Mar 10 2022

SSD vs HDD

HDD (Hard disk Drive) is the basic storage in any computer. HDDs access data with a moving head located on an arm. HDDs consists of many removable parts, making it easy to get damaged with small knocks and bumps. Disk capacity of HDDs range from a few Giga Bytes (GB) up to many Terra Bytes (TB). Because of the mass production of these devices, the prices are very reasonable and seem to continue to drop.

SSD (Solid State Drive) is a type storage which is made of solid state electronic memory chip arrays, and is composed of control units and memory units (including Flash chip and DRAM chip). There are no moving parts in SSD and thus the speed of these devices is substantially faster than HDDs. Although the cost of SSD is relatively higher than that of HDD, SSD prices are dropping all the time as the production and demand continue to rise.

SSD has the following advantages over HDD:

Faster read-write speeds: SSDs do not have a moving head that reads the data, instead, it use flash memory as the storage medium, and the seek time is almost ZERO, without any delay. No matter what you are running on your Mac, SSDs are compatible, and the running speed has a quantitative leap in performance.
Non Perishable: SSDs do not contain any removable mechanical parts internally, so it can calmly face vibration, overturn and drop, minimising the possibility of data loss when a laptop is accidentally dropped.
Less heat dissipation and zero noise: since SSD adopts flash memory chips, it gives out little heat. Also, because there is no mechanical motor, the noise value is nearly 0 db.
Portability: compared with the traditional HDD, SSDs are smaller in volume and lighter in weight, making it a lot better to carry around.

By Mac Smart • Apple, Mac, Tips • 0

Mar 2 2022

Seamlessly Switch from a Windows PC to a Mac

1. Be Prepared for a Learning Curve

It is not realistic to expect that you can learn everything there is to know about a Mac in one sitting. It does take some time to become familiar with all of the features on a Mac. However, the learning curve should not take a really long time. As long as you are sharp, you will become familiar with a Mac in a few weeks. No matter how long this takes, being prepared for the learning curve is the most important thing. That will allow you to organise yourself properly in case there are any pending issues that you need to deal with. Remember that upgrading your computer is similar to upgrading your car or switching phone providers. It takes a while to get used to, but once you do, it’s well worth it.

So do not expect everything to be normal and be able to shred your keyboard as soon as you turn on your new Mac computer. Give yourself some time to learn, so you will not be as frustrated with your Mac after a very short time and begin to regret your decision to switch.

2. Data Transfer

You want the things that are on your old computer to be transferred over to your new computer so this is fairly important. Before you start the data transfer process, make sure there is enough storage space on your Mac for everything on your Windows computer.

It should not be too hard to transfer data from one computer to the next. First, you will need to download the Windows Migration Assistant app. You should download the version that matches the current macOS version of your new Mac computer.

Next, open up your Mac. The setup assistant will be automatically started if it is the first time that you are starting your Mac. The option for the Open Migration Assistant will be in the utilities. Follow the prompts on the screen until you choose the device that you are transferring your data from.

Continue to follow the prompts on your screen until your Mac shows all of the folders that you would like to move to your Mac from your Windows computer. Then click on continue and the data transfer will start. How long it takes depends upon the amount of data to be transferred and the network connection speed. Videos will, by far, be the largest files you’ll be transferring. Once you have moved the data, set your password up on your new Mac computer, and you will be ready to go.

3. Learn the Mac Keyboard ShortCuts

The sooner you start to learn the Mac keyboard shortcuts, the easier using your Mac is going to be. It will, of course, take some time to get used to. However, once you get used to it, it will be completely worth it. The shortcuts are not too complicated and there are not too many of them either.

You can always have the shortcuts on a piece of paper next to your Mac computer.

First thing to know is that the Command key is the same as the Ctrl key on a Windows PC.

One of the most useful and popular keyboard shortcuts is the copy and paste function. This is similar to Windows except the

key is substituted for the Ctrl key.

e.g. -C = Copy
-V = Paste
-X = Cut

Another thing you will need to get used to is right-clicking. Go here to learn how to do this.

4. Using Finder

Finder is the search feature on the Mac and can be found on the dock of the desktop with the icon like above. Finder is the equivalent of Windows Explorer and can help you easily find anything on your Mac. From music, photos, documents, and other types of files. The tool is especially helpful right after you transfer data from your old Windows computer.

On your screen’s right corner, there is a small magnifying glass icon . This is called Spotlight. To find things without opening Finder, click on the icon.

You can also use Spotlight as a calculator and many other things!

There are some pretty cool things hidden on Finder that you will discover after you have become familiar with your new Mac computer.

5. Explore the Mac Apps

There is a great selection of Map apps available to explore. Before downloading any paid apps, start by exploring the preloaded apps. The Web Browser on a Mac is called Safari but if you prefer you can also download Google Chrome. Safari, however, is a brilliant browser that integrates beautifully with the Password Keychain, and synchronises with your iPhone and iPad.

Fortunately, the Microsoft Office Suite can be used on a Mac. So you will be able to pick up right where you left off on your Windows computer.

Your new Mac computer comes equipped with some amazing hardware that you can take full advantage of. You can download a few movies and then watch them on your computer’s retina display. Or you can get a few business or game apps and take full advantage of the amazing processing capabilities of your Mac.

By Mac Smart • iPhone, Tips • 0

Sep 5 2017

Did you know that your iPhone could actually SAVE YOUR LIFE?

Adding your medical ID to your iOS device could be a real life saver.

You’ve probably seen or used an app on your iPhone called the “Health” app. It counts your steps and tells you how far you’ve walked as well as the ability to track and monitor your health and activity. In amongst these great features there is a page called “Medical ID”. This page can hold a lot of important information that you might want a paramedic, doctor or first responder to know in case of an emergency and it can be accessed from your lock screen without a passcode.

To setup your Medical ID, open up the Health app and click on the Medical ID tab at the bottom right. Then either click on create medical ID or edit to see all of the available options. You can add all kinds of information to your Medical ID including, height, weight, medications that you take, medical conditions, blood type, allergies/reactions, emergency contacts (next of kin) and even organ donation preferences.

In case of an emergency the Medical ID can be accessed from the lock screen. When the screen comes up to enter a passcode, you can click on the word “Emergency”. This will display a phone keypad and down the bottom left there will be a button called “Medical ID”. This then displays your medical ID to any emergency personnel who might be attending to you and because the iPhone is the most popular phone in the world it should be familiar to anyone.

It doesn’t take long to setup your Medical ID and it could save your life, so why not set it up now?

By Mac Smart • iPhone, Tips • 0

Aug 21 2017

The Spinning Beach Ball driving you nuts?

Is your Mac running slow or taking too long to startup?

We can upgrade your Mac with a Solid State Drive (SSD) making it up to 10x faster.

An SSD is the single biggest boost you can give to your computer and will dramatically increase the speed of your computer and make it run like new.

The lack of moving parts in an SSD compared to a traditional hard drive allows data to be transferred at far greater speeds. It also means less likelihood of damaging the data when your computer is bumped or dropped. To read more about why this is the case, read here..

At Mac Smart, we can source the right SSD for your storage space needs as well as install it and copy across any data from your old hard drive.

We can upgrade all types of Macs including iMac, MacBook, MacBook Air, MacBook Pro, Mac Mini and Mac Pro. All can be done for a fraction of the cost of a new replacement Mac.

After upgrading to an SSD you’ll notice:

Faster Startup/boot time
Faster load times when launching applications
Faster opening and saving files
An enjoyable Mac experience like it used to be

You’ll be amazed at the performance improvements and wonder why you waited so long to upgrade.

Contact Mac Smart today on 1300 622 762

By Mac Smart • Tips • 0

Aug 11 2017

5 Ways to fix a frozen iPhone screen!

If you’ve been having issues with your iPhone screen not being as responsive as it used to be, here are a few quick and easy ways that might solve your issue.

Clean your screen!
- Our iPhones and iPads are always on the go with us and because of this they gather a lot of dirt and gunk on the screen which can affect the screen and devices performance.
- Screen wipes or a soft, micro-fibre cloth are the best ways to clean your screen.

Updating Apps also deleting and reinstalling them
- You may notice a particular app is freezing the iPhone screen or isn’t performing like it should.
- Firstly, check for an update on the App Store as the developer may have fixed a known bug/issue in the app.
- Secondly, you can delete the app and re-install it from the App Store.
Do a hard reboot
- Doing a hard reboot is normally the best way to solve any screen unresponsiveness but also any other performance issues that your phone might be having.
- If your device is an iPhone 6s or older, hold down the home button and the lock/power button at the same time until you see the Apple logo then let it reboot.
- If your device is an iPhone 7 hold the volume down button and the sleep/wake button at the same time until it reboots.
Clear up storage space
- If your device is low on storage space then it will start to slow down and this can affect screen responsiveness.
- You can check your storage space in, Settings > General > Storage and iCloud Usage > Manage Storage.
- Try and keep at least 1GB of available space on your device.
Still having issues? Do a full restore
- If none of the above methods have worked then you might need to do a full restore.
- Firstly, make sure your device is backed up either on iTunes or iCloud.
- Then erase the data and settings and restore from the backup.

By Mac Smart • iPhone, Tips • 0

Aug 11 2017

Finding it hard to remember all of your passwords?

With iCloud Keychain you can sync all of your passwords across all of your Apple devices.

One of the most frustrating things in our modern technological world is having to remember passwords and it’s very annoying when you forget the password and you are forced to reset it. Yes you could make every password the same, making it easy to remember, but this makes it easy for the bad guys to hack all your accounts, if one of them gets breached.

On all your Apple devices, iCloud Keychain can store all your usernames, passwords, credit card details and even Wi-Fi passwords. You can even store confidential notes. All of these details are securely encrypted and stored and then synced across all of your Apple devices.

You’ve probably gone to a place where you’ve connected your Mac to a Wi-Fi network and then if you wish to connect your iPhone to the same Wi-Fi network you have to re-enter the password. With iCloud Keychain as soon as you connect to a secured Wi-Fi network all of your other devices will automatically connected to that same Wi-Fi.

How to store passwords in the Keychain

Whenever you log into a website on your browser, you are prompted to remember the password. Answering yes will automatically store the password, username and site address into the keychain. WiFi passwords are automatically stored in the keychain. Passwords and notes can be manually added also to the keychain by opening the Keychain Access app.

The easiest way to open the Keychain Access app is to use spotlight. Click on the spotlight icon found in the top right hand corner of your Mac. Then in the text box that is revealed, start typing “Keychain Access” and you will see the app appear. Open it and you will have the option to add a new website, or note.

If you ever need to find out what that password is that you’ve stored in the keychain, open Keychain Access and search for it. Then you can open the item, click the password check box and after entering your computer account password, you will see the password for that item.

How to setup iCloud Keychain

On your iPhone or iPad, Go to Settings > Tap on your Apple ID up the top > iCloud > Keychain. Here you can turn on iCloud Keychain.

On your Mac, Go to System Preferences > iCloud. Here you can enable iCloud Keychain.

By Mac Smart • Apple, Tips • 0

Copying and pasting between your Apple devices!

Aug 11 2017

How to copy and paste between your Apple devices!

Using universal clipboard you can copy something from your Mac and paste in on your iPhone and vice versa.

For nearly a year now your Apple devices have shared a clipboard and you’ve probably used universal clipboard without any even realising. Basically, you can copy on one device and paste it on another. It can be incredibly useful and it is easy to use.

What is universal clipboard useful for?

Being able to copy and paste between your Apple devices will save you a lot of time and hassle especially when copying and paste pictures as you won’t have to wait for the image to upload to your iCloud library first. Here are some other ways in which universal clipboard could make your life easier:

Passwords
Screenshots
Text you want to paste into a WhatsApp chat typed on your Mac
Website Links (URLs)

Here’s what you need in order to use universal clipboard:

Apple devices running iOS 10 (or higher) and Mac OS Sierra (or higher)
Both devices need to be signed into the same iCloud account
Bluetooth and Wi-Fi must be turned on
Handoff must be turned on

Check out this table below for the specific devices:

By Mac Smart • Apple, Tips • 0

Apple’s new HEIF image file format in iOS11

Aug 10 2017

Better quality photos, half the storage space!

With Apple’s new HEIF image file format in iOS11, that will be possible.

HEIF (High Efficiency Image File Format) is the new photo file format that Apple has adopted in order to replace the existing JPEG file format.

You may not know this but JPEG has actually been around for a quarter of a century now and since then there have been many technological advancements in the area of photography and image quality. So Apple has now decided that its time to push the boundaries and replace the use of JPEG with HEIF.

But you are probably wondering, what is HEIF? what makes it better than JPEG? And what will it do for me?

In simple,

HEIF is smaller and better.

For you it means that the photos you take on your iPhone will be roughly half the file size of JPEGs and have better image quality. This will allow you to store double the amount of photos on your iPhone whilst making them look better.

Now if you do happen to share any of these images with people who are on a not running iOS they will still be able to view the image as iOS11 will convert it to JPEG file if it is being shared to a non iOS device or if it is being displayed in an app that doesn’t suppo

rt the HEIF format. So as a consumer you won’t notice anything except for the fact that the file size of your photo library will be smaller with better quality images.

JPEG has been around for a very long time (since 1992) and it is one of the most commonly used image file formats. But it is time for change, it is time for JPEG to be put to bed, it is time for the future, it is time for HEIF.

By Mac Smart • Apple, iPhone • 0

iOS11 will free up space on your iPhone or iPad

Aug 8 2017

Is your iPhone or iPad running out of storage space?

When iOS11 is released later this year it will make it easier to avoid seeing the “Storage Almost Full” message.

When you run out of storage space on your iPhone or iPad it slows down your device and can make it impossible to download files, take pictures and perform other tasks.

Apple has announced several features in iOS11 that will help free up space on your iOS device. Here’s a quick look at some of the useful features and how you can take advantage of these.

Offload unused apps
- This deletes the app but it keeps the data within the app so that you can restore it later from the App Store
  - To enable it, go to Settings > iTunes and App Stores and enable Offload Unused Apps
Storage management recommendations
- This section will offer recommendations to free up space by using the iCloud photo library, clearing out the “Recently Deleted” photo album, Auto deleting old conversations, Reviewing videos that are hogging storage space and suggest to upload all messages to iCloud
  - To access it go to Settings > General > iPhone Storage
HEIF Image Format
- When you take photos on your iOS11 device it will automatically use a new picture format called, HEIF. This offers better image quality than JPEG and HEIF images are about half the size of JPEGs.
Double the iCloud storage at the same price
- iCloud users get 5GB of free storage space but a lot of people especially in iOS11 will notice this just isn’t enough space for growing demand on iCloud storage. So Apple has doubled the highest iCloud storage plan from 1TB to 2TB for the same price. Unfortunately, lower level plans will remain the same however, multiple users can share iCloud storage with Family Sharing in iOS11 and Mac OS High Sierra

By Mac Smart • iPhone, Tips • 0

Aug 8 2017

Got a bad touch screen on your iPhone 6+ or experiencing unexpected shutdowns on your iPhone 6s?

Special Apple repair and replacement programs may provide some help.

At Mac Smart we believe that Apple have produced some of the best technological devices. However, sometimes errors occur and the rare occasion can occur where a faulty component makes it into the production line.

But there is no need to worry. Apple stands behind its devices through the Exchange and Repair Extension Programs initiative which helps to ensure customers are able to receive assistance with resolving these issues.

Click here to find the list of programs on Apple’s website.

Even if your Apple devices are working fine it is a good idea to check the exchange and repair site occasionally to see if any new programs have been added or confirm whether one of your Apple devices maybe subject to a recall, repair or replacement.

If your Apple device isn’t subject to a recall, repair or replacement and isn’t functioning normally – Contact Mac Smart today on 1300 622 762

By Mac Smart • Apple • 0

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SSD vs HDD

SSD has the following advantages over HDD: