Bradley C

The discussion around macOS vs. iOS comes up every time Apple releases a new iPad Pro with hardware that the software seemingly cannot push. In my post WWDC reflections, an interesting idea came to mind on making the iPad more useful: What if Apple allowed Parallels and VMware to offer virtualization on iPadOS?

Over the past few weeks, I’ve been testing the Aqara M2 hub, and it’s a worthy addition to HomeKit. I’ve been using the original Aqara hub in my home for the better part of a year. I’ve done a complete reversal on my opinion on the use of hubs between devices and HomeKit. In my early days of using HomeKit, I preferred devices that worked on Wi-Fi or Bluetooth without using a hub. In practice, I’ve found that the devices attached to hubs are the most reliable in my HomeKit setup.

In this episode of the Apple @ Work podcast, Bradley is joined by Ziad Lammam, VP of Product Management at Teradici to discuss their new collaboration with MacStadium.

Apple @ Work is brought to you by Kandji, the MDM solution built exclusively for organizations that run on Apple. Kandji is a modern, cloud-based platform for centrally managing and securing your Mac, iPhone, iPad, and Apple TV devices, saving IT teams countless hours of manual work with features like one-click compliance templates and 150+ pre-built automations, apps, and workflows. Request access.

I’ve been using Nest thermostats for the past seven years, and they’re pretty fantastic products. One thing they lack is HomeKit support, though. Starling Home Hub is a turn-key solution to bridge that gap, though. It brings all Nest-connected home products into HomeKit, including thermostats, cameras, and more. Today, the 9.0 firmware update opens up more Nest products into the Apple ecosystem. After installing the update, Google Nest speakers and the Google Nest smart displays will support AirPlay for music, podcasts, etc.

One of the most exciting weeks of the year for us in the Apple ecosystem is almost here. Apple’s World Wide Developer Conference kicks off next week. Although it’s virtual once again, we’re all looking forward to an exciting week of announcements as we get a look at what’s coming in iOS 15, iPadOS 15, macOS 13, and hopefully some announcements for tvOS. On the enterprise side, I am looking forward to the “What’s new with Apple device management” session that usually happens in the middle of the week. We’re coming up on a year since Apple’s acquisition of Fleetsmith, so it’s going to be interesting to see if we hear any news about it. Even that withstanding, here are some things I’d love to see from Apple in regards to enterprise and K–12 device management for this round of software upgrades.

With WWDC fast approaching, I am most excited to see what platform improvements Apple makes to HomeKit to continue making it the best place to build your smart home. So here’s my HomeKit wishlist for iOS 15.

One of Apple’s spring education announcements was iOS remote support for teachers in Apple Classroom. Remote support on iOS is something I never thought I’d see, but a global pandemic changed many plans for everyone. With many schools still virtual across the US, remote support is something that all schools need. On macOS, remote support is a solved problem with multiple solutions. On iOS, though, it was previously another story. In situations where I needed to give someone on iOS remote support, I had even resorted to using FaceTime on one device to view the screen of another. After thinking about this feature’s implications, I am convinced this is step one on a path to iOS offering remote support to education, businesses, and eventually end-users.

E-ink technology is typically found in Kindle devices, but it’s one of the critical features of the Qingping Bluetooth digital thermometer.

Today, the University of Nevada, Reno announced that the iPad Air would power its Digital Wolf Pack initiative for its incoming freshman for the Fall of 2021 as students return to campus.

The iPad Air, launched during a pandemic-filled 2020, has quickly become a favorite of education and enterprise customers. Although slightly more expensive than the low-end iPad, the iPad Air is a powerful way to use iPadOS with support for almost all of Apple’s smart accessories.

Kandji has taken the wraps off its latest addition to its Apple mobile device management platform. Kandji Liftoff was designed to create the perfect first-day experience when setting up a Mac at work. Using Kandji Liftoff, IT departments can automatically take an unboxed Mac and set it up with all the right apps, settings, and security controls in place before the user logs in for the first time.

In this episode of the Apple @ Work podcast, Bradley is joined by Alcyr Araujo, the CEO of Mosyle, to discuss their recent product announcements.

Sponsored by DEVONthink 3: Manage documents the smart way on iPhone, iPad, and Mac. Apple @ Work listeners get 10% off with this link. 

A few weeks ago, 9to5Mac exclusively broke the news that Claris Connects was adding support for syncing student information systems to Apple School Manager. Since the news broke, I’ve heard from several IT managers at K–12 schools that are highly excited by the prospect of the integration going forward. Let’s dive into why Claris Connect will be a big part of a K–12 administrator’s life in the future.

Smart outlets are one of the simplest ways to start your smart home journey, and I’ve tried almost all of the ones that support HomeKit. With its new Thread support, the Eve Energy will become my go-to recommendation until other products add Thread supports.

A few weeks ago, I wrote an article looking at what was the best calendar app for iPhone. While considering all the various options, I started coming across a lot of macOS alternatives. For whatever reason, the built-in calendar for Mac hasn’t been working great for me recently, so I thought I’d look at what’s the best calendar app for the Mac.

Have you ever wondered what the best calendar app for the iPhone was? Calendar apps for iPhone are a tough thing to offer advice about because different people use them in different ways. Some people are busier than others (meeting-wise), and others use their calendar as a to-do system (personally I question your sanity if you are this way). All of the primary calendar apps I tried are great but might not fit how you use a calendar app.

On the heels of its first anniversary, CleanShot X is launching CleanShot Cloud Pro with powerful features to make one of the best screenshot apps on macOS even better.

A few weeks ago, Apple debuted a new “Find My Certification Asst.” app today designed to let third-party companies test how their accessories will work with the Find My application. This news comes after Apple announced at WWDC 2020 that it would open up the Find My network to third-party products. Ahead of the debut of AirTags, Apple announced that Chipolo would be one of the early partners for Find My integration. I received an advanced unit ahead of the June release, and I can confidently say that it’s every bit as good as AirTags unless you want the U1 chip for precise item tracking. Read on to learn more about the Chipolo ONE Spot.

Apple @ Work is brought to you by Kandji, the MDM solution built exclusively for organizations that run on Apple. Kandji is a modern, cloud-based platform for centrally managing and securing your Mac, iPhone, iPad, and Apple TV devices, saving IT teams countless hours of manual work with features like one-click compliance templates and 150+ pre-built automations, apps, and workflows. Request access.

Device security is at the forefront for any IT department. While many professionals are familiar with how to secure Windows in an enterprise environment, they might not be as up-to-date on how to secure macOS. In this guide, I’ll give some steps to consider, but this isn’t meant to be an exhaustive guide as every industry and company will have different requirements, so consider this information a “starting point.”