Apple Technology Help & Consulting

Sometimes the best technology support comes from someone who actually enjoys technology.

Brad Zehr has been using Macintosh computers since the 1980s, long before the Mac, iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, iCloud, and today's interconnected Apple ecosystem became part of everyday life.

Over the years, that interest has naturally led to helping family, friends, clients, and businesses choose, understand, troubleshoot, and get more from their Apple products.

An Apple user helping Apple users.

Start With What You Want to Do

You do not need to know what a setting is called or understand why something is not working.

Tell us what you are trying to accomplish.

Maybe your photos are not appearing where you expect them. Your Mac is running out of storage. You bought a new computer and need to move everything from the old one. Your email stopped working. You are unsure whether your files are actually backed up. Your iPhone and Mac are not communicating the way you expected. Or perhaps you simply know there must be an easier way to do something.

Those are good places to start.

Mac, iPhone & iPad Help

Apple technology help may include areas such as:

• Mac setup and configuration
• iPhone and iPad setup
• Moving from an old Mac to a new Mac
• Helping Windows users transition to Mac
• macOS questions and troubleshooting
• Software installation and configuration
• Apple ID and Apple Account questions
• iCloud setup and troubleshooting
• iCloud Drive and file organization
• Photos and photo organization
• Storage management
• Time Machine and backup strategies
• Email setup and troubleshooting
• Printers, scanners, and other peripherals
• Wi-Fi and network troubleshooting
• Sharing information between Apple devices
• Security and privacy settings
• Password and account practices
• Software updates and macOS upgrades
• Selected hardware troubleshooting, upgrades, and repairs
• Learning useful features you may not know are already there

If your particular question is not on the list, ask. Sometimes the interesting problems are the ones we did not anticipate.

Moving to a New Mac

Buying a new Mac should be exciting, but moving years of files, photographs, email, applications, passwords, settings, and other information can make the process intimidating.

We can help plan the transition, make sure important information is backed up, move data to the new computer, configure necessary services, and help you become comfortable with the new system.

This is also a good opportunity to decide what actually needs to move.

A new computer does not necessarily need to inherit decades of unnecessary files and software simply because they existed on the old one.

Thinking About Switching From Windows?

A Mac can be an excellent choice for many people—but that does not mean it is automatically the right choice for everyone.

If you are considering moving from Windows to Mac, we can talk about how you use your computer, what software you depend on, what other devices you own, and what you expect from the new system.

If a Mac makes sense, we can help select an appropriate model, plan the transition, move your information, and learn the differences between the two environments.

The objective is not to sell you a Mac.

The objective is to help you choose technology that works well for you.

Your Apple Devices Can Work Together

One of the strengths of Apple's ecosystem is the way its devices can work together.

Photos taken on an iPhone can appear on a Mac. Files can be available across devices. Passwords can synchronize. An iPad can become another display. Calls and messages can move between devices. Information can be copied on one device and pasted on another.

When everything is configured properly, many of these features can feel almost invisible.

When something is configured incorrectly, they can also be confusing.

We can help determine which connected features are useful to you and get them working without adding unnecessary complexity.

Backups: Before You Need Them

Some technology problems can be fixed.

Lost photographs, documents, business records, and other irreplaceable information may be much harder—or sometimes impossible—to recover.

A good backup strategy is one of the most valuable improvements we can make to any computer system.

For Mac users, that may include Time Machine, external storage, cloud services, or a combination of approaches depending on the importance of the information.

The best time to discover whether your backup works is before something goes wrong.

Security Without Making the Mac Miserable to Use

Apple provides many useful security and privacy features, but technology is only part of staying safe online.

Passwords, software updates, account recovery information, two-factor authentication, suspicious emails, fraudulent messages, browser notifications, downloaded software, and social engineering all deserve attention.

Good security should reduce unnecessary risk while still allowing people to comfortably use their computers.

We can help review settings and develop practical security habits without turning everyday computer use into an obstacle course.

Small Business Apple Support

Small businesses increasingly use Macs, iPhones, iPads, and other Apple products without having a dedicated Apple technology specialist on staff.

Zehr.net can provide occasional or ongoing assistance with Apple devices while also considering the other technologies around them—including websites, email, networks, domains, cloud services, backups, security, and online systems.

That broader perspective can be useful because a problem that appears to be a Mac problem may actually involve the network, email provider, website, router, cloud service, or another system.

Learn Your Mac Instead of Just Fixing It

Sometimes fixing the immediate problem is only half the solution.

If you would like to understand what happened, we are happy to explain it.

One-on-one help can include learning macOS, organizing files, managing photographs, understanding backups, using keyboard shortcuts, exploring built-in applications, improving everyday workflows, or simply discovering features you never knew your Mac had.

You do not need to learn everything.

Learn the things that make your technology more useful to you.

Remote Help Can Work Surprisingly Well

Many computer problems do not require an in-person service call.

A telephone conversation may be enough to identify and solve the problem. When seeing the screen would help, screen sharing or other remote tools may make it possible to work through the issue together.

Remote assistance can be especially useful because you remain at your own computer, using your own equipment, while learning what to do.

Sometimes the simplest technology—a telephone—is still one of the best troubleshooting tools we have.

In-Person Apple Help

Some situations are easier to handle in person, particularly new computer setups, networks, peripherals, data transfers, hardware questions, and problems involving several devices.

In-person assistance may be available in the Athens, Pennsylvania / Waverly, New York area and, by arrangement, in the Lewistown, Pennsylvania area where we regularly travel.

Other locations and situations can be considered depending on the project.

Selected Repairs & Hardware Troubleshooting

Zehr.net is not an Apple Authorized Service Provider and does not attempt to operate as a general-purpose Apple repair shop.

However, Brad has experience working with computer hardware and may be able to assist with selected Mac troubleshooting, upgrades, repairs, peripherals, and related hardware problems.

Whether a repair makes sense depends on the device, the problem, parts availability, complexity, value of the equipment, and whether specialized Apple service tools or expertise are required.

If the job belongs with Apple or another qualified repair specialist, we will say so.

Decades of Apple—and Still Learning

Brad's experience with the Macintosh goes back to the 1980s, when discovering the Mac transformed the way he prepared scientific papers, graphs, figures, and other information.

Much has changed since then.

Macintosh became Mac. Laptops became increasingly powerful. The iPod changed music. The iPhone changed mobile computing. The iPad created another kind of computer. Cloud services connected everything. Apple silicon changed the Mac again.

And there is always something new to learn.

That is part of what makes technology interesting.

An Apple User Helping Apple Users

If you have an Apple technology question, are considering buying a Mac, need help setting up a new device, want to learn more about the products you already own, or have a problem you cannot quite figure out, contact Zehr.net.

You do not need to diagnose the problem first.

Just tell us what you are trying to do.

An Apple user helping Apple users—one question, problem, or discovery at a time.