Answers to common Mac, iPhone, iPad, and iPod questions

W

Warbington

IGN VIP
Jan 26, 2001
26,661
2
Official Threads
Community Thread
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General Questions
When are new Macs, iPhone, or iPads coming out?
Check out buyersguide.macrumors.com to get a rough idea. Usually no one knows when a new product will be released until it is, but the buyers guide has a good summary of rumors, with estimates based on past updates.

How do I take care of my MacBook, iPhone, iPad, or iPod battery?
You will find everything you need at Apple's battery page and iPodBatteryFAQ.com (much of which applies to laptops as well). One of the best links you'll find at iPodBatteryFAQ.com is this article on how to prolong lithium-based batteries at Battery University.

What are some good Mac and iOS sites worth checking out?
Find Out How for great videos on the Mac basics
Mac 101 for more detailed info
Switch 101 for tips on switching from Windows
Apple's Support Site for great answers to common questions
Mac OS X Hints for advanced tricks
MacRumors for the latest Mac and iOS rumors
MacStories and TUAW for more Apple news and rumors
AppShopper for a great way to find Mac and iOS apps
Apple Special Deals for great deals, just like new, full warranty
Mac2Sell and Gazelle for pricing and selling old Apple stuff

Mac OS X
Mac won't boot, or another major problem?
Hold Command-R (or Option) while you turn it on! If something serious goes wrong with Lion, you can usually use Lion Recovery to fix it. Feel free to ask if you need help.

How do I install or delete apps?
These days you'll probably get most of your software from the App Store. But for software you get elsewhere, the installation process can be confusing at first. See here for an explanation! You can delete most apps just by moving them to the trash. If you ran an installer to install the app, look for an uninstaller that came with it.

What are the best apps?
Aside from the Mac App Store, check out bestmacsoftware.org for a solid list of stuff you won't find there. Some "must haves" are The Unarchiver, Perian, Flip4Mac WMV, and VLC. MacUpdate is a great place to search for apps you may not find in the App Store.

How do I play FLV, AVI, DivX, or Windows Media files?
Perian and Flip4Mac WMV will let you play most formats in QuickTime Player, plus they add support for Quick Look in Finder, and other apps. VLC is another solid option.

What are these different keyboard symbols in menus?
mac_keyboard_symbols.gif

Here are some common keyboard shortcuts. Most Windows shortcuts are the same—just use command instead of ctrl. For screenshots, try Command-Shift-3 or Command-Shift-4. With the latter, press the spacebar to toggle between two modes.

iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch
Device won't start up, or another serious problem?
These steps may help—they're pretty much the same on an iPhone or iPad. If it's a real mess and you're stuck during the restore process, DFU mode may help.

What are the best apps?
Check out Apple's Hall of Fame, App Starter Kit, Games Starter Kit, and Great Free Apps. For iPad apps, see the iPad Hall of Fame, iPad App Starter Kit, iPad Games Starter Kit, and iPad Great Free Apps.

Can't find what you're looking for?
Just make a new thread and ask!

FAQ written by robotspacer and XIcarus with contributions from niamer and ungibbed
 
Last edited by a moderator:
K

KJD88

shake a titty
Aug 20, 2004
2,719
0
Great FAQ!!! This should replace the sticky.

edit:well it became a sticky.
 
S

Spanca

Noob
Aug 22, 2000
12,918
0
Nice to see it updated and cleaned up :)

Good work Mike, Warb and of course Xicarus
 
J

Josey1971

Prime Member
Oct 28, 2002
109
0
Excellent FAQ. You hit the important points, pump up the Mac's strengths and still admit it's weaknesses (less then 5% market share and poor gaming platform).

 
J

joeycyw

Cheese?
Oct 29, 2000
14,549
0
This is awsome! I just got a apple laptop recently and this thread is extremely useful. Thank you!
 
buttgumpling

buttgumpling

roar
Sep 12, 2000
9,719
9
Good guide, some good links ;).
There isn't a way to write directly to an NTFS drive on the same computer is there?

I wonder what does that @ symbol beside the thrash can does..
 
R

robotspacer

Pulse Code Modulator
Jun 5, 2003
36,259
45
buttgumpling said:
There isn't a way to write directly to an NTFS drive on the same computer is there?
Click to expand...
Not from os x, that I've ever heard of.

buttgumpling said:
I wonder what does that @ symbol beside the thrash can does..
Click to expand...
That's a link to a web site. You can drag it out if you don't want it, or drag your own in your own by clicking and dragging the icon next to the web site address in your browser.
 
buttgumpling

buttgumpling

roar
Sep 12, 2000
9,719
9
ah , well it doesn't matter much anyway. I can read from ntfs on mac, and winxp can read from mac (with macdrive i think).. I could also use a network... I think I'm sounding like those Mac ads now >_<

I moved the @ thing over to the address bar in firefox..it blew up and is gone now :D
 
keir48

keir48

No Longer a Noob
Mar 6, 2002
11,621
730
This new Mac user thanks you for a fantastic FAQ. I just learned a ton of stuff I didn't know.
 
N

niamer

Noob
Mar 18, 2007
2,567
0

Here's a slightly better (IMO) image for the keyboard symbols:

[image=http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v32/dhtns/misc/mac_key_symbols.png]

In the old one, some of the symbols are kinda distorted while this one shows what the symbols actually look like in OS X.

And also, the order in the old one is a bit off.

(Yes I'm nitpicky. Sosumi! [face_tongue] )
 
DarkhorseMarine

DarkhorseMarine

Almost Not a Noob
Dec 22, 2006
4,105
2
CA
I just finished reading it. Amazing faqs with useful links too. Thank you for putting this together. I found it very helpful in helping me get up to speed on the Mac platform. I have already applied some of this stuff to my computer already. Gained 3 gigs in hard drive space off the last sticky/faqs thread.

I can't believe how I overlooked this thread since posting last year in the Apple boards. Great tips and articles were fun to read.
 
F

fisto-dude

Long Title Is Loooooooooooooooooooooooooong
Aug 5, 2014
26,186
25,543
want to trade for an android. how do i go about doing this?
 
C

cocopufs200

Noob
Jan 31, 2010
100
24
USA
I just bought a "broken" red ipod touch 3rd generation in perfect condition off of a ebay auction. The seller sent me a message that it has a white screen but on the last day of the auction he turned it on and it booted up perfectly normal. He never changed the auction and he says it now works. Does anyone know what the real problem is to this white screen? I saw a bunch of ways to fix it so if i receive it and it has a white screen ill try them.

The ipod has no damage at all. The back casing has very light scratches unlike most used ipods. No dents the front is in perfect condition.

Any ideas?

Obb2JmK.png
 
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