Published at Computerworld – 1/30/2010
After the initial hype surrounding the iPad’s unveiling and despite the overall “cool factor” of the device, many people still seem confused as to how the device will be used in homes, offices, and schools. In this commentary, I look at the potential for the iPad as well as what it represents as a part of Apple’s overall product line.
Published at Computerworld – 1/12/2010
There’s been a long debate about just how enterprise-worthiness of the iPhone. But even IT managers and sysadmins that don’t want to sanction the device may have little choice as managers and employees demand it or simply use their own personal iPhones at the office. This article offers some guidelines for finding the right balance for support and security.
Published at Computerworld – 12/11/2009
Apple’s push to make the iPhone business-friendly has included some business-specific features (encryption, remote wipe, Exchange support) and there are thousands of business and productivity apps for the iPhone. But what about the built-in consumer-oriented features? Turns out a few of them offer powerful professional uses as well as being just for fun.
Published at Computerworld – 11/24/2009
Snow Leopard Server offers up a wide range of advances and improvements over previous versions of Apple’s server platform. Performance gains similar to those seen in Snow Leopard as a client to a 50% price are obvious enhancements, but Apple has also revamped many of the platform’s collaborative tools, making them more complete, reliable, and easy to use for both administrators and end users. Snow Leopard Server also boasts a number of new technologies that make the platform a rival for Exchange when it comes to supporting iPhone and iPod touch users. Get all the important details in this review.
Published at Computerworld – 8/28/2009
Apple describes Snow Leopard as a completely 64-bit operating system, yet the kernel of that operating system and some other system components run as 32-bot code in most installations. Does this mean Snow Leopard isn’t as 64-bit as Apple claims or is there more to 64-bit/32-bit computing on the Mac than meets the eye.
Published at Computerworld – 8/26/2009
Now that Snow Leopard is announced and ready to ship, find out what you need to know about installing Apple’s newest version of Mac OS X including requirements, a revamped installer, and different choices for new and upgrade installs.
Published at Computerworld – 6/10/2009
The 2009 Apple WWDC keynote gave plenty for Mac users to crave – a faster and more compact Mac OS X, over a hundred new iPhone features for free in just over a week ($9.95 if you own an iPod Touch), new MacBooks that are both cheaper and faster, and a new iPhone model that promises both speed and unique new features. But what does this mean for business and IT staffers? Join me as I take a look at the announcements from the IT/business perspective.
Published at Datamation – 6/9/2009
Apple’s marketing may lead you to believe that your Mac is 100% secure out of the box, but the truth is that Macs can be as susceptible to malware and viruses, network attacks, and excessive spam as other computing platforms (particularly as their market-share rises, giving malicious users more reason to target them). In this guide, I profile the best Mac security tools on the market (from freeware to business tools) to help you find the best way for you to keep your Mac safe.
Published at InformIT – 5/22/09
With Apple boasting 50,000+ apps in the iPhone/iPod Touch app store, finding the ones that you really need and want to use can be a challenge. So, here’s my guide to the top twenty apps that every iPhone or iPod Touch user has to at least check out once. This may not be the definitive app guide, but it some of the cream of the crop and chance are you’ll end up hanging to a few of these and using them on a daily basis.
Published at InformIT – 4/17/2009
For years, NetRestore has been one of the staple tools for systems administrators that need to quickly and easily deploy large numbers of Macs – be it in a school or an office. Late last year, however, Mike Bombich (who created and maintained the free tool) announced that there would be no future versions of NetRestore and declared the product to be at the end of its life. So, where does that leave IT departments need to handle mass Mac deployments? With a number a number of free, commercial, and even cross-platform options to choose from.
Published at InformIT – 4/13/2009
Remote support and systems management tools allow help desk support and systems administration professionals to be able to manage, update, diagnose, and troubleshoot workstations throughout a company easily and effectively without requiring a desk side visit to each machine. This can make them invaluable, provided you pick the right tool for your needs. In this article, I take a look at the criteria you need to consider when choosing one as well as some of the common options on the market today.
Published at Datamation – 4/13/2009
In this tongue-in-cheek article, I take a look at fifteen signs that prove you’re not just a Mac user, but a true and hardcore Apple fan – and a few tips to spot when your fan nature might be verging into serious obsession.
Published at Computerworld 4/10/2009
Apple’s release notes for the 8.0.2 update to iPhone ’09 did specified “minor fixes” and “over stability” as reasons for users to install the update, the company actually included some major updates to the functionality of iPhoto’s Faces facial recognition feature and to the Places location/geotagging functionality – updates that greatly improve the usability of both technologies. Since some of them are very easy to miss, here’s a guide to all of the changes and why they’re important updates that you should know about.
Published at InformIT – 3/6/2009
One of the great features in iTunes 8 (particularly if you have a large iTunes library) is the Genius feature that automatically generates playlists around a single song. Genius also appears in the latest iPods, iPhone, and Apple TV. But, it doesn’t always make the best matches. However, with a little work, you can make Genius smarter and it’s resulting playlists much more accurate to your tastes.
Published at Computerworld – 3/2/2009
It’s happening in a growing number of fromerly Windows-only businesses – the Macs are creeping in. First one or two, then a handful, and every one seems like a new headache to the systems administrators, support technicians, and other IT folks that need to be responsible for managing them. The good news for those folks is that tried and true solutions already exist for everything from basic file sharing to full scale management via group policies in Active Directory. In this article, I take a look at the options that predominantly Windows-based IT shops can use to get a handle on their Macs.
