For latest news of the Apple-sphere, look back here. Recent Articles, information, my Apple thoughts and more…..

(Some articles and information may link to other websites not associated with MacWizardry)

So here we are into September already. August flew by…..

As we look towards the Apple event for this month and getting ready for the new iPhone range and new releases for macOS, iOS, iPadOS and others it will be a busy month for everything Apple.

Also, as we get closer to the “email close off” for TPG/Westnet.iinet customers don’t forget to ensure you’ve got yourself covered to either ensure you’re keeping your email and have other options in place. As you don’t want to be stranded once it’s just turned off.

As we look towards the end of the year it always starts to get fairly busy from this point forward……

Apple release iOS next versions

Apple this week released their next versions of iOS upgrades. We saw iOS17 for the iPhone released, iPadOS 17 for the iPads, watchOS 10 for the Apple Watch, tvOS 17 for the AppleTV and homePod 17 for the homePod range.

You can read more for each version here, as well as some good info on MacRumours about it as well in the following links.

iOS 17 info here and here. A good guide here. Things to do before installing listed here.

Information on iPadOS 17 can be found here.

For information on watchOS 10, click here , and some more info here.

Some information on tvOS 17 can be found here and here.

And finally, some information on homePod 17 can be found here.

As with every new version release, ensure you have a good backup of the device before you install it. Also any main Apps you use it’s a good idea to ensure they’re fully updated and will work on the latest versions. 

Some times the first release of a new upgrade can be a little buggy. So even just waiting a month sometimes can be worthwhile until a small update is released.

Apple iPhone event -13th Sept

Apple have just finished their annual September event, with the release of the new iPhone 15, iPhone 15 Pro, Apple Watch Series 9 and the Apple Watch Ultra 2.

Apple Watch Series 9 now comes in new colours, has the new S9 SiP chipset with a new "double tap feature. Starting from $649. More info here.

Apple Watch Ultra 2 also gains the updated S9 SiP chipset wth "double tap", new brighter display - designed for extreme conditions. Starting from $1399. More info here.

iPhone 15 and 15 Plus has an all new design, all models now come with the Dynamic Island and brighter display. Ceramic Screen for better protection. 48MP camera, 2x telephoto lens for improved photos and videos. The A16 Bionic chip. New Voice Isolation feature for noisy environments. Roadside Assistance via Satellite (similar to Emergency SOS). New USB-C connector. Starting from $1499. More info here.

iPhone 15 Pro and 15 Pro Max is now made with Grade 5 Titanium which is stronger, more durable but also lighter. Thinner borders. Tougher Ceramic screen glass. 4 new colours. New Action button. Same Dynamic Island on a better Pro Display. New A17 Pro 3nm chip. A new Pro-class 6core GPU and with the 48MP camera gives upgraded features for photos and videos - you can now capture Spatial videos to display on the Vision Pro headset. Better Telephoto lens also. It also now comes with the new USB-C Connector (with faster speeds for transfer). Starting from $1849. More info here.

So a wide choice of iPhone models now with the iPhone SE, iPhone 13, iPhone 14 and the all new iPhone 15 models.

iCloud+ also gained two new storage options - 6TB and 12TB to store more in the cloud.

We'll also see the new iOS17 released around 18th September and macOS 14 (Sonoma) released around 26th September.

They also had an interesting "ad" discussing Apple and their work in the environment and working towards carbon neutral by 2030. Quite interesting to watch. Not only in the products they make, but the running of their business as well. With changes they've made the new Apple Watch is the first ever to be produced that is carbon neutral. And carries a "Carbon Neutral" logo on its box. Good to see a big company like Apple making big changes. You can see this in the below presentation at around the 16min mark.

You can watch the full presentation here if you're interested.

Looking to upgrade your iPhone? Drop me an email and I’m happy to discuss options if you like.

TPG/iinet/Westnet and subsidies to stop email hosting 

Though not really Apple related, I thought I’d mention this here as I’m sure it will affect a lot of customers.

A few months ago TPG/iinet/Westnet “quietly” announced they will no longer be doing email hosting for their customers. For new customers it means they won’t get an email address with their internet account. And for current customers their email (if they choose to keep it) it will be moved off to another company. Realistically it’s been hosted on another platform for a while, so it’s not much of a change.

From some of the information on their relevant websites they have paid the new company up until September 2024. After that the new company will then invoice the customer if they want to carry on keeping their @iinet.net.au and similar email addresses.

You can read more about it on each of the companies website, for example iinet’s announcement is here.

(I’m an iinet customer, and only received a notification via email towards the end of August!. I was put on to it from another person). 

And other people I spoke to also aren’t aware.

Though there is a bit of time before any “major changes” happen, it could be a good idea to look into options so you’re aware of it before it all changes.

If you need more information or want to discuss options, please feel free to contact me (or your ISP directly) and I’m happy to go through it with you.

Could also be a good time to look at your own Domain Name, which you can then keep “forever” as well. 

You can find out information about this on my other business website (HostingServicesWA) here.

** BEWARE ** “MacStealer malware has been identified

A security research firm have identified a new piece of Apple malware dubbed “MacStealer”. It has the ability to grab iCloud passwords, files and credit card details stored in browsers.

Thankfully, it’s something you have to download first. So as long as you’re cautious where (and what) you download off the internet and be aware of any installer asking for your computer password, then hopefully you should be alright. As it has to have actions from the user to install it. So if you’re vigilant in reading installers, checking what things are installing and just being aware - then you shouldn’t fall for activating it.

You can read more about it here and here

If you don’t have it already then MalwareBytes for Mac is well worth grabbing (Even just the free version is fine), as they regularly update it with new things out there.

You can download it from here.

And as long as you’re cautious and vigilant and keep regular backups, plus the above checker, all should be okay.

Apple also have a background checker for a lot of things called XProtect, so hopefully we’ll see that get updated in the next few days as well. (Though as this can be run as a standard download with user input - it may be harder to check for. I’m sure Apple will release some info over the next few days on this also).

Have you considered if your computer stops working or could be down for quite a while?

If your computer crashes or is down for a long period time, or even if it’s going to be away for service work for a while, have you considered the down time this could cause to yourself, your work and/or business?

There is a way that an external drive can be set up beforehand where in these sort of circumstances you can still be up and running relatively easy - even if your computer has to go away for days to be repaired.

It’s a relatively cheap and easy process. 

If you would like to find out more about how this can be set up for yourself or your business please feel free to drop me an email or call to discuss.

Be aware of “Fake webpages” advising you need to update.

So there is a bit of a rise on the number of webpages or fake links that will try to trick you into calling a number or clicking a link to “update” some piece of software.

I’ve written a page with a bit more info on it here