The release of Apple's new Mac OS X Operating System is imminent, but it is not yet absolutely certain what it will bring. The rumour sites have all kinds of nonsense both optimistic and pessimistic.

The biggest change seems not to be with the operating system itself but who it is aimed at and how they will use it. It appears that the underlying functionality is still there, it would be virtually impossible to cut great chunks of it out. Now that Apple are happy with their operating system they have set about simplifying the interface for the user, something that can be seen clearly in the iOS and recent release of FCP X. Apple have long been  touting the "It just works" slogan. The GUI changes that they have made in previous versions of Mac OS X and that it appears they will make in Lion continue this trend.

This fine for your average consumer, but many of Apple's traditional customers have more esoteric and specialist needs, and require an Operating System that provides the tools to allow them to setup and customise to meet their needs.

To do custom configuration these users many no longer have the necessary skills and for a first time in a while Macintosh configuration and usage will require a skilled and experienced technician

In the past with the right tools anybody could change the sparks plugs on a car, now you are lucky if you can work out how to open the bonnet to find them. You need a mechanic who knows what they are doing and has the right tools.

So what does this mean if you are supporting Macintoshes, well much of the easy stuff know how to do will work without any need for your assistance, making the daily need for support smaller. But for the more complicated stuff you will need to ensure that you have the necessary skills to get under the bonnet.

Additionally I think we will find that because some of the control has been taken away from the users that many of them will be reluctant to upgrade immediately, and possibly for some time. The skill set from Snow Leopard that you have built up will continue to be needed, both to support those that haven't upgraded yet, but more importantly it will give the necessary understanding of how the underlying Operating System under Lion works and clues to how make the changes that are no longer possible in the GUI.

So ensure that your Snow Leopard tool kit is polished and up to date as the Lion interface may well not give you the options that you need and you will have to lift the bonnet spanner in hand.

iPod Troubleshooting

If you are experiencing problems with an iPod product you will find in depth support information on Apple's own iPod troubleshooting website. You can also try the following steps for rectifying common iPod issues.

---

If your iPod screen shows a ‘sad iPod’ icon or the screen does not show anything please try the following :- 

1. Resetting your iPod

Toggle the hold switch on and off (slide it to hold, then back to off again). Follow this by pressing and holding down both the ‘Menu’ and ‘Select’ buttons for 10 seconds or until the Apple logo appears on the screen.  Please repeat if the iPod does not reset on the first occasion.

 2. Battery and computer port

Please try an alternative USB 2 port on your computer to ensure the iPod is receiving power to recharge the battery. Your iPod battery needs looking after like any rechargeable battery. Apple recommend that you fully discharge and then recharge your iPod battery every month. This will help preserve the battery life. If you think your battery has developed a serious fault within the twelve month warranty period, Apple UK offer a rapid return & repair/replace service accessible at http://depot.info.apple.com 

Solutions Inc. can administrate this warranty process on your behalf . There is no charge where the iPod was purchased from our company. If you bought the iPod elsewhere or are unable to produce proof of purchase we will charge you a £17.99 administration fee.

---

Headphones

Please visit http://depot.info.apple.com if your iPod headphones develop a fault within the twelve month warranty period. Solutions inc. will not repair or replace iPod headphones.

 

TX106 Mac OS X Troubleshooting

£225.00 EX. VAT £264.38 INC. VAT

By the end of this course you should be armed with all the technical know-how you need to tackle OS X problems head on and all the hands on experience required to put this knowledge into practice on your Mac. Most importantly of all, you'll gain a fresh understanding of good OS X working practice which should help prevent problems developing in the first place. You'll learn how to reinstall and update the system, you will also look at some of the UNIX structure of OS X, share files and combat internet and network issues, amongst a host of other topics. All equipment and refreshments are provided and you will be given the course notes to refer to afterwards.

Prerequisites

Working with a Macintosh computer running OS X either through using them on a daily basis or having attended one of our introductory OS X introduction training courses and basic Mac OS X knowledge

Course outline

• OS X system requirements
• System Profiler
• Hard disks
• Disk Utility
• Installing OS X
• The finder, The boot sequence
• Hardware boot, OS boot
• File structure, Users and priviledges
• Diagnostics
• Networking
• Printing