Topic: All About the iPad

In this Post-PC era the iPad seems to be at the forefront of our new computing world. Join us this month as we discuss everything iPad; from cool new Apps like iPhoto for the iPad, secrets and forgotten features, to all your questions about this device. Don’t have an iPad but curious about it? Come find out this month. As always we will save time for your Mac, iPhone, iPad and iPod questions.

Topic: The Popularity of Apple and the Impact on Users.

Whether breakfast television is reporting on the malware trojan, getting excited about working conditions in FoxConn or over heating iPads …. there is no doubt that there has been a flurry of recent media activity about and around Apple because Apple is no longer that funky little company out of Cupertino. Instead it is the largest corporation – by Market Cap – on the planet. So suddently people are taking notice. We can talk about that – but the question is – what does it mean to us – the users. What is the impact ?

• We are no longer a minority – what does that do to the fanboy image mentality ?
• Here come the ‘Virus’ panic – how to handle. Is it because of popularity ?
• Should you not buy an iPad because it ‘overheats’ ?
• Who DO you listen to for accurate information ?
• Where is Apple going with these products and the logic of Mountain Lion ?

Come along with your questions and lets explore how much is media hype and how much is real – and what can you and should you be doing about it.

As always we will save time for questions and answers – so bring them all and directions to our meeting can be found here.

Apple has released software updates for systems running OS X Lion and Mac OS X v10.6 that will update Java to fix the security flaw, and remove the Flashback malware if it is present.

Read More – andy what to do @ Apple Support

Personal opinion ? Like som much of news – massive exaggeration – and of course – because it is Apple – the bandwagon is in full flight about how the world is about to come to an end …..

It isn’t.

Really – It isn’t.

This article aside (I like Dave Winer a lot – and his point is valid), WITHOUT some calm and sense prevailing – the gap will be filled with rumor, myth and wrong information.

First – some data – I have no idea how many Apple computers there are in the world  - but only 600,000 of them have been affected.

There are however estimates of 900 million to 1 billion computers in the world today. So, even if Apple had a 10% of ALL of them (they don’t by a long shot) – that means there are around 100 million Apple computers

Which means that around 0.6 percent of ALL Apples are estimated to have the virus.

OK – so what is the virus ?

Here’s what are friends at F-Secure have to say :

Summary
Trojan-Downloader:OSX/Flashback.I connects to a remote site to download its payload; on successful infection, the malware modifies targeted webpages displayed in the web browser.

Think about that – IF you are one of the substantially less than .6% of Apple computer owners that have been affected – it will mean that the malware will modify certain webpages displayed in the web browser – when you visit them. It doesn’t corrupt your data, destroy your files, spam your address book. It is malware.

OK – but you still want to get rid of it right ?

If you are feeling brave go here – now.

If you are not feeling so brave – and not so technically minded – then still go here - (it is the same page) - and note the first three instructions :

Manual Removal Instructions

1. Run the following command in Terminal:defaults read /Applications/Safari.app/Contents/Info LSEnvironment
2. Take note of the value, DYLD_INSERT_LIBRARIES
3. Proceed to step 8if you got the following error message:”The domain/default pair of (/Applications/Safari.app/Contents/Info, LSEnvironment) does not exist”

For the vast majority of you – statistically 99.4 % of you – when you get that message “The domain/default pair of (/Applications/Safari.app/Contents/Info, LSEnvironment) does not exist” – then know you are safe.

If you don’t get that message – then the instructions 4 onwards – tells you what to do – and that can either be YOU or one of your friendly neighborhood techies :0

Please email me if I can help you further. I am traveling at the moment – but always online

This Months Topic: Maui iPhone and iPad Developers Forum- Join us this month as we meet some local Maui individuals who have had iOS apps developed for their business and/or are developers themselves. This meeting forum is designed to share and understand the perspective and ideas from individuals developing applications. We will get to see these applications in action and have a question and answer with these individuals. Directions to our meeting can be found >HERE.

1. Lock Your Phone

2. Use ‘Find My iPhone’ Or Similar Services

3. Don’t Leave Your Smartphone Unattended

4. Don’t Give Your Phone to Strangers

5. Keep Your Smartphone Up-to-Date

6. Manage Location Settings

7. Do App Due Diligence

8. Don’t Download Apps From Untrusted Sources

9. Watch Those Attachments!

10. Encrypt Smartphone Data

Read the whole article here.

At the same time – I have added a new section – called ‘Presentations’ – where we will add future presentations for posterity.

Enjoy.

Visit the presentation section now – or visit the FULL presentation on Apps, IMAP, Browsers, iPhones – Hanging Them All Together

This Months Topic: Whatcha-MAC-callit? With technology shifting faster than some of can keep up with, terms like “cloud” and “IMAP email” can just seem a bit confusing. To add to the confusion is figuring out where all this stuff is at on your computer, iPad or iPhone device. Join us this month as we try to untangle these terms and use Apple’s Spotlight search to help guide us in finding what we need on our Mac and iOS devices. As always bring your Mac, iPhone and iPad questions. Directions can be found here.

Our thanks to

THE INFO MANAGER
A weekly column from the mice of Lynn Wegley and Fred Showker.

Lynn is a UGN veteran (AOL User Groups Forum) and User Group Network.
He’s been a supporter and volunteer on many, many UGNet and User Group Academy projects. As a long time user group member, he’s been a volunteer from Honolulu to Boston and beyond.

Currently working primarily the with the Cowtown MUG of Ft. Worth but also works with the Apple Corp of Dallas and is a lifetime member of TUMS the Tulsa Users of Macintosh
Society).

Fred has been user group guy since 1986, through the AOL UG Forum days, then out onto the web.

for the links and heads up.