Computers are no longer luxury items these days. They are necessities that not only connect us with the World Wide Web and social media but allow us to do lots of mundane things that we can’t live without. Windows PCs are the popular choice while some prefer the more expensive Apple computers that revolutionized the computing world. For the longest time, Windows 7 was the popular choice because it is easy to use and it has almost everything you’ll ever need in an operating system.

Updates are inevitable, though, because systems need to be upgraded to keep up with the times. These updates often have the fixes for commonly reported bugs and defects as well as improvements on certain features. Microsoft has gone a long way and has since then offered Windows 8 (which wasn’t quite the hit they expected), and now, Windows 10.

The reason it's called the Creators Update again is because it will contain more 'creative' features. Hopefully including some of the things Microsoft promised in the April Creators update but which never materialised.

This will do a similar thing to Memories on an iPhone, in that it will automatically create edited videos from your photos and videos. But on top of this, you'll be able to use Windows Ink (if you have a touchscreen device) to draw or write on the video, and even anchor your scribbles to a person or object so it automatically moves with it.

There's mixed reality too, so you could - as in Microsoft's example above - turn a football into a fireball using the same anchor and tracking mechanism.

Timeline is an improved 'Task View'. When you click on the Task View button you'll see not only the current apps and windows you have open, but you can scroll down to see the stuff you were working on previously that day, or even months ago.

This will also work across your Windows 10 devices because the information is stored in Microsoft Graph. This is what Microsoft calls an "intelligent fabric that helps connect dots between people, conversations, projects, and content within the Microsoft Cloud".

(Via: http://www.pcadvisor.co.uk/new-product/windows/windows-10-news-features-updates-fall-creators-update-release-date-3496959/)

For almost two years now, Windows 10 has been made available to the public. Since its launch in July 2015, Microsoft offered its users a free upgrade but it has long since expired. Since then, it already had two updates and the last one was actually released just last month. The next update in line is scheduled on September 2017 for its Fall Creators Update.

New Windows Modes

Microsoft confirmed their recently announced Windows 10 S will support accessibility features but if a user of any assistive technology needs to be on Windows 10 Pro for their specific hardware/gear then their upgrade from Windows 10 S will be offered at no additional cost. This is in keeping in line with Microsoft's offer last year of the Windows 10 Upgrade for users of assistive technologies at no cost even though the free upgrade period has expired. The companies goal is to bring more assistive technology apps to the Windows Store so that Windows 10 S can be a viable OS option for those users.

Some of these new accessibility features are already being tested in the Windows 10 Insider Program so if you are interested in testing these tools just head over to the Windows Insiders page and get signed up to participate.

(Via: http://winsupersite.com/windows-10/microsoft-unveils-accessibility-features-windows-10-fall-creators-update)

In their effort to ensure utmost accessibility of Microsoft products, the current Windows operating system showcases features that are friendly to the differently-abled such as the blind, deaf, or those with other physical disabilities.

There aren’t many hardware requirements on Windows 10. However, updating it doesn’t mean your PC or hard drive is immune from issues like hard drive failure. This link http://www.harddriverecovery.org/clean_room.html will tell you what you need to know about clean room requirements, so you can do a background check first on a hard drive service company you hire to fix your failing hard drive. Another important consideration has to do with the price. Read this link http://www.harddriverecovery.org/pricing.html to understand more about hard drive recovery costs and certain considerations you need to remember. If you choose us, we even provide free evaluations, so we can give you a ballpark figure about how much you need to shell out to retrieve your lost data before even starting on the job. Rest assured you will receive professional service at an affordable price, unlike the exorbitant fees other companies ask for.

The post Watch Out For This Windows 10 Update is republished from http://www.harddriverecovery.org

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We all loved Windows 7. Well, almost all of us.  And for quite a long time, most computing devices ran on Windows 7 and were quite contented with it actually. However, times are changing and we should keep abreast with all the changes and tech advancements now made available to the masses. Microsoft launched Windows 8 for that very purpose several years back. Unfortunately, it fell short of its glory and PC sales actually went down ever since its release.

Fortunately, Microsoft is trying to redeem itself with the release of Windows 10. It’s been two years now and millions of devices are already using it. So far so good. It’s like Windows 7 but has definitely leveled up and proving to be at par with the technology we have today.

Microsoft's latest version of Windows is faring better than its maligned predecessor, but the software's growth is still stunted by a shift away from personal computers.

Windows 10 is now running on a half-billion devices nearly two years after its release, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella disclosed Wednesday during the software maker's annual conference for applications programmers.

That figure is up from 400 million eight months ago, but far short of Microsoft's goal of putting Windows 10 on 1 billion devices by 2018. The Redmond, Washington, company had already acknowledged it won't reach that goal in time .

Windows 10 represents a comeback for Microsoft after the colossal flop of Windows 8, whose ill-conceived designed deepened a decline in PC sales and contributed to the departure of Nadella's predecessor, Steve Ballmer.

Although it has been easing recently, the PC slump still hasn't ended.

(Via: http://www.toptechnews.com/article/index.php?story_id=030000XSFWEI)

While 400 million seems already a lot to the ordinary person, it falls short of Microsoft’s goal of hitting the one billion mark roughly 3 years from now. 600 million may be a lot to catch up but the company still has 3 years to work hard and gain new users or convert Apple users and even existing Windows 7 and 8 users and other users of less popular operating systems. They are also missing out a lot on the wider smart gadget user market that mostly use Apple iOS or Google’s Android. But depending on how you see it, it can actually be an untapped opportunity for growth for Microsoft or the other way around.

At Microsoft’s Build conference, the dorkiest of companies put on a big show, complete with fog machines and fancy lights, in order to show it’s a cool competitor to Apple and Google. The speakers who came on stage during keynotes had stylish hair. “Do they have dressers backstage?” an attendee asked a group of us when it was all over. 

Build exists to get developers excited. The biggest devs blow upwards of $2000 for a three-day pass to the event, where they have unlimited drinks, plentiful meals, and access to Microsoft’s best and brightest. Part of Microsoft’s wooing process involves appearing “hip” to a group of developers who resemble the cast of Silicon Valley in all the worst ways. Hence the light show and Microsoft EVP Terry Myerson’s questionable hoodie and leather vest combo. It wants these devs so amped that they’ll rush back to their MacBook Airs and Surface Books to crank out brilliant software, hopefully for Microsoft’s Windows Store, which has just one third of the apps of much cooler stores from Google and Apple.

With the arrival of Windows 10 S, which can only use apps from the Windows Store, the app marketplace has never been more important than today. Yet time after time over the course of the event, Microsoft dropped the ball on its pitch to developers in favor of niche distractions.

(Via: https://gizmodo.com/microsoft-desperately-needs-to-figure-out-how-to-be-coo-1795142606)

Microsoft may have been the pioneer in the computing world but it’s lagging behind tech giants like Apple and Google that helped shaped the smart tech-savvy people of today who live and breathe social media and everything that the web has to offer. If you look at the past few years, you’ll realize how many people are using it now and the possibilities are endless – not only with what you can now do using these gadgets but to the people behind it that are making lots of money from its sales.

The odds may be too much for Microsoft but they still have three years to work hard and convert roughly 600 million more users to become Windows 10 users and the success of the Windows Store can possibly contribute to their success. While the future remains a mystery to all of us, there remain a few complexities we aren’t thrilled about. Hard drive issues can give you quite a headache. If you happen to find yourself facing one, these links http://www.harddriverecovery.org/pricing.html and http://www.harddriverecovery.org/clean_room.html can give you an idea of the odds you are facing but remember you need not face it alone because we are here to help you bring some semblance of normalcy back into your lives with our expert and affordable tech assistance.

Can Windows 10 Live Up To Its Promise? Read more on: The Hard Drive Recovery Group Blog

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It’s no longer acceptable for someone not to know a thing or two about technology. After all, it is what makes the world go round these days and it does not show any sign of stopping. From your smart gadgets to laptops and computers at home, they help us stay connected to the World Wide Web aside from allowing us to do plenty of tasks that require the use of a tech gadget of sorts like admin tasks and clerical work. It is even more important for businesses to keep themselves abreast of technological updates and advancements since they often have a big impact on the success or failure of their enterprise.

Even ordinary individuals understand pretty well the value of a hard drive. Many go crazy when they accidentally delete a photo or two especially if they haven’t saved it on a backup device yet. Nowadays, a lot of tech issues like hard drive problems gain a lot of attention because businesses stop and countless lives are affected when these glitches happen.

Health trusts on Teesside appear to have so far escaped the cyber attack reportedly hitting hospitals across the country.

NHS England has confirmed that the health service appears to have been targeted by a “large scale cyber attack” - a so-called “ransomware” attack demanding $300 in electronic currency to free files from encryption.

Several hospitals have reported “significant problems” with their IT systems and telephone networks.

Confirmed trusts affected by the hack so far include East and North Hertfordshire, Liverpool, Lancashire and Derbyshire.

But so far, neither the North Tees and Hartlepool Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust nor the South Tees Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust are reporting any issues.

A spokeswoman for South Tees Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust said: “We have not been infected by the virus and we are doing everything we can to ensure our systems remain as secure as possible.”

(Via: http://www.gazettelive.co.uk/news/teesside-news/nhs-cyber-attack-teesside-hospitals-13027722)

While we often come across news features about businesses getting affected because of tech problems especially when important data is lost. However, tech issues have never been more sensationalized than during the last US election. Issues about wiretapping, leaked emails and secret files were the talk of the town and filled everyone’s newsfeed.

In the days that followed, investigators slowly sorted through the laptop’s contents, following standard protocols in a case that was anything but standard, and moving with surprisingly little dispatch to assess the significance of the emails.

After weeks of work, the agents concluded that the laptop contained thousands of Clinton messages, a fact they waited at least three more days to share with Comey. Finally, as Comey recounted before Congress last week, the FBI director convened his top aides in his conference room at Bureau headquarters to weigh the political and institutional consequences of what to do next.

At this point, Comey and his deputies were venturing far beyond their typical purview as criminal investigators. Under normal circumstances, department policies discouraged public discussion of developments in ongoing cases of any kind; with the election fast approaching, there was the added sensitivity of avoiding even the perception of interference with the political process. But FBI officials worried that agents in New York who disliked Clinton would leak news of the emails’ existence. Like nearly everyone in Washington, senior FBI officials assumed that Clinton would win the election and were evaluating their options with that in mind. The prospect of oversight hearings, led by restive Republicans investigating an FBI “cover-up,” made everyone uneasy.

(Via: https://www.propublica.org/article/problems-with-fbi-clinton-email-investigation-went-well-beyond-comey)

It’s probably also the reason why Donald Trump won the election. Hillary Clinton received a lot of backlash from all the media hype from Wikileaks among others. You’d finally realize that technology is indeed a big thing now because that’s where everybody is at and anything that goes online has a big impact on people’s lives. It’s even shaping the world we live in now.

While your tech issues at home won’t likely make it to the national headlines, it can definitely ruin your day aside from the inconvenience brought by data recovery. Check this link http://www.harddriverecovery.org/errors/disk_read_error.html for disk read errors and our expert staff will do our best to fix your problem without breaking the bank. Got hard drive problems, that happens to be our expertise. Read on to find out more here: http://www.harddriverecovery.org/repair-hard-drive.html.

Hard Drive Failures That Make News was first seen on http://www.harddriverecovery.org

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A lot has changed today that there are times we feel nostalgic and long for the good old days. Unfortunately, we can’t turn back time and we can only heave a deep sigh and look back on all the things that we miss from yester-years. From movies, TV shows, fashion and even habits and lingo, many of them define an era and older people can’t help themselves but long for the things they used to love but no longer have today. These changes are more noticeable among tech gadgets since they do stand out in the crowd.

Mac is among the first computing devices that showed everyone how technology can change our lives. While most of us got annoyed by the many eccentricities and limitations of the early Internet explorer, the elite was enjoying the perks only an Apple Mac desktop can offer. And over the following years, we have seen how Apple continued to shape the computing world like no other can.

The Internet Archive is a great resource if you're looking to play with older PC apps and operating systems—thanks to a JavaScript port of DOSBox, you can run stuff like Mario Teaches Typing and Windows For Workgroups 3.11 right in your browser, giving you a quick and easy way to get some idea of what it was like to use a computer 20 or 25 years ago.

Now, the Internet Archive has some retro computing offerings from the other side of the great Mac/PC divide. Using a version of the PCE PC Emulator that has been ported to JavaScript, people interested in the Mac's early years can run System 6, System 7, and dozens of old apps, including MacWrite and Microsoft Basic using their browsers.

The hardware that this old black-and-white software would have run on is wholly different from modern Macs—it hearkens back to the pre-PowerPC days when Macs still used the same Motorola 68000-series processors as the original 1984 Macintosh. Even so, the user interface is recognizable even if you've only used Macs in our current post-Mac OS X, post-Intel era. 

(Via: https://arstechnica.com/apple/2017/04/classic-mac-os-and-dozens-of-apps-can-now-be-run-in-a-browser-window/)

Vintage Macs became more popular, especially after Steve Jobs passed away in 2011. From Apple 1 to the 1^st generation iPad, they are selling like hot pancakes today on eBay and Craigslist and it makes you wonder whether is it worth buying one again or give it a try if you haven’t owned one in the past while the tag price still don’t go beyond what you are willing to pay for an obsolete device.

Last year, Apple switched from OS X to macOS as the naming scheme for its desktop operating system. But long before the days of Yosemite or El Capitan, Apple had a very different MacOS.

The Macintosh computer, and its easy-to-use graphical interface, was the product that put Apple on the map. You’re not going to see any original MacOS computers in use today, but luckily, the Internet Archive isn’t going to let a technological gem like MacOS die so easily.

That’s why the Internet Archive has put up a page that allows you to run a version of MacOS in your browser, for free. If you click here, you can fire up a Mac from 1991 with an operating system and a bunch of software already pre-installed.

The Internet Archive, being a good responsible library, even includes a good description of what you’re playing with and why.

(Via: https://bgr.com/2017/04/17/macos-emulator-internet-archive/)

If you’re a practical person, you won’t be tempted to part with your hard-earned money just to satisfy your sense of nostalgia but people are actually longing for old-school gadgets, and so, they got their wish. Most people today look for new devices that have powerful features that allow them to do more while technically doing less while there are a few who will actually pay more to just let them relive a part of their past.

Whichever the case, your computer is still at risk of hard drive failure and you are bound to lose data when it happens. So, check with http://www.harddriverecovery.org/mac-data-recovery/ for our expert help on issues like these. Our staff is knowledgeable and trained to handle Mac devices and fix common Mac issues. You may be tempted to try to fix it yourself but don’t make that mistake or end up doing more damage than there was before. Check this link http://www.harddriverecovery.org/hard-drive-recovery-service.html to understand why you need professional tech advice for tech issues unless you are a trained professional in the field yourself.

Vintage Mac For The Modern You was originally published to HDRG

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Computers don’t come in cheap. People spend a lot of cash in buying a good brand with the best features and further upgrading it to match their computing needs and modern lifestyle. You also have to purchase some add-ons like software, anti-virus, computer accessories, printers, etc. to improve your overall computing experience. These gadgets are no longer luxuries but a necessity needed by everyone from all walks of life.

When you look in the market, there are just basically two types of computers: a Mac or a Windows PC. The type of PC you own is likewise an indicator of one’s status in life. Mac is the Apple’s desktop computer and is known to be the higher end between the two. Macbooks and iMacs run on the Mac OS X operating system. Meanwhile, Windows PC is just about every other laptops and desktop sold in the market today. They run on Microsoft’s operating system, Windows. The majority of the population are more familiar with Windows PC than Apple computers because they are generally priced more reasonably and have features that cater to the masses.

It’s a battle that has raged across time and space. Two sides with sworn armies of loyalists, locked eternally in a struggle for dominance. We’ve seen it played out so many times: Android vs iOS, Xbox vs PlayStation, Canon vs Nikon, FIFA vs Pro Evo, ZX Spectrum vs Commodore 64, but today we look not upon those minor conflicts.

Instead, our eyes turn to the thunderous colossuses of Mac vs PC.

Which is the better platform? Is there even a true winner? Some of these questions cannot be answered, but in this feature we will put the two platforms to the test so you can see which one is the best for you.

Hardware design

This category might seem like a sure-thing for Apple, as its hardware is highly regarded across the industry, but things aren’t quite that simple. When Apple’s design guru Jony Ive first designed the iMac back in 1998, it came as a colourful and stylish alternative to the beige boxes that PCs favoured at the time.

One of the best things about Windows devices at the moment is that they offer such variety to users. You can have traditional laptops and desktops (with the option of a touchscreen if you want), dedicated gaming rigs, ultra-thin models, or a device that converts between a tablet and PC. There’s even a Windows phone that can turn into a full blown Windows PC when you plug it into peripherals.

(Via: http://www.pcadvisor.co.uk/new-product/desktop-pc/mac-vs-pc-2017-3493092/)

While the hardware is just one aspect of computing you should take into consideration, other aspects like software, storage, etc. are important aspects as well. Most computer geeks and tech innovators prefer Apple computers than Window-powered ones because of its obvious superiority while the masses prefer the versatility offered by a Windows PC.

The fundamental differences and disagreements between the pair of tech giants can be tracked back to the hardware and software products they both produce. Apple separates its tablets and phones with the iOS operating system, and its range of Macs running macOS. Microsoft on the other hand believes in having one operating system, Windows 10, to rule them all and work across phones, PCs, tablets, and even devices like the Xbox One and HoloLens. The strategies are remarkably different.

This week, both Microsoft and Apple held events back-to-back, providing us with a rare opportunity to compare their latest takes on modern computing all in less than 24 hours. Microsoft spent the first part of its keynote demonstrating new Windows 10 features, a new Paint app, and its VR strategy, before the big news of a Surface Studio all-in-one PC. Apple spent the first part of its keynote highlighting pictures from its iPhone 7, and launching a new TV app for its Apple TV, before moving onto the unveiling of its new MacBook Pro lineup.

(Via: https://www.theverge.com/2016/10/27/13443914/the-new-mac-vs-pc-war-is-all-about-touch)

What the experts found out is that a person’s preference is the main factor as to whether a person buys a Window PC or a Mac. However, it is worth noting that Macs are PC too – PCs sold by Apple. And just to give credit where credit is due, Apple actually started the PC revolution back in the 1970s when bulky computers used to dominate the market. So, it is basically a person’s taste that determines which of the two they buy and use for themselves.

But regardless which of the two you choose, you may still end up with data loss issues for whatever reason. It may be because of hard drive failure or human error, you can benefit a lot from professional data recovery services to ensure you get your files back – every single one of them. Check out this link to learn more about it: http://www.harddriverecovery.org/mac-data-recovery/. On the other hand, it is also nice to know about RAID data recovery services through this link: http://www.harddriverecovery.org/raid-data-recovery.html for those who use computers on a professional level and bigger scale considering the rapid rise of computer use in our time.

The article Mac Or Windows PC: Which One Is A Worthy Investment? was initially seen on HDRG

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We can’t live without technology nowadays. From the moment we wake up until the moment we sleep at night, we are glued to our smart gadgets. We have appliances to do just about every chore at home or at work and they have significantly made our lives easier over the years. Most homes have gadgets for cooking, entertainment, lighting, safety and security, and so much more. There is more technology now and there seems to be no stopping this trend.

Experts have become more ambitious and they won’t settle for just traditional computing devices that carry out simple tasks at a time. Most computers can now carry out multiple tasks all at once ad have become more efficient than ever. Experts are aiming at artificial intelligence to be our future. But as of now, no computer has achieved near human intelligence. The majority of advances in the field can be seen in most modern video games.

Though still in its infancy, artificial intelligence already is changing the world. However, it’s not just about what the technology itself can do, but what it enables people to do — what new doors it can open. AI presents government agencies with new opportunities to innovate that previously may have been impossible.

AI is an umbrella term that encompasses a variety of capabilities that allow computer systems to perform tasks normally done by humans. Many people also are familiar with the term “cognitive computing.” Cognitive leverages several AI components, such as machine learning, to understand, reason, learn and interact with humans naturally. Cognitive complements artificial intelligence, enabling computers to think like humans and understand how humans think. Current AI systems and subsystems are able to learn, make decisions and solve complex problems. Examples include speech recognition, self-driving cars, online assistants and image recognition. One particularly exciting application of AI is in the medical field, helping doctors to diagnose diseases and offer potential treatment plans.

Artificial intelligence (AI) actually exceeds human intelligence. However, it might take a few more decades before computer experts can overcome all the current struggles and limitations they are now facing before making the concept of AI a reality.

An essential benefit of AI is its ability to comb through data much faster than humans. Every year, millions of scientific reports are published, a number that only increases as time passes. Not only would it take a human much longer to review any given publication, it is impossible to review them all. However, by working with AI, humans are able to consider vast amounts of information in new ways.

For example, according to the White House report, Preparing for the Future of Artificial Intelligence, “at Walter Reed Medical Center, the Department of Veteran Affairs is using AI to better predict medical complications and improve treatment of severe combat wounds, leading to better patient outcomes, faster healing, and lower costs.”

(Via: https://federalnewsradio.com/commentary/2017/04/artificial-intelligence-as-a-driver-for-innovation/)

Elon Musk, the founder of Tesla and SpaceX, are looking into the possibility of developing a technology related to artificial intelligence with his new venture, Neuralink. However, Musk has been known to voice out his concerns about the possibility of AI overtaking humanity someday along with the likes of Bill Gates and Stephen Hawking.

Elon Musk has made it clear that he is concerned about the extreme advancements being made in artificial intelligence (AI) research. Ultimately, he fears that AI will, one day, overtake humanity. Over the years, this fear has pushed Musk to make moves that will help ensure that our artificial intelligences don’t turn humans into second class citizens.

One of the first instances of such action was back in 2015, when Musk donated $10 million to the Future of Life Institue, an organization that gives money to researchers who are working to mitigate the existential risks facing humanity, particularly, existential risks from advanced artificial intelligence.

Around the same time, Musk, Stephen Hawking, and more than 20,000 other experts signed an open letter calling for an autonomous weapons ban. The letter explains, “If any major military power pushes ahead with AI weapon development, a global arms race is virtually inevitable.” And this was just the beginning of Musk’s work.

(Via: https://futurism.com/dont-edit-elon-musk-just-outlined-how-hell-merge-the-human-brain-and-ai/)

While there is a lot to be desired for such an advanced technology, the use of AI can actually be a threat to humanity. We have no idea yet how AI can affect our lives or whether these computers would eventually be able to think for themselves and be in conflict with us humans. They can eventually harm the human race if AI is used as a means to cause havoc to the world and even be used in political warfare. Autonomous weapons can result to mass casualties when used wrongly.

Artificial intelligence is no longer just a figment of our dreams or wishful thinking. It can actually be our reality several years from now and it makes perfect sense for us to learn more about them including the dangers they pose to society. When you think about it, humans have been the most superior species in the planet ever since recorded history because of our superior cognitive ability. However, when AI exceeds our cognitive superiority, how can we be assured that we will continue to dominate this planet? These are valid points to consider in the issue of technological advancements. Whether we see it happen in our lifetime or not, we still need to make an effort in making the best decisions for the future of our race.

While we are still debating about this possible future reality, we are still stuck with common 21^st century computing issues. If you have data loss issues, feel free to check: http://www.harddriverecovery.org/blog/data-recovery-tools/ for the possible data recovery tools to help you in getting your lost data or files back. Meanwhile, if a problem is beyond your limited know-how and you feel that you need professional help, visit http://www.harddriverecovery.org/blog/how-to-choose-a-hard-drive-recovery-service/ to learn more about hard drive recovery service that can solve your hard drive failure issues. So, while we may scratch our heads in annoyance over these issues, at least we don’t have to deal yet with more mind-boggling complexities that AI poses.

The blog article The Future Of Computers With Human Intelligence is courtesy of http://www.harddriverecovery.org

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Operating systems determine a person’s overall experience with a certain gadget. From smartphones and tablets to computers and laptops, the OS is at the core of their operation. And Apple knows very well how their trademark iOS sets them apart from the rest.

If you are a fan and avid user of the Apple brand, you must have loved the night shift feature on your iPhone. It gives you an option to reduce blue light exposure and somehow protect your health in the process. And now, the company equipped their Mac line with this feature. They shared this news as they unveiled the latest operating system of their computer – the MacOS 10.12.4.

Apple released the latest version of its computer operating system today, MacOS 10.12.4. One the new features included in the update is called “Night Shift,” which first appeared on iOS mobile devices in 2016. It allows users to adjust the color temperature of their device’s display, turning down the amount of blue light, and making the screen look warmer. This, theoretically, puts less strain on your eyes when looking at the screen in low light, or at night. While Apple has said it could potentially help you get “a better night’s sleep,” it’s not entirely clear whether that is the case.

(Via: https://qz.com/942993/apple-releases-macos-10-12-14-with-night-shift-for-easier-nighttime-viewing/)

While nothing much has changed with the OS update, Mac users are thrilled to finally have this feature when using an Apple computer at night.

Apple has just released macOS 10.12.4, the fourth major update for Sierra since the operating system was released last September. In addition to the typical bug fixes and security patches, the update brings over one minor feature from iOS: Night Shift, which can subtly change your screen's color from a cooler blue tone to warmer yellow tones in an effort to help you sleep better. The feature requires a Mac from 2012 or later.

Night Shift was originally introduced in iOS 9.3 about a year ago. Since then, Google has added a similar feature to Android 7.0, and Microsoft is going to include a version of it in the imminent Windows 10 Creators Update. On Android, Windows, and macOS, the feature is arguably less necessary, since third-party apps like f.lux can fill the gap. Still, it's convenient to have it integrated into the OS itself and officially supported by the companies, if only because it will prevent the feature from breaking when new updates come out.

(Via: https://arstechnica.com/apple/2017/03/macos-10-12-4-update-brings-night-shift-to-the-mac-and-not-much-else/)

But it seems that the Night Shift somehow fell short of its glory. Experts claim that the integration of the Night Shift feature on the MacOS was not able to deliver its promise.

While at first glance it appeared Apple’s take on adjusting the display’s color and lighting would ‘sherlock‘ f.lux, that doesn’t appear to be the case. In the post shared today, a member of the f.lux team shared some data to show why.

From Apple’s Night Shift support page:

Studies have shown that exposure to bright blue light in the evening can affect your circadian rhythms and make it harder to fall asleep. Night Shift uses your computer’s clock and geolocation to determine when it’s sunset in your location. It then automatically shifts the colors in your display to the warmer end of the spectrum. In the morning it returns the display to its regular settings.

According to f.lux, the problem with Night Shift’s implementation is that they are not reducing the blue light levels enough. A color intensity chart shows that Night Shift barely reduces the blue light levels right before a user’s typical bedtime.

In Night Shift’s version of color adjustment, there is still a significant amount of blue light present. This looks different to f.lux’s own implementation which brings down the blue light levels dramatically.

(Via: https://9to5mac.com/2017/03/28/flux-developer-says-apples-new-competitive-macos-night-shift-feature-falls-short/)

Now that Mac users finally have this option on their hands, let us wait and see if Apple can iron out the flaws of the operating system and fully deliver the benefit that the Night Shift feature in an iPhone does. The flaws data wise can be taken care of, but it is important to note that overexposure to blue light is not good for our health. And we appreciate the company’s effort in considering this when creating gadgets that we use in our daily life so that our health does not suffer that much over time as we continue to use their products.

Have You Heard Of Apple’s MacOS Latest Update – Night Shift Feature? Find more on: Hard Drive Recovery Group

via http://www.harddriverecovery.org/blog/have-you-heard-of-apples-macos-latest-update-night-shift-feature/