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Following on from a look at setting up restrictions on iOS in last week's tip video, we turn our attention to the Mac. In a similar fashion, it's possible to setup restrictions on the Mac using Parental Controls inside System Preferences.

Parental Controls allow you to restrict access to apps, web browsing and much more. You can even set time periods as well as time limits of allowed usage.

With macOS High Sierra came updates to the Server app, now called macOS Server and available on the App Store for USD 19.99. We covered Server extensively in the past, but that was back on OS X Mavericks (10.9). We thought it was time for an update.

This version of Server is different from the previous ones in that Apple has chosen to move three server components to High Sierra itself and make them available to all users. For some, those components might have been the reason they wanted Server in the first place, so there is no longer a need for the macOS Server app when running High Sierra. We will cover each of these services in detail and take a look at a new way to access file shares on iOS devices, due to the removal of the iOS File Sharing service and webDAV sharing from macOS Server. To achieve this, we'll set up the VPN service and use Readdle's Documents app for iOS to access those file shares both locally and remotely.

Most people know that the keys to enhanced productivity are the mastery of keyboard shortcuts and a good muscle memory!

But what if your most-used command doesn't have a keyboard shortcut?

Well, the good news is that macOS allows you to add your own keyboard shortcuts, either within a specific application, or for all applications on your Mac.

This tip video walks you through the process of setting up custom keyboard shortcuts.

macOS High Sierra was primarily an under-the-hood upgrade and we covered many of the new features recently in a full ScreenCastsOnline tutorial.

This tip show uncovers some features that didn't make it into that full tutorial.

Siri has been available for the Mac for a while now, but it's not always convenient to talk to your Mac, or have it talk back to you!

Perhaps you're in a coffee shop or a library, or you just don't feel comfortable talking to your Mac.

With macOS High Sierra, it's now possible to type your Siri commands as well as switch off the audio feedback from Siri.

Much more civilised!

If all goes to plan, this episode will be published on the same day as macOS High Sierra is formally released to the public.

macOS High Sierra is Apple's latest operating system release for the Mac. In fairness, it's not high on feature count; instead, Apple have been focusing on improving performance and stability in this release.

There are still some subtle changes in High Sierra, however, and some new features to try out. In this episode we take a look at some of these useful additions and changes brought to macOS.

macOS High Sierra will soon be here - due for release on the 25th September 2017 - and there are a few things you might want to do before you commit to upgrading.

This tip video suggests one or two critical considerations that may save you a ton of trouble.

Use bookmarks in Safari on both macOS & iOS to keep track of all your favourite websites.

In this tip video, we show you how bookmarks are organised and synchronised between all your devices.

We also demonstrate how easy it is to save bookmarks in the location of your choice.

A quick tip video taking a look at how you can access and customise the System Preferences window to remove unused icons and access commonly used ones.

Sometimes you really just want to slap a Post-it sticky note on your desktop. Reminders, to-do lists, notes, keyboard shortcuts - anything you want to be reminded about visually.

Well don't clutter up your monitor with bits of paper, clutter up your Desktop with Sticky Notes!

Stickies is a free app supplied with macOS which can be very useful. Create multi-coloured sticky notes containing formatted text or images, and position them where you want. Arrange them, colour-code them and they'll open in the same position each time you open Stickies.

Need a quick and easy way to edit or annotate images and PDFs?

Both macOS and iOS contain system-wide markup tools that appear in various locations.

In this Tip video, we take a look at annotating your images and PDFs in Preview, Mail and Photos on the Mac.

Spotlight is the underlying indexing technology built into both the macOS and iOS that allows you to quickly find various types of information on your Mac and iOS devices.

In this week's tip video, we take a look at configuring Spotlight on the Mac, as well as looking at some Spotlight party tricks, and cap it off with a look at using natural language to invoke Spotlight searches with Siri.

Apple have rolled out updates to all of its platforms across the board in the past few weeks. In this week's tip video, we focus on Night Shift on the Mac, now available in mac OS Sierra 10.12.4.

Night Shift was originally introduced in iOS and is a screen technology designed to make it easier to work with your Mac during the evening hours. It changes your Mac display to overlay a "Sepia" layer which can assist in making it easier on the eyes.

Night Shift isn't for everyone, but it's worth giving it a try.

More updates for macOS, iOS 10, watchOS 3 & tvOS.

Some minor changes to Mail on the Mac and iOS, some big changes to Maps on iOS and a first look at setting up Home Automation with HomeKit and the new Home App on iPad and iPhone.

With the recent release of both iOS 10 and macOS Sierra, this episode covers some of the new and updated features of both operating systems, as well as some handy tips on migrating your iPhone and Apple Watch to new devices.

OS X 10.12 is now available and has been rebranded macOS Sierra.



In this special release show, I walk you through some of the critical elements in making sure your installation goes well. From creating a bootable backup to doing either a fresh install or an in-situ upgrade.



Once installed, I take a look at some of the new features of macOS Sierra including the new integration with iCloud that allows you to store your Documents and Desktop in iCloud Drive, as well as some of the new features inlcuding Storage Management, Safari Picture in Picture, Application Tabs, Music & Messages.



I’ll cover Auto Lock, Universal Clipboard and Siri in next week’s episode.

iOS9 has really improved the ability for iOS Apps to interchange files and documents, but it’s still very confusing.



In this episode, I take a look at iCloud Drive on iOS and the Mac and try to explain how it all works. I also take a look at local storage options in various apps on iOS to explain just what is a “Document Provider”, as well at how the system wide Document Picker can be used in many different scenarios.

With the Apple ecosystem being tightly integrated across all platforms, one update has an impact on all the others. Last month Apple released updates to OS X, iOS, watchOS and tvOS.

In this episode, I take a look at most of the major changes and enhancements across the board.

The third and final update on the new features of El Capitan.

In this episode, I do a little catch up, take a look at the new Maps app, explore the changes in Disk Utility as well as a first look at the new Magic Touchpad 2 and the prevalence of Force Touch now available throughout El Capitan.

I covered some of the updates to Photos 1.1 last week, but this week I revisit it to take a peek at Live Photos and more importantly, Photo Extensions. Be sure to check out the time sensitive special offer below.

I also spend some time exploring the much improved and expanded Notes application.