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Going into Airplane Mode: Flying with Technology

 

Since 2013, we’ve been able to use handheld electronic devices such as the iPhone, iPad, and Kindle at pretty much all times during airplane flights, including takeoff and landing. That was a big change from previous policy, which banned the use of personal electronic devices below 10,000 feet, forcing passengers to occupy themselves with books and magazines at the start and end of flights.

But now flight attendants ask us to put our devices into “airplane mode.” You probably know how to do this on your iOS device, but if not, here’s how. Swipe up from the bottom of the screen to bring up Control Center and tap the airplane button at the top left. Alternatively, you can open the Settings app and enable the Airplane Mode switch (it’s the first switch in the list). When you land, use the same controls to turn it off again.

What does airplane mode do? It disables certain wireless features of your device. Specifically, it turns off the cellular voice and data features of your iPhone or iPad, and on all iOS devices it turns off both Wi-Fi and Bluetooth. However, only the cellular features are important to your airline—you can re-enable both Wi-Fi and Bluetooth at any time. That might be useful if you want to use the airplane’s Wi-Fi network for Internet access (usually for a fee) or Bluetooth to play music over wireless headphones.

To turn these wireless features back on, tap the grayed-out Wi-Fi and Bluetooth buttons in Control Center, or flip their switches in Settings > Wi-Fi and Settings > Bluetooth. Don’t bother turning them on unless you’re going to use them, though, since you’ll save a little battery life by leaving them off for the duration of a long flight.

Why do the airlines care about cellular? It has little to do with airplane safety; the prohibition originated from the U.S. Federal Communications Commission, not the Federal Aviation Administration. The reason is that fast-moving cell phones used high in the air may light up many cell towers at once, which can confuse the mobile phone network.

July 21, 2017
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July 13, 2017

How Harley Davidson Used Predictive Analytics to Boost Sales in New York

Harley-Davidson managed to turn their fortunes around by making use of predictive analytics. Here is a detailed analysis of how they made it work.  

Asaf Jacobi was selling one or two Harley-Davidson motorcycles a week at his New York dealership. One day during winter, he decided to take a walk in Riverside Park and came upon OR Shani, the CEO of Adgorithms. After talking about his low sales numbers, Shani suggested that Jacobi tries Albert. This AI developed by Adgorithms is designed for marketing purposes. It works on various platforms such as Google and Facebook to optimize ad campaigns.

Harley Davidson

Impressive Results.

When Jacobi gave it a trial, he sold over 15 motorcycles that week. It was almost double, what he had sold all summer. Jacobi kept at it. He went from getting a qualified lead a day to more than 40. In the first month, 15% of the new leads were similar to past high-value customers and were thus likely to purchase. By the third month, leads had grown by 29-30%. Out of those leads, 50% were similar to past high-value customers. Jacobi had to expand the call center to handle all the new business.

How the AI did that.

Today, Facebook, Google, and Amazon are leading in the use of AI. This has given them a major advantage over customers by enabling them to target them with highly personalized marketing campaigns. However, other companies are also starting to join the AI race.

In the case of the Harley-Davidson dealership, Albert the Ai helped to grow store traffic by generating leads, which were simply customers who filled out a form expressing interest.

Making Data work for you.

Albert was given creative content from Harley-Davidson and some performance targets. The AI began to analyze existing data from the dealership. It was able to find characteristics and behaviors of high-value customers within New York. The Ai targeted those who completed purchases, added an item to their online cart, or were among the top 25% of people who spent time on the site.

With this data, Albert went after people on the internet that had similar characteristics. The AI ran tests on a few sample groups and collected data from the tests. It then conducted further tests with more variables. At the end of it all, it had gathered enough data to develop what a high-value customer would look like. It then scaled up the campaigns to reach out to these people.

The Benefits of AI in Predictive Analytics.

For Harley-Davidson, the AI analyzed what was working and what was a waste of money. The AI used what it gathered from these tests to create opportunities that were likely to lead to successful conversions. In short, it allocated resources to what had worked, which helped to improve the ROI for digital marketing campaigns.

The traditional method used by marketers is to create buyer personas. The personas are based partly on historical data, the marketer’s experiences, guesswork, and gut feelings. When a company decides to use personas, it has to rely on guesswork to determine what worked and what failed.

An Ai does need to come up with personas. They find real opportunities by checking the behaviors of online profiles and determining who has behaviors that are indicative of a high degree of conversion.

AI Could Help to Save Time.

Even when equipped with the most complex digital tools, humans can only manage a few tasks at a time. They will also have a hard time making an unbiased application of any insights that they gather. On the other hand, an AI can process millions of interactions a minute. They can also run more than thousands of tests at the same time and make predictions at the same time.

Another advantage of an AI is that it never gets tired. While humans can only manage a few hours of analysis, the AI can work all the time all year round. In addition, the AI modifies its marketing strategy in real time, which means that no money is wasted at any time.

Making Use of AI.

Since AI is still quite new, and since marketers may be wary of relinquishing control to a device, it is wise to adopt AI incrementally. At first, it can be used to run small and short experiments. As the results trickle in, the AI can then be modified.

When carrying out experiments, it is important to define goals. For instance, the goals can be increased leads or better ROI.

When choosing the tool to use with AI, you need to know what you want. Some tools can focus on a single task such as optimizing web content. Other complex tools offer more capabilities. Still, others can produce results but will not act on them without being prompted.

However, you should not be afraid to take the plunge. You will be able to have an edge over the competition that is still not sure whether they should use the technology.

How You Can Ensure Success.

If you decide to use AI for Predictive Analytics, some best practices will help you to succeed. Here are some of them:

1. Have Accurate CRM.

The AI will work with your current CRM. Thus, if it is full of garbage, it will generate garbage. The predictions will only be as good as the underlying data. It is better to have less data, which is accurate than to have silos of data that is full of errors.

2. Take Your Time.

Although the AI is fast, you do not have to be. A good example is Harley Davidson that started with micro-segments and numerous tests. This helped them to adjust the campaign accurately before they ever went full scale.

3. Let the AI do its Magic.

It can be difficult for business owners to wrap their minds around the concept of a program controlling their marketing campaign. However, they will have to learn how to let go and let the AI work. The AI will work based on proven data and not personal insights. It will allow you to make predictions that are more accurate.

Conclusion.

Although the AI will take away some of the decision-making power, it can help to motivate the sales team and keep the business moving forward. You will also have more time to make other decisions about your business.

July 13, 2017
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July 12, 2017

Lifelong Learning is Our Competitive Advantage in the Automation Age, Here’s Why

Our focus on lifelong learning ensures your business stays ahead; learn how automation is impacting jobs and why education matters so much in a variety of industries, from finance to healthcare.  
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July 12, 2017
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June 27, 2017

From Telegraphs to USENET and How to Protect Yourself from Spam

When someone thinks of spam they typically think of unsolicited bulk commercial email they receive in their inbox. However, the concept of spam started a little earlier than you might think. How far back? How does 1864 sound? Spam in 1864 you say? Yes, in the form of a telegraph, advertising a local dentistry actually. The Telegraph was so much news that the local paper even reprinted the telegraph that was sent to many households, further propagating the message.

Spam Messages

More recently, people consider the first spam email coming out of Digital Equipment in 1978 which went to a total of 393 people promoting their latest computer model. You can thank a Monty Python sketch based on a cafe that only served the canned spiced ham SPAM for the origin of the name. Another early spammer was the lawyers Canter and Siegel posting their “Green Card Lottery” message to USENET, a shared messaging system.

What does all this have to do with today? You don’t want to be known as a spammer. There are three ways to attack the spam problem. First off, you don’t want your marketing emails to be classified as spam. Secondly, you don’t want your mail server to be abused where someone sends spam through your hardware. While this wasn’t sent to you directly, your hardware could be blacklisted, thus affecting your own emails. Lastly, you don’t want your employees to respond to spam. There are ways to filter this at the mail server to prevent them from seeing the messages, or at least classify messages as fishy before their opened. Our company {company} can help you to protect your business from being labeled a bad apple in the email business.

Starting with the most important avenue, ensuring your marketing messages get through, there are some best practices to know about. For starters, don’t just send emails directly to your clients. Putting everyone’s email in the “To:” field of a message is bound to cause problems when someone does a reply-all. If you absolutely have to send a message to LOTS of people, it is better to use the BCC (for blind carbon copy) field of a message. Better yet, rely on a mailing list management package like that offered by Constant Contact. Typically, you don’t want to add people to the mailing list yourself. Instead, people should opt-in. More importantly, with each message you send, there should be unsubscribed instructions.

Protecting your mail server is not an easy task. There are some simple steps you can do like requiring that users are authenticated before sending a message, but someone can just spoof the email headers to make it appear messages came through your server. To best protect your server, in 2012 DMARC, or Domain-based Message Authentication, Reporting, and Conformance was introduced. Combined with the earlier introduced SPF, Sender Policy Framework, this makes sure that any messages appearing to come from your mail server actually came from your mail server. {company} can help you keep up with the latest ways to protect your email servers and thus getting your marketing messages through.

Lastly, it is important to look at the inbound side of spam. With all the talk of Russians hacking servers and the release of inappropriate celebrity photos, most of these attempts are triggered by phishing attacks of targets. You still need to worry about viruses being sent through email, but phishing involves fraudsters sending what look like real emails in the attempt to reveal personal information like passwords and bank account info. You don’t want your employees giving away the farm so that others can then get into your company network or your employees worried about identity theft. {company} can help protect your mail servers from letting these unsolicited emails through.

Contact us at {email} or {phone} to learn more about how we can help you.

June 27, 2017
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June 26, 2017

What Companies Need to Know About Technology Management  

Technology Management has become an important aspect of doing business today.

Here are a few details about what it entails, and why a business may need it.  

Technology Management

Technology management is a term that is used to refer to a group of services offered to a business that may not have its own IT department. The process can include project management, technology planning, database services, disaster recovery, security, document services, document formatting, e-billing, mailing, mass printing, and much more. Here is some more information I have prepared on this topic. It should help you gain a better understanding of technology management.

Why Do You Need Technolgy Management Services?

The break and fix approach may seem like a good way to save money, but it is going to cost you. Such neglect will eventually lead to a major tech disaster in the future. Such disasters could take the form of tech failure or even a major security breach. Such breaches can lead to class action suits if critical information is lost.

However, having to hire an in-house team may not work either. The inflated costs on the payroll are not worth it for most business owners. When you outsource technology management, the IT infrastructure will receive the care of experts. Best of all, it does not cost an arm and a leg. Additionally, your business will get the full benefit of an experienced team of experts instead of just a few IT experts working in-house. Some of the benefits are:

  • Proactive Management.

With technology management, you do not wait for technology to fail before fixing it. A technology management company will review your equipment often and make upgrades as they may be deemed necessary. Such a company will also ensure that you work with only the best antivirus and malware protection.

  • Better Network Administration.

A good technology management company does not just hire fresh college graduates. People that work for such companies usually have years of experience under their belts. They know how to tweak each system to fit into a unique business environment. That way, a company is able to maximize its output. The result is that you will be getting more value for the salaries you pay your employees.

  • Automated Monitoring.

A good company will have hundreds of system monitors that will allow them to take proactive measures to deal with any problem. That way, a company does not have to deal with an aftermath of a disaster.

  • Technology Consultancy.

All companies have technology needs that continue to grow as the company grows. However, it is not always easy to know what you need unless you have an expert as part of your staff. A technology management company will give you the advice that you need to choose the right technology. That way, you will always have an edge over your competition in terms of technology utilization.

  • Real Time User Support.

When you hire a technology management firm, it will not be much different to hiring in-house staff in regards to response time. Most of them can have an engineer at your office in minutes when you need a technical expert to solve an issue. Such an expert will give all the options you have and make a recommendation on which you should choose.

Some of the Cloud Service solutions you can expect.

Most business today use cloud services. A technology management can help you with these services if you use the cloud:

  • Spam Protection.

A major downside of the cloud is spam. It takes up valuable space in the cloud. A good tech management company will provide you with solutions that prevent unwanted messages from ever reaching the inbox.

  • Data Backups.

Data backup is another important service that you will get as part of the cloud-based solutions. By offering cloud-based backups, you will get the peace of mind that you need to run your business. You will no longer have to worry about losing backup tapes or the tapes were stolen.

What Types of Companies Need Technology Management?

All businesses, no matter how big or small, need some IT support to operate efficiently in the modern world. Such support can be useful in helping them to avert major disasters to their business operations.

However, different industries will have differing needs. Thus, not everyone wants the same kind of IT support. There is no one-size-fits-all that can work for all businesses. Some of the businesses that may need Technology management are:

  • The Financial Sector.

A good tech management firm will provide you with a clear understanding of the current state of your systems. They will identify the vulnerabilities, risks, and prioritize the issues that are discovered. Additionally, they can also help you identify what has been changed since the last audit took place.

  • Manufacturing.

Most people think of the manufacturing sector as the huge processing plants and large warehouses. However, these companies have office buildings that allow them to process the paperwork. If the back office operations are not efficient, an office could lose a lot of money. A technology management firm will help you keep an eye on the IT systems to ensure that they are always working well. That way, a company can focus on its core duty of manufacturing.

  • Professional Service Industry.

Downtime is more than just annoying to customers. It can have a huge impact on the profitability of a company. Instead of waiting for equipment to break down, the company will often conduct assessments at regular intervals to prevent downtime. Less downtime will mean that employees have more time to work on their projects. Additionally, it will help to keep your customers happy.

  • Non-Profits Operations.

Cyber security must be the priority of every business. There is a lot of malware being created all the time. A breach to a company’s network can have a crippling effect on its finances. The effects can be worse for non-profits since they rely on donors. If donors feel that you are not taking care of their money, they will simply move on. A good technology management company will help to ward off any criminals that may want to reap where they never sowed

June 26, 2017
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June 19, 2017

Dial Phone Calls Directly from iOS Calendar Events

Dial Phone Calls Directly from iOS Calendar Events

Let’s make life easier on the go…

Imagine that you’re adding a calendar event for a meeting with a contractor, and you want to make it easy to call them if you are running late. Or perhaps you want to embed conference call details into an event.
Simply enter a phone number into an event’s Location or Notes field in the Calendar app. Then, whenever you’re viewing the event later on your iPhone, you can tap the number to dial it directly. To add a meeting code to a conference call number, append a semicolon, the meeting code, and the pound symbol—after the iPhone dials the phone number, you can press a button to dial the code at the right moment. The whole thing would look like 518-555-0101;123456#.
For a more automated but potentially error-prone approach, replace the semicolon with one or more commas, each of which causes the iPhone to pause for 2 seconds before dialing the rest of the numbers.
Finally, if you suffer from way too many conference calls, the MeetingMogul app can make dialing in even easier.

A few other posts that might interest you.

More great tips from the archives…

June 19, 2017
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June 16, 2017

WWDC: One More Thing…

Apple announced a slew of new hardware (HomePod!) and software at WWDC yesterday, and we have the rundown
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June 16, 2017
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June 16, 2017

Microsoft’s Advice on How Business IT Professionals Can Disable SMB 1 Insecurities

This white paper details what additional steps IT pros need to take to safeguard their networks and systems and why they should leave the newer versions of SMBs alone.  

SMBv1

With the recent appearance of the “WannaCry” ransomware cyber attacks, the vulnerability of the 30-year old SMB1 protocol was finally laid bare. Through the use of an exploit tool called “ETERNALBLUE” and leaked from the NSA by the “Shadow Brokers” hacker group, the vulnerabilities in the Server Message Bock (SMB) services were successfully exploited to spread its malicious denial-of-service mayhem.

Most of the hacks affected those with older, less-secure systems, as with Windows XP and Windows Server 2003, which are so old that they are no longer even supported. Security bulletin MS16-114 detailed the vulnerabilities of the protocol implementations in those (mostly older) Windows versions.

The Microsoft Corporation hurriedly issued a “critical” security bulletin release to be installed in networks as a safety measure but even Microsoft’s engineers are in agreement that the only reliable way to stop the spread of the virus is to disable the SMB1 protocol completely.

The problem

But, you say, I have a newer version as well as SMBv2 or 3 and besides, aren’t the Microsoft protections enough to stop the ransomware’s infestation? Why bother with tinkering with the SMB at all – isn’t that a bit of overkill?
That’s only part of the story: even with a patch or other protective installations and newer versions of the SMB, there is remains the very real problem of interaction with other devices that may need to continue to connect with SMB1, such as printers or other peripherals. The real problem is, according to Microsoft field engineer Ralph Kyttle, that SMB1 is still lurking in your computer’s innards or those of your clients, who can unwittingly act as SMB servers by ‘talking’ to devices using SMB1, including printers or NAS or anything else that might be running Windows or Samba/Linux. This is why even those at Microsoft highly recommend getting rid of SMB1 as soon as you download their version-specific instructions.

Solution #1: Follow Microsoft’s instructions for disabling the SMB feature

If you want to remove the possibility of a future hack or another SMB1-related security issue, the best – really, the only – way, according to Microsoft’s Principal Program Manager and engineer Ned Pyle, is to remove it completely. Microsoft gives somewhat differing instructions according to this link depending on which OS you are using. Be sure to backup your data before trying to follow their advice as there is a possibility there may be a change to the Windows Registry – and not following the steps as set forth by Microsoft could result in your machine crashing altogether.

Solution #2: Banishing SMB1 “zombies”

Like a zombie rising from the grave, even a disabled SMB1 has a way of coming back to haunt users all over again. Because of the real possibility of post-removal SMB1 interactions, Kyttle recommends that IT pros use one of more of the following methods to detect SMB1 network dependencies, such as network capture and other software and tools to detect and remove any noncompliant configuration.

It’s worth noting that Microsoft offers tools for IT pros to detect whether SMB1 is being used within a network. One is the Microsoft Message Analyzer, a tool which displays logs of inbound and outbound traffic which can be subject to filtering for SMB1 activity.

Another useful tool is PowerShell’s Desired State Configuration Environment Analyzer (DSCEA) module. Requiring PowerShell version 5.0, DSCEA shows compliance information via Power BI or HTML, allowing IT pros to use the scans to repair problematic configurations.

Finally, users should be aware that depending on an individual computer’s configuration as well as other variables, there have been reports that SMB1 had to be reinstalled at least temporarily, in order to authenticate domains and access shares.

Solution #3: SMB2 and SMB3: Love ‘em or leave ‘em?

Most experts say to leave them because unlike with SMB1, they’re there for some pretty good reasons. Microsoft warns that disabling them should be viewed only as a temporary measure – be sure to enable them once done with troubleshooting tasks.

Here’s what you stand to lose if you leave these two important SMB protocols disabled:

In Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2:

Disabling SMB v2 deactivates the following:

  • Caching of folder and file properties allowing clients to retain file copies
  • Improved use of faster networks through larger reads and writes
  • Durable handles which permit transparently reconnection to the server in case of a temporary disconnection
  • Request compounding which allows the user to send multiple SMB2 requests as a single request
  • Improved scalability for sharing files, increasing the number of users, shares and open files per server
  • Improved message signing with MD5 hashing algorithm replaced by HMAC SHA-256
  • Better support for symbolic links
  • Client oplcock leasing model which limits transferred data between client and server, resulting in improved SMB server scalability and performance with high-latency networks

In Windows 8, Win 8.1, Win 10, Windows Server 2012, and Windows Server 2016:

Disabling SMBv3 deactivates the following (as well as previously-described SMB2 functions):

  • Concurrent access of shared data on file cluster nodes via Scale Out
  • End-to-end encryption and protection from eavesdropping by untrustworthy networks
  • Transparent failover allowing clients to reconnect to cluster nodes without interruption during failover or maintenance
  • Directory leasing which improves branch offices’ application response times via caching
  • Multichannel aggregation of fault tolerance and network bandwidth if multiple paths are available between client and server

Summary

In the aftermath of this hacking, taking steps for immediately removing SMB1 should be a no-brainer. Removal, however, is only part of the solution: doing so can bring in other, possibly unwelcome consequences. Thanks to the sheer pervasiveness of SMB1, IT pros can’t let down their guard even after disabling the pesky protocol. So, while it may at first seem like overkill, in today’s cyber environment it’s better to be safe than sorry.

June 16, 2017
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June 15, 2017

More from WWDC: tvOS and watchOS 4

More from WWDC 2017: tvOS and watchOS 4

Although Apple gave tvOS the lead announcement at WWDC, it was just to get it out of the way quickly before making all their other announcements. The news is that Amazon Prime Video will be coming to the Apple TV sometime later this year, and better yet, it will integrate with the TV app. It’s likely that there will be additional changes in tvOS before Apple’s big OS release in the fall.

watchOS, on the other hand, received quite a bit of love during the WWDC keynote. watchOS 4, due for free this fall, will feature a new Siri watch face that feeds you relevant information based on the time of day, your activities, and data from apps like Activity, Calendar, Maps, News, Reminders, and Wallet. Other new watch faces are for fun: Toy Story characters with tiny animations and a Kaleidoscope face that draws ever-changing patterns.

Since fitness tracking is important for the Apple Watch, Apple has made watchOS 4 pushier to help you stay on the exercise wagon. It will send morning notifications to encourage you to match the previous day’s activity levels or reach a new Achievement. It also nudges you in the evening to complete your activity rings and issues monthly exercise challenges tailored to your situation.

The Workout app will help pool swimmers track sets, pace, and distance for different stroke types. Triathletes will like being able to switch between workout types and later combine them into a single session for better tracking. Apple will also add motion and heart-rate algorithms for High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT). And if you work out in a gym, you’ll be able to sync exercise data with sufficiently capable gym equipment like treadmills, ellipticals, indoor bikes, and stair climbers.

If you listen to music while you work out, improvements to the Music app will be welcome. It will sync your most-listened music from your iPhone automatically, and if you subscribe to Apple Music, it will also pick up your favorite mixes.

Finally, watchOS 4 will make it easier for developers to connect the watch to more Bluetooth devices, such as for continuous glucose monitoring, analyzing your serve via a sensor on a tennis racket, or recording wave height and calorie burn via a sensor on your surfboard. Let us know if you have a sensor-enabled surfboard!

Happily, watchOS 4 will be compatible with both the original Apple Watch and the Apple Watch Series 2, so all Apple Watch owners will be able to enjoy these new features. Apple said nothing about new Apple Watch hardware, but we wouldn’t be surprised to see some before the holiday shopping season.

Some other big announcements we’ve covered…

June 15, 2017
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June 14, 2017

Sneak Peek: macOS 10.13 High Sierra

When Apple releases macOS 10.13 High Sierra this fall, it will include big behind-the-scenes improvements and a few upfront changes in core Apple apps like Safari, Mail, and Photos. The upgrade will be free, and High Sierra will run on all Macs that can run 10.12 Sierra now.

The most important change under the hood is a new file system called APFS (Apple File system), which is designed for modern needs like fast backups of massive amounts of data and optimal behavior when storing files on solid-state drives. The file system is the smarts beneath the Mac’s Finder, helping your Mac to keep track of all its data. The Finder itself won’t change much, but certain tasks like duplicating lots of data will be much faster.

Other low-level technology changes will enable developers to bring faster video streaming and playback to the Mac. Plus, they’ll be able to create graphically demanding apps that have even more realistic images, which is important for the fields of virtual reality and gaming.

More obviously, you can look forward to Safari providing a more enjoyable Web browsing experience, with fewer ads, articles opening in the less-cluttered Reader view, and no more auto-playing audio. You can customize all these settings, as well as the text zoom percentage, on a per-site basis.

Searching in Mail will be significantly faster, with a Top Hits area that Apple says will learn from you over time and get smarter about suggesting ideal results. Mail will also feature a redesigned split screen option that puts the compose window next to your messages, and your Mail archive will consume less drive space than before, thanks to better compression.

Photos gets a lot of attention from Apple in High Sierra, with a refined interface that should make it easier to find tools, syncing of facial recognition training between your Apple devices, new editing tools for fine-tuning and saturation, and fun choices for enhancing Live Photos. Also, Photos will finally allow integration with third-party editing apps like Photoshop and Pixelmator, along with support for printing projects to non-Apple print services, so you’ll have more choices in that area.

Overall, High Sierra looks like it will be a solid refinement on Sierra, with some core improvements for pro users and a nice collection of enhancements to apps that the rest of us use every day.

June 14, 2017
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