Category: Computing

One of the jobs I do after a new Mac OS X release is to create a bootable install disk.  Generally this takes a little effort with some messing about in the terminal and with disk utility but it seems Apple have created a little utility to do the job for you.

Basically fire up the command line, switch to an admin level use then just type the following:  (assuming your blank media is called Untitled)

sudo /Applications/Install\ OS\ X\ Yosemite.app/Contents/Resources/createinstallmedia --volume /Volumes/Untitled --applicationpath /Applications/Install\ OS\ X\ Yosemite.app --nointeraction

That is all you need to do.

If you want more information check out Apple’s support site.

There is a lot to like about the new Mac, its screen, low power, all day battery life.  The down side is connectivity.  There is just the single USB-C port which Apple had a large hand in designing.

This port has to handle everything, charging, video and data.

Once appropriate hubs and docking stations are available it will be great but until then there are issues for those of us who connect a lot of external devices.

Typically when importing my photographs, i’ll have the card reader, a backup hard drive that gets a copy of the photographs and a main data drive plugged in.  Often with the power and an external monitor.

For photographers then this machine is currently a little disappointing.  One has to remember that not every machine is aimed at the same market.  For a user who needs all day battery life, uses the web, email and office applications; this machine is ideal.

For the rest of use, then maybe the MacBook Pro is still the best option.

So have we all upgraded our iPads and iPhones to iOS 8.2?

No?  Well you should, its not just the Apple watch that this update supports, there are a lot of bug fixes and security fixes included, so I would advise you to update.

Its not just the iOS range that has been updated, the Mac got a security update, as did Windows and Android, or at least if your on Kitkat or above.  One of the downsides of Android is that if your not on a recent version you will not get the security updates.

If you can update now.

 

 

The Apple event has now passed, two things impressed me and neither were the watch, which I do like by the way.

The first was the announcement of ResearchKit, with it being open source I hope other phone manufacturers get in on this, it could have a major impact on human health.  This is possibly of the most important Apple releases of recent years.

The new twelve inch Apple MacBook was also impressive, but I cannot decided if its for me.  The rumours were true and it only has one USB-C, which means if I was to use it in office I would need additional dongles or a docking station to provide power, connect to my monitor, external storage and card readers.  For a machine to use out in the field its ideal.

So what about the big announcement, the watch!  Well I have to admit, I want one, being an iPhone 6Plus user, the watch is a useful addition when you want to check notifications or message someone quickly.

Unfortunately the price for anything other then the iPhone Sport is a little high.  I have to think about it a little longer.

The last few weeks has seen a number of bugs and security issues announced by security investigators for Windows, Unix and OS X (which is Unix but people forget because of the pretty easy to use interface).

Last week one of the three bugs was patched and today saw the release of 10.10.2 which fixes the other two.  If you have a Mac with the latest OS please update now.

Windows fixes will be coming soon, its just a shame that the security investigators released their findings to the world before all machines could be patched.

iOS also had an update today so its been a busy day, backing up all my machines, and updating them.