Peripherals
Thinking inside the box to refresh the parts other tips can’t reach
quick-fire questions
How to deep clean keyboards, mice and trackpads?
> It’s wise to combine this with disinfection. Apple recommends two types: sparing use of a disinfectant containing mild bleach, or better 70% isopropyl alcohol which won’t damage the electronics in keyboards. Leave them in a light, open area for a day or two afterwards to ensure virus destruction.
Why do uninterruptible power supplies (UPS) need USB?
> When mains power is lost, a UPS needs to signal your Mac to tell it to shut down, or it’ll run out of battery power. Connecting it by USB lets you set its behaviour in the UPS tab in the Energy Saver pane. There’s also SNMP for networked devices, but that’s more specialised.
Apple’s Thunderbolt 2-to-3 adaptor can’t supply power to unpowered SSDs, which can instead be connected via a suitable dock.