Category Archives: laptops

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MacBook Buyer Beware

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Stunned by the Touch Bar on the new MacBook Pro? Thinking about buying one for yourself or a loved one? Don’t rely on the only hit to your wallet being just the exorbitant one upfront.

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iFixit, a website known for their “teardowns” of new electronics, just released their dismantling of the 15″ MacBook Pro. This model, along with the 13″, scored a 1 out of 10 on their scale of “repairability.” Issues brought up included direct soldering of the RAM to the logic board and the proprietary solid-state drive. Upgrading your performance or storage is practically impossible, so you’ll want to be sure to buy the model with the optimum specs for your daily use. Also, the newfangled Touch Bar is stunningly easy to break during repair, being held down by a ridiculous amount of glue (iFixit’s experienced teardown techs accidentally destroyed it on both builds). The power button also doubles as a Touch ID sensor, and is thus connected directly to the logic board; this might mean that swapping out a faulty power button will require replacing the logic board (!).

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If a MacBook Pro is in your buying future, we strongly recommend purchasing an AppleCare plan with it. While it seems pricey ($349 for the 15″ MBP) it’ll definitely pay off if something goes wrong. iFixYouri is currently in talks with suppliers about parts for the new models, but we can tell you right now that they won’t be cheap to repair. Save yourself a lot of money and a huge headache by thinking ahead of time. The total price goes up to $2,750 (before dongles) but if you can comfortably pass the $2,000 mark for a laptop, you shouldn’t be worrying much.

If you own a current or older model of MacBook Pro, and your screen is giving you issues or battery life isn’t what it used to be, give us a call. iFixYouri does all sort of repairs for Apple laptops, from one Air to seventy Retina MacBooks for corporate clients, with quick turnaround and excellent customer service.

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Hard Disk? Solid State? A Guide to Hard Drives.

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The new MacBook Pro was announced in October to incredible media attention. Praise and derision from all sides became the norm, but one feature went completely uncommented. This line of professional-grade laptops is equipped with solid-state drives. It seems like recent history when solid-state drives (or SSDs) were treated with scorn, relegated to cheap electronics and knockoffs. Real technology, it was said, kept data on hard-disk drives (or HDD). But what’s the difference? And why are SSDs okay now?

SSD vs HDD, new and old technology
SSD vs HDD, new and old technology

First, I need to simplify things (to a horrifying extent, for some) by saying that data is stored as 1s and 0s. The first computers used punch cards to store data; think an index card with holes in it. A space with a hole was a 1, a space without a hole was a 0. Each space is called a “bit,” and if you have a card with, say, ten rows of eight spaces each, that card can store 80 bits. Eight bits make up one “byte” so you can also say it stores 10 bytes. Now, a byte isn’t much; to encode a letter of the alphabet takes 1 byte (a combination string of eight 0s or 1s) so the most data a 10-byte card could hold is the word “mozzarella” or “prosciutto” (I just ate Italian). As computing speeds got faster and faster, new forms of storage were needed, capable of holding many more 1s and 0s. Essentially, the 1s and 0s had to get smaller.

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Inside of a hard-disk drive (HDD) is, unsurprisingly, a hard disk. This disk is actually composed of extremely tiny magnetic spaces that can either have polarity in one direction or another. An arm moving over the disk as it spins reads the spaces as being in a certain direction (a 0) or another direction (a 1). By spinning the disk at a blindingly fast rate and moving the arm over it just as quickly, a hard-disk drive can read an impressive amount of data in less than a second. Modern HDDs found in most desktop computers are at least 1 terabyte (1000 gigabytes).

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This has disadvantages, of course. To be as fast and accurate as possible, the head of the arm must be as close as possible to the surface of the disk. The heads of modern hard-disk drives can be 10nm from the surface, 1/750000 of the diameter of a human hair! In a desktop, this is okay. But in a portable device, like a laptop or iPod, this gets dangerous. A bump or drop while the disk is being read will push the arm into the spinning disk. At 7200 revolutions-per-minute, this can completely destroy the whole thing, causing you to lose all your data! There’s also an issue with max speed. The HDD speed is limited by the speed of the disk and the speed of the arm, both of which are limited by…well…physics. Spin too fast and the disc can literally melt due to friction.

Solid-state drives, on the other hand, have no moving parts. It’s the same technology used in thumb drives, but optimized to be much faster and hold vast amounts of data. The technology has been around for years, but has been prohibitively expensive until recently. SSDs are smaller, use less power, and can supply more data in less time than HDDs. You can drop one and it keeps chugging along. By mounting the SSD to the motherboard, load speeds practically disappear, allowing a computer to boot-up within seconds. This is called PCIe, and is featured on the new MacBook Pro. This has allowed solid-state drives, previously relegated to small electronics such as cellphones and MP3 players, to be featured as the main hard drive on powerful computers.

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For decades, hard-disk drives ruled the computer world, but it’s just updated dated technology. Heck, even the first few generations of iPod used hard-disk drives. Manufacturers tried to innovate by making smaller, faster drivers with more storage but the same limitations held them back. The move by large consumer-tech companies to feature SSDs will lead to the same innovation. We’re betting on seeing tiny terabyte chips in cellphones within a decade or so. If you’re interested in upgrading your computer to an SSD drive, contact your local iFixYouri or leave a comment below. Our technicians will be more than happy to help.

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Price of The “MehBook Pro” Got You Spooked? Dell Has Got You Covered (in Rose Gold!)

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You’ve had the Halloween weekend to think about the new MacBook Pro. What are your thoughts? Its beautiful display and fancy new Touch Bar drew some wows, but the lack of ports and processing power combined with the absurd price have caused nightmares among those in the Apple community. Our favorite criticism is the DongleBook Pro, as the new MacBook requires adapters (dongles) to connect to almost anything. The MBP has a headphone jack but no Lightning port, so if you bought an iPhone 7, and you wish to plug the Lightning headphones that came with it into your MacBook, you’ll need an adapter. Another nickname is the MehBook “Pro”, mocking the unimpressive specs when compared to other professional-level computers: non-upgradeable 16GB of RAM, mediocre graphics card, uncomfortable keyboard. Although nobody asked them to undertake it, Apple set itself on a quest to create the thinnest, lightest professional laptop, and they did so by ignoring the needs of professionals. The only good thing is…there are options.

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Dell released their contender, the newest XPS 13, this week. Normally, this wouldn’t be big news, but thousands of disgruntled Apple fans will take notice. In addition to being an alternative to the MacBook Pro, the XPS has several options, giving you the ability to select a laptop that matches your needs and budget. The 13” screen has practically no border, giving the XPS a footprint closer to that of 11” models, and you can choose between a full-HD matte-finish 1920×1080 screen or a quad-HD glossy touch-screen 3200×1800 banger. Ports include two USB 3.0 A-type (the standard kind you’re used to), a ThunderBolt 3 USB-C port, 3.5mm headphone, and a SD card slot. The XPS can be charged through the ThunderBolt port (like the MacBook) but also has a dedicated charging port. The basic version has 8GB of RAM and a 256GB solid-state hard drive, but the performance model bumps that to 16GB RAM and 512GB storage. The Intel hardware under the hood is rock solid, as well; the top-of-the-line graphics chip and processor can handle anything you can throw it at with fast performance and great framerate. The battery lasts 14 hours, blowing the MacBook Pro out of the water, and the Killer wifi card gives incredible wireless stability, even through walls and ceilings.

Let’s talk options. You can get a basic, barebones XPS 13 for $799, but that only has an i3 processor, 4GB of RAM, Windows 10 Home, and 128GB. Snore. All the higher models have Windows 10 Pro, and you can choose between 8 and 16GB, touchscreen or no, 256 or 512GB hard drive, and silver or rose-gold exterior. The most premium model, which also includes an i7 processor, runs for $1899 but look for holiday deals that’ll make it cheaper than the 13” MacBook Pro ($1799). The Windows 10 Creators Update is being released just in time for the XPS and will overhaul what you can do with this impressive machine.

Dell XPS 13 (Model 9360) Touch 13-inch notebook computer, codename Dino 2 MLK.

As always, iFixYouri is able to handle any repairs you might need for whatever laptop you buy this holiday season. If you’re feeling “priced out” by the new MacBook Pros, but don’t feel like giving up your Apple Fanboy status, iFixYouri can extend the life of your current MacBook with repairs and maintenance. Just stop in at one of our 15 retail locations or website for computer repair. And look for our new Tech Reboot service coming soon; we will be selling refurbished devices, repaired and brought to like-new condition by the same expert technicians who handle our repairs.

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Apple Reveals New MacBook Pro with Pro Features (and a Very Pro Price)

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Excited about the new MacBook Pro? Better start saving your shekels. Apple’s keynote speech had many rumors swirling around it that were conveniently leaked in the days prior, but there was still some buzz. That buzz was mostly unfounded, as the most surprising feature of the new MBP is the price: starts at $1500 and goes all the way to $2900! The “Pro” definitely needs to be emphasized, as that level of pricing only makes sense if you can write it off as a business expense. We’ll see what we’re dealing with in a moment, but let’s first cover the other events of the speech.

2016-macbook-pro-ports

The event opened with a video highlighting the accessibility features of Apple’s products. Check out their new site for more details. The video (available on the site) is absolutely beautiful and I highly recommend watching it.

Tim Cook came out swinging with an Apple TV app: TV. No, that’s not an error. This app is sort of a meta-app, managing your numerous subscriptions to various video streaming services. It serves basically as a hub; if you have Netflix, Hulu, and HBO GO, TV shows you where you left off or suggests the next episode on each show or movie within those services. So, if you were halfway through a Game of Thrones episode, selecting it in the TV app opens up the HBO GO app and resumes playing. We don’t envision it being used too often (except for streaming service power-users with 3+ subscriptions) but it is a neat concept. Siri on the Apple TV gets a boost but nothing mindblowing beyond learning the names of NFL teams. Speaking of NFL, watching games on Apple TV now allows you access to an on-screen curated Twitter feed about the game, showing blurbs and stats from major sports news outlets as well as humorous reactions from celebrities. Gimmicky? Yes. Cool? Also yes. If they bring that feature to NHL games, so I can see all sorts of derogatory memes against my beloved Maple Leafs, I’m on board.

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Now the main event: 13” and 15” MacBook Pro. Here’s a quick run-down of what’s new:

  • New trackpad that’s twice the size of the previous models, utilizing Force Touch (for hard-presses, similar to iPhone 3D Touch) and presumably some form of the Taptic Engine for feedback.
  • A new Retina display with 67% brighter and a 67% higher contrast ratio while consuming less power.
  • Four Thunderbolt 3 USB-C ports, and any of them can be used for charging, docking, etc.
  • 10 hours of battery life.

But the most important (to Apple) new feature is the Touch Bar, a multi-touch-sensitive Retina display across the top of the keyboard where the function keys normally are. The Touch Bar features context-sensitive buttons, providing handy shortcuts depending on what is currently happening on screen. You can do anything with the Touch Bar!, Apple is trying to say. To demonstrate this, they had a DJ perform a 30-second song using it with djay Pro, a photographer do some slick editing tricks in Photoshop, and a videographer assemble a short film on Final Cut. There are features in more commonly used apps, such as Safari: Touch Bar will show shortcuts and open tabs. Less impressive were an autocomplete feature, which is useless when all 10 fingers are typing at once, and an emoji list.

apple-macbook-pro-699858

On the far right of the Touch Bar is a Touch ID button, serving as both a power button and fingerprint verification. That’s right, Apple Pay comes to MacBook (new security specs to match). This also serves as a fast switch between users; just press your finger against it and, if you’re an authorized user, it quickly switches you over to your account.

Hardware-wise, it’s impressive but nothing mindblowing. No one buys MacBooks as high-end gaming computers so the specs should be sufficient.

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The prices, however, are absolutely absurd. The 13” goes for $1799 and the 15” starts at $2399, with reports coming from Europe and Canada as costing up to twice as much there. It’s a massive price increase over the previous models without much to show for it. Apple is discontinuing the MacBook Air, for a good reason (the 13” model is lighter and thinner than the previous Air) but still impacting those who want a somewhat affordable MacBook without the high-end specs. The MacBook Pro is designed, and now definitely priced for, professionals, hence the Pro in the name. But there’s no new option for the casual user, save for Tim Cook’s half-mumbled consolation of a 13” model with only two Thunderbolt ports and no Touch Bar for the “bargain” price of $1499. You’ll be much better off repairing and/or upgrading your current MacBook and still saving a lot of money.

 

This last point seemed off. Apple is compromising? I feel as if the old Apple wouldn’t have offered a MacBook that did not include the centerpiece feature of the new line; sort of an “adapt or die” attitude that defined the company. I’m not one to start a whole “Steve Jobs Apple vs Tim Cook Apple” debate, but it seems very un-Apple to talk about innovation for an hour and then give the option of opting out of said innovation.

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Ride into Valhalla, Shiny and Chrome(book)

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If you’re looking for a quality, affordable laptop for you or a loved one, especially those in high school or college, it might be worth your time to consider a netbook. Acer and Samsung have two new options coming out in time for the holidays; the former designed to be affordable, and the other slightly less so. The caveat? They’re both Chromebooks, a further subcategory down the chain. So, what’s the difference between a laptop, a netbook, and a Chromebook?

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A netbook is a small, lightweight laptop, usually with unimpressive hardware and designed to be an inexpensive way to get online on-the-go. This accessibility has seen the category explode in popularity, competing steadily with full-size laptops. It doesn’t hurt that several of the top laptop producers are also selling a lot of netbooks themselves; all they have to do is scale down the tech. Netbooks aren’t without their downsides, however. One of the biggest issues is the Windows operating system. Windows is a full-feature software suite that takes a good while to load and boot up, especially in a device using lightweight, affordable parts. There was no alternative; Apple’s MacOS is proprietary and they had (and have) no plans to enter the netbook space. It was Windows or bust…for a while.

 

Google partnered with Samsung and Acer in 2011 to create a new category: the Chromebook, a netbook running an extremely light and fast operating system developed in-house by Google. A Chromebook has very little in the way of storage, only a few gigs or so, which isn’t an issue since its memory is integrated with a Google Drive cloud server. Although capable of only running so-called “Chrome apps,” which are really just websites, the Chromebook proved to be popular among students, with more Chromebooks being sold than Apple Macbooks in the first quarter of 2016. I used an early model myself while in college. While unable to use iTunes, Photoshop, or any other program that can’t be run in-browser, I had a $200 laptop with long battery life, a decent screen, and could fit in a backpack. Four years later, and I’m using it to type this article. One of the perks of a cloud-based computer is that the hard drive doesn’t get full and slow it down, so it’s just as fast as the day I bought it (my Chromebookversary!).

 

Now, Samsung and Acer are still in the game and releasing two great devices. Acer’s newest Chromebook 15 (bearing the catchy name of CB3-532-C47C) is a 15.6” beast, perfect for watching streaming video. And you better be comfortable with streaming, because there’s only 16GB of storage (plus 100GB on Google Drive and an SD card slot for expansion). The resolution, set at 1366 x 768 (about that of an 11” screen), combined with 2GB of RAM makes multitasking roughly at the same level of a laptop that size. Still, it’s good-looking (backlit LED keyboard!) and features a 12-hour battery, all for $199. For a student who just wants to study, browse the internet, and watch Netflix, that can’t be beat.

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If you’ve been extra good this year, or for a Google fanatic in your family, give the $499 Samsung Chromebook Pro a look. While running the same OS as the Acer, the Samsung has a hexacore 2GHz processor and 4GB of RAM under the hood for faster, more fluid browsing with greater multitasking. The screen is a little smaller (reported to be around 12.2”) but is much sharper. The screen has touch capability and folds all the way back, so the keyboard half can be used as a stand. A version of the S-Pen, popular on Samsung’s Note smartphones, is included. Also noteworthy: the gorgeous, slim, all-aluminum design and 32GB of internal storage, adding up to the higher price point.

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Both Chromebooks will be among the first in the line to be compatible with Android apps (making the Samsung’s stylus all the more important) which will bring their functionality closer to that of a regular laptop. The Acer is available now at Wal-Mart, and the Samsung is currently on pre-order but should be released soon. Might be a little bit early to think about holiday gifts, but a Chromebook makes a great one for students. And, of course, iFixYouri is here to do any repairs needed during its lifetime.

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MacBook LCD Screen Repair – Pros and Cons

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MacBook LCD Screen Repair

To repair or not to repair? That is the question a lot of MacBook owners will ask themselves if their computer stops working. Today much of our technology seems disposable, and we tend to buy things like smartphones or laptops about every other year or so. But the appearance of disposability and the reality of the longevity of your equipment may differ – it all depends on the laptop or the particular problem. This is especially true for problems with your screen; MacBook LCD repair issues are easily taken care of, provided you’ve isolated the problem as such. If you only need for your MacBook LCD screen repair, you can figure it out by asking yourself a few questions:

  • Is it a problem with your hardware, or is it merely a software problem?
  • Is the information on the hard drive of your computer vital for your business/personal life? That is, are there irreplaceable data on your laptop?
  • Is there evidence of hardware deterioration?
  • Are you aware of any recent damage? (e.g. laptop water damage, broken laptop screen, keyboard damage, LCD screen display damage, etc.)

Often, it is more cost-effective to repair than to replace, especially if the data are irreplaceable and, to you, priceless. And sometimes some of the problems that may seem the most expensive are actually among the cheapest and easiest things to fix, such as LCD damage. Compare the prices of a MacBook LCD screen repair with the latest price of a MacBook, and you’ll get the idea; now add the cost of data retrieval, and you’re really talking a lot of unnecessary spending.

MacBook LCD screen repair is much simpler than most people think, and it certainly does not mean the death of your laptop. It’s an easy procedure that maintains the CPU (the “brain” of your computer) and the other essential parts. But how easy is easy?

MacBook LCD Screen Repair

MacBook LCD Screen Repair: DIY vs. Professional

 

Once you’ve determined that you’d rather replace your LCD screen than purchase a new MacBook, now comes the next question – should you send it to a professional, or do it yourself? One thing we can definitely recommend is that you at least let a professional look at it first – most reputable repair shops will give you a free diagnostic check (shameless plug – we also give free diagnostic checks via shipping).

 

Once you’ve made certain of the problem, the correct answer really depends on the type of person you are. If you have experience with computer hardware, this may be an option, but it is a lengthy process, and not terribly cheaper than, say, taking it to an iFixYouri. For example, if you order your parts from eTech Parts, a good supply store, a MacBook LCD display screen will run you between $129.99 and $259.99, depending on your type of MacBook, not to mention the added time it will take you to repair it. From there you can find instructional videos on YouTube on how to properly replace your screen.

If none of this appeals to you, you may just want to take it to a pro. We recommend ourselves! We’re highly experienced with MacBook LCD repair, and if you don’t live near one of our locations, you can ship us your MacBook for both a free diagnostic test and subsequent repair, all of which takes about 24-48 hours. Contact us for MacBook LCD screen repair here!

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The New MacBook Pro’s Pros and Cons

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The 13-inch Retina MacBook Pro is a gorgeous device and has already won ear-splitting applause from users. Nevertheless, there are hitches and for a laptop costing as much as this does, you could not be blamed for being disappointed with technical problems.

Potential MacBook Issues

As great of a device as Apple has developed with its latest MacBook Pro, it seems almost inevitable that some glitches should accompany such a product.

Note: For those that may have more severe issues than a mere glitch and may require actual MacBook repair, seeking out experts such as iFixYouri is always a sound decision.

So without any further ado, let’s take a look some of the issues:

Usage

The Retina screen is gorgeous. You cannot help but fall in love with it. However, there aren’t many websites that take advantage of Retina at this point.

Graphic Performance

Testing the graphic performance of four different laptops with a heavy effect video file uncovered that the 15-inch Pro takes an average 20 seconds less than the 13-inch to render the file, whereas the 13-inch Air takes an average 10 seconds more than the 13-inch Pro to render the same file. Now when we consider that the Retina 13 costs $850 more than the 13-inch Air and around $200 less than the Pro 15, it does raise a few uneasy questions about the wisdom of investing in a Retina 13.

The 13-inch MacBook Pro does come with a wonderful visual design, awesome trackpad and keyboard, a compressed unibody design, and yet its graphic performance is not too superior to the MacBook Air. You also experience a minor slowdown when you use a hi-res setting.

The laptop is a bit smaller than the 15-inch Pro and way thicker than the 13-inch Air.

Battery Life and Sound

The battery life, which is around 3 hrs 15 mins, is good enough and the sound is excellent, too. However, there seems to be a soft echo to the sound, especially when you are listening to dialogue. The keyboard and the trackpad are still the best you are going to find in a laptop.

Should One Buy the New MacBook Pro?

Clearly, it’s hard to say that the new MacBook Pro is not a good investment. The laptop is still so much better that other laptops, performance-wise. And since it costs only fractionally more than its 13-inch counterpart, it is hard to see why you would not invest in the 15-inch if you are comfortable with its slightly-bigger size.

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Mac Keyboard Shortcuts Made Easy

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Some people may not be on intimate terms with their Mac keyboard. The buttons do a lot more than simply type letters and numbers onto the screen, or move the cursor around.  With certain key combinations, there are many opportunities to perform steps that would otherwise have to be accessed from a menu.

Special Keys of a Mac Keyboard

Whether it is built-in like on a laptop or arrives with a desktop, Mac always uses a traditional QWERTY keyboard layout in the United States. The function keys or F keys make the Mac perform tricks. They can make the Mac screen brighter and the sound louder. Near the bottom of the keyboard, next to the space bar, are modifier keys.  When pressed, the modifier keys change the behavior of other keys that are pressed at the same time. When using one modifier key with another key, you can issue a keyboard shortcut.

Classic Layout

On the Macbook Pro of today, the FN key is on the bottom row. On older keyboards it may not be present. When pressing the FN key and pushing one of the top keys on the board, specific operations can be achieved by default. If you press the F12 key by itself, audio volume amplifies. Press FN together with F12 on a Mac with Mountain Lion and the display shifts to the Dashboard environment.

The Versitility of a Command Key

Appearing to the right and left of the space bar is the Command key. If used frequently, it can save the user lots of time.  For instance, when saving a document, instead of going to the File menu, you can just press Command+S.  Or, when quitting the document, you can press Command+Q.

The Control key is mainly used to call up contextual menus. Windows users recognize these as menus that appear when you right-click. On a Mac, nothing happens with the right-click, you must hold down the Control key and right-click to get the menu commands. To get rid of it, click outside of it and do not hold down the Control key.

Option Keys

An Option key is to the right of the Control key. Pressing the Option key causes optional or alternative actions to happen. These common key commands are used with most all applications.

Like all great products, the reality of repair and sometimes replacement is inevitable. If your Mac keyboard ever experiences problems with its functionality and is in need of computer repair services, pros at iFixYouri can help restore your Mac back to its former glory.