Apple

Have iPad sales turned the corner? Mike points out that the previous decline in iPad sales could be more to do with the longer replacement cycle than with customer disenchantment. Recent model improvements and some price reductions have led to a 15% hike in sales....

iCloud Drive works seamlessly, but did you know that it is easy to lose your data forever if you move files to an another location, such as Dropbox?

Today's launch of the new aluminium uni-body Mac Mini reminds me that it's the Mini that first brought me into the fold exactly five years ago. For some time I had been interested in Macs but company policy tended to PCs, as was quite usual in 2005. The Mini came along and had a very attractive price tag, so I decided to gamble £300. I didn't know what to expect, but I had really thought I would be advertising it on eBay before month's end. 

So much has happened since then in my Mac life that it seems incredible it is only five years ago. On 15 June 2005 I walked into the new Apple Store in London's Regent Street and came away with a basic Mac Mini. Four days later I was back to collect a PowerBook G4. I think I must have gained a good impression from OS X. 

I still have that G4 and it has been in almost daily use for five years, despite the miserly 1GB of RAM and 60 GB disk. But a variety of Macs has passed across my desk since then - including two MacBook Pro 15s, a MacBook Pro 17, a MacBook 13, a MacBook Pro 13, a MacBook Air and an iMac. Can this really be true, and all in five years? Probably. 

I still have the Air and my last late-2008 Pro 15, both awaiting eBay. One of the refreshing things about Macs is how easily they sell and how much they return. While they are often said to be overpriced, they are much more competitive when you take into account the software that comes bundled as standard and, of course, that attractive resale value. The true cost of ownership, all things considered, is not that different from expectations in the PC world. 

That visit to the Apple Store has had other repercussions: three iPhones, an iPod touch and an iPad, plus countless accessories, cases, stands, monitors and what have you. Not to mention this blog. It's been worth it, though. 

Over the first weekend of Apple Watch ordering, 9to5 Mac conducted a quick user survey of buying choice and pulled in nearly 11,000 votes in double-quick time.

Monday is Apple Watch Day. Some say it is the most important moment for Apple since the launch of the iPhone in 2007. Some are impressed and speak of massive success; others have already decided the new wrist device will be a monumental flop. I'd like to go on record as a supporter of the concept of the wrist-borne communicator in general and of the Apple Watch in particular.

I've been fretting about not having a credit or debit card enabled for Apple Pay. Last week there was a flurry of activity and I found that I had two likely suspects in my wallet so I decided to have a go.

What to do when a piece of official Apple software just refuses to install on your MacBook. A clean sweep installation is the answer as Mike found out.