Windows

What to do if iTunes doesn’t recognize your iPhone or iPad

Anthony Bouchard ∙ Updated January 20, 2023

If you ever sync your iPhone, iPod touch, or iPad with iTunes, then more than likely you've experienced hiccups at some point in time where iTunes has been unable to find or recognize your device.

You have it plugged in, but for whatever reason, it just doesn't show up in iTunes. What gives?!

In this piece, we'll go over what to do if iTunes doesn't seem to recognize your iOS device when you plug it in to your computer so that if and when it happens to you, you'll be prepared to tackle the situation.

What you need to know about the AceDeceiver trojan that’s affecting some iOS devices

Anthony Bouchard ∙ March 16, 2016

Stock, non-jailbroken iOS devices appear to be vulnerable to a new security threat; a trojan known as AceDeceiver, which can be installed on an iOS device without the user's knowledge and without the help of an enterprise certificate. Once installed, it will spread malware and unwanted software to the user's device.

AceDeceiver only seems to be affecting those located in China at this point in time, but because that could change on the fly, you need to know how to protect yourself so similar threats don't affect users across the globe in the future.

How to recycle your old tech with Apple’s Recycling Program

Anthony Bouchard ∙ Updated August 6, 2018

If you have old tech sitting in your closet or attic that you don't use anymore because you've got something better, Apple will gladly make sure that tech is recycled properly free of cost via the Apple Recycling Program. In some instances, the company will even give you an Apple Store gift card as credit towards a new Apple device or accessories.

The Apple Recycling Program has been around for ages, but is often overlooked as an option. Although better deals can often be had elsewhere, the urge to trade in your device can come at inopportune times, and when you want quick money for your old Apple devices, or a quick and easy way to get rid of your junk tech, Apple can come in handy in a pinch.

In this tutorial, we'll show you how you can use the Apple Recycling Program to make better use of your unused tech.

How a journalist convinced Jobs to bring iTunes to PCs and other tidbits from Tony Fadell interview

Christian Zibreg ∙ February 29, 2016

It was The Wall Street Journal technology columnist Walt Mossberg, one of Steve Jobs's favorite reviewers, of all people who has finally managed to persuade then Apple CEO to expand the addressable market for iPods by bringing iTunes to Windows PCs.

Jobs, Nest founder Tony Fadell and then Apple executive charged with iPod and iPhone development recalls, long insisted that the iPod be used as a vehicle to increase Mac sales. “Steve, the iPod is $399. But really it’s not. Because you have to buy a Mac!” We had to give people a taste,” Fadell recalls telling Jobs, to no avail.

He eventually relented and agreed that Apple should bring iTunes to Windows, under one condition: the software was to be tested by journalist Walt Mossberg. “We’re going to build these and run it by Mossberg,” Jobs reportedly said. “And if Mossberg says it’s good enough to ship, then we’ll ship it.”

Walt reportedly said, “Not bad. I’d ship it,” and the rest is history.

New Microsoft ads for Windows 10 focus on things Macs can’t do

Christian Zibreg ∙ February 29, 2016

Microsoft this weekend published four new commercials for its Windows 10 operating system that showcase things “Macs can't do”. The ads feature Kristie and Jess, AKA The Bug Chicks, the two women who are apparently trying to change the way kids think about bugs.

The two characters, one of whom is a Mac fan jealous of Windows 10 features, explore competitive advantages of Microsoft's operating system like the built-in Cortana personal assistant, support for inking and drawing on notebooks with built-in touchscreens, the ability to log in to Windows 10 with one's face and more.

As each Windows 10 feature is highlighted, the other woman responds with a variation of the “I don’t have a touchscreen on my Mac, I’m jealous of that” theme.

Private Internet Access review: a great VPN at a great price

Anthony Bouchard ∙ Updated October 6, 2022

The quest for internet privacy and security is no game these days; hackers with malicious intent are really out there and they want your valuable personal information.

One way to protect yourself is with a virtual private network (VPN), but there are lots of VPN options out there to choose from – both free and paid. Picking a VPN that's right for you can be tough, and many people are concerned about their privacy while online.

In this piece, we'll be giving you our opinion on the Private Internet Access VPN; a paid VPN service that holds a solid reputation among its many users.

PwnTunes for iOS 9: manually manage music via Windows on a jailbroken device

Jeff Benjamin ∙ Updated June 12, 2018

PwnTunes is a jailbreak tweak that’s been around since the every early days of jailbreaking. If memory serves me correctly, I think it’s been available since the iOS 3 days, which seems like an eternity now that we’re only 7 months or so away from iOS 10.

The basic premise behind PwnTunes is that it affords Windows users drag and drop access to import and export music without iTunes. The tweak is able to accomplish this feat by turning an iPhone into a mass storage device that’s accessible via Windows Explorer.

Pangu releases version 1.1.0 of its iOS 9 jailbreak tool

Jeff Benjamin ∙ October 21, 2015

Pangu has released an update to its Windows jailbreak tool for iOS 9. Pangu 1.1.0 features fixes to improve the success rate when attempting to jailbreak 64-bit devices, optimizations for the backup process, overall jailbreak speed, and more. If you've been experiencing issues getting Pangu for iOS 9 to work successfully on your device, then you should definitely try Pangu 1.1.0.

How to jailbreak iOS 9 with Pangu on Mac using a virtual machine

Jeff Benjamin ∙ Updated April 19, 2018

If you're running a Mac, you'll need a virtual machine running Windows in order to jailbreak using OS X. In this tutorial, I'll show you how to create a Windows virtual machine and how to jailbreak iOS 9 on your Mac. It's super easy, and takes less than 20 minutes to complete. Instead of waiting for a Mac tool, why not use a virtual machine and enjoy an iOS 9 jailbreak today?

How to jailbreak iOS 9 with Pangu

Jeff Benjamin ∙ Updated April 19, 2018

As we told you, the Pangu Jailbreak tool for iOS 9 was just released a few minutes ago. We've taken the liberty to test it out, and can vouch for its legitimacy as far as jailbreaking the iPhone goes. We tested it out with our iPhone 6s and were able to jailbreak and load Cydia successfully. In this post, we'll show you how to do the same.

iOS 9 jailbreak released by Pangu

Jeff Benjamin ∙ October 13, 2015

Surprise! The iOS 9 jailbreak that we just talked about appears to be legit, and there is now a download link available. The tool is only available for Windows users at this time. The Pangu tool for iOS 9 works with iOS 9.0, iOS 9.0.1, and iOS 9.0.2. There's no word on whether it works with the beta releases at this time.

El Capitan’s Boot Camp has USB drive-less Windows setup, but not all Macs are supported

Christian Zibreg ∙ October 1, 2015

Boot Camp, the Mac's built-in software for dual-booting between OS X and Windows has been given some love in the new El Capitan software update and now features a slicker Windows setup that no longer requires a USB thumb drive, as discovered by Twocanoes.

Previously, Boot Camp required that the Windows installer be provided in the form of a USB drive or CD/DVD installation media. Now you can just point to an .ISO file, which significantly shortens the entire procedure for those who have purchased Windows as a digital download.