Apple This

With Apple’s WWDC 2020 Conference scheduled to take place in June, announcements for innovations and upgrades of Apple’s operating systems and products are right around the corner! While the physical conference itself has been canceled in favor of a digital conference format thanks to the coronavirus pandemic, Apple is slated to release new physical products that should scratch the itch of people wanting something new from Apple, which includes the upcoming release of a 2020 model of the iPad Pro.

From the information available from product tester reviews and which has been given to us directly from Apple, it appears that the multinational technology company is still pushing mindset that tablets should replace your laptop. The 2020 iPad Pro is certainly the closest Apple has come to making a tablet capable of standing in for a MacBook or laptop. But does the new iPad Pro pack enough features to truly replace a laptop? Let’s look at some of the hardware specifications of the 2020 iPad Pro to find out.

Screen Sizes and Display

The 2020 iPad Pro comes in two model sizes. There is an 11-inch model that provides more portability, and a 12.9 inch model for people who want a combination of high performance and a larger display for easier reading and additional screen space. Since Apple no longer manufactures or directly sells 11.6 inch MacBook models–and the next smallest MacBook is 13.3 inches–these two iPad Pro models will easily be the most modern and most portable devices in Apple’s stock.

In terms of display quality, the 2020 iPad Pros will be equipped with the latest in Apple’s lightweight display technology, with both the 11’ and 12.9’ models coming equipped with the Liquid Retina display previously only used by the iPhone XR. 

Accessibility, Accessories, and Ports

For the first time in the history of Apple’s iPad line, the iPad Pro will have full built-in trackpad support through iPadOS 13.4. This means when combined with a smart keyboard, the 2020 iPad Pro will have similar functionality to a Chromebook. Something Apple does not seem keen on adding to the iPad Pro line, however, are USB ports. Besides the USB-C charging port, the new model of iPad Pro does not support any additional USB ports due to Apple’s desire to maintain the sleek profile of their mainline tablet. While trying to keep a tablet portable is an entirely understandable endeavor, the lack of ports can prove to be a fairly inconvenient drawback for someone who would want to use their 2020 iPad Pro for work purposes.

Battery Life

Undoubtedly the feature that I think is most impressive about the 2020 iPad Pro line is its battery life. Apple has always excelled at making its devices have longer battery lives than most devices made by their competitors–the newest rendition of the iPad Pro is no exception to this. When the iPad Pro 2020’s battery life was tested through a continuous trial of wireless web surfing, the device stayed on for over 10 hours at a screen brightness of 150 nits!

Can the 2020 iPad Pro replace your Laptop?

While the 2020 iPad Pro is undoubtedly more powerful and more capable than any model of its predecessors, the question still begs to be asked: is it worthy of replacing your laptop? Honest answer: probably not yet.

While Apple has made great strides towards making their iPad Pro line more functional and versatile–the trackpad functionality is still a work in progress, the screen sizes may not be ideal for people who are actually using their iPads for work purposes, the battery life is not any better than the 2019 MacBook, and some quality of life improvements will likely need to be made to the iPad OS before working on it is as quick and efficient as working with a macOS device.

That being said, the 2020 iPad Pro will easily have a place for itself in the market as soon as it releases. Businesses often rent iPad Pros for short term event needs, and now that Apple is getting more into trying to turn the iPad Pro into more of a miniature laptop, businesses will likely find more uses for them. If you need a 2020 iPad Pro rental, technology rental companies like Rentacomputer.com and Rentourtablets.com will be able to provide these rentals very soon!

…Don’t forget to sanitize–and stay safe!

Apple has taken a bold step ahead of CES this year with an unmissable message about the company’s privacy standards when it comes to user data. Apple is taking no prisoners in its effort to ensure that the smartphone using public knows that unlike Google and Android phones, they aren’t interested in compromising the privacy of their users’ data and that they don’t sell individual user data to advertisers to allow targeted advertising. Basically, when you use an Apple device, advertisers don’t have access to your unique advertising ID so they can’t target you. Read on to learn more about how Android products leave your data open to the prying eyes of Google – who then sells that data to advertisers.

How Google uses your data

Google provides the operating system that Android products run. This gives Google access to a large share of consumers in the smartphone marketplace and to their data. What Google does with that data may be surprising to some users. Through the use of pre-installed Google apps, you are offering up enough of your data to allow Google to sell that information to companies to create highly targeted ads for every user. From tracking where you go, how long you stay there, the articles you read, and the sites you visit, Google is able to provide advertisers with a complete portrait of who you are as a consumer and those companies are able to direct their marketing efforts directly to you thanks to Google Ads.

Use Gmail or Hangouts? Google can even parse the text of your messages to gain valuable information that it then sells to advertisers. Mention an upcoming trip to Florida that you’re planning in an email to a friend? Don’t be surprised when ads with discount hotel and flight rates to your destination city start popping up in your feed. Through the use of your Android phone and pre-installed apps, Google is able to collect more information than you know – and companies are willing to pay big bucks for that data.

Keep your data safe on Android products

The simple truth is that if you’re an Android user there’s no guaranteed way to protect your data from being collected by Google. That doesn’t mean that you have to be a pushover about it though. There are steps that you can take to try to protect your information and to make Google have to work very hard to gain access to it. Gadget Hacks recently offered a variety of clever ways to put a wall between your data and the Google collection machine.

For example, if you’re annoyed by targeted ads based on your search history, you can opt out of ad personalization. This doesn’t mean that Google won’t still collect the data, just that you can prevent the advertisers that Google sends the data to from accessing your unique advertising ID. You can also change your DNS server or use a VPN to prevent Google from collecting information about the sites you visit. VPNs provide one of the best layers of protection for your data by masking your IP address while online and by rerouting your online traffic through a secure, encrypted server.

Apple products that keep your data safer

Android devices leave your data open to collection by Google. While the practice of selling your data for advertising purposes may not be illegal, many users find this practice misleading and overly invasive. Apple products offer you a way to put a barrier between your data and Google while offering a unique user experience and without sacrificing performance. Need MacBook rentals, iPad rentals, or iPhone rentals for your next business meeting or event? Our sister company Rentacomputer.com proudly offers the latest Apple products that give your attendees the power to get things done while also protecting their data online. Offering audiovisual, desktop, laptop, smartphone, and other technology rentals, Rentacomputer.com’s experts work with you to find the right rentals to meet your event needs while being mindful of your budget. No matter where your event is, Rentacomputer.com can help. Get a quote for all your equipment needs today!

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Apple may have meant for the iPhone XR to be the new introductory iPhone, but it has proven itself to be a real contender for sales against its sister releases in the X series since hitting the market in October. With its substantial size, top of the line camera, lightweight design and range of colors to express buyers’ personal style, the XR may prove to be a bigger hit with users than Apple ever thought possible. Learn more about why Apple users are raving about the iPhone XR and how it stacks up to its X series co-releases.

A real knockout

The edge-to-edge 6.1-inch LCD display screen on the iPhone XR is made of the strongest front glass ever on an iPhone thanks to a specially formulated Gorilla Glass made by Corning. With up to 256GB of internal storage and a 12-megapixel camera with 5X digital zoom and three portrait lighting effects, the XR is a delight for users in the selfie age. And its brand-designed aerospace-grade aluminum case allows it to weight slightly less than its sister models in the X series while offering more colors than any other model in the series or before. Dazzling in coral, blue, white, yellow, black, and project red, the XR has a color to suit every user’s taste.

The XR vs the XS

The iPhone XS features a slightly smaller screen size, coming in at 5.8-inch, but offers an OLED display featuring the same Gorilla Glass as the XR model. The XS ups the wow factor for users with a dual 12-megapixel camera with 10X digital zoom that offers five portrait lighting effects. Users of the XS are more limited in their choice of case colors. The stainless-steel body of the XS is offered in gold, silver, and space grey.

The XR vs the XS Max

The XS Max boasts an impressive 6.5-inch OLED display and stainless-steel body in the same colors as the XS. Featuring the same dual 12-megapixel camera with 10X digital zoom and five portrait lighting effects as the XS, the XS Max also tops out at 512GB of internal storage. The upgraded screen size and large memory make the XS Max the costliest of the iPhone X series.

Not so basic

The iPhone XR offers many of the same features that iPhone users have come to expect from higher-end models, making it a bang for your buck at only $749 to $899 – a $100 savings over the starting range of other phones in the X series. While its sister releases can claim slightly upgraded cameras and storage capacity, the XR is the best introductory iPhone that Apple has ever produced.

If you need a number of the latest iPhones, including the XR, XS and XS Max, for a business event or meeting, why not save money and try a rental? Our sister company,  Rentacomputer.com, proudly provides a wide array of iPhone rentals and Android rentals to suit all of your smartphone rental needs. No matter where your event is, Rentacomputer.com can help. Get a quote for all your equipment needs today!

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When will Apple release its new iOS 11 operating system for iPhone and iPad, and what new features will iOS 11 bring to Apple’s tablets and smartphones? I’ve gathered some of the rumors and evidence given about the new iOS and here are a few.

It is almost certain that iOS 11 will be released to the public in September 2017, after the beta get released in June 2017. Rumors speculate that iPhone’s 5c and up will be able to run the new OS.

Some new rumored features of iOS 11 include, a finger detecting dynamic keyboard with finger hover detection for improved typing, a more “natural” sounding Siri, a Dark Mode, App-specific Pass-code or Touch ID lock and the most exciting feature for most, group FaceTime calls. There has also been rumors on a new layout or look for iOS 11 but nothing has been confirmed yet.

If you are interested in testing out these features but you have an android or dont want to buy an iPhone without knowing you want it, you can rent iPhones at rentacomputer.com today.

Ten years ago, Nokia was the world’s largest phone maker. Microsoft was getting ready to drop Windows Vista, and the best products featured at CES included a wireless TV and an MP3 player that streamed internet radio. Then on January 9, 2007, Apple CEO Steve Jobs unveiled a device that went on to change the world- a $499 iPhone with 4 GB of storage. It was a mobile phone with a music player, and internet connect-ability. Interested in renting an iPhone ? contact rentacomputer.com for all apple product rentals.

Here are some ways the iPhone has changed the way we live:

We’re always on:

You used to have to fire up your computer, wait for Wi-Fi to connect, then open up your browser to get the the site you wanted. Now we’re connected to the internet all the time. If you’re not on Wi-Fi

Tablets, Watches and Headphones:

Countless devices are either tied to the iPhone or exist because the phone was created such as the iPad or Apple Watch. There are also accessories spurred by the popularity of the iPhone such as; cases, Bluetooth speakers, headphones, and charging docks.

Apps:

Most might not remember this now, but when the first iPhone was dropped there were no such things as third-party apps or the App Store. This changed in July 2008 when Apple dropped the iPhone 3G and its iPhone 2.0 software. There are now more than 2 million apps in the App Store, and lots of industries have spawned that couldn’t exist without smartphones such as, Uber or Lyft for rides, and Instagram or Snapchat for photo sharing.

Mapping:

The introduction of mapping on the iPhone meant you no longer had to carry around a giant paper map when visiting a new city. Google Maps and Apple Maps are two of the most used apps on the store and they’ve steadily added new features over the years, such as public transit directions.

Photographing:

There were cameras before the iPhone, but the gadgets combination of easy internet access and apps like Instagram inspired people to bring out their inner photographer.  The Phones camera also means you have a portable camcorder at your fingertips. The combination of video recording and the phones connection opens up the option for broadcasting video immediately through services like Facebook live, YouTube, and Periscope.

Gaming:

The iPhone reinvented the idea of mobile gaming, through apps like Pokemon Go and Angry Birds that anyone could play using their fingers on the touchscreen. Payment models changed, most games are free to play and instead of charging a sales price developers came up with the idea of in-app purchases and add revenue.

Mobile Pay:

Apple was not the first company to talk about mobile payments but using your phone at checkout is now more common than ever. Apple Pay allows you to use your phone to purchase things. The iPhone’s Wallet app can also be used to store coupons, rewards cards, and tickets to things like movies planes and concerts and its all stored in one place.

Social Media:

Social media has also shifted heavily to mobile devices from desktop computers, letting people feel connected to friends at all times. Facebook said that in its most recent quarter, roughly 84 percent of its $6.82 billion in ad revenue came from mobile ads.

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It is confirmed that Apple will be doing something with Augmented Reality. Apple CEO Tim Cook repeatedly expressed his strong interest in the technology over the more isolating virtual reality over the past year. Apple acquired an AR company over a year ago so why wouldn’t Apple want to bring its own brand of mixed reality to its flagship product?

Rumors began to surface that an employee confirmed that Apple was working on a light pair of augmented reality glasses that may be announced this year. However when annalist  Lance Ulanoff spoke with Apple industry experts about plans for 2017, although Augmented Reality was high on the list of possibilities Apple AR Glasses wont find much support within Apple.

Chances are 2017 will be the year we see an Apple AR Product, it just wont be glasses. Good news for Apple that AR can be applied to any number of existing pieces of hardware and software, if you are looking to rent Apple products contact rentacomputer.com . Some speculate that their next AR product will be The iPhone 8, and an Apple Car.

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Having trouble with your contacts in Apple’s latest OS X update El Capitan? Trying to get to know your contacts better? With every new operating system Apple releases, there are changes and things you are going to have to tinker with. Here are some helpful tips for improving your contacts in OS X El Capitan.

Add Fields

One of the more useful things you will find in Contacts are Fields. Launch Contacts Preferences and then choose Template. Use the Add Field drop-down menu to add fields to your Contacts. You can add things like Twitter handles for contacts as they aren’t enabled by default. All you have to do is select Twitter in the drop-down list.

Birthday

You can use Contacts in conjunction with Automator in order to automate the sending of birthday greetings via email. This is useful for not only remembering birthdays but also for gaining a little insight into Automator and how it can help you in other ways.

Smart Groups Are The Best

You can create Smart Groups by going to File > New Smart Group. From here you can set up different parameters across the four search fields. You can add additional search filters by pressing the + button and you can use this to also create groups that will automatically be updated. This includes Card Contains Apple or Birthday Is In The Next Week. A majority of users don’t realize that Smart Groups is a thing though it can really help when working on a project or with a group.

Get Rid Of Duplications

Contact Books can easily become overloaded by data that we don’t necessarily need. This includes duplicates of contact addresses. In Contacts go to Card > Link Selected Cards from the Menu. This will minimize everything to a single listing.

Use Contacts Cleaner

Contacts Cleaner, which only costs $4.99 from the Mac App Store, is a fantastic tool that helps you fix problems. It will inform you about errors in your database, including duplicate addresses or bad phone numbers. In addition to that, it also offers to resolve problems for you and allows you to edit records if you want or need to fix problems manually.

Suggested Contacts

In El Capitan, Mail can detect when you receive new information for a contact, allowing you to update the contact card from inside the mail app. It also identifies whenever a new person makes contact. You can find contact info in your Contacts app, which identifies itself as “Found in Mail”.

Siri

Nickname and Related Name are two fields that are very handy. Enable either of these and you will be able to define your relationship with contacts or give them nicknames. After you’ve assigned roles or names to your key contacts you can use Siri more effectively with your iOS device.

Organization

Try organizing your existing contacts into different groups using File > New Group. Create a name for the group and place the appropriate amount of contacts there. Then you can decide what the groups are for, i.e. friends, colleagues, family, etc… This makes it easier for you to find and manage your contacts.

Check Your Default Account

If you don’t seem to be getting regular updates to your Contacts then you should ensure that you have the correct default account configured across all of your Macs and devices. Open Contacts and go to Preferences > General and look for the lowest item in the list marked as Default Account. Set this to iCloud as this is where the new contacts will be added by default.

Links

Duplicate contacts can cause problems, especially when using multiple email accounts. You could very well see two entries for the same person in your address book, one for Gmail and another for iCloud. To eliminate this press Command and select the cards. Then choose Card > Link Selected Cards from the Menu. This will make them a single listing.

That’s really all there is to it. If you are having problems with your Contacts or you simply want to make them easier to navigate and more organized then follow these tips and you’ll have them all sorted out in no time!

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Trying to use your new Magic Trackpad 2 on your Mac desktop? Well if you’re having trouble then let me be of assistance. The Magic Trackpad 2 requires you to be using a Bluetooth 4.0-enabled Mac desktop with OS X v10.11 or later. Obviously this means that not every Mac is going to be able to take advantage of this peripheral. If you’re wondering about your Mac, most made in 2012 or later and some made in 2011 should be compatible with the Magic Trackpad 2. There are a few notable exceptions, including the late 2011 MacBook Pro models and the late 2011 iMacs. There are reports that you can finagle the trackpad to work on these older devices though Apple doesn’t recommend it.

So, if your Mac is compatible then you should connect the trackpad to the Mac using the Lightning to USB cable. Once you’ve done this, switch the trackpad on and the device should automatically pair with your Mac in Bluetooth Preferences. Once you’re all setup the trackpad works similar to an iPhone, offering you a Force Touch surface that you can use to move the pointer and issue gesture-based commands. In addition to that, the trackpad is also capable of telling the difference between non-imperative hand rest positions and actual commands. You can set up gestures and even create your own optional commands by going to System Preferences > Trackpad.

If you’ve used Force Touch on the latest Apple laptops then you will already have a feel for how this trackpad works. The UI features allow you to access items while reducing the steps it takes to get there. Multitouch is also supported and there are different commands you can issue, including Click, Force Click, Two-Finger Click, Pinch-to-Zoom, and Swipe. Click allows you to press anywhere on the trackpad and utilize it like a mouse click. You can also enable “Tap to Click” in the preferences. Force Click allows you to firmly click anywhere on the trackpad until you feel a deeper click. Use this to have more contextual information about an on-screen item or to access things like word definitions or a preview on Maps. Two-Finger Click allows you to click with two fingers to open shortcut menus. Tapping with two fingers allows you to do the same thing if you have Tap-to-Click enabled. Pinch to zoom works the same as it does on the iPhone. If you swipe left or right with two fingers you will scroll through web pages, documents or iBooks.

In addition to tall of that, the trackpad also offers a lot of tools for getting around apps. If you pinching closed with four or five fingers allows you to open Launchpad to find and launch apps. Swiping left or right with three or four fingers will switch between full-screen apps, and swiping up with three fingers will gain you access to Mission Control. If you go to Help > Mac Help in the finder menu and search for “Trackpad” you can access more information about using the device.

Hopefully, this helps you get through using your trackpad on a Mac. None of these things are really complicated and it should be easy for almost anyone, even those unfamiliar with Mac devices, to jump right in and start using their new Magic Trackpad 2 right out of the box with no hassles.

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A massive update is in store for the standalone products offered by Apple. This includes the company’s keyboard, mouse and trackpad, with ways of making each device a lot better than they used to be. One of the key changes coming to all the devices is the fact that they are all ditching their AA battery requirements in favor of built-in batteries that charge via Lightning cable. These new batteries are expected to last for about a month on a single charge and are supposed to quickly charge enough for nine hours of use after just two minutes of being plugged in.

Aside from the battery changes, each device is getting a design change with some being more than others. The trackpad is getting the biggest change in the fact that it is no longer terrible. The new trackpad comes with a flat metal base and a white top that slopes downward back to front. The surface of the trackpad is wider and has a more rectangular shape and also comes with some new tricks. Force Touch is now supported and, the feature that most people will love, you now have the ability to click the trackpad literally anywhere on its surface. However, all of these new bells and whistles come with an increased price tag as the new model runs $129.

The next thing to see a big change is the Apple keyboard. The new keyboard looks far different from its predecessor, having a single piece of metal that gently slopes down from top to bottom, much like the trackpad. As a matter of fact, the trackpad and the keyboard actually fit perfectly side-by-side. The keys themselves are slightly wider than the older model, reducing the air gap around them though their placement is identical. The function keys also see a change in size, shifting from tiny rectangles to full square keys that are very satisfying to press on.

Even though the keys are in the same place, they feel very different. These new keys are far shallower than their predecessors, which might not seem like a big difference until you factor in the slope of the keyboard. Each row of keys is closer to being level with the row next to it, meaning you have to move your fingers slightly more to reach certain keys. I’m sure you’ll get used to this quickly though you shouldn’t expect perfect typing right out of the box. This new keyboard is also getting a price hike to $99.

The Apple mouse sees the least amount of changes compared to the trackpad and keyboard. The new mouse looks practically identical to the old one, with the same flat top that looks like no other mouse on the market. The new one is slightly longer, which makes it feel less awkward in your hand. The biggest change is on the bottom of the mouse, where there is no longer a thin, removable plate covering where the batteries would be. This is significant because that thing was a pain to remove. Apple has also noted that it has redesigned the “rails” the mouse slides on though they seem pretty much the same. Like the other two products, the new mouse is increasing in price to $79.

All three of these products are also receiving slightly new names as well. The trackpad is now known as the Magic Trackpad 2 instead of the Magic Trackpad, the Magic Mouse is now known as the Magic Mouse 2, and the keyboard is called the Magic Keyboard. Why not the Magic Keyboard 2 you might ask? Well, because the old keyboard was simply known as the Apple Wireless Keyboard. Magic or not, I think the new one should be called the Magic Keyboard 2 for continuity purposes. All three products are currently available from Apple.

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As if Apple’s bumper September launch event wasn’t good enough, with the new iPhone 6s and 6s Plus, as well as a bumper-size iPad Pro and Apple TV top box device, now the Cupertino company is said to launch a new 21.5-inch iMac this week.

According to multiple sources, 9to5Mac’s Mark Gurman says Apple will be releasing the new iMac desktop as early as Tuesday! Apple hasn’t actually announced any news yet, but Gurman has a great connection when it comes to rumors and leaks from Apple.

The new iMacs apparently will have 4,096 x 2,304 of resolution and better graphics cards compared to their predecessors, with 1,920 x 1,080 of resolution. They will also be slightly more expensive.

There have been hints dropping about the 4k iMac since June. Code in a beta version of Apple’s latest desktop operating system, El Capitan, includes support for an iMac with a display of 4,096 x 2,304.

Apple has been continuously updating their devices to have high-resolution Retina displays, starting with iPhones all the way to MacBooks and iPads. Since Apple launched the larger-screened 27-inch iMac to have a 5K Retina display, it looks like the 21.5-inch iMac is their next project. The 21.5-inch iMacs are starting at $1,099.

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