iCloud rolls in

iCloud is now available to new members as well as existing MobileMe members who decide to upgrade.  iCloud is not a requirement for existing MobileMe members – you have until next summer to upgrade.

I recommend waiting a few weeks for the service to be brought online and tested under the load of millions of users.  There's no rush to upgrade unless you want to help Apple troubleshoot the new system.  The existing MobileMe service will continue to be operational for the next nine months.

iCloud requires all of your Macs to be upgraded to Lion, and iPhones and iPads to iOS 5.  These are major upgrades; care must be taken to ensure they go smoothly.

If you are excited to upgrade and wish to experience the new features of iCloud, Lion, and iOS 5 – and you don't mind the occasional hassles of being an early adopter – please get in touch with PsiMac to schedule a consultation to discuss the upgrades.

People don't do it.

Digital life means living with omnipresent technology. To benefit from your relationship with technology, you need to have backups.

If you don't want one flipped bit cramping your digital style, then you need to back up that bit and all the other ones.

And zeros.

Apple promised to make this easy when they announced Time Machine five years ago. They further simplified it by making it wireless when they announced Time Capsule almost four years ago. Before that time, it was necessary to physically plug in your backup.

I know.

As easy as it is to connect a small portable hard drive using a single FireWire or USB cable plugged into your Mac, people don't do it. Knowing this, Apple made one that doesn't need to be plugged in.

But too many people still don't have a backup, or not until it's too late.

Put another way:

People, don't do it.

Don't put your digital life at risk by failing to back up!

PsiMac offers PsiBack, an offsite backup service that securely backs you up to a remote location, automatically.

Contact PsiMac now to schedule a backup consultation.

How to properly restart and shut down

It is important to properly restart and shut down your Mac.

How often this should be done depends upon the pattern of usage.

Macs that operate as servers – for example, sharing files, sharing music, sharing other media, or sharing printers – should be shut down rarely; whereas most Macs should be restarted regularly. Many Macs are only restarted when software updates require it, or when improperly forced due to freezes or other failures. But restarting your Mac regularly is good maintenance.

When a system is running continuously, performance tends to degrade over time. Whether related to thermodynamic entropy or memory leaks, this is observable and measurable in normal use, so in practice it is advisable to restart as often as every week. To promote reliable operation, restart proactively. This will preempt freezes and crashes which could otherwise lead to data corruption and overall system degradation.

To Restart, click the Apple menu at the top left of the screen and choose Restart (or Shut Down).

Most Macs, iPads, and iPhones should be configured to go to sleep after a short period of inactivity, or when the cover is closed, which is the default setting. If you are expecting to be away for longer than a few days, it might be a good idea to shut down.

If the Mac is unresponsive, it is advisable to attempt to regain responsiveness so that the system may be properly restarted. If the system is unresponsive for longer than fifteen minutes and is determined to be frozen, then the system may be forcibly restarted by holding down the power button until the power is interrupted and the system goes dark and silent. Wait ten seconds, and then press and release the power button to start up the system normally.

The power button on the system should never be used to forcibly shut down the system unless it cannot be shut down normally (by using the Restart or Shut Down command in the Apple menu).

"Jailbroken" iPhones

We do not recommend or support jailbroken iPhones. This is the policy of Apple.

By jailbreaking, you take security, stability and support into your own hands.

Lion

A quick note about Lion for interested clients:

Lion represents a radical new beginning in our interface with technology. It's exciting, and it offers many new advantages. It is a significant upgrade.

As with all major operating system upgrades, PsiMac recommends scheduling a consultation with us to verify and test all important software and plan the upgrades.

Before upgrading, it is imperative that you have a working, up-to-date Time Machine backup. To mitigate any possible downtime, this is good advice from John Gruber:

[R]ecommendations for installing major Mac OS X software updates:

So, in short:

1. Do a complete backup clone to an external FireWire drive.
2. Test that the backup is indeed bootable and up to date.
3. Unplug the backup drive.