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MacBook Pro 2019 Setup

Setting up the new machine. I found a few tips on brightness, dark mode and notifications from this Digital Trends article, but I had a few other things I wanted to tweak.

Fixing the AppleTV app red badge notification:
I quickly noticed a red “1” badge above the AppleTV app. This badge would not go away even after launching the AppleTV app. I had to delete some .prefs files and reboot using instructions found on Apple support: https://discussions.apple.com/thread/250825516?answerId=251577107022#251577107022 Specifically, deleting ~/Library/Preferences/com.apple.ncprefs.plist and ~/Library/Preferences/com.apple.TV.plist worked for me. Don’t worry, the files are recreated when you launch the app again. That allowed me to then configure the badge notifications in the System Preferences.

AutoBoot on lid open:
AutoBoot on lid open is a neat feature, but can be problematic when wanting to clean your keyboard and magic pad area. Disabling AutoBoot is just a quick terminal command can make all the difference.

Disable AutoBoot on lid open on MacBook Pro 2019:

sudo nvram AutoBoot=%00

Return to default:

sudo nvram AutoBoot=%03

During this research I also discovered a similar command to bring back the startup chime.

Enable startup chime on newer Macs:

sudo nvram StartupMute=%00

Disable startup chime:

sudo nvram StartupMute=%01

AutoBoot Source 1: https://www.cultofmac.com/646104/stop-macbook-autoboot-upon-opening/

AutoBoot Source 2: https://osxdaily.com/2017/01/19/disable-boot-on-open-lid-macbook-pro/

Startup Chime Source 1: https://tidbits.com/2020/02/24/tipbits-enable-the-startup-chime-on-new-macs/

Startup Chime Source 2: https://appleinsider.com/articles/20/02/22/how-to-turn-your-mac-startup-chime-back-on

 

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Getting Apple Music and Family Sharing Sorted

Recently, I decided to give Apple Music a try. The Family Sharing plan at $14.99 is the way to go if there are other music lovers in your family. Apple makes the plan and process fairly simple. The challenge comes when you and members of your family separate your apple IDs for purchases. I do this for security purposes, but it does create a bit of a hassle. I added my wife under her primary Apple ID, but she had to change her setting for purchases in order to subscribe under the family plan.

Some informational resources that helped.

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Upgrade: Late 2019 16 Inch MacBook Pro

Is it time to upgrade from the Late 2013 MacBook Pro?

Comparing raw CPU specs… https://cpu.userbenchmark.com/Compare/Intel-Core-i9-9980HK-vs-Intel-Core-i7-4960HQ/m797907vsm9629

A comprehensive review from MacWorld: https://www.macworld.com/article/3454905/16-inch-macbook-pro-2019-review.html

Hands-on benchmark and performance tests: https://www.macrumors.com/2019/11/19/16-inch-macbook-pro-benchmarks/

With some serious performance gains and the 6% discount Apple is offering when purchasing with an Apple Card, I think it’s time to upgrade!

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iTunes No Longer Manages Apps

Looks like Apple is making an effort to slim down iTunes. The most recent update mentions that your apps will no longer be managed in iTunes. You need to do that in the mobile device App Store.

I have a few homemade ringtones and was wasn’t sure how I’d be able to create new ones, but looks like there is still a way to do so (for now). Check out the Apple support page HT201593 to manually manage content on your mobile device and this one specifically for ringtones..

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Unlocking My iPhone 6

I’ve had my iPhone 6 for about two years and wanted to unlock it. I followed the device unlock request procedure from AT&T and all went well. I received the email confirmation with instructions to backup my phone, erase all content and settings and then restore the phone from the backup. After making a backup via iTunes, I disconnected the phone and went to the settings to deactivate “find my phone” and then erase the phone. It basically just hung with an apple logo and progress bar that did not progress for 10-15 minutes. I decided to reboot and try another method. This is what worked for me.

Before you begin, be sure you know your iCloud password and phone passcode.

  • Connect to iTunes
  • Create a backup (click the button to create backup)
  • Keep iPhone connected – do NOT disconnect the iPhone from the computer
  • After backup is complete, open settings on the iPhone and first deactivate “find my phone” and then sign out of iCloud
  • Navigate back to main settings screen and scroll down to select the option to erase iPhone
  • The erase process took only a few seconds and then iTunes updated to indicate the iPhone had been successfully unlocked.
  • Click “continue” and select the option to restore from backup.

If all goes well, you should be back up and running in less then 30 minutes.

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