iOS powers the iPhone and iPod touch, while iPadOS powers the iPad. Both operating systems moved to version 16 in 2022, with significant changes to the user interface (some good, some…less so), new features, and enhanced privacy. TidBITS Managing Editor Josh Centers is back with this guide to all the changes, to help you make a smooth transition to iOS 16 and iPadOS 16.
Apple's fall 2022 release of macOS introduces interesting new features like Stage Manager and a way to use your iPhone as a webcam, while morphing System Preferences into System Settings and making a wide variety of other changes. Take Control publisher Joe Kissell walks you through all the changes—and how to upgrade your Mac from an older operating system—in Take Control of Ventura.
Apple's Shortcuts app brings advanced automation capabilities to iOS and iPadOS—and, starting in Monterey, macOS, too. Shortcuts lets you take a building-block approach to creating time-saving automations, but it also includes advanced features that let you create elaborate custom capabilities. In Take Control of Shortcuts, automation expert Rosemary Orchard tells you everything you need to know to turn your iPhone, iPad, or Mac into an automation powerhouse.
Glenn Fleishman is back with the book you never knew you needed but can't live without! Take Control of FaceTime and Messages is the complete, detailed guide to Apple’s FaceTime, Messages, and Phone apps for iOS, iPadOS, macOS, and watchOS. You’ll communicate more effectively, discover useful hidden features, have more fun, and understand how these three powerful communication apps interact with each other and with other Apple products.
In Glenn Fleishman’s Take Control of Untangling Connections, you'll get practical advice (as well as technical details) that will help you make sense of the many varieties of USB, Thunderbolt, HDMI, DisplayPort, and other common ports. Figure out which cable or connector to use to get the maximum data throughput, charging speed, or display resolution you need. Learn about adapters, hubs, and docks; how to tell cables apart; what all those inscrutable logos mean, and more!
Glenn Fleishman’s Take Control of Find My and AirTags takes you inside Apple’s Find My ecosystem. Once a way to track the whereabouts of your iPhone by having it ping the internet at regular intervals, now Find My encompasses sharing and following people (with permission), much of Apple’s hardware and some Beats audio gear, and new trackers from Apple and third parties (including the AirTag). This book helps you understand how it all fits together, and how to keep yourself safe by preventing, identifying, and blocking unwanted tracking.
The newest Macs based on the M1- and M2-series Apple silicon chips are faster than their Intel-based predecessors, with longer battery life and better memory management. In most ways they work the same, but crucial differences in how they handle booting, security, backups, and other operations may require some adjustments in your workflow. In Take Control of Your M-Series Mac, Glenn Fleishman covers all this and much more, helping you work effectively with your new Mac.
Photos, the app that replaced iPhoto and Aperture, provides a user-friendly way to organize, sync, share, and even edit your photos and videos. It's available on your Mac, iPhone, and iPad. But it's more that a simple digital shoebox. This app has extensive hidden capabilities that can do wonders for your photo collection. Jason Snell takes you in depth in this complete guide to Photos.
iTunes disappeared with macOS 10.15 Catalina, but nearly all its capabilities (plus some new ones) are available in Apple's Music, TV, Podcasts, and Books apps (with device syncing handled by the Finder). In Take Control of macOS Media Apps, veteran author Kirk McElhearn (who wrote three previous Take Control titles about iTunes) explains in detail how to manage, sort, find, play, import, export, sync, and share your audio and video media using Catalina's built-in apps.
Downloading, creating, and editing files of all kinds is simple on a Mac, iPhone, or iPad. But figuring out a logical way to name and organize them? Not so much. And when it comes time to find a file later, you might get lucky…or you might have to wade through hundreds of Spotlight results. All these problems have solutions, and in Take Control of Managing Your Files, Jeff Carlson helps you develop a file management strategy that works for you—and makes your life that much easier.
The Apple Watch is a wirelessly connected supercomputer you wear on your wrist—truly a marvel of modern technology. But most Apple Watch owners use only a tiny fraction of its capabilities. In Take Control of Apple Watch, Jeff Carlson helps you discover all the ways your watch can help you communicate, stay healthy and fit, make payments, manage your schedule and to-do items…and even tell time!
Everyone who uses Apple devices has at least one Apple ID. Understanding how and when it's used, and what to do when something goes wrong, can save you time and eliminate pain. Glenn Fleishman spells out everything you need to know about your Apple ID(s) and exactly what to do if you encounter problems with it in Take Control of Your Apple ID.
Hundreds of millions of people around the world have turned to the Zoom videoconferencing service for work, school, and socializing. It's a powerful tool for meetings, presentations, and even live-from-home TV shows. In Take Control of Zoom, Glenn Fleishman takes you from absolute beginner to expert, walking you through all the important Zoom features and helping you understand how best to put Zoom to use.
