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CMC CHR NICLE

TidBITS generally relies on roving correspondent Jeff Porten to ferret out interesting products at the unimaginably massive CES trade show every year. But there was one topic I followed closely from afar this year: home automation, and specifically, products compatible with Apple’s HomeKit ecosystem. If you’re dabbling with installing HomeKit switches and sensors in your house this year, here are the new products you’ll want to check out.

Belkin Wemo — The first big HomeKit announcement out of CES was that Belkin finally launched HomeKit support

for its popular line of Wemo devices — something the company had first announced in May 2017 (see “Belkin Adding HomeKit Support to Wemo,” at http://tidbits.com/article/17238).

That’s the good news. The bad news is that enabling

HomeKit support requires you to buy a $40 Wemo Bridge and plug it

into your router, and it’s sold out until next month. Also, early

reviews indicate that it doesn’t support Wemo

light bulbs, which were discontinued last year.

HomeKit Hardware to Expect in 2018 by Josh Centers

Wednesday, February 28 6:30 p.m.Apple's HomePod Is Apple’s new HomePod right for you? Come to our Feb. 28 meeting and hear from Adam Christianson of MacCast about his experiences using this latest speaker from Apple. Learn how to play music from your Apple Music collection, send texts and set reminders. Use Siri to control the volume, pause, skip and request songs.

Apple says it works well as an AirPlay speaker. Find out if the audio

quality is good enough for the type of music you listen to.

See complete meeting info on page 15.

February • 2018

a user group since 1986

continued on page 4

NEWSLETTER OF THE CONNECTICUT MACINTOSH CONNECTION W W W . C T M A C . O R G

INSIDE THISEDITION ▼

CMC JANUARY MEETING ▼

CMC MEETINGS - SAVE THE DATES

* Meeting will be held at Plainville Library auditorium ** Special date due to a holiday observance

▼

❑ March 28, 2018*

❑ April 25, 2018

❑ May 30, 2018

❑ June 27, 2018

❑ July 25, 2018

❑ August 29, 2018

❑ September 26, 2018

❑ October 24, 2018**

❑ November 28, 2018**

❑ December 19, 2018**

Apple User Group Discounts ..........2

TidBITS Software Updates .............3HomeKit Hardware to Expect in 2018 (continued) .....................4-7 The iPhone Upgrade Program: A Year in Review ....................... 9-13Beware "Protect" in Facebook's iOS App ..........................8CMC Member Information .......... 15In Other News ............................... 16

February 2018 Connecticut Macintosh Connection

page 2 a user group since 1986

CMC Chronicle

EditorDeena Quilty

DesignerGeorge Maciel

PublisherConnecticut Macintosh ConnectionP.O. Box 7061 Plainville, CT 06062

We welcome submissions from our members!Please submit articles by the first of the month for inclusion in our newsletter. All articles should be submitted by email to: [email protected].

There is so much talent in our group; it would be great to have several member articles in each issue of the newsletter.

February 2018 Discountsprovided by the Apple User Group Advisory Board

a user group since 1986

AppleUser Group

Ztylus Revolver M Series Lens Kit: 20% Discount

Stellar Phoenix Mac Data Recovery Professional: 20% Discount

EverWeb by RAGE Software: 50% Discount Offer

TidBITS Content Network for Apple professionals: Trial OfferTechTool Pro 9.5: 20% Discount

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Take Control Books: 30% Discount

Teams ID, a Password Manager for Teams: 33% Discount

Joe On Tech Guides: 20% Discount on All Books

Eltima Software: Up To 60% Off OS X Apps

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User Group Vendor Offers

You must be a current Apple user group member to qualify for these savings. The AUG Market Report and Resource blog are great sources for information about Apple user groups, vendor discounts, special events, interesting reviews, and more.

Special Offers for Apple User Group Members New Password: xxxxxxxxxx (1/16 to 5/1/2018)

February Featured Vendor: Stellar Data Recovery SoftwareIf you are one of the more than two million people who have used Stellar Phoenix Mac Data Recovery, you remember it fondly because it works so well. The newest version, Stellar Phoenix Mac Data Recovery – Professional offers a range of features to recover lost and deleted data from a Mac-based hard drives,

SSDs, memory cards, USB flash drives and other external storage media. It can easily recover lost partitions, photos, videos, critical office documents and other important files, even from Time Machine, BootCamp partitions and encrypted hard drives. This offer is valid through April 30, 2018.

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w w w.c tmac.org February 2018

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TidBITS.com Software Watchlist - Februaryby Agen G. N. Schmitz, TidBITS.com

Keyboard Maestro 8.0.5Maintenance release provides fixes and improvements for the automation and clipboard utility. ($36 new, free update, 22.3 MB)

Carbon Copy Cloner 5.0.8Fixes a bug introduced in the previous version that led to errors when

mounting a network volume. ($39.99 new, free update, 13.6 MB) MarsEdit 4.0.7Maintenance update fixes bugs in the blog editor. ($49.95 new, free update, 14.6 MB) VLC Media Player 3.0Major update for the open-source media player adds support for HDR and 360-degree video. (Free, 44.6 MB) BBEdit 12.1Updates the long-standing text editor to 64-bit and now requires OS X 10.11.6 El Capitan or later. ($49.99 new, free update, 13.6 MB) ChronoSync 4.8.4Improves APFS backups. ($49.99 new, free update, 48.7 MB) DEVONagent 3.10Adds a Google Scholar (Case Law) plug-in. (Free/$4.95/$49.95, free updates) Banktivity 6.3Adds an Uncategorized filter when viewing account transactions and fixes several bugs. ($64.99 new, free update, 29.3 MB) SpamSieve 2.9.30Now a 64-bit only app, the spam filtering utility requires OS X 10.7 Lion or later. ($30 new, free update, 13.7 MB) BusyCal 3.2.8Maintenance release with fixes and improvements to the calendar app. ($49.99 new, free update, 11.8 MB) Bookends 13.0.5Ensures that scanning is compatible with the recently released version 16.9 of Microsoft Word 2016. ($59.99 new, free update, 46.8 MB) Logic Pro X 10.4Adds new features and instruments to the professional audio app, alongside hundreds of enhancements and improvements. ($199.99 new, free update, 1.4 GB)

macOS Server 5.5Improves overall performance of Profile Manager on systems with a large number of enrolled devices. ($19.99 new, free update, 194 MB) iTunes 12.7.3Bring compatibility with the new Apple HomePod. (Free, 264 MB) Safari 11.0.3Patches a memory corruption issue that could lead to a security vulnerability in El Capitan and Sierra. (Free) Security Update 2018-001 (Sierra and El Capitan)Patches kernel-related vulnerabilities in Apple’s last two operating systems. (Free, various sizes) GraphicConverter 10.5.4Adds HEIC export capabilities via an external helper tool on macOS 10.13 High Sierra. ($39.95 new, free update, 181 MB) Microsoft Office 2016 16.9Adds real-time collaborative editing and AutoSave features. ($149.99 new for one-time purchase, $99.99/$69.99 annual subscription options, free update) DEVONthink/DEVONnote 2.9.17Adds support for searching PDF annotations and text entered into PDF forms and improves link insertion. (All updates are free. DEVONthink Pro Office, $149.95 new; DEVONthink Professional, $79.95 new; DEVONthink Personal, $49.95 new; DEVONnote, $24.95 new) Mailplane 3.7.2Adds support for the new Google Calendar in OS X 10.11 El Capitan. ($24.95 new, free update, 64.8 MB) Fantastical 2.4.5Adds events and reminders to Spotlight search results in macOS 10.13 High Sierra. ($49.99 new, free update, 15.3 MB)

See the complete list, pricing and update info at:

tidbits.com/section/watchlist

Is your software up-to-date?

Here are notable February 2018

software updates found at:

www.tidbits.com/section/watchlist

Visit the website to see full

descriptions, release notes,

download sizes and comments on

each of these titles and more.



Despite those caveats, this move is a big deal because Belkin Wemo is to smart outlets what Philips Hue is to smart bulbs: one of the first user-friendly models on the market and the recipient of tremendous ecosystem support. Some variant of the Wemo outlet has been the Wirecutter’s top pick for smart outlet for years, and if you already have several Wemo outlets, the Wemo Bridge is easily worth $40. But for those who haven’t already invested in the Wemo ecosystem, it’s worth holding off to see if future Wemo models support HomeKit without the bridge.

Philips Hue — Speaking of Hue, Philips had some welcome news at CES, especially on the software front. First up, the iOS app (and its Android counterpart) is getting a much-needed redesign in Q2 2018:

Based on comments, feedback and ideas from Philips Hue users, the redesign will enhance both existing and new features, to help consumers light their home smarter with even more ease. The new app will improve daily use, and ensure seamless setup and integration of Hue accessories and new Philips Hue Entertainment partnership integrations. The interface will also let consumers instantly access their last-used scenes and group lights and set their desired color temperature or color.

I just hope it improves HomeKit sync so that the Hue app stops overwriting my accessory and scene names!

But wait, what’s this Philips Hue Entertainment bit mentioned? Many Hue-compatible apps, such as Light DJ, let you sync audio and video with Hue lights. Philips is incorporating such syncing directly into its ecosystem, starting with a new app, Hue Sync, for Windows and Mac. Hue Sync is due later this year and will let you sync your lights to any game, movie, or song played on

your computer. Philips will also be partnering with companies to integrate light syncing directly into other products. First up will be gaming-focused PC hardware maker Razer. Check out the video to get a sense of what Razer plans to do with Hue Entertainment.

More practically, Philips is finally releasing outdoor Hue lights, due in mid-2018. Outdoor lights have been high on my wishlist since I first starting using Hue bulbs, so I’ll be curious about pricing.

Elgato Eve — Elgato has long been one of HomeKit’s biggest boosters, and the company shows no signs of slowing down, having announced two products at CES: a redesigned Eve Room (see “A Prairie HomeKit Companion: The Elgato Eve Room,” 19 June 2017) and a new product called the Eve Button, which acts as a HomeKit remote.

The Eve Room and Eve Button share the same chassis as last year’s Eve Degree. That’s clever, but you’d be forgiven for trying to turn your lights off with your thermometer.

The original Eve Room was a white plastic box that tracked air quality, temperature, and humidity. The new one has the same capabilities, but it now features a built-in rechargeable battery and an E-Ink display that

HomeKit Hardware to Expect in 2018

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shows those things so you don’t have to look at your phone.

When it ships in March 2018, it’ll set you back $99.95, $20 more than the current model. If that’s a bit much for you, the Eve Degree, which trades the air quality sensor for an air pressure sensor, is available on Amazon for only $61.

The Eve Button is a portable HomeKit remote that works independently of an iOS device. You can assign three HomeKit scenes to it: one tied to a single press, another to a long press, and the third to a double press. I haven’t been terribly impressed with similar devices from other manufacturers, so I’ll be curious to see how well the Eve Button works. It’s available now from the Elgato Store for $49.95.

iDevices and Brilliant — Smart switches have been around for a while — I have an Eve Light Switch installed in my TV room — but manufacturers are starting to realize that a hardwired smart home controller could be used for more than merely flipping one set of lights on and off.

At CES, iDevices announced two smart in-wall switches: the Ceiling Fan Switch and the Instinct. The Ceiling Fan Switch is a HomeKit-compatible switch that has additional buttons to control most ceiling fans. The Instinct is seemingly identical, except that it has support for Amazon Alexa built in so you can use your voice

to control your fan. iDevices couldn’t provide pricing or availability yet.

More ambitious (and likely more expensive) is the Brilliant Control, due sometime in 2018. It features a touchscreen, various sensors, and support for Amazon Alexa. It claims

to work with Bose, Ecobee, Honeywell, Nest, SmartThings, Sonos, and others, but unfortunately will not work with HomeKit, at least initially. But despite that, the concept is cool. Light switches are fairly easy to install, and it’s genius to replace one with a gizmo that can control lights, thermostat, audio, and more. The Brilliant Control will cost between $200 and $350 when it ships.

“Is Your House on Fire, Alexa?” — Ever say to yourself, “Man, I wish I could talk to my smoke detector!” No? OK, have you ever wished your smoke detector could play music? No? Silly sounding, I know, but it’s easier than embedding speakers in your ceiling. The Onelink Safe & Sound smoke and carbon monoxide detector can do both those things, it supports HomeKit, it has Amazon Alexa built in, and it will support AirPlay 2 whenever that ships. Even though it’s a whopping $249.99, I want one — if nothing else, to mirror the Alexa-powered Ecobee4 on the other side of my kitchen. Apparently I’m not alone: it’s already on backorder and isn’t expected to be back in stock in March 2018. 9to5Mac has a neat video of it.

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https://youtu.be/XCZPAjYinZM




Abode — HomeKit works with security systems, but we haven’t seen much support yet (see “A Prairie HomeKit Companion: HomeKit Security Provides Peace of Mind,” 11 September 2017). That will improve when Abode ships the Iota all-in-one security system in late Q1 2018. In truth, the Iota looks like a glorified indoor security camera, but it does feature battery and cellular backups. If you’re looking for an inexpensive solution and don’t need HomeKit compatibility, check out the WyzeCam, which I hope to review for TidBITS soon.

Nanoleaf — In the HomeKit space, no company has the panache of Nanoleaf. They make multi-colored triangular light panels that go on your wall. Why? Because it’s trippy and it’s the future, man. Don’t you ever watch any movies? Here, watch this one to see what it’s about.

Is that not cool and futuristic enough for you? How about the Nanoleaf Rhythm Edition, which makes the light panels flash in tune with music? Check out its video.

At CES, Nanoleaf announced new square panels that are touch sensitive and include both music sync and a motion sensor out of the box. Nanoleaf says that it hopes it’ll be priced similarly to the current product, which sells at $230 for nine panels. You’ll need to cash in your retirement account if you want your house to look like the set of “Blade Runner 2049.”

In case futuristic touch, motion, and sound sensitive light panels weren’t out there enough for you, there’s the upcoming Nanoleaf Remote, which is a decahedral remote for the Nanoleaf panels (think of a ten-sided die from Dungeons and Dragons). You rotate it and smack it on the ground to control your panels, and from the video, it looks like you can control other HomeKit devices with it.

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Brief Thoughts on the HomeKit Ecosystem — Overall, CES 2018 was net positive for HomeKit, as the ecosystem grows slowly but steadily. But two things worry me:

■ Even though Apple has taken steps to make HomeKit more accessible to device makers (see “A Prairie HomeKit Companion: What’s Coming in iOS 11,” 7 July 2017 at: http://tidbits.com/article/17316), we’re still seeing reputable vendors reject HomeKit support due to expense. I appreciate that Apple has rigorous standards and filters out junk vendors, but I worry that they’re hampering HomeKit adoption too much. Unfortunately, even Apple’s protocols aren’t enough to prevent security vulnerabilities (see “HomeKit Vulnerability Discovered, Already Patched,” 8 December 2017 at: http://tidbits.com/article/17673).

■ Alexa was arguably the “winner” of CES 2018, and it seems like every smart home vendor is racing to put it in their products. If Apple had been more open and inviting, Siri could have been in that position. The Ecobee4 includes Alexa, and I

don’t find it any better at recognizing my words than Siri. But Alexa does provide more integration with other apps and services, thanks in large part to Amazon’s willingness to license it to third parties. At this rate, by the time Apple ships the HomePod, Alexa will be in your speakers, TV, thermostat, and smoke detector. I’m leery of these always-listening AI assistants, but if I’m going to be stuck with one, I’d much rather it be Apple’s, given the company’s superior privacy record. But Amazon may already have too much momentum with Alexa for the HomePod and Siri to compete.

I hope these two issues don’t render HomeKit an also-ran in the home automation space because I believe that it’s the superior ecosystem. I’ve experimented with both Amazon’s and Google’s solutions and have found them lacking, mostly in the interface department.

Reprinted from TidBITS January 19, 2018 with permission.


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In case you ever doubted Facebook’s commitment to hoovering up as much information about you as it can, the company has come under fire for a change in the Facebook app for iOS in the United States. In the last few days, users have discovered a new option when you tap the hamburger button to access your pages, shortcuts, and settings. In that screen is a section called Explore that lets you get to a vast number of Facebook services, such as On This Day, Crisis Response, Live Videos, Find Wi-Fi, and Device Requests. There are so many, in fact, that the last one is Show More, and tapping that displays another 11, including the reassuringly named Protect.

However, tapping Protect takes you to the App Store and displays an app called Onavo Protect — VPN Security. It is indeed a VPN — a virtual private network — that securely tunnels all your traffic through Onavo’s servers. The problem is that, as you might expect from the link source, Onavo is owned by Facebook. If you were to stumble on Onavo Protect in the App Store, you’d have to tap More and read the full description to discover that. If you read all the way to the end, you’d learn that Onavo Protect “directs all of your network communications through Onavo’s servers,” and that, “as part of this process, Onavo collects your mobile data traffic.”

Clearly, that menu item in the Facebook app should be labeled “Collect” instead of “Protect.”

Even if Onavo Protect is nominally legitimate, albeit a massive privacy violation, quite a number of its reviews seem fake, which is also troubling. Since there are no iPhone viruses, I can only assume that these are paid-for reviews. (The alternative is to assume that there are a lot of users who think all the icons wiggling on the screen indicates a virus infection, not an errant finger press.)

Despite its recent appearance in the iOS Facebook app, Onavo Protect isn’t new, and was a source of controversy last year when the Wall Street Journal reported that Facebook used Onavo-sourced data to determine that usage of the competing Snapchat app was slowing months before Snap announced that fact. Plus, Facebook linked to the Onavo Protect app in the UK version of the Facebook app (on both iOS and Android) starting in 2016, though there was little reporting on that fact then. TechCrunch reports that about 62 percent of Onavo Protect’s 33 million installs come from Google Play (for Android), suggesting that about 12.5 million iOS users have installed Onavo Protect. The lower uptake rate in iOS might account for why Facebook is now promoting Onavo Protect in its iOS app in the United States — and possibly in other locations.

It’s bad enough when some unknown company provides a free VPN service in order to collect data about its users. It’s another thing when the company in question is part of Facebook, and that data can be combined with both any data you’ve allowed Facebook to have and any data about you that people you know have inadvertently provided to Facebook.

Our recommendation: If you use the Facebook app on your iPhone or iPad, don’t get suckered into installing Onavo Protect. And if you have installed Onavo Protect already for some reason, delete it unless you like revealing everything you do on your device to Facebook.

Reprinted from TidBITS February 14, 2018 with permission.

Beware "Protect" in Facebook's iOS Appby Adam C. Engst

Yoink Takes Mac Drag and Drop to the Next Level

I now have an iPhone X and have returned my iPhone 7 Plus, thus completing one full cycle of Apple’s iPhone Upgrade Program, and I thought I’d share my impressions and answer any questions you may have.

For those out of the loop on the iPhone Upgrade Program, here’s a quick refresher. In the United States, cell phones used to be sold by carriers on a two-year contract. You’d get the phone at a low, subsidized price, usually $200 or so, and would pay off the rest of the phone’s cost as part of the service fee for the next two years.

Carriers tired of this approach, and after T-Mobile successfully implemented an installment plan for buying the iPhone 5 in 2013, the industry began phasing out subsidized phones and contract service.

Some pundits, like Jay Yarrow, formerly of Business Insider, claimed that this would doom Apple. But as we now know, that was far from reality, because Apple adapted to the new environment.

Many people don’t want to cough up the $649 to $1348 for a new iPhone all at once, so carriers started offering installment plans that let customers pay the phone off over 24 months. Most of these plans let you trade in a phone after a year or so for a new one, assuming the phone is in decent condition. Apart from activation fees, this installment approach costs you nothing extra beyond perpetual device payments. If you pay off a phone instead of trading it in, it’s yours to keep.

Apple, seeing a market opportunity, launched its own installment program, the iPhone Upgrade Program, which is essentially the same as the carrier

installment plans, except that it includes AppleCare+, which explains why its monthly fee is higher than plans from the carriers.

(I got a chance to use AppleCare+ with my iPhone 7 Plus since I stupidly broke the screen while on vacation just days after acquiring it. Getting it fixed required a typical Apple Store visit with the two-hour drive, two-hour wait in the snooty mall with no food, followed by a two-hour drive home. However, I paid only $29 plus $2.68 in sales tax for the repair instead of the usual $149 fee. You get two screen replacements with AppleCare+ at that price before you have to start paying full price to fix a cracked screen.)

Now, to take some of the mystique out of all of this: the iPhone Upgrade Program is actually an interest-free loan administered by Citizens One. Every year, when you order a new iPhone through the program, Citizens One checks your credit (a “hard pull,” which can negatively affect your credit score) and issues you a new loan if you’re approved.

Despite being administered by a third party, the iPhone Upgrade Program has some uniquely Apple pros and cons.

The iPhone Upgrade Program:A Year in Reviewby Josh Centers

continued on page 10

February 2018

page 9



The iPhone Upgrade Program: A Year in Review

iPhone Upgrade Program: Hands-On Experience — My first impression of the iPhone Upgrade Program in 2016 was not great. It was the middle of the night, and not only was I sleepily fumbling to order an iPhone 7 Plus quickly, I also had to fill out a loan form. It wasn’t onerous, but when you’re fighting the rush and unstable servers, every second counts. Everything went through, but the extra paperwork prevented me from getting the iPhone 7 Plus on day one — it arrived a week after launch.

I know, that’s the very definition of a first-world problem, but because I do this for a living, I’m under pressure to get Apple products as soon as possible so I can tell you about them. Also, it stands to reason that iPhone Upgrade Program customers are Apple’s most loyal and want each new iPhone right away.

(One note for American iPhone customers. While Apple sells you an unlocked phone via the iPhone Upgrade Program — another upside of the program, especially for international travelers — that’s only true if you’re a customer of one of the four major carriers: Verizon, AT&T, T-Mobile, and Sprint. Apple will not sell you an unlocked phone with no plan, nor will it sell you a phone that works with Virgin Mobile, even though Virgin Mobile is an iPhone-exclusive carrier. Also, the iPhone Upgrade Program only offers the latest iPhones, so you can’t use it to buy last year’s model.)

After you place your order, there’s no way to know if Citizens One has approved you until you receive an approval email. That could take hours or even days, so if you’re trying to beat a rush, it adds extra stress. And if you entered something incorrectly, which is easy to do in the middle of the night, you’re set for an even longer delay. I hope Apple improves this onboarding process in the future.

However, Apple made up for it this year, when it came time to order the iPhone X. Several days before pre-orders began, I was prompted to open the Apple Store app, choose my model, and work through the approval process beforehand. When pre-order madness hit in the middle of the night, it took only a couple of taps on my iPhone to complete my upgrade. Some iPhone Upgrade Program customers didn’t receive their iPhones on the first possible day, but it seemed to give us better odds. As it should, since we’re giving money directly to Apple instead of a third-party seller.

Once you’re in the program, everything is automatic. The credit card you supplied when you signed up is charged automatically every month. And yes, that’s another catch — you must have a credit card to sign up for the iPhone Upgrade Program. Debit cards are not allowed.



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Also note that you’re charged the full amount of sales tax up front, in addition to your first monthly payment. Be aware of that if you’re on a tight budget.The process of returning my iPhone 7 Plus was easy. A few days after my iPhone X arrived, I received a nondescript cardboard box containing a bag, a SIM removal tool, two pieces of tape, and instructions. All I had to do was reset the iPhone 7 Plus, pop out its SIM card and replace the empty tray, drop it in the bag, put the bag in the box, tape up the box, tear away the shipping label to expose the return label, and hand it to the FedEx guy when he next delivered a package. It’s almost as painless as Apple could make it; if you’ve ever sent a device to Apple for repair, that’s a similar experience.

A few days later, I received an email from Apple letting me know that my trade-in was complete and that my loan had been closed. That was a relief, because my iPhone 7 Plus had a gouge in the back. If Apple had been dissatisfied with its condition, I could have been charged a repair fee. Fortunately, Apple doesn’t seem to be that particular, although I presume a cracked screen would require repair.

Where the iPhone Upgrade Program Fails — Apple products are like rides at Disney World: they work great as long as you’re behaving as expected, but the second you go off the rails, things get messy. The iPhone Upgrade Program is no different.

As long as you stick to the plan, the iPhone Upgrade Program works flawlessly. But if you need to change a payment method, want to pay off a device early, or need to make up a payment, you have to deal with Citizens One, because Apple handles none of that. And dealing with Citizens One requires creating an account with them, which you otherwise don’t have to do.

Happily, I had no problems and only created an account while researching this article. Which is good, because the process is agonizing. I didn’t keep count, but it probably took 30 to 40 attempts to create a username/password combo that Citizens One would accept. Check the screenshot for the inane list of password requirements.

Once I logged in, there wasn’t much the Citizens One Web site would let me do. You can change the payment method, and that’s about it. I dug around until I found a link about paying off my iPhone early, and it told me to call them. Ugh.

That said, in my experience, Verizon, from which we bought my wife’s iPhone, isn’t any better. Although the Verizon site offered a large, red, PAY OFF YOUR DEVICE button, I couldn’t get it to work,


The password does not meet the password requirements.

• The password cannot be the same as the User Name• The password must be 8-20 characters• Password must have alphanumeric characters with

one upper case, one lower case and one numeric character.

• The password must have at least one special character andd the characters allowed are: ! @ # $ % ^ * , _

• The password cannot have more than two repeating characters.





and I ended up paying off my wife’s iPhone via customer support chat. I’ve been told that AT&T makes it easy to pay a phone off early from its Web site, but it only lets you pay off the full amount, not make multiple early payments.

Ideally, I should be able to make early payments or pay off an iPhone entirely from the Web site, without having to have a conversation with anyone. I suspect that Apple and the carriers don’t want to make this easy, because they want you paying in perpetuity.

If you’re an iPhone X user on the iPhone Upgrade Program, you might find yourself dealing with a hassle in 2018, especially if you want the latest iPhone immediately. The iPhone X arrived a month after the iPhone 8, but if Apple releases the next top-tier iPhone in less than 12 months — the minimum number of payments Apple requires before you can trade up — you may have to wait until you have made the equivalent of 12 payments:

You will still be eligible to upgrade next year. However, your new upgrade eligibility date will be determined by the start date of your new iPhone Upgrade Program loan. Please note that you are eligible to upgrade after six months in the program, as long as you have made the equivalent of at least 12 payments.

Other iPhone Upgrade Program members have told me that if you attempt an early upgrade via Apple’s Web site, you’re prompted to pay the remaining amount to equal 12 payments directly to Apple. So if you’ve had your iPhone for only 10 months and you pay $45 per month for it, you’ll be required to pay another $90 to upgrade right away.

The most annoying part about the required cycle is that if you have to wait

even a week to order a new iPhone, you may end up waiting much longer to receive it as shipping times slip further and further out.

I’ll withhold judgment until next year, but if the iPhone Upgrade Program makes me wait a long time for the next iPhone or pay an outrageous fee to get it on time, I’ll seriously consider alternatives.

Is the iPhone Upgrade Program Right for You? — When the iPhone Upgrade Program debuted, you had to go to an Apple Store to purchase or trade in an iPhone. It was hard to endorse then, but now that you can complete the entire cycle remotely, it’s a lot easier to recommend.

The iPhone Upgrade Program is probably the best bet for dedicated iPhone enthusiasts who always want the latest device but don’t want to pay all at once. And if you tend to be rough on your devices, AppleCare+ is a far better deal than the insurance offered by the carriers.

Here are two questions to ask before signing up:

■ Do you need or want AppleCare+? For iPhones with exorbitant repair costs, like the iPhone X, AppleCare+ is a good idea. But if you don’t have an Apple Store nearby, AppleCare+ may not be your best bet for insurance.

■ Are you tempted by non-Apple phones? If you’re considering an Android phone, you may not want to be locked into Apple’s program. (However, perusing Apple’s fine print, it appears that you can get out of your commitment a year early by upgrading to a new iPhone and then returning it. Your mileage may vary.)


page 13


For many iPhone users, I think the iPhone Upgrade Program is a financial win because you don’t have to pay for AppleCare+ up front. You can keep the iPhone if you wish, but if you want to switch, you can do so after 12 payments. It offers more flexibility than buying it outright. And if you buy one outright every year, unless you have the hustle to sell your old phone each time, you’re going to end up paying more than you would through the iPhone Upgrade Program.

Also, if you’re wondering: yes, you can buy more than one iPhone through the iPhone Upgrade Program. The trick is, when you come to the choice of “I’d like to enroll” or “I’m already part of the program,” choose “enroll.” That lets you set up a second Citizens One loan.

Despite some small caveats, Apple has rewarded my faith at every step. I originally signed up for the iPhone Upgrade Program with the hope that the company would allow trade-ins by mail the following year, and that came to pass. Over the next few years, I anticipate the iPhone Upgrade Program will become Apple’s preferred way to sell iPhones, and those customers will be incentivized to buy directly from Apple. For serious Apple fans who want the latest iPhone every year without a large up-front payment, it’s a good choice.

Despite some small caveats, Apple has rewarded my faith at every step. I originally signed up for the iPhone Upgrade Program with the hope that the company would allow trade-ins by mail the following year, and that came to pass. Over the next few years, I anticipate the iPhone Upgrade Program will become Apple’s preferred way to sell iPhones,

and those customers will be incentivized to buy directly from Apple. For serious Apple fans who want the latest iPhone every year without a large up-front payment, it’s a good choice.

Reprinted from TidBITS November 30, 2017 with permission.

New Members Wanted! Have your friends and co-workers join us for fun and learn about OS X, the Mac, iPhone, iPads and all things Apple. Please give them this application form.

CMC Benefits: Monthly meetings, newsletter, special events, discounted books, free Mac support, networking, make business contacts, User Group discounts, and more.

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– or –register and pay online using PayPal at:

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2018 CMC Officers and Board Members



Caricatures by Bill Dougal (see ad on page 8)

a u s e r g r o u p s i n c e 1 9 8 6

Editor Deena Quilty

[email protected]

Design George Maciel

[email protected]

Parliamentarian/Historian Connie Scott

[email protected]

Special EventsJack Bass

[email protected]

Web Master/Ambassador Reggie Dionne

[email protected]

Vice President Jerry Esposito

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President Chris Hart

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Public Relations Mark Maglio

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TreasurerLinas Venclauskas

[email protected]

SecretaryMarianne Cassidy

[email protected]


page 15

Monthly CMC meetings are generally held on the last Wednesday of the month, except November and December, or when the meetings are held earlier due to holidays. And occasionally, scheduling difficulties require our meetings to be on other dates; please remember to check our web site at www.ctmac.org to confirm date and location. Meetings start at 6:30 p.m. as we discuss the latest Apple news, answer members’ technical questions, and then segue into our main presentation.

Do you have an idea for a topic we should present? Perhaps there’s a topic that you would like to present yourself? Email your suggestions to: [email protected].

CMC Board meetings are usually held on the first Wednesday of the month. If you wish to attend a Board meeting, contact an officer for time and location.

CMC Account Balance: $1007.63(Balance February 12, 2018))

Free Classified AdsCMC members can advertise items for sale, swap, trade, giveaway, or want-to-buy. Advertise items which you no longer need! This is a free service provided to our members. Submit your information to: [email protected].

Did you know that CMC tech support is just a click away?You don’t have to wait for a monthly meeting to get answers to your Apple related questions. CMC hosts a Mac support mailing list for our members. You can join at www.ctmac.org. You can also post to this group by sending an email to: [email protected]

Any item or service can be advertised at these low monthly rates:Business Card (3.5" w. x 2" h.) ...........................FREE* Quarter Page (3.625" w. x 4.75" h.) .................. $5.00Half Page (7.5" w. x 4.75" h. or 3.625" w. x 9.5" h.). .................. $10.00Full Page (7.5" w. x 9.5" h.) ......................$20.00

Email ad copy to [email protected] by the 20th of the month for insertion in the following issue. Display ads must be submitted in eps or pdf format with all fonts and graphics embedded. Specify how many issues you would like your ad to run, and make check payable to “CMC.”

CMC Meeting Info

Treasurer’s Report

Free Mac SupportDisplay Ad Rates

Every CMC member who attends our monthly meetings gets a raffle ticket that will give you a chance for one of our free prizes every month! And don’t forget the “free table” at the back of the room where everything is… free!

Free Raffle!

Remember that you can easily access web sites referenced in your CMC newsletters by viewing the full color PDF version available on our web site at: www.ctmac.org . Simply click on the URL to go right to that site!

Easy Web AddressesCMC Monthly MeetingUConn Health CenterFarmington, CT

CMC Treasurer Linas Venclauskas wants you to know that we are using the Square Card Reader service. This means members can now pay their dues at a meeting using a credit card. Simply see the treasurer and ask him to update your dues using your credit card.

Of course you can still pay by check via mail or by using PayPal on the CMC website at https://www.facebook.com/ctmacusergroup/notes. If you have any questions or concerns, see Linas at the next meeting or send him an email at:[email protected].

Another Way to Pay Your CMC Dues

Upcoming Program by Jerry Esposito, vice president

Wednesday, February 28 6:30 p.m.Apple's Homepodpresented by Adam Christianson

Is Apple’s new HomePod right for you? Come to our February 28th meeting and hear from Adam Christianson of MacCast about his experiences using this latest speaker from Apple. Learn how to play music from your Apple Music collection, send texts and set reminders. Use Siri to control the volume, pause, skip and request songs.

Apple says it works well as an AirPlay speaker. Find out if the audio quality is good enough for the type of music you listen to.

Come to our meeting with your questions and we will get them answered for you.

In addition to Adam's detailed discussion of the HomePod, we'll actually have one on hand at the meeting. We'll get to see and hear it in action and find out firsthand what it sounds like!

Adam Christianson – Podcast host, web developer, and founder of the Maccast podcast. The Maccast is one of the first Mac and Apple podcasts, consistently ranked one of the top 20 Technology podcasts on the iTunes charts. It has been featured by Apple and iTunes as a top podcast on several occasions.

* CMC members in good standing can run one FREE business card size ad per quarter. Monthly rates available.

CMC Meeting Directions to UConn Health Center

Monthly CMC meetings are held at the UConn Health Center in Farmington.

From I-84: Take Exit 39 (if coming from I-84 West, Exit 39 is after 39A). Turn right at first traffic light onto Route 4 East (Farmington Avenue). At third traffic light, turn right to enter the Health Center campus.

Go around the main building to the right (at the Y in road), then take a left when you get to the Academic Entrance. (The road becomes two-way there so you should be able to tell where to turn; do not go straight to the two-way part). Then take the second right into parking lot A&B.

Go past the police station entrance on your left (small sign). You will see a continuation of the building with its own entrance area. This is the research building. Enter on the ground floor, turn right and enter room EG-013 on your right. This is the first room on your right. The rest rooms are on your left as you enter.

To find us, see this video guide:http://tinyurl.com/y8elfy66

…by Jerry Esposito, CMC vice president



Thank you, John Martellaro

January brought us some cold weather and a visit via Skype from

our Colorado presenter, John Martellaro. At The Mac Observer,

John is Senior Editor, Analysis and Reviews, and host of the

Background Mode podcast.

John presented a very thorough review of what we should know

about buying a 4K/UHD TV. His slides started with the early days

of TV and proceeded to how TV has changed through the years.

He discussed a lot the technical terms and what 4K actually is.

John presented a chart showing viewing distance and resolution,

the retina effect, high dynamic range (HDR) and what it provides,

and he also covered HDMI cables and HDMI 2.0a. If you’re

looking for more information on cables, take a look at Apple’s

support article https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT208074. He

also discussed Apple TV 4K and its support for Dolby Vision, the

latest advancement in HDR that supports 12-bit color.

The meeting wrapped up with John advising us to make sure all of

our components are compatible, to take calibration seriously, and

plan out our audio/video experience.

Download John’s January slide presentation at:

https://tinyurl.com/ydap4w3x

Thank you, John Martellaro, for an informative meeting. To read

more of John’s articles visit him at macobserver.com. And be sure

to listen to his TMO podcast Background Mode at:

macobserver.com/show/background-mode.

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