MacBook Pro

When Apple's iPad was first introduced in 2012, it was quite rightly hailed as a wonder of modern science. Lovely as it was, however, it was little more than a superannuated iPhone. Granted, a nice big touchscreen, but surely not a serious replacement for the laptop?

In 2016, Apple released the first MacBook Pros with a Touch Bar, which replaced the familiar top row of Function keys on the traditional qwerty keyboard with a touch sensitive display. Apple said that this much trumpeted innovation would unleash our creativity - on top of the function keys that it replaced, it would provide adaptive commands for supported apps as well as customisable emojis and quick access to many areas of the OS. All in all, you have to hand it to Apple for taking the plunge, but it proved to be a largely unpopular move - Apple have now ditched the Touch Bar in the latest M1 models and returned to the land of qwerty.

Now we've taken our trees down, binned all the greetings cards, eaten the last of the yuletide scraps and are staring at the bottom of the bank account, January is a good time to take stock. Maybe you've made (and already broken?) resolutions, but here's one you should keep - look after your computer health and security. OK, it's not glam and shiny, not a bundle of laughs, but look after your MacBook Pro and it'll look after you.

The OS that comes with your MacBook Pro is a wonderful thing - regularly maintained, updated and kept more secure than its Windows counterparts. Add to that the many apps that come with it (and many more are available from third parties), and it's everything that you'll ever need. Or is it?

Apple stage 'events' 3 or 4 times a year. They are inevitably, like all company shebangs a 'hurrah' for the brand, but beneath the hyperbole and corporate revving, there are always nuggets of interest for anyone that owns an Apple product - whether you're just interested or professionally invested. They are always a tell as to the future of the various product lines.

There are a few reasons why you may need your own MacOS USB installers for your MacKing Mac computer - or any Apple computer for that matter. It pays to have a little under the hood knowledge of your everyday work tools, and it really needn't be daunting to learn.

After seemingly endless lockdowns, many of us will have forgotten how to go on holiday. Many of us have spent the last year glued to screens, in endless Zoom meetings, so it’ll be tempting to leave tech behind for a bit - almost spot on…..but don't leave all of your tech behind.

We’re all now long used to banking, paying bills and shopping online, but the last few years have seen an explosion of apps for managing, consolidating and synchronising our financial information on our iPads, iPhones and desktops. My MacBook Pro is perfectly capable of flying me to the moon, but recently I’ve been using it to budget and manage my finances way more effectively than I’ve been able to before. I’ve switched over to a bank that has no front door (or any doors, for that matter), and it works really well for me. No supercilious bank manager to patronise me, either. A major plus.

As a professional musician, I’ve spent a huge chunk of my working life on the road touring. I’m in my late 50s, so remember (or sort of remember) the time before mobile phones. A tour managers nightmare. Think herding cats - one tour manager I worked with even used to round us up at airports with a megaphone. Rock n roll.

Since the introduction of these two Apple laptop lines there have been many versions introduced over the years. Rather than listing the many differences and enhancements between various models, it’s simpler to look at what (and who) these laptops were designed for.