Month: June 2019

Today’s major Apple news may be the departure of its design guru Jony Ive, but the even as the company stomachs the executive loss, their software plows ahead. Today, in an interview with French news site Numerama, Apple honcho Eddy Cue revealed that the number of Apple Music subscribers has now climbed to 60 million.

The company seems to give updates every time it surpasses another additional 10 million subscribers, we last heard that they had crossed the 50 million mark back in April.

Now, the company’s music service is well past the halfway market in its mission to surpass Spotify which currently has 100 million subscribers.

The 2017 iPad Pro (64GB, Wi-Fi) is currently $474 at Walmart, and as for why you might consider buying an older iPad instead of one of the newer models, there are a few reasons. The 2018 iPad Air is practically a carbon copy of this model and has most of its best features, like the True Tone tech that adjusts the screen’s color temperature based on the ambient light in the room, and it has a Smart Connector for Apple’s Smart Keyboard.

The Air features a newer processor, and will likely be the faster of the two tablets after a few years, but it actually has less RAM than the Pro (2GB versus 4GB), so the older iPad is better cut out for multitasking. The Air features just two speakers compared to the four found on the old iPad Pro, so the Pro is way better if you’re constantly watching Netflix or Prime Video on your iPad. It’s also got Apple’s ProMotion tech for fluid scrolling up to 120Hz, and some games take advantage of the faster frame rate.

Whether you purchase the Air (which is $40 off of its usual price at Amazon) or the older Pro, Apple’s Smart Keyboard works for both, and it’s $79.50. It’s usually $159, and it’s been hanging around this price for a while, but it’s still a deal worth knowing about.

Dyson’s new V11 cordless vacuums are cheaper than they’ve ever been today. Its V11 Torque Drive usually costs $699, but it’s currently $569 at Amazon. This model features an LCD screen, which sounds ridiculous, but is useful according to our hands-on cleaning sessions. It provides a visual of how much battery you have left and lets you switch power levels.

If you don’t have that much of a budget for a vacuum, Dyson’s V11 Animal is just as powerful, but lacks the LCD display. It’s $489 instead of its usual $599 price at Amazon.

Super Mario Maker 2 releases tomorrow for the Nintendo Switch. If you haven’t already bought it, there’s a way you can save some money on it, as well as a future game purchase. Nintendo sells a two-pack of game vouchers for $99.99 that you can use to buy any two fully priced ($59.99) game within a year from purchase.

This perk is only available to people who subscribe to Nintendo Switch Online, which costs $20 for a year of service (unless you have Amazon Prime — it’s currently a free perk if you do). However, since these vouchers save you $20, the online service practically pays for itself.

Modern versions of iconic gaming consoles have been popularized in recent years, but the rebirth of this latest product will surely resonate with early computer users.

Manufacturer Retro Games announced this week it is working on an updated version of the beloved Commodore 64 8-bit computer launched in 1982 and cost $595 at the time. It was teased in a trailer set to the theme song of popular 80s-themed Netflix show “Stranger Things.”

Called THEC64, the computer is a more complete replica of the mini-version also released last year by Retro Games. The updated product comes with a full-sized retro keyboard, a classic joystick and a selection of classic games, including Speedball and Cyberdyne Warrior. It will cost $199.99 when it launches in early December.

The chunky, tan-colored Commodore 64 computer brought personal computing into the home for millions of users in the early- and mid-1980s. People used their C64s, as they were known, for everything from basic office functions to primitive games like “Impossible Mission.” It was limited to 64 kilobytes of memory — about the equivalent of one long email.

Commodore sold more than 17 million of its C64 systems, according to the manufacturer Commodore International. The Guinness Book of World Records once listedCommodore 64 as the best-selling computer model of all time.

Retro Games initially sought funding for the computer in 2016 with an IndieGoGo crowdfunding campaign that failed to reach its target goal. The team refocused on developing and releasing the C64 Mini first as other retro mini-consoles, such as the NES and SNES Classic Editions, exploded in popularity.

But the retro keyboard that came with the C64 mini console was purely for show. The team rectified that decision by putting a fully-functioning keyboard in the full-sized version.

Creating a bootable macOS Catalina USB install drive is an effective way to generate a clean installation of macOS on your Mac. This hands-on tutorial will work with both the macOS Catalina developer beta, the macOS Catalina public beta, and the final version of macOS Catalina scheduled to launch later this fall. Follow our easy-to-use step-by-step video tutorial for the details.

Flash drive

Before beginning you’ll need to acquire a USB flash drive. In the age of USB-C, it’s preferable that you use a USB flash drive with a USB-C connection if possible.

You’ll want a USB drive with at least 8GB of storage, but having more storage is never a bad thing. I recommend this SanDisk Ultra Dual Drive USB Type-C Flash Drive. It’s affordable, and comes with both a USB-C connection and a traditional USB-A connection. This is the drive that I’ve been using and my experience with it has been great.

The drive comes in 16, 32, 64, 128, and 256GB storage varieties. If you want a drive with extra storage, then it makes sense to opt for a higher tier, but if you just plan on using it as a USB installer, then 16GB should be plenty.

Make sure that there’s nothing contained on the drive that you need, because this process will completely delete the contents of the drive.

macOS Catalina USB installer video tutorial

Thanks to CleanMyMac X for sponsoring this video. Try CleanMyMac X for macOS.

How to create a bootable macOS Catalina 10.15 USB install drive

Step 1: Download macOS Catalina. After Catalina 10.15 launches later this fall, you’ll be able to download it directly from the Mac App Store. Until then, you can download the macOS Catalina developer beta from Apple’s developer portal, or download the macOS Catalina public beta via Apple’s public beta website.

Step 2: After successfully downloading macOS Catalina, the installer will auto-launch. Close the installer.

Step 3: Open Finder → Applications and right-click on Install macOS Catalina Beta and choose Show Package Contents.

Step 4: Open Contents → Resources.

Step 5: Launch a Terminal window via Applications → Utilities → Terminal.

Step 6: In the Terminal window type sudo followed by a space.

Step 7: Drag createinstallmedia to the Terminal window from the Finder location noted in Step 4.

Step 8: Type –volume followed by a space.

Step 9: Open Finder → Go → Go To Folder…

Step 10: In the ‘Go to the folder’ box type /Volumes and click Go.

Step 11: Connect your USB drive to your Mac, and it should appear in the Finder window.

Step 12: Drag the USB flash drive volume into the Terminal window.

Step 13: Press Return on the keyboard to submit the full command and enter your password when prompted.

Step 14: Type a ‘y’ to continue when prompted, and press return on the keyboard.

Step 15: The install process will commence by erasing the contents of your USB drive, and afterwards, copying the installer files to the drive. The entire process will take a few minutes to complete, so you’ll need to exercise patience as the install process proceeds.

9to5Mac’s Take

Having a USB installer available can make installing a fresh copy of macOS even easier. For instance, you can boot directly from the USB drive by holding the Option (⌥) key on your Mac while booting with the drive connected.

You can use this tutorial on either the developer beta, public beta, or the final version of macOS Catalina that’s scheduled to release later this fall. Keep in mind that on newer T2-enabled Macs, you may have to enable booting from external storage via macOS Recovery. We’ll address that in a future tutorial.

Do you like to have a USB installer on hand, or do you prefer to stick to other methods for reinstalling macOS? Sound off in the comments below with your thoughts, and don’t forget to read and watch our overview of the Top macOS Catalina features.

Dell’s 2019 refresh of the XPS 15 2-in-1 laptop is now available. One of the most notable changes in this year’s model is the placement of the webcam: it’s now shifted up above the screen, where it should have been all along, instead of near the hinge.

Prices for the XPS 15 start at $1,099, and all four of Dell’s configurations include 9th Gen Intel processors, fast M.2 SSD NVMe storage, and a 97Wh battery. If you’re more of a power user, the $1,549 model is built with a more capable Intel Core i7 9750H CPU and a dedicated Nvidia GTX 1650 graphics card. These specs put it in line with an entry-level gaming laptop.

One of Dell’s high-end configurations has a 4K (3840 x 2160) OLED screen, and is one of the few Windows 10 laptops to feature one. If you like to watch Netflix, or just want to see deep blacks and other colors displayed accurately no matter what you’re doing (it can display 100 percent of the full DCI-P3 color gamut), this $1,949 laptop might be a worthy investment. However, given that its specs largely match the $1,549 configuration above, it won’t stretch as far if you’re, say, looking to game at its native 4K resolution.

We recently reviewed the HP Spectre X360 laptop, which also can be customized with a 4K OLED screen. It’s selling for roughly the same price as Dell’s option, though the XPS 15 may be a more appealing option if you want a 9th Gen Intel processor, dedicated graphics, and a trackpad that’s actually worth using, thanks to Dell’s Windows Precision drivers.