Bradley has worked at K-12 independent schools for much of the last 20 years, serving as the head of the information technology department and leading classroom technology integration. He’s well-versed in enterprise Wi-Fi, macOS and iOS system management, school technology, and SaaS tools.
I’ve just finished deploying the base model 2020 MacBook Air to our entire faculty and I have been using an upgraded model myself for the past few weeks as well. After spending time with both models, I’ve concluded that the 2020 MacBook Air for K-12 is a device that has few compromises for teachers and students.
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When “HomeKit buttons” came out a few years ago, I initially laughed them off. My thought was if I wanted to press a physical button to turn on my lights, I’d use the regular light switch. That thought was before I aggressively expanded my HomeKit use cases. Like with anything related to smart homes, it’s not about tying an individual action to an automation, but rather tying devices together. While I love using Siri via HomePod to activate scenes, after thinking through our routines, I realized a physical button might make sense in our daily lives. Is the Eve Button a useful device for a HomeKit home? Let’s dig into what it can do.
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If you’ve read my coverage of Apple in the enterprise on 9to5Mac, you know that I am a heavy user of Jamf for my school. Securing an Apple environment in a K-12 school is one thing, but how do you secure an IT network with NASA? Read More
Beats 1 has had an interesting place in my music listening routine. I still remember the first day that it launched worldwide. My entire social feed was dominated by people talking about what was playing. In the past five years, I go weeks without seeing a mention of it. Occasionally, I’ll see a tweet about a famous artist joining a show, but those are few and far between. I had almost forgotten that Beats 1 even existed, and I’ve not listened to a show all year long. I believe in the format, but also I think it’s time to expand its scope. What’s next for Beats 1?
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Hope, Through History podcast is a recent addition to my subscription list. In a world dominated by fear at the moment, it provides some great context on everything we’re facing.
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Device imaging in the IT world has been commonplace for a very long time. It’s the process of taking a purchased laptop/desktop and applying a custom setup before deploying it to the end-user. This custom setup will include items like corporate applications, corporate policies, etc. Once a custom image has been applied to the machine, it can then be deployed to the end-user. For many years, this practice has been the standard operating procedure for corporate IT departments. For Apple organizations, imaging is dead, and the device enrollment program is now the process IT departments should be using.
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When I open the AmpliFi app on my iPhone, I see 50 devices. The majority of them are HomeKit enabled devices, and I’ve recently become obsessed with a product line that needs HomeKit compatibility. It’s led me to think about what I’d like to see added to Apple’s supported categories for HomeKit in the future. Would you buy a HomeKit vacuum?
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I’ve been using Spike as my primary email client since early February, and while it takes a bit to unlearn some of your existing email habits, I find it to be the best email app for my use case. I find myself processing emails faster than I could ever do in a traditional email app. If you haven’t heard of Spike, I highly encourage you to read my review. Today, Spike released a new version of its app with two new additional components of the app: Spike tasks and notes. I’ve been testing these features for the past few weeks, and I am excited that it’s now out for general release.
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I have previously written about my frustration With iBooks Author and iTunes U, and Apple has now announced both of these products are being discontinued. iBooks Author will no longer be updated, and iTunes U is being discontinued at the end of 2021.
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In this episode of the Apple @ Work podcast, Bradley is joined by Adam Vazquez of Heard Podcasts to discuss business podcasts, why now is a great time for brands to start a podcast, and how to get started.
Sponsored by iMazing: The popular iOS device manager which gives you unparalleled control over iOS and iPadOS data. Request your free trial now.
I’ve been on the search for the perfect car mount for my iPhone for years. I’ve tried multiple options, and I’ve finally found my favorite one. After doing research and reading countless reviews, I’ve finally settled on the iOttie Wireless Car Charger. With built-in wireless (Qi) charging, it’s the perfect accessory for the iPhone to stay hands-free in the car.
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One of the benefits of technology is that we have the world’s library of information at our fingertips. There are ideas and information we all probably assume we have correct, but what if we don’t? That is why I love the podcast “You’re Wrong About.”
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COVID–19 will likely change a lot of things in our world forever, and I’ve been thinking through a lot of what will change in the enterprise technology world. One of the key things I’ve come to realize is that new device onboarding and deployment will have to become zero-touch in a world where employees will likely be remote at least part of the time.
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After I reviewed the eufyCam 2 and Netatmo cameras, I got several emails asking why I am so passionate about HomeKit Secure Video when it has had a somewhat of a buggy/slow rollout. Rather than respond to each person individually, I thought it would be better to write about why HomeKit Secure Video matters, and why I think it’s a fundamental part of the HomeKit experience. Before you invest in a home camera platform, you need to consider long term security.
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Starling Home Hub is a great add on for homes with Nest products that also use HomeKit. Starling Home Hub is a hardware device that plugs into a router than then runs a web server that bridges HomeKit and Nest products. Starling Home Hub is compatible with Nest thermostats, Nest Protect, Nest Cam Indoor/Outdoor/IQ, Nest Hello, Nest × Yale Lock, and Nest Secure (Guard and Detect). In the latest firmware (6.2) for the Starling Home Hub, some nice new features have been added that will delight those who are deep into the Nest ecosystem.
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Listening to podcasts is on par with TV, movies, and books in my life. I probably spend more time listening to podcasts than watching TV in a given week. I love podcasts because I can enjoy them while cooking, cleaning, commuting, etc. My wife and I subscribe to several Patreon’s for various podcasts we listen to each week. Still, it can often be a clunky process in finding the link, figuring out which tier we want, and getting the bonus content (audio files, etc.). I believe it’s time for Apple to allow podcast donations right inside of Apple Podcasts with options to get bonus content. Especially as the ‘Podcast Wars’ heat up between Apple and Spotify, Apple needs to evolve its platform.
QCODE is back with another show that is going to give them another hit. I just finished up episode one, and I can’t wait to hear more of the story. If you aren’t familiar with QCODE, they previously published shows like The Left Right Game and Blackout.
As it became apparent that COVID–19 would send schools home, many IT directors suddenly had to build out distant learning solutions overnight. Since then, I’ve read about countless deployments of Google Classroom, Schoology, and other Learning Management Solutions being used to support at-home learning. There is one app I’ve not seen a single mention of during COVID–19, and that is iTunes U.
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The FIDO Alliance, which is backed by Apple, Google, and Microsoft want to eliminate password complexity. Today, they are launching a brand new website to help educate consumers on what Login with FIDO is all about.
As schools wrap up their school year and prepare for a summer of new deployments, network upgrades, and backup plans for distance learning, Apple has begun to release updates to their K-12-focused iPad app. The Classroom app and Schoolwork app have now been updated with some new features and workflows to assist teachers and technical directors.
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In this episode of the Apple @ Work podcast, Bradley is joined by Lindsey Koshansky of Locus Health to discuss at-home patient monitoring with iPad, improving patient satisfaction, and the future of healthcare.
Sponsored by iMazing: The popular iOS device manager which gives you unparalleled control over iOS and iPadOS data. Request your free trial now.
The rise of Zoom could be the headline for the 2020 technology scene. Zoom has replaced classrooms, board meetings, concerts, and even some low budget sporting events. What I find interesting about Zoom is how it took off for video communications while we had other services that were better in a lot of ways. I particularly want to look at FaceTime during COVID-19, and how despite having a nearly decade long existence and being built into every iOS and macOS device, it didn’t have its ‘Zoom’ moment, and why Zoom became the new default group video service.
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One of my favorite podcasts of 2019 was Spectacular Failures. I discovered it right after it was released, and I couldn’t wait for each episode to be released. My favorite episode was the one where they looked into Toys R Us. I had heard that Toys R Us was actually headed towards profitability, but the private equity firms that owned it shut it down and took plenty of money in the progress.
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Ubiquiti is a popular networking choice for small and medium-sized businesses. It offers extremely low costs with a useful feature set for many organization’s needs. There are a lot of plusses and minuses to using Ubiquiti products, but I am not getting into that aspect today. What I do want to look at are Ubiquiti management options.