How to back up your Mac – CNET
The release of new MacBook Pro models makes it a good time to review how to back up your Mac.
See also: How to trade-in or sell your current MacBook.
If you are planning to bring home one of Apple’s new MacBooks, then you have two options for setting up your new machine: migrate or clean install. If you choose the former, you’ll want a recent copy of your current Mac from which to migrate to your new machine. And if you go the clean-install route, you’ll still want to move over selected files, from your work documents and favorite apps to your music and photo libraries.
Happily, Apple provides the tools you need to perform a full system backup or back up selected files. I’ll show you how to use Time Machine to copy the entire contents of your Mac to an external hard drive and how to use iCloud to create copies of selected apps and folders. And then there’s iTunes; I’ll show you how to create a backup of your iTunes library.
Time Machine
Apple includes its own backup app on every Mac. Called Time Machine, it’s the easiest way to back up your Mac to an external hard drive. This drive can either be connected directly to your Mac or to your network via an Apple Time Capsule or an external drive connected to an AiPort Extreme Base Station or another router with an available USB port.
When you connect an external drive to your Mac, your Mac will ask you if you want to use the drive to back up with Time Machine. If your Mac forgets its manners and doesn’t ask, you can select the drive for a Time Machine back by going to System Preferences > Time Machine and clicking the Select Disk button. When selecting your drive for Time Machine, you can also check a box to Encrypt backups, which will require a password when you go to restore your Mac from a Time Machine backup.
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Screenshot by Matt Elliott/CNET
In System Preferences, there is also a checkbox to Back Up Automatically so that the next time you connect your designated Time Machine drive to your Mac, Time Machine will spring into action and create a system backup.
If you keep a Time Machine drive connected on your network at all times or directly connected to your Mac at all times (more likely with a Mac desktop than laptop), then Time Machine will create hourly backups of the past 24 hours, daily backups for the past month, and weekly backup for all previous months. Time Machine will delete the oldest backups when it runs out of space, replacing them with newer copies of your system.
Click the Options button in Time Machine’s panel in System Preferences and you can add items for Time Machine to exclude. Excluding items will speed up a Time Machine backup, but you can still use your Mac while it’s getting backed up; Time Machines goes about its business in the background, though older Macs might feel a bit sluggish during the backup process.
There is also an option to Show Time Machine in menu bar. From the menu bar icon, you can keep an eye on the status of your backup, stop a backup and manually start a backup.
To restore your system to a previous point in time, click the menu bar and choose Enter Time Machine. You’ll see your previous Time Machine backups like cards in a rolodex; scroll through and find the one you want and click the Restore button.
iCloud
In addition to performing regular Time Machine backups, I use iCloud to create copies of selected folders. Mainly, I use to back up my large photo library because if disaster strikes — my house burns down, gets swallowed by the earth or hit my a meteor (while I’m luckily elsewhere), I want copies of my photos stored safely offsite.
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Screenshot by Matt Elliott/CNET
To backup your photos to iCloud, go to System Preferences > iCloud and check the box for Photos. Next, click the Options button for Photos and check the box for iCloud Photo Library. It uploads full-resolution copies of your photos for safe keeping in the cloud. It also includes the added benefit of making my Mac’s photo library easily accessible from my iPhone and iPad.
Since I had to upgrade to a paid iCloud plan to store my photos, I also use the iCloud Drive option to back up my Mac’s Desktop and Documents folders to iCloud, as well as my Reminders and Notes so they are synced across my Mac and iPhone.
iTunes
Noticeably absent from iCloud’s options is iTunes. It’s so big and unwieldy that I can only assume it needs its own backup system. Your iTunes library is included in a Time Machine backup, of course, but since I spent so many years buying CDs and importing them into iTunes, I keep a separate copy of my iTunes library on an external drive.
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Screenshot by Matt Elliott/CNET
Before you create a copy your iTunes library, it’s a good idea to make a sweep of your Mac for any media files it may use that aren’t already in the iTunes folder. To do so, open iTunes and go to File > Library > Organize Library. Check the box for Consolidate files and click Done.
Next, open Finder and go to your home folder (the one with your user name) and find the Music folder. Inside the Music folder is a folder titled iTunes. This is the folder you want to copy.
If you moved your Music folder from its default location, you can look up its current location by going to iTunes > Preferences and clicking on the Advanced tab. At the top of the Advanced window, iTunes lists the path of your iTunes Media folder location.
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Screenshot by Matt Elliott/CNET
With your iTunes folder located in Finder, connect an external drive to your Mac. It will be listed along the left panel of the Finder window. Simply drag the iTunes folder from its current location in Finder to your external drive listed on the left to copy it.
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This workaround adds MagSafe to the new MacBook Pro – CNET
R.I.P., MagSafe. Hello, BreakSafe.
Griffin Technology
It was probably in the cards.
Last year, when Apple introduced its single-port MacBook, the company’s beloved MagSafe power connector was nowhere to be found. Instead, power was delivered via USB-C. If you wanted MagSafe, you had to go Pro — namely, MacBook Pro.
Today, Apple has bid farewell to MagSafe in the Pro lineup as well.
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Does the Mac still matter?
Fortunately, all is not lost. If you can’t live without MagSafe, look no further than the Griffin BreakSafe Magnetic USB-C Power Cable. It’s a little less elegant than Apple’s design, but it accomplishes the same thing: prevents accidental yanks of the power cord from sending your expensive laptop crashing to the ground.
The BreakSafe works on the same exact principle: a power plug that terminates in a magnetic connection. The difference here is that there’s a dongle that protrudes from the USB-C port. And it protrudes a fair bit, meaning if you leave it plugged in full-time, there’s also the risk of it getting knocked loose (and damaging the port) when your MacBook, say, goes in or out of your travel bag.
Also, bear in mind that this isn’t a complete charging system; you need to use the power adapter that comes with your MacBook. All you’re getting here is a USB-C cable with a breakaway tip at one end.
But for anyone mourning the loss of MagSafe — and chances are good that’s everyone who owned an earlier MacBook Pro — the BreakSafe at least gets you close.
All the action at Apple’s Hello Again event
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Why Apple’s Touch Bar (probably) won’t destroy the Mac’s battery life – CNET
Touch Bar comes to new MacBook Pro
Apple’s new MacBooks replace the old function keys with an interactive, customizable touch strip called the Touch Bar.
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You’re probably wondering if the new MacBook Pro‘s fancy new secondary screen will eat away at the laptop’s battery life.
We are, too. But I wouldn’t worry — several rumors pegged it as an OLED screen, and OLED screen technology can be surprisingly efficient under the right circumstances.
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The Touch Bar secondary screen on the new MacBook Pro.
Apple/Screenshot by Sean Hollister/CNET
Unlike LCD screens, whose individual pixels require a backlight that’s always consuming power unless the screen is completely off, OLED pixels each produce their own light. Portion of an OLED screen that stay black don’t consume any power at all, even if the drive circuitry might use a tiny bit.
When the screen’s totally black, it’s even more efficient. “Since the OS knows when the OLED screen is black, it can also shut down all of the support and drive circuitry for the panel, so the power would be effectively zero,” DisplayMate Technologies head Raymond Soneira tells CNET.
More on Apple’s event
- Apple’s amazing strip show reinvents the laptop keyboard
- Photos from Apple’s Hello Again Mac event
- See all of our Apple event coverage
You might have noticed Apple’s Touch Bar has a black background. That’s no accident, folks.
(For the same reason, if you’ve got a Samsung Galaxy, Google Pixel or other OLED phone, you should really try the dark reading mode in Amazon’s Kindle app, or Twitter’s night mode.)
Plus, it could have a special chip that would make an Apple OLED bar more efficient still, according to KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, who has an excellent track record for Apple rumors.
Of course, we don’t know for sure how much of a drain the Magic Toolbar might use when it’s lit up with special new buttons for your apps, particularly if they’re animated or bright, but we doubt it’ll be a lot.
We’ll update this post with the official word from Apple as soon as we have it.
Check out all of today’s Apple news here.
USB-C-to-USB dongles that are cheaper than Apple’s – CNET
Looks like the rumors were true: Apple’s new MacBooks have done away with old-school USB. From here on out, it’s all USB-C.
That’s good news if you like fast throughput and easy insertion (no more upside-down aggravation!), but a bummer if you want to connect any of your current USB devices: flash drives, hard drives, cameras, printers and, oh yeah, iPhones and iPads.
Unsurprisingly, Apple sells a USB-C-to-USB adapter. Also unsurprisingly, it’s not cheap: Each one will cost you $19. Assuming you need one for each port on your new MacBook, better set aside an extra $76.
Thankfully, you don’t have to choose the Apple option. Loads of third-party companies offer similar (and in some cases better) adapters for a lot less. A few examples:
Never-heard-of-it brand Rankie (one of many) sells a two-pack of USB-C-to-USB adapters for $6.99, a price that includes shipping if you’re an Amazon Prime subscriber. These are different from Apple’s adapters in that they’re dongles, not short cables.
Also at Amazon, the inexplicably named Beegod is a USB-C hub that turns one port into four: two USB 2.0 ports, one USB 3.0 and one USB-C charging port. It currently sells for $18.45, still less than the price of a single Apple adapter.
Nonda claims to have engineered the world’s smallest USB-C-to-USB adapter.
Nonda
The $9.99 Nonda USB-C to USB 3.0 dongle features an aluminum body and a small LED that lights up to indicate drive activity.
Want an actual cable, something to add some distance between your USB device and your MacBook? The Cable Matters USB-C to USB-A cable measures 3.3 feet and sells for just $5.95.
Needless to say, you can find plenty of adapters that cost way less than Apple’s. If you’ve already found one you like, hit the comments and share the name and price!
Retina vs. non-Retina Macs: What’s the difference? – CNET
Apple debuts MacBook Pro
Apple announces its lightest, thinnest notebook ever. The new laptop features an all-metal design, a Touch Bar, and it comes in two sizes, 13-inch and 15-inch. It also comes in two colors, silver and space gray.
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If you’re planning to trade in your old MacBook Air or slot-loading MacBook Pro for a shiny new Apple computer, you’re going to see a major difference as soon as you open the lid. All of Apple’s latest machines come with a “Retina Display.”
What does “Retina” really mean? It’s just a fancy way of saying you’re getting a Mac with a very high-resolution screen. Not a 4K screen, mind you, or necessarily one of the highest-resolution screens on the market — simply a screen so dense you can’t see individual pixels at a normal viewing distance, which makes text easier to read and images seem crisper.
More on Apple’s event
- Apple’s amazing strip show reinvents the laptop keyboard
- Photos from Apple’s Hello Again Mac event
- See all of our Apple event coverage
“It turns out there’s a magic number right around 300 pixels per inch, that when you hold something around to 10 to 12 inches away from your eyes, is the limit of the human retina to differentiate the pixels,” said Apple CEO Steve Jobs in 2010, when he first introduced the term “Retina Display” to describe the screen of the iPhone 4.
Since the iPhone 4 (326 pixels per inch) in 2010, every one of Apple’s products has slowly migrated to Retina Displays, including the iPad (264 ppi), MacBook Pro and iMac (≈220 ppi), and starting in 2015, the 12-inch MacBook (226 ppi) as well. The MacBook Air and 13-inch MacBook Pro (the one with the optical drive) were the only holdouts — though it looks like the 13-inch MacBook Air is sticking around for now.
Now, Retina is the new normal. It’s not special anymore — but it is a pretty incredible bump in clarity if you haven’t experienced it before.
Check out all of today’s Apple news here.
Update at 12:15p.m. PT: It looks like the 13-inch MacBook Air is sticking around after all, so we may still have one non-Retina screen to choose from.
How to use Touch ID with your old MacBook – CNET
MacBook gets Touch ID fingerprint scanner
Apple updates the MacBook with its Touch ID fingerprint scanner. Users can also use Apple Pay with the feature.
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I can’t wave a wand and turn your current MacBook’s row of function keys into a Touch Bar, but I can offer you a substitute for the Touch ID button on the new MacBooks that makes it easy to unlock your MacBook. If you want to avoid using a password to log in to your current MacBook, there are a number of apps that let you use your iPhone or Apple Watch to unlock it.
The apps feature an iOS app and a free Mac companion app that you use to establish a connection between your devices. The apps also rely on Bluetooth Low Energy for that connection, and not every Mac features Bluetooth LE. Here’s the compatibility list:
- MacBook Air: 2011 or newer
- MacBook Pro: 2012 or newer
- iMac: late 2012 or newer
- Mac Mini: 2011 or newer
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Mac Pro
: late 2013 or newer
If you have a semi-recent Mac as outlined above, here are the apps that can unlock your Mac using your iPhone or Apple Watch instead of needing to type a password.
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KeyTouch
KeyTouch costs 99 cents, 79p, AU$1.49 and lets you use Touch ID or a knock on your iPhone or iPad or a tap on your Apple Watch to unlock your Mac. You can use KeyTouch to unlock or lock your Mac, and it also lets your register passwords with websites you frequent for more browsing and less password typing.
MacLock
MacLock costs $1.99, £1.49, AU$2.99 and lets you use Touch ID on your iPhone or iPad or a tap on your Apple Watch to unlock your Mac. You can also shake your iOS device to lock your Mac.
FingerKey
FingerKey costs $2.99, £2.29, AU$4.49 and lets you use Touch ID on your iPhone or iPad or a tap on your Apple Watch to unlock your Mac. It also uses a proximity sensor to lock your Mac when you and your iPhone wander out of range. For older Macs that predate Bluetooth LE, it offers an alternative Wi-Fi mode to establish a connection between your devices over your Wi-Fi network. It also has a website log-in feature but charges a monthly subscription for that convenience.
Auto Unlock
If you have a fairly recent Mac and an Apple Watch, then you don’t need a third-party app to log in to your Mac. The headlining feature of WatchOS 3 is Auto Unlock, which unlocks your Mac as you and your Apple Watch approach. You’ll need a mid-2013 Mac or newer running MacOS Sierra, but it’s the easiest way for Apple Watch wearers to unlock their Macs. Once you set up the feature on your Mac, it requires zero effort on your part; just get within a meter of your Mac with your Apple Watch, and it unlocks automatically.
Learn how to unlock your Mac with the Apple Watch.
Proximity alternatives
Don’t have an Apple Watch? There are apps that let you use your iPhone to unlock your Mac when you are in its proximity. Check out NearLock and Tether.
For more, see our full coverage of Apple’s new MacBooks.
Apple MacBook Pro swaps outdated function…
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5 things to know about the MacBook’s USB-C port – CNET
The new Macs announced today have USB-C ports for Thunderbolt 3 connectivity. But USB-C has a few other tricks up its sleeve.
Screenshot by Patrick Holland/CNET
Today, Apple announced a new 13-inch and 15-inch MacBook Pro. Like last year’s 12-inch MacBook, the new svelte pro laptops have fully adopted the USB-C port.
Apple uses it for Thunderbolt 3, but USB-C is the Swiss Army knife of ports. It’s capable of a bunch of other functions.
Here’s what you need to know about USB-C as it starts invading your Macs.
It’s backwards compatible
For years, Macs have had USB ports. We plugged our mouses, our printers and other peripherals into them. That type of USB is called USB-A.
USB-C is backwards compatible and will support devices that use USB-A. So that’s a plus. The downside is that you’ll need an adapter to do so. That’s because USB-C is a much smaller port than USB-A.
All the ports are both Thunderbolt 3 and USB-C
Think of USB-C kind of like a duplex. It has a USB-side and a Thunderbolt 3-side. Thunderbolt 3 allows you to connect your Mac to dual 4K displays at the same time. It also allows for the fast transfer of data between computers and hard drives. One of the neat features of Thunderbolt 3 is the ability to daisy chain external devices and displays using one port. The new Macs have all these Thunderbolt 3 features packaged within the USB-C port.
USB-C means no more second guessing if the USC cable is right-side up when you plug it in.
Screenshot by Patrick Holland/CNET
No need to worry about plugging it in upside-down
How many times have you gone to plug in a USB cable and forgotten which side is up? Well, you won’t have to do the USB flip dance any more. USB-C is reversible and there is no right side up!
It’s super fast
If you don’t have Thunderbolt 3 devices, that’s okay. USB-C has transfer speeds of up to 5 gigabits per second. This means if you’re using a USB-C equipped external hard rive, that your files will transfer faster. This is especially nice for all those photos and videos you’re taking with your new iPhone 7 Plus.
It can do a lot
USB-C can connect to monitors, charge your Mac, charge your phone from your Mac, transfer data — all in one physical port.
While USB-C is undoubtedly the future path for connectivity, there lies an awkward transition ahead. This transition involves adapters and dongles to connect older devices that don’t have a USB-C port built-in. Though eventually over time, the convenience, power and versatility of USB-C will be widespread and everyone will be happy.
- See all of today’s Apple news here
How the MacBook Pro’s Touch Bar works – CNET
Touch Bar comes to new MacBook Pro
Apple’s new MacBooks replace the old function keys with an interactive, customizable touch strip called the Touch Bar.
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At first, it sounds ludicrous that Apple would trash the function bar — that top bar of your keyboard that includes Escape, F-Keys and media controls.
Until you see what took its place.
Jason Parker/CNET
The Touch Bar is actually a pencil-thin screen above the keyboard of the new MacBook Pro that changes based on what you’re doing. Here’s what you need to know.
It changes based on the app you’re using
If you’re on your desktop, you’ll see the row of function keys. But as soon as you switch to a Touch Bar-compatible app, new “keys” will appear. Here are some apps that already work with Touch Bar:
- Messages (emojis!)
- Photoshop
- Quicktime
- Garage Band
- Preview
- Word
- Excel
- PowerPoint
- Outlook
- Skype for Business
- Affinity Designer
- Pixelmator
- Sketch
- Davinci Resolve
- FaceTime
- Safari
- Algoriddm
Don’t worry — the Escape key is still there
More on Apple’s event
- Apple’s amazing strip show reinvents the laptop keyboard
- Photos from Apple’s Hello Again Mac event
- See all of our Apple event coverage
When these photos leaked, guts across the world wrenched at the thought of losing the beloved escape key. But it looks like it’s not going anywhere, after all.
While the Touch Bar changes based on what app you’re using, the basic function keys are always a swipe away. So, for example, if you’re using a Touch Bar-ready app like Safari and you need to access the escape key, just swipe from right to left, and they’ll reappear.
Whew.
AIVAnet 