Sept. 25 has finally arrived! And you know what that means – The new iPhone models have arrived.

Our good friends at iFixit have once again travelled all the way from sunny California to camp out at the local Apple store to then bring the new iPhone models to our our office in North Melbourne. They proceeded to completely destroy all them all to examine what’s inside.

If you’re one of the lucky ones to have picked up a brand new iPhone 6S or 6S Plus, check out our range of iPhone accessories and iPhone cases to make sure you’re ready for the awesome experience. 

There is no excuse to stop learning just because the week is about end. After all, learning about the Apple devices you like the most is always fun!

Today, we are going to put the spotlight on Messages, the very popular iOS app. Used in order to receive SMS, MMS, and iMessage files, the app is one of the most interesting iOS apps available at the moment. Capable of keeping us in contact with our loved ones on a constant basis, this app truly rocks.

Given below are some important tips that will help you use Messages in a whole new and fun way:

1. Send any voice message

It may seem like typing a text message on your iPhone or dictating something to Siri is as easy as it gets, but there is something even easier: sending voice messages.

To start recording a message, simply launch your Messages app and put the recipient’s name. Note that it is important for a recipient to have iMessages compatibility in order to receive your messages. Whether a person can receive iMessages or not can be understood by checking the color of that person’s name. If the person can receive iMessages, his or her name will appear blue. Otherwise, it will appear green.

A small button resembling ‘Microphone’ toward the right corner of the edit field of iMessage will help you record your message. To record something, simply press and hold the button. During the recording phase of your message, the screen of your device will show visual speech representation.

You continue recording your voice message as long as you keep your finger on the ‘Microphone’ symbol.

You lift your finger and this is what happens:

If you want to hear your recording, choose the ‘Play’ button. If you want to remove the recording, pick ‘X’, instead. The ‘Up’ arrow is useful if you want to send it.

In case you like to do things quickly, you can even slide your recording finger directly up after recording your message. That way, your message is recorded and sent in one go!

2. Send a video message within seconds

If you are on a vacation and you shoot a mesmerizing video, you do not need to edit your video and then fit it inside an email to share it with your friends. If you choose to, you can send it to your friends with just a single tap!

Toward the left part of the edit field of the app, one camera button can be found. You have to use that when recording a video message. Generally, the button takes care of the purpose of attaching pictures to a message, but it can be used to capture videos, as well. When you tap the button and hold it for a while, you will find that a semicircle appears on the screen.

Your device’s background starts showcasing whatever scene your camera is pointed at. After that, it is just a matter of tapping on the red button you see to begin recording a video. If you want to stop a recording, you can tap the same button once more.

You can even take stills to complement your video. For the purpose, tapping the button with camera icon is enough.

If you want to switch from FaceTime or front camera to iSight or rear camera, and vice versa, you can do that by using the small camera button which can be found toward the upper right corner.

Checking your video clip before finally sending it is possible, too. Once you are done recording a video, the ‘Record’ button transforms into ‘Play’ to allow you to do exactly that. To send your video, locate the button resembling up arrow, and tap it.

3. View when a message was sent or received in time stamp mode.

The Messages app keeps track of the time when a message is sent, or received. However, at first glance, that may not seem obvious, as it hides the time-stamp in order to keep the appearance free of clutter. If you want to see when a message came in, you can just swipe toward your left and have the time-stamp appear in all its glory. Once you lift your finger after swiping, the time-stamp will disappear automatically.

4. Let Siri say it all

If you get a quite lengthy message from your buddy or boss, and you have no desire to read it yourself, you can simply ask Siri to read the same for you.

Locate the message and double tap on it. Once that is done, a menu will appear containing the options ‘Speak’ and ‘Copy’. Select ‘Speak’ to hear Siri read your message. In this case, Siri will even speak misspellings pretty well.

Note, however, that you must allow the feature beforehand. In order to do that, Go to ‘Accessibility’ under ‘General’ settings and tap the ‘Speech’ option.

5. Get your message sent using Siri

Even at times when you do not have the convenience of typing a message for someone, you can still get your message through using Siri. Just use the microphone of your phone to record your voice message, and send it. In case you want to send a video message, the camera will be of assistance.

This feature is especially helpful for keeping in touch with people via message when you are driving. To enable the feature, take your iOS device, go to ‘Siri’ under ‘General’ settings, and allow the ‘Hey Siri’ feature.

You can send many different messages with the help of Siri. One example of what you can dictate is “Hey Siri, tell Janet I’m on my way home.”

Whatever message you choose to send, Siri will present to you a screen containing your message in every case. However, be sure to avoid looking at the same in case you are driving your car. Siri will also ask you whether you would like to send your message, or not. To allow, say ‘Send it’, or ‘Yes’.

In case you want to cancel sending the same, you can simply say ‘Cancel’. You can even review your message if you want to, by giving the command ‘Review the message’ to Siri. When you ask Siri to review your message, your message will be read back by the app, followed by seeking your confirmation to send the same.

If, after hearing your message, you do not want to send it you can simply change your message by asking Siri to ‘Change it’.

Even though it seems like cellular signal is available pretty much everywhere on the planet these days, sometimes there are still places where cellular signal does not reach. You may find your phone without signal in the middle of Australian Alps when you are climbing a mountain, for instance, or in the outback when you are riding a bike in the countryside!

Fortunately, to help you deal with those times when you just cannot get phone reception no matter how hard you look, Google Maps gives you the feature to save any map for offline use.

Of course, when you are offline you will not be able to get directions or do any other fancy stuff, but still, having a good map can save you from getting lost.

If you have never used the offline map feature before, the following steps will guide you:

Step 1:

Turn on your Wi-Fi or cellular data in a place where signal is available, like your hotel or house, and launch your Google Maps. Make sure that you sign into your Google Account before using the app.

Step 2:

Search the map of your destination by either speaking its name or by typing the same inside the search box.

Step 3:

Look for the location name toward the lower part of the phone screen, and tap it. A screen containing data about weather and certain facts will appear.

Step 4:

Locate three dots toward the upper right corner of the screen and tap the dots (see the arrow in the screenshot above).

Step 5:

Click on ‘Save Offline Map’ option from the list of options you get. The app will ask you whether you want to save your map. To go ahead, perform a bit of zoom in and zoom out in order to adjust the total area you wish to save. Once you are satisfied with the area, click the ‘Download’ button, which can be found toward the bottom left corner. Then, save your map using a name that you can remember easily.

Step 6:

To make sure that your saved maps have fresh information, you may want to update your maps on a monthly basis. That is because 30 days is the default period for which Google Maps are considered as up to date. To open any of your saved maps later, click the ‘Hamburger’ button after launching your Google Maps app. The ‘Hamburger’ button can be found toward the left of the search box.

Step 7:

Select ‘Your Places’ from the menu you get. You will see a list of all the maps you have saved lately to use offline. Locate whichever map you wish to view and tap on it to expand.

Even though you cannot get directions or search for anything specific when dealing with your offline maps, you can still get a lot of information, including points of interest. You can locate a great restaurant, for instance, even when there is absolutely zero cellular reception in the area.

In case you use a limited data pack on your iPhone, offline maps will help you save some of your precious megabytes. On the other hand, in case your phone does not have much space left, you will reduce its space further by saving maps to use offline.

Mozilla seems to be making good progress with the release of its iOS Firefox browser. The company recently launched a trial program for a limited period in New Zealand, in order to gather important data and eliminate any bugs present before the browser’s worldwide debut, which will take place in the later part of 2015.

The company announced the initial preview of the iOS Firefox browser through its blog on the 3rd of September. In the blog, the company noted that, apart from New Zealand, testing will take place in certain other countries too before the browser’s public launch.

Several different features are being tested by the Mozilla team, including Intelligent Search, which is a tool that provides relevant results to a user when the user searches for something with the help of the user’s selected providers. Other than that, Firefox Accounts are also on the Apple watch. Such accounts provide cross-device synchronisation of history, tabs and passwords, and also, portable account management feature.

Through its trials, Mozilla is collecting feedback from different users not only to fix bugs, but also to optimise the overall performance level of its new browser. The company is fully committed to launching its new product in the App Store by the year’s end. To make things easy for its users, Mozilla has provided an in-app system via which messages can be submitted directly.

When it comes to mobile web browsing, Apple Safari is the browser of choice for most users. Still, Firefox is a name that every desktop and laptop lover is familiar with, and so it can very strong impact the mobile world, too.

Interestingly, in the year 2013, Mozilla announced that it had no aspiration to build a Firefox version for the iOS platform until restrictions placed on web browsers sold via the Apple App Store were loosened a bit. It seems like the company eventually decided to backtrack.

Although the unveiling of the latest iPhone 6S is getting all the attention right now, sources suggest that Apple has started working on its 2016 iPhone version already. Interestingly, Apple apparently has plans to build the upcoming device only 6mm thin. That is, slimmer than even its new iPad Air 2 and iPod Touch.

This Sunday, Ming Chi Kuo from KGI Securities shared certain details about the next iPhone with investors, possibly to be named as iPhone 7. Apple Insider got one copy of the same too. It is according to Kuo’s sources that Apple may make the upcoming iPhone anywhere between 6mm and 6.5mm thin.

If that presumption is correct, the iPhone 7 will compare closely to the 6.1mm iPad Air 2, as well as the iPod Touch. The present iPhone 6 is measured at 6.9mm, and the iPhone 6S nears 7mm with its 7000 series aluminum.

Kuo’s speculations suggest that Apple is mostly likely to use the same kind of technology to implement Force Touch in the iPhone 7 to be released in 2016. Notably, many experts are saying that iPhone 6S will utilize the power of display pressure sensitive input with the help of printed and flexible circuit board technology.

Apple, according to Kuo, may even start using glass-on-glass technology to equip its phones with Force Touch sensing capability in future, particularly if the company remains inclined toward increasing the resolution of its iPhone displays. However, on another note, he thinks that the same is not something that will be realized very soon, as glass-on-glass technology has yet to become so advanced as to allow 6mm thinness.

Kuo has a good reason to believe that Apple will continue betting on its Force Touch in future. The company and its many suppliers have exhibited tremendous commitment to investing in Force Touch this year, so it only makes sense that the trend will go on.

While experts widely agree that the iPhone 7 will come with a fresh chassis to stand out from the other iPhone models, Kuo did not say much regarding what else can be expected from the upcoming model. Historically, Apple has released its redesigned iPhones every 2 years, plus introduced its ‘S’ upgrades in between.

Adding RAM Memory and a second hard drive or SSD to the Macbook Pro Unibody Mid-2009 model is very easy. You’ll need some simple tools, correct Macbook Pro SSD and Macbook Pro RAM Memory upgrade from OWC and we then urge you to follow the videos or the Apple manual provided on the links below.

Please see our Apple RAM Memory for Macbook Pro page to locate your Apple compatible RAM upgrade for your Mac, and we’ll ship it fast from our warehouse in Victoria.

• Mid-2009 13-Inch User Guide from Apple (Apple Memory installation guide. Memory installation instructions start at page 35)

Recommended Tools for the upgrade:

– #00 Precision Philips Screwdriver – Economy
– Spudger – Apple Pry Tool Non-Marking – Nylon (Black Stick) – 922-5065

You will also find all of these tools plus more in the complete toolkit from Newertech under the following link: Newer Technology 14 Piece Tool Set

OWC Ram Memory Video Installation Guide for MacBook Pro (Mid 2009 to 2012) Models:

Add a second hard drive or SSD easily with the OWC Data Doubler. Here’s an instructional video from OWC:

At this point, we are certain that the next Apple press event will take place on 9th of September in San Francisco. The event, occurring at the stadium called Bill Graham Civic, will be streamed live starting 10am. Here, we take a few guesses regarding what may really be unveiled in the event.

iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus

Through the past couple of years, Apple has announced its new iPhone models during the early part of September, unleashing the models for sale after nearly 10 days from announcement date. This time, we expect the same to happen.

Sources suggest that the iPhone 6s will not have a drastically different design from its predecessor.

According to all the rumors going on, in terms of size and weight, the 6s will resemble the 6, and the 6s Plus the 6 Plus. Also, the new models are expected to feature A9 processor, and 2GB RAM. Other than that, most believe that there will be Force Touch, along with improved FaceTime and iSight for the front and rear camera, respectively.

One particular rumor has to say that the new phones will come packed with even ‘selfie flash’! Other than that, since many people noted that the Apple 6 phones could bend when reasonable pressure was applied, the fresh models will most likely contain tougher 7000 series aluminum as body material.

Chances are, the new phones will come with more reliable cellular chips for better and faster phone reception. Apple may even announce one rose gold colored case. Not just that, some believe that the upcoming models will feature animation wallpapers, like those available in the Apple Watch.

Apple’s new TV

Other than the new 6 phones, we believe that we will see a fresh Apple TV. According to rumors from several sources, the new TV will contain A8 as its processor and come with lots of space for storage. It may even feature a case that is iPhone-like and a remote that is touch-based. Expected to come with an App Store of its own, the TV is likely to give Siri support and eventually unleash ‘a la carter’ services.

Honestly, we do not believe that the new TV will come with a remote. That is because most Apple TV users have iPhones, iPads and Apple Watches. So, it does not make sense for the company to lose profits by bundling a remote for no reason. Besides, Siri support itself will allow a fascinating level of control. The tagline ‘Hey Siri, give us a hint’ perhaps refers to just that!

The venue in which the event will take place contains 7,000 or so seats, and Apple is going to close down the front street near it. Also, Apple has recently released its HomeKit compatible automation devices. So, perhaps, it is possible that its new TV will be able to act as one home automation hub, too, along with acting as one entertainment hub. Note that every HomeKit accessory can be controlled using Siri, which means that Apple may want to highlight all its home automation expectations using a building toward the auditorium’s front.

Shipping date for the iOS 9

People in the industry will be totally shocked if the fresh iPhones do not feature iOS 9. That means, you can expect to hear the shipping date for the same mobile OS during the event. Most probably, the shipping date will fall between 9th of September and 18th. We feel that the date will be 16th, two days prior to the fresh phones entering the market.

Shipping date for the OS X El Capitan

Apple has traditionally highlighted different products during its events, even when not releasing them directly. So, OS X EI Capitan may get highlighted during the event, as it seems to be fast moving toward its shipping date. It may even get shipped during the same week when the iOS 9 does. But then, Apple may postpone the date a bit to avoid putting too much pressure on its upgrade servers.

Watch OS 2 shipping details

Many developers are eagerly waiting for Apple to announce its Watch OS 2, to show the world their wonderful apps. So, Apple may want to unveil its Watch OS 2 on 9th of September to not disappoint them.

New iPad

The iPad will most probably receive a remarkable update at the event. But then, it is very unlikely that a new iPad version will be announced during the same. That is because Apple has traditionally held an October event solely to release iPads. Having said that, if an iPad Air or Mini ends up being unveiled it will possibly feature quicker processor and Force Touch. Also, may come with a USB-C common connector, moving a bit closer to iPhones. 

iPad Pro

Whether the iPad Pro will actually be announced or not cannot be said with certainly. But, if Apple ends up announcing it, then most probably it will contain a retina display of size 12.9 inches and a stylus having Force Touch. And also, the A9 processor!

Fresh Macs

Data shows that PC sales are falling, and the sales of Macs are increasing. So, Apple may highly benefit from announcing one or two new desktops and laptops, especially that school time is quickly approaching. However, that may not exactly happen, for a reason.

Intel has not yet finished tuning up its Skylake processor. So, Apple may decide to wait for a few months, and then announce its new attractions. Skylake is making headlines as it is going to provide benefits like reduced consumption of power, smaller motherboard use, drastic performance enhancement, and others. Skylake may even make it possible for Macs to connect to 4Ks and other similar displays without any cable, with the help of its wireless transfer technology, called WiGig.

Regardless, when fresh Macs finally enter the market, one model will very likely feature no less than 21 inch retina display. Other than that, 13 inch and 15 inch MacBook Pros may come with USB-C. 

What are you expecting from the event?

All the ideas and expectations expressed in this post take as basis leaks, rumors and the overall direction toward which Apple seems to be heading. But, it is always fun and enlightening to know what you readers think about the event and expect to see in it. Let us know with the help of comments!

Apple has put an end to all the rumours and speculations going on about its next event by announcing the date for the same. The company has recently sent invitations to the media, announcing September 9th as the date when it will showcase its newest iPhone models. The event, taking placing on Wednesday in San Francisco, will start at noon. Apple has chosen the Bill Graham Civic as its auditorium for the purpose.

The invitations which Apple sent out to the world contain a colourful Apple logo, along with a catchy tagline or phrase. The tagline goes ‘Hey Siri, give us a hint.” What does that mean? We can guess all we want, but the truth is that, at this point, we do not really know. Only the event will unveil its true meaning.

The company is expected to show the world its latest offerings from the iPhone series in the event, most probably named iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus. That is, assuming that Apple will go on to use its traditional naming style. Industry experts suggest that most features of the new phones will be similar to that available in the previous generation phones, with certain additions like A9 processor, better camera, and Force Touch.

Apple may also showcase a new version of its TV in the same event, but that is only an educated guess. If it does that, chances are the new TV will boast of a complete App Store, a fresh remote control, and interesting Siri Support.

We do not know what exactly is going to happen in the event, as the company has not released any specific details regarding the same, but one thing is sure: if you think that Siri will tell you what the ‘hint’ part really means, you are going to be disappointed this time!

The Mac Mini is certainly brilliant. Small, portable and yet it is able to perform at a level that is far superior to its mere size. However, in order to get the best out of it, it is important that you use the system with its display. If you use it without attaching it to the display, it may give you performance issues. That is, due to the GPU not getting activated, forcing its CPU to perform every bit of the task.

This becomes especially evident when you are accessing the Mini from a remote location. You may find that you experience a lot of interface lags, along with some choppy animations of the OS X. Sometimes, you may even witness that cursor movements are pretty slow. Plus, slow typing speed and menu navigation speed may cause you further headache.

Thankfully, OWC and Newer Technology have developed a really good solution to tackle the problem. It has unveiled its NewerTech Headless Mac Video Accelerator, which has the ability to connect with the help of the Thunderbolt port or mini-Display port of your Mac Pro, or via your Mini. Now, now you can easily make all your remote experiences awesome with the help of the HDMI port offered by your very own Mini.

Working with the NewerTech product is quite easy. You just have to plug the HDMI Headless Accelerator in order to get the GPU getting activated. You do not even need a display for the purpose. The whole thing emulates a resolution of as high as 1080p, which means that you get to work remotely exactly the way you love to. In other words, NewerTech has made it possible for you to work as smoothly as possible with your headless Mini.

But, how does the whole thing work and how can it even possibly help you?

Here is the video that gives you a very compelling first look of the device. In the video, you will find Chris S. of OWC give you a quick tour of the HDMI Video Accelerator. After you watch this video, you will understand exactly how the thing works and how it can really boost the performance of your Mac Mini! That is, of course, without you having to get into the hassle of connecting a display to it!

Sounds cool? It really is!

The wireless keyboard from Apple is one of the best keyboards available in the market, and that is evident from the fact that most Mac enthusiasts are very much fond of it. Still, the keyboard is not totally devoid of faults. To be more specific, the absence of one numeric keypad in it has been driving many Apple lovers crazy lately.

Of course, those who use their Mac only to browse the internet, or to chat via webcam, do not really need a numeric keypad. Having, or not having it, does not really make a difference for them. But, things are not so simple for those who are involved in finance professions. The same can be said about teachers, programmers, administrators and students. For them, having one numeric keypad to do their job quickly and efficiently is a must.

The good news is that the latest Wireless Aluminum Keypad released by NewerTech has the goal to fill the void for an Apple numeric keypad. It can loyally serve all MacBook users, as well as other Apple keyboard users, by fulfilling their need for a good numeric keypad.

In the video attached, OWC Erica gives you a great peek into the new Apple keyboard alternative, and explains to you how it can truly and essentially complement your Apple keyboard in times of need. After watching the video, you will realise that NewerTech has done a very good job this time. At this point, it appears that its latest offering is going to be a hit!