by As I clack out these words, Christmas is just a day away, and many of you are (or soon will be) nestled comfortably in the embracing bosom of your family and friends. May I suggest that rather than tossing another pair of wooly socks or reindeer-themed undergarments at these folks you instead share some of the technology skills you’ve acquired over the years?
If you’re reading these words, it’s highly likely that you’re the geek of the family. When a sister’s, brother’s, mother’s, father’s, second cousin’s Mac, iOS device, wireless router, or printer goes bad, it’s you who are called in as the first responder. Given your expertise, now would be the perfect time to give of yourself and, while visiting family, take a turn through their technology. That includes:
Update their stuff: Fire up their copy of the Mac App Store (or Software Update if they’re using an older version of the Mac OS) and see what’s on offer. More often than not, your loved ones haven’t a clue about what a software update contains and so they ignore it. You be the judge of what is and isn’t worth updating. When doing this arm yourself with the Mac’s administrator’s password, run Software Update, and see what’s waiting. Install those updates that matter (particularly security updates).
Of course your friends and family have more software than what’s offered at the Mac App Store. Take a gander at the applications they use most often and look for a Check for Updates entry under the application menu. Before you give it up as a job well done, if the object of your affection has an iOS device, tap Settings > General > Software Update and see if their device is up to date.
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