The Apple Menu
Just what is that little black apple on the upper left hand corner of your screen? It must have a purpose, right? Well, it does and I’m going to tell you all about it.
If you click on the black apple one time, the apple turns a silver color and a menu will appear beneath it. The menu that appears is commonly referred to as your “Apple Menu” If someone tells you to check your “Apple Menu” then you know that they are asking you to click on your black apple if you are using OS 10.5
So- why is this Apple menu special? Let’s take a look:
About This Mac
The first item on the Apple menu is “About this Mac” If you select this choice you will be given a window that tells you which version of the Mac OS you are using. This same window offers you the opportunity to go straight to Software Update, it shows you the type of processor you have, it tells you how much RAM you have in your machine, it tells you which disk your machine is using and it gives you a button for even “more info…” Some readers may be wondering why they would ever want to know any of this information. I can explain that too. The information on the About This Mac window is very useful to help tech support (or you) troubleshoot your computer. If you call tech support because a certain application seems to be going entirely too slow the tech is likely to ask you to tell them about your processor and memory. Using the information from the About This Mac window they will be able to determine if your computer meets the application’s system requirements.
Software Update
Next on the Apple Menu list is “Software Update” When you select this option the Software Update utility opens and your mac contacts Apple to see if there are any software or firmware updates available for your mac. Your mac is set by default to automatically look for updates once per week. It is always a good idea to download the latest updates for your mac.
Mac OSX Software
The third item on the Apple Menu is “Mac OS X Software” This is my least favorite option because it’s merely a link to the Apple website’s software section. By clicking “Mac OS X Software” you can see different types of software to buy.
System Preferences
Next we have “System Preferences”. This is where you set just about everything for your mac. This article can’t begin to cover everything that happens in system preferences but there will be other articles on this blog covering system preferences.
Dock
Beneath System Preferences is the option for “Dock” This will also be covered elsewhere but for now, let it suffice to say that the dock is the little bar at the bottom of your screen. This option will allow you to edit the way it looks and behaves.
Recent Items
“Recent Items” let’s you see all of the applications that you’ve used recently as well as all of the documents you’ve opened recently and all of the servers you’ve joined.
Force Quit
The next thing we have on the Apple Menu is “Force Quit” Every now and then you will get something that all mac nerds find annoying- the “spinning beach ball of doom” Just remember that phrase, if you haven’t been unlcky enough to experience the spinning beach ball of doom, congratulations! If you have seen it before, this is what you should have tried to click to get out of the application that was freezing your mac.
Sleep, Restart & Shutdown
The “Sleep” option on the Apple Menu simply puts the computer to “sleep” This means that the computer is not turned off but it is in a very low power mode. I typically let me machine sleep if I am only planning to be away from it for a few hours or a few minutes. If you put the computer to “sleep” by clicking the Sleep option you can easily awaken it by pressing any key on your keyboard.
Sometimes you will need to restart your machine. The correct way to restart the machine is by choosing “Restart” from the Apple Menu. You may need to restart your machine if you’re having a lot of “spinning beach ball” problems.
Next we see “Shut Down” on the list. This is one of the most important choices on the list. Choosing this option is the correct way shut down, or turn off, your computer. Pressing the power button on your mac is NOT the correct way to shut it down.
Finally, Log Out
Finally, we have “Log Out” You can Log out of your user account on your mac by choosing this option in the Apple Menu. This is particularly useful if you share a computer with other people.
There you have it – the basic story on the Apple Menu in Mac Os X and it’s many functions.
Tags: apple, apple menu, article, Finder, mac, osx, tutorial