*** Hello Everyone!  Welcome to 2012! ***
Man, is THAT weird to say!

A couple of years ago, I sent one of these notes speaking of enhancements that you can perform on your computer at minimal cost and a substantial gain in usability.  Some of you weren't working with me then and other probably have forgotten what I said.  I thought I'd reiterate my comments now because so many people are using machines that are more than a couple of years old.

Basically, once you purchase that machine, you've locked yourself into a certain set of options via upgrades.  I'm starting to see limitations in older Intel based Macs that need to be taken care of "sooner than later."  The reason? The release of the "Lion" OS.

I asked in a recent letter that you think about upgrading your Intel Based Macintosh to at least version 10.6 of the Mac OS by stopping by the local Apple Retail Store and obtaining the $30 Upgrade DVD.  As of this letter, it's NO LONGER available at the local stores.  You MUST purchase online at the Web Apple Store.  

The fact that they're no longer available locally means that Apple is phasing them out completely.  If you're going to do this, please order this soon.  You're going to get a really good Operating System and be in a great position if you'd like to upgrade to 10.7 in the future.

You can perform this OS upgrade yourself!  It's as simple as putting the DVD in the machine and clicking the "Install" icon.

Snow Leopard Product Link at Apple:
http://store.apple.com/us/product/MC573Z/A?fnode=MTY1NDAzOA

There is no upgrade path from any other Mac Operating System to 10.7 Lion than from 10.6 Snow Leopard.  You cannot purchase Lion on disk as it must be downloaded and it's quite an endeavor to try to move your data from 10.4 or earlier to Lion.   I like challenges but this is just not an easy thing to accomplish manually and I'd rather not try it.  :) 

Plus, 10.6 will allow you to still run your older applications  without upgrading them whereas 10.7 WILL NOT.

The other thing that will help keep your machine running faster and more smoothly will be to add RAM (Memory) to the machine.  The "more the merrier" as they say.  If you're someone who gets the "Spinning Beachball of Death" quite often, a memory upgrade should be in your future.

Memory=Speed

How much money is a memory upgrade?  For most of you, it will probably be $50-$60 with some larger amounts as high as $100.    But think how many years that you'v had your computer.  Adding memory to the machine might add a few more years to it's usability.

If you have any question regarding this email, please don't be afraid to contact me!

Have a good day and an even better 2012!  

Jerry – MacSolutions