It’s not every day that we get a new system-level productivity application from Apple, but here we are.
Category: Kbase of the Week
Kbase Article of the Week: About the Mini DisplayPort to VGA Adapter Firmware Update ⇢
This firmware update addresses possible intermittent flickering and compatibility issues. In some cases those issues may include no video on some external monitors when using the Mini DisplayPort to VGA adapter with your Mini DisplayPort-enabled Mac.
Bonus Kbase Article of the Week: How to turn on Advanced Data Protection for iCloud ⇢
Advanced Data Protection for iCloud is an optional setting that offers Apple’s highest level of cloud data security. If you choose to enable Advanced Data Protection, the majority of your iCloud data — including iCloud Backup, Photos, Notes, and more — is protected using end-to-end encryption. No one else can access your end-to-end encrypted data, not even Apple, and this data remains secure even in the case of a data breach in the cloud. Before you turn on Advanced Data Protection, you can learn more about how your data is protected with standard data protection and if you enable Advanced Data Protection.
Kbase Article of the Week: iBook — White Greasy Substance in Battery Bay ⇢
If you see a white, greasy substance in the computer’s battery bay, frequently near the battery electrical contact points, it is no cause of concern. The substance is merely a non-harmful grease that is applied during production of the iBook computer.
The grease is applied to the springs in the battery bay to help ease removal of the battery.
If there is excessive grease, you can remove it with a clean, dry, lint-free cloth.
Kbase Article of the Week: Performa Computers: Display Support ⇢
This article lists the various monitors supported by Performa computers which will drive an external monitor.
As you can probably guess, it’s a bit of a mess.
Kbase Article of the Week: Mac OS: How to Move the Control Strip ⇢
Apple Support, on the Control Strip:
To move the Control Strip:
- Press and hold down the Option key.
- Drag the tab at the end of the Control Strip. If you drag it more than halfway across the display, the Control Strip moves to the other edge. If you have more than one display, you can drag the Control Strip to the left or right edge of the other display as well. The Control Strip always stays on the left or right edge of your display.
Changing the display’s resolution from a smaller setting to a larger one and restarting the computer moves the Control Strip higher up on the display.
Kbase Article of the Week: Using iCal with Microsoft Entourage ⇢
iCal and the calendar feature of Microsoft Entourage can be used together–as long as you have iCal 1.5 or later and Mac OS X 10.3.5 or later installed.
If you have earlier versions of iCal or Mac OS X, when you try to add an iCal invitation to an Entourage calendar, an alert box with an error message could appear; an Entourage invitation received with the Mac OS X Mail application could appear as plain text instead of as an attachment; or, when you try to import or add an .ics file from Entourage into iCal by double-clicking the file’s icon, an alert box might appear.
Kbase Article of the Week: Centris 610 and 650: Floating-Point Unit Upgrades ⇢
You can upgrade the Macintosh Centris 610 or 650 with an FPU, but Apple doesn’t provide or support such an upgrade. You must rely on third-party companies who can remove the 68LC040 from its socket and replace it with a 68RC040. Since Apple doesn’t intend to offer an upgrade, we can’t guarantee that the processor will remain a socketed component.
There aren’t very many compatibility problems with non-FPU systems. While the addition of an FPU allows certain types of applications to execute faster, these applications tend to be more technical in nature. Business applications — such as spreadsheets, databases and word processors — don’t require an FPU to run.
Kbase Article of the Week: Use USB-C cables with your Mac ⇢
If you have a Mac with Thunderbolt 3 (USB-C), Thunderbolt / USB 4, Thunderbolt 4 (USB-C), or USB-C ports, you can use cables to transfer data and connect your Mac to other devices and displays. If you have a Mac notebook computer, you can also connect to a power adapter to charge your Mac.
It’s great having One Connector to Rule Them All, but wow is USB-C messy.
Kbase Article of the Week: Power Macintosh: Differences Between DVD-ROM, DVD-RAM and DVD-RW ⇢
DVD-ROM, as its name implies, is a “read-only memory” format. Your computer can read a disc’s contents, but it cannot save data to one.
DVD-RAM (DVD random-access memory) and DVD-RW (DVD rewritable) are both rewritable mediums. Both DVD-RW and DVD-RAM are rewritable DVD standards that have been published by the DVD Forum, a group of more than 200 industry-leading corporations.
This article then links to a second article titled “SuperDrive: About Rewriteable DVD Discs,” which goes into a lot more detail. It ends with this note:
Bonus Kbase Article of the Week: Continuity Camera: Use iPhone as a Webcam for Mac ⇢
Use the powerful camera system of your iPhone to do things never before possible with a webcam, including Center Stage, Portrait mode, Studio Light, and Desk View.
Kbase Article of the Week: What’s New in the Updates for macOS Ventura ⇢
macOS Ventura makes the things you do most on Mac even better, with big updates to the apps you use everyday, including Mail, Messages, and Safari. You can use your iPhone as a webcam for your Mac with Continuity Camera. There’s also an entirely new way to automatically organize your windows with Stage Manager. And when you upgrade, you get the latest security and privacy protections for your Mac.