As expected, Apple’s release of OS X El Capitan for Macs was less about adding major new features than “refining the experience and improving performance” from Yosemite — in other words, under-the-hood optimizations to make any Mac run more reliably than before. Thanks to El Capitan, my older (mid-2011) 27″ iMac is running better than it has in years: fast, quiet, and cool enough that it might as well be fanless. Rarely does the volume level in my office climb above a whisper, an experience I’ve come to love so much that I’d never want to return to a loud computer.

“WAIT!,” you might be saying. “My Mac’s fan is on all the time. Apple didn’t start selling iMacs with silent solid state drives (SSDs) or hybrid Fusion Drives until late 2012. How could your older Mac be that quiet?”

Below, I’ll walk you through seven steps that will help you bring your older Mac to a hushed, zen-like state. The first four involve mostly free software, and the last three involve small hardware upgrades…

The Big Picture

Think of your Mac as being like an aging refrigerator that’s constantly being opened and closed, primarily holding cold food in storage, while various cold items are being taken out, then replaced with hot food that needs to chill. At some point, the fridge will inevitably get overloaded and dirty; it’s possibly going to stop working perfectly, too. While you could go and buy a new fridge, that’s not necessary — if you optimize the way you’re using and managing the fridge’s space, you’ll be fine.

Part of the reason my Mac runs silent is the hardware — I’ve added a few things that make it more efficient than a stock 2011 iMac. But software is another big part of the story, so that’s where I’m starting.

1. Check Your Dock. Those little white dots under the dock icons are there to indicate apps that are currently in use, and as a general statement, the more apps you have open at a time, the more things your Mac is juggling at once. Apple has added some automatic resource-saving features to OS X, such as freezing currently inactive Safari tabs, but it’s wise to free up as much of your Mac’s RAM and CPU processing power as possible. This is especially helpful if you have 8GB or less RAM, or a dual-core CPU. Close apps you’re not actively using, and within active apps, close windows (such as images in Photoshop, or documents in Preview) when you’re done with them. You’d be amazed at how much faster a Mac feels when a bunch of Photoshop windows have all been closed.

2. Disable Unneeded Login Items. Go to the Apple menu at the top left of your screen, choose System Preferences, then select Users & Groups. Under the Login Items tab, you’ll find a collection of apps — typically “helpers” — that the Mac automatically loads every time it restarts. Select any items you no longer actively use every day, hit the minus button, and they’ll disappear from the list. Your Mac will typically load a little faster, and save a little memory in the process.

The System Preferences window doesn’t show you all of the items that auto-load with your Mac. You can get a better sense of how many “helpers” are hanging out by looking at the top right of your screen, though the icon list will also include Apple’s OS X icons for Time Machine, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, Volume, Spotlight, and Notification Center; it may also include icons for currently active apps (such as Tweetbot, shown) which don’t have helpers. Adobe is one of the companies that keeps secondary apps running in the background to verify licenses and offer updates; you’ll typically have to fully uninstall the original apps in question to get the “helpers” off your Mac.

3. Watch Activity Monitor. While this type of digging qualifies as “going down the rabbit hole” in my experience — likely to lead to a lot of (mostly fruitless) Google searches — using Spotlight to load Activity Monitor (hidden in your Mac’s Applications > Utilities folder) can help you identify apps that are eating unreasonable amounts of CPU and RAM for whatever reason. Activity Monitor opens in the CPU tab (above left), organized by the percentage of your CPU’s capacity each app or background process is using. Alternately, you can click on the Memory tab (above right), which shows how much of your Mac’s RAM is being consumed by various apps and background processes. Click on the Memory header to sort the processes by memory footprint.

I called this a “rabbit hole” because many of the “activities” found here are unidentifiable based on name alone, and likely to lead to initial confusion. For instance, “WindowServer,” “kernel_task,” and “mds” are all required OS X processes, and likely to be in your top 10 memory eaters, possibly also CPU eaters, but they need to be there. There are dozens of processes competing for your Mac’s attention, so if you’re going to hunt around here, focus mostly on ones that are using a lot of CPU time and/or RAM. Photoshop, for instance, was consuming around 2.5GB of my iMac’s RAM without any windows open, a sign that closing it could free up a bunch of memory and improve performance. The RAM-hogging apps on your Mac will likely differ.

4. Clear Out Hard Drive Cruft (Make Space). I’ve written a detailed article on the topic of how to clean and speed up your Mac using the free apps GrandPerspective and OnyX, so I’m not going to repeat everything here. But one of the things that begins to make Macs feel like they’re failing is “overstuffed refrigerator” syndrome. GrandPerspective lets you visualize your Mac’s hard drive as a collection of colored boxes. DaisyDisk ($10, above), chosen by Apple as a Mac App Store “essential,” provides a cleaner and more interactive circular interface for doing the same thing. By hovering over colored bars, you can see exactly what folders and files are filling your drive, then delete (or manage) ones that have become unruly. 

I’ve found that my Macs generally need around 50GB of truly free “work space” to avoid slow downs and “running out of space” OS X notifications. If OS X doesn’t have enough space, it will struggle to work within whatever’s there, slowing down and possibly doing an excessive amount of back-and-forth writing to your drive. I like to have 100GB of empty space on my Mac, but if you’re using a small, space-constrained hard drive, you may not be able to do that.

5. Replace Your Mechanical Hard Drive With A New SSD. Readers have emailed me to tell me how much they loved my advice on replacing their old Mac hard drives with new solid-state drives. (Here are links to my guides to iMac HD-to-SSD swaps, MacBook/Mac mini/Mac Pro HD-to-SSD swaps, and iMac/Mac mini/Mac Pro CD/DVD-to-SSD swaps.)

As I’ve said before, this is the absolute best upgrade I’ve ever made to a Mac: putting a 1TB Samsung 850 EVO into my iMac radically improved its speed for doing everything, and made the machine whisper quiet. After getting the parts and spending around 30 minutes doing the installation myself, my iMac was getting 5 times faster disk speeds (a huge improvement, on par with far newer Macs), and many months later, I can use one hand to count the number of times I’ve heard the Mac’s fan turn on. It’s amazing. Read the guide above for your Mac model and take the plunge — you’ll love it.

6. Consider Offloading “Only As-Needed” Files Onto An External Drive. Going back to the fridge analogy, there are situations where you actually need more than one refrigerator — the one you keep in your kitchen, and either a smaller spare elsewhere in your house, or a big freezer in your basement to store oversized items. External drives are ideal ways to hold giant movies, music, or photo collections that just don’t need to be accessible on your Mac all the time.

Regardless of the size you choose, I strongly recommend G-Technology’s G-Drive USB (reviewed here) as the best overall balance of reliability, performance, and quality I’ve found in any traditional hard drive. It’s not the cheapest drive out there, but it’s the one I trust with my most important (but not daily-used) files, enabling me to keep plenty of free space on my Mac’s internal disk. My guide to choosing the best Mac external hard drive explores other options, including portable drives and SSDs.

7. Add RAM. While swapping out the hard drive made a huge difference in my iMac’s speed and ability to operate silently, adding RAM will be a real performance booster for a lot of people — assuming your Mac has user-replaceable RAM, that is. RAM is your Mac’s primary “work space” for juggling content from multiple apps; when it runs out of (very fast) RAM, it will try to find (slower) free hard drive space to use temporarily for the same purpose, and crawl to a halt if it can’t find enough. Having more RAM instantly addresses the software-related issues mentioned in 1, 2, and 3 above — the more RAM you have, the less often you’ll need to worry about closing apps or windows to keep your Mac running at full speed.

My guide to easy RAM upgrades for Macs will lead you through choosing the correct RAM for your machine, including model-specific guidance for Apple’s MacBooks, MacBook Pros, MacBook Airs, iMacs, Mac minis, and Mac Pros. Older Macs are typically very easy to upgrade with RAM, using little more than a screwdriver for installation, though many newer Macs no longer allow RAM upgrades. Since some Macs currently running El Capitan shipped with as little as 4GB of RAM, they can be upgraded to 8GB for markedly better performance. But I’d strongly advise upgrading to 12GB or 16GB if your Mac is capable of doing so; it will make a very real difference when running multiple apps, helping your Mac to run as fast as possible without tapping your hard drive for extra space. My Mac RAM upgrade guide will help you figure out how much RAM your Mac is capable of using.

More From This Author

Check out more of my editorials, How-To guides, and reviews for 9to5Mac here! I’ve covered a lot of different topics of interest to Mac, iPad, iPhone, iPod, Apple TV, and Apple Watch users. I’ve recently discussed how to safely prepare and wipe your iPhone for resale or trade-in, and how to get the best iPhone trade-in price to help buy an iPhone 6s, amongst many other topics.

Filed under:
How-To, Mac Tagged: Mac, optimize, OS X, os x el capitan, performance, speed

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Apple debuted new versions of its Mac peripherals on Tuesday with the Magic Mouse 2, Magic Keyboard, and Magic Trackpad 2, replacing the aging AA battery-powered predecessors with versions that use Lightning cables to recharge built-in batteries. We’ve already seen hands-on unboxings for anyone interested but not curious enough to dish out the $330 total for all the new Magic gear, and now iFixit has followed up with the usual teardown and repairability analysis for each new Apple accessory.

No surprises inside the new $99 Magic Mouse 2 after iFixit’s teardown. Inside you’ll find it packs a 1,986 mAh rechargeable battery, iFixit noting that’s 9% more juice than the iPhone 6s battery. Like the new Siri Remote for Apple TV, Magic Mouse 2’s Lighting port for recharging the battery comes soldered with the battery cable meaning if one goes bad both need replaced. Between that and what iFixit calls excessive use of adhesive that keeps the whole thing closed, the site gives Magic Mouse 2 a fitting 2/10 for repairability. The 2009 predecessor got the same teardown treatment, and although it wasn’t rated for repairability iFixit managed to reassemble it.

So what makes Apple’s $129 Magic Trackpad 2 tick and how well can its parts be replaced? In terms of repairability, it fairs a little better after receiving a 3/10 from iFixit. That copper-colored four part piece is the Taptic Engine, which simulates clicks and feedback without using physical buttons. A 2024 mAh Lithium-ion polymer battery powers Magic Trackpad 2, larger than the iPhone 6s battery but smaller than the one in iPhone 6s Plus. Repairability is low due to a lack of repair manual, excessive use of glue where screws would suffice, and general difficulty disassembling. The original Magic Trackpad was no different however.

Finally up is the $99 Magic Keyboard which also features a Lightning port and a rechargeable battery — enough for Apple to call it ‘Magic’ for the first time without any other significant changes. Magic still means not super easy to repair as iFixit rates it a 3/10 for the same reasons: lots of glue over screws and no repair manual which risks damaging internal components for DIYers. iFixit confirms what Apple said, that Magic Keyboard uses the scissor-style mechanism for keys over the butterfly-style mechanism introduced on the 12-inch MacBook, but travel is still reduced to create a similar effect. As for its battery, iFixit says: “The 2.98 Wh battery has less than half the capacity of the 6.55 Wh battery in the iPhone 6s. But with less to do the battery should last for months on a single charge.”

iFixit similarly featured a teardown of the new 21.5″ iMac, which includes the Magic Keyboard and Magic Mouse 2 or Magic Trackpad 2 for $50 more. Find these teardowns and more at iFixit.

Filed under: Mac Tagged: iFixit, Magic Keyboard, Magic Mouse 2, Magic Trackpad 2, repairability, teardown

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iFixit has performed its ritual teardown of Apple’s newly refreshed 21.5-inch iMac, and while the machine might be one of Apple’s best yet for specs on the low-end desktop, it gets its worst score ever when it comes to repairability.

Earlier this week Apple officially launched its new Retina 4K 21.5-inch iMac after upgrading its 27-inch model with the new display tech and refreshed internals last year.

While the previous generation iMacs had many of the same issues resulting in a low repairability score, iFixit notes that the new iMac has a number of the same downsides and then some…

The publication notes that tape must be replaced after every repair, the RAM and Fusion Drive won’t be upgradeable even with the usual required DIYing, and the “CPU is soldered to the logic board, and cannot be replaced or upgraded.” In addition, iFixit points out that the “glass and LCD are fused together, increasing the cost of replacement.”

The previous generation 21.5-inch iMac scored a slightly higher score due to the ability to upgrade RAM and hard drive components. This time around, however, iFixit confirms that the RAM is “soldered to the logic board,” and that the Fusion Drive “connector is again missing from the logic board, killing all hope of storage hacking.”

Something else potential new iMac buyers should keep in mind: it was discovered earlier this week that Apple reduced the amount of flash storage in the device’s 1TB Fusion Drive from 128GB down to just 24GB.

Filed under: Mac Tagged: 21.5-inch iMac, desktop, Fusion Drive, iFixit, iMac, RAM, repair, repairability, Retina, Upgrade

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Last month, Apple finally unveiled the long-rumored iPad Pro, which sports a large 12.9-inch display and 64-bit A9X processor — the closest thing to a tablet/laptop crossover the company has announced so far. In an FCC filing that just went public, the iPad Pro has officially been cleared for sale and use in the United States.

The report (originally spotted by GforGames) states that the iPad Pro has been registered with model number A1652, with both Wi-Fi-only and Wi-Fi+LTE models approved. Apple’s Pro tablet will support 802.11 Wi-Fi standards a/b/g/n/ac in 2.4GHz and 5GHz frequencies, and optionally LTE Cat. 4, with maximum download speeds of 150Mbps. These listed specs match those shown on the iPad Pro specs page on Apple’s site. It’s also worth noting that the iPad Pro’s Apple Pencil has also passed through the FCC.

Other specifications include built-in stereo speakers on both ends of the device, for a total of four speakers, and a Touch ID sensor for unlocking and making purchases on iTunes and with Apple Pay. There’s an 8MP iSight camera with f/2.4 aperture on the back with 1080p video and slo-mo, and a 1.2MP FaceTime HD camera on the front.

When it was announced, Apple stated that the iPad Pro will be available to buy in November, but preorders could begin later this month. According to our sources, Apple will make the iPad Pro available to order online within the next two weeks, with devices arriving at retail stores in early November. It’ll cost $799 for the 32GB Wi-Fi only model and $949 for the 128GB version, while the 128GB Wi-Fi + Cellular version will ship with an Apple SIM and cost $1079.

Filed under: AAPL Company Tagged: FCC, iOS devices, iPad, iPad Pro, Tablets

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Yesterday, Apple updated its iWork apps for iOS and OS X with added features including Split View for iPad, 3D Touch for iPhone 6s, and bonuses for El Capitan. Missed at the time was the fact that Apple also deemed the web-based version of iWork worthy of full consumption by the public, too.  Apple removed the ‘beta’ label from iWork for iCloud, while also adding a number of new features. The browser-dependent iWork suite now supports commenting on documents, and has support for ten new languages.

As well as removing the ‘beta’ labels, Apple has also created new splash pages for each of the new web apps showing off some of the new features. Apple lists the previously mentioned upgrades, as well the following:

Pages

• Create custom colors
• Word count
• Version history
• Preview on mobile browsers
• Comments
• Open Pages ’08 and ’06 documents
• View documents with tracked changes
• Insert pages and sections

Numbers

• Edit pop-up menu cells
• Create custom colors
• Open Numbers ’08 spreadsheets
• Filter tables
• Version history
• Animate interactive charts
• Preview on mobile browsers

Keynote

• Show, hide and resize slide navigator
• Preview on mobile browsers
• Version history
• Comments
• Create custom colors
• Copy and paste slides
• Open Keynote ’08 and ’06 files

If you want to check out the new web-based apps for yourself, head on over to iCloud.com.

Filed under: Apps Tagged: Apple, Apps, beta, icloud, iWork, keynote, Numbers, Pages, software

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A week after the devices became available in 42 new countries around the globe, Apple today is making the iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus available in two new countries. As the clock turns to October 16th, Apple’s newest flagship are available in Malaysia and India.

Apple CEO Tim Cook tweeted the above picture of customers purchasing their new iPhone 6s and 6s Plus in India, thanking everyone he waited in line for extended periods of time to be able to obtain them on the first day of availability.

The iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus were also slated to go on sale in Turkey today, but Apple delayed the launch due to the recent terror attack in the country. Apple’s website now advertises an October 23rd launch date in Turkey, although it’s unclear if it will be able to meet that date.

Apple sold more than 13 million iPhones during the opening weekend of availability for the devices. As the iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus continue to become available in more countries Apple can expect its sales to continue to rise. Apple is aiming to make the devices available in more than 130 countries by the end of 2015. Apple has not detailed the next countries that will receive the new iPhones, however.

Thanks to all our customers in India who queued at midnight for the new iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus! http://t.co/MxSkRk2BmP

—
Tim Cook (@tim_cook) October 16, 2015

Filed under: iOS Devices Tagged: India, iPhone 6s, iphone 6s plus, Malaysia

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Apple today has shared a new ad for the recently released iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus. The ad focuses on arguably the standout new feature of the device: 3D Touch. In the ad, Apple highlights a variety of the use cases of 3D Touch and offers a brief explanation as to how it works.

Apple describes the new “Peek and Pop” method of using iOS that the devices feature. The ad showcases using 3D Touch to quickly access navigation directions, music playlists, messages, Instagram profiles, and more. Actor and singer Jamie Foxx also makes a brief cameo in the ad while Apple is showing using 3D Touch to preview the contents of an album. In this case, the album is Foxx’s “Hollywood: A Story of a Dozen Roses.”

The new ad can be seen below. It features the tagline “The only that’s changed is everything.” which Apple has used several times in its describing of the iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus.

Earlier this month, Apple shared a handful of new Apple Watch advertisements that highlighted the device’s health, navigation, and communication features. Apple will likely continue to unveil new TV spots as we head into the holiday shopping season.

Filed under: iOS Devices Tagged: 3D Touch, iPhone 6s, iphone 6s plus

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A little later than some expected, Apple has released new versions of the iWork suite of apps for iPhone and iPad with iOS 9 and iPhone 6s features. Pages, Keynote, and Numbers now all support iPad multitasking features including Split View on iPad Air 2, iPad mini 4, and iPad Pro, as well as 3D Touch on iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus. The iWork apps also gained new versions on the Mac with OS X El Capitan features and much more. Details below:

Pages 2.6 for iOS

• Multitask while editing using new Slide Over, Split View and Picture in Picture on iPad*
• Quickly access formatting tools from the new Shortcut Bar on iPad
• Easily select text using new Multi-Touch gestures on iPad
• Use keyboard shortcuts when connected to a wireless keyboard
• Support for new 3D Touch
• Open Pages ’08 and ’06 documents
• Preview shared documents on iOS and Android browsers
• View and restore changes made to a document over time
• New Apple-designed templates: Kids Certificate, Classic Certificate, School Newsletter
• Easily access recently used fonts in the Fonts menu
• Add reference lines to charts
• Enhanced bidirectional support for Arabic and Hebrew
• Improved Word compatibility for charts, text overflows and non-rectangular masks
• Improved Word export
• Improved ePub export

Many accessibility improvements:
• VoiceOver can now read relevant text formatting details including font name and font size while editing
• Add and review comments with VoiceOver
• Track changes with VoiceOver
• Add, remove and rearrange rows, columns and cells with VoiceOver
• Get table header information with VoiceOver
• Edit chart data and chart elements with VoiceOver
• Change document settings with VoiceOver

* Split View is available on iPad Pro, iPad Air 2 and iPad mini 4

Keynote 2.6 for iOS

• Multitask while editing using new Slide Over, Split View and Picture in Picture on iPad*
• Quickly access formatting tools from the new Shortcut Bar on iPad
• Easily select text using new Multi-Touch gestures on iPad
• Use keyboard shortcuts when connected to a wireless keyboard
• Support for new 3D Touch
• Open Keynote ’08 and ’06 presentations
• Edit and present in portrait orientation
• Preview shared documents on iOS and Android browsers
• View and restore changes made to a document over time
• New build animation: Line Draw
• New Apple-designed themes: Modern Type, Exhibition, Drafting
• Easily access recently used fonts in the Fonts menu
• Add reference lines to charts
• Full bidirectional support for Arabic and Hebrew
• Improved PowerPoint compatibility for charts, text overflows, non-rectangular masks, animation mapping, and theme import and export
• Improved PowerPoint export

Many accessibility improvements:
• VoiceOver can now read relevant text formatting details including font name and font size while editing
• Easily edit presenter notes with VoiceOver
• VoiceOver can now read presenter notes during slideshows
• Edit chart data and chart elements with VoiceOver
• Add, remove and rearrange rows, columns and cells with VoiceOver
• Get table header information with VoiceOver
• Add and review comments with VoiceOver

Numbers 2.6 for iOS

• Multitask while editing using new Slide Over, Split View and Picture in Picture on iPad*
• Quickly access formatting tools from the new Shortcut Bar on iPad
• Easily select text using new Multi-Touch gestures on iPad
• Use keyboard shortcuts when connected to a wireless keyboard
• Support for new 3D Touch
• Open Numbers ’08 spreadsheets
• Preview shared documents on iOS and Android browsers
• View and restore changes made to a document over time
• Easily access recently used fonts in the Fonts menu
• Add reference lines to charts
• Improved Excel compatibility for charts, text overflows and non-rectangular masks
• Improved Excel export

Many accessibility improvements:
• Add, remove and rearrange rows, columns and cells with VoiceOver
• Get table header information with VoiceOver
• Edit chart data and chart elements with VoiceOver
• Interact with checkbox, sliders, stepper, star ratings and pop-up menu cells with VoiceOver
• VoiceOver can now read relevant text formatting details including font name and font size while editing
• Add and review comments with VoiceOver
• Access print preview with VoiceOver

Numbers 3.6 for OS X

• Multitask while editing using new Split View in El Capitan
• Open Numbers ’08 spreadsheets
• Shared Numbers spreadsheets can now be previewed on iOS and Android browsers
• Force click images and get haptic feedback as you edit using Force Touch trackpad
• Easily access recently used fonts in the Fonts menu
• Enhanced support for OpenType font features like small caps, contextual fractions, alternative glyphs and more
• View Collections, Moments, Favorites and Shared Albums from Photos in the Media Browser
• Add reference lines to charts
• Create table, chart and shape styles from an image
• Edit chart data and chart elements with VoiceOver
• Add and review comments with VoiceOver
• Additional AppleScript options for PDF export
• Additional AppleScript options for Excel export
• Improved Excel compatibility for charts, text overflows and non-rectangular masks
• Improved Excel export

iTunes Connect for iOS also received an update today with fixes for viewing customer reviews and logging in with Touch ID.

Filed under: Apps Tagged: 3D Touch, iOS, iOS 9, iWork, keynote, Numbers, OS X, os x el capitan, Pages, Split View

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From 9to5Toys.com:

After enjoying one of the most successful multi-platform runs in recent memory, Minecraft is back again with its newly released Story Mode title on iOS and Android, as well as other platforms. This new game builds on the success of the original title by bringing campaign-style play to the mix.

Jesse, the main character, adventures through the Overworld in the first episode The Order of the Stone. For the first time, Minecraft gamers will experience dialogue and have choices that effect the outcome of each episode. The voice-overs are handled by a number of celebrities including Patton Oswald, Ashley Johnson, Scott Porter and others. There are a total of five sections to the game, which can be purchased at a 25% discount through the app.

Minecraft: Story Mode is available today in iOS and Android app stores for $4.99.

Description:

THE ADVENTURE OF A LIFETIME IN THE WORLD OF MINECRAFT

***Save over 25% on additional episodes in Minecraft: Story Mode by purchasing the Multi-Pack [Episodes 2-5] via in-app***

In this five part episodic series, you’ll embark on a perilous adventure across the Overworld, through the Nether, to the End, and beyond. You and your friends revere the legendary Order of the Stone: Warrior, Redstone Engineer, Griefer, and Architect; slayers of the Ender Dragon. While at EnderCon in hopes of meeting Gabriel the Warrior, you and your friends discover that something is wrong… something dreadful. Terror is unleashed, and you must set out on a quest to find The Order of the Stone if you are to save your world from oblivion.

• Created by award-winning adventure game powerhouse Telltale Games, in partnership with Minecraft creators, Mojang

• Featuring the voices of Patton Oswalt (Ratatouille, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D), Brian Posehn (The Sarah Silverman Program, Mission Hill), Ashley Johnson (The Last of Us, Tales from the Borderlands), Scott Porter (Friday Night Lights, X-Men), Martha Plimpton (The Goonies, Raising Hope), Dave Fennoy (The Walking Dead: A Telltale Games Series, Batman: Arkham Knight), Corey Feldman (The Goonies, Stand by Me), Billy West (Futurama, Adventure Time), and Paul Reubens (Tron: Uprising, Pee-Wee’s Playhouse)

• You will drive the story through the decisions you make: what you say to people (and how you say it), and what you choose to do in moments of thrilling action will make this YOUR story

 

Filed under: Apps Tagged: iOS, Minecraft, Minecraft: Story Mode, New Release

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With the debut of the iPhone 6s and 6s Plus last month, Apple introduced several new features that are exclusive to the latest iPhone hardware. However, as in previous years, the recent release of a jailbreak for iOS 9 has allowed some of these features to be activated on older devices without requiring a new iPhone.

While you won’t be able to get things like the increased performance afforded by the A9 chip or the ability to record 4K video, you will be able to get a few strictly software-based features. Keep reading to learn how to enable 3D Touch shortcuts on your Home screen and Live Photos in the Camera app.

3D Touch shortcuts

You still won’t be able to take advantage of 3D Touch system-wide due to the lack of a force-sensitive display on older iPhones, but you can still benefit from the shortcuts available on the Home screen. A new, free tweak called Forcy will allow you to swipe up on your home screen icons to access their 3D Touch menus.

Forcy was even updated today with a new setting that lets you switch the gesture to a long press. Doing so will let you swipe up on the icons to enter “wiggle mode” for rearranging or deleting apps. An option to enable a vibration, or haptic feedback, when you activate the tweak has also been added.

You can download Forcy from the BigBoss repo for free.

Live Photos

While there are not yet any dedicated plug-ins for enabling Live Photos, you can easily activate the feature using the popular and versatile Flex tweak. Flex allows you to download simple but powerful patches. One of the few camera patches available for iOS 9+ right now can enable Live Photos on older devices.

Once you’ve activated the patch, you can find the Live Photos button at the top of the Camera app. Turning the feature on will let you snap the same Live Photos you’ll find on the iPhone 6s minus the bumped up 12MP resolution. To play back the video portion of the recording, you just have to do a long press on the image, no “force” required.

Flex is available on the BigBoss repo for $3.99.

Filed under:
How-To, Apps, iOS Tagged: 3D Touch, iOS 9, iPad, iPhone, IPod Touch, jailbreak, Live Photos

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Apple CEO Tim Cook with IBM CEO Ginni Rometty

Deploying Macs to employees has helped IBM significantly reduce its IT staff and cut down on time and costs, the company’s VP of Workplace-as-a-Service Fletcher Previn explained at a recent talk during the JAMF Nation User Conference (JNUC). Previn offered some insight into how offering Macs has improved efficiency for the company’s internal IT staff since IBM for the first time started offering its employees Macs as an official alternative to PCs back in May.

Previn noted that “Every Mac that we buy is making and saving IBM money,” and that “A Mac still has value three or four years down the road.” An example of the added value of using Macs versus PCs is the amount of support required. IBM has just 24 help desk staff that are supporting around 130,000 Mac and iOS devices deployed throughout the company. That’s just one support member for 5,375 employees, but Previn boasts that’s because only approximately 5% of Mac users request support compared to around 40% of its PC using employees.

Previn said that Gartner believes the optimal number of IT to employees should be 1:70. Previn noted that the average is 1:242. And IBM is currently hovering around 1:5,400. Wow!

IBM originally planned to deploy around 50,000 new Macs to the company by the end of the year when it first announced the initiative back in May. At the JAMF conference it said it’s currently deploying around 1,900 Macs per week with 130,000 Apple devices already in use at the company.

A couple months back Apple and IBM announced an expanded partnership that will see it distribute and support enterprise Macs for other companies in addition to its work together to deploy and support iOS devices and software.

IBM is using JAMF’s Casper suite to deploy software to the Macs.

Filed under: Enterprise, Mac Tagged: enterprise, Fletcher Previn, IBM, it, JAMF, JAMF Nation User Conference, Mac, PC

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Keep up with the best gear and deals on the web by signing up for the 9to5Toys Newsletter. Also, be sure to check us out on: Twitter, RSS Feed, Facebook, Google+ and Safari push notifications.

Today’s can’t miss deals:

Anker iPhone 6s/Plus cases in multiple styles and colors from $2 Prime shipped

Anker MFi Lightning Cables: 3-ft $4, 9-ft $7 (Prime shipped), more

iPhone 6s Wallet Case $3 Prime shipped (Orig. $20)

OtterBox SYMMETRY Series iPhone 6/6s Case $20 Prime shipped (Reg. $40)

Daily Deals: Anker Charger w/ 2-Port USB Solar Panel $50, Misfit Shine Activity and Sleep Monitor $50, more

Turn your old system into a Bluetooth speaker with the Mpow Streambot for $16 Prime shipped (Orig. $36)

Apple’s new 4K & 5K iMacs already seeing the first price cuts and tax-free options

Apple Watch 42mm Stainless Steel Case w/ Black Sport Band: $520 shipped (Orig. $599)

Cost-Effective Apple Watch Bands: Deals from $12 Prime shipped on leather, milanese loop, more

Apple 12-inch MacBook 1.1GHz/8GB/256GB from $1,190 or $1,150 w/ .edu (Reg. $1,299), more

More new gear from today:

Amazon and Toys R Us give a peek at this year’s must-have holiday gifts

• Apple 64GB iPad Air 2 (New, open box) Silver: $430 shipped ($170 off)
• NBA 2K16 hits iOS and Android with new gameplay, controls and updated graphics
• The original Bluetooth-enabled August Smart Lock drops to $199 (Orig. $250)
• Games/Apps: Final Fantasy Type-0 HD from $24, Nintendo NFC amiibo reader/writer $16, more
• Free MP3 Downloads: Greatest Hits from TLC, Muddy Waters, more
• Up to 65% off Complete TV Series: Family Ties $100, Beverly Hills 90210 $125, more
• Samsung Gear Virtual Reality headset for Galaxy S6/Edge $100 shipped (Reg. $200)
• Amazon slashes prices on Levi’s jeans for Men, Women and Boys

More deals still alive:

Storage: Samsung 500GB 2.5-inch Internal SSD $150 (Reg. $170), WD My Passport 2TB USB 3.0 Portable HDD $70 (Reg. $85)

Apple is dishing out free downloads of the award-winning puzzle game Shadowmatic

1Password secure password manager for Mac: $30 (Reg. $50)

App Store Free App of the Week: Wake Alarm Clock ($4 value)

The Executive for iOS goes free for the first time as IGN’s Game of the Month ($5 value)

Tweetbot for Mac drops to $10 (Reg. $13)

• Aukey adjustable wireless selfie stick w/ Bluetooth $6 Prime shipped (Reg. $11+)
• Lumsing 4-port 21W USB wall charger $8…add a 3-ft MFi Lightning Cable For $5 more
• RuggedTec FlashBang mountable Bluetooth Speaker/Flashlight: $28 shipped (Orig. $79)
• Sony SRSX3 Portable Bluetooth/NFC Speaker: $60 shipped (Orig. $140)
• Two D-Link DCS-934L Wireless IR Surveillance Cameras: $70 shipped (Reg. $100)
• Smart HDTVs: 55-inch Sony 120Hz 4K $850, 43-inch LG 60Hz 1080p $350, more
• Lenmar MAVEN iPhone 6 MFi 3,000mAh Battery Case $29 shipped (Orig. $100), more
• Audio-Technica Headphones + Blue Microphones USB Mic $200 shipped ($292+ value)
• Brother Color Duplex Laser Wireless Printer w/ AirPrint: $150 shipped (Reg. $200)
• Bluetooth Speakers: Inateck Honeycomb $30, SOL REPUBLIC DECK $40
• Klipsch HDTV home theater sound system w/ Bluetooth $155 shipped (Reg. $199)
• Aukey Bluetooth In-Ear Headphones $17 (Reg. $25), more
• Headphones: Sony Bluetooth $135 (Reg. $199), Beyerdynamic from $170
• Sony announces official PlayStation 4 price drop, bundles now start at just $349
• Mac Bundle: 14 Mac Apps incl. RapidWeaver, Voila Screencapture, Kinemac 3D, more: $18

New products & more:

Electric Jukebox doesn’t want to be Spotify or Chromecast, so what is it?

• This is the Apple TV remote that Cupertino should’ve made…
• The BLOCKS modular smartwatch has flown past its Kickstarter goal in a just a few hours
• Turn heads at any Halloween party with one of these high-tech DIY costumes
• Koto’s smart sensors track your home’s health and can even forecast storms
• New Halo 5: Guardians trailer drops as retailers ramp-up pre-order deals
• This clothes-folding washing machine brings first-world laziness to defcon zero
• The new Light digital camera uses 16 lenses (!!!) to craft the perfect picture

Filed under: Tips and Tricks Tagged: 9to5Toys, amazon deals, Amazon Prime, Amiibo, Anker, Apple watch, Best Buy, coupon codes, Daily Deals, eBay Daily Deals, free, free apps, free shipping, Freebies, giveaway, iPhone 6s case, Lunch Break, MFi, MFi Lightning cable, New Toy of the Day, Nintendo

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