Command Control Power: Apple Tech Support & Business Talk

Resetting AirTags, Beta Bugs, and Vibe-Coded Mac Health Checks
The hosts discuss how to reset an Apple AirTag by inserting and removing the battery five times until a different sound plays, noting newer AirTags may require pressing down. They share issues seen on iOS 27 and macOS betas, including missing app icons in search, slow contact searching, Contacts app odd behavior, Apple Configurator on iPhone failing to enroll devices until using a non-beta phone, and a Control Center white-noise toggle bug requiring reboots. They debate installing macOS 27 "Golden Gate" on production machines, restarting habits, and workflow clutter from Safari tabs, Finder windows, and messy desktops, with Sam recommending an analog black glass dry-erase desktop board. They also note a Safari private browsing/profile issue showing history and Microsoft 365 credential problems. Jerry describes using Claude to "vibe code" an unsigned "MacWorks Health Check" app that collects Mac discovery info and uploads reports to Dropbox via API keys to replace a costly subscription tool.
00:00 Show Kickoff and Setup
00:26 Resetting an AirTag
02:33 iOS Beta Bugs and Contacts Glitches
04:20 Configurator Beta Breakage
07:41 White Noise and Beta Quirks
08:33 Should You Install macOS Betas
13:53 Restarting and Workflow Friction
15:06 Tabs Desktops and Finder Chaos
21:37 Analog To Do Board and Vig Talk
23:19 Vigorish Explained
23:45 Desktop Whiteboard Find
25:12 Madden Movie Tangent
25:55 Safari Private Mode Bug
29:53 Analog Workflow Systems
33:14 Notion For Solo Work
36:26 Vibe Coded Health Check
41:19 Sizing Storage Needs
50:55 Tool Ideas And Wrap

Recorded on may 31, 2016
TOPICS:
Richard B. Wingfield - Head Geek, Envision Design, LLC of Houston Texas:"I have been using Mac's in business since original Macintosh in '84 and Envision, as a consulting firm, has been around since 1993. Started part time as sole proprietor and 20+ years later we are now a firm of 5 full time consultants here in Houston.  
I tell people I am a "recovering architect" as I got my start in technology practicing architecture and being the "tech guy" in every firm I ever worked for. I even helped manage a DEC vax/vms system for a firm in Austin soon after graduating from The University of Texas with a degree in Architecture. 
This episode examines Richards own "recipe' for Managed Services. Here is a brief description as discussed:
… Simple Hybrid Partner Plan is setup so almost all the clients "get it" and are not confused about how it works
- 3 part invoice is made up of
- small monthly fee per device (each mac, each windows, each iOS or android, each server… fees like $25/mac or $49/windows or $250/server etc) client must enroll ALL computers in the office (cant get cheap and have some on the system and some not)
- our "consluting fee" - which is time for humans to do the work to manage, monitor, secure and maintain systems and ALWAYS includes a minimum of one 2hr visit per month 
(more if needed or requested)
- fees for services or hosting (if we host kerio email or rackspace or web or crashplan backups or re-sell backblaze) 
-----------------------------------
You can find more about Richard and  Envision design here: Web: http://www.envisiondesign.net

The hosts discuss confusion caused by Microsoft's email warning that Publisher will end in October 2026 and urging users to convert files to PDF. Jerry shares how he's been using AI—especially Claude (and sometimes ChatGPT)—to speed up IT work: creating an Addigy printer pool by assigning static IPs to flaky Brother network printers, analyzing Mac logs with Claude to find a runaway Chrome render process causing memory pressure, and using the Quitter app to auto-quit Chrome as a workaround for battery and performance issues. He also describes fixing a weak UniFi doorbell connection by creating a 2.4GHz-only SSID and broadcasting it on multiple access points. The conversation broadens to AI guardrails, environmental and economic concerns, and social impacts. They cover security-minded IoT network segmentation, Sonos reliability, a client scare about entering a Mac password prompted by Touch ID autofill in private browsing, RingCentral sidebar customization, presbyopia eye drops, and phone accessory tips including ESR screen protectors, Spigen cases, camera lens vulnerability, battery health, and pros/cons of Apple's iPhone Upgrade Program.
 
00:00 Podcast Kickoff Banter
00:19 Microsoft Publisher Panic
01:39 AI Fixes Printer Deployments
04:19 Claude Reads Mac Logs
05:53 Quitter App Chrome Workaround
08:14 AI Ethics and Guardrails
12:07 AI Economy Bubble Talk
16:03 UniFi Doorbell WiFi Fix
20:23 IoT Networks and VLAN Trust
25:00 Sonos Reliability Updates
28:12 Experian Password Scare
30:06 Touch ID Prompts Confuse Users
32:00 V-Neck and Beard Side Chat
32:18 Beard and Shirt Banter
32:54 Eye Drops for Presbyopia
35:23 Screen Reflections on Calls
37:11 RingCentral Sidebar Hack
39:21 Best Budget Screen Protectors
41:58 Do You Even Need Protectors
44:27 Cracked Camera Lens Mystery
47:06 Battery Health and Upgrade Temptation
52:07 iPhone Upgrade Program Debate
57:54 Wrap Up and Sign Off

-We are pleased to welcome Mike Bombich, creator of Carbon Copy Cloner.
-He tells a story of losing data that inspired his creation of Carbon Copy Cloner.
-Mike spent 8 years as a creative with Apple.
-CCC was initially donation-ware.
-He never wanted to put any barrier between you and your data.
-macOS Big Sur started the downfall of bootable backups.
-Mike talks about how that affected CCC and his customers.
-We talk about Time Machine's reliability and alternatives to built in solutions.
-Mike is not a fan of backing up to disk images.
-Jerry talks about the new Quick Updates feature of CCC.
-Mike talks about his feelings on cloud storage.
-Migration Assistant is another hot topic and we get into methods of restoration.
-Mike has always had a concern about releasing software that can delete data.
-We love the fish (it's a tuna!) that guides us to privacy settings.
-He shares a bug from the Mojave days that affects helper tools, that has now been corrected in Ventura.
-Carbon Cooy Cloner's update will not be subscription based.
-Check out the latest release of Carbon Cooy Cloner and the list of new features.

Sam and Joe discuss Microsoft's plan to retire Microsoft-provided SMS and voice calls for MFA, with key dates of Sept 1, 2026 (users on SMS/voice are automatically enabled for passkeys and nudged to register) and Feb 1, 2027 (blocking enforcement for users whose only MFA is SMS/voice, no opt-out), noting paid/customer-managed telecom options and the need to warn clients, address legacy per-user MFA vs conditional access, and handle shared accounts via shared mailboxes or passkey-sharing tools. Sam recounts a prolonged Salesforce SSO/MFA issue worsened by poor vendor documentation and misleading AI guidance, ultimately tied to a Microsoft KB update. They then cover partnering with Fuji for client SOC 2 compliance support, emphasizing evidence, audits, costs, and ongoing maintenance, plus how cyber-insurance questionnaires drive security improvements. The episode also touches on residential support cases, Vision Pro support challenges with DRM blocking screen mirroring, and show wrap-up.
 
00:00 Show Kickoff
00:17 Microsoft MFA SMS Retirement
00:44 Key Dates and User Impact
03:28 Authenticator Backups and PSAs
04:40 Legacy MFA Cleanup Challenges
07:36 Conditional Access Licensing Risks
10:12 Shared Accounts and Passkeys
12:21 Salesforce MFA SSO Headaches
13:25 AI Missteps and Vendor Docs
17:50 SOC 2 Help from Fuji
21:23 SOC 2 Costs and Maintenance
22:49 Easy Buttons and Real Audits
26:27 Cyber Insurance Questionnaires
27:53 Partnering for Expertise
29:07 Cyber Insurance Foot in Door
30:31 Apple Store Referral Win
31:01 Lightroom Migration Pitfalls
34:31 Blocked Contacts Mystery
38:04 Email Search and User Training
40:02 Supporting Vision Pro Clients
47:28 Amazon Returns and Exceptions
50:24 Wrap Up and Callouts