Exploring the Apple Ecosystem
ProFind: Fast, powerful search app for Mac with natural language queries, app launching, saved searches, and file previews. Supports all disk types and customizable search criteria. Includes a free iOS app for remote searches. Download free trial or purchase for $6.99. Requires macOS 10.15+.
Find Any File (FAF) is macOS software for enhanced file search beyond Spotlight, able to locate hidden and network files, with features like saving searches, keyboard shortcuts, and hierarchical views. It's shareware, allowing trial use. The latest version (2.5.5) includes faster searches and features for managing duplicate files. Alternatives include EasyFind, Scherlokk, and HoudahSpot. Download versions or purchase for continued access.
First introduced in iOS 17.3, the Stolen Device Protection security feature is designed to prevent unauthorized access to your data and accounts if your iPhone is lost or stolen.
When enabled, Stolen Device Protection requires Face ID or Touch ID authentication for specific actions on your iPhone when it is away from familiar locations like your home or work. This includes accessing passwords and credit cards stored in Keychain, using saved payment methods in Safari, and making changes to Find My and Apple ID settings.
In addition, a security delay of one hour is triggered before you can make critical changes like turning off Find My, erasing the device, or removing Stolen Device Protection. This delay is meant to prevent thieves from being able to perform these actions quickly.
The iOS 17.4 update builds upon the initial version of Stolen Device Protection in a couple of crucial ways:
Attempting to turn off Stolen Device Protection when not at a known location will start the security delay before you can disable it, providing an additional safeguard.
Stolen Device Protection works with the Find My app and Activation Lock to secure your iPhone. Find My allows you to locate and mark a missing device as lost, lock it, or erase it remotely.
Activation Lock prevents anyone else from using your iPhone if it is lost or stolen. When Find My is enabled, your Apple ID is securely stored on Apple's activation servers and linked to your device. This means your Apple ID password or device passcode is required before Find My can be turned off, the device erased, or reactivated.
To turn on this feature, your iPhone must be running iOS 17.3 or later and have the following enabled:
Then navigate to Settings > Face ID & Passcode, enter your passcode, and toggle on Stolen Device Protection.
If you can't recover a lost or stolen iPhone, erasing it remotely using Find My should be a last resort. A remote wipe deletes all data on the device, but the custom message you set when marking it as lost will still display.
Remember that the device needs to be powered on and have a network connection to receive the remote erase command. Regularly backing up your iPhone is crucial in case you ever need to restore your data to a new device.
In conjunction with Find My and Activation Lock, Stolen Device Protection provides multiple layers of defense to help keep your data safe, even if your iPhone ends up in the wrong hands.
About Stolen Device Protection for iPhone: https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT212510
Getting Fit with Apple Vision Pro!
The upcoming Apple Vision Pro headset promises to take fitness to the next level with immersive augmented and virtual reality experiences. Although Apple didn't showcase any fitness features during the initial Vision Pro reveal, reports indicate the company has significant plans.
According to The Information, Apple is developing a yoga app that uses the Vision Pro's cameras to track your breathing by observing your chest movements. Additionally, Apple has reportedly explored partnerships with brands like Nike to create custom workouts for the headset.
While details are still scarce, the potential for VR/AR fitness apps on the Vision Pro is enormous. Imagine battling ninjas in a video game while kicking and punching in real life or traversing an Icelandic mountain range on the Peloton bike. The Vision Pro's immersive visuals, spatial audio, and motion tracking could engage workouts.
Additionally, the Vision Pro's “EyeSight” feature allows transparent views of your surroundings when someone approaches you. This means you can stay aware of others in the room during your sweat sessions. Safety first!
The new Apple Vision Pro headset is an exciting technology that blends digital content into your physical surroundings. But what if you already wear reading glasses or have a vision prescription? Here's an overview of the Vision Pro user experience for those who need vision correction.
When setting up your Vision Pro, you have two options if you typically use reading glasses or have a prescription.
The first option is to order custom prescription inserts called ZEISS Optical Inserts. These magnetically attach to the inside of the Vision Pro headset and allow you to see clearly without wearing separate glasses. They come in two versions – prescription lenses for those with a vision prescription or simple “readers” for those who need magnification for reading or computer work.
You'll need to provide Apple with a valid and comprehensive prescription from your eye doctor to get the inserts. The prescription must include sphere, cylinder, axis, add, pupillary distance, and other standard measurements. Prescriptions are available for both single-vision and progressive lenses.
If you need vision correction, the second option is to use the Vision Pro's accessibility features instead of relying on your eyes. You can navigate using head movements, hand gestures, or an external Bluetooth switch. This allows you to operate the headset without visually focusing on elements in your field of view.
Either way, Apple has put effort into making Vision Pro accessible for those with common vision needs. The setup process guides you through determining if you need prescription inserts or can use accessibility features instead. The headset is designed to be compatible with many types of vision prescriptions.
Using Apple Vision Pro with vision prescriptions and vision conditions: https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT213965
BBEdit 15 was just released by Bare Bones Software, bringing some excellent new capabilities to this popular text and code editor for Mac. As an enthusiastic Apple product user, I'm excited to highlight some key additions in this latest update.
One of the most significant new features is accessing ChatGPT directly within BBEdit worksheets. This allows you to converse with the AI assistant to help with writing, coding, research, and more – no need to switch between applications. BBEdit maintains the chat history so you can refer back to previous conversations later. This is an innovative way to leverage AI technology alongside a traditional text editor.
BBEdit 15 introduces a Minimap palette that gives you a high-level visual overview of longer documents, allowing you to easily spot the overall structure and quickly navigate to different sections. For those working with large text files or codebases, this should help increase efficiency.
Cheat sheets in BBEdit have been expanded, so you can now create your reusable references for frequently used markup, code snippets, and more. You can continue adding to them over time, acting as an always-accessible notebook tailored to your needs.
This latest upgrade boasts over 180 improvements.