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macOS Mojave is Here! (For 2012 Macs Only)

Posted on September 24, 2018 by admin Posted in Software, User Interface Leave a comment

What it is: Apple released macOS 10.14 Mojave but older Macs may not be able to run it.

Hardware eventually falls behind and must be replaced. If you’re using a Macintosh 2011 or older, you won’t be able to run the latest version of macOS 10.14 Mojave. That means you’ll be stuck on macOS 10.13 High Sierra until you eventually get a new computer.

A Macintosh older than six years old can’t run macOS Mojave primarily because its graphics processor can’t handle the increased demands. Although older Mac Pro models may be able to run macOS Mojave if they have a current graphics card, older Macs with built-in graphics may not. After six years of support, older computers simply won’t be able to keep up any more. Apple can’t keep catering to older Macs because then they wouldn’t be able to take advantage of newer hardware and advances in graphics frameworks like Metal, which makes it easy for developers to access graphics capabilities on a Macintosh through macOS.

Of course, a 2011 or earlier Mac will still work just fine on macOS 10.13 High Sierra so there’s nothing to worry about. If you want to upgrade to macOS Mojave, then you’ll need to get a newer Macintosh.

The cheapest solution is to simply buy an older Macintosh that’s still newer than 2011 models. Then again, the next upgrade of macOS will eventually drop support for these older machines as well. Eventually the best bet is to buy the most current Macintosh model you can afford and hold on to it for five years. Then upgrade every five years or longer if you don’t mind falling behind.

For some people, upgrading to the latest macOS version isn’t crucial to doing their work. For others, it may be necessary. As a general rule, you want to stay current but since that’s not always possible, just keep using your Mac as long as it keeps working for you. The moment it can no longer do what you need, then it’s time to upgrade. It’s that simple.

Software and hardware will always keep improving so don’t expect your older computers to run the latest software forever. Your computer will become obsolete one day. It’s just a matter of using what you have as long as possible and then upgrading only when you need to. If you stick with this schedule, there’s no reason why an older Mac can’t work for you just fine for several years more.

To read how Metal is influencing how long Apple can keep supporting older Macs, click here.

Museums: The Next Frontier for Augmented Reality

Posted on September 21, 2018 by admin Posted in Business, Education, Hardware, Software, User Interface Leave a comment

What it is: Museums are increasingly turning to augmented reality to improve their exhibits.

Museums typically consist of exhibits and a few placards with a handful of detail describing what you might be looking at. That’s been the museum experience for decades but now augmented reality is starting to change that.

To remain relevant and keep today’s crowd weaned on computers entertained, more museums are turning to augmented reality to make their exhibits come alive. The Smithsonian lends visitors a HoloLens headset sot hey can walk through a space shuttle with a virtual guide. Of course, handing out virtual reality headsets is time-consuming and expensive, so the next leap will come when museums start offering augmented reality experiences for people to use on their own mobile devices such as an iPhone or iPad.

Not only will this save museums the expense of buying an doling out equipment that will inevitably break, but it will also give users the chance to use their own devices to view augmented reality exhibits. Eventually, augmented reality will appear in smart glasses too, but until then, it’s far cheaper and easier to use existing devices that visitors likely already have rather than require them to borrow a virtual headset like the HoloLens.

Augmented reality is the future of museum exhibits because this allows museums to tailor the information to each visitor. For example, instead of reading placards in English, visitors could use augmented reality to view exhibit information in any language they wish such as Japanese, Arabic, or Spanish. There isn’t enough physical space for museums to display information in multiple languages, but augmented reality makes this easy to do to accommodate almost anyone.

Museums also spend money with TV screens and videos. Augmented reality lets museums skip all that and display videos straight on the user’s mobile device. This cuts costs while increasing versatility.

Augmented reality is going to change the world and it starts one niche at a time. While businesses might be slow to find uses for augmented reality, museums are finding its advantages. Today you’ll likely find augmented reality in a museum. Tomorrow, it will be in your everyday world such as shopping malls and restaurants. Watch for how augmented reality is used in museums because this will show the world how it can be used for businesses as well.

To learn more about the use of augmented reality in museums, click here.

Lower Life Insurance Premiums with the Apple Watch

Posted on September 20, 2018 by admin Posted in Business, Hardware, Medical Leave a comment

What it is: John Hancock is offering lower life insurance premiums for people who use a wearable computer to track their health.

Insurance companies are in the business of making money and to do that, they need more people to pay in than they pay out. To avoid paying out claims in life insurance, John Hancock is turning to an “interactive life insurance” policy. That means if people exercise and track their health using a wearable computer like an Apple Watch, their life insurance premiums will be lower.

The goal is to keep people healthy as long as possible so John Hancock won’t have to pay out life insurance benefits. Yet that shows how the Apple Watch and other wearable computers are proving valuable as real-time health monitors. To encourage people to use a wearable computer, John Hancock offers it as at a discount. The company’s goal is purely monetary, but the benefits means Apple Watch and other wearable computer users can stay healthy and enjoy life longer as a result.

For anyone still confused about the purpose of the Apple Watch, think real-time health monitoring. If you’re concerned about staying healthy and alive, then you need an Apple Watch. For those critics who don’t care about staying healthy or alive, feel free to ignore the benefits of wearable computers and take yourself out of the gene pool prematurely.

The wearable computer market is the next hot market after the mobile market of smartphones and tablets. At Apple’s last event on September 12, the company introduced new iPhones but the Apple Watch stole the show. Eventually, more wearable computers such as smart glasses will steal the show too, and the iPhone will just become another commodity like the Macintosh.

The future shifted from traditional PCs to mobile computing, then to wearable computers. The Apple Watch is just the start of wearable computing with smart glasses promising to become the next big product. Hopefully if you use the Apple Watch, you can improve your chances of being alive long enough to see and use Apple’s next wearable computer in the next few years.

The Future of Driving

Posted on September 19, 2018 by admin Posted in Business, Hardware Leave a comment

What it is: Electric cars are growing in numbers, which means traditional gas stations will soon become obsolete.

Gas stations exist to help motorists refuse. You need a separate area for gas pumps because you need a large storage tank to hold all the gasoline. Then gas stations essentially became places to sell food, drink, and automotive services based on the need for space to hold a gasoline storage tank.

Electric cars threaten all that. Gas stations may offer electric charging stations like gas pumps, but any other place can do that as well such as malls, coffeehouses, restaurants, and movie theaters. Unlike gas stations that need space for a large storage tank, electric charging stations don’t need anything more than a physical line to conduct electricity. That means electric charging stations can be put anywhere, not just in isolated areas like gas stations.

That means as more people embrace electric vehicles, gas stations are obsolete. Instead of stopping to get gas at a gas station, electric car owners will be able to stop practically anywhere they like to get an electric recharge. Currently, people go to gas stations and shop for snacks from a limited selection at a high price. Tomorrow, electric car owners will be able to go to their favorite supermarket or shopping mall and choose from a much larger selection of options at more reasonable prices.

The simple idea of electric cars will have a ripple effect on the rest of the car industry. Look for electric car charging stations to keep appearing in popular locations like shopping malls. Instead of looking for a convenient place to stop and get gas, electric car owners will first think about what type of food or entertainment they want, and then they’ll go to that location, skipping the traditional corner gas station altogether.

Electric cars are coming with stronger batteries, faster recharging, and lower prices. Whether they’re self-driving or not is irrelevant, and whether their entertainment system inside is CarPlay or something else. As electric cars gain in popularity, gas stations will sink in relevance. If you currently own a gas station, now is the time to sell before it’s too late.

The A12 Bionic Processor

Posted on September 18, 2018 by admin Posted in Hardware Leave a comment

What it is: Apple’s latest A12 Bionic processor appears to be the fastest mobile processor on the market.

For the longest time, Android manufacturers tried to compete against the iPhone using technical specifications. By touting the amount of RAM or screen size they offered, they tried to show how they had an advantage over the iPhone. However, one area where Android device makers are falling further and further behind is processing speed.

That’s because Apple designs their own processors while Android device makers have to buy off the shelf components from other companies such as Qualcomm. That means Apple can optimize their processor for their operating system but Qualcomm cannot.

The end result is that Apple’s latest A12 Bionic processor is noticeably faster than any current Android device on the market. Over time, this speed difference will likely continue increasing.

While raw speed by itself isn’t that important, speed makes a device more responsive and more capable of doing tougher tasks. That means the latest iPhones will simply feel faster and more capable than competing android devices.

Apple has been pushing the design of their processor faster than third party processor companies can do, such as Qualcomm. As long as Apple keeps pushing forward, they’ll likely leave third party processors behind, never to catch up.

Most people don’t care about processor speeds but it does show how far Android devices are falling behind. Watch with each generation of the iPhone as the iPhone processor speed continues distancing itself from Android devices. The result won’t be pretty if you’re an Android fan.

First Pictures Captured by iPhone Xs

Posted on September 17, 2018 by admin Posted in Hardware Leave a comment

What it is: Professional photographer Austin Mann shares pictures captured by the iPhone Xs.

Apple just released the iPhone Xs and photographer Austin Mann has already shared some pictures taken by the camera. As you can see, his pictures are sharp and definitely good enough for amateurs, but also suitable for professionals. In the old days, professionals relied on dedicated digital cameras while amateurs satisfied themselves with the much simpler smartphone cameras.

However, now that the iPhone camera has improved so radically, it’s often just as good as dedicated digital cameras while being far easier to carry and use than dedicated digital cameras. Trying to use a dedicated digital camera requires lugging around bulky devices. Trying to use an iPhone camera is simple.

For amateurs, the iPhone camera is the only camera they ever need. For professionals, the iPhone camera is fast becoming the main camera they use most often with dedicated digital cameras used occasionally.

Dedicated digital cameras will always surpass the iPhone camera simply because dedicated digital cameras have the room to offer bigger lenses. However, software improvements in the iPhone camera often mimics physical lenses, which means that the iPhone camera is good enough for both amateurs and many professionals.

By browsing through Austin Mann’s gallery of images, you can see that the iPhone Xs camera is more than adequate for almost everyone. While many people don’t know about the details that professionals worry about, they do care that taking pictures is easy and fast. The technology behind the iPhone camera is simply hidden so most people just need to aim and shoot.

The world of film photography is gone for good, and the world of dedicated digital cameras is shrinking rapidly. The iPhone is no longer just a mobile phone but a professional camera as well. By capturing sharp images, the iPhone will continue to attract more and more professional photographers. One day kids will look at dedicated cameras and wonder why anyone would ever carry such a bulky item around all the time.