Like most Apple device users, we've all found that we really enjoy using the stock apps that come with our Macs, iPhones and iPads. But, once in a while (or more often or even every day!), we find there are tools we need and we rely on that other software developers create to enhance our computing needs.

What are your favorites? What are the tools you can't live without? What are the utilities you think are even better than what Apple provides? Let's talk about them and please come to the meeting with at least one application or utility you find is very useful, or even indispensable. Let's all learn from each other!

With every new version of macOS, iOS and iPadOS, there are dozens, if not hundreds, of new features. While many are presented as major new things, most of them are subtle or hidden under Settings or in areas most people don't find easily. Since macOS Sonoma and iOS 17/iPadOS 17 have been out for a while, we've collected lots of tips and discovered many new features that might be of interest. We'll go over many of these and we welcome you to let us know of any cool new things you've found. Some of these can be game-changing!

Lots of new stuff from Apple this month including the Apple Vision Pro. This is Apple's first new product category in nearly 10 years and it's mind blowing. It's something that has to be seen and used to be appreciated. Of course, it's still in its infancy and there's a lot of growth potential but it's still a revolutionary new way to interact with your data. We'll talk about the Vision Pro and get feedback from those that have used it.

Also, Apple has released an update to iOS that offers new security features including Stolen Device Protection. We'll discuss this and tell you how to enable it for your safety.

And, as we're continuing to talk about 2 Factor Authentication (2FA), we'll discuss moving away from using a phone number where codes are texted to using authentication apps — a much more secure method that's not dependent on a phone number.

Have you ever seen an article you read online and wanted to save it to refer back to it quickly? Or, have you ever seen an article you wanted to read but just didn't have time to read it at the time you found it? We've all been in that situation and a few apps have been created over the years to help us collect those articles to read when we're ready. Commonly called "Read it Later" apps, many have developed integration with your favorite browser so that you can save the link or, in some cases, the entire article's contents so you can read the article when you're ready. Some apps even save the entire content offline so you can read it when you're not even connected to the Internet (like on a flight).

We'll review a few of those apps at our next meeting and show you how they work and how they can sync to your devices so you can read the articles YOU want WHEN you want them.