Everyday Tips from the ComputerMom 

October 2018
 
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Thanks to all who stopped by my booth at Medfield Day, and a big welcome to any of you receiving your first issue. I hope you find this newsletter useful and informative!

This month I cover major announcements from both Apple and Microsoft. I'm also including a Facebook Roundup - links to some interesting articles I've posted on my Facebook page, including one about dealing with the recent Facebook hack.

Hope everyone enjoys a lovely October!

Regards,

Julie Marto 
 
PS - SSD prices are coming down fast - give me a call and see if your system can benefit from an SSD upgrade!
MacOS Mojave released

On September 24th, Apple released the latest version of MacOS, code named Mojave. As always, I suggest waiting a few months before upgrading. Let the the early adopters work out all the kinks!

I'm not going to detail the new features in Mojave here, but according to Apple, Mojave is the last operating system to support 32 bit applications, and they don't guarantee that any 32 bit applications will run smoothly on it. The most common 32 bit application I see on my client's machines is Office 2011. If you are currently using Office 2011 on your Mac, you will have to purchase Office 2019, or subscribe to Office 365. So, keep that in mind when it comes time to upgrade to Mojave.

I have included last month's table showing which Mac can run which version of MacOS below. I recommend you keep your Mac at the highest, or second highest, MacOS version it can run, in order to ensure you are getting the latest security updates. If your Mac cannot run Mojave, but you have not yet upgraded to High Sierra, you will no longer find High Sierra in the App Store. You can download High Sierra though this link, or you can drop the system off with me to do the upgrade.

El Capitan (2015) High Sierra (2017) Mojave (2018)
  • MacBook (Late 2008 Aluminum, or Early 2009 or newer)
  • MacBook Pro
    (Mid/Late 2007 or newer)
  • MacBook Air (Late 2008 or newer)
  • Mac mini (Early 2009 or newer)
  • iMac (Mid 2007 or newer)
  • Mac Pro (Early 2008 or newer)
  • Xserve (Early 2009)
  • MacBook (Late 2009 or newer)
  • MacBook Pro (Mid 2010 or newer)
  • MacBook Air (Late 2010 or newer)
  • Mac mini (Mid 2010 or newer)
  • iMac (Late 2009 or newer)
  • Mac Pro (Mid 2010 or newer)
  • MacBook (Early 2015 or newer)
  • MacBook Air (Mid 2012 or newer)
  • MacBook Pro (Mid 2012 or newer)
  • Mac mini (Late 2012 or newer)
  • iMac (Late 2012 or newer)
  • iMac Pro (2017)
  • Mac Pro (Late 2013, plus some mid 2010 and mid 2012 with Metal-capable GPU)

Microsoft Office 2019
This month, Microsoft announced a number of standalone Office 2019 products. As in the past, these products can provide a one-time purchase alternative to the Office 365 subscription the Microsoft really wants to sell you. As of this writing, Microsoft hasn't announced pricing but two versions are available for order at Amazon. Here are my thoughts on the subject.

For your current computer:
  • If you are a PC user with Office 2010 or higher, there is no reason for you to upgrade. If your version of Office is older, it is no longer supported by Microsoft. It will continue to work but not get security updates, so it's not a bad idea to upgrade.
  • If you are a Mac user who will be upgrading to MacOS Mojave and are using Office 2011, you must upgrade as Office 2011 will not work properly on Mojave
  • If you are a PC user or a Mac user with an Office 365 subscription, you will automatically be upgraded to the latest version of Office as part of your subscription service
For a new computer: 
  • If you only use Word, Excel and PowerPoint, purchase Office 2019 Home and Student - available for order at Amazon for $150.00
  • If you need Outlook, purchase Office 2019 Home and Business - available for order at Amazon for $250.00
  • If you are subscribing to Office 365 Personal ($70.00/year),  you can move your subscription from your old computer to your new computer - that subscription only allows Office to be installed on one computer at a time. If you plan to keep your old computer and your new, it's worthwhile to upgrade to Office 365 Home
  • If you are subscribing to Office 365 Home ($100.00/year),  you can install Office on up to 5 computers. Simply add your new system to your subscription and install it.
Other observations:
  • All Office 365 subscriptions include a very valuable cloud component - 1 TB of OneDrive cloud storage per user. This makes the subscription product a much better deal if you would like to backup your files in the cloud, or have a need to access your files across multiple devices
  • If you work for a large corporation or a school, check and see if they participate in the Microsoft Home Use Program - you might get your Office software at a very reduced price
  • If you are looking for a free Office alternative, I recommend downloading LibreOffice for the PC or Mac.
Facebook Roundup
Every month I share a few articles on my Facebook page that I think should be of interest to my readers. For those of you who don't use Facebook, here are some of the more important links:

  • Don't make the mistake of selling, giving away, or otherwise disposing of a gadget without wiping your personal information. Here's an article with instructions for resetting multiple gadgets.