Capitol Macintosh

Apple’s next operating system, Lion, OS 10.7, is now available! While this is great news and will be a very nice product with many cool features, you may not be ready for it. All new computers will be shipped pre-loaded with Lion and Apple has already stopped producing Snow Leopard. This means that you will not be able to get a computer or disk with Snow Leopard. Why does this matter? First there are known concerns.  Rosetta will not be supported. That means that anyone who uses Office 2008 or earlier, Quicken or any other application that relies on Rosetta ‘translation’ will not work with Lion.
Second, there are unknown concerns: Which drivers for printers and other devices are not yet ready? What other applications are not supported? What compatibility quirks will there be initially?

We’ve  been playing with Lion and exploring what we can, until the final release in real working environments is tested, there are many questions that remain. It usually takes several updates and 3-6 months to feel comfortable moving to a complete OS overhaul. There is a free download of Lion for new machines purchased with Snow Leopard, so you can get it for free and simply upgrade later, when you are ready instead of when Apple is ready.

Please call us or email if you have questions.

(This MACDefender isn’t in any way associated with the German company called MacDefender that runs the MacDefender.org Web site and writes geocaching and other GPS-related software.)

A specific combination of actions needs to occur for MACDefender to be downloaded and installed, including visiting a poisoned Web site, and then entering an admin password in the installer.  If this happens, MACDefender adds itself to the login items, displays a menu bar icon, and looks like a real  antivirus program. See the Intego security memo for screenshots of what it looks like.

MACDefender’s goal appears to be to scam users into paying for the program, and to that end, it claims to find viruses and also opens porn sites in the user’s browser every few minutes in an attempt to make the user think they’re infected. After paying, the
warnings disappear. Of course, it’s entirely likely that the purchase process is designed as much to steal credit card numbers as to make money from purchases, given that the charges can be reversed if the user discovers the scam.

MacDefender is an example of “scareware,” an increasingly popular type of malware that attempts to trick users into thinking they are infected with viruses in order to extort money (and credit card numbers).

Moving from Windows to OS X means rewiring your muscle memory and learning to do old things in new ways. The basic stuff you do dozens of times a day— opening and closing programs and files, managing windows—are all done differently on a Mac. Switching can feel like you’ve been transported to a country where the language sounds vaguely familiar, but is definitely not your native tongue.  The “Switching to Mac Super guide” will give you a quick orientation.  To get your copy drop Dave an email:  dcore@capmac.net.

Again, for the 13th time in a row, Capitol Macintosh has been honored with Apple’s Commitment to Excellence award!

The Commitment To Excellence Program  recognizes the top  AASPs (Apple Authorized Serivce Providers) who have implemented and utilize best practices to maximize their AppleCare Service Excellence (ACSE) scores in the four key metrics: repair turnaround time,  turnaround time, first-time fix and parts per repair.

Our continued success, thanks to you our customers, puts Cap Mac in the top 2 % of all Apple service providers in North America

Now there’s a better, more environmentally friendly way to power your wireless keyboard, Magic Mouse, Magic Trackpad, or just about anything that requires AA batteries.

The Apple Battery Charger kit comes with a sleek, compact charger and six high-performance AA NiMH batteries that are ready to use right out of the box. The reusable batteries are exceptional at holding a charge and last for up to 10 years. Which means you can finally break the cycle of buying and disposing of those single-use alkaline batteries.

The Christmas holiday has come and gone.   Companies have introduced hot items. Retailers hosted major sales events. Holiday revelers across the country planned parties and held gift exchange parties. While everyone was enjoying the spirit of the season, there is one thing that puts a small damper on holiday cheer: waste.

At Capitol Mac, we’re doing our small part by taking in batteries for recycling.  Cellphones, computers,  power tools:  Nickel Cadmium (Ni-Cd ), Nickel Metal Hydride (Ni-MH), Lithium Ion (Li-Ion), Nickel Zinc (Ni-Zn) and Small Sealed Lead (SSLA/Pb).

Please don’t trash your batteries - bring them in so we can recycle them.  For more information contact  Call2REcycle.