini – 2010 or later models
• Mac Pro – 2010 or later models

How to upgrade to MacOS High Sierra

As always, make sure you do a backup of your Mac - and that the backup has completed successfully - before you install any upgrade or update.

If you are not sure how to do this, we have a separate article that covers this topic.

Do you need help with the upgrade or backup?

As always, iTandCoffee can assist you with the processes of backing up and upgrading your Mac.

Just call 1300 885 420 or email us at booking@itandcoffee.com.au to book an appointment.

If you are an iTandCoffee Member with Plus, Premium or Online membership, why not arrange a free support call or drop-in appointment to get  help with your backup or update?

Your memberships entitles you to FREE support - Plus and Online members get 3 support calls or drop-in appointments (of up to 15 minutes) per subscription year, and Premium members get 10!

All* Club members are welcome to come along to our next Free Friday on November 17th at 12pm and bring along your questions about upgrades, backups or anything else!

​*Limits apply to these free sessions, depending on your level of membership.  We'll let you know if you have exceeded this limit.

Apple has made the task of choosing a new iPhone that much harder this year, with the announcement of the release of 3 new phones - the iPhone 8, iPhone 8 Plus, and the iPhone X (where the X is pronounced 'ten').

Normally I would upgrade to the latest iPhone as soon as it arrives, so that I can provide informed commentary on its capabilities.  

So I could order the iPhone 8 Plus now, to replace my 12 month old iPhone 7 Plus.  I'm just not sure that the iPhone 8 is a big enough improvement on the iPhone 7 for me to justify the expense so will skip this upgrade.  

Here's an article from Macworld that compares these two phones:

• iPhone 8 vs iPhone 7: A worthwhile but overlooked upgrade                                                                  

So the next question then is whether I will purchase the iPhone X, which will be available for pre-order on October 17, and available from November 3?  

​Is it a good idea to get the 'first generation' version of this new type of iPhone, or should I wait until they refine it and then get the next version.

The price difference between the iPhone 8 Plus and the iPhone X will be about $350 (for the 256GB model that I would get) - $1579 vs $1829.  

That makes the iPhone X only $150 cheaper than what I would pay for a 256GBN MacBook Pro 13in at JB HiFi today.  (JB has a 10% discount on Macs until Sunday July 24th.)

Here's an article from Macworld about these two phones, and why you might consider the 8 instead of the X.

• Find out why you should buy an iPhone 8, rather than wait for iPhone X        ​

It's such a lot of money to spend on a phone!  I'm glad I have a few more weeks to think about this!                                                        

iOS 11 was released a few days ago, on Tuesday September 19th, and it is full of fantastic new features. 

We will be providing more details on many of these features over the next weeks and months, so keep an eye on this iTandCoffee Blog.

I have downloaded and installed iOS 11 and have been using it for on my iPhone 7 Plus for the past few days.  

First impressions

For those keen to upgrade at this early stage, iOS 11 does seem relatively stable (so far - touch wood!).

Everything seems to be working well on both my iPhone 7 Plus and iPad Pro.  

I did find that the Notes app kept crashing on the iPad last night, but a forced reboot fixed this.

And I must say that I LOVE so many of the new features on the iPad - the new Dock, the changes to multi-tasking and split screen functionality, the ability to drag and drop, the new iPad keyboard and more

What is in iOS 11? 

I have compiled a very long list of the new features and changes that have arrived with iOS 11.

iTandCoffee Club members can view this list by selecting the button below.  (If you are not yet a member of the iTandCoffee Club, find out more here.)

We discussed these new features and changes at the club's Free Friday on Friday 22nd September at iTandCoffee. (We may probably repeat this season in October as well, depending on level of interest.)

If you are interested in seeing a short video of what a session like this is like, watch the start of the September Free Friday session here:

Should you upgrade to iOS 11 yet

My recommendation to most iTandCoffee clients and subscribers would be to wait a couple of weeks (at least) for the 'dust to settle' on iOS 11, and to see if an early update is released to fix problems found by the 'early adopters' (like me!).

I will report again in the next newsletter (around Oct 8) on whether the 'coast is clear' to go ahead with the upgrade.

If you ARE thinking about going ahead with the upgrade before then, here are some things to consider.

Do you have Exchange, Office 365, or Outlook.com

If you have an Exchange, Office 365 or Outlook.com mail account, you may want to hold off.  

There is a known problem with sending mail and replying to mail in the native Mail app - a problem that both Microsoft and Apple are aware of, and working on.  

See support.apple.com/en-us/HT208136.

Battery performance issues after upgrade 

If you do upgrade, you may notice degraded battery performance at first, as your device busily does a heap of 're-indexing' and other background processing and updates following the upgrade.

My battery is definitely draining faster than usual at the moment - but I am hoping this will settle down in the next couple of days.

Have you done a backup?

As always, make sure you have a complete, recent backup before you proceed with this upgrade.  This can either be an iCloud backup, or an iTunes backup.  

iTandCoffee can help you with this if you are not sure how.

Come along to an iTandCoffee 'Helping Hand' session, where you can update your device using iTandCoffee's Wi-Fi and get assistance with the update if needed.

The next scheduled 'Helping Hand' sessions are shown below.

iTandCoffee Club Members who book online can attend for free (depending on your free session entitlement), or for $20 (if you have run out of free sessions).

Not every iPhone, iPad, iPod touch and Mac will be able to be updated to the latest version of the applicable operating system. Here is the list of compatible devices:

If you are curious to find out the year your Mac was made, you can enter your device's serial number on this Apple page:
https://selfsolve.apple.com/agreementWarrantyDynamic.do

If you don't know how to work out the serial number, here is an Apple Support page that tells you where to find it:
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1349

For iPads and iPhones, here are another couple of pages that help identify the model of your device

• identify iPad model
• identify iPhone model​

While these new operating systems will be available for free shortly after the announcements on Sept 13, I would recommend 'holding fire' on downloading and installing these upgrades - for a few weeks at least.

The first release of an operating system upgrade will often be a bit 'buggy', so it is best to let others discover those problems and wait for fixes to be released.

Needless to say, iTandCoffee will download and install the upgrades as soon as they are released, and will let you know via the fortnightly newsletter when 'the coast is clear' to download and install. 

I have had lots of questions over the past fortnight about whether it is a good idea to update to iOS 10 on the iPad and iPhone, and to MacOS Sierra on the Mac.

While it is still early days for MacOS Sierra, iOS 10 has now been out for nearly 2 months.

Let's deal with iOS 10 first.

It didn't feature much in the press, but an upgraded operating system for our Macs will also be released in September - and will hail a major change to the naming convention for the Mac's operating system.

OS X has been the name for the Operating System for Mac for many many years, with a version number and name further identifying each upgrade of OS X.  

On September 20th, Apple will release MacOS Sierra to replace OS X El Capitan, and its features will include

• Siri will finally come to Mac
• Your Apple Watch can unlock your Mac automatically
• iCloud Drive improvements, including the ability to sync your Desktop and Documents folders
• A new feature called Optimise Storage that can free up space on the hard drive
• A new feature called Universal Clipboard, which allows you to copy and paste between devices!
• and more

Here is an article from Macworld with more information about this upcoming upgrade:

• Apple quietly announces macOS Sierra's release date                                                                

As usual, iTandCoffee recommends that, unless you are super-keen the grab the 'latest and greatest', it is best to hold off for at least a couple of weeks (or perhaps longer) before downloading and installing the upgrade.  

Quite often, the initial versions of an upgrade have teething problem - and you may prefer to allow other people to discover these problems and wait until Apple has released its subsequent 'update' release (or releases).

The fortnightly iTandCoffee newsletter will keep you updated on news of the stability (or otherwise) of the MacOS Sierra, and will provide a recommendation on when it is safe to go ahead and upgrade.​

If you have a Windows computer and have been resisting the upgrade to Windows 10, it may be time to think about jumping in and getting this upgrade done.

​You only have until July 30th to grab this upgrade for free.  From July 30th, it will cost you at least $179.  I read in The Age today that Microsoft will then be releasing an anniversary upgrade to Windows 10 with many new features. 

But before you do consider upgrading, have a read of this article from The Age. 

It provides details of what computers can cope with the upgrade, because not all can.  It suggests that, for some people who have older computers, it may be best to leave your old computer alone, and wait until upgrade to a new computer.  

My own experience with many clients who have upgraded is that older printers and devices have stopped working after the upgrade. This has sometimes just required the download of a new 'driver' or other software.  But, in some cases, the device was just not supported by Windows 10, making the 'free' upgrade a bit of a 'false economy'.

(If you have an older computer and are considering moving to something newer, make sure you consider whether you really need a computer!  For most people, an iPad or other tablet may very well meet your needs.  Make sure the check out these options.)

Well, it's iOS upgrade time again.  The latest version of iOS - iOS 9 - is now available for download and installation.  

If you missed last week's article that outlined the content of iOS 9, here is the link.

• iOS 9 is coming on Sept 17th
  

I wouldn't suggest everyone rush in and download immediately - perhaps let iOS 9 settle in for a week or so, to see if any major issues are reported.  I will include an update on how it has been received in next week's newsletter.

Before you even think about upgrading - or migrating to a brand new device - you need to be sure that you have a backup of your iPad and/or iPhone.  

While problems don't happen often, upgrades (and updates) can occasionally fail.  If this occurs, you will want to be sure to have a backup from which you can restore your device. before re-attempting the upgrade/update.

You have two options - 

• backup to iCloud, 
• or backup to iTunes 

Backing up to iTunes

Of course, to back up to iTunes, you need a computer running iTunes, a version that is compatible with your i-Device's iOS version.

An iTunes backup is a much more comprehensive backup than an iCloud backup.  It includes the full contents of your device, including the apps.  Additionally, it does not require use of the internet - no upload/download data is used by this form of backup.  If you have a computer, it is well worth doing an iTunes backup every now and then, even if you already backup to iCloud.

Another important different with an iTunes backup is that, when you specify that you want to encrypt your iTunes backup, that backup will include any passwords used by your device, and will ensure these are restored to your device when you restore from the backup.  

An un-encrypted iTunes backup will not store passwords, so you will need to re-do these when your device is re-instated.  Sometimes, this can cause quite a bit of grief - trying to remember all those key passwords.

Backing up to iCloud

An iCloud backup only backs up those things that are not already available for re-downloading from iCloud/iTunes and requires (of course) use of the internet to re-instate your device.  And an iCloud backup will not back up passwords.  Restoring from an iCloud backup requires an internet connection and, depending on how much data is stored on your device, may use up a significant amount of your monthly data allowance.

Need help with backups or upgrades?

The whole area of backups and upgrades can get quite overwhelming for many.  If you need help with either of these, please don't hesitate to contact iTandCoffee on 1300 885 420 or email enquiry@itandcoffee.com.au

Below are some past articles and handy hints on the topic or backups and iCloud, for those who feel like doing some further reading.

Here also is a good article from MacWorld on this topic.

Some of the below articles/hints require membership of the iTandCoffee Club.  Not yet a member of the iTandCoffee Club?  

Why not join today to view a vast number of handy hints like this, and to have access to other great 'members only' offers and products - including free sessions at iTandCoffee in Glen Iris.

• Do I have to back up both my iPad and iPhone?  Can I do this by just plugging into my computer?
  
• How do I completely wipe my old iPhone or iPad before giving it to one of my kids?
  
• What to do when your iCloud is full
  
• When your photos are clogging up your iPhone or iPad
  
• How can I reset or change my Apple ID's password?
  
• How do I stop the kids games from appearing on my iPad and iPhone?
  
• Is iCloud Safe?
  
• iCloud now allows you to recover lost data and documents
  
• When your iCloud gets crowded! The problem with sharing your iCloud ...Are your old iTunes backups taking up precious space on your Mac?
  
• A handy website for questions about Mac's Time Machine