Ask an Apple Nerd.

[variegate]

hi, i need to ask something. somehow i can't open any pdf file in my iphone 4.The ibook itself refuse to open. it stated something is wrong with the configuration. try to delete and download a new one yet it doesn't do any good. any idea? do i really need to restore my phone?

Does it give you an error?

More specific information about what goes wrong, what errors show up, etc is helpful.

Which phone, which version of iOS.

If iBooks itself refuses to open . . . that's not normal.

Here are a few things you can try

1. Try killing the saved state of iBooks

double-press the home button to bring up the task bar, touch and hold on iBooks until the delete button show up

tap that to clear the saved state

2. Restart your phone

hold down the home button until the red slider shows up, slide it.

Phone will shut down

Hold the 'sleep' button to turn it back on

3. Reinstall iBooks

Touch and hold on the iBooks icon until it wiggles, tap the X and delete it (hit 'OK' on the pop up to confirm)

Redownload from the app store and see if that fixes it.

4. Back up your iPhone and restore it.

Make sure you have a full recent backup either on your computer or iCloud.

CHECK AGAIN AND MAKE SURE YOU HAVE A FULL BACKUP AVAILABLE

Wipe your phone: Settings> General> Reset > Reset All Settings

Confirm that

You'll have a re-set phone and then you can restore from iCloud/Backup

Caveats: If you have jailbroken your phone and/or installed Cydia all bets are off. Many things could be wrong in that case.

If none of these things work . . . it might be time to bring it to the Apple Store as there is probably something wrong with the hardware.

Also: its possible the PDF you are trying to open is corrupted. In that case . . . well, you wont be able to open it.

[thomass]

cop the current macbook pro or wait for the 2012 release?

[leyori]

it give me no error except i can't open ibook. anw its iphone 4 , the os 5.0.1 and yes its jailbroken. maybe i need to restore it? i tried all the 3 options that u gave me and none is work. its so lazy for me to restore anw the error is

Configuration Error

There is a problem with the configuration of your iphone. Please restore with itunes or redownload ibooks

[variegate]

cop the current macbook pro or wait for the 2012 release?

If you don't have an immediate need - I'd wait. The next one will be massively redesigned, much thinner and will lose its DVD drive.

It will also potentially have a smaller HD which will be an SSD.

it give me no error except i can't open ibook. anw its iphone 4 , the os 5.0.1 and yes its jailbroken. maybe i need to restore it? i tried all the 3 options that u gave me and none is work. its so lazy for me to restore anw the error is

Configuration Error

There is a problem with the configuration of your iphone. Please restore with itunes or redownload ibooks

This is just a general rule but . . . if you jailbreak it - don't be surprised if something breaks.

Restore it to normal function or go to a Cydia forum to ask for help.

Sorry if I come off as a dick - but if you want things to work correctly and you're not highly technically savvy, don't jailbreak.

[home]

more of a mac OS question.. been bugging me for months

i vaguely remember accidentally removing my downloads folder from my dock.. i replaced it shortly thereafter from macHD / users / me. whilst it operates fine, the preview file almost always remains as a blank white sheet (second from right, below), which is not the most recently added file. i have it set to 'date added' / 'stack' / 'grid view'. what's up?

Edited March 24, 2012 by home

[leyori]

This is just a general rule but . . . if you jailbreak it - don't be surprised if something breaks.

Restore it to normal function or go to a Cydia forum to ask for help.

Sorry if I come off as a dick - but if you want things to work correctly and you're not highly technically savvy, don't jailbreak.

Hahaha, its ok i get that. Its just that only recently my ibook is down previously it works just fine. maybe i will have to restore it

[variegate]

more of a mac OS question.. been bugging me for months

i vaguely remember accidentally removing my downloads folder from my dock.. i replaced it shortly thereafter from macHD / users / me. whilst it operates fine, the preview file almost always remains as a blank white sheet (second from right, below), which is not the most recently added file. i have it set to 'date added' / 'stack' / 'grid view'. what's up?

Does that file show up when you click the folder open?

If so, right click and get info on it - if it's not useful - trash it.

It's possible it has a incorrect or corrupted creation date or download date.

If it doesn't show up - then that's a little weird.

Second thing to try is resetting the Dock.

This will reset your dock to the default state - it might remove apps/etc that you've added.

Follow the directions here:

http://superuser.com/questions/30236/how-to-reset-dock-items-in-mac-os-x

(if you're unfamiliar or uncomfortable with using Terminal after you've trashed your preferences just restart)

[blm14]

Wow that's funny, when I'm forced to use mac I find myself almost exclusively using terminal

[home]

Does that file show up when you click the folder open?

If so, right click and get info on it - if it's not useful - trash it.

It's possible it has a incorrect or corrupted creation date or download date.

If it doesn't show up - then that's a little weird.

Second thing to try is resetting the Dock.

This will reset your dock to the default state - it might remove apps/etc that you've added.

Follow the directions here:

http://superuser.com...ems-in-mac-os-x

(if you're unfamiliar or uncomfortable with using Terminal after you've trashed your preferences just restart)

hi dude, thanks for that.

yep, it's not exclusive to any one file and the file is always in the folder / stack. get info looks fine to me.

tried resetting the dock in terminal to much expectation, but the problem persists.

any more ideas?

[variegate]

That's bizarre.

Can you double check on how it's being sorted?

Right/control+click on the folder in the dock and see how it's sorting things.

Maybe try changing it to a different sort type and see what happens.

One last thing to try is using Disk Utility

Run 'Repair Permissions' and see if that fixes anything.

EDIT: Also: why is my usericon in your downloads folder, HUH???

Edited April 2, 2012 by variegate

[lawlercopterz]

Any recommendations for some sort of apple equivalent of ccleaner?

[variegate]

Any recommendations for some sort of apple equivalent of ccleaner?

You typically shouldn't need stuff like that . . .

However, sometimes with 3rd party software OS X can go a little haywire with overly large caches, log files, etc.

I'd recommend:

http://maintain.se/cocktail

[DJ_Flame]

Ok I have a question...why even after editing lyrics on itunes and syncing with my ipod the lyrics do not change? I noticed this only occurred in the latest version of itunes.

[variegate]

Ok I have a question...why even after editing lyrics on itunes and syncing with my ipod the lyrics do not change? I noticed this only occurred in the latest version of itunes.

It is possible that all of your metadata (ID3 tags) assigned to your MP3s are v2.2 and all are being updated to 2.3/2.4 when you add lyrics - but iTunes doesnt notice this or cant make the change itself.

One thing to try:

- select all of your MP3s in iTunes

- right click and select "Convert ID3 Tags . . ." and change them all to 2.4

- Wait until its done

- erase everything off of your iPod

- copy everything you want back to it from iTunes

that might fix the sync issues from then on . . .

[home]

i'm stealing your identity.

couldn't find a solution but here's another problem.

i can switch between spaces with a three-finger swipe, but not with control-left/right. even though my keyboard shortcuts say as much.

any idea?

[variegate]

i'm stealing your identity. couldn't find a solution but here's another problem. i can switch between spaces with a three-finger swipe, but not with control-left/right. even though my keyboard shortcuts say as much. any idea?

Do the keys work otherwise?

Do you have any third-party key shortcut apps installed?

I'm not sure but do the control keys on a Macbook default to "control" or do they have alternate functions - meaning, do they work if you hold down the 'Fn' key?

[home]

yep, no problems with the keys themselves.

no apps appear to be interfering.

and no, default to control. fn does nothing.

man, i thought mac was supposed to be easy.

[Flash]

Anyone else finding Sufu really slow when useing the new iPad ?

[lawlercopterz]

I'm not sure what the fuck is going on by my google chrome always seems to have trouble with the flash plugin... any recommendations?

[hahapete]

I've got an original iPad and an iPhone 4s. Back when I didn't have an iPhone my iPad was super dope and useful. Ever since I got the iPhone though I haven't been using the iPad as much. But when I do the iPad crashes out of apps and Safari all the time. I'm assuming that's because of it's age but on the real, coincidence or not, ever since the third iPad came out my iPad has been acting up. It's really tedious to use. Really tedious. So I figure it's time to replace it.

I don't really want another iPad and am looking at Macbook Airs instead. The base 13" model (1.7GHz dual-core Intel Core i5 processor, 4GB memory 128GB flash storage, Intel HD Graphics 3000) has my interest. It seems like it's specced well for what I want it to do: run an Office suite for school/work, internet browsing, and minimal Adobe Lightroom use. But I've got two questions:

1. I'm hoping to buy this thing ASAP but the current model came out last year and there's probably a newer version coming out this year. What can I expect in terms of an upgrade? Faster processor and graphics card are my uneducated guesses. Obviously none of us, well maybe someone, knows exactly what the new version is gonna be but would it be worth it to wait?
   
2. This one might be a stupid question but: I'm semi-concerned about 128gbs of storage but I'm not really down with the 300 dollar up-charge for twice the space. It's totally possible to use the SD memory slot to expand the storage space, right?
   

Thanks in advance.

[Denton]

1. yes, probably ivy bridge processor and graphics. that would be a significant amount more performance, but if you're not doing super taxing stuff most of the time, it may be better to take advantage of the discounts the current version is getting

2. yes. it's also possible, at least on older, non-unibody macbooks, to replace the hd yourself, and obviously it's much cheaper to do that because apple's prices for upgrades are extortionate.

[hahapete]

1. yes, probably ivy bridge processor and graphics. that would be a significant amount more performance, but if you're not doing super taxing stuff most of the time, it may be better to take advantage of the discounts the current version is getting

2. yes. it's also possible, at least on older, non-unibody macbooks, to replace the hd yourself, and obviously it's much cheaper to do that because apple's prices for upgrades are extortionate.

Alright. I guess I might as well wait for the new ones.

Thanks for the info

[Walt Thizzney]

changing HD on old macbooks is a breeze... ifixit.com

[variegate]

I've got an original iPad and an iPhone 4s. Back when I didn't have an iPhone my iPad was super dope and useful. Ever since I got the iPhone though I haven't been using the iPad as much. But when I do the iPad crashes out of apps and Safari all the time. I'm assuming that's because of it's age but on the real, coincidence or not, ever since the third iPad came out my iPad has been acting up. It's really tedious to use. Really tedious. So I figure it's time to replace it.

I don't really want another iPad and am looking at Macbook Airs instead. The base 13" model (1.7GHz dual-core Intel Core i5 processor, 4GB memory 128GB flash storage, Intel HD Graphics 3000) has my interest. It seems like it's specced well for what I want it to do: run an Office suite for school/work, internet browsing, and minimal Adobe Lightroom use. But I've got two questions:

1. I'm hoping to buy this thing ASAP but the current model came out last year and there's probably a newer version coming out this year. What can I expect in terms of an upgrade? Faster processor and graphics card are my uneducated guesses. Obviously none of us, well maybe someone, knows exactly what the new version is gonna be but would it be worth it to wait?
   
2. This one might be a stupid question but: I'm semi-concerned about 128gbs of storage but I'm not really down with the 300 dollar up-charge for twice the space. It's totally possible to use the SD memory slot to expand the storage space, right?
   

Thanks in advance.

They're overdue for a revamp - but no idea on when that will land. Probably announced in at WWDC on June 12 or so.

128GB should be enough for everything - except maybe the Lightroom usage.

You cannot use the SD card to 'expand' the memory, really - it treats it like an external drive. You can copy stuff on there, but it's not really expanding the storage.

I would not necessarily recommend buying it with the intention to upgrade the flash drive yourself unless you are totally confident in gutting a brand new laptop.

You're not going to save much money (256GB SSD is gonna be like $220) and taking apart an Air might be a little freaky.

You'll also need a HEX set to unscrew the thing.

And you'll also need a way to install the OS. Either the external DVD drive, the USB key Lion installer or a networked DVD.

I'd just pay the $300 and save yourself the hassle.

[aso2004]

• this one might be a stupid question but: i'm semi-concerned about 128gbs of storage but i'm not really down with the 300 dollar up-charge for twice the space. it's totally possible to use the sd memory slot to expand the storage space, right
  

I would go iCloud on it and store the stuff up there.

You can then access the stuff with your `iPhone as well.

[variegate]

You can then access the stuff with your `iPhone as well.

You can't really 'store' stuff on iCloud other than music/video, etc that you buy from iTunes and a few documents, etc.

If you stick to streaming stuff, then yeah, you're going to save space - but for that I'd just buy a Spotify account.

[hahapete]

They're overdue for a revamp - but no idea on when that will land. Probably announced in at WWDC on June 12 or so.

128GB should be enough for everything - except maybe the Lightroom usage.

You cannot use the SD card to 'expand' the memory, really - it treats it like an external drive. You can copy stuff on there, but it's not really expanding the storage.

I would not necessarily recommend buying it with the intention to upgrade the flash drive yourself unless you are totally confident in gutting a brand new laptop.

You're not going to save much money (256GB SSD is gonna be like $220) and taking apart an Air might be a little freaky.

You'll also need a HEX set to unscrew the thing.

And you'll also need a way to install the OS. Either the external DVD drive, the USB key Lion installer or a networked DVD.

I'd just pay the $300 and save yourself the hassle.

All this stuff is exactly what I wanted to know. Thanks. I guess I'll just wait for whenever the new ones come out.

[minderaser]

Do you have any recommendations for monitors similar to the Apple Display monitor?

[variegate]

Do you have any recommendations for monitors similar to the Apple Display monitor?

Previous to my Apple 24" (and now current 27" iMac) I had a Dell 24" that latest me a good long while.

Their higher end UltraSharp LCDs are solid.

[minderaser]

Awesome, I still have an older 21" iMac but I don't think I can use it as an external at least I'm not aware of a way to do it.